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Votes at a glance: Hemet council approves park redesign contract, audio-visual upgrade, cannabis waitlist and several operational items
Summary
At its Aug. 12 meeting the Hemet City Council approved a series of consent and action items — awarding a Weston Park redesign contract, authorizing a council‑chambers AV upgrade, establishing a cannabis permit waitlist, introducing a code‑enforcement ordinance, and approving select public‑works contract work. Most votes were unanimous 4–0.
The Hemet City Council acted on multiple formal items during its Aug. 12 meeting. The following is a concise summary of motions, movers/seconders, vote tallies and key details from each approved item.
1) Receive and file: CityGate final report - Motion: Receive and file the final CityGate Associates report on staffing and the development review process. - Mover / Second: city staff presented; council recorded acceptance (staff report stated council would receive and file). - Vote: recorded as accepted by council; action recorded in meeting minutes. - Outcome: received and filed; staff directed to return with implementation priorities and fiscal implications.
2) Continue public hearing (Item 21a) - Motion: Continue public hearing to Sept. 9, 2025, public hearing to remain open. - Mover: Councilmember Lodge; Second: Mayor Pro Tem Krupa. - Vote: 4–0 (Councilmember Lodge: yes; Councilmember Mayles: yes; Mayor Pro Tem Krupa: yes; Mayor Peterson: yes). - Outcome: Hearing continued to Sept. 9, 2025.
3) Alessandro Street water line (Consent item 23g) - Motion: Approve contract amendment/authorization to install an 8‑inch water line on Alessandro Street as part of Echo Hills Phase 3 work (scope aligned with the ongoing Echo Hills Phase 3 contractor). - Mover: Mayor Pro Tem Krupa; Second: Councilmember Lodge. - Vote: 4–0 (yes: Lodge, Mayles, Krupa, Peterson). - Outcome: Approved; staff noted the work is timed to precede repaving of Alessandro Street. - Notes: Contract price not specified in the staff presentation; funding and schedule tied to CIP 5657 and paving plans.
4) City Council chambers audio‑visual upgrade (Consent item pulled for discussion) - Motion: Adopt resolution approving purchase and installation of new AV equipment for council chambers and to include both legacy assisted‑listening compatibility and modern ‘ourcast’ (streaming/assistive-listening) capability; contract with Western Audiovisual. - Mover: Councilmember Mills; Second: Mayor Pro Tem Krupa. - Vote: 4–0 (Lodge: yes; Mills: yes; Krupa: yes; Peterson: yes). - Outcome: Approved; staff to procure and install equipment covering the dais, chamber and public spaces.
5) Introduce ordinance — definition of “responsible person” for code enforcement (first reading) - Motion: Introduce by title only and direct city clerk to place ordinance on next meeting consent calendar for second reading and adoption. The amendment broadens the class of persons the city can hold responsible for code violations (examples enumerated: property managers, homeowners associations, operators/hosts of short‑term rentals, family members when in de facto control). - Mover: Councilmember Lodge; Second: Councilmember Mills. - Vote: 4–0. - Outcome: First reading introduced; second reading/adoption to be scheduled (staff to place on next regular meeting consent calendar unless a special meeting is set).
6) Weston Park redesign — award of professional services agreement (Discussion item) - Motion: Award a professional services agreement to Community Works Design Group for the Weston Park redesign (CIP 25‑512) and authorize the city manager to execute related documents. - Contract amount: $148,342 (as stated in staff report). - Mover: Councilmember Mayles; Second: Councilmember Lodge. - Vote: 4–0 (yes: Lodge, Mayles, Krupa, Peterson). - Outcome: Council approved the award. The consultant will conduct stakeholder outreach and a phased design process, including community engagement and grant‑ready illustrations.
7) Establish waitlist procedure for retail commercial cannabis permits; conditional agreement - Motion: Adopt a resolution establishing a formal waitlist procedure and authorize a conditional agreement with Grama and Associates LLC (DBA Star Buds) to occupy the waitlist position. - Mover: Councilmember Veil; Second: Mayor Peterson. - Vote: 4–0. - Outcome: Approved. Staff noted one qualified applicant volunteered to be waitlisted so the city could move forward with the initial five available licenses without a lottery.
Process notes and filings
- Consent calendar: Council approved the remaining consent items (with items 23g and 23k pulled for discussion) by a single vote (4–0) after separate consideration of requested pulls. - Closed session report: The city attorney reported the council gave settlement and litigation direction by consensus on closed‑session matters; no other reportable action from closed session was taken at the public meeting.
Ending
The council voted unanimously on the listed actions (4–0 where recorded). Several items (for example, the municipal‑code amendment and the CityGate report) will require staff follow‑up with implementation plans, fiscal analysis and scheduling for adoption or action at a future meeting.
