Votes at a glance: Seaside council approves grants, contracts and water allocation; first reading on firearms ordinance

Seaside City Council actions and votes at the July meeting included approvals of consent items, awards of construction and service contracts, a water‑allocation adjustment for a Meals on Wheels distribution site, and several community program authorizations. The council also introduced — on first reading and as amended — an ordinance that would regulate the sale and storage of firearms in Seaside (see separate article).

Key votes and outcomes

- Consent agenda: The council approved routine consent items unanimously, including designating July 2025 as Parks and Recreation Month, approving and filing city and success agency checks, adopting a proclamation and adopting several resolutions authorizing professional service and on‑call civil engineering agreements (see agenda packet for full list). (Vote: unanimous.)

- Item 7d — Seaside Raiders youth fund contribution: The council approved a $3,000 city contribution to the Seaside Raiders cheer program after public comment and discussion about potential conflicts of interest. Council members disclosed family ties where required and then approved the item by recorded vote. (Outcome: approved; vote recorded as unanimous.)

- Item 9a — Seaside Stars fourth class: The council approved the ad hoc committee's recommendations for four Seaside Stars recipients and authorized the city manager to execute contracts with FMG Custom Concrete to fabricate and install four plaques (cost per plaque $6,716; four plaques total $26,864). The council approved the funding allocation from the previously budgeted amount and scheduled an unveiling ceremony for October. (Outcome: approved unanimously.)

- Item 9b — Water allocation for Meals on Wheels (1020 Auto Center Parkway): The council adopted a resolution to reallocate 1.292 acre‑feet per year back to the city's unallocated reserve and to allocate up to 0.725 acre‑feet per year from that reserve to support Meals on Wheels for use at 1020 Auto Center Parkway (for distribution operations and legalization of an unpermitted second floor). Staff explained 0.351 AFY was attributable to changing kitchen use classification and 0.374 AFY to legalizing the second floor. (Outcome: approved unanimously.)

- Item 9c — Fee waiver for Central Coast Bombers: The council approved a partially revised fee waiver request for use of Soper, Rubio (Metz) and Catino fields from Aug. 4 to Oct. 31, 2025, with the organization paying for field lighting; total city fees waived were $6,409. Staff noted the organization is a local 501(c)(3) and has used city fields with similar waivers since 2019. (Outcome: approved unanimously.)

- Item 9d — Fort Ord Military Reservation demo project, Phase 1b (rebid): The council awarded a construction contract to American Integrated Resources for demolition and related work on the Phase 1b area, authorizing the city manager to execute the contract in an amount not to exceed $2,585,707.95 and to approve a 15% construction contingency. Staff noted potential additional costs if post‑demolition soil hazardous materials are identified; the contract schedule allows roughly 120 calendar days for completion after notice to proceed. (Outcome: approved unanimously.)

Process notes and context

- Several items required disclosures by council members because of family involvement in local programs (for example, the Seaside Raiders request). City attorney advice on disclosure and recusal was provided before votes.

- On the Meals on Wheels water allocation, staff described an existing 1.292 AFY allotment previously reserved for a restaurant project that never proceeded; council reallocated that amount into the unallocated reserve and then assigned the smaller amount needed to the Meals on Wheels site.

- On the Fort Ord demolition contract, staff reminded the council that hazardous‑material abatement discovered after demolition would be outside the current contract scope and could add cost and time to the project.

Ending

All formal items brought to a vote at this meeting passed without recorded opposition. The council also took the significant procedural step of introducing the firearms ordinance on first reading and amending the buffer distance; the ordinance will return for final adoption at a later meeting.