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Council votes: wildfire mitigation plan, personnel report, ordinances (summary)
Summary
The council approved a wildfire mitigation plan and accepted an annual personnel vacancy report, advanced multiple municipal-code changes on first reading and gave staff direction on inclusionary housing and appointments.
This article summarizes formal votes and council actions recorded during the meeting.
Votes and formal outcomes
- Wildfire mitigation plan (utility department public hearing): motion to approve passed 5–0. The public hearing was opened and closed with no speakers; staff presented mitigation measures for the utility department.
- Annual personnel vacancy report and recruitment/retention update (Assembly Bill reporting requirement): council accepted the staff presentation and a motion to receive the report passed 5–0. Staff reported an overall city vacancy rate of about 11% (data gathered as of Jan. 9, 2025) and described recruitment, advertising and retention initiatives.
- Consent calendar: council approved the consent calendar by motion; councilmembers pulled item 6.4 for separate consideration. The consent calendar passed 5–0. (Specific consent items, ordinances and staff reports listed on the meeting agenda were included; items removed from consent were handled separately as indicated on the audio record.)
- Ordinance readings and code updates: - Ordinance No. 3417: first reading (by title) amending municipal-code chapters on subdivision improvement agreements (authorizing the city manager to approve certain subdivision improvement agreements and accept security) — introduced and read by title; council voted to introduce the ordinance (first reading) with a future second reading scheduled. - Ordinance No. 3418: first reading (by title) adopting local Responsibility Area fire hazard severity zone maps and updating Chapter 15.16 — council approved the first reading; second reading scheduled for a subsequent meeting.
- Purchasing code update (Chapter 3.08): staff presented recommended changes to purchasing-authority thresholds and other clarifications. Council discussion generated direction to staff to return with additional comparative data (other cities’ manager/director approval levels), revised drafting to clarify “value” vs. “lowest bidder,” and proposed reporting that would disclose use of delegated authority. No final adoption occurred at this meeting; staff will return with updated ordinance language and comparative data.
Nonbinding direction and next steps
- Inclusionary housing: after receiving staff research on nearby cities’ inclusionary ordinances, the council directed staff to prepare an inclusionary housing ordinance and to hire a consultant to perform an in‑lieu fee study (estimated consultant cost $20,000–$50,000; timeline 12–18 months). No ordinance was adopted at this meeting.
- Western Riverside County Regional Wastewater Authority representation: council directed staff to prepare ordinance language to change the appointment model so a single appointed representative (rather than a rotating mayoral appointee) can serve multi‑year terms; staff will bring an ordinance for council action.
The meeting record shows unanimous votes on the items listed above where final votes were taken. Several other items were informational presentations or first readings that require subsequent council action for final adoption.
