Council approves consent calendar; adopts wildfire plan and roundup donation program; accepts police military‑equipment report; directs tree‑ordinance revisions

Redding City Council voted on multiple staff recommendations and reports during Monday’s meeting, advancing several routine and policy items.

What passed: the council approved the consent calendar (with two items pulled and one continued to a later date) and recorded a series of staff actions and approvals during the regular agenda. Notable outcomes included adoption of the Redding Electric Utility (REU) Wildfire Mitigation Plan, authorization of a new optional “round up” donation program for Parks & Recreation on utility bills, acceptance of the Police Department’s annual military‑equipment report (AB 481 reporting), and direction on the city’s tree‑management ordinance update.

Votes at a glance

- Consent calendar: approved 5–0 (exceptions noted; item 4.2B moved to a future meeting). Council formally motioned to approve the consent agenda with those exceptions; the motion passed unanimously.

- NorCal Continuum of Care administrative role: council authorized staff to send a formal notice that the city will not continue as the administrative entity after 12/31/2025 and approved related staff actions; motion approved 5–0.

- Redding Electric Utility Wildfire Mitigation Plan (annual update required by state law — Senate Bill 901): council approved the 2025 wildfire mitigation plan. Highlights from staff presentation included 167 acres cleared with goats in 2024, 803 acres of right‑of‑way inspected/cleared, pole‑wrapping and continued non‑arcing arrestor installation, expanded GIS tools, and planning groundwork for potential public safety power shutoffs (PSPS). Motion to approve the plan passed unanimously.

- Parks & Recreation “Round Up” donation program: council authorized a voluntary billing‑roundup/donation option that would allow utility customers to round up bills or make one‑time or recurring donations to support parks, maintenance and recreation program subsidies. Staff presented participation and revenue benchmarks drawn from comparable utilities; conservative revenue estimates ranged into low six figures annually if participation scales as in model jurisdictions. Council approved the program and authorized the City Manager to appropriate any donated funds.

- Police Department AB 481 (military equipment) annual report: Captain Chris Smyrnaus presented the department’s inventory and use summary, including armored response vehicle deployments, the mobile command center, limited UAV usage, and a request for council approval to acquire up to eight additional 40mm less‑lethal launchers (no purchase authorization was requested at this meeting). Council accepted the report and approved continued reporting and oversight; the acceptance motion passed unanimously.

- Administrative hearing date for fee schedule updates: council set a public hearing date for adoption of updated fees (staff will hold stakeholder sessions and provide additional outreach prior to the hearing). Motion to set the hearing date passed unanimously.

- Tree management ordinance / in‑lieu fee direction: following discussion of the citizens’ Tree Management Ordinance Update Committee recommendations, the council voted to continue work on the ordinance but not to adopt the committee’s proposed city‑run tree‑planting fee program at this time. Instead the council directed staff to bring forward strengthened regulatory, enforcement and incentive provisions (penalties, landscape/parking standards, exemptions, and incentive options) for planning commission review and later council consideration. The motion to proceed with option B (strengthen ordinance and defer or reframe the fee program pending further study and potential nexus analysis) passed unanimously.

What council asked staff to do next: provide clearer visuals of proposed setbacks and revised maps, run targeted outreach with private property owners and developers, develop enforcement options and incentive structures (including a proposed penalties framework), refine circulation/parking studies for venue alternatives and report back with draft ordinance language (redlined) and cost/maintenance implications for any planting/maintenance program.

Speakers and staff presenting at these items included Nathan Aronson (Assistant Director, Transmission & Distribution, REU), Nicole Smith (Community Development Manager), Jeremy Pagan (Director of Development Services), Travis Minnie (Community Services/Parks & Recreation staff), Capt. Chris Smyrnaus (Police), and consultants for several items. Council members and members of the public also participated in the discussion and the required community meeting on the police AB 481 report.