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Council rejects one-time exception to allow late roundabout grant submission for Leucadia Hygiea project
Summary
The council declined to grant a one-time exception to its agenda-policy rule to accept a late SANDAG Smart Growth grant application for the Leucadia Hygiea roundabout; the motion to deny the exception carried with Mayor Ehlers the lone dissent and two councilmembers absent.
The Encinitas City Council voted not to make a one-time exception to city policy C003 that would have allowed a late submission of a SANDAG Smart Growth Incentive Program (SGIP) grant application for the Leucadia Hygiea roundabout.
Supporters of the Hygiea project, including longtime neighborhood advocates Chris Ryan and June Hansberger, presented a volunteer-prepared grant application and argued the roundabout is a long-delayed safety and mobility improvement for Leucadia Boulevard. They told the council the roundabout project was designed years ago, is shovel-ready and consistent with the city's climate and pedestrian objectives, and could leverage roughly $3.5 million in SANDAG funding.
Opponents urged strict adherence to Council Policy C003 and pointed out procedural concerns: several residents and speakers said there was no precedent for allowing private citizens to submit unsolicited grant applications and that the city typically requires contractors to meet insurance, indemnity and procurement expectations. Rachel Graves said the city had not produced any example of a prior exception and urged the council to deny the request. Other commenters said the late filing deprived District 1 Councilmember Luke Schafer of the chance to participate; Schafer himself submitted written opposition asking not to revisit the March decision that prioritized other grant applications.
Council members debated whether the timing and staff review window justified an exception. Councilmember O'Hara moved to deny the requested policy exception; the motion passed with Councilmembers Schaeffer and Lines absent and Mayor Ehlers recorded as voting no. With the exception denied, staff will not submit the citizen-drafted Hygiea application to SANDAG under the late-exception route; the city may pursue other competitive funding opportunities in normal cycles.
Why it matters: the decision preserves a council-established agenda and deadlines policy and underscores the council's reluctance to accept outside-written grant packages on an accelerated timeline without staff review and standard contractual protections.
Next steps: no SANDAG SGIP submission will be made under the late-exception. Supporters may resubmit within the normal process or await future SANDAG cycles; staff will continue to evaluate city-led grant opportunities.
