Soledad council unanimously approves CDBG allocations, HOME application, police lieutenant reclassification and city contracts

SOLEDAD, Calif. — At a public meeting on April 2, 2025 at Hartnell College, the Soledad City Council approved a set of measures aimed at directing program income into local business, housing and facilities projects, reinstating an internal police command classification, and upgrading city facilities and infrastructure.

The most significant action was approval of two resolutions to allocate Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program income. Tensia Vargas, the housing and community development staff member who presented the item, said the allocations will prevent the funds from being returned to the state. "To avoid returning the funds to the state, the city must allocate them to eligible projects," Vargas said. The council voted to: amend an existing business assistance loan grant to add $100,000; set aside $100,000 for public-facility improvements intended for the Soledad Community Center, including HVAC work; and allocate $300,000 to establish a first-time homebuyer assistance program funded from CDBG program income. Both related resolutions carried unanimously.

Why it matters: The city said the program income comes from loan repayments and must be spent on eligible projects or returned to the state. Staff said the $300,000 earmarked for homebuyer assistance is intended to restart a program the city has not run in more than a decade and is intended as a modest, initial offering that can be paired with other funding.

HOME application and guidelines Beatrice Soudier, the city's economic development director, described a separate application to the state HOME Investment Partnerships program for a jurisdictional "small city" NOFA. The city will apply for the maximum amount it is eligible to request given its recent history of program delivery: $500,000 to support a first-time homebuyer component. Soudier said HOME rules limit award size for jurisdictions that have not run a recent first-time homebuyer program and that the city expects the award would serve about two to three households initially. The council adopted program guidelines and approved the application; both measures were approved unanimously.

Police reclassification City Manager Megan (surname not specified in the record) recommended reinstating a police lieutenant classification, re-establishing the job description and reclassifying one existing sergeant position to lieutenant. Megan said the change is intended to create a clearer mid-level management step and help with recruitment, retention and succession planning. "This position will also strengthen community policing," Megan said, adding the one-time fiscal effect this year would be roughly a few thousand dollars with an annualized impact the city estimates at $12,000 to $16,000, to be covered initially from salary savings. The council approved the resolution unanimously.

Contracts and facilities - Terminix bird-netting contract: The council approved a construction services agreement with Terminix for purchase and installation of bird-netting at the Rotolinda overpass area, not to exceed $60,000, after staff said the contractor honored its prior price following an unsuccessful formal bid process. Staff noted the overpass structure is ultimately owned by external agencies (Caltrans/Union Pacific) and that the city is addressing bird-abatement for the city-owned infrastructure beneath it. The contract passed unanimously.

- Council chambers audio-visual upgrade: The council authorized a contract with One Workplace to replace and rewire the council chambers audio system, add assisted-listening capability and install two public display screens, not to exceed $75,000 plus a recommended contingency. Staff said the work follows removal of an old dais, exposed obsolete wiring and recurring audio dropouts; the package includes staff training and integration with the city's platforms. The measure passed unanimously.

Other votes and routine business The council approved the consent calendar (items C1 through C9, with the exception of C7 previously pulled) and miscellaneous business items referred in the meeting. The council also adopted resolutions establishing the HOME program guidelines and the CDBG program-only income allocations described above; each of the recorded measures passed by unanimous voice vote.

Traffic impacts, outreach and next steps City staff acknowledged a problematic traffic control plan tied to concurrent street work and apologized for the disruption after an off-ramp closure that was not sufficiently coordinated with Caltrans; the city said it would avoid similar closures during peak hours and provide updated public notices. Staff also reminded residents about upcoming events and outreach: a small-business expo April 5 and youth and life-skills events in mid-April. The council noted it will continue to seek outside HOME and other grant funds to scale housing assistance beyond the initial allocation.

Votes at a glance (selected items) - Resolution 62-15 / 62-16 — Allocate CDBG program income: $100,000 to business assistance (amend existing grant); $100,000 to public-facility improvements (Community Center HVAC and related work); $300,000 to establish a first-time homebuyer assistance program. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Resolution 62-13 — Contract with Terminix for bird-netting, not to exceed $60,000. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Resolution 62-14 — Reinstate police lieutenant classification and reclassify one sergeant to lieutenant (confidential/unrepresented); fiscal impact: ~ $4,000 this year, $12,000'16,000 annually (estimated), funded from salary savings. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Resolution 62-17 / 62-18 — Apply for HOME Investment Partnerships small-city NOFA (first-time homebuyer component) up to $500,000 and adopt program guidelines. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Resolution 62-19 — AV system agreement with One Workplace for council chambers, not to exceed $75,000, plus contingency. Outcome: approved unanimously.

What the council did not do: No public commenter raised the closed-session litigation topic and the council returned from closed session with no public action announced beyond the items above; minutes show no roll-call recorded public oppositions or abstentions to the measures listed.

Next scheduled actions: Staff said that if the HOME application is awarded the city would have 90 days to finalize program guidelines, loan documents and environmental review and 36 months to expend the award; staff also said it will return with procurement or consultant details if professional underwriting support is required.