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Oakdale council approves a slate of items: entertainment zone, fee update, interim city manager; consent agenda passes
Summary
City council approved a package of non‑land‑use items including a permanent entertainment‑zone ordinance for the downtown market, retroactive adjustments to capital facility fees tied to construction‑cost indexes, and the appointment of Police Chief Jerram Amar as interim city manager; the consent agenda passed earlier in the meeting.
Oakdale City Council approved multiple agenda items on March 3, 2025, including an ordinance designating Third Avenue as an entertainment zone during the Oakdale Morning Market, a resolution adjusting capital facility impact fees to reflect cumulative construction‑cost index changes since 2016, and an employment agreement naming Police Chief Jerram Amar as interim city manager. The consent agenda also passed earlier in the meeting.
Entertainment zone: The council voted unanimously, 5–0, to add a chapter to the Oakdale Municipal Code designating Third Avenue from E to F Street as an entertainment zone during the Oakdale Morning Market (May through September). The ordinance allows existing businesses that already hold the appropriate Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) licenses to serve alcoholic beverages within the designated area without applying for individual ABC catering permits for each market day. Police Chief Amar and staff told the council the measure streamlines the process, reduces weekly administrative burdens and conserves the businesses’ limited catering permits for other events. The chief also retains the authority to impose additional controls or temporarily suspend entertainment‑zone privileges if public‑safety concerns arise. The item passed 5–0.
Capital facility fee adjustments: By unanimous vote the council approved retroactive adjustments to the city’s capital facility fees, permitting an annual increase tied to the engineering/construction cost index beginning with the previously adopted 2016 Nexus study. Under the updated schedule a single‑family residential unit impact fee moves from the 2016 base to an adjusted amount (the staff packet used April 2024 index numbers to calculate the updated figures). The fee schedule also lists adjusted per‑square‑foot rates for multi‑family, retail, office and industrial uses. Staff said the adjustments are intended to keep developer‑paid impact fees roughly in line with inflation so the city can maintain funding for water, sewer, stormwater and street backbone infrastructure required by new development; the building industry association reviewed and did not object to the indexing approach.
Interim city manager appointment: The council unanimously approved a resolution appointing Police Chief Jerram Amar as interim city manager effective March 7, 2025, and approved an employment agreement that increases his compensation to an interim city manager pay step while he serves in that role. The agreement preserves the chief’s police‑chief position and specifies that, if the council later hires another candidate as permanent city manager, Chief Amar would revert to his police chief role. City manager Brian Whitemeyer, who announced his resignation earlier in the meeting to accept a position in Folsom, spoke to the council and thanked staff and elected officials for their support; council members publicly praised his 12 years of service.
Consent agenda: Earlier in the meeting the council unanimously approved the consent agenda (with one item removed and rescheduled), including a 20‑year airport lease and other routine items; the consent vote was 5–0.
What the votes mean: Each of these actions moves administrative and operational city business forward: the entertainment‑zone ordinance reduces permit friction for downtown businesses and preserves their catering permits for other uses; the fee indexing aims to preserve purchasing power for infrastructure financed by developer contributions; and the interim appointment maintains a senior executive to run day‑to‑day operations while the council moves forward with a permanent city manager recruitment. Council members said they will consider procurement of an executive search firm for the permanent city manager role at a subsequent meeting.
Ending: All three measures passed unanimously; council scheduled next steps for a permanent manager recruitment and will monitor any operational impacts of the entertainment zone and fee changes.
