Council approves transit vouchers, sewer rates and budget warrants; chicken ordinance hearing continued

The National City City Council on a near-unanimous vote on several administrative items approved $300,000 in Clean Mobility Options voucher funds to add a third vehicle to the city's free NEV shuttle program and adopted an ordinance setting sewer service charges for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

Council members approved two warrant registers and a transfer of Transnet funding to close a shortfall on a citywide protected left-turn enhancements project. The council continued a separate public hearing on proposed changes to the municipal code governing backyard chickens to the second meeting in August for further study.

Why it matters: The actions together preserve and expand an existing free mobility service, lock in multi-year sewer rates the city says are needed to cover operations and capital costs, and move a traffic-safety capital project toward construction. The chicken ordinance was not finalized; council asked staff for additional analysis and comparables from other cities before a final vote.

Key votes

- Supplemental funding for "Frank" NEV shuttle: Approved unanimously. The council accepted $300,000 from the state voucher program to operate a third NEV vehicle and pay operating costs. Martha Juarez, assistant director of engineering and public works, told the council the program had delivered more than 40,000 rides with two NEVs and cannot meet demand. "It is so successful that we can't meet the demand," Juarez said.

- Sewer service charges ordinance (FY26'FY30): Adopted unanimously after a public hearing. City consultant Carmen Kastner and Assistant Director Juarez outlined why the city recommends a largely flat-rate structure for residential customers and a modest multi-year rate increase. Kastner said the property-tax roll billing approach and the need for defensible, auditable methodologies favored flat and fixed components over a bedroom-count or full-flow methodology.

- Warrant registers (items 8.13 and 8.14): Approved unanimously. The registers listed vendor payments including project contractors, specialized services, and equipment purchases reported by the finance department.

- RTIP amendment / Transnet funds transfer: Adopted unanimously. Council approved transferring $1.2 million in Transnet local street funds to close the gap on a federal Highway Safety Improvement Program project that will add protected left-turn or pocket-turn improvements along several city corridors.

- Consent calendar (items 8.1'8.14, with some items pulled for separate consideration): Approved unanimously.

- Chicken ordinance (amendment to municipal code on keeping hen chickens): Continued to the second meeting in August for additional research and consideration. Councilmembers asked staff to gather comparative rules from other urban cities and to return with options on maximum numbers, lot-size thresholds and sanitation/enclosure standards.

What council asked staff to do next

Council directed staff to return with additional details on the chickens proposal, including comparables and a recommended set of numeric limits and enforcement mechanisms; to pursue further grant and local funding options for long-term sustainability of the NEV shuttle; and to proceed with design-bid steps for the protected-left-turn enhancements now that local matching funds were allocated.

Provenance (selected transcript spans)

- Consent calendar and motion to approve: topicintro s=4383.515 topicfinish s=4415.875 - Frank (CMO voucher) appropriation and discussion: topicintro s=4439.845 topicfinish s=4966.255 - Warrant registers and approval: topicintro s=4983.355 topicfinish s=5179.365 - Sewer service charges public hearing, discussion and adoption: topicintro s=5215.215 topicfinish s=5864.975 - RTIP amendment public hearing and adoption: topicintro s=6065.8247 topicfinish s=6440.72 - Chicken ordinance introduction and continuance: topicintro s=6576.5303 topicfinish s=8498.69