City manager reports SNAP delays, hazard-mitigation meeting and controlled pile burn

The city manager told the council the city and local nonprofits are responding to ongoing S N A P benefit rollout delays after the county board of supervisors allocated $1 million to the Redwood Empire Food Bank to help bridge shortfalls. The city is coordinating food drives on the plaza and working with the food bank to identify local SNAP allocations and any remaining gaps. The Redwood Empire Food Bank recently started a pickup program called "Simple Jester" (as described at the meeting) to collect donor items and arrange doorstep pickup.

The city manager also announced a county multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation public meeting scheduled for Nov. 6 (5:30–7 p.m.) at the Sonoma Valley Fire District to discuss natural-disaster risks and mitigation; the public may comment online through county or city webpages. She said the Ecology Center will perform a controlled pile burn at Montini Preserve on Nov. 7 to reduce wildfire risk; the activity is funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy and is weather-dependent. Residents were advised not to be alarmed if smoke appears north of the plaza on that date.

Other notices included the November cinema art walk (first Thursday, 5–7 p.m.), a volunteer cemetery workday on Saturday (8 a.m.–2 p.m.) ahead of Veterans Day, and a paving project on Speeding Street (staff later clarified the earlier misspoken street name) that is underway with paving expected after prep work and permanent striping to follow when weather allows.