Galt council backs county recommendation to reconstitute Continuum of Care board, seeks safeguards for small jurisdictions

The Galt City Council on Feb. 3 voted unanimously to support the county'recommended option to reconstitute the Continuum of Care (CoC) board and to pursue a collaborative model that would, if accepted by the CoC, reconstitute the board with a majority of elected officials and make it subject to the Brown Act.

County director Emily Halcon (identified in the presentation) said the revised recommendation would use the existing administrative structure of the CoC while changing its governance charter so at least 51% of voting seats be held by elected officials from participating jurisdictions. The change is intended to create a formal reporting mechanism between the CoC and the Board of Supervisors and city councils, increase transparency around how CoC funds are spent, and better align regional strategy with local land‑use decisions. Halcon told council the CoC currently administers roughly $40 million annually in federal funding for homeless services (a figure staff used as a planning reference), but that federal funding rules are prescriptive.

Council members voiced two recurring concerns during the discussion: (1) representation and voting weight for smaller jurisdictions when larger jurisdictions like the City of Sacramento have higher homeless counts, and (2) ensuring that land‑use authority remains with cities rather than being transferred to a regional body. Halcon and county staff said the recommended option stops short of transferring land‑use authority and that the CoC'administered funds would remain subject to federal program rules; they also said the Board of Supervisors approved the county staff recommendation in December and asked cities for input.

After public comment and a brief debate, Councilman Pratton moved to approve the staff recommendation; Councilman Farmer seconded. The council voted 5–0 in favor of the recommended collaborative option. Staff said next steps include asking the Continuum of Care to agendize the amended governance charter for its consideration and continuing discussions with the larger cities that have taken alternate paths (the City of Sacramento has indicated interest in a joint powers authority alternative).