Corte Madera council accepts 2026 work plan after debate on disaster preparedness, vegetation management and signage

The Corte Madera Town Council on Feb. 17 voted 4–1 to accept the town's 2026 staff work plan, after more than an hour of discussion that added direction on disaster preparedness, vegetation management and signage and flagged several items for future consideration.

Adam Wolf, talent manager, presented a draft that incorporated council feedback from a Jan. 23 strategic-planning workshop. Wolf said staff made modest changes to several work-plan bullets, added items discussed at the workshop (including mural-project tasks and an exploration of AI tools for traffic optimization), and separated a list of items to be parked for future consideration. "This draft ... really sets us up to move the town forward in a very positive direction over the next year," he said.

Council debate touched on many priorities. Councilmember Ravasio and others pushed to add a vegetation-management program to spend unspent wildfire-mitigation funds and to re-establish neighborhood chipper programs and other community services; Ravasio noted the town previously budgeted about $300,000 for vegetation management and said roughly $115,000 was spent last year. One council member warned of potential duplication with Central Marin Fire Authority (CMFA) and Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA), and staff said they would coordinate and return with options. A speaker flagged that some wildfire-funding entities hold large sums; a council member characterized the Wildfire Association as having "lots of money, dollars 40,000,000" and said the town should ensure it receives appropriate services.

Council also debated whether to waive permit fees for flood-related repairs after recent storms. Community Development Director Amy Lyle said staff has "really only seen, I think, 2 permits so far" tied to the flooding and that many repairs are minor and can be handled over the counter. She recommended agendizing any fee-waiver proposal and drafting a policy for future emergencies rather than applying a retroactive waiver for the most recent storms.

Members discussed signage strategy and public art. One councilmember urged hiring a single professional designer to create a consistent brand for the intergenerational center, the downtown square and Town Hall signage; staff said some signage must conform to existing sign programs and municipal code and offered to return with process details. Council members also debated the proposed mural for the community center and whether such items should remain on the work plan or be listed as future considerations.

After deliberation, Councilmember Ravasio moved to accept the work plan with the evening's modifications; Councilmember Andrews seconded. The council recorded a roll-call vote: Andrews, Beckman, Vice Mayor Casisa and Mayor Thomas voted yes; Ravasio voted no. The mayor announced the motion carried. Staff said the revised work plan would be posted and treated as a living document.

Votes at a glance • Consent calendar (items 4a–4g): approved (unanimous). • Agenda item 6a (pump-station short-term repairs, project 25-303): authorized (unanimous). • Acceptance of 2026 staff work plan with modifications: approved 4–1 (Ravasio no).

What happens next: staff will incorporate tonight's edits, post the revised work plan and return with targeted staff reports on specific items (vegetation management options, a permit-fee relief proposal if desired, and signage process details).