Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Measure H topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rohnert Park council approves amendment to Measure H funding agreement with Sonoma County
Summary
The Rohnert Park City Council voted 4-0 on Oct. 14 to approve a first amendment to the Measure H funding agreement with Sonoma County, clarifying that Measure H pays for positions by function rather than by individual and documenting planned uses including training, equipment and station retrofit items.
The Rohnert Park City Council on Oct. 14 approved a first amendment to the Measure H funding agreement with Sonoma County, adopting the item as amended on a 4-0 roll call after discussion about how Measure H dollars are tracked and used.
Director of Finance Betsy Howes told the council that the city budgets Measure H allocations by position, not by the name of an employee, and that positions are charged to Measure H only when performing Measure H–eligible duties. "When we started moving forward with the Measure H, we added last fiscal year two public safety officer positions," she said, adding that the fiscal 2025–26 budget included two more, bringing the total budgeted Measure H positions to four. Howes said training and other Measure H–type activities can be charged to the funding when appropriate.
Council discussion and staff responses also outlined planned and proposed uses for Measure H revenue: requests for additional firefighter positions (the chiefs’ plan originally asked for nine additional firefighters, of which four positions are currently budgeted), roughly $800,000 planned for equipment replacement including a fire engine, an estimated $5 million retrofit for Station No. 2 and several million dollars identified for a future new fire station. Howes said the city has chosen to hold back some staffing hires to accumulate funds for capital improvements and potential bonding.
Councilmember Rodriguez moved to approve the item as amended; Councilmember Elward seconded the motion. The council voted in favor with no opposition and one member absent.
The action was described in staff materials as the first amendment to the Measure H funding agreement with Sonoma County; the amendment was presented as substantially similar to the draft attached as exhibit B in the staff packet. The council asked staff to ensure the county understands that positions are budgeted by function and that Measure H funds are used only for eligible activities.
Next steps: staff will implement the amended agreement with Sonoma County and continue to refine the expenditure plan, including outreach on capital timing and the staffing timeline outlined during the discussion.
