Rohnert Park council seeks flood-adaptation plan after December storms

Rohnert Park — City staff on Jan. 14 told the City Council that last winter’s intense rains exposed persistent weaknesses in the city’s storm-drain system and asked whether the council would direct them to develop a flood-adaptation plan.

Director of Public Works (unnamed in the record) reviewed the city’s Municipal Code, which requires building-floor elevations one foot above the 100-year floodplain but does not cover roadways, garages or yards. Staff described how Copeland Creek and downstream flows into the Laguna de Santa Rosa can overwhelm local drains, showed photos from a Dec. 14 flood near City Hall and said the system has grown piecemeal as subdivisions were built.

Why it matters: Council members and residents said they want a mix of short-term relief and longer-term, engineer‑led planning. Several councilmembers emphasized that neighborhoods need concrete timelines and that staff should pursue both emergency mitigations and an engineering analysis to identify long-term capital projects.

City Manager Marcela Pedra told residents the presentation was a first step toward hiring a consultant to deliver a phased plan. "We are looking at professional services to help us understand how our storm drain system works here in the city," Pedra said, adding that staff would bring proposals back for council consideration. Pedra also clarified a funding question raised in public comment: "I did not state that we would use pickleball funding — it was given as an example, not a commitment." (City Manager Marcela Pedra.)

Resident Tracy Franco, whose home is in the Hartwood neighborhood, urged quicker action and asked for a staff walk-through of a private parcel that residents believe contributes to local flooding. Staff confirmed a walk-through is scheduled for Jan. 27 and said they would attempt to contact the private owner to obtain permission where needed.

Council members pressed staff on short-term measures to reduce harm before the next storm. Councilmember Hollingsworth noted that sandbags and K-rails could be tried as stopgap measures; staff said sandbag stations and targeted deployments are part of their short-term toolkit and that proposals under consideration could chunk deliverables into near-term and long-term phases.

Staff emphasized coordination needs with regional partners: the Water Agency maintains downstream channels and currently has no long-term projects planned that would directly alleviate upstream backup into the city, though the agency told staff it plans dredging work this summer and has a sediment basin north of Snyder that might be helpful. Direction to pursue consultant proposals and to coordinate with the Water Agency were discussed but no formal funding commitment or contract was approved at the meeting.

What’s next: Staff will solicit proposals for a flood-adaptation plan that would include immediate (sandbag/K-rail) options and longer-term hydraulic modeling and prioritized capital projects. Staff also committed to neighborhood outreach and additional walk‑throughs. Any consultant contract or budget request will return to the council for formal approval.