At a glance: council actions from the March 18 Rio Vista meeting

Key council actions taken March 18:

- Cooperative agreement with Caltrans (agenda item 6.6): Approved. Council clarified reimbursement covers the city’s actual fire and paramedic costs during scheduled Rio Vista Bridge closures; it cannot be used to reimburse businesses for lost revenue (motion passed by roll call).

- Guidelines for submission and tabulation of protests under Proposition 218 (agenda item 6.1): Adopted. Staff explained rates are applied citywide for the purpose of the protest evaluation metric; residents asked for clarity on mailed ballots and split sewer‑system impacts (motion passed by roll call).

- Control and licensure of dogs (item 7.1, ordinance first reading by substitution of title O 12 20 25): Council approved first reading with an amendment requiring current rabies and bordetella documentation for service‑dog license waivers; the ordinance expands a fee waiver to service dogs beyond only visually‑impaired service animals.

- Consultant contract award for groundwater test holes (item 7.2): Adopted. Council approved a contract with Ludorf & Scalamini for test‑hole drilling and evaluation (amount in the staff report cited as approximately $288,563). The project will test water quality and production potential at a potential municipal well site on the high‑school property.

Other actions: The council did not adopt proposed speed‑limit changes (item 7.3) and instead directed staff to research state legal parameters and return with options. Several consent‑calendar items were approved earlier in the meeting as part of a bundled vote.