Pinole City Council meeting- 4-2-24

Today, 4-2- Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here – note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website.

To start, there is one closed session item- Conference with labor negotiators- Management Compensation Plan. While it’s only one item, I would still be surprised if the council returned before 5:30.

For proclamations, there’s a proclamation for Autism Acceptance Month, Arab American Heritage Month, and National Pet Day. Then there is 1 presentation from Marin Clean Energy (MCE) on their application to the Department of Energy for a grant to expand Virtual Power Plants in MCE communities.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and warrants, a contract for landscape maintenance services to Pacific Site Management not to exceed $420,545, Pinole Perks restructuring (fiscal impact $25,000 page 73 agenda packet), City Clerk Contract Amendment (4% merit, 1% longevity raise, fiscal impact  $8571 page 99), and last a memorandum of understanding with MCE for the grant application presented on earlier from the Department of Energy (signature of support, no immediate fiscal impact).

This time, there’s a public hearing- and it’s important. Urgency Ordinance to enact a moratorium on the establishment of new or expansion of existing service (i.e, gas) stations. This would ban the creation of new gas stations or expansion of existing ones in Pinole for the duration of the ordinance while the city drafts a more thorough ordinance for permanent adoption (page 111). It would not, however, close existing gas stations (page 112). As an urgency ordinance, it can go into immediate effect, but requires the votes of 4 out of the 5 council members to pass.

 
There are 2 old business items- An update on the progress of the parklet program (reporting business owner survey results, deciding whether to continue page 133), and deciding whether the city wants to pursue a Real Property Transfer Tax and becoming a charter city for that purpose this election cycle.

Finally, there is one new business item- considering which vehicles to purchase to replace aging city fleet vehicles. Of note- electric vehicles would need to be purchased individually rather than by fleet, but could cost as low as $26,500 depending on model (page 145).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID 893 3500 0272 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253) 215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 893 3500 0272#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.