Saturday, 2-17- Community Creek Cleanup, Bayfront Park, 10AM-12 PM, in person. “Join us at Bayfront Park for a day of community camaraderie and environmental stewardship at our Clean-Up Event! Let’s unite for a cleaner, greener environment!

HOSTED BY PVHS EARTHTEAM

For more info: contact us at info@friendsofpinolecreek.org ” (https://www.friendsofpinolecreek.org/events/pinole-community-creek-cleanup-2)

Wednesday, 2-14- Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee meeting, 6 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. TAPS will be discussing traffic and pedestrian safety issues submitted by the community (none/ongoing), staff updates on CIP projects (appian and marlesta intersection), development projects (none), the Active Transportation Plan, and grants (no updates).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID 856 7083 9226 into Zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833, then entering the meeting ID 856 7083 9226#. 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.

Tuesday, 2-13- Senior Food Program, Pinole Senior Center, in Person 10 AM- 11 AM.
 “The Pinole Senior Center will be partnering with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County on their Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens 55+ will be able to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese and assorted meats twice a month. The time for the distribution is 10:00 am – 11:00 am.

If you are interested in the program all individuals must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications are available on the City of Pinole website via the Senior Center page: https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center

In addition, applications are available at the Front Desk of the Senior Center and can be submitted Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am – 1 pm. Applications can also be submitted on the day of the food pick up. Individuals must bring proof of age such as an ID or Driver’s License and proof of home address which can be a PG&E bill, water bill, or statement listing out the name and residence of the individual. If you have any questions regarding the program please contact the Recreation Coordinator at ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us“. (city calendar

Monday, 2-12- General Produce distribution, Pinole Senior Center, in Person 9 AM- 11 AM. “The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County will be providing bags of fresh produce every second Monday of the month from 9 AM to 11 AM (or as supplies last) at the Pinole Senior Center parking lot, 2500 Charles Ave. You do NOT need to be a member of the Pinole Senior Center or a senior to receive food. Quantities are limited. First come first serve. One bag of produce per household. This will be a contact-less event, please follow the directions from staff and volunteers when you arrive. Parking or exiting your vehicle will not be allowed. Please open your vehicle’s trunk when you enter the parking lot. Food items will be placed in the trunk only by staff/volunteers. If you have any questions, contact the Recreation Coordinator at ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us or call the Front Desk at (510) 724-9800.” (city calendar)

Tomorrow, 2-6 – 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 are no closed session items- expect the first Citizens to be Heard immediately after opening roll call, pledge and land acknowledgement.

For proclamations, there’s Black History Month, Lunar New Year, and recognizing Music Repertorire’s 25th Anniversary. There is also a presentation on the 2024 election by the Contra Costa County Clerk Recorder, Kristin B. Connelly.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There’s the normal minutes and warrants, an update on the communication and engagement plan (which has an attached report- I’m unsure if it’ll be heard during the meeting, since consent calendar items are ordinarily dealt with as a whole), a resolution to allow the city manager to grant contracts for outside staff to support the Public Works department of up to $150,000, a resolution to accept the Hazel Street Storm Drain improvements (SW #1901) as complete, second reading and adoption of an ordinance to explicitly ban political signs from public property, and having the city join the National League of Cities (cost $1701, ongoing page 259).

Finally, there are two new business items- the first, a presentation on options for the city council to ban the creation of new gas stations or the expansion, reconstruction or relocation of existing gas stations in Pinole. A few points of note- similar bans have been implemented in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties (page 261), Pinole currently has 8 gas stations (page 264), and there are not very many locations where the zoning code permits new gas stations in the first place right now (page 273). The proposed process would be a future Interim Urgency Ordinance to halt approvals of new construction or expansion of existing uses, and an outreach process through the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to create permanent zoning code and General Plan amendments (page 278).

The second is a presentation on Community Corner (2301 San Pablo Ave) and directing staff for future uses.

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.

Today, 1-30- Special City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here– note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website.

There is one item on the agenda- closed session discussion on employment of a City Manager.

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.

Tomorrow, 1-24- Community Service Commission meeting starting at 5 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here (note- this is *much* larger than typical for the community service commission agenda packet, so don’t be surprised when it’s 90 MB). Items to be discussed- Park Master Plan Presentation (and the entire Park Master Plan, which is part of the Agenda packet and takes up 320 out of the 330 agenda packet pages), February meeting, Community Services Director Update, and Community Outreach/Engagement.

Some points of interest in the Park Master Plan are community voice feedback summary (page 46, agenda packet), community profile (starting on page 29), and recommendations (starting on page 68). If you’re interested in more detail, the appendix has stuff like the recommended efficiency and maintenance standards (page 235), and an annual park maintenance workplan task list broken down by daily, weekly and monthly tasks per calendar month (starting on page 270). You can also see their recommendations for capital improvements of $17,210,000 for the park system on page 325 for the appendix and 86 for the main report.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID 827-7024-0301 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253) 215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 827-7024-0301#. 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.

Today, 1-23- Senior Food Program, Pinole Senior Center, in Person 10 AM- 11 AM.
 “The Pinole Senior Center will be partnering with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County on their Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens 55+ will be able to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese and assorted meats twice a month. The time for the distribution is 10:00 am – 11:00 am.

If you are interested in the program all individuals must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications are available on the City of Pinole website via the Senior Center page: https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center

In addition, applications are available at the Front Desk of the Senior Center and can be submitted Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am – 1 pm. Applications can also be submitted on the day of the food pick up. Individuals must bring proof of age such as an ID or Driver’s License and proof of home address which can be a PG&E bill, water bill, or statement listing out the name and residence of the individual. If you have any questions regarding the program please contact the Recreation Coordinator at ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us“. (city calendar)

Tomorrow, 1-16- 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 1 closed session item- conference with labor negotiators for the Management Compensation Plan. As a result, I would expect the open meeting to start at 5:30 at the earliest.

For proclamations, there’s Recognizing Police Officer of the Year (Jeffrey Teel), Recognizing Jose Hernandez and Norman Montiel-Garay for their Heroism in Stopping a Carjacking in Pinole, Recognizing Firefighter of the Year (Josh Andrews), Martin Luther King Jr Day, National Day of Racial Healing, and Holocaust Day of Remembrance.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There’s the normal minutes and warrants (though not the November 7th minutes, which I thought were continued to this meeting), a side letter to the memorandum of understanding between the city and AFSCME Local 1 (creates a new role Food Services Specialist, promotes the city’s existing Cook into that role, sets salary schedule. Fiscal impact $3020 (page 69)), quarterly report on the strategic plan implementation, a resolution authorizing the city manager to buy 2 trucks for Public Works (total estimated cost $110,883.01, not to exceed amount $128,000 adjusting for taxes and fees (page 104), budgeted for in current FY), a resolution for a consulting services agreement to implement the new permitting/licensing system and provide systems administration support (staff position vacant (page 107)), cost $100,000 offset by vacancy savings of $109,915 and CalAPP grant of $40,000 (page 111) , a contract for engineering services for the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) RO2302 (pedestrian crossing enhancements on San Pablo Avenue at Third Avenue, at Quinan Street, and on Pinole Valley Road at Savage Avenue (page 152) with a cost of $33,535 with a contingency of $3,465 funded from prior allocation in CIP of $275,000 for that project (page 153),  a resolution to approve the 2024 Council Committee Assignment List, a resolution to amend the on-call agreement with M-Group to allow for staff increases for FY 23/24 not to exceed $160,000 due to increased Planning Division demands (page 195) with no fiscal impact as funds were allocated in budget (page 196), a resolution to authorize designated city staff to accept disaster-related financial assistance from federal and state programs and certify the necessary form OES-FPD 130 (page 200), a resolution to approve the successor agency recognized obligation payment schedule for FY 2024-25 of $0.00 as all obligations will be fully paid this Financial year (page 208), and finally a resolution to accept safety improvements at Tennant Avenue/Pear and Plum Street (project RO2304) as complete and approve filing a notice of completion (page 217).

There is one public hearing- introduction and waiving of first reading for an ordinance to ban Political and Campaign signs on public property (explicitly- see page 227 for the text).

Finally, there is one new business item- the revised Long-Term Financial Forecast and Results of Council-directed Forecast scenarios. For the forecast itself, there’s one major change on the revenue side (Utility Users Tax rate of revenue growth (as opposed to the tax rate itself) decreased from 3% in the November 7th report to 2% in the January 16th report (see page 207 in the 11-7-23 agenda packet which you can find here, page 232 in the current agenda packet). On the expenditure side, FY 24-25 transfers out are lower (compare pages 212 in 11-7-23 and 239 in 1-16-24), there is a lower assumed vacancy savings factor for unfilled salaries (3% in current (page 233), 4% in prior (page 209)), a higher assumed growth rate for non-pension benefits (5% current (page 234), 4.5% prior (page 209)), a higher assumed growth rate for the fire contract with the county (6% current (page 234), 5% prior (page 210). What that means is baseline revenue for FY 24-25 drops from $24,515,604 (page 212 11-23 agenda) to $24,496,348 (page 239 current), baseline FY 24-25 expenditures increases from $27,550,680 (page 212 11-23 agenda) to $27,873,997 (page 239 current), and by the time we get to FY 2044-45, revenue decreases from $46,770,701 (page 213, 11-23 agenda) to $44,393,862 (page 240 current), and expenditures increase from $51,387,744 (page 213, 11-23 agenda) to $54,945,555 (page 240 current). This is before considering any revenue increases or expenditure reductions.

There are several options presented (all increase over time)- the first, increasing the existing UUT rate from 8 to 10% for 10 years would generate $542,435-$635,549 per year for a decade (implementation year being $177,000) and then stop (page 235). The second, expanding the UUT to include water service at 8% would generate $547,617-$797,775 per year (implementation year being $179,000) (page 235). The third, adding a real property transfer tax would generate $500,000 in implementation year and $2.1-2.5 million yearly afterwards (and would require Pinole to become a charter city) (page 236). The fourth would be a new half-cent sales tax measure- implementation year revenue $635,502, annual revenue $2.6-$4.6 million afterwards. The fifth would be increasing the solid waste franchise fee from 10% to 15% with a revenue gain of $185,454-$225,289 if it can be negotiated with Republic Services (page 236). The sixth would be reducing total general fund expenditures in FY 24-25 by 4 or 5 percent, which would result in a savings of $1.1-2.2 million annually (increasing over time) for 4% and $1.4-2.7 million for 5% (page 236). The seventh would be a parcel tax $100 per residential parcel, which would generate $605,900- $1.1 million (increasing over time, though I’m not sure how that works for a parcel tax) (page 236). The eighth would be to lower the General Fund reserve requirement from 50% to 25% or 40%, which would generate one-time revenues of $4.9 million and no ongoing reserve funding increases in the 25% case, and one-time revenues of $1.5 million and lesser reserve funding increases for the 40% case (pages 236-7). There are other options presented with less detail- assessment district, direct lending, enhanced infrastructure financing district, and shared service model. Shared service model is noted as unfeasible (page 237).


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.

Wednesday, 1-10- Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee meeting, 6 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. TAPS will be discussing traffic and pedestrian safety issues submitted by the community (drivers not stopping at Kildare/Tara hills stop sign), staff updates on CIP projects (appian and marlesta intersection), development projects (none), the Active Transportation Plan, and grants (no updates). The final item is a mann drive improvement workshop.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID 856 7083 9226 into Zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833, then entering the meeting ID 856 7083 9226#. 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.