Meeting this evening, March 31st - "United Community Resources for Youth"

Please click to read the flyer regarding a meeting of the United Community Resources for Youth, a forum to discuss issues that lead to gang violence and general challenges facing youth in our community.

Agenda posted for Council meeting of April 2nd

The agenda packet materials for the City Council's next regular meeting on Wednesday, April 2nd are posted on the City's web page at this link http://www.sonomacity.org/default.aspx?PageId=50. The agenda for this meeting is relatively brief, with the regular business items including the City's disaster preparedness plan and a draft request for proposals for an update of the City's housing element of the General Plan.

Farmers' Market begins next week, April 1st

The annual Sonoma Farmers' Market starts on Tuesday, April 1st from 5:30 p.m. to dusk, at the Plaza. The Market runs every Tuesday through October. Come out and enjoy!

March 19th Council Meeting actions

At the regular meeting of March 19th the City Council took the following actions:

• Appointed George McKale as City Historian.
• Received the mid-year budget review. Expenditures and revenues are proceeding as planned with no major surprises.
• Approved a request for qualifications to be circulated to the development community and any parties interested in submitting a business proposal for the reuse of the old fire station on Patten Street and Broadway.
• Chose not to award a bid for a consultant to formulate a strategic plan for Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority. Staff will continue with the Standards of Coverage document and schedule a study session to discuss the joint powers agreement with the Valley of the Moon Fire Protection District.
• Referred the issue of a use policy for the community meeting room to the Council's Facilities Committee.
• Due to the lateness of the hour, deferred action on the disaster preparedness program agenda item, which will be taken up at the Council's next regular meeting on April 2nd.

Nathanson Creek Meeting

Sonoma Ecology Center is sponsoring a meeting this Monday the 24th to discuss the Nathanson Creek Preserve River Parkway Project. Click to read the flyer for more information.

Sonoma Overlook Trail event

The Sonoma Overlook Trail Task Force is happy to announce a celebration scheduled for April 26th for the completion of the trailhead improvement project. Click the image to read the announcement.

Economic Indicators presentation

On Friday, March 14th the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce sponsored a Business Forecast Breakfast Forum. Laurie Decker, the Economic Development Program Manager for our City-County-Chamber economic partnership, prepared a PowerPoint presentation regarding the latest economic indicators for the City of Sonoma. The presentation can be viewed from the Current Reports page of our website: http://www.sonomacity.org/default.aspx?PageId=455.

March 19th City Council agenda packet posted

The agenda and the packet materials for the City Council's March 19th regular meeting have now been posted at http://www.sonomacity.org/default.aspx?PageId=50. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room at the Police Department.

Items of interest include:

• An update on the schedule for the mobilehome subdivision ordinance.
• The Mid-year budget update.
• A draft request for qualifications for developers to submit proposal for the old Fire Station.
• Approval of a consultant agreement for a strategic plan for Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue.
• Discussion of implementation of a disaster preparedness program for the City.
• Consideration of a use policy for the community meeting room.

Meet Eithne

We are happy to introduce the newest staff member in our Public Works Department, Eithne Bullick, our new part-time Administrative Clerk. Eithne's (pronounced Eth-nee) experience includes working as an administrative assistant in a small real estate office in Sonoma for the past seven years. Prior to that, Eithne worked as a registered environmental health specialist with Solano County Environmental Management, specializing in small public water systems, on-site sewage disposal and land use. Eithne is a 22-year resident of Sonoma and when not at work, enjoys hiking the overlook trail with her husband and two children.

Eithne's main responsibilities in Public Works include performing routine daily administrative functions, receiving and routing customer service requests, general office duties and assisting with program and project monitoring and implementation. Welcome Eithne!

Sonoma Overnight Haven open

The Haven, a.k.a. the Sonoma Overnight Shelter, is now in operation. This facility is located near the Police Department parking lot, next to the dog park, and provides a safe transitional housing option for individuals and families in need. Funding for this project was provided jointly by the State and City, with private contributions supplementing the operation. For anyone (including potential clients) needing information pertaining to the use, scheduling or operation of the Shelter, the phone number to call is 933-9593. This Sunday, March 15th, The Haven will be open for the public to visit from 2 - 4 p.m. Sonoma Overnight Support, Inc. operates this community resource. In the photo are Sonoma Overnight Support Executive Director William Burrell and Sy Lenz, Board Member, with Council Member Stanley Cohen to the right. For more information, see http://www.sonomaovernightsupport.org/.

Last week, 25 third graders from St. Francis Solano Elementary School visited City Hall. Mayor Sanders led the tour and also facilitated their mock Council meeting in the Community Meeting Room. Great way to get young people excited about community and local government service!

Plastic Bag Recycling

We recently learned that Sonoma Garbage is taking plastic bags for recycling! Spread the news! This is a six month trial program, and residents are asked to place multiple plastic bags into one bag in order to keep the bags as clean and dry as possible. The outside bag should be tied off so that it keeps the multiple bags inside it in place and clean to assure effective processing and recycling. Residents are asked to put them in their blue single stream recycling bin. Plastic bags accepted through this program are those ubiquitous thin plastic grocery bags.

March 5th Council meeting actions

The City Council took the following actions at its meeting of March 5th:

• Adopted an amendment to the Xeriscape Ordinance which requires all newly-constructed single-family homes to comply with the ordinance with respect to front yards
  
• Appointed Mark Heneveld as a new member of the Planning Commission
  
• Approved a Public Facilities Assistance Agreement with Sonoma Valley Health Care District to provide $267,000 in community development agency funding to allow for the replacement of the hospital’s failing generator and failing fire alarm control panel
  
• Created an Ad Hoc Committee to participate in a mediation process regarding the Proposed Montini Preserve Trail, as requested by the Center of Collaborative Partnership, and appointed Council Member Barbose to the committee, with Mayor Pro Tem Brown serving as the Council alternate, with the Mayor to select one member of the Community Services and Environment Commission to also serve on the committee
  
• Approved locating a monument sign within the sidewalk right-of-way at West Napa Street and First Street West, in order to help identify and draw attention to the businesses in that area
  
• Adopted a Resolution supporting extended producer responsibility to hold producers responsible for universal waste products and other product waste management costs (item requested by Council Member Barbose)
  
• Considered the Celebration of 100th Anniversary of Sonoma City Hall; Mayor Sanders asked people to contact her with any and all ideas and she will discuss the event with the City’s Historian and the City Manager (item requested by Mayor Sanders)
  
• Revised City Council Norm Resolution No. 20-2007 to adopt a norm that prohibits communication by Council Members via cell phones, e-mail and text messaging during City Council meetings, with the exception of times for personal emergencies (item requested by Council Member Cohen)
  
• Adopted a Resolution Supporting Save Our State Parks Campaign and Urging the State Legislature to Oppose the Governor’s Budget Proposal to Close 48 State Parks (item requested by Mayor Pro Tem Brown)

State budget crisis and effect on City of Sonoma

Residents may be curious about the State's current budget crisis and its effect on your local government. Here is a brief update of what we know so far.

Two weeks ago, the Senate Budget Committee voted to move forward with emergency cuts to the State budget including the borrowing of Highway Users Tax (HUTA) from local governments for five months. The impact to the City of Sonoma: $83,845 total; $34,738 of which would be in the current fiscal year. We feel this is a budgetary impact we can absorb at the present time without service reduction. The funds would be repaid to the cities in September 2008.

The current proposal from the State Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) also includes a shift of the cities’ share of Proposition 172 funding to partially pay for a realignment of parole programs from the State to Counties. Proposition 172 is the Public Safety Sales Tax. The shift (take-away) from Sonoma would be approximately $117,000.

The LAO’s proposal also includes a proposal to eliminate the Citizens Option for Public Safety (COPS) program, which for several years now has provided the City with $100,000 to supplement our general fund revenue which sustains our Police Department.

The total impact of these two new proposals from the LAO would amount to $217,000, not counting the holdback in HUTA funds of $83,845. We are monitoring the State’s budget situation as various proposals are made and analyzed by the League of California Cities. The League serves as an advocate and lobbying arm for all of the cities collectively in the State.

The City Council will hold its mid-year budget review at its regular meeting of March 19, 2008, and if any of the State’s budget reduction proposals move closer to being adopted, we will provide any updated information at that time.