November 5th Agenda Packet posted

Click here to access the City Council November 5th Agenda and packet documents. The pdf is bookmarked for the packet, to make it easier to navigate.
http://www.sonomacity.org/default.aspx?PageId=50

Volunteer Sonoma!

Please click the image to view the flyer about the Volunteer Sonoma event on Nov. 6th.

Upcoming Special Meetings of the City Council

The City Council has scheduled two special meetings in December to cover two issue areas:

Cemetery Subcommittee joint concurrent meeting with the City Council - Thursday, December 4th at 5 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room. The purpose of the meeting will be to hear community input regarding keeping the City's cemeteries as publicly-owned assets or privatizing the cemeteries in some way.

Joint City Council - Planning Commission meeting on Water Issues - Wednesday, December 10th at 6 p.m. in the Fire Station Training Room. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss water supply issues as related to development and future water needs projections.

Both meetings are open to the public and participation is encouraged.

City or Town?

Your Opinion Counts! Following a discussion item at the October 15th City Council meeting, at the request of Councilmember August Sebastiani, the City of Sonoma is considering changing its name from "City of Sonoma" to "Town of Sonoma." The community would still remain an incorporated municipality and there would be no legal implications. A community's name is a reflection of its identity, and we are asking for residents to provide input on this issue. Residents of Sonoma are asked to participate in the following on-poll as one gauge of community sentiment:
Click here to cast your vote!
You can also leave a comment on the poll if you'd like.

Next Council meeting

Our next regular Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 5th at 6 p.m. The agenda packet will be posted on line on Oct. 31st.

Sister Cities Conference

People are inquiring why the flag of Japan is being flown in front of City Hall. This weekend, Sonoma is host to the Northern California Chapter of Sister Cities International as they hold their 32nd Annual Conference. Featured speakers are the Consul General of Egypt Ambassador Dr. Hesham Nakib and the Consul General of Japan Yasumasa Nagamine.

Oct. 15th meeting materials posted

The agenda and packet for the City Council meeting of October 15th are now posted at the following link:
http://www.sonomacity.org/default.aspx?PageId=50

Fire Department Open House, Sunday, Oct. 26th

Join the family fun at the Sonoma Valley Firefighter's annual open house on Sunday October 26th, from noon to 4:00 p.m. There will be rides on the antique fire engine, cookies and other treats, and fire safety displays and demonstrations. The open house is at Fire Station #1, 630 Second Street West.

Next Council meeting

The next City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 15th. The agenda and packet will be posted on the City website on Friday, October 10th.

Mayor's Office hours with Police Chief - Oct. 18th

Mayor Joanne Sanders has announced that she will hold a special "Open Office Hour" where she will be joined by Police Chief Bret Sackett. The Mayor explained that she planned the session "In order to be accessible to folks I may have missed with my weekly office hours and to enable people to meet and share concerns first hand with their Police Chief." It will be held on Saturday October 18, 2008 from 10:00 -11:30 a.m. at City Hall in the downstairs Council office. Visitors will be seen on a first come-first served basis or may call in advance to schedule a ten minute appointment. To schedule an appointment, contact Debra Rogers at 933-2218.

The Mayor has been conducting the once a week office hour since taking over as Mayor last December and has found it to be a highly effective forum for communicating with constituents. They are held every Monday between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. Due to attendance at an out of town conference on October 6 and the observance by City Hall of the Columbus Day Holiday on October 13, the regular office hour will not be held for the next two weeks, and will resume on Monday, October 20.