Town Council Meeting Notes and Picnics on the Plaza

Town Council Meeting Notes

At the meeting of Tuesday, July 9, the Town Council took the following actions:

·         Received the report from the Marin County Flood Zone 9 and Town staff regarding an overview of the Ross Valley Watershed Program, the approved ten year work plan and the planning process for a dual use facility at Memorial Park, proposed to include new park facilities and a detention basin and a timeline for possible sequencing of flood mitigation activities in San Anselmo. 

The Town Council heard the nearly one-hour long presentation, asked questions of the presenters and then took questions and comments from the members of the public who were in attendance. The meeting was very well attended, with the entire Council Chambers filled and people filling the lobby and the front Plaza area as well, where the meeting was broadcast with speakers.

Concerns were expressed and questions asked by members of the public about the detention basin’s impact to current drainage, effect on flood insurance requirements, construction impacts, the lowering of the water table, the cost benefit analysis of the project, the ultimate operation during a flood event, and cleanup.

Participants also spoke about the need to deal with the Town’s significant flooding issues and the cost to the community to deal with the emotional and financial impacts of flooding in the residential and commercial districts. 

The meeting was strictly informational, as this is the beginning of the process to determine if the project will move forward.  There will be a number of public meetings scheduled in the next year as we work through the environmental review process, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

Kudos to everyone for a respectful and informative meeting that truly exemplified the value of public input and participation, as well as the concept of transparency and openness in government.

The presentation can be found at:  http://www.townofsananselmo.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3574.

·         Received the report on the Business License Administrative Fee of $15, originally intended to cover the cost of processing the licenses.  The Town Council recently repealed the $15 fee due to a recent court decision.  Since the fee had already been collected for the 2013 year, the Council directed staff to give next year’s business license renewals a $15 credit toward the renewal, in addition to having no administrative fee charged.

·         Approved the resolution placing the three four-year Councilmember terms that are expiring this year on the November 5 ballot. 

·         Discussed the proposed ballot measure placing a one-half cent sales tax measure for general purposes on the November 2013 ballot.  The Council discussed the proposed ballot question, the duration of the sales tax, accountability measures, such as an independent citizens’ oversight committee and a public reporting process, and a statement of intent regarding expenditures.  The Council provided direction to staff and these items will be brought back for discussion at the Town Council meeting of Tuesday, July 23.  The staff report can be found at: http://www.townofsananselmo.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3576.

·         The Council has scheduled a special meeting for Monday, August 5, at 7 p.m. to make a final decision regarding a proposed sales tax measure on the November ballot.

Picnics on the Plaza

Celebrate the dog days of summer with neighbors and friends during the annual Picnics on the Plaza events at Town Hall.  Picnics are scheduled for six Fridays: August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and September 6, beginning at 5 p.m.  Bring along a picnic or pick up dinner at a local restaurant and enjoy music, activities for kids and a jumpee.

There are some special events happening in conjunction with Picnic’s at the wonderful new downtown Imagination Park.  The first Picnic event, scheduled for Friday, August 2, will include a special kid-oriented opening of Imagination Park.  The August 30 Picnic will be held in conjunction with Imagination Park’s America’s Cup Night.

Picnics are designed to offer a family-friendly activity in the downtown on Friday evenings during the summer.  Each week’s event is hosted and coordinated by a local organization.  If you have any questions, please call the Recreation Department at 258-4640.

San Anselmo News, published weekly on Fridays, is available at the San Anselmo Town Hall, Library, on the Public Notice Bulletin Board. It is also available on the Town’s website, www.townofsananselmo.org, and by email subscription.