During the December 8th Fort Bragg City Council meeting, the council finalized plans to charge vacant building owners for monthly inspections, passed a resolution that guides dealing with disruptive behavior at council meetings, and, in a reversal from last month, sent the automatic fire sprinkler installation requirement back to the public safety committee for fine-tuning.
The city also received a report regarding needed improvements for the water system over the next ten years at a cost of 39 million. The report will be used as a basis to discuss water rates at upcoming public works and council meetings.
The first quarter budget numbers provided by City Manager Issac Whippy show that the city is basically on track to stay in budget this year; however, a large insurance payment skewed the expenditure side. This was also true for the separate numbers provided on the broadband network. The city is currently installing fiber optic cables to expand broadband services in Fort Bragg.
The vacant building and lot ordinance drew comments from several citizens. Two supported and two opposed. One indicated that this ordinance was anti-business. A fifth was opposed to the vacant lot portion of the ordinance. Councilmember Albin Smith reminded those present that the majority of citizens surveyed clearly supported resolving the issue of vacant buildings. Whippy said the city’s focus will be on buildings in the downtown and will fan out to other commercial areas over time. He says vacant lots will not be the focus; however, the ordinance does give the city leeway to go after vacant lot property owners in commercial zones.
During public comment, two local businesswomen derided the council over the food truck that parks on the 200 block of Redwood Avenue. According to one businesswoman, it creates parking, noise, and pollution issues, and its location hides storefronts and signage. The second added that it contributes to a dead zone on the block, which discourages pedestrian shoppers. She also derided the council for abandoning Redwood Avenue businesses while showing a preference for shops on Laurel. Councilmember Hockett said the issue of food truck generators will be addressed at the upcoming public works meeting.
Under consent, the city also accepted a notice of completion for the stopgap paving contract and increased Lumos and Associates' budget by an additional $14,500 for a total of $131,602 for on-call engineering and surveying services. This is the second increase; the city originally budgeted $80,000 and previously added $37,000.
Chief Eric Swift announced that the public safety meeting scheduled for December 17th will be focused on dispatch concerns. A representative from Ukiah Dispatch will be present. The January 21st meeting will focus on the Flock cameras. Both issues have created controversy within the city.
From Public Works, Chantel O’Neal announced that the construction at Bainbridge Park is scheduled to be completed in February of next year, after weather delays slowed progress. And that the problems associated with a paving project on Franklin will be corrected by the contractor at no cost to the city.
Despite a written request, the city did not provide an update on the solar panel project, which was scheduled to be completed in November and is still under construction, or the upcoming closure of the pool at CV Starr while a new HVAC system is installed, which is scheduled for some time in January and will reportedly last for several weeks.