The City Council met on Monday, March 16, this week to issue a pair of proclamations, hear a report from its fire department and a request for support for a quarter-cent sales tax extension for SMART, and discuss ways to streamline and update its protocols.
Sanchez family
The council issued a proclamation acknowledging the Sanchez family for 40 years of service to the community with their downtown business, Taqueria El Sombrero. The proclamation and subsequent remarks highlighted a classic American Dream story: Benjamin Sanchez coming to this country to work and pursue opportunity, then bringing his wife, Celina, and their children to join him.
Hard work and perseverance resulted in the opening of Taqueria El Sombrero, a local and visitor favorite for four decades located at 245 Healdsburg Ave. The family will celebrate with the community on March 29, with music, family activities and more.
Surveyors
The council issued a proclamation acknowledging National Surveyors Week, noting that “since the Colonial days of the United States, surveyors have been leaders in the community, statesmen, influential citizens, and shapers of cultural standards.”
Former notable surveyors include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Lewis and Clark, Daniel Boone, and Henry David Thoreau. Monica Wingett, of the Sonoma County chapter of the California Land Surveyors Association, accepted the proclamation.
SMART
Suzanne Smith, the retired executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the Regional Climate Protection Authority, is now supporting the campaign to renew the quarter-cent sales tax that is a keystone of the SMART commuter train funding. Smith told the council that Measure B, the ballot measure to renew the tax for another 30 years, will be on the ballot this June.
Smith stressed the value of the train in a larger context than transportation, telling the council that having a commuter train in operation has helped local cities win $735 million in grants since its inception. At the conclusion of the meeting, the council expressed a willingness to make a public statement supporting the SMART tax renewal.
Fire department update
Healdsburg Fire Chief Jason Boaz and Fire Marshal Lance MacDonald presented the annual fire department update. Among a plentiful presentation of data, including staffing levels, response times, incident statistics and more, the presentation covered the new use of an old tool, reducing wildfire risk through prescribed burns.
MacDonald told the council about a series of prescribed burns in the undeveloped areas on the eastern and northern flanks of the city, including wildland areas around Fitch Mountain Villas and the eastern ridgetops above the city. Chief Boaz noted that “the biggest potential wildfire risk to the City is a wind-driven fire from the northeast.” By clearing areas in the path of such a fire, the city not only reduces risk, it provides the fire department a place to stage and battle a wildfire.
Budget tools
During his report, Healdsburg City Manager Jeff Kay noted that the community can still take advantage of the online budget simulation tool that allows anyone to offer input to the upcoming City budget. The tools are at healdsburg.gov/budget.
Protocols
Before the meeting ended, the council discussed ways to streamline and update its protocols. Many of these minor updates reflect changes to state law, updates to how agendas are prepared, how meeting notes are crafted and more.The next City Council meeting will be its goal-setting session on Wednesday, March 25, at Tayman Park.
