Meeting Summary
Present: 5-Friedman, 1-Santamaria, 3-Gutierrez, Rowse, Stanton, 6-Harmon, 2-Jordan
This summary was AI-generated to save you time. It may miss or misstate details, so verify against the official recording and the transcript.
At a glance
Employee Recognition
- City employees were honored for reaching five, ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five years of service.
- Lieutenant Ryan Dijon of the Police Department received specific recognition for his 25-year career.
- Recipients represented various departments including Public Works, Fire, and Water Resources.
Consent Calendar
- Items regarding airport agreements, a new Water Resources Department, and infrastructure funding were approved.
- A resolution to reestablish the sister city relationship with Cusco, Peru, was removed for separate discussion.
- The remaining consent calendar items were adopted via a motion and roll call vote.
Finance Committee Report
- The committee discussed a potential real estate transfer tax on parcels exceeding $3 million.
- The proposed measure is projected to generate approximately $5.1 million in annual revenue.
- Full Council consideration of this revenue measure is scheduled for March.
Sister City Relationship with Cusco, Peru
- Officials noted that Cusco still considers Santa Barbara a sister city despite a past official dissolution.
- The discussion highlighted architectural similarities and the warm reception during a recent visit.
- A resolution to reestablish the sister city relationship was approved unanimously.
Charter Amendment Regarding Contracts and Leases
- Staff proposed amending Charter Section 521 to allow Council approval of contracts via resolution and remove lease term limits.
- Council members debated holding a special election in June versus deferring to the November general election.
- The Council adopted a resolution to place the charter amendment on the June 2, 2026, ballot.
Full summary
Employee Recognition
- The meeting included a ceremony to recognize City employees for their years of service. Recipients were announced for five, ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five years of service across various departments, including Community Development, Police, Public Works, Water Resources, Library, Parks and Recreation, Fire, and Waterfront. Lieutenant Ryan Dijon of the Police Department received a specific recognition for 25 years of service, during which his career history and commendations were detailed.
Consent Calendar
- The Clerk read items two through eight for the consent calendar. These items included:
- Item 2: Introduction of an ordinance approving an agreement with Goleta Building Materials Inc. at the airport.
- Item 3: Introduction of an ordinance approving an agreement with ME Inc. at the airport.
- Item 4: Introduction of an ordinance to establish a Water Resources Department.
- Item 5: Authorization of the second amendment to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund agreement for the Braemar Lift Station Rehabilitation Project and a budget amendment.
- Item 6: A resolution to reestablish the sister city relationship with Cusco, Peru.
- Item 7: A resolution authorizing the Waterfront Director to declare unseaworthy vessels as abandoned property.
- Item 8: A resolution appropriating funds for the Sheffield Pump Station Electrical Instrumentation and Controls Replacement Project.
- Item 6 was pulled from the consent calendar for separate discussion. A motion was made to approve the remaining items (Items 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8) absent Item 6. The motion was seconded. A roll call vote was conducted, and the motion passed.
Finance Committee Report
- A report was provided regarding a potential revenue measure for the November ballot. The Finance Committee discussed a real estate transfer tax on parcels over $3 million, projected to generate approximately $5.1 million annually. The full Council is scheduled to consider this measure in March.
Public Comment
- One member of the public addressed the Council regarding a peace walk and religious ceremonies, offering a brief prayer.
Item 6: Sister City Relationship with Cusco, Peru
- Following the removal of Item 6 from the consent calendar, the Mayor and Council Member Gutierrez discussed the history of the relationship with Cusco, noting that while the relationship had been officially dissolved in the past, the city of Cusco still considers Santa Barbara a sister city. They highlighted the architectural similarities and the warm reception received during a recent visit. A motion was made to approve the resolution reestablishing the sister city relationship. The motion was seconded. A roll call vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously.
Item 11: Charter Amendment Regarding Contracts and Leases
- Staff presented a proposal to amend City Charter Section 521 to modernize provisions relating to contracts and leases of city property. The current charter requires contracts binding the city for more than five years to be approved by ordinance (a process taking approximately 40 days) and limits leases to 50 years. The proposed amendment would allow the City Council to approve such contracts via ordinance or resolution and would remove the 50-year limitation on leases, subject to other state or federal restrictions (such as FAA regulations for airport property and the Tideland Trust for waterfront property).
- Discussion focused on the benefits of the amendment, including increased flexibility for negotiations, the ability to secure long-term investments, and the elimination of delays for businesses entering into leases. Council members debated the timing of the election, weighing the cost of a special election in June ($195,000) versus deferring to the November general election ($65,000). Staff recommended the June election to facilitate ongoing negotiations for projects such as Paseo Nuevo and the redevelopment of surface parking lots.
- Council members also discussed the language of the ballot measure, seeking to simplify the text to clearly convey the intent of providing flexibility regarding terms and conditions without referencing specific projects. After a brief recess to finalize the language, the proposed ballot question was revised to read: "Shall a proposed measure to modernize city charter section 521 allowing flexibility related to terms and conditions of contracts and leases of city property be adopted?" The charter amendment language was also refined to state that the city has the authority and flexibility to approve contracts and leases with terms established by the City Council.
- A motion was made to adopt the resolution calling for a special election on June 2, 2026, to submit the charter amendment to voters, with the revised ballot language and charter text. The motion was seconded. A roll call vote was conducted, and the motion passed.
Council Member Reports
- Council members provided reports on recent committee assignments and engagements, including the Community Development and Housing Services Committee meeting, a STEM women's lunch, a 100th birthday celebration for Anita Hughes, the Visit Santa Barbara Tourism Summit, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's McCurley Film Center.
- The meeting was adjourned.