City Council — September 15, 2026

I would like to note that the interpreter for this evening is Karen Ramos. Ms. Ramos, could you raise your hand? She's right in the back. If you need listening devices and if you'd like interpretation services. I'd like to call this meeting to order for the City Council meeting of September 15th, 2026. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

Absolutely thank you Madam Mayor with respect to items 3a and 3b instructions were provided to the negotiators and to legal counsel regarding the

public comment. Madam Clerk, I have five public comments and the time is three minutes. Mark Vandekamp followed by Gary Hall followed by Rachel Carr followed by Sophie Navarro and Cynthia Gudeno. Mr. Van de Kamp.

I'm here on behalf of the Committee for Yes On Sea. We are asking voters to support Measure C. This is a half-cent local sales tax that would raise about $13 million a year to support and protect recreation, parks, library hours, the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center, street and sidewalk repairs, youth adult and senior programs, and the jobs of these people who provide these important services.

So I'm here tonight to let you know what our campaign's all about Where you can get the website and lots of information. The message is simple and direct, vote yes on C, support the future of Santa Maria. Sales tax is paid by everyone who shops seats and fills up in Santa Maria. A half cent would add 50 cents to a $100 purchase. And visitors would pay as well.

There are exemptions. You can find all about them on the website. This includes paying nothing on the sales tax for groceries, prescription medications, diapers or feminine hygiene products. Nothing's added there. Every dollar stays in Santa Maria. The campaign website that everyone needs to see is yesoncforsantamaria.com. It's in English and Spanish and you can find out where the money goes, read the frequently asked questions What happens if it fails?

And that would have a huge impact on the quality of life here in Santa Maria. And you can also find out how to get involved and much, much more. The campaign is working hard. We've placed large signs in red, white and blue around the city. We have yard signs up and more are available. We've been reaching out to voters via text messaging through the mail or walking precincts for canvassing We're pleased to say that we do have a lot of endorsements and that continues to evolve.

All five members of the City Council, thank you all for your support. I'm also pleased to tell you that we have the support of all of the city represented bargaining units. That's SEIU, firefighters and police. We additionally have the endorsement of the Santa Barbara Democratic Party, the Central Coast Labor Council and many more. Check out the website and see who else is there and add your name too.

Why are we doing this campaign? Well, the city has taken steps to control costs and reduce expenses resulting in about $12 million in cuts to a $25 million budget gap so that the gap is smaller it is not closed A no vote on C does not make the gap disappear, it decides who absorbs it. Without Measure C the City Council will decide the next round of where they will land.

So this is what the city says could be on the table. No new funds for street and sidewalk repairs, parks that decline, reduced hours and days at the youth center, library with shorter hours, reduced or cancelled community events And reduction of roughly 50 full-time equivalent positions, the very people that provide the services and a pool that closes. So what kind of future do you want?

In 49 days voters will make their decision, make the right one vote yes on C. Thank you.

Thank you. That was good timing. Gary Hall followed by Rochelle Carr followed by Sophia Estrada Navarro.

Good evening Madam Mayor, Councilmembers, staff, citizens of Santa Maria. My name is Gary Hall I am a resident of Rancho Buena Vista Mobile Estates at 2135 North Railroad Avenue here in Santa Maria. I represent the North Santa Barbara County Manufactured Homeowners Team or NSBHT Nesbitt's primary goal remains to provide protection to all Santa Maria mobile home residents presently living in an unregulated market.

Yes, we continue to ask the City of Santa Maria to stand with us in maintaining affordable housing. Affordable housing in Santa Maria is vanishing as it is all across the state. I have and will continue to point out how the 2020 model lease and enforcement agreement with all its flaws have proven to be ineffective in protecting homeowner equity and maintaining affordable mobile home housing, which is of course what it was originally intended to do.

As I have stated previously, I was encouraged at the June 16th meeting of the City Council When I heard both council members Soto and Battaglia voice support for bringing forward a discussion of the mobile home model lease and enforcement agreement. And again, thank you both. Now three months later, I have to wonder why? Why that discussion has yet to become an agenda item Why now isn't the right time to investigate the mobile home rent stabilization successes of our neighboring city and county jurisdictions?

Why now isn't the right time to start taking action to replace the model lease with a uniform, mandatory and enforceable mobile home rent stabilization program. This is, of course, an election year and three seats on the City Council are up for election Last Saturday, we held a Meet the Candidates event and I listened to every candidate voice support for the replacement of the model lease.

But I wonder why that action couldn't start immediately? Mobile Home Residents in Santa Maria look forward to the day it starts and more importantly, the day it's implemented. Thank you.

Thank you. Rochelle Carr followed by Sofia Estrada Navarro

Hello, my name is Rochelle Carr and I am a nurse and a volunteer with 805 UndocuFund. I just want to provide an update on what is happening with ICE in Santa Maria from my personal experience as a 805 volunteer with the Rapid Response Network. On September 1st, I answered a call to West Jones Street and Lincoln and found the white Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited without a plate on that street corner.

The video was posted on our story when I pulled up to the vehicle to verify that it was ICE It drove away and was confirmed to return to the Santa Maria ICE office. And this was at 2 p.m. on September 1st for anyone who sees a suspicious vehicle, they can call our hotline at 805-870-8855. We have financial legal and food assistance resources for the community affected by ice.

And we also have volunteer trainings coming up And you can find out more about that at 805undocufund.org slash trainings. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Sophia Estrada Navarro

Sorry I have things a little different. OK. Okay, hello dear council and mayor and the audience. Everyone watching? I come before you today as a young woman, a mother, your neighbor. I see chaos around me. Kidnappings happening in broad daylight. Government overreach into the private life of its constituents through mass surveillance. Law enforcement being accused of exploitation of children, women, those under their care.

Children are being trafficked Allie Carter over in Riverside County has major allegations against CPS and Orange County Police. Please look her up, her name might be new to you but her allegations are not. I implore you do not stay silent when you see something immoral happening hold every person cop or not to an ethical moral standard of conduct Write up policies that will protect us.

Going back to the subject of mass surveillance, we I speak it's a coalition. I'm a volunteer with 805 on DocuPhone and Invisible Santa Maria and there is a big coalition putting together demand for CalPERS and here is our list. Or here's our demand. They're speaking on this to the Santa Barbara City Council, and I would just like to bring it to your guys' attention as well so they could be hopefully implemented in our city as well.

Remove all flat cameras, flock cameras immediately, and do not contract with another ALPR vendor. Switching vendors does not eliminate the risk of mass surveillance, misuse errors or data breaches. Hold off on any new surveillance contracts until the public has had a meaningful opportunity to weigh in and extend the public comment period so that community can participate, research alternatives and make informed recommendations. Review and strengthen all current privacy and data protection ordinances first to protect personal information and civil rights.

Require transparency and accountability, including independent audits and regular public reporting of any surveillance technology. Invest in community safety and not mass surveillance. Prioritize housing, tenant protections, youth programs, mental health services and prevention. Schedule any further discussions of this item and important items at 5 p.m. or later so that working families, youth and community members can participate.

I speak for those who are not able to be present. I spoke of the organizations that I'm a part of, not everyone is able to come, my husband including who he's at work and he's like you go speak for me please so with this I end yeah just that's all thank you for listening have

a good night.

Good evening Madam Mayor, Council Members. As you know my name is Cynthia Cudino I wear many hats but today I have my Vice President of the Santa Maria High School FFA Boosters on right now. As you know the Santa Maria High School FFA chapter was named number one in California and we're talking about 300 against three it's a total 366 chapters in all California so Santa Maria high school is named number one Okay. This all is due to dedication of all the ag teachers and ag advisors that Santa Maria High School has, but also is due to the Santa Maria High School Booster Club. So we help the students and the staff to get to where they need to go if it's contests, if it' s judging contest out-of-town We pay for that, and also this year we're going to have around 10 students that are going to be receiving the American degree.

And that's the top degree that you can get in FFA. And it's going to be in Indianapolis, Indiana. And also the Booster Club will be helping with that. The Booster Club, we plan fundraiser activities, assist with FFA chapter speaking contests over CS Santa Maria FFA booster scholarship program. And right now I'm here to invite you To the next annual fundraiser that's going to happen Sunday September 27th at 5 p.m And it'll be a banquet and silent auction, and I have tickets if anybody would like tickets Or you can purchase them at the entrance okay? It's gonna be at the vets hall Thank you so much. Thank you very much

Madam clerk are there any requests to speak or on zoom or written comments no madam mayor We'll now move on to the consent calendar. Does anyone have items they wish to pull for discussion? Okay. Do I have a motion? So moved. Okay, I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Hearing none, Madam Clerk can you please call the roll?

Tonight, staff is requesting that the City Council adopt a resolution accepting the Block Grants Advisory Committee's recommendations for the 27-28 Community Development Block Grant funding priorities and also to approve the use of fiscal year 27- 28 CDBG capital funding for city related projects. Some background, each year the committee reviews the priorities outlined in the city's five-year consolidated plan.

The committee evaluates the unmet needs in the community and this is important because the funding priorities help guide decisions on which projects and activities will make the greatest impact to Santa Maria residents. On July 13th staff hosted a community needs workshop Along with the block grants advisory committee, local service providers and residents highlighted unmet needs. They're listed on your screen in alphabetical order.

The needs expressed are reflected in the existing CDBG funding priorities and for that reason, the committee recommends that no changes be made to the current listed priorities. It should be noted that while all the needs expressed may be valid, some may not be eligible activities under CDBG's program regulations. This was taken into consideration when approving the current priorities presented before you tonight.

So there are four main priorities and because they don't all fit on one slide I broke them up into two slides so And the other 2. Now, a few things I would like to point out. The priorities are not listed in order of importance. They're itemized for referencing purposes only and priorities A and B are the ones that will apply to public services funding. All 4 priorities may be considered for capital So regarding capital funding for fiscal year 2728, it is recommended that the capital funding be used for city related projects that benefit the entire community primarily low to moderate income individuals or households.

This recommendation comes as a city faces pressing needs and limited funding Proposed projects include ADA-related improvements to city streets and public facilities, and a minimal amount of funding set aside for administrative costs associated with the management of the City's Tenant Based Rental Deposit Assistance Program. The City Council can amend the priorities with the understanding that it differs from the committee's recommendations, the city adopted consolidated plan and that the changes may not accurately reflect the overall expressed needs of the community.

The City Council can also opt to fund alternate qualifying capital projects and with that said delaying the adoption of the funding priorities and or the recommended capital projects may delay the CDBG funding process If Council approves these recommendations tonight, on Thursday September 17th we will release our Notice of Funding Availability that will let our potential applicants of public services know that the applications are out.

Thursday October 1st will be our mandatory pre-application workshop for all public service applicants and Sunday November 22nd will be our deadline for the applications. This concludes the report. Staff is available to answer any questions.

I have a question. Where is the mandatory workshop going to be held?

Good question. We go back and forth. I believe this one's virtual to make it easier for all of our applicants to apply, but let me see. Oh OK. It is yes virtually.

Okay,

any questions? And let me see.

I have a question

there. Yes Mr.

Battaglia. Why will the money be allocated to ADA or sidewalk improvements?

Council Member Bortaglia, the reason being is that there is a need for ADA improvements. It was also brought up in our unmet needs workshop that ADA improvements are needed throughout the city and I believe the city is also working on an ADA improvement plan.

And how many community members participated in the plan?

In the plan or in the workshop? In the workshop. I believe we had maybe a dozen people attend and then we sent out a survey, and we only had another dozen submit their input but ADA was mentioned in both.

Sounds good.

I have one speaker Mr. Tim Seifert

Thank you Madam Mayor, City Council. I made some notes probably won't be able to read them. So I've been on the committee for 16 years. I've seen a lot of changes throughout the years on the CDBG as an older individual some of the changes are harder to swallow than others but I'm still hanging in there and trying to do the best job I can for the city. The only thing that I heard about this capital program And I know that for some of the newer members, we have two pots of money in CDBG. We have the public services and we have the capital. Capital is going to be working on the buildings and all the infrastructure, kitchens, that type of thing. Public services goes to the different sub-recipients.

So if we go ahead, what we did for the sports complex is it was told to us that the city needs the money for the sports complex. All the money for capital for two years so that money has been given and you guys have used it. We've got a sports complex. It's looking good but what concerns me is the fact that we're now being recommended, you're being recommended to take all of the capital funding for the ADA requirements. I don't feel that this is Fair to our community. Our community throughout my tenure in the CDBG is used to getting these capital projects, they come to us.

We have helped in so many ways with so many different sub-recipients, the Boys and Girls Club, The Good Sam, Salvation Army, you name it, you can go through the list. We've done great work What we've always had to fight for was at least half of that capital money. It's generally about a million dollars, so the city has generally ended up with $500,000. The CDBG committee generally ends up with the other half.

I think we've done an excellent job stewarding that money and giving you guys recommendations as to where it needs to go and what it can be used for. And I'm just worried That if we go ahead and take this whole money and give it to a program again, that really what we've done now is because we can only give 20% of the money 200,000. It's about a $20,000 grant now. We used to give out $5,000 grants. We had a lot of grants. Now we have much fewer grants. So you're basically talking 10 to possibly 15 recipients for the public service.

So you're asking 10 of us to come there for a full year, go to all the meetings, do the site visits for basically giving out $20,000 to about 10, 12 possibly sub recipients. We work hard I think we've proven ourselves over and over that we care about this city, we care about you guys, we want to give good recommendations so my recommendation tonight would be If you want to go ahead and keep half the money for the capital and use it for the ADA, I think that's a great idea because normally that's what we do anyway. We agree to that and that's our recommendation but please give us the opportunity to utilize that other money. I know that the needs are out there and our non-profit subrecipients are in need.

Thank you.

I agree with you. You know, we took money before and we gave it to the library and that was good and we did that. And then we did the soccer fields. That's fine. But I hate to see us get away from that where we're not giving back into the community and into the kids where we can see where it's being spent in these kids are such a valuable asset. And if we keep doing that, then we don't have a CDBG grants committee.

Then you guys would be gone because we can take 10 applicants and we can do that up here fine ourselves.

I have a question. Yes. Thank you. Do we have a sense of what ADA projects the city was contemplating on using these funds for?

Yes, we actually do and Director Shenandoah actually has more information on that.

Madam Mayor, City Council members. We did look at a number of alternatives between the director team on how to prioritize this funding. The ADA improvements that kind of rose to the top of the pile for contemplation at this stage were ADA improvements associated with key upcoming road improvements specific candidates include Miller College and Donovan. ADA improvements to Heritage Walk creating accessibility and ameliorating trip and fall hazards and ADA improvements at parks. So I wanna emphasize that the reason there is not extensive detail is because these funds will not be awarded until May, and we actually have just begun an ADA transition plan. So we have a third-party consultant that's evaluating our city facilities, and we wanted to take that into account in our final recommendation.

With that said, there are a number of potential alternatives for funding for CDBG in house as well These include expansion of Fire Station 1, repair or replace public restrooms at 26 parks and facilities. Rehabilitate or repair seven activity buildings or community centers including rehabs to the Aquatic Center, Senior Center, Veterans Hall, Menomee, Grogan and Maramonte, new roofs, HVAC systems, exterior and interior lighting, flooring and access routes. Repairing and replacing playgrounds at 10 of 22 playgrounds need to be replaced.

Repairing a pond at Presbyter Park, providing accessibility to sports fields. Improving public safety such as installing cameras at parks and facilities. Enhancing lighting at parking lots building perimeters sports fields and hard courts and critical infrastructure there are a dozen more here so I just want to emphasize that there are a plethora of things that the city has needs for and that is why the staff recommendation was to keep that funding in-house

Thank you. That is a nice, long healthy list but thank you. Ms. Soto?

You mentioned parks as one of the projects that city staff was eyeing as a priority. Does that include the Seamus Baseball Park?

Yes, Seamus ADA improvements was one of those to ensure access to the facility.

And are we looking at covering the full cost for that?

Yes, so my understanding and I'll defer to Ramon Gallo if there's any further information but I understand that we actually have an earmark from the Congressman's office for about half a million dollars. But there's another half million needed so did you want to add?

Good evening, Madam Mayor and Council. Ms. Soto to answer your question we are hoping to get an earmark of $500,000 from Congress to be able to address priority one accessibility concerns and primarily is how to get from the parking lot into the coaching areas into the seating area for the public However, the park does need an investment of at least another half a million to maybe even $750,000 to be able to alleviate other concerns which would be maybe priority two or priority three that can be identified through the assessment that Director Dow just mentioned. But we have classified that $500,000 can address the immediate access concerns but there is a remainder That we would like to invest in order to provide full accessibility for the long term.

Have you guys thought about reaching out to companies here locally to make that happen? There is some local companies that will come and donate their time to get that park running, especially because it's been closed for a very long time and our youth need that park up and running.

Are you referring to companies that assist with accessibility?

Just in general like construction companies they're willing To donate money, donate their time to get the work going?

Sure. That could certainly be part of the plan. We know from the consultant we have an initial assessment of that priority one access. We're not at the point to be able to construct yet therefore we haven't assessed if we have a viability to get anything donated but it is our recommendation and we can certainly address in Recrement Parks and Public Works Department for sure.

I certainly would be in favor of doing that accessibility to that sports field. And I know the last time I spoke with a congressman it sounded like we were going to get the money, but I didn't feel I could announce we were going to get the money. But I wouldn't mind doing that part of it because I really know there's a lot of other things on that list that we do need.

I agree. Yes, I agree with you and that would be a necessary initial investment so we can leverage any additional funds that we have as well.

But they've been waiting a long time for that accessibility.

Yes, and you're right there are concerns for accessibility and we want everyone who wants to go out there to have access full access to the areas that are critical which is a seating area so the public and the dugouts and people that want to participate get get to an area where there's access to amenities like a drinking fountain restrooms as well those will be the priorities and we can make that happen with that initial investment from Congress

Miss Soto, did you want to say?

Yes. Go ahead. Thank you. I thought I heard the aquatic center also listed as one of the potential priorities. Can you clarify that again and to what extent CDBG capital funding can support with?

Yes, it will come as no surprise that the bulk of this list did come from our Parks Department so I will defer to Ramon on that one.

Absolutely. Over at the Aquatic Center we have programmatic barriers as well. There are areas that are inactive currently because of access issues and we're talking about perhaps changing areas and shower areas where both the public and staff can utilize And currently they're closed because of that lack of investment. And that would be one of the priorities is to enhance that doing so can enhance attendance, we can enhance programming as well. There's also infrastructure issues. As you may remember a number of weeks ago we came to Council for a repair to one of the heaters And we felt that was a good repair for a number of years, but there's additional two heaters that are old enough and we are hoping that knocking on wood constantly because those would need to be replaced so that we can guarantee 15 or so years of performance.

So there are items that are critical to performance That unfortunately may not be out in the open for people to see or for anybody to see an immediate progress, but those items would enhance the usability and the access to the aquatic center by the public.

How much are we looking in terms of needed funding for those upgrades at the Aquatic Center?

I don't have a solid form, but I can tell you that initially looking at previous projects and working with similar conditions and similar equipment. You're looking at 750 to one-and-a-half million to be able to address the concerns of access to the locker room and showers, modernize it and be able to have it so it's a working space as well as a public space. And then the equipment we have estimates that are probably a year old and those estimates Given that we're on the subject of parks and recreation, can you repeat the number of playgrounds that need to be prepared?

So we have a total of 26. I know Rotary

Park needs a slide fixed.

Yes, so there's a lot of issues when we have playgrounds that are over 10 years old and it is because ADA regulations or requirements have made repairs obsolete to some of the playgrounds. And the law can be interpreted in a way or not interpreted. The law requires that you may not be able to perform certain repairs Instead, you have to perform a complete replacement in certain situations. We have at least 10 of the playgrounds that are aged out that require constant repair and that may not or definitely not under warranty. Parts are no longer available and future major repairs will render them closed so the plan is to address them for repair or replacement I should say, and then make them accessible per current ADA requirements. And that'll buy us 10, 15 even 20 years of with a good maintenance plan of life to the assets.

We have ten out of the 26 that are in need of that replacement.

Thank you, thank you. My question is regarding one of the fire stations. I'm failing to recall which of the fire stations would also be listed as one of the priorities for CDBG capital funding. Can someone speak a little bit more in depth what is needed and at which fire station?

Yes, we were looking at the expansion of Fire Station 1. So there is a sizable budget associated with that so this would only fund a portion. So part of the evaluation would be you know do we want to utilize the CDBG there or in a different location? It would be additional sleeping quarters and expansion of offices for battalion chiefs as my understanding and also some improvements to the gymnasium

And then roof HVACs at some of our community centers. Did I hear the police station as well or is that already being?

No, that was not in this bucket. The bulk of these were parks facilities and while CDBG can be used for city facilities that are public facing and serving the public they're generally not utilized for office buildings and things of that nature

And then my last question regarding the roads, I'm assuming those are like the pedestrian sidewalks that we're speaking about for ADA improvements. You said Miller College in Donovan right?

That's correct and Miller. Those were the three we were looking at so all of these are eligible and obviously we have several years worth of funding here if we chose to keep it in-house.

And thank you so much for answering My questions back to miss Rojo. Would this be indefinite or would this just be for this funding cycle? And I apologize if you already mentioned that in the report,

council member Soto. No, I haven't mentioned that we go through this process every year so every year is a new year. So we just focus on this year and

then if measure C passes and there you know, we're able to revert back to I would like to share a few extra things that might be helpful. So we're

talking about $900,000 approximately We don't know exactly how much we're going to get. We won't know until the spring, but because we work so far ahead because there's so many things that we have to do between now and then, we estimate. So we're basing it off of last year's allocation. So we're talking about $900,000 in capital funding. $900,000 when it comes to construction nowadays doesn't go very far especially because these are federal funds and federal funds trigger pervading wage And so it's just something to keep in mind that.

Whether you're giving out a $50,000 capital grant or a $500,000 capital grant. A lot of the work's going to be the same and it is a lot of work so just something to keep in mind that 900,000 well it sounds like a lot it really isn't when you're dealing with construction and another thing that I did want to add if I have it I don't think I've shared this but We're not required by HUD to give this money out. The requirement is that we have to meet a national objective with the funding, but most cities actually do keep their own capital funding. Very rarely do cities allocate it out.

We have historically about 50% of it. But up until a couple years ago, that's when we decided the needs for the community and the city projects were too great to not fully fund our city projects. Let me

ask you a question here. I know when we've done the last two pocket parks, we had grants for those and we get grants off and on to do some of our parks because they're like $2.5 million seems like the running rate on a pocket park but There are other funds to do sidewalks and, you know, other things. But I guess I'm getting down to when you're doing repairs there aren't grants for that, I bet they probably just have to do replacement.

CDBG does not

allow for repairs it only allows for replacement. Replacement okay.

So I wanted to ask you, how did you determine who needed the grants more? The money more for the services. How did you come up to like the director was giving us all the lists of everybody that they wanted to go ahead and provide the finances for? How did you come up with that list? Sure. I'll default

to Director Dow.

Thank you Council Member Flores. The list that I provided is simply a list that was given by, compiled among the directors so I had asked at one of the director meetings if anyone has any CDBG eligible activities that they would like to put forward for this year and those were provided to us then we had a conversation among the directors regarding what the greatest need was in terms of funding and that was when based on the ADA transition plan not having a funding mechanism for it that was what we discussed It does allow for some flexibility with the way that it's written tonight. If you do proceed to go forward with ADA, there are several projects as you heard that we could prioritize and for example if youth and access are the top priorities then we will direct the funds accordingly.

Okay, I just have an issue with giving money for the streets when that's already with our other department. You know, I have a fire station at Fire Station 6 that has no air conditioning, no heating and they've been in there and we can't even get that fixed so I'm just concerned about...I think we as a group collectively should be able to pick who I feel who we want the money to go to That's how I feel that. I'm not speaking for anybody else, but I feel like we could do it ourselves and say hey this is where we want some of the money to go to some parts two different areas.

We have a number of things that we've put together for you, and you can simply make the selection. And one thing that I would caution is that with CDBG, because as Rosie noted, there are all these regulations associated with it, it's best to concentrate it onto one project rather than pepper it around with 200,000 here, 200,000 there. As soon as $1 hits a given project,

Yes,

Council Member Battaia.

Yes that being said I would like to make a motion uh to make two priorities is the Seamus Park for the youth as well as Paul Nelson these two making the top priority for the community and if i can get a second on that?

May I ask for a point of clarification Go ahead, clarify that.

Yeah so these are going to be the top priorities so when we're going to focus on Seamus make sure it gets up and running and it's open up for the youth has been closed for a very long time and then Paul Nelson we got to make sure that continues keeps up and running. We have elderly people that use it as well as the youth and then if you need a third we can do the fire station.

Well you know what? And I'm sorry I won't there's a motion is do I hear a second?

Sorry I just, I need further clarification on the motion if I may. Sure. Thank you Madam Mayor and this is going back to city staff is are you asking for us to make a motion on how we're going to allocate capital funding for CDBG? Like are we going to keep it all in-house? Are we going to do the 50-50 split that we normally do or are you asking for us to decide tonight what projects to fund?

Council Member Soto, four. For our purposes of staying on track with our CDBG funding process, ideally it would be helpful to know tonight whether Council wants to keep all the money in-house or it wants to allocate a certain portion because on Thursday the Notice of Funding Availability is expected to go out and that's when we let everyone know that they can apply. So we need to let agencies know whether they can apply for capital or not.

We can always decide collectively as a city, as Director Dow said, we can always come back to you with a more structured list of city projects at the next council meeting or, you know, we have plenty of time until Next next break, but for now because we are hoping that our notice of funding availability goes out in September so that way we give applicants plenty of time to submit their application.