Meeting Summary
Present: Gilman, Lang, Rule, Whitman, Mang
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At a glance
Ventura County Farm Workers Housing Study
- Staff presented findings on a severe housing shortage and affordability crisis affecting farmworkers in Ventura County.
- Data revealed that 97% of surveyed workers rely solely on agriculture for income while spending nearly half their earnings on housing.
- The City of Ojai's $50,000 contribution to the study was noted, and the Cabrillo project was confirmed to include farmworker housing.
- No formal action or vote was taken on this informational presentation.
City Council Goals and Tactics
- Staff introduced a framework for establishing SMART goals through November 2026 based on community survey priorities.
- The Council identified eight overlapping goal areas, including affordable housing, wildfire safety, and fiscal sustainability, for further development.
- Terminology was standardized to ensure consistency, such as categorizing the Housing Trust as a tactic under Affordable Housing.
- The Council deferred drafting specific tactics to allow for additional constituent consultation and rescheduled related budget items.
Resolution Limiting Council Agenda to Local Issues
- Staff presented a resolution to restrict Council legislative actions to issues directly impacting the city's health, safety, and welfare.
- Discussion centered on defining "local" scope, with public comment highlighting the tension between local jurisdiction and global interconnectedness.
- The Council amended the resolution to expand the scope from city boundaries to include the broader Ojai community and Ventura County.
- The amended resolution passed following a formal vote.
Ordinance Establishing a Moratorium on Roadway Pavement Cuts
- Staff proposed an ordinance prohibiting utility pavement cuts for five years on new asphalt and three years on slurry seal projects.
- Exceptions were established for emergencies, planned work, and public safety interruptions, with stricter trenching standards for approved cuts.
- The ordinance mandates quarterly coordination meetings between utilities and the city to manage future infrastructure needs.
- The Council voted to approve the ordinance following the staff report and public comment.
Ordinance Amending Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act Limits
- Staff presented an ordinance to update city code thresholds for contracting without competitive bidding to align with new state limits.
- The amendment increases the monetary threshold from $75,000 to the current state-approved amount effective this January.
- Language was included to automatically adjust the threshold in the future to match subsequent state increases.
- The Council voted to approve the ordinance after the presentation.
Closed Session
- The Council received a report on performance evaluations for the City Manager and City Attorney.
- Direction was provided regarding the City Manager's evaluation, though no reportable action was taken during the session.
- Further discussion on both evaluations was scheduled for a future meeting before the session was formally closed.
Full summary
Closed Session Report
- The Council received a report regarding the performance evaluations of the City Manager and the City Attorney. Direction was provided to Staff, the Council, and the City Manager concerning the City Manager's evaluation, but no reportable action was taken. Discussion regarding the City Attorney's evaluation and further discussion of the City Manager's evaluation were scheduled for a future meeting. The closed session was formally closed.
Roll Call and Pledge of Allegiance
- A roll call confirmed the presence of all Council members, followed by the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Agenda
- A motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda. The motion passed.
Presentation: Ventura County Farm Workers Housing Study
- Lucas Seibert, Community Development Director for the City of Ojai, presented an informational update on the Ventura County Farm Workers Housing Study. The presentation outlined the study's purpose to identify needs and develop solutions for farmworker housing across Ventura County. Key findings from phases two and three included a housing shortage, an affordability crisis, and labor retention concerns, with data indicating that 97% of surveyed farmworkers rely on agriculture as their sole income source and 48% of median household income is spent on housing. The City of Ojai's $50,000 contribution from its housing trust fund was noted. Council Member Whitman inquired about the Cabrillo project, which was confirmed to include a portion allocated to farmworker housing. No motion was made, and no vote was taken on this informational item.
Commission Reports
- No reports were received from commissions.
Public Communications
- Several members of the public addressed the Council on various topics, including pedestrian safety at the Creekside Village intersection, e-bike safety, the need for permanent supportive housing and a housing task force, the rescheduling of a closed session regarding the Byrne v. Rule lawsuit, the use of Measure C funds for fire mitigation versus electrification, Tier 1 goals such as affordable housing and fire hardening, wildfire safety terminology, and traffic and speed limit concerns.
Consent Calendar
- A motion was made and seconded to approve the consent calendar. Council Member Rule noted a preference to discuss legal fees but chose not to pull the warrants to maintain the agenda's flow. The motion passed.
City Council Goals and Tactics
- City Manager Ben Harvey presented a framework for establishing City Council goals for the term through November 2026, emphasizing SMART criteria and a process involving goal identification, tactic development, and quarterly reporting. A non-scientific community survey was presented, highlighting top priorities such as emergency preparedness, fire hardening, infrastructure maintenance, affordable workforce housing, and fiscal sustainability. Council members asked questions regarding a new graphic style guide, the impact of goals on information requests, and the categorization of tactics like broadband.
- The Council reviewed individual goal lists submitted by members and identified areas of overlap. Goals identified as having support from at least three members for further development included Affordable Housing, Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation, Arts, Culture, and Recreation, Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvement, Diversifying Economy/Tourism Management, Climate Resiliency, Fiscal Sustainability, and Communication and Relationships. Terminology was adjusted for consistency, such as categorizing "Housing Trust" as a tactic under Affordable Housing and consolidating "Public Safety" to include traffic management.
- Public comment was received regarding the survey methodology and the need for broader public engagement. The Council determined that more time was needed to consult with constituents and experts before drafting tactics. It was agreed to move the "Mid-Year Budget Update" and "Budget Reserve Policy" items to the April meeting due to scheduling conflicts. The "Council Goals and Tactics (Continued)" item was scheduled for the March 11 meeting. No formal motion was made or voted upon during this segment; the scheduling decisions were reached through consensus.
Resolution Limiting Council Agenda to Local Issues
- Staff presented a resolution requested by two Council members to define the scope of the Council's legislative and administrative actions. The proposed resolution sought to limit Council consideration to local issues directly impacting the health, safety, and welfare of residents and visitors, infrastructure, economy, and environment within city boundaries, excluding national, international, and global issues with no direct application.
- Discussion focused on the definition of "local" and whether the resolution should restrict the Council from addressing regional or broader issues. Public comment included arguments supporting the focus on local jurisdiction and arguments opposing the measure due to the interconnectedness of local and global issues. A proposal was made and seconded to amend the resolution to expand the scope from the "boundaries of the City of Ojai" to include the "Ojai community and County of Ventura." The Council voted on the amended resolution, and it passed.
Ordinance Establishing a Moratorium on Roadway Pavement Cuts
- The Public Works Director presented a staff report on an ordinance establishing a moratorium on pavement cuts in newly paved streets. The proposal prohibits utility cuts for five years for asphalt projects and three years for slurry seal projects, with exceptions for emergencies, planned work, and public safety or health interruptions. The ordinance requires utilities to coordinate with the city through quarterly meetings and adhere to stricter trenching standards if cuts are approved. Following the report and public comment, a motion was made and seconded to approve the ordinance. The motion passed.
Ordinance Amending Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act Limits
- The Public Works Director presented an ordinance amending the city code to align with updated state limits under the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act. The amendment increases the monetary threshold for contracting without a competitive bid process from $75,000 to the new state-approved amount effective as of January of the current year. The ordinance includes language to automatically adjust the threshold in the future to match state increases. Following the presentation, a motion was made and seconded to approve the ordinance. The motion passed.
Council Member Reports
- No reports were offered by Council members.
City Manager's Report
- No report was provided by the City Manager.
Future Agenda Items
- The Chair addressed future agenda items, noting that certain tactics would be postponed and revisited as part of the strategy unless a member requested otherwise. No member requested to raise a specific item.
Adjournment
- The meeting was adjourned.