Ojai City Council Regular Meeting

Conditional Use Permit Appeal (Ojai Gas & Patio Project)

• The Council granted a six-month conditional approval for the patio expansion and temporary freezer placement.
• Staff is directed to collaborate with the applicant and neighbors to identify an alternative freezer location outside the plaza.
• A progress report on relocation scope, timeline, and costs is required by August.

Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Adoption

• The Council adopted the proposed budget, which includes a 3.5% staff salary adjustment and a $1 million fire safety allocation.
• Staff clarified that reserve calculations historically exclude one-time expenditures to address public concerns.
• The Gann appropriations limit and salary schedule amendment were approved alongside the main budget.

Zone Change (1124 Maricopa Highway)

• The Council approved changing the zoning designation from Business Professional to Commercial for the Ojai Gas station.
• This change brings the existing convenience store into code conformance and permits the legal sale of beer and wine.

Social Media Policy & Community Code of Conduct

• The Council adopted a new policy designating city social media accounts as a limited public forum with specific moderation criteria.
• The policy mandates logging all moderation actions to ensure compliance with the California Public Records Act.
• Staff will implement a public flagging mechanism via the "My Ojai" app and consider adding keyword filters.

Closed Session

• No closed session report was included in the provided meeting summary.

• Here is a summary of the City Council meeting proceedings:

1. Conditional Use Permit Appeal (Tony Armeen / Ojai Gas & Patio Project)

• Context: The Council reviewed an appeal regarding a patio expansion and a walk-in freezer located in the Arcade Plaza. Staff initially viewed the freezer as a minor ministerial action, but acknowledged that the community and legal teams viewed it as a significant issue regarding "piecemealing" and CEQA compliance.
• Key Issues:
• Freezer Location: Council members and the applicant agreed the freezer does not fit the Arcade Plaza design guidelines (which aim for a tranquil, pedestrian-friendly space). The applicant admitted he was unaware of these guidelines until after the freezer was delivered.
• Noise: Staff clarified that the noise complaints were not from the freezer itself but from a roof-mounted ventilation fan required for fire/mold safety, which is now on a timer.
• Tree & Fence: Staff emphasized that the oak tree and fence were pre-existing conditions addressed in a tree report, and the project footprint was actually reduced compared to the previous tenant (OMG).
• Resolution: The Council voted to grant a six-month conditional approval.
• The outdoor dining area (patio) is approved as submitted.
• The freezer is allowed to remain in its current location for up to six months.
• Action Item: Staff (City Manager and City Attorney) are directed to work with the applicant and a neighboring business owner to find an alternative location for the freezer (potentially utilizing the neighbor's walk-in freezer) or another solution that removes the freezer from the plaza.
• Timeline: Staff will report back to the Council in August with a scope, timeline, and cost estimate for the freezer relocation. If no solution is found by the six-month mark, the project will be revisited.

2. Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Adoption

• Presentation: Finance staff presented the proposed budget, including a $1 million allocation for fire safety/mitigation and $7,000 for the Ojai de Mandala program. The budget includes a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment for staff salaries.
• Public Comment:
• Brian Aikens: Raised concerns about "cooking the books" regarding the General Fund reserve calculation, alleging that one-time expenditures were improperly excluded to inflate the reserve ratio.
• Renee Roth: Criticized the lack of page numbers in the online packet and the fact that the budget relies on unaudited numbers from the previous year. She also questioned the transparency of the $1 million fire mitigation transfer.
• Council Discussion:
• Staff clarified that the reserve policy has historically excluded one-time costs and that the $1 million is a placeholder for future direction on fire mitigation projects.
• Council Member Rule expressed concern over the accounting methodology changes and requested further clarification, though she ultimately voted to pass the budget.
• Resolution: The Council voted to adopt the FY 2026-27 budget, the Gann appropriations limit, and the salary schedule amendment.

3. Zone Change (1124 Maricopa Highway / Ojai Gas)

• Request: A zone change from Business Professional (BP) to Commercial (C1) for the Ojai Gas station.
• Purpose: To bring the existing convenience store into conformance with the zoning code and to allow the legal sale of alcohol (beer and wine), which is prohibited in the BP zone.
• Resolution: The Council voted to approve the zone change as recommended by the Planning Commission.

4. Social Media Policy & Community Code of Conduct

• Presentation: Staff and consultant Kendall Lowry presented a new policy to manage city social media accounts. The policy designates accounts as a "limited public forum" to allow moderation of threats, hate speech, and spam while protecting First Amendment rights.
• Key Provisions:
• Strict criteria for hiding comments (threats, explicit material, discrimination, spam).
• Blocking users only as a last resort for repeat violations.
• Mandatory logging of all moderation actions to comply with the California Public Records Act.
• Discussion: Council members requested clarification on handling defamation and commercial collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce. Staff agreed to add a mechanism for the public to flag content via the "My Ojai" app and to consider a keyword filter list.
• Resolution: The Council voted to adopt the Social Media Policy (with a minor amendment to clarify it applies to public comments) and the Be With Community Calendar Policy to ensure transparency in event approvals.

5. Adjournment

• Due to the late hour (approx. 10:00 PM) and the need to schedule a follow-up meeting for the Behavioral Health contract, the Council adjourned the meeting.