Live Blog From Tuesday Night's City Council Meeting

5:01 p.m. City Council meeting begins. All councilmembers are present.

Mayor Gina Belforte issues a proclamation that April is Child Abuse Month in Rohnert Park. In 2009 there were 2,623 reports of child abuse that were serious enough to require face-to-face investigation and 196 children were removed from unsafe homes in Sonoma County, she reports.

5:11: The Rancho Cotate High School’s International Thespian Society performs a short rendition from the play "Harvey," for the City Council.

5:24: Trip Snelson, from a Sonoma County-wide program, called Building Economic Success Together, says a new private-public partnership campaign to draw businesses to the area could create 4.100 jobs over the next five years countywide, and raise $1.7 million for Rohnert Park. The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce is leading the initiative.

BEST wants to work on business retention and expansion, create a stronger business climate, encourage startups, drawing new business and jobs, Snelson said.

 The county faces challenges including double-digit unemployment, foreclosures and declining income for families, he added.

Snelson asked the city to consider investing 125,000 over the nest five years for the program.

5:40: City Manager Gabe Gonzalez said it was a great concept, and that it's been a very successful program in other cities. But, the city's finances and resources are so scarce. He recommended holding off at this point.

"I agree with our city manager," Councilmember Pam Stafford said.

The program wouldn't  duplicate or replicate the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster, project organizers said.

Given that the city has already invested money in the business cluster to get them going, and is in the process of hiring an economic development manager, Councilmember Joe Callinan recommended holding off at this point.

"We're tapped," Callinan said. "Unless you can guarantee [a return on the investment]."

5:48: Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie suggested the city take a measured approach, not reject this tonight. He said he wanted the economic development manager, once hired, to consider the BEST program.

"I wish it was four years ago," Mayor Gina Belforte said. "We have been very aggressive in economic development. We are viewed as business friendly."

"We're behind it, we support it, but we ... do have our own economic development plan," Belforte said.

5:58: Bill Keene, the General Manager of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District presents an update on the county's initiative to protect open space and agricultural land.

What have we done around Rohnert Park? Keen said.

Crane Creek and Taylor Mountain are two local areas that are owned by the District, and over 300 acres have been protected over the last 20 years; half used for agriculture.

6:31: Michael Newell, executive director of the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster reports about the competition, being co-produced by Sonoma State and the Business Cluster.

Current, prize for the competition is $40,000. Newell said he received 33 business plan submissions last week. The winning business will present their plan June 1 at Sonoma State University.

6:38: Rohnert Park Fire Marshal Dan Adam and Fire Lt John Marty present a 2010 fire report. Daily staffing on the fire side went from 23 employees in last year's budget cuts down to 17, Marty reports.

Fees from annual fire inspections and permit fees are the department's biggest revenue generators. Fees range from $40.00 to $1,016, based on business type and associated required permits, Marty said.

6:47: Revenue for 2009-10 was projected at $185,000, and the department actually took in $196,000. 2010-11 revenues are projected at $195,000, and so far they're $177,000, Marty reported.

The department got 90 fire calls last year, and 1,949 rescue or medical calls, he said. 

Marty said the department's 3 minutes and 28 second average response time was far above the national average. He attributed it to the city's public safety approach — police officers are also trained as firefighters, so they can respond to first calls faster.

The department tallied $197,000 in fire damage in 2010.

7:27:  The Council approved an agreement Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit to install, construct and maintain a segment of the proposed Eastside Trunk Sewer from Commerce Boulevard to Avram Avenue and Santa Alicia Drive, along Seed Farm Drive, to Southwest Boulevard and finally crossing Snyder Lane. 

7:34: Gonzalez presents a plan to demolish the old Southwest Fire Station at 435 Southwest Boulevard.

Callinan said he's worried about spending redevelopment funds on the tearing down the building, when redevelopment agencies could be taken away by the state and the city could be forced to pay that money out of the general fund.

"Is that a risk?" Callinan said.

We evaluted the risk, and it was determined to be low, Gonzalez said.

"That makes me nervous, I dont' know if we need to  take that risk," Callinan said.

Sending that money would be a huge gamble, he said.

"That could be someone's job, just to get rid of a building," Callinan said.

"This is legal currently," said City Attorney Michelle Kenyon.

7:40: Council OK's the project to move forward.

7:47: City Engineer Darrin Jenkins presents a report to adjust developer fees, and adjust them based on the size of the development. Some fees would go up, some would go down.

The fees for building permits, which include plan check and inspection, were last updated in 2001.

In the home construction business we're in the worst of times, said Ken Blackman, a project manager for Redwood Equities. 

"Is this the right time?" he said. "Only the Council can answer that question."

8:09: Council passes the revised fees.

8:18: Planning and Building Manager Marilyn Ponton presents a plan to the Council to OK the renovation of the North Bay Centre, with the addition of a 24 Hour Fitness.

The project was first introduced in December.

Ponton said capturing rainwater was disruptive and expensive. She said it could be possible to capture rainwaters from Baskin Robbins' roof, but not for the 24 Hour Fitness roof. 

Native Coast Live Oaks would also be planted on site, she said.

On one hand we're saying we're business friendly, the second hand we're saying we want you to save your rainwater, Callinan said.

Project planners said the cost of the tank, the filtration system and pumping is a burden, and estimated it would cost $35,000-$40,000.

"I'm confused why we're making these people do this," Callinan said. "They're doing us a favor I think, that shopping center has been vacant for a long time."

I thought we were in the business, as a City Council, of putting conditions on the rehabilitation of certain sites, Mackenzie said. 

8:43: Kenyon said the modifications to the North Bay Centre tonight, including a water catchment system and planting native trees, can't be modified unless project planners bring up a new plan. 

Project planners said they'd like the Council to remove the rainwater recycling system requirement from the permit,

Callinan said it wasn't his intention to require the developer to include the native trees, when the project was approved in December. 

"We as a council have to look beyond our term," Mackenzie said.

"The trees was more of a request," Belforte said. "I didn't feel ... that it was a mandate."

9:20: The Council decided not to require the developer to include a stormwater reuse system. Mackenzie said he was disappointed.