Politics & Government

Preview of Tuesday, May 24 City Council Meeting

The City Council will decide whether to approve a revamp of the Copeland Creek bike path, look at striping in new bike lane on Camino Colgio and vote on the new sewer rate structure.

In an effort to make happenings at Rohnert Park City Council meetings more digestible and concise for the public, Rohnert Park Patch is launching today a our new coverage plan. Each Monday, we will give you an exhausted run-down of the council agenda — what they plan to vote on and discuss every other Tuesday. Our goal is to engage Rohnert Park residents in the decisions made for the public at large, by our elected officials.

We're all busy; sometimes too busy to listen to an hours-long meeting. Check back with Rohnert Park Patch Wednesday for a guide to catch you up on what you may have missed — we'll fill you in!

1. Mandated Weed Abatement 

Find out what's happening in Rohnert Park-Cotatiwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city each year requires property owners to keep weeds on premises under control. Weeds, dry grass and brush are considered a public nuisance and create fire hazards, according to the city. Property owners will be notified if they have to remove any brush, weeds or flammable materials between now and June 14. Anyone who wants to contest the weed abatement requirement can do so at a protest hearing set for 6 p.m. June 14 at City Hall.

2. Copeland Creek Bike Path Reconstruction

Find out what's happening in Rohnert Park-Cotatiwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Deteriorated and overgrown sections of the bike path along Copeland Creek between Seed Farm Drive, and Commerce Boulevard and between Snyder Lane and Sonoma State University will be renovated if the council tomorrow night OK's a project awarded to the Point Richmond-based engineering company Questa to do the clean up.

Estimated cost for the project is $790,000, and would be paid for by a $670,000 Federal Transportation Enhancement Grant, $70,000 in gas taxes and $50,000 from Measure M dollars, according to city documents. The engineering firm will be paid $68,250.

3. Create a Trust Fund for Retiree Medical

The City Council Tuesday night will also vote on establishing for the first time a trust fund to set monies aside from the California Public Employer Retiree System, or CalPERS. Officials have said by putting money into a trust, it will begin to accrue interest to help offset some of the cost to the city — which has long been unsustainable. Creation of the trust fund was recommended by city accountants and is in compliance with Government Accounting Standards Board Statement 45.

4. Adopt New Sewer Rates

The city will give the final OK Tuesday to adopt the new sewer rate structure, which is a tiered 50 percent increase over the next year. The rates will increase 25 percent July 1, another 25 percent on top of that January 1, 2012 and an additional three precent a year for the following three years.

Under the , a single-family home will likely see rates jump to $58.65 by January, from $37.58 today. Officials say the rates will still be the lower than surrounding cities. 

5. New Bike Lanes on Camino Colegio

The council will vote on whether or not to allow city engineers to create a class two bike lane on the west side of Camino Colegio between Southwest Boulevard and East Cotati Avenue. The street currently has parking on both sides, and according to a report, the city wants to remove parking on one side because it's too narrow the way it's configured. 

A class two bike lane is a five-foot lane dedicated to bicycles that take them out of the direct flow of traffic, according to a city report. The new lane would be built in in conjunction with the city's Bicycle Master Plan, which was adopted in 2008.

6. Defer Sewer Capacity Lump Payment for Local Restauranteur

Developers in Rohnert Park pay a fee for all new development, that is allocated to pay for upkeep of sewer infrastructure, treatment and disposal of sewage and expansion of the systems. Usually the fees are collected all at once, but the council will decide Tuesday to for Season's Sports Bar and Grill, as a way to be more business friendly and invite new businesses into town. 

Editor's note: Due to lack of readership, our live City Council meeting blog has been cancelled. Click here to view Tuesday's full agenda.


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