Council Meeting Date: November 20, 2024 (full Agenda link)
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TownOfAtherton/featured
Details of each item can be found via the links to Staff Reports within the narrative and meeting videos are uploaded once they are fully compiled.
The City Council met for the Regular Meeting on Wednesday, November 20 at 6 pm. Following Roll Call the Council began moving through the Agenda beginning with Presentations and Public Comments (~6:02 pm).
Following Public Comments (~6:06 pm), the Council moved on to Departmental Reports and the Consent Agenda..
Departmental Reports (~6:07 pm) are prepared monthly as part of the City Council's Regular Agenda.
Departmental Reports includes updates on the various happenings around Town including reports from Administration, City Clerk, Finance, Community Services (Building and Planning), Public Works, Parks and Police.
Following Departmental Reports, the Council moved to the Consent Agenda (~6:08 pm) consisting of Items 1 through 4. Items on the Consent Agenda are considered routine in nature and are generally considered in one motion and adopted by a single vote of the Council. Included in this month's Consent Agenda were bills and claims, minutes, approval of an Amendment to the Franchise Agreement with GreenWaste LLC and accepting the 1st Quarter Treasurer's Report. Following an opportunity for comments and questions, the Council approved the items on the Consent Agenda, with minutes, as amended.
Next was Public Hearings.
Public Hearings are typically held for Ordinances, Budget Adoption, Fee Adoption, and Land Use approvals.
There were no Public Hearings on the Agenda.
Next up was the Regular Agenda.
The first item on the Regular Agenda was Item No. 5, Consideration and Direction Regarding Adoption of a Town Charter. (~6:09 pm). Following a staff report and opportunity for Public Comment, the Council discussed issues related to the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a charter city, formation of a subcommittee of the Council, a charter or scope of work for any subcommittee, engagement with the public, value of the investigation into becoming a charter city, purpose of becoming a charter city, home rule philosophy, and timing. Following discussion, the Council directed that staff return in January or February 2025 with a scope of work and/or charter for a Council Subcommittee that the Council can review and determine next steps.
Item No. 6 was Adoption of a Countywide and Town of Atherton Local Roadway Safety Plan and designation of Safety Corridors. (~6:32 pm) Following a staff report and public comment, the Council discussed issues related to the advantages and disadvantages of designating a street as a safety corridor, methodology for addressing speed and including speed in the criteria for designation, requirements for designation as a safety corridor, inclusion of school zones, inclusion of additional streets for consideration as corridors, and process for review. Following discussion, the Council adopted the Countywide and Town Local Roadway Safety Plan identifying the safety corridors as shown in the Plan; directed staff to have the Transportation, Bicycle and Advisory Committee review reductions in speed where appropriate and review the inclusion of all streets around schools as school zone corridors and review the addition of other streets for inclusion as safety corridors.
Item No. 7, Discussion and Direction Regarding the Train Station History Museum was pulled from the Agenda and not discussed by Council.
The last items on the Agenda were Council Reports and final Comments.
Having cleared the entire Agenda, at approximately 7:16 pm, that as they say - was a wrap!
The next meeting of the City Council is a Special Meeting/Study Session on Wednesday, December 4 at 4 pm. This meeting will include a report from the Senior Task Force and a Staff Report with recommendations from the Park and Recreation Committee regarding the Town's Playground Project.
For more information and calendar of events, visit the Town's website.
Thanks for reading!
George Rodericks
City Manager
Town of Atherton
grodericks@ci.atherton.ca.us