City Council · Regular meeting
No voteAccounting services contract
The council was asked to let the city manager sign a contract with Krisch & Company for accounting services until June 30, 2025, for up to $75,000.
Why Most of the Finance Department's new staff have been with the city less than six months, and Krisch & Company's familiarity with the city's finance operations is needed to train them before audit deadlines.
No vote360 Ferry Street lease
The council was asked to let the city manager sign a third change to the lease with Power Sports Academy, Inc. (formerly known as NorCal Courts, LLC) for the sports facility at 360 Ferry Street.
No voteYacht Club lease
The council was asked to let the mayor sign a sixth change to the lease with the Martinez Yacht Club, and find that action needs no full review under the state's environmental rules for existing buildings and places.
No voteEagle Marine lease
The council was asked to let the mayor sign a ninth change to the lease with Eagle Marine, and find that action needs no full review under the state's environmental rules for existing buildings and places.
Why SB 1424, a 2014 state law, requires leases on this property to follow an approved land use plan, charge fair rent, and serve the state's best interest; this is the ninth change to the lease.
No voteField 3 agreement
The council was asked to let the city manager sign a first change to the agreement with the Pecos League for use of Field 3 and its facilities at the Joe DiMaggio Ballfields at Waterfront Park for professional independent league baseball.
Why The team's agreement to use the field ended in August 2024, and the Pecos League asked to extend it for three more seasons, from May 2025 through August 2027.
No voteDispatch Supervisor pay
The council was asked to approve a side letter changing the written agreement between the city and the Martinez Police Non-Sworn Employees' Association (MPNSEA) to add "Dispatch Supervisor" to its work schedule rules (Section 4.2), and give the Dispatch Supervisor job a one-time 7.39% pay equity adjustment.
Why The adjustment addresses a schedule change for the Dispatch Supervisor, the end of scheduled overtime, and the findings of a salary survey.
No votePolice salary schedule
The council was asked to approve a public salary schedule, starting January 1, 2025, to follow the Public Employee Retirement Law; give a 2.4% pay increase to members of the Martinez Police Officers' Association; and give a one-time 7.39% pay equity increase to the Dispatch Supervisor position in the Martinez Police Non-Sworn Employees' Association.
Why State retirement law requires the city to keep a publicly posted salary schedule meeting eight specific requirements, and the schedule is being updated with new pay rates for police employees.
No votePolice holidays
The council was asked to approve a side letter changing the agreement between the city and the Martinez Police Officers' Association (MPOA) on holidays and time off, under Article VII, Section 7.1.1.
Why The city wanted to honor Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth to recognize historical figures and events that have shaped society, and only the Martinez Police Officers' Association agreed to add them as paid holidays.
No voteOld Train Depot property
The council was asked to cancel an earlier decision, which said the Old Train Depot property at 401 Marina Vista Avenue did not have to follow the California Surplus Land Act ("SLA"), and tell city staff to notify others, as state law requires, that the city plans to sell or lease that property.
Why The Old Train Depot structure, built in 1877, sits vacant and needs revitalization given its current condition.
No voteImpact fees report
The council was asked to hear the yearly report on impact fees charged to new development (its AB1600 report) for the budget year that ended June 30, 2024.
Why State law requires the city to report each year on the impact fees it charges builders, including how much was collected, spent, and any transfers between funds.
No voteHousing repair program
The council was asked to hear a report on the city's housing repair and code enforcement work (housing plan Program 9).
Why A survey across the city found 45 residential properties with 57 issues that need repair, and this report tells the council about that work under housing plan Program 9.
No voteAlhambra Hills grazing
The council was asked to let the mayor sign a grazing license letting Bob DeVries graze animals on about 297 acres of the Alhambra Hills Open Space.
Why The license carries out the plan, following Measure F's 2022 purchase of the property, to manage grazing on land the council directed staff to prioritize opening to the public.
No voteCorporation Yard lease
The council was asked to renew a five-year lease for the city's yard for vehicles and equipment (its Corporation Yard) at 300 Alhambra Avenue, and let the mayor sign a letter of agreement with Shirley Costanza.
Why The city's current lease for its vehicle and equipment yard is due to expire on January 1, 2025, so this agreement renews it for five more years with new rent amounts through 2029.
No voteWater main replacement
The council was asked to add $770,000 from the city's water utility money to the 2023 project replacing water mains (Project C7052), and let the city manager sign a $770,000 change to that construction contract.
Why The project needs to tie in West Green Street to Green Street, extending further because of aging, inadequate infrastructure, which will cost more than what remains in the contract's contingency.
No voteMartinez Fishing Pier access
The council was asked to let the city manager sign an agreement with the California Department of Water Resources for access to, and being paid back for expenses at, the Martinez Municipal Fishing Pier (its Interagency Agreement for Access and Reimbursement of Expenses).
Why The state's monitoring station on the pier, needed to meet state water quality rules, has to keep its access and power working even as storm and fire damage have repeatedly closed parts of the pier.
No voteSewer system plan update
The council was asked to approve the 2024 update to the plan for managing the sewer system (its Sewer System Management Plan) for Contra Costa County Sanitation District No. 6.
Why State and regional water regulators require this sewer system plan to stay updated, and Martinez has been responsible for it since taking over as the district's board in 2015.
No voteConstruction labor agreementconstruction labor terms
The council was asked to hear an update on, and consider approving, a change (Amendment No. 1) to the agreement setting labor terms for city construction projects (its construction labor agreement), with the Contra Costa County Building and Construction Trades Council.
Why These agreements set common wage and work rules for all contractors on a project to avoid strikes or delays, and this update reviews and extends the city's agreement with the local building trades council.
No voteSustainability subcommittee
The council was asked to form a standing Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council.
Why In January 2024, the City Council asked to receive climate and sustainability updates more often, so this creates a standing subcommittee to focus on that work instead of just annual updates.
No voteChapter 2.38 rule change
The council was asked to hear from anyone who wants to speak, skip reading it aloud, and take the first of two votes on a change to Chapter 2.38 of the city's rulebook (Municipal Code).
Why The city recently created a new Diversity and Cultural Commission, so this change removes the word cultural from the Parks, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission's name to avoid mixing up the two groups' duties.
The agenda does not say what Chapter 2.38 covers or what the change would do.
No voteZoning code updates
The council was asked to hear from anyone who wants to speak, skip reading it aloud, and take the first of two votes on eight zoning changes: new rules for small-lot splits (21.70), parklets (22.65), and water-saving landscaping (22.73); a floor-area-ratio definition and other landscaping definitions matching state rules (22.04); replacing occupancy-certificate rules (22.48, 15.50); new sign rules (16.60); and other minor changes.
Why Senate Bill 684, passed by the California State Legislature and approved by the Governor on October 11, 2023, requires cities to allow vacant lots of five acres or less to be split into 10 or fewer parcels.