City Council

City Council — February 26, 2024

This was a regular meeting of the Petaluma City Council and Petaluma Community Development Successor Agency (PCDSA), running from 6:30 p.m. to nearly midnight. The session featured an unusually large volume of general public comment, a full consent calendar, and a lengthy workshop on city goals and priorities.

*Note: The agenda listed items 3–10 as "Closed Session" items, but the minutes reflect they were handled as regular consent calendar and workshop items. Council members listed in the minutes as present include Councilmembers Healy and Pocekay, whose names do not appear in the known council roster provided — these names are used as they appear in the official minutes.*

Proclamation — Black History Month

Mayor McDonnell presented a proclamation recognizing Black History Month. Faith Ross and Tina Rodgers from Petaluma Blacks for Community Development accepted the proclamation on behalf of the community.

General Public Comment

An exceptionally large number of residents — approximately 45 speakers — addressed the Council on items not listed on the agenda. The minutes record each speaker's name but do not detail the substance of individual comments. The breadth of participation suggests significant community engagement on issues not formally before the Council that evening.

Council and City Manager Comments

Several councilmembers offered brief comments. City Manager Peggy Flynn, Parks and Recreation Director Drew Halter, and City Attorney Eric Danly also made remarks. Mayor McDonnell took a moment to congratulate City Manager Flynn on completing five years of service with the City.

Consent Calendar (Items 1–9)

The consent calendar bundled nine routine items, all passed together with a single vote. One public speaker, Ben Peters, commented before the vote. Councilmember Barnacle cast the lone dissenting vote; the reason for his dissent is not noted in the minutes.

Items approved included:

Vote: Carried 6–1. Yes: Cader Thompson, Healy, Nau, Pocekay, Shribbs, McDonnell. No: Barnacle.

Workshop: Council Goals and Priorities for Fiscal Years 2023/24 and 2024/25

City Manager Peggy Flynn presented a staff report updating the Council on progress toward existing goals and soliciting direction for the coming fiscal year. Councilmembers asked questions of staff throughout.

In recognition of the workshop format, Mayor McDonnell structured public comment into four rounds corresponding to the four goal categories in the staff report:

The Council took a recess at 10:47 p.m. and voted unanimously to continue the meeting past 11:00 p.m. before completing the workshop. The meeting adjourned at 11:48 p.m. The minutes do not detail specific direction given to staff, as is typical for a workshop format, but Council discussion and public input were received across all four goal categories. Staff will incorporate the feedback into planning for the upcoming budget cycle.

Vote to continue past 11:00 p.m.: Carried 7–0.

Key Takeaways