CHICO — Tongue firmly in cheek, Mayor Andrew Coolidge called to order a Chico City Council meeting with “nothing on the agenda” Tuesday evening.
Just the portion for closed session — convened for an hour at 5 p.m. — stretched across two pages with eight items, though he summarily tabled three (each on pending litigation). For open session, the agenda had 19 potential action items, pushing the bounds of what councilors could accomplish by their 10 p.m. curfew, which they may extend but tend to reluctantly.
With that range of business, City Council Chambers was two-thirds full, in contrast to sparse attendance at recent meetings.
Most marquee among the scheduled discussions was further consideration of red-light cameras at major intersections. The council, in a contentious deliberation, opted to shelve the concept.
Other topics included financing for two affordable housing projects; revisions to building codes; bar licenses; maintenance of Bidwell Bowl; nuisance abatement for derelict buildings and stray shopping cards; Old Humboldt Road; incentivizing passenger flights from the airport; and short-term housing rentals. (Councilors took up some items after publication deadline.)
Traffic cameras promised to be the most divisive topic, based on previous council votes and reaction from the public. At the last meeting, Aug. 1, a vendor provided information and answered questions about the technology.
Tuesday, the Chico Police Department and city administration sought further direction on proceeding. Councilors differed sharply on that.
Councilor Sean Morgan asked if Chico PD could implement this traffic enforcement without impacting other priorities; Captain Greg Keeney said waiting would be better. Tom van Overbeek, the cameras’ council champion, said the lead time to procuring a system would allow police to ramp up.
With that reasoning, van Overbeek made a motion to start the process of securing vendors, seconded by Addison Winslow — but Morgan made a substitute motion, seconded by Vice Mayor Kasey Reynolds, to wait a year or until the police department indicates readiness.
Van Overbeek, noting deaths from intersection collisions last year, responded that “Councilmember Morgan proposes to let four people die before dealing with this” — drawing exasperation from Morgan and a rebuke from Coolidge.
The motion to delay passed 5-2; van Overbeek and Winslow voted no.
Public hearings
The council held four public hearings; one of the two on affordable housing split opinions.
Cussick Apartments, a development for low-income residents planned in northwest Chico, drew significant opposition from neighbors at multiple hearings before the architectural review board.
This step — council approval of tax-exempt bonds, also considered for the Oleander Community Housing Project (multi-family units also planned for northwest Chico) — drew no neighbors voicing objections, though carpenters expressed concerns about labor provisions for both projects.
Financing for the Cussick project passed 5-2, with Morgan and Reynolds in dissent; the Oleander project financing passed 7-0.
Councilors unanimously approved closure of Old Humboldt Road for another 18 months, the second of eight extensions permitted; no citizens commented. Likewise, no speakers addressed changes to building codes for subdivisions that will streamline development and potentially reduce fees; those also passed unanimously.
Regular business
Councilors moved ahead on amending two aspects of nuisance abatement. The first modified the hearing process and added financial penalties for property owners with code violations.
“This is a hugely important step to deal with blighted buildings downtown,” said van Overbeek, who seconded Reynolds’ motion to approve. It passed 6-1, with Winslow dissenting due to concerns with wording of certain provisions.
The council also looked at classifying stray shopping carts as nuisances subject to abatement. Lacking an ordinance, city public workers remove 1,000 carts a year from off-premise areas; the change would place an onus on owners to reclaim their property.
Echoing the words of a speaker, Winslow called the proposal “punitive and anti-business.” Morgan said “the logic seems screwy to me” to fine businesses for people stealing their carts. They were the dissenters in a 5-2 vote that approved the ordinance.
In a nod to a request from Coolidge during the budget process, the council decided to waive up to $250,000 in fees should an airline restart passenger service at Chico Regional Airport. Winslow cast a lone ‘no’ vote.
For Bidwell Bowl, the landmark amphitheater straddling Big Chico Creek, city and university officials came to an agreement for Chico State to maintain and operate the facility that has fallen into disrepair.
The Chico Heritage Association’s Michael Magliari voiced concerns (in writing and at the meeting) about restoration details while supporting the license in principle; “we don’t want to rain on the parade.” Reynolds and Winslow sought assurance that the university would facilitate access to the general public.
It passed unanimously.
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