Fort Bragg City Council Nixes Contract for Fire Tax Consultants
Fire-equipment parcel tax likely to be placed on the November ballot
Mayor Jason Godeke called the regular meeting to order at exactly 6:00 p.m. (A video recording of the meeting can be viewed on Facebook.)
Proclamations
National Pollinator Week
Council Member Lindy Peters read a proclamation declaring the week of June 22–28, 2026, as National Pollinator Week in Fort Bragg, noting the city was among the first in California to earn “bee-friendly city” designation. The proclamation urges residents to plant pollinator-friendly species to support declining bee populations.
Juneteenth Freedom Day
Mayor Godeke read a proclamation recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth Day in Fort Bragg, honoring the date in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans were freed in Galveston, Texas.
Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items
Four speakers addressed the council.
Marc Tager, a director of ClickEthos, a digital marketing company, noted unanswered emails to council members in response to proposals for marketing services for off-season events.
Evan Dick, a Fort Bragg resident, expressed distrust in city government, criticized past spending such as a former police chief’s severance package, and demanded an oversight committee.
Jacob Patterson, a Fort Bragg resident, warned that the city’s broadband project faces financial risk due to competitive gigabit service pricing from Further Reach Internet, construction problems, and funding shortages.
Consent Calendar
Council Member Marcia Rafanan pulled item 5D for separate discussion, and item 5E was struck from the agenda before the meeting. The calendar was then adopted unanimously.
Item 5D – Garden Club MOU: This agreement transfers management of the public gardens at the C.V. Starr Center to the Garden Club, replacing North Coast Opportunities due to federal funding cuts. Jacob Patterson praised the Garden Club’s work, and City Manager Isaac Whippy noted the group will provide an update in late summer. Council Member Tess Albin-Smith moved for approval, Council Member Scott Hockett seconded, and the motion passed 5-0.
Council Member Reports
Peters announced the promotions committee meeting and reported the fire board canceled its meeting because its budget already passed.
Hockett reported the cancellation of the public works committee meeting and declared the Friday entertainment zone debut a success.
Albin-Smith highlighted Sonoma Clean Power Board rebates of up to $2,500 for heat-pump water heaters through March 2027 and reported the finance committee meeting was canceled.
Rafanan and Godeke had no reports.
Item: Staff Updates and Election Deadlines
City Manager Isaac Whippy announced the launch of Accela permitting software, new utility rates effective July 1, and said a new community development director would start in July. The City Clerk announced three council seats—currently held by Godeke, Rafanan, and Albin-Smith—will be up for election on November 3, with nomination papers issued July 13 through August 7.
A candidate information night co-sponsored with the League of Women Voters is set for Thursday, June 25, at 5:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
No public comments were made on these updates. The council took no formal votes on these informational items.
Item: City Vacancy Report
Human resources manager Juli Mortensen presented the AB 2561 vacancy report, highlighting a drop in the citywide vacancy rate from 13% to 8%. Executive management vacancies fell from 33% to 14% after filling IT and broadband positions, while the Police Association vacancy rate rose from 2% to 14% following the police chief transition. The city employs an estimated 132 people, and recruitment times average 109 days.
No citizens spoke during the hearing.
The council accepted the report without a formal vote.
Item: Fire Protection Funding
City Manager Isaac Whippy and Fire Chief Steve Orsi presented a proposal to hire the Lew Edwards Group and FM3 Research for $6,000 monthly to conduct community polling on a potential fire-equipment parcel tax. Orsi emphasized rising equipment costs, including $1 million fire engines, and noted the city needs roughly $100,000 annually to cover half of its 10-year, $5.5 million equipment replacement plan. Consultants Catherine Lew and Curtis Below explained their voter-file survey methodology to test the measure’s viability.
Two citizens opposed the contract. Jacob Patterson argued that residents would support a reasonable tax without expensive consultants, and an unnamed telephone caller agreed, criticizing the city’s shift from volunteer roles to staffed positions.
The council declined to approve the contracts, saving the $30,000 budgeted amount. Peters refused to spend $60,000 on consultants while telling employees there is no money for raises, Albin-Smith asserted the measure would pass without polling, and Hockett and Rafanan agreed that the community already supports the fire department. Several members pledged to help draft the ballot language in-house. No formal vote was taken.
Adjournment
Mayor Jason Godeke adjourned at approximately 7:21 p.m.
A great way to do this. Newspapers of record did it this way for decades, and people read those stories, probably more than they did in later times. The corporate era gave us the idea we had to blow one issue up or not write at all if there wasn't a mass interest. To come full circle, this could be done with AI now. People need to know what their electeds are doing and this gets it done.