Sebastopol Preservation Coalition

Come to the May 20
City Council Meeting
Sebastopol Community Center
7:30 pm



The vacancy on the City Council created by the precipitous resignation on Thursday by Sam Pierce makes even more unpredictable the dynamics of the May 20 meeting.

On Tuesday, May 13,
at a special meeting of the City Council
at the Youth Annex
the agenda will include:


DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEM (S):

Direction Regarding Filling Vacancy on the City Council.
Options that the council will entertain are:

By law, the Council must either appoint someone or call for an election. There is no prescribed procedure. Only 30 days are allowed for this action. If the decision on Tuesday is to appoint, and they have someone in mind that the majority can agree on, that person may be appointed immediately, or they may opt to advertise, take applications, interview, and see if the majority can agree on a candidate.

The timing is tight. If they try to appoint, but ultimately can't ever agree, then before the 30 days is up they must call for the election.

Regardless of what happens this Tuesday, May 20th will likely be the last chance for public comment on the North East Area Plan for Sebastopol. This major rezoning would allow 4 story housing, right next to the already degraded, and precious Laguna. It would in many areas nullify our General Plan.

The NE Area plan amounts to the building of a whole new city with chain stores, a hotel, and a new civic center. The General Plan, our constitution, is the result of many neighborhood meetings held all over town by an official group of citizens, called the General Plan Advisory Committee. The GPAC distilled what they heard from the people, and with the assistance of a paid professional planner they formulated Goals, Policies and Programs to implement what they heard from the people in those meetings - to maintain the small town feel, honor the neighborhoods, create green transportation, fewer cars, and to return land to nature when feasible.

There is also great concern about the effects on local businesses; many are struggling to stay afloat, especially with the economic downturn.

Make room on your calendar now for the May 20 meeting.
Help set the course for our town for the foreseeable future and beyond.