I am grateful to live in a community that values inclusivity and diversity. This month the City of Menlo Park is recognizing Pride Month and our country's newest federal holiday - Juneteenth. Tuesday's City Council meeting will include proclamations recognizing both of these. There is also a Juneteenth celebration tomorrow at 11am in Belle Haven at Karl E. Clark Park. The ceremony will include the unveiling of a storyboard honoring Clark, the namesake of the park. This event is sponsored by the Menlo Park Historical Association, Belle Haven Action and the city of Menlo Park. Come join the fun!
Warmly,
City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 22nd at 5pm
The City Council meeting agenda for June 22nd is here. It includes:
Links to staff reports for each item
Login/call-in information
Ways to weigh in on the issues being discussed
Below are just a few of the agenda items on Tuesday:
I4. Presentation: Overview of SRI International's campus master plan (Parkline) (Note: There is no staff report for this item.)
Given the scale of and interest in the recently announced Parkline project, City Staff invited the developer, Lane Partners, to deliver a high level introductory presentation to the Council and community. Residents and stakeholders will be able to make public comment on this agenda item, though there will be much more information and details to come, as well as opportunities to provide feedback in the future. My sense is that on Tuesday they will reviewing the type of information currently on their website: https://menloparkline.com/.
M1 - Adopt the Proposed Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Budget.
On June 8th, there was a robust Public Hearing on the upcoming fiscal year '21-22 budget. On Tuesday night, the Council will review and then adopt the budget. Thank you to those of you who gave input during this important process. As I've mentioned before, budgets are a reflection of values, not just a bunch of numbers. To learn more and to see what is in the proposed budget you can read the staff report for this agenda item.
M2. Authorize the Extension of the Solid Waste and Water Rate Assistance Program to June 2022.
The City of Menlo Park provides financial relief on solid waste and water bills to residents in need. Qualified residents can receive a 20% discount on solid waste rates and a monthly fixed discount equal to a 50% reduction on the 5/8-inch meter service charge for water rates. This agenda item authorizes the continuation of this relief program for another year. If you, or someone you know, is in need of this service, please visit https://www.menlopark.org/RateAssistance for more information.
Various Police-Related Agenda Items
There are many members of the community who are interested in the topic of policing. In addition to the Budget item, there are three additional agenda items related to this topic:
Below are two additional items that may be of interest.
Come meet Menlo Park's new Police Chief, David Norris (Saturday, June 19th from 12-2).
Speaking of policing (see above), Bistro Vida in Downtown Menlo Park has invited Chief Norris to serve as a guest BBQ chef tomorrow (Saturday, June 19th) from noon to 2pm. Come by to meet and greet, and to eat BBQ!
Planning Commission to vote on Menlo Uptown (Monday, June 21st at 7pm)
A proposed 483-home project will be voted on by the Planning Commission on Monday night (see meeting agenda here to access the staff report). The Greystar development is located in the Bayfront area, near Hotel Nia and Facebook's Constitution Drive campus. To learn more about this project, you can access the staff report here, or read an article about it in The Almanac. The Planning Commission's vote will be the final approval step for the project, unless it is appealed to the City Council.
