City ponders public safety actions addressing the aftermath of St. Francis inferno
The Susanville City Council will receive a staff report on emergency actions taken so far in protecting public safety following the early morning Friday, Nov. 1 fire that destroyed the St. Francis Hotel and the Utopia Management office next door at the council’s 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6 meeting.
The remains of the St. Francis Hotel.According to the staff report, “On Nov. 1, 2024, a fire destroyed the building located at 830 Main St., commonly known as the St. Francis Hotel. City staff took immediate action necessary to safeguard the public. California Government Code, requires the city council to review the emergency action taken and if said action is still on-going, the city council must determine if it is necessary to continue without going out to bid or issuing contracts. A 4/5 vote of the council is required to continue the action.”
According to the agenda item, “Staff will provide a report of the emergency actions taken at the meeting,” and staff asks the council to “Review emergency actions taken to safeguard the public and determine if it is necessary to continue the emergency action.”
An historic Uptown building passes into history.Changes to agenda order and time limit for Business from the Floor
The council also will consider waiving the second reading and adopting a city ordinance changing the order of agenda items and the amount of time allotted to Business from the Floor (public comment) from the current 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
According to the staff report, “On July 15, 2020, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 20-1031 which changed chapter 2.04.040 – Time and Place of Regular Meetings of the city’s municipal code. Since that time, staff has identified the need to update Chapter 2.04.070 Agenda – Order of business to also address the previous change in meeting times. In addition, a change to Chapter 2.04.160 – Addressing the Council, Section A (3)(b) is also being proposed to change the amount of time a person can address the council from 5 minutes to 3 minutes, unless further time is granted by the mayor.”
Other items on the agenda
Other items on the agenda include closed session (city manager evaluation and conference with labor negotiators — Administrative Unit and the Management Unit); Business from the Floor; Consent Calendar (Minutes from the Oct. 16 meeting and Resolution No. 24-6371 authorizing the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding with the Administrative Unit); Public Hearings (Resolution No. 24-6376 upholding the Susanville Planning Commission’s decision to assess penalties in the amount of $10,000 for violations of the Susanville Municipal Code at 6 Monrovia St.); New Business (Resolution No. 24-6373 approving the closure of Main Street Saturday, Dec. 7, for the Magical Country Christmas celebration. Resolution No. 24-6337 authorizing the city manager to execute a contract with Nevada Barricade and Sign Company for roadway lane striping, and Resolution No. 24-1046 amending Chapter 3 for Title 3 of the Susanville Municipal Code); Department reports; and future council items.
The Susanville City Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 20.
