Calistoga Taps Measure D to Cover Fees for Up to Six Workforce ADUs

Calistoga is putting local tax dollars behind backyard housing. After an hourlong walk through staff's design questions, the City Council voted 5-0 to use Measure D funds to cover water and sewer connection fees for up to six deed-restricted accessory dwelling units a year. The council also joined Bee City USA, advanced a dangerous-dog ordinance and added aquatics oversight, while residents pressed for answers on the fairgrounds ahead of November bid deadlines.

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• ADU fee assistance adopted 5-0: Measure D covers about $28,500 in connection fees per unit, capped at six units yearly.
• Fairgrounds pressure builds: Five public commenters weighed in on the golf course, consultant spending and records, with RFPs due in November.
• Calistoga becomes a Bee City for $100 a year, committing to a pest management plan on city land.
• Recreation supervisor post approved, adding about $35,000 a year for pool oversight.
• Dangerous-dog ordinance passes first reading 5-0, creating an appeal process the city lacked.

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Council Bets Measure D on Backyard Workforce Housing

The basics: Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are secondary homes on residential lots. Area median income, or AMI, is the benchmark used to set affordability levels.

Why it matters: The city's housing goal has outpaced actual construction. "Our 6-cycle housing element established a goal of permitting 3 accessory dwelling units per year," said Senior Planner Andrew Amelung. The city has permitted 55 units over 10 years, with three more pending. New detached ADUs, however, fell to about one per year in 2025 and 2026 as costs rose.

Where things stand: Staff proposed using Measure D to pay water and sewer connection fees, which run about $28,500 per unit. Staff also floated covering impact fees on ADUs larger than 750 square feet. Estimates ranged from $85,500, or about 8.3% of annual Measure D revenue, to a high end that "could be as much as $217,000 plus a year," according to Amelung. He said covering connection fees alone means "you would be kind of indirectly promoting smaller ADUs."

The other side: The council split on how far the subsidy should reach. Vice Mayor Lisa Gift argued for covering both fee types and pushed colleagues to consider "what the purpose of the Measure D funds was for and what problem we're trying to solve here." Councilmember Irais Lopez-Ortega countered that impact fees fund citywide services. She favored covering connection fees only and serving more units. Councilmember Kevin Eisenberg tied his support for the connection-fees-only approach to a higher unit count. He framed the goal plainly: "We're here to put the people who work in Calistoga in homes."

Guardrails: The Planning Commission had urged monitoring safeguards. "I think monitoring is important. This is public funding," said Mayor Donald Williams. Planning & Building Director Greg Desmond pointed to the Napa Housing Authority as a possible monitor, saying, "We have an excellent partnership with the City of Napa." The city's current contract with the authority runs about $62,000 for two years. Desmond also suggested limiting the program to one incentive per parcel, and the council agreed.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The council adopted the resolution by roll call. The vote was For: 5 (Williams, Eisenberg, Cooper, Lopez-Ortega, Gift), Against: 0, Absent: 0. Gift made the motion. The final design:

• Connection fees only, for up to six ADUs a year
• A 15-year deed restriction, as the consultant recommended
• Rents set at 60% to 160% of AMI
• No monitoring fee and no tiered structure
• One incentive per parcel

Gift defended the upper limit: "I'm really comfortable with the 160% being kind of the ceiling," she said, noting it reflects local incomes. Homeowners building smaller units gain the most. Renters earning up to 160% of AMI become eligible. The trade-off is a recurring claim on finite Measure D revenue. No members of the public spoke on the item.

What's next: Monitoring will fall to staff or the Napa Housing Authority, and staff will report to the council each year.

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Fairgrounds Questions Dominate Public Comment

Why it matters: RFPs for the golf course and speedway are due in November. According to Interim City Manager Mitchell Celaya, responses will go to a review panel and then to the council for direction. Up to four developers have toured the golf course, and about three have toured the speedway.

Where things stand: Five residents used open public comment to weigh in on the fairgrounds.

• Sally Houck urged the council to seriously consider proposals to refurbish a 9-hole golf course. She cited benefits for youth, locals and tourists, its use as an evacuation staging area, and vendor-funded renovation instead of a city bond.
• Francis Tedeschi also backed the golf course. She urged the city to compare leasing against city operation to avoid losing revenue, and cited a survey in which she said only 2% of respondents wanted the master plan.
• A third commenter thanked the fire department for its Oct. 4 open house and called the golf course a multigenerational amenity.

The other side: Carrie Abreu objected to moving advisory committee meetings back to City Hall. She also criticized a master plan consultant estimated at $300,000 to $600,000. She argued that a roughly $100,000 HVAC fix at the Butler Building would generate rental revenue instead. Deborah Jeffries delivered a public records request seeking the environmental, historical and cultural due diligence done before the fairgrounds purchase. She said an earlier request had landed in the clerk's junk mail and that no documents are available.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Council members later signaled impatience of their own. "I think it's time to, you know, accelerate the process and start seeing results," said Lopez-Ortega, who asked the fairgrounds committee to deliver prioritized recommendations. Councilmember Scott Cooper and Gift backed an agendized presentation. Gift added that "Brown Act rules and regulations need to be followed there as well."

What's next: Watch for the committee presentation at a future meeting, and for RFP responses in November.

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Calistoga Joins Bee City USA

Where things stand: Jeremy Groves, a member of the Calistoga Green Committee, presented the program. It includes an online application, an annual habitat project, an outreach event hosted by the Green Committee, and an integrated pest management (IPM) plan to reduce reliance on pesticides. The cost to join is modest: "for a city the size of Calistoga, a $100 fee," Groves said. Joining also gives the city access to the Xerces Society.

Groves clarified the plan's limits. "It doesn't outlaw or ban pesticides," he said. "This only goes with respect to the city-managed lands." Council questions touched on the city's current pesticide use at the fairgrounds and on staff workload. Resident Ms. Yant asked where hives would go. Groves said the focus is native bees, not honeybees.

The other side: One councilmember warned that a formal IPM plan could cost $15,000 to $30,000. Groves disputed that, saying the plan develops in stages and may save money over time.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: "I'm absolutely in favor," said Eisenberg. Gift also voiced support and moved adoption, and Eisenberg seconded. The resolution passed For: 5, Against: 0, Absent: 0. The Green Committee takes on outreach duties, while the cost of the IPM plan remains an open question.

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Pool Oversight Adds a Supervisor

Where things stand: Mayor Williams pulled the reclassification of a recreation coordinator to recreation supervisor from the consent calendar. "I'm really getting at budget questions," he said. The change adds no new full-time position.

Recreation Manager Aaron Stroud said the role adds supervision of the aquatics facility, which is open seven days a week, 12 hours a day in season. It also relieves the manager as special events grow. "The pool is a high liability operation for the city with a large seasonal workforce," Stroud said.

Deal terms: Vacancy and recreation budget savings of almost $10,000 cover this year's cost. "Next year, yes, that $35,000 would just have to be added to the budget," Stroud said. The position moves into the unrepresented mid-management group. "They get management leave, which is an extra 80 hours of leave time," said Human Resources Manager Renee Larise. Staff expect a strong applicant pool.

Decisions: The mayor moved approval and Cooper seconded. The item passed by voice vote; no tally was announced.

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Dangerous-Dog Rules Clear First Reading

Police Chief McCaffrey presented an ordinance adding Chapter 6.05 to Title 6 of the city code. It covers investigation, designation, confinement, owner responsibilities, hearings and appeals for potentially dangerous or vicious dogs. Covered attacks are those on people or animals, with exceptions such as attacks on trespassers. Officers investigate, and their findings go to the chief, who serves as appeal officer.

The city has not had such a case in 10 years. The chief explained the rationale: "It's kind of like the sprinklers in the ceiling. Hopefully we'll never need them, but if we do, they're there." Eisenberg moved the ordinance and Gift seconded. It passed For: 5, Against: 0, Absent: 0. As a first reading, the ordinance is not yet final.

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Minor Items

• Consent calendar: Items 6.1 through 6.5 passed by voice vote on a motion by Cooper, seconded by Eisenberg.
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month: The council proclaimed October 2026 in honor of NEWS, which reported serving over 1,900 clients per year.
• Rotary honored: A proclamation recognized PolioPlus and the Rotary Club of Calistoga, chartered in 1924 with 58 members.
• Lincoln Avenue water main: The final tie-in is complete, and trench paving comes next.
• Regional planning: Eisenberg said a regional climate action plan will likely reach the council after the new year.

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Looking Ahead

Caltrans plans a downtown overlay from Oct. 9 to 23. Trunk-or-treat is Oct. 24, and the Halloween parade follows Oct. 31. Golf course and speedway RFP responses are due in November, setting up the council's next major fairgrounds decisions.