City Council

Clayton Earns Second Consecutive Clean Audit After Years of Financial Weaknesses

Independent auditors issued an unmodified opinion on Clayton's FY2025 financials with no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, continuing a turnaround from prior years.

Why it matters: From 2021 through 2023, Clayton's audits revealed repeated material weaknesses including finance director turnover and unreconciled accounts; two clean years signal restored fiscal controls critical for grant eligibility and bond capacity.

Free EV Charger Expected Online Friday; Library and Park Projects Advance

Staff reported the city's Level 3 EV charger should be operational by Friday with free one-hour charging via QR code, while the library refresh and Grove Park sod restoration move forward.

Why it matters: Residents will gain free fast EV charging and improved public spaces after extended delays on all three projects.

Sales Tax Measure and LMD Renewal – November 2026 Ballot Timeline

The city manager presented a comprehensive planning calendar for placing a 1% sales and use tax measure and a Landscape Maintenance District renewal on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Key milestones include creating an educational webpage and FAQ in March, a newsletter in April, an ordinance workshop for ballot language in April, public noticing in June, council approval on July 3, and community town halls. Council directed staff to hold two combined town hall sessions (one before and one after ballot mailing), with the city attorney advising against more to avoid appearing to advocate. Legal counsel clarified that council members can promote the measure individually using personal resources but cannot use city resources.

PG&E Power Line Hardening Project – Marsh Creek

The city manager reported on a major PG&E project to harden above-ground power lines from Marsh Creek outward for several miles. The project involves replacing poles, raising lines, and installing insulated cables to prevent sparks. Traffic delays are expected. The city will share PG&E notifications with the community.

Emergency Operations Plan Update

The city manager reported that police personnel are participating in county emergency operations exercises and that the city's emergency operations plan is 'severely deficient and outdated.' A proposal to rebuild the plan, including FEMA training for mostly new staff, is expected at an upcoming council meeting.

Concerts in the Grove – Primetime Entertainment Contract

Councilmember Diaz pulled consent item 4B to raise fiscal concerns about the Primetime Entertainment contract for the 2026 summer concert season. He questioned an insurance charge-back exceeding $4,000 from last year, the $600 per-concert on-site fee, and the discrepancy between the contract total ($35,000) and not-to-exceed amount ($40,000). Diaz argued that newly hired community services staff could handle promoter duties and save approximately $10,000. Trupiano and Mayor Wan defended the contract as consistent with past years and stressed operational continuity. The item passed 3-1-1.

New Staff Introductions

Four new city employees were introduced: Officer Jacob McPherson (police, Chico State graduate), Chris Carney (community services coordinator with recreation management background), Marlene (part-time community services), and Steven Luna (promoted from seasonal to full-time maintenance worker after 8+ years).

Vice Mayor Enea Social Media Conduct

Public commenter Lair Neal criticized Vice Mayor Richard Enea for 'trolling' Congressman Mark DeSaulnier on Facebook with dismissive comments, calling it unacceptable behavior for an elected official. Neal also criticized the council majority ('Unfab4') for selecting Enea as vice mayor.