Redding City Council Approves El Niño Emergency Declaration, Sets Electric Rate Hearing, and Advances Budget and Infrastructure Actions in Six-Hour Session
REDDING, CA — The Redding City Council met for roughly six hours on October 20, 2026, taking up permitting improvements for restaurants, a proactive local emergency declaration for the anticipated 2026-27 El Niño, ongoing flooding concerns along Henderson Ditch, proposed electric utility rate increases, tobacco retail enforcement, airport racetrack use, and mid-cycle budget adjustments that include public safety staffing reductions. All five council members were present: Mayor Mike Littau, Vice-Mayor Dr. Paul Dhanuka, Mayor Pro Tempore Erin Resner, Tenessa Audette, and Jack Munns.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation led by Mark from the Hope Center. No reportable actions came from closed session.
Restaurant Coalition and Permitting Streamlining
Representatives from the Shasta County Restaurant Coalition, affiliated with the Shasta County Chamber of Commerce, including Leslie Sawyer and Quentin Gaddy, described challenges new restaurant owners face at front counters. Partial information often leads to incomplete applications, delays, rework, and higher costs.
The coalition asked the city to lower barriers to pre-application meetings (currently assessed as 20 percent of the total application fee upfront), provide written permit roadmaps, and consider monthly multi-agency workshops involving the city, county, and relevant state agencies. They also suggested exploring fee deferral until project completion for successful openings. Council members supported a solution-oriented approach beginning with restaurants. Dr. Dhanuka volunteered as a liaison, with Mayor Littau as an alternate. The pre-application fee deferral discussion was directed for a future agenda, targeted for November 17 or possibly earlier.
Proactive El Niño Emergency Declaration
On the consent calendar, the council adopted a resolution declaring a local emergency resulting from the developing 2026-2027 El Niño event. The action authorizes the City Manager, as Director of Emergency Services, to negotiate and execute contracts needed to prepare for, prevent, mitigate, respond to, or recover from impacts, consistent with the Public Contract Code, and to approve change orders and contingencies up to a cumulative 15 percent of contract amounts. The declaration is intended to allow equipment purchases, stockpiling, vendor coordination, and tracking of staff time for potential reimbursement. It requires roughly 30-day updates to remain in effect.
Henderson Ditch Flooding Concerns
Public commenters raised the issue of longstanding flooding along Henderson Ditch (also involving the Wilshire lateral), citing historic events and damage from a December 21, 2025 storm. Residents asked that the ditch be included in the new emergency work, that damaged sections be repaired before winter, that it be added to state disaster aid requests, and that Caltrans address stormwater contributions from I-5 upstream.
Later in the meeting, Ryan Bailey, Assistant Director of Public Works, provided an oral update. He reported that the city has contracted Cal Fire for a four-day vegetation cleanup from Hartnell to the Sacramento River at an approximate cost of $2,000, with a walkthrough set for October 22 and work the week of October 26. A recent title search indicates the ditch is held in the name of Rother family descendants, though specific heirs remain unidentified. California drainage law generally assigns maintenance responsibility to property owners. Roughly half the ditch lies in the county and half in the city, with portions involving Caltrans and Interstate 5. The city owns the culvert and right-of-way where Henderson Road crosses the ditch. Past city work included concrete channel lining in 1986; Cal Fire and Redding Electric Utility have also performed limited mitigation, and Redding police have cleared encampment debris. A 2017 engineering assessment indicated the ditch could handle only about 35 percent of a 100-year storm flow.
Resident Kathy Borgel, a nurse living nearby, described a “wall of water” on December 21, 2025, flooding her home and six others, and contrasted the city’s rapid response to flooding near Tarmac Road with the lack of response at Rothers Riverside, where multiple claims were denied. She and her husband compiled a 397-page report on the ditch and surrounding drainage. Council accepted the staff’s informational report. Staff will assess short-term emergency repairs, continue title research, and seek coordination with the county.
Airport Racetrack Facilities
The council accepted an informational report on racetrack facilities at Redding Regional Airport. Additional calendar dates requested by Shasta Supermoto and the Shasta Kart Club will be accommodated without conflicting with existing usage. Public speakers described volunteer efforts, joint insurance arrangements, free academy events, and practice sessions. A representative of the Redding Drag Strip expressed frustration over communication on a submitted RFP. Staff noted that the track occupies FAA-acquired land, requiring federal compliance on insurance and certified fair-market appraisals. Council directed staff to return in open session with further details on the RFP, appraisals, insurance, and property use.
Tobacco Retail Licensing Enforcement
Council received a status update on the Tobacco Retail Licensing (TRL) ordinance adopted August 19, 2025. The ordinance requires licensing for more than 100 retailers, prohibits flavored tobacco, and imposes a 600-foot buffer from K-12 schools for new retailers. Implementation has been slowed by hiring freezes and budget constraints. Youth Commission members and students described campus vaping and related health issues. Police have conducted inspections, shoulder-tap operations, and seizures of illegal products, but administrative follow-up has been limited and criminal prosecution by the district attorney’s office has been rare. City staff has applied for a $484,900 grant from the Department of Justice to administer the TRL Program.
Five high school students spoke during public comment about the vaping problems on campuses and stated that Shasta County has the highest vaping rate of all of the counties in California and asked the council to prioritize enforcing the ordinance for the health of students. Debbie Burkett, Shasta County Tobacco Compliance Specialist, has visited 114 tobacco retailers in Redding and learned that some retail shops refuse to comply with the law and continue selling illegal products to our kids, and the District Attorney is not enforcing violations due to staffing shortages. Another commenter, Kirsten Schrader, stated that fees for licenses ($1200) and citations for violations will pay for city staffing needed to enforce the ordinance. Mark Mazzano stated the Redding Police Department is working on a grant and has seized over 7,000 illegal products in their inspections. He stated, “I’m here because the parents that are trying to raise their children need your help. It’s hard enough, but to allow the children to have free access to these vape and tobacco stores…the selling of tobacco products to juveniles is unconscionable.” He stated that the cost is neutral to the city. This contrasts with the $50,000 the city put into the Iron Man event to achieve a return. If the county is offering to help with this by sending letters out, the clerk and her staff can issue the licenses, and the county can provide training to the retailers.
Council approved staff recommendations (with one dissenting vote from Audette) directing the drafting of a budget resolution to establish one full-time Neighborhood Preservation Officer and one part-time Administrative Assistant, initiation of recruitment, and filling of the positions contingent on award of a Department of Justice Tobacco Grant (expected to be announced within about 30 days). If the grant is not awarded, the item will return for further direction. Staff will also partner with Shasta County Public Health on education and outreach.
Redding Electric Utility Rate Proposal
Council approved setting a public hearing for November 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers to consider Redding Electric Utility rate increases of 6 percent in fiscal year 2027 and 6 percent in fiscal year 2028 (effective with the January billing cycles), along with an expansion of the Residential Energy Discount benefit. A typical residential bill is projected to rise by roughly $10 per month in each of those years—lower than a previously discussed 13.5 percent increase. Income eligibility for the discount program is proposed to rise from 60 percent to 80 percent of area median income. The hearing will be preceded by four community workshops. Utility staff reported efficiency measures that produced approximately $22 million in savings and reduced 15 vacant positions. Cost pressures include power supply forecasts, labor, expiring contracts, and Cap-and-Invest allowances. Cash reserves stood at 111 days at the end of fiscal year 2026, above the 65- to 75-day minimum threshold.
Budget Adjustments, Reserves, and Public Safety Staffing
Council adopted a resolution implementing transition-plan measures for fiscal year 2026-27. The action decreases total appropriations by approximately $2.4 million, increases General Fund revenue estimates by about $931,530, and incorporates Police and Fire staffing reductions (13.5 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) in Police, phased, and 8 FTEs in Fire effective December 6, 2026). A minor typographical correction was made during the vote. Discussion included concerns about the closure of Fire Station 3 and effects on response times and insurance ratings.
On Financial Advisory Committee recommendations from its October 8 meeting, council directed staff to target restoration of the 10 percent General Fund reserve by fiscal year 2029 (a motion for a 2030 target failed). Staff will return with a redline of Council Policy 412 addressing the treatment of streets expenditures in reserve calculations, a detailed review of 27 unfilled non-public-safety General Fund positions (requested by Audette and targeted for November 3), and draft financial management policies for the Water, Wastewater, and Solid Waste utilities proposing a 90-day minimum operating reserve with higher long-term targets. Action on longer-term 10-year revenue forecasting assumptions was paused and referred to the committee.
Other Consent and Regular Calendar Actions
Among other consent-calendar approvals were:
- Second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 2695 amending the municipal code on water utilities to address nonfunctional turf.
- Acceptance of the Electric Utility’s 2025 Power Source Disclosure report and Power Content Label.
- Continuation of emergency work on the Tarmac Road Storm Drain Emergency Replacement Project.
- Acceptance of an additional $1,588,270 in Highway Bridge Program funding for the Eastside Road Bridge over Olney Creek Project, with corresponding budget amendments raising the total project budget to approximately $8.7 million and the construction contingency to more than $3.2 million.
- Approval of the final map for Vistas Subdivision, Unit 3.
- Award of a construction-management contract to Mark Thomas Company, Inc., for the Canyon Road over Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation Canal Bridge Widening Project (not-to-exceed fee of roughly $1.02 million), with related budget adjustments bringing the construction-management total to about $1.21 million.
- A second amendment to the contract with EOA, Inc., adding $67,900.
- Sole-source purchase and installation of Recycle OS AI, Data and Robot units from Everest Labs for the Solid Waste Material Recovery Facility sort line (not-to-exceed $420,000) for field testing.
- Authorization for the Public Works Department to submit two Highway Safety Improvement Program grant applications totaling an estimated $4 million for traffic-signal and guardrail improvements.
Council also accepted an informational update on the Civic Auditorium RFP process (five proposals received; interviews to follow) and directed that the Mayor attend in a listening capacity, with recommendations to return by December 15, 2026.
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