CHICO — When the current iteration of the Chico City Council doesn’t find consensus, the breakdown is often 6-1. That makes sense given the political parsing of six conservatives and one liberal.
But Tuesday night, Addison Winslow wasn’t the most frequent or only solo dissenter, even if he did cast the “no” vote in the meeting’s biggest decision. Sean Morgan opposed four council member requests — three on his own — and Tom van Overbeek opposed another action.
Morgan grew so frustrated by the final item, more than three hours into open session, that he voted “no” while walking across the dais with his coat in hand and headed out toward the conference room where the council conducts closed session. Councilors had gone past the hour allotted to confidential matters before the public part of the meeting and needed to reconvene after otherwise concluding business.
Still, compared to previous meetings with divided opinions (among councilors and citizens), emotions stayed mostly in check … until the end, that is.
The marquee item that filled the chambers and drew 21 speakers was Orchard Creek Estates, a 74-lot subdivision proposed for 15 acres on the edge of the Bell-Muir Special Planning Area. The first 6-1 vote approved the development while also bringing back that part of the general plan for a more comprehensive review. Winslow voted against the motion because he felt the order should be switched, that the city should decide whether to abandon the hope of master planning in Bell-Muir before de facto doing so by permitting a project developed independently.
“I was surprised by the calmness of the meeting,” Morgan said the next morning. “I think there would have been less hubbub if whatever happened at the Planning Commission didn’t happen at the Planning Commission” — referring to two contentious meetings in which the development was denied. The district Morgan represents would encompass any annexation in the area.
While he affirmed that plan, Morgan voted against lifting a ban on alcohol sales after midnight, a position shared by Deepika Tandon (the motion passed 4-2 with van Overbeek recused). Morgan cast the lone vote against van Overbeek’s request for periodic updates from staff to council on progress removing a flooding threat in Lindo Channel — and, after the meeting went past 9 p.m., did so on Winslow’s request that the city explore crime prevention on bike paths through “environmental design” (such as lighting and the orientation of neighboring windows) as well as Mayor Andrew Coolidge’s request to discuss adding monthly reports from councilors on their districts.
Van Overbeek dissented on the upshot of a Cal Water presentation: Coolidge’s motion directing staff to work with the water district on conservation measures. By then, the capacity crowd had dwindled to a dozen.
Different views
Though not expressed from the dais, Morgan had reasons for each objection. The common theme: He saw multiple proposals as “a solution looking for a problem.” Those included the alcohol restrictions, updates on Lindo Channel (something staff already was working to resolve) and the prospect of councilors’ reports.
Coolidge said the water program could be the biggest decision the council made this year given the magnitude of both the issue and what Chicoans already have done. Cal Water estimated that the measures undertaken in Chico the previous 12 years — many of those being drought years — will save 1.4 billion gallons cumulatively.
Likewise, the mayor pointed to safer bike paths as significant. Per the approved motion, the council will address improvements during the budget process (i.e., allocate funding); staff will return with recommendations; and the city will pursue further partnerships with the university.
“I used to ride my bike around Chico all the time as a college student at 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock at night,” Coolidge recalled. Now, “some of those bike paths can get pretty scary at that time. If it’s 6 o’clock in the winter or if it’s 11 o’clock in the summer, there should still be places where citizens can travel, even if it’s dark.”
Winslow, who cycles all over town including to meetings, appreciated the discussion that also engaged Vice Mayor Kasey Reynolds and Councilor Dale Bennett.
“It’s kind of hard to argue with,” he said the following day. “My dilemma is (that) in order to get support from council on something, it must be incredibly general and vague, (but) in order to get staff to do something, I must be very specific. It’s a bit irreconcilable, and sometimes it’s hard to get things through.”
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