Lower Russian River Municipal Advisory Council Meeting

1. Roll Call
A. Approval of the Agenda
This approval process ensures that the agenda accurately reflects the items to be discussed and decided upon. Members may request adjustments to the agenda, including reordering or deletion of items at this time. Any changes must comply with the Brown Act requirements for public notice and agenda setting. The agenda must be finalized before the Council proceeds with other meeting items.

2. Statement of Conflict of Interest
This is the time for the Chair, Vice Chair and Council Members to indicate any statements of conflict of interest for any item listed on this agenda. The River MAC bylaws state that members will not involve themselves in official River MAC activities that could materially benefit them personally, their business interests, or the interests of organizations that they represent. In a conflict of interest, the member will abstain from voting, and the abstention will be recorded in the minutes.

3. Consent Agenda
These items are expected to be routine and non-controversial. The Lower Russian River MAC will act upon them at one time without discussion. Any Representatives, staff member or interested party may request that an item be removed from the consent agenda for discussion.
A. Approval of November 13, 2025 Minutes

4. Councilmember Comment
This is an opportunity for Councilmembers to provide brief comments, restricted to matters within the Board’s jurisdiction. Due to Brown Act regulations, this is not a time for discussion of any item, however a brief dialogue about considering an item for a future agenda is permitted during this time.

5. Public Comments
On Matters not listed on the agenda: Comments are restricted to matters within the Lower Russian River MAC’s jurisdiction. Please be brief and limit spoken comments to two minutes.

6. County Update
A. Supervisor Hopkins' Remarks, including the acknowledgement of outgoing members and welcoming of incoming members.
B. Land Use referral from Permit Sonoma: Design Review underway for PLP18-0012, Lok Guernewood Park Development Company, LLC. 17155 Hwy 116, Guerneville. Staff recommends consideration of the formation of an ad hoc committee comprised of a maximum of 4 members to study this project and bring findings to the full MAC at a future meeting.

7. Presentation of The Rio Nido Post Office short film, produced by the 5th District's 2025 Summer Interns, Aziza Greer and Similia Lander.
Tasked with the concept of helping make local government more accessible through video, Aziza and Similia created a series of four videos under the umbrella theme titled West County, Exploring Your Options. They produced four videos: An overview of the Board of Supervisors, Creative Sonoma, Rio Nido Post Office, and Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs). The videos have not yet been published for public viewing, however tonight we will watch the 5 minute video outlining how the Friends of Rio Nido have persevered over a nearly decade-long process to bring local mail delivery back to their neighborhood.
Representatives from the Friends of Rio Nido will be available to answer councilmember questions. Suggestions for future video topics to cover may be made.

8. 2026 Leadership Selection
A. Selection of 2026 Chair:
The Council will consider the selection of the Chair for the 2026 term. The Chair plays a vital leadership role, presiding over meetings, guiding the Council’s work, collaborating on agenda development, and representing the Council in communications with the District Supervisor and the public. As part of this process, Council members may nominate candidates for the Chair position. The selected Chair will serve for one calendar year. The current Vice Chair, Vicki Clewes has expressed interest and willingness to serve in this role. Nominations are open to all regular Representatives.
B. Selection of 2026 Vice Chair:
The Council will consider the selection of the Vice Chair for the 2026 term. The Vice Chair supports the Chair in leadership responsibilities, presides over meetings in the Chair’s absence, assists in guiding the Council’s work, collaborates on agenda development, and helps represent the Council in communications with the District Supervisor and the public. As part of this process, Council members may nominate candidates for the Vice Chair position. The selected Vice Chair will serve for one calendar year. Patty Thayer has expressed interest and willingness to serve in this role. Nominations are open to all regular Representatives.

9. Community Engagement & Outreach Plan Update and Potential Formation of Ad Hoc Committee
This item provides an update on the Community Engagement & Outreach Plan, with focused discussion on the Student Representative role established in the 2024 Plan. Faye Zamora has served as the inaugural Student Representative since January 2025, and the 2025 Plan update emphasized expanding youth engagement through targeted outreach strategies. The attached staff report includes feedback from Ms. Zamora to support refinement of the Student Representative role. Broader elements of the handbook are included for reference and are not intended for substantive discussion at this meeting. The Chair may consider forming a Community Engagement & Outreach Plan ad hoc committee to review the Plan comprehensively and return with recommendations for Council consideration in early 2026.

10. Adjournment
The regular meeting schedule will remain at 5:30 PM on the second Thursday of each month. The 2026 regular meeting dates for the River MAC are as follows:
January 8th, February 12th, March 12th, April 9th, May 14th, June 11th, July 9th, August 13th, September 10th, October 8th, November 12th, December 10th.