Ojai City Council Special Meeting

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2026, 5:00 PM KENT HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS - CITY HALL CAMPUS - 111 W SANTA ANA ST, OJAI, CA Mayor Gilman called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. ROLL CALL The following members were present: Mayor Gilman, Mayor Pro Tem Mang, and Council Members Rule, Lang, and Whitman. Also present: City Manager Harvey, City Attorney Burgess, Assistant to the City Manager Cervantes, Chief Deputy City Clerk Montgomery, Human Resources Manager Holman. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chief Deputy City Clerk Montgomery led the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: It was moved by Council Member Lang, seconded by Council Member Rule, to approve the agenda. The motion carried unanimously. CLOSED SESSION 1. Conference with Labor Negotiators - Government Code Section 54957.6 City/Agency Designated Representatives: Ben Harvey, City Manager; Kathy Holman, Human Resources/Risk Manager Unrepresented Employee(s): All Unrepresented Employees CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION City Attorney Burgess reporting out of closed session, stating that Council provided direction to staff to bring back additional information at a future closed session.

ADJOURNMENT Mayor Gilman adjourned the meeting at 6:00 p.m. ____________________________________ Weston Montgomery, Chief Deputy City Clerk Approved: 06-23-26

Agenda

AGENDA

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2026, 5:00 PM

KENT HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS - CITY HALL CAMPUS - 111 W SANTA ANA ST, OJAI, CA

OJAI CITY COUNCIL

ANDY GILMAN, MAYOR

DISTRICT 1 - LESLIE RULE

DISTRICT 2 - RACHEL LANG

DISTRICT 3 - ANDREW WHITMAN

DISTRICT 4 - KIM MANG

BEN HARVEY

CITY MANAGER

BETHANY BURGESS

CITY ATTORNEY

WESTON MONTGOMERY

CHIEF DEPUTY CITY CLERK

VIEWING & ACCESS

Public participation is encouraged! The Ojai City Council meets regularly on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6:00 p.m. The meetings are conducted in a hybrid model, providing both in-person attendance and virtual public comment via the Zoom link below. Virtual attendance via Zoom is the only way to remotely provide public comment. Pre-registration is not required for public comment via Zoom. Instead, Zoom participants will utilize the "hand-raise" function to indicate their desire to speak on an item. The meeting is also livestreamed on the City's website at ojai.ca.gov/525/2968/Public-Meetings , on YouTube at youtube.com/@ojaicity , and on Spectrum Channel 10. See "Public Comment Options" below for further instruction.

ojai.ca.gov/525/2968/Public-Meetings , on YouTube at youtube.com/@ojaicity , or on Spectrum Channel 10.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act , if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please call (805) 646-5581. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

If you feel that a language interpreter is necessary for you to participate in this meeting, notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements for an interpreter to assure your participation/understanding of this meeting of the City Council.

Si considera que un intérprete de idiomas es necesario para participar en esta reunión, la notificación 48 horas antes de la reunión le permitirá a la Ciudad hacer arreglos razonables para que un intérprete asegure su participación / comprensión de esta reunión del Concejo Municipal.

Para Español por favor llame al (805) 646-5581 ext. 101 o por correo electronico a cityclerk@ojai.ca.gov

PUBLIC COMMENT

Written/emailed public comments must be submitted no later than 3:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting.

PUBLIC COMMENT CONT.

Members of the public who wish to make public comments may do so in person at the meeting, comment live via telewebinar software, or submit written public comments in advance of the meeting. Written public comment emails should be sent to cityclerk@ojai.ca.gov

No pre-registration is required for public comment via telewebinar (Zoom). Instead, during the live meeting, telewebinar participants who wish to speak on an agenda item will be asked to use the Zoom software's hand-raise function at the beginning of each item.

LEVINE ACT WARNING

Applicants and their agents before the City Council are subject to the campaign disclosure provisions detailed in Government Code Section 84308. No City Council Member may accept, solicit, or direct a contribution of more than $250 from any party or agent for 12 months subsequent to the date a final decision is rendered by the City. This prohibition commences when your application has been filed, or the proceeding is otherwise initiated.

A party to a City proceeding-which includes both applicants and agents--shall disclose on the record of the proceeding any contribution of more than $250 made to any Council Member by the applicant or agent, during the preceding 12 months. No party to a City proceeding, or agent, shall make a contribution to a Council Member during the proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is rendered by the City.

Prior to rendering a decision on a City proceeding, any Council Member who received contribution of more than $250 within the preceding 12 months from any party, or agent, to a proceeding shall disclose that fact on the record of the proceeding and shall be disqualified from participating in the proceeding. However, if any Council Member receives a contribution that otherwise would require disqualification and returns the contribution within 30 days of knowing about the contribution and the relevant proceeding, the Council Member shall be permitted to participate in the proceeding.

If you believe that these provisions apply to you or a Council Member, please inform the City Clerk at the earlies possible opportunity. Failure to do so may affect the City's ability to process your application.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the City Council after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection in the City Clerk's Office at City Hall during normal business hours (Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Such documents are also available on the City of Ojai's website at ojai.ca.gov, subject to the staff's ability to post the documents prior to the meeting.

If you challenge the actions of the City Council in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in the public notices, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or prior to, the public hearing (Calif. Gov't Code Sec. 65009).

Any legal action by an applicant seeking to obtain a judicial review of the City Council's decision on a Hearing listed on this Agenda may be subject to the 90-day filing period of and governed by Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6.

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ZOOM LINK - May 26, 2026, 5:00 PM - Special Meeting