City Council Recap - July 21, 2026

This week, we recap the July 21, 2026, Redding City Council meeting, including:

• The appointment of an Interim City Manager following the passing of City Manager William Tarbox
• Updates on infrastructure and neighborhood maintenance districts
• The selection of an Interim Police Chief
• Continued discussion on the City's proposed fee updates
• Funding to maintain the Civic Auditorium

Get the highlights in about 5 minutes. To watch the full meeting, please visit the City of Redding YouTube page.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

I'm Katie.

SPEAKER_01 0:05

And I'm Steve, and this is the City of Reading Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Welcome to the recap of the July 21st, 2026 Reading City Council meeting.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

This meeting began on a more somber note. The City of Reading recently experienced a tragic loss of City Manager William Tarbot.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Mayor Mike Lata opened the meeting by acknowledging Will's passing and asking everyone in attendance to observe a moment of silence in honor of his service to the City of Reading. The council also formally announced that Assistant City Manager Michael Webb will serve as interim city manager while a search for a permanent replacement gets underway.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Following the moment of silence and a few public comments, the city council approved the consent calendar. These are generally routine business items that have already been reviewed by staff and council.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

There were quite a few items this week. Some highlights included improving contracts for road maintenance projects, wastewater treatment improvements, utility infrastructure, school resource officer funding, a new agreement with the Buckeye Fire Protection District, and accepting additional state funding for the Canyon Road Bridge replacement project.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Next, there were a few public hearings. The first one might seem a little confusing. City Council approved a resolution supporting the issuance of up to $13 million in tax exempt revenue bonds through the California Enterprise Development Authority for the expansion of the Reading School of the Arts campus.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

This one seems confusing because it doesn't mean the city is lending money or spending taxpayer dollars on this project. The city's role is simply to approve the bond issuance under federal law so the financing can move forward. The school, not the city, is responsible for repaying those bonds.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

The funding will help finance construction improvements for the school's growing campus. This item passed unanimously.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Next, the council also held the annual public hearings for landscape maintenance district assessments, or LMDs. LMDs are important because they make sure shared community features stay clean and functional without draining general municipal tax funds. These districts help fund the landscaping, irrigation systems, medians, parks, and other common areas in specific neighborhoods throughout the city.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

These assessments are reviewed every year and are increased or decreased based on the amount of work required, but it's a very technical and specific process to adjust these, and there's a limit to how much any one LMD can be increased. After a thorough presentation and some questions, the council approved the annual assessments for the upcoming fiscal year.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Next, very similar to LMDs, another annual item involved the city's sanitary sewer maintenance districts. These are special districts or neighborhoods that need additional lift stations to keep sewer water flowing properly. Those assessments help fund the maintenance and monitoring of these lift stations year-round.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

After a brief presentation, the council approved the assessments for the Hope Lane and Seven Bridges sewer maintenance districts for the coming fiscal year.

SPEAKER_00 2:37

Next up was item 6.4, the proposed updates to the city's master schedule of fees.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Rather than taking action, Council opened the public hearing and continued the item to the August 18th meeting based on staff requests for a continuance. That means the discussion isn't over yet. The proposal will come back next month for additional public comment and council consideration. So if you haven't yet had a chance to look over the proposed fees, you have a few more weeks to do so. If you have any questions or comments, please let your council members know before the public hearing in August.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Next on the regular agenda was the selection of Robert Hank Schroeder as interim police chief until the permanent police chief has been selected and appointed.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Interim Chief Schroeder will begin serving on August 3rd and continue until the city completes the recruitment for the next permanent police chief. Recruitment is underway and has generated significant interest from highly qualified candidates. The city is anticipating a new police chief starting in October.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Interim Chief Schroeder has nearly four decades of law enforcement experience, including several years as chief and several stints as interim police chief for various cities. This selection helps ensure a continuity of leadership while the recruitment process moves forward. This was approved unanimously.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Next up, Council also approved short-term funding to maintain the Reading Civic Auditorium Building. The funding provides for immediate operational needs like utilities and security, while longer-term plans for the facility continue to be evaluated.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

The approval includes one-time initial costs and several months of operating expenses to keep the facility maintained while an RFP is being generated and will not exceed $107,000. There are a few comments regarding the look of potential fencing and how the final costs were ultimately calculated. City staff noted that the fencing would be discreet and that initial higher maintenance estimates included more utilities and enhanced building security.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

Staff also noted that a potential successful RFP candidate wouldn't be in the building until October or November. So this is a limited funding source that would protect the building until the next operator is selected. This was approved unanimously.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

That's it. As always, if you'd like to watch the meeting, visit YouTube.com slash city of Reading. Or if you'd like to read the staff report or see future agendas, you can visit cityofreading.gov.