[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6393699,"mediaKeyId","2105661-534aa9c55d2bd843cc4e1ed4612fd139","parentId",2105661,"title","Fairfax council appoints interim town clerk and treasurer to fill vacancies","audioSeconds",463,"startMs",6097000,"endMs",6560000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2105661-534aa9c55d2bd843cc4e1ed4612fd139&start=6097&end=6560","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2105661-534aa9c55d2bd843cc4e1ed4612fd139/thumbnail_6097000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6393699/California/Fairfax-council-appoints-interim-town-clerk-and-treasurer-to-fill-vacancies","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6393699-158419c093b89c50e4a8f3ec0313cd4a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434862&Signature=Nb-wDrXCTld88mW2c2JU15-jyb8f6EITaNieDPL8EWksmAd2hcXGr63pzyFxv68mNL3lmtTAla0SVdY0xNpdMCfzb0kS~Ejc7JdOzoP~9iPmyreWXB6lSHS9BJwn9CiMV2uRYtt5YGANckoykavPJhJWNg1XxXBKIQuLGjJnLjTwCxKBTj3ixUFQLzjtF6sgkWTjWWErCAIX3MQWAzUYyQnoESaoFoiW9u4oZbmw0I1v47L3J4qbSDfXS0BIw~KUPlVrKEEZ1h7sQKmBK5W0vY~u0k4SZls0MRUG1BJfCgPOewmZEEhQXnKafR2X9YO6aZphsU4uPM6aWq~KDO8oPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town Council of Fairfax CA","date","2025-01-12T08:59:50.84Z","article","The Fairfax Town Council on Thursday voted to fill two newly vacated elected offices — town clerk and town treasurer — by appointment and authorized staff to open an application and interview process.

Town Manager Christine Foster told the council the town had received two resignations late in December: an elected town clerk resigned effective Dec. 11, 2024, and an elected town treasurer retired Dec. 23, 2024. Foster reminded the council that California law requires a jurisdiction to either appoint a replacement or call a special election for certain elected vacancies within a defined timeframe. She said the town’s legal advice and county elections staff had confirmed that a mail-ballot-only special election option does not apply to these two offices and that the next full special election date that would accommodate the offices (with both mail ballots and polling places) is November 4, 2025. Staff estimated a special election could cost in the tens of thousands of dollars and leave the positions unfilled until the vote.

Foster presented two options: (1) open an appointment process immediately, using a short application and interviews scheduled at the Feb. 5 regular meeting to meet statutory timelines; or (2) direct staff to place the positions on the ballot for a special election, with the attendant higher cost and the positions remaining vacant until election day. After a public comment period in which residents urged either appointment or an election, the council voted to appoint replacements and to direct staff to run an application and interview process. Foster said staff would return with a draft application and interview schedule; the council requested a short timeline so interviews and any appointments could be completed within the legal window.

The motion to appoint the vacancies passed on a recorded vote. The council instructed staff to advertise the application, review candidates, hold interviews at the February 5, 2025 regular meeting, and make appointments to fill the remainder of the current terms (which run through December 2026). The council did not appoint particular individuals at the meeting; those interviews and any appointments will be handled in the next month.

The council and town attorney also discussed the distinction between the elected town clerk (an unpaid, elected role whose statutory duties are recorded in the town code) and the town’s paid deputy/employee town clerk positions; the deputy town clerk is a staff role and is not a separately elected office. The council asked that staff provide the council with the town code sections that define the elected clerk’s duties and to circulate the draft application before public posting.

The vote to fill the vacancies by appointment carried on the council floor with a recorded roll-call vote in favor by the full council present.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fairfax Town Council January 9, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","With resignations in both elected offices, the council voted to appoint interim officers rather than hold a special election and directed staff to open an applications/interview process to meet the state 60‑day requirement.","taxTitle","Fairfax Town, Marin County, California","taxId",72288,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6393710,"Fairfax council approves small enclosed \"tot lot\" at Perry Park after debate over surfacing and shade",2233,2251000,4484000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2105661-534aa9c55d2bd843cc4e1ed4612fd139&start=2251&end=4484","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2105661-534aa9c55d2bd843cc4e1ed4612fd139/thumbnail_2251000.jpg","/articles/6393710/California/Fairfax-council-approves-small-enclosed-tot-lot-at-Perry-Park-after-debate-over-surfacing-and-shade","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6393710-4bf2883acdada6af1c15116fecc35ad0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434862&Signature=KsWZF6ybeI33TcSPpaE58qKYInnKARu7iLTMkB2-3h3QYgVFXBNLGeKum8Ra5afn8VObYSAwICbtuJpoB7IbBmrDOvj4h-KVu3D21U3KDvl4jQ3GLosW1fIfDo5gNf94TZcgb0dBLeLT7ZwnZkXr4QsPaJWpJekwRIaeT7Uj8DMKOeZexCFKUXq~uDPumswu7Np7bEt9oEkhDyqaT7KHJYzbYHGKOQOm1UH7K17pBOt40GiyWbbrNEgmLN0gYNhidY7G1SJOe5gB2Ysb6KgB~2lZeyEYAUoKhXTAJC8JK-xG0XupI6I7DoSyhB1tZDexpcItBbdu6lWNv63drR0xXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fairfax Town Council on Thursday approved the concept for a small, enclosed “tot lot” inside the existing Perry Park playground, clearing the way for community fundraising and town-conducted procurement to complete the work.

The proposal, presented by Maria Baird to the council as a Parks & Recreation Commission concept, would create a fenced, gated 10-by-12-foot enclosure near an existing park pathway and ramp so parents can supervise toddlers while older children use the larger playground equipment. “The item you have before you is a proposed tot lot for the Perry Park playground area,” Baird told the council at the start of the presentation.

Parks staff and the town’s public works director, Lauren Umbertis, said the enclosure would not include a built play structure at this stage; proponents expect to place a soft surface for crawling and small toys. Umbertis told council the estimated community-funded cost was between about $9,000 and $12,000 and that the town would handle standard procurement and permitting steps because the enclosure would be on town property. “Because it is within a town park, there are certain requirements that we need to follow,” she said, listing bonding, prevailing wage and insurance as cost drivers.

Proponent Rafael Skovran, who brought the idea to Parks & Rec in 2024, said he had gathered more than 20 responses in a public survey and that the most common request was a continuous surface that posed no choking hazard for very young children. “The number one thing they want is a continuous surface that does not present a choking hazard,” Skovran said.

Several residents and parents spoke during public comment. Some urged a quick build and suggested private fundraising; others raised environmental and health concerns about artificial turf and “rubber pebble” resilient surfacing, noting heat, PFAS and microplastic risks. “Synthetic turf is harmful, especially to aquatic organisms,” one commenter quoted environmental group guidance and urged sod or other natural alternatives.

Council members debated options during council discussion. Some members suggested shade over the enclosure and a short timeline for fundraising; others pressed staff to prioritize nonplastic surfacing. A motion to approve the concept passed after the council rejected a separate motion that would have required sod specifically. The final council approval included an instruction that proponents pursue “environmentally friendly materials” for the surfacing.

Votes at a glance: the motion to approve the tot lot concept passed on the council floor with a recorded vote of 4–1 (one council member recorded a dissent). The council therefore authorized staff to proceed with the public-facing next steps: (1) accept community fundraising, (2) prepare a budget and procurement package for bids, and (3) return to council with a final design and timeline if required by procurement thresholds.

Proponents estimated fundraising and voluntary labor could cover most project costs; staff said the town would run a standard public contracting process for any work over the small-purchase thresholds and would apply prevailing wage, bonding and insurance requirements where applicable. The council asked staff to return with clarifications on surfacing alternatives and a short timeline so the proponent community can begin fundraising and outreach.

The council directed the town clerk to record the change to the minutes noted during the public input period and to follow the town’s procurement rules when seeking contractor bids for the approved concept.

The council did not adopt a specific construction contract or appropriation at the meeting; those details will be presented after fundraising and design clarifications are completed.","After community fundraising assurances and debate over surfacing materials, the Fairfax Town Council approved a small enclosed play area for children ages 0–3 at Perry Park. Council instructed staff and proponents to pursue environmentally friendly surface options and pursue fundraising and procurement steps.","actionData","errors"]

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Fairfax council appoints interim town clerk and treasurer to fill vacancies

Fairfax council approves small enclosed "tot lot" at Perry Park after debate over surfacing and shade