Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Mayor Bill Powers.
1. Roll Call
  
  Present: Mayor Bill Powers, Mayor Pro Tem Mikki Battaglia, Councilmember Jim Murphy, Councilmember Pat Morton, Councilmember Lauren Miller
  
  Staff Present: Administrative Services Manager Kristen Schiavone, City Attorney Steve Gross (Zoom), Finance Officer Susan Scarlett (Zoom)
2. Pledge of Allegiance
  Led by Mayor Bill Powers
Public Comments
City Communications
1. City Council Communications
  
  Councilmember Murphy had nothing to report.
  Councilmember Miller stated she will meet with the Portola Rotary Club in March to discuss future community projects. She also thanked the public works department for their hard work on snow removal during the recent snowstorm.
  Councilmember Morton had nothing to report.
  Mayor Pro Tem Battaglia reported that she has attended some of the Plumas Unified School District (PUSD) board and community meetings to stay updated on upcoming school district staff layoffs.
  Mayor Powers attended the transportation commission meeting last Monday. He is also working with the school district to find additional solutions to the school bus transportation issues, including using Plumas Transit buses and revising routes to ensure students with transportation to and from school.
2. Reports: Beckwourth Peak Fire Protection District / Plumas County Sheriff / Northern Sierra Air Quality
  
  Beckwourth Peak Fire Protection District - No report.
  Plumas County Sheriff - No Report
  Northern Sierra Air Quality - Mayor Pro Tem Battaglia reported that curtailment is still in effect. She also recommended visiting myairdistrict.com for updates on air quality and curtailment status. She provided some statistics of the Portola Woodstove Change-out program for 2025. She reported that she and another staff member from Northern Sierra Air Quality were at City Hall earlier in the day and placed free firewood applications with the city's upcoming water utility bill.
3. Staff Communications
  
  None
4. City Manager Report
  
  City Manager Bonk thanked the City's public works department for their snow removal efforts during the storm last week, and that due to their round-the-clock work, they were able to keep up with snow removal on our city streets with minimal equipment issues.
  
  Advised that he has been meeting with staff to come up with some goals and initiatives for the upcoming budget meetings happening next week.
  Discussed that the world's largest steam engine, The Big Boy, will be coming back to Portola on April 8th, 2026, and the city staff will assist the Railroad Museum with some advertising on Facebook to encourage attendance at the event.
  
  City Manager Bonk personally thanked Plumas Sun reporter, Ingrid for the thorough reporting she's been doing of the city council meetings.
  When asked about the bridge inspection, City Manager Bonk advised the council that an inspection happened in January. However, it was not an underwater inspection, and we are still awaiting Caltrans's report. He also added that the bridge monitoring data has not reported any issues with bridge structure.
Consent Agenda
1. Claims:
  Adopt Resolution No. 2640. The resolution authorizes payment of payroll from January 24th, 2026 through February 6th, 2026 and accounts payable from February 12th, 2026 through February 25th, 2026
  The amount of payroll to be paid is $34,301.44
  The amount of accounts payable to be paid is $21,294.58
  
  The total amount to be paid is $55,596.02
2. Minutes
  Adopt the minutes of the February 11th, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting.
Councilmember Pat Morton motioned to approve. Councilmember Jim Murphy seconded the motion.

The roll call vote:

Aye Mayor Bill Powers Aye Mayor Pro Tem Mikki Battaglia Aye Councilmember Jim Murphy Aye Councilmember Pat Morton Aye Councilmember Lauren Miller
Ratify Agreement for Law Enforcement Services
City Manager Bonk provided the council with an overview of the draft agreement with the Plumas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) and went over the substantial modifications, including a three-year term and compensation factored in with a 3% escalator for each subsequent year of the contract. This agreement has been reviewed by City Attorney Steve Gross and Plumas County Council, which will be presented to the County Supervisors for approval.

Councilmember Morton inquired about the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant, and Finance Officer Susan Scarlett provided a brief overview of the funding process.

Councilmember Murphy provided a brief history of past agreements entered into with PCSO. He expressed his support for the proposed contract between the City of Portola and PCSO.

City Attorney Steve Gross expressed his support for the proposed contract between the City of Portola and PCSO.
Councilmember Battaglia inquired if there had been any discussion between the City of Portola and PCSO regarding Animal Control presence in the City. City Manager Bonk stated that this was not discussed during contract negotiations; however, the City’s Code Enforcement officer, Brian Attama, has been working with the Plumas County Animal Control department to address animal control calls within the City of Portola. He reiterated that he would bring this topic up with Sheriff Hermann.

Councilmember Jim Murphy motioned to approve. Mayor Pro Tem Mikki Battaglia seconded the motion.

The roll call vote:

Aye Mayor Bill Powers Aye Mayor Pro Tem Mikki Battaglia Aye Councilmember Jim Murphy Aye Councilmember Pat Morton Aye Councilmember Lauren Miller
Resolution 2641: Lot Line Adjustment with Plumas County
Resolution 2641 is an administrative procedural requirement for Plumas County and the City of Portola to move forward with the proposed lot line adjustment, in which Plumas County will transfer a portion of its property to the City of Portola, for the establishment of a dog park using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funding.
Mayor Pro Tem Mikki Battaglia motioned to approve. Councilmember Pat Morton seconded the motion.

The roll call vote:

Aye Mayor Bill Powers Aye Mayor Pro Tem Mikki Battaglia Aye Councilmember Jim Murphy Aye Councilmember Pat Morton Aye Councilmember Lauren Miller
Adjournment
The regular meeting of the Portola City Council adjourned at 6:25pm.