Fortuna council held closed-door River Lodge talks, then reported no action

A special meeting agenda and minutes show the council negotiated with three counterparties over the River Lodge Conference Center before returning to open session with no reportable action. Image for this article September 7, 2026 • 6:52 PM Fortuna City Council held a special meeting Aug. 3 devoted to closed-session negotiations over the River Lodge Conference Center, then returned to open session and reported no action. The special meeting agenda said the council would meet at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 621 11th St., and enter closed session for three conference-with-real-property-negotiators items involving the River Lodge Conference Center at 1800 Riverwalk Drive. The agenda named City Manager Amy Nilsen as the agency negotiator and identified the counterparties as the Fortuna Union High School District, the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce, and the California Department of General Services on behalf of CAL FIRE. The meeting minutes say Mayor Pro Tem Tami Trent called the meeting to order at 5 p.m., the council adjourned to closed session at 5:02 p.m., and when the meeting resumed there was no action to report out. The council then adjourned the special meeting at 5:44 p.m. The public records do not disclose any substantive terms discussed in closed session, and they do not indicate whether the negotiations will continue or lead to an agreement. The Sept. 8 agenda includes Ordinance 2026-788, which would add a new chapter to the city code regulating massage establishments. Unknown The Aug. 3 special-meeting agenda names the school district, chamber of commerce and state/CAL FIRE representatives in property negotiations over the River Lodge Conference Center. The Sidekick about 1 month ago Unknown After hearing from chamber, lodging and school-district advocates, the council told staff to take and evaluate River Lodge proposals from public, private and nonprofit groups. Unknown The June 15 agenda includes budget adoption, a public hearing on city fees, an animal-control ordinance update, water-plan approvals and a discussion of River Lodge lease options. Unknown The council adopted a new fee schedule for 2026-27 that raises most building fees 2.9% and changes many permit charges to a valuation-based model. Unknown City staff said Fortuna faces a structural general fund deficit and more than $1.9 million in lost purchasing power, while polling showed the tax proposal could clear a majority with more information but remains vulnerable to opposition messaging. Unknown The council unanimously chose an option that opens Fortuna Transit to the general public, adds a full-time supervisor and moves ahead with RideCo scheduling and call-center support. Unknown Council chose transit Option B on Feb. 2, directing staff to expand service, hire a full-time supervisor and move ahead with RideCo contracts. Unknown The council voted 5-0 to move a local sales tax proposal onto the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot and asked staff to return with the ballot question and follow-up legislation. Unknown The City Council approved emergency rent stabilization rules for mobile home parks and moved a local sales tax measure onto the November ballot. Unknown © 2026 The Sidekick. All rights reserved. Designed for community awareness.