Orchard Partners is the developer of the highly successful Napa Logistics Park. I have worked with Jason Holley since 2014 when he was the Public Works Director until today. From 2014 through 2022, we designed, built and funded a sewer capital improvement project called the Permanent Sewer Solution. This project was incorporated into the city’s 2016 Master Sewer Plan. In 2018, city council approved a Subdivision Improvement and Reimbursement Agreement in which the city agreed to collect other developers’ share of costs of the Permanent Sewer Solution. The city council conditioned those projects to pay these reimbursements when they were issued building permits. The developers were to pay the reimbursements based on the areas of buildings they were to construct.

In 2023, the city advised the other developers that they would owe specific amounts based on incorrect calculations, grossly understating their total obligations. Although we are the recipient of these eventual reimbursements, the false notifications were made without our knowledge or approval. Jason Holley has refused to admit to this mistake and to correct this problem. He refuses to collect the reimbursements. We have diligently worked to resolve the situation to no avail. Unfortunately, we must now file a lawsuit against the city to seek a judgement for declaratory relief. We are not seeking monetary damages from the city but rather a judgment order for the city manager to do his job. If he does not obtain the appropriate reimbursements, the city is liable for paying us up to $6.5 million in reimbursements.

We have had a wonderful experience working with the staff of American Canyon. However, over the past eleven years Jason Holley has demonstrated incompetence as the Public Works Director and City Manager unmatched in my 45-year career. He is the primary reason that it takes so long for this city to meet its goals while battling multiple lawsuits. In our development, Jason Holley continually failed to meet his timing objectives, if at all. Now he is refusing to complete his responsibility to deal with our reimbursements to the ultimate detriment of the taxpayers of American Canyon.

City councilors past and present have expressed their dissatisfaction with Jason Holley’s performance. That is on Jason Holley. And yet, here we are today looking at renewing Jason Holley’s employment for another five years. That is on City Council.