Council approves contract with Team Netherlands, discusses districts for 2026 election and more

The City Council on Tuesday approved a contract with Team Netherlands and voted on districts for the 2026 election, among other business.

Council Members voted to award a multi-year cooperative contract with the Netherlands National Olympic Committee. The agreement with Team Netherlands (TeamNL) expands upon last year's general agreement for its pre-games training needs leading up to the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games. The agreement further defines each agency's role and includes a $1 million payment schedule to the City to cover much of the TeamNL costs while training in Mission Viejo. The Council also discussed how Mission Viejo has recently been hailed by numerous cities for these successful efforts in bringing the Olympic movement to the community, and it was announced earlier in the day that the Olympic diving teams from Australia and France will be joining Team USA and TeamNL to train here as well.

Following an effort to engage the community through a webpage for residents to provide comments about the staggering of districts for the 2026 election, the Council considered the input received and provided direction regarding next year's election when all five seats will be on the ballot. The Council voted to place the seats in Districts 1, 3 and 5 up for four-year terms and those in Districts 2 and 4 up for two-year terms, with all seats then returning to four-year terms in subsequent elections so that the staggering will resume.

The Council unanimously approved advertising construction bids for the Enhanced Pedestrian Safety Improvements project, a plan funded through the Caltrans Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).

During the presentation portion of the night, members of the Orange County Sheriff's Department discussed plans for the upcoming 37th Annual Walk Against Drugs on Saturday, October 18.

The City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Meetings are streamed live on the City's website and air on Cox Channel 30 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99. Residents are encouraged to sign up for the City's eNewsletter and follow the City's official social media sites for the most accurate, up-to-date information.