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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-21-2015 B1 Director StilwellCOUNCIL MEETING: O�i� Z1 � zo l s_ ITEM NO.: Ri },_ Council April 21, 2015 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Jason Stilwell, Interim Director of Financial Planning and IT RECEIVE a VIA: Katie Lichtig, City Manager APR 21 2015 SUBJECT: Response to Council Member Questions f SLO CITY CLERK Staff had an opportunity to expand on the responses on the following three questions from the memo that was recently distributed. Will signage include safety (poison oak, rattlesnakes, etc) information? Yes, this type of signage is typical of the program that will be formalized in the maintenance plan that is being developed as part of the Open Space Major City Goal work program. Will the original team of volunteer architects be utilized in the update of the Downtown Concept Plan? Staff is planning on completing a request for proposals to procure services to update the Downtown Concept Plan (August 2015). The original team of volunteer architects will be consulted and invited to be part of the process. Could we eliminate grass in Mission Plaza, as a symbol of City's drought concerns? While it would be possible to do this for all areas in Mission Plaza it would be important to evaluate the function of the grass. In some areas it is exclusively ornamental while in other areas the grass if there to provide a sitting area for people attending events. Staff is evaluating all options for turf removal as well as other conservation method at city facilities. Staff will be bringing a plan to the City Council in the near future that includes a conservation objectives that address both city and the community as a whole based on regulations being considered by the State. T: \Council Agenda Reports\2015\2015 -04 -21 (Budget Major City Goals) \Budget Workshop - Major City Goals Wk Prgms (Padilla- Lamers) \4 - 20memo(followup). docx COUNCIL MEETING: 0L, 11JIL91 ITEM NO.: Council Memorandum f !, April 20, 2015 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Jason Stilwell, Interim Director of Financial Planning and IT RECEIVED VIA: Katie Lichtig, City Manager APR 21 2015 SUBJECT: Response to Council Member Questions SLO CITY CLERK The following questions were submitted to staff by a Council Member. Responses to the questions are presented below and distributed in advance of the April 21, 2015 City Council meeting. Question 1: Page 131 -7 - Laguna Lake Dog Fencing $50,000. Why so expensive? The Laguna Lake Dog Fencing project is a large dog off leash area. The fencing is not intended to make it a dog park (with segregated areas) but instead is focused on increasing safety adjacent to the parking lot and the restrooms. The fencing will protect the City's $400,000 restroom facility from the "damage" it is incurring due to doggie activity. The cost estimate for the fencing is based on the proposed project which includes over 600 feet of gated fencing along the roadway, to reduce the potential for dog / vehicle collisions. This is more fencing than currently exists. The project also includes boulders to provide markers of the limits of the dog park, within the park. Question 2: Page B1 -12 and 13 - Are low emissions and high mpg vehicles scheduled for fleet purchase? The city has 4 total hybrid vehicles. The fleet supervisor and the Transportation Deputy Director will be assessing upcoming purchases (particularly sedans) for the possibility of a hybrid or electric purchase. Currently the cost differential and lack of charging for all- electric vehicles are deterrents. Nonetheless, staff is reviewing all possibilities to further `green' the fleet. It should be noted that with the enhanced fuel mileage, and stricter emission standards the environmental impact and resource utilization of each new vehicle is improved over those being replaced. For example —just this morning fleet staff was outfitting a 2015 crew truck — replacing a 2000 model — with much better fuel economy and emission standards. Currently, the City's Fleet Management Policy has a section entitled Environmental Stewardship. The policy was updated from one focusing solely on alternative fueled to more accurately reflect the intent of reducing fuel consumption and emission by taking a broader approach beyond simply alternative fuels as the sole focal point. Alternative fuel may be one of many solutions in conjunction with others like alternative transportation, extended range hybrids, clean diesel busses, downsized vehicles, or "best in class" conventional fueled equipment that Insert Report Title Page 2 get the best fuel economies. The policy includes an additional 20% baseline cost premium for alternative fuel vehicles. Question 3: Why not charge for rescues after dark when OS is closed? What about raising the fine for after dark trespassing to $1,000? Staff is supportive of stricter enforcement of hours and sanctioned trail use. However the likely effect of a policy which fines people in need of rescue for violations of policies is possible side effect of delayed requests or possibly not requesting specialized help when such help is needed. The outcome of the emergency is likely to be worse in terms of severity of injury or illness and /or complications of subsequent rescue. A person who becomes injured after dusk and off the trail will likely worsen his/her injury by trying to get down without safety personnel assistance. The longer he /she waits to call for help, in the potential for safety risk increases. Staff recommends curbing behavior by enforcement activities before the emergency, not after they have occurred. Question 4: Page 111 -24, 25 What measures are we taking to remediate the over use of Bishops teak? Are We banning 1Ctltnllllg BIJ11Vp'J Peak lrl LV Ur 1JL s1UVer tIJlrlg? ArG VYe plarlrllrlg to UGVe1Vp the Foothill trailhead to Bishop's Peak? Should we close the Highland trail head? Does this include beefing up patrols on Bishop Peak trail head? All of these issues will be addressed in the draft Bishop's Peak Conservation Plan. This item will come to the City Council after the public outreach and input process is complete. This is currently scheduled for this coming summer. Question 5: Page B1 -25: Dealing with neighborhood noise /trash /night time activity complaints? Staff is currently updating both the Terrace Hill and Bishop's Peak Conservation Plans, where the majority of these types of complaints ensue from. In addition, the proposed maintenance plan will deal with both trash and night time activities, specifically. The maintenance plan is scheduled for Council review in late 2015 or early 2016. Regarding #18 on the action plan why not also include OS Fund for acquisition (not just maintenance)? The City has already established an OS Fund for acquisition so this task seeks to enable community fundraising and support for maintenance in addition to acquisition activities. Will signage include safety (poison oak, rattlesnakes, etc) information? Yes Are more amenities planned in sensitive natural resource areas? If yes, will they be consistent with passive recreation only? Wherever amenities, such as new trails, are planned the implementation is carefully coordinated between Ranger Services staff and Natural Resources staff. All amenities are designed in a manner that is consistent with passive recreation activities allowed in the City's Insert Report Title Page 3 open space areas per the Conservation and Open Space Element and the City's various conservation plans. Question 6: Page B1 -45 - Why so little ($20,000) being planned for Neighborhood Traffic Management CIP? The City's Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTM) has been very successful, with completed projects including the PismoBuchon NTM and the Lizzie /Fixlini NTM. These projects are very staff -time intensive and expenditures do not occur on an annual basis. As a result, the $20,000 annual allocation is expected to be sufficient to continue to implement NTM opportunities as they arise. This account was eliminated a few years back — so the restoration of $20,000 is a return to historic levels. In addition, on occasion, staff will utilize other funding sources such as the paving program, bike account, to accomplish dual aims of maintenance and calming neighborhood traffic. Question 7: Page B1 -109 - Will the original team of volunteer architects be utilized in the update of the Downtown Concept Plan? Staff is planning on completing a request for proposals to procure services to update the Downtown Concept Plan. The original team of volunteer architects might be asked to provide input or they can submit a proposal. Question 8: Page B1 -182 - Neighborhood Wellness. Why is silt removal in this category? Since most of the creek alignments are in neighborhoods, and, the benefits of silt removal accrue to neighborhoods — silt removal is included in this category. Silt removal projects benefit both water quality and flood control. Many silt removal projects occur within City neighborhoods thereby protecting residential areas from flood damage. That being said if the Council felt that this should not be categorized as such it can be changed. Question 9: Could we augment the level of water in Laguna Lake with recycled water? This is one potential strategy identified in the Laguna Lake Conservation Plan. It appears possible, however, permits would be required to discharge into the lake. In addition, the cost of purchasing recycled water would have to be weighed against the benefits of this use. This is all part of the planning and permitting stage of the project. Question 10: Could we eliminate grass in Mission Plaza, as a symbol of City's drought concerns? While it would be possible to do this for all areas in Mission Plaza it would be important to evaluate the function of the grass. In some areas it is exclusively ornamental while in other areas the grass if there to provide a sitting area for people attending events. Staff is evaluating all options for turf removal as well as other conservation method at city facilities. Staff will be bringing a plan to the City Council in the near future that includes a conservation objectives that Insert Report Title Page 4 address both city and the community as a whole based on regulations being considered by the State. Question 11: B1 -257 - Didn't council decide to keep the golf course "status quo ?" On December 2, 2014, the City Council voted to not move forward with the issuance of a Request for Proposal for the operations and /or maintenance of the Laguna Lake Golf Course and to maintain the "status quo." The Council agenda report alternative for status quo contained language if Council determined not to issue and RFP as follows: Should that option be Council's direction, staff would conclude its operational analysis of the Golf Course and make recommendations for hiring and staffing accordingly. Moreover, by consensus the Council directed staff to continue its efforts to make operational improvements at the Laguna Lake Golf Course, including methods of water conservation. Staff believes the recommendations before the City Council is consistent with this direction from the City Council. Question 12: What are the fiscal impacts including cost of services related to the new dorms at Cal Poly? Staff provided comprehensive comments on the proposed Housing South project to the CSU Trustees last year. These comments raised specific concerns about the University's "fair - share" of transportation improvements to mitigate project specific impacts. Moreover, the comments noted that the City Fire Department has not negotiated contracts based on a vision document, but rather on actual risks and resource needs associated with existing development on campus. Any subsequent updates or amendments to the University's Master Plan would necessitate a review of the fire, rescue, and medical services contract between the University and the City. Ongoing contract negotiation and revision will need to address the University's contribution to wear and tear on existing facilities and demand for service as the University's demand on services grows. Question 13: How does the work -plan for housing incorporate and address new innovations in developing housing such as manufactured, micro housing? What new staff is being proposed to assist in implementing the Housing Major City Goal? A key component of the work program is efforts to implement the Land Use and Circulation Programs. The proposed SOPC for LUCE Implementation and Fee update includes funding to begin the update of the Title 17 ( "zoning regulations "). The opportunity to allow for micro units, manufactured housing, and other housing innovations will be wrapped into that work plan effort. A temporary full time Planning Technician is being proposed to assist the Housing Programs Manager in the efforts required to implement existing programs and to manage new initiatives associated with the Major City Goal. T: \Council Agenda Reports\2015\2015 -04 -21 (Budget Major City Goals)\Budget Workshop - Major City Goals Wk Prgms (Padilla- Lamers) \4 - 20memo docx