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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/10/2007MINUTES SPECIAL BUDGET MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2007 — 7:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBER, 990 PALM STREET SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA ROLL CALL: Council Members Present: Council Members Paul Brown, Andrew Carter, Allen Settle, Vice Mayor Christine Mulholland, and Mayor Dave Romero City Staff: Present: Ken Hampian, City Administrative Officer; Jonathan Lowell, City Attorney; Audrey Hooper, City Clerk; Shelly Stanwyck, Assistant City Administrative Officer; John Mandeville, Community Development Director; Bill Statler, Finance & Information Technology Director; Monica Irons, Human Resources Director; Deborah Linden, Police Chief; John Callahan, Fire Chief; John Moss, Utilities Director; Jay Walter, Public Works Director; Betsy Kiser, Parks and Recreation Director BUDGET WORKSHOP 1. MAJOR CITY GOAL WORK PROGRAMS FOR 2007 -09. CAO Hampian introduced the workshop and explained that the recommendation before Council is a conceptual approval of the major City goal work programs. Formal approval won't occur until Council approves the Financial Plan in June. Finance & IT Director Statler reviewed the goal- setting and budget process, priority categories that were established by Council at its meeting of January 27`", the purpose of the work programs, components of each of the programs, cost summaries, Measure Y revenue estimates, and the next steps in the completing the process. Department Heads presented the Major City Goal Work Programs as listed below and responded to Council's questions throughout the presentations. The presentations included a discussion of each goal's relationship to Measure Y, a summary of the workscope, and a cost summary for each goal. Throughout the presentations, staff responded to questions. Unless noted, no changes were made to the goals or the related workscopes. PUBLIC SAFETY Presentation on Public Safety Service Levels, Fire Chief Callahan and Police Chief Linden Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. Gary Fowler. San Luis Obispo, questioned the number of units and personnel who respond to emergency calls, suggested that personnel and equipment that was lost due to prior City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 7:00 p.m. Page 2 budget cuts should be restored, and suggested that consideration should be given to the costs that have been reduced as a result of decreased funding for Mardi Gras activities. 1 No other public comments were forthcoming. Fire Chief Callahan responded to Mr. Fowler, explaining that response criteria used to respond to emergency situations are recommended by the National Fire Protection Administration. Council commented in support of the proposed work program. Council Member Carter added that he would prefer the City charge agencies for use of Fire Department services when they have trained staff that can provide those services. TRANSPORTATION Neighborhood Paving and Deferred Street Maintenance Presentation by Public Works Director Walter. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. No comments were forthcoming. Council Members Brown. Settle, Vice Mayor Mulholland and Mayor Romero supported the work program. Council Member Carter explained why he preferred a traff ic - volume -based spending program and suggested that more funding should be allocated to arterial streets and less to neighborhood streets. Traffic Congestion Relief Presentation by Public Works Director Walter. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public Jan Marx. San Luis Obispo, speaking on behalf of Citizens for Planning Responsibly, referenced a letter from Rosemary Wilvert (on file in City Clerk's office) and opposed expenditures of any funds for consulting with the County and CalTrans regarding further planning for the Prado Road interchange. No other public comments were forthcoming. A brief discussion ensued during which CAO Hampian reiterated that while the City may be asked to participate and will need to provide and receive analytical information regarding the interchange, staff is not requesting a budget allocation for this purpose. Bikeway Improvements Presentation by Public Works Director Walter. During Council questions, Vice Mayor Mulholland suggested that the Bicycle Advisory Committee's role be expanded to include discussions related to pedestrian issues. She did not suggest this be part of a work program or funded. City Council Meeting Page 3 Tuesday, April 10, 2007,7:00 p.m. Mayor Romero suggested that increased maintenance of bicycle lanes should be included. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public Adam Fukushima, representing the Bicycle Coalition, said the Coalition is requesting the following: 1) Inclusion of construction funding for phase 3 of the Railroad Safety trail, from the Amtrak Station to Marsh Street, or that grant funding be sought to complete this portion of the trail. 2) Inclusion of $30,000 funding for bicycle safety education. 3) Expansion of the objective for downtown improvements to include bicycle parking and budgeting funds for additional bicycle parking. (Mr. Fukushima's statement is on file in the City Clerk's office.) No other public comments were forthcoming. Vice Mayor Mulholland indicated that she will be looking for funding for bicycle education when the full budget is presented. In response to Mayor Romero, Finance & IT Director Statler explained that while plans have been approved for the entire Railroad Safety Trail, and construction funding was approved for Phase 4, he believed that no construction funding has been approved for Phase 3. This was confirmed by Deputy Public Works Director Tim Bochum. Council consensus was that plans should proceed as soon as possible to complete the Railroad Safety Trail, and that there should be a focus on keeping bicycle lanes clean and free of debris. Flood Protection Presentation by Public Works Director Walter. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. Brett Cross, San Luis Obispo, expressed concern regarding what he thinks is excessive vegetation in the area past Madonna Road where the water flows out of the lake. No other public comments were forthcoming. Council Members Carter. Settle. Brown and Mayor Romero spoke in. support of this work program. Vice Mayor Mulholland said that she did not approve of the Mid - Higuera bypass Channel in the past due to environmental concerns and so will not support it at this time. She said her preference would be to allocate the funding for this work program toward continuing the work on the widening and reconstruction of storm drains on Los Osos Valley Road. Council recessed from 9:14 to 9:25 p.m. and the meeting reconvened with all members present. LEISURE CULTURAL & SOCIAL SERVICES Senior Citizen Facilities Presentation by Parks & Recreation Director Kiser. City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 7:00 p.m. Page 4 Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. The following speakers discussed the need for a parking lot behind the Senior Center: Agatha Reardon, Richard Rail, Marie Ann Wilson, and Charles Oldham, all of San Luis Obispo. No other public comments were forthcoming. Council discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons of creating additional interior space for the kitchen and completing the parking lot during this budget cycle. Vice Mayor Mulholland said that she did not believe a parking lot should be installed without listening to all stakeholders in the area, suggested that the Ludwick Center could be used for some of the activities currently operating out of the Senior Center, expressed her desire to preserve the historic character of the Senior Center, and said she did not want to see extensive amounts of funding allocated to expanding this facility when other facility opportunities will be pursued by future seniors. CAO Hampian suggested that the objective and goals for the Senior Citizen Facilities could be revised to emphasize the goal for the parking lot and that it should include neighborhood input. Council Member Brown clarified for the record that the Ludwick Center is not an appropriate location from which to operate the Nutrition Program. CAO Hampian suggested revising the objective to read as follows: "Enhance senior center facilities through improvements to the current senior center, including additional parking on the site, and pursuit of plans for a future senior center." Further, he suggested that funding be added to the second year of the program to pay for the parking lot. By consensus, Council concurred that the goals should be modified to: 1) include additional parking on site, 2) to direct staff to develop a budget for the parking lot improvements and to add that budget to the second year of the program, 3) to work with stakeholders and seniors related to the parking lot, and 4) to look at the feasibility of expanding space inside the Senior Center for the kitchen, In addition to remodeling the Senior Center as indicated in the workscope. Roller Hockey Rink and Skate Park Improvements Presentation by Parks & Recreation Director Kiser. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. No public comments were forthcoming. Council Members indicated general support of the workscope; however, Council Member Brown expressed concern regarding the costs. Homeless Services Presentation by Assistant CAO Stanwvck. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 7:00 p.m. Page 5 Jody Smith, representing the Economic Opportunity Commission (EOC), expressed appreciation for Council's interest in the homeless community and spoke in support of affordable housing activities and goals in the community. Carol Hatlev, Executive Director of the Housing Authority, discussed the needs of the homeless shelter and supported the City's efforts on behalf of the Shelter. CAO Hampian emphasized that the City does not have staff dedicated to homeless services and that other agencies such as the County which has a homeless services coordinator, will be required to assist in improving these services. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Affordable Housing Presentation by Community Development Director Mandeville. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. Ms. Hatlev spoke in support of this goal, pointing out that it is critical to the efforts of the Housing Authority. She discussed some of the efforts of the Housing Authority to meet housing needs and stressed that it is critical that land be donated if affordable housing is to be built. No further public comments were forthcoming. Vice Mayor Mulholland discussed the need to encourage the building of rental units and modular and manufactured homes as a step towards meeting the housing goals in the General Plan's Housing Element. She suggested that staff should be directed to return with information and direction for a mobile home zone, as well as a mobile home park conversion ordinance which is being investigated by the City Attorney. Council Member Carter he expressed concern that the workscope does not go far enough and that no additional funds have been proposed for this goal. He suggested that an amount comparable to that being set aside for open space acquisition should be set aside for affordable housing. Council Member Settle concurred that additional funding should be considered for this goal, particularly in light of the decline in Community Development Block Grant funding. Finance & IT Director Statler explained that there is currently $3.5 million in the affordable housing fund, that the City waives all development impact fees for all of the projects proposed by the Housing Authority or People's Self Help Housing. Community Development Director Mandeville clarified that there is a relatively small amount of land available in areas zoned for the development of attached housing (i.e., apartments or condominiums). Council Member Brown suggested that if the City is committed to affordable housing, there is a need to look at policies and make a commitment to create zoning for apartments and higher density housing developments, particularly along arterials. Mayor Romero concurred with Council Member Carter, as well as with the need to provide more zoning that would allow for apartment developments. City Council Meeting Page 6 Tuesday, April 10, 2007,7:00 p.m. Community Development Director Mandeville reviewed areas and projects where service commercial property was underutilized or vacant was zoned for mixed use. In addition, as other sites are examined, consideration can be given to rezoning for mixed use or high density residential depending on surrounding uses. In response to questions raised during this discussion, staff and Ms. Hatley reiterated that the City has consistently responded to requests for assistance from those agencies building affordable housing when proposals have been received for affordable housing. Staff also added that it may be feasible to augment the existing workscope with some reference to proactively seeking effective ways of using the affordable housing fund. Neighborhood Wellness Presentation by Community Director Mandeville. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. No public comments were forthcoming. Council Members acknowledged their support of this goal and workscope. Downtown Improvements Presentation by Assistant CAD Stanwyck. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. No comments were forthcoming. Discussion ensued regarding the funds allocated to the installation of Mission -style sidewalks in the downtown. Downtown lighting and cleanliness were of greater concern. Staff indicated that they are in the process of investigating alternatives to the Mission -style sidewalk. Council supported significantly reducing or eliminate the amount of funds allocated for the Mission -style sidewalk and to provide Increased funding for downtown cleanliness. Open Space Preservation Presentation by Assistant CAO Stanwyck. Assistant CAD Stanwvck reviewed a minor revision to language in the objective. Mayor Romero called for comments from the public. No public comments were forthcoming. Council consensus was to implement the following revisions requested by Vice Mayor Mulholland: Page 1 -76, the words "and implement the 2006 Conservation & Open Space Element as additional opportunities and funding allow" will be added at the end of the objective. Page 1 -76, at the end of he paragraph immediately prior to the workscope summary, the ' following language will be added: "In 2006, the City Council adopted the Conservation & Open Space Element of the General Plan." City Council Meeting Page 7 Tuesday, April 10, 2007,7:00 p.m. I Page 1 -77, in the second sentence of the second paragraph under "Existing Situation," the following words will be added: "protecting natural open space" after "with a long -term goal of ..." Page 1 -78, under the "Tasks," the word "passive" will be added in items 3 and 4 prior to "recreational enhancement." Page 1 -78, under "Stakeholders," the words "and individuals" should be added after "Many civic groups." CAO Hampian clarified that this objective was not written to include other efforts in the Open Space and Conservation Element, although work is to proceed on those efforts, but rather it focuses on the open space program. As a result, the work program will not be rewritten to be broader than indicated. Finance & IT Director Statler summarized the following categories of changes made by Council: 1. Bikeways - Address maintenance of streets in the work program (i.e., removal of debris, etc.) 2. Senior Center - Revisit possibilities for kitchen expansion and make the goal more proactive in terms of parking lot improvements. 3. Downtown - Reduce the amount of funding for Mission -Style sidewalks for generic sidewalk replacement, but retain enough for generic sidewalk replacement as necessary based on an agreed standard that will be developed in year 1. In addition, Downtown cleanliness will be added. 4. Open Space - The changes agreed to previously will be incorporated. ACTION: Moved by SettletCarter to make adjustments to the Major City Goals as outlined by staff; carried 5:0. 2. GENERAL PLAN LAND USE AND CIRCULATION ELEMENTS Community Development Director Mandeville presented this report, pointing out that staff recommends option 3, which would use the next two years to define the scope of the updates, developing a clear project plan accordingly, and updating the current traffic model. Councilmembers Settle. Carter. Brown and Vice Mayor Mulholland concurred with option 3. Mayor Romero concurred with the staff recommendation, but expressed concern about the inadequacy of the current Circulation Element. He discussed the need for a new traffic model and suggested that the traffic model newly adopted by the Council of Governments, which will be used by Caltrans, should be used as a basis for all of the City's studies. ACTION: Council considered the options for updating the General Plan Land Use and Circulation Elements in 2007 -09, and by consensus directed staff to proceed ' with Option 3, using the next two years for defining the scope of the updates, developing a clear project plan accordingly, and updating the current traffic model. City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 7:00 p.m. Page 8 There being no further business to come before the City Council, Mayor Romero adjourned the meeting at 12:12 A.M.to Tuesday, April 17, 2007, in the Council Chamber, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo. ( 2'"/,i_, , /9 � Z'.7 � & Audrey Hoope City Clerk e APPROVED BY COUNCIL: 5/1/07 1 I