HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/16/1995, 1 - ENHANCED NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PROGRAM MEETING DATE
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COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT oftmo ITEM NUMBER: /
From: Arnold Jon ,►Community Development Director
Prepared by: Prepared by Allen Hopkins, Administrative Analyst
Subject: Enhanced Neighborhood Services Program
CAO RECOIVII UNDATION
1. Review existing efforts and policies for neighborhood action.
2. By motion, approve: (A) establishing a Neighborhood Services office in the Community
Development Department; (B) restructuring and retitling the position of Zoning Investigations
Coordinator to Neighborhood Services Manager; and (C) implementing other improvements to
current service levels, as outlined in the report.
3. Consider whether additional measures should be included in the 1995-97 Financial Plan.
REPORT-IN-BRIEF
An analysis of existing neighborhood outreach programs shows that the City's current efforts are
significant, with responsibilities divided among a number of departments. Some City commissions
(such as the Human Relations Commission) are also contributing to the overall effort. However, in
spite of this work, some still feel that the City could further intensify its neighborhood outreach
program.
Seeking a balance between the needs of neighborhoods and the City's financial constraints, staff is
recommending that steps be taken to establish a specific office to provide neighborhood outreach
services. The zoning and building code enforcement function of the Building and Safety Division
would be redefined and expanded. The Zoning Investigation Coordinator's position would also be
redefined and expanded to become a Neighborhood Services Manager. The scope of the position
would include responsibility for developing and administering neighborhood outreach policies,
coordinating a Neighborhood Action Team and working to improve internal organization and
communication in neighborhood matters. No new or expanded programs would be undertaken, but
current programs would be re-examined and refined to eliminate past perceptions of "under-
investment" in neighborhood issues. While these recommended actions are possible at minor
additional cost, another option is presented which offers significantly greater improvements to the
neighborhood outreach program by allowing for additional programs to be pursued through the use
of additional staff.
Under any scenario, given the governmental financial environment of the 1990's, City efforts must
be complemented by neighborhood self-reliance, as promoted by the Human Relations Commission.
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DISCUSSION
Background
Over the last five years, the number and size of San Luis Obispo neighborhood groups have
increased significantly. Today there are nine recognized organizations and several informal groups
who are actively interested in improving and preserving neighborhood values. A list of these groups
is shown in Attachment A
An analysis of the City's neighborhood outreach and service efforts shows that there are many City
activities that either involve neighborhood participation or address neighborhood concerns. A
summary of those activities is shown in Attachment B. Although the City is actively involving
neighborhoods, and in spite of recent improvements, there continues to be the perception that the
City could further intensify neighborhood outreach efforts.
In response to these concerns, the Community Development Department has been directed to
analyze the City's neighborhood outreach efforts, carefully examine options for improvement and
present recommendations to the Council for an enhanced neighborhood protection program. This
subject has been ranked as an "Other Important Goal" during recent Council goal-setting priority
sessions.
Analysis
Most neighborhood issues fall in two general categories. First, the conversion of owner-occupied
homes to rentals has resulted in neighborhood problems. A major concern is poor property
maintenance (reflecting a lack of pride of ownership). This concern has been recently addressed
through the adoption of a Property Enhancement Ordinance. Other issues relate to increased
densities which, in turn, generate noise, parking, and traffic problems. Rental areas show an
increase in code violations. There is also the social issue of renters, often younger, who may have
a different lifestyle than the homeowner. Neighborhood groups look to the City to address these
problems and to support their efforts to improve and preserve the character of their neighborhoods.
The second issue involves the relationship between the City and neighborhood groups. There is a
belief by some that there has been insufficient City attention and response given neighborhood
concerns. The impression is that communication between City departments is inadequate and
communication between the City and neighborhood groups is insufficient.
In assessing the problem, staff solicited the opinion of neighborhood groups and representatives at
several recent meetings to identify the nature and scope of neighborhood concerns. A summary of
the opinions gathered from those meetings is shown in Attachment C.
Staff held meetings with various City departments to study their neighborhood programs and trace
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their program development. Also addressed was how City departments foster involvement with
neighborhood, student and community groups, and how they view neighborhood issues. Generally
City departments have effective neighborhood programs in place. However, more could be done
if resources were available to expand existing programs. Currently, programs are implemented in
response to specific requests, problems or issues. Therefore, programs tend to be reactive rather
than proactive.
In its efforts to develop a workable neighborhood program, staff contacted local communities (Paso
Robles, Santa Maria, and Santa Barbara) to learn about their neighborhood efforts, as well as cities
with significant neighborhood outreach programs (Sacramento, Glendale, Spokane WA, and
Champaign EL). The most notable, Champaign, Illinois, has developed a successful Neighborhood
Wellness Action Plan evaluated by the Assistant City Administrative Officer in an earlier report to
the Council (Attachment D). This research will continue and, while no two cities are alike, some
aspects of their programs may be incorporated into our own efforts.
Current Efforts
Although many departments have programs that impact neighborhoods, the Community
Development Department and Police Department have the greatest involvement in neighborhood
programs and, in some cases, have cooperative involvement with each other. For significant
neighborhood problems a task force approach has been used involving individuals from several
different departments and agencies — Fire Marshall, building inspectors, County Health
Department, and particularly the Zoning Investigations Coordinator.
Current Efforts—Police Department
Police Department, neighborhood programs are administered by the Police Chief and the Operations
Bureau Commander. Specific programs include:
Neishborhood Proms
Block Parent
Neighborhood Watch
Operation ID
Security Surveys
Student Neighborhood Assistance Program (SNAP)
Good Neighbor Program
Abandoned Vehicle Removal Program
Traffic Survey Program
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Community Programs
Green Pennant Program
DARE Program
Business Crime Prevention Training Program
No new programs are proposed for the 1995-97 Financial Plan. In addition to these specific
programs,Police Department staff is frequently called on to speak to community groups on a variety
of topics. Since the Crime Prevention Officer position was eliminated in the 1993-95 Financial Plan,
requests for speaking engagements are now directed to individuals in the department appropriate to
the request. Currently 17 to 25 volunteers are available to assist with the crime prevention
programs.
Current Efforts—Building and Safety Division
The Community Development Department has two areas of neighborhood involvement: 1) The code
enforcement efforts of the Building and Safety Division and; 2) The planning application process
in the Development Review Division. Occasional neighborhood involvement also occurs during
long-range planning projects such as specific plan review or preparation of general plan elements.
The Building and Safety Division is now performing a number of tasks that relate to neighborhood
action. Most of the efforts involve enforcement and abatement activities, and are largely complaint-
driven. The Zoning Investigations Coordinator receives, reviews, and facilitates city response to
various neighborhood issues including:
• Overcrowding
• Vehicles parking on lawns
• Storage in street yards
• Converted garages and other spaces creating substandard living conditions
• Construction and alteration of sites without permits
• Violation of use permit conditions and home occupation permits
• Use of residential zones for commercial purposes
The Zoning Investigations Coordinator, through these enforcement activities, has extensive
involvement with neighborhood groups and their representatives. As such, this position has become
a de-facto resource for neighborhood representatives to contact on a variety of neighborhood-related
issues. As time allows, a few specific non-enforcement programs have been developed:
• Neighborhood Cooperation Week
• Good Neighbor Day
• Paint Your Heart Out
• Water Conservation Landscaping
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The recently adopted Property Enhancement Ordinance was developed with input from
neighborhood groups in response to concerns over declining neighborhood conditions and simplifies
the enforcement process.
In addition an education and prevention program is in place. It is administered by the Zoning
Investigations Coordinator, and is directed toward incoming students at Cuesta and Cal Poly. The
program consists of slides, brochures and a lecture that provides information on the selection of
rental housing and recommendations to avoid neighborhood conflicts.
The Zoning Investigations Coordinator also serves on various committees, including the Student
Neighbor Relations Sub-Committee of the Student-Community Liaison Committee, which is
responsible for Good Neighbor Day'and Neighborhood Cooperation Week.
Current Efforts—Development Review Division
The Community Development Department actively seeks to foster citizen participation in the
planning process. To achieve that goal the Development Review Division has taken special steps
to notify neighborhood and environmental groups of upcoming projects and applications that may
concern them.
Planning staff frequently advises neighborhood groups directly of applications that may have
neighborhood-wide impacts. This notification doesn't typically involve individual permit
applications, but rather text amendments that involve changes in land use or development standards
that could have an influence on the way residential neighborhoods are developed. Whenever
controversial projects of community-wide significance are reviewed, the department provides
neighborhood workshops to encourage community input into the planning process.
An example of the effective communication link between concerned neighborhood groups and staff
can be seen in the development of the Neighborhood Enhancement Ordinance. Staff has worked
with members of various groups on ordinance options including a draft prepared by Residents for
Quality Neighborhoods (RQN).
Shortly after the restructuring of the Community Development Department in 1993, management
staff met with neighborhood and environmental groups in an attempt to establish a positive working
relationship and foster effective communications. These meetings were well received and set a
precedent for ongoing dialog between staff and neighborhood group representatives that continues
today.
The Department's neighborhood outreach effort continues to include a program whereby a planning
staff member is designated to be the neighborhood liaison. As such, the planner is available to any
citizen or neighborhood group to respond to any concern or issue. The planner is not a neighbor-
hood advocate, but rather a planning resource for the neighborhood's.
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The Community Development Department offers the public subscriptions to a weekly report of
active planning applications as a service for those interested in tracking the planning process. For
$20 per year a subscriber receives a weekly listing of new projects with addresses and a brief
description. Several neighborhood and environmental groups take advantage of this special
notification service.
A recent modification of the planning application computer program allows staff to "flag" those
projects that would be controversial or of interest to specific groups or individuals. Selecting one
or more of the names currently on the list of community groups causes the computer to automatically
add them to the computer file for firture notification for any public hearing for that project and alerts
staff to the sensitive nature of the application. Development of a post card notice system to
supplement the current mailing operation has helped streamline the notification process and reduce
mailing costs.
Current Efforts—Long-Range Planning Division
In addition to the public hearing process, the Long-Range Planning Division continues to gather
input whenever possible from neighborhood groups through the use of ad hoc committees and public
workshops. Such workshops were valuable in the development.of the Land Use, Housing, and Open
Space Elements of the General Plan. Neighborhood groups have been invited to participate in other
long-range planning efforts, such as the CDBG Housing Needs Workshop. The Long-Range
Planning Division staff supports the Cultural Heritage Committee in its efforts to preserve and
protect the historic resources of the community, and recently held a successful historic preservation
workshop which presented usefW information for those in historic neighborhoods.
Current Efforts.—Other Departments and Commissions
Some departments, such as Recreation or Public Works, have developed free-standing neighborhood
outreach programs. The programs have developed over time, usually in response to specific needs,
and their relationship to programs in other departments is minimal. However, where their programs
overlap or mesh with those of another department, a team approach to providing neighborhood
programs is frequently used.
These efforts, in conjunction with those of Community Development and Police, point to the need
to re-examine the way the City views neighborhood services. The philosophy of community
oriented policing and neighborhood "wellness" is based on the premise that the City should start
thinking holistically about neighborhoods — not to view services as "free-standing" within
individual departments, but as a part of a greater City-wide coordinated effort to serve the whole
community at a neighborhood level. For example, traffic calming efforts ties to improving the
overall atmosphere of neighborhoods while addressing City-wide traffic issues. The issue of the
homeless in a neighborhood park relates to a community's social concerns.
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The Human Relations Commission is actively working to develop neighborhood self-sufficiency
through meetings and workshops. This is in keeping with comments from the neighborhood groups
which indicate a preference to develop their own programs with the support of the City.
Program Limitations
There are some limitations that need to be acknowledged in the City's efforts to implement the
neighborhood programs. Expectations of neighborhood groups may conflict with current laws or
existing City policies. Economic forces cannot be controlled by the City or neighborhood groups
and the resources of the City are not infinite. Neighborhood programs must be balanced with other
City goals and objectives.
As we move further into this area, two fundamental issues need to be kept in mind. First, if we are
going to "empower" neighborhood groups they must be open to all. Second, zoning, planning and
enforcement power cannot be delegated to private committees.
RECOMMENDATION
The Community Development Department has historically been involved in neighborhood programs
through the code enforcement efforts of the Building and Safety Division. Other contacts have been
established with neighborhood groups through the development review process. Therefore, the
Community Development Department is the logical choice for continuing the administration of
neighborhood services efforts.
Create a Positive Identity for Providing Neighborhood Services
Current neighborhood outreach efforts should be redefined and clarified to provide a greater
emphasis on the positive aspects of providing for neighborhood service and support rather than the
more limited (and somewhat negative) scope of code enforcement. This can be accomplished with
minor adjustments to existing staffing. While zoning and building code enforcement is still an
important function, it should continue in a supporting role for broader neighborhood improvement
efforts.
To accomplish this, staff is recommending the formal establishment of a Neighborhood Services
Office within the Building and Safety Division to:
1. Serve as a central source for information about all City neighborhood efforts— supporting
City staff, neighborhood groups and their representatives, and the general public.
2. Collate and identify neighborhood programs operated by the City or by neighborhood
groups; evaluate the success of those programs.
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3. Implement a Neighborhood Action Team approach to better coordinate neighborhood
services and improvements.
4. Redirect the City's current neighborhood efforts toward a community-wide approach to
improve the tangible and social environment of neighborhoods. Ensure that the focus of
neighborhood efforts remains on the principle of neighborhood wellness instead of a
reactionary response to specific problems.
5. Work on a par with the City's environmental and economic management staff to develop
appropriate strategies for addressing neighborhood issues.'
Provide for Appropriate Staffing
In conjunction with the creation of a neighborhood services office, it will be essential to redefine
and expand the function of the Zoning Investigations Coordinator as a Neighborhood Services
Manager. This would be a mid-management level position supervising clerical support staff. Doing
so will broaden the scope of providing neighborhood support without adding staff. Specific duties
would include:
1. Provide specific support and administration for the Neighborhood Action Team.
2. Develop a Neighborhood Services Plan which would establish City-wide guidelines for the
delivery of services in a prioritized, coordinated and efficient manner at the neighborhood
level.
3. Foster the development of additional neighborhood groups and encourage appropriate
representation within those organizations.
4. Develop more effective methods to communicate the success of various neighborhood
programs to the Council, City staff, and the public.
5. Planning and building code enforcement functions would remain.
It is important to specifically note that there are things the Neighborhood Services Manager will not
do:
1. He will not identify the needs of the neighborhoods or develop solutions to their problems
—that is the responsibility of the neighborhoods themselves.
2. He will not create neighborhood groups or play a leadership role in them—neighborhood
groups should be independent of any City direction or intervention.
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3. The Neighborhood Services Manager will not manage neighborhood programs within
individual departments, but rather provide general oversight and review of all City
neighborhood programs as a representative of the Neighborhood Action Team.
Clerical support will continue to be provided by the Administration Division of the Community
Development Department. Essential to the success of this program is a minor increase in clerical
staffing requested in the 1995-97 Financial Plan.
Improving on Existing Programs
Staff is recommending that steps be taken to "fine-tune" current programs to improve past
perceptions of limited involvement in neighborhood issues and to ensure that neighborhood efforts
are coordinated and adequately implemented. Due to limited staffing resources the focus should be
on improving existing programs shown below, rather than taking on additional responsibilities:
• On a regular basis, provide information on the status of the City's neighborhood efforts to
the Council, individual departments, neighborhood groups, and the news media.
• Identify current neighborhood groups and develop a working relationship with their
representatives.
• Meet regularly with neighborhood groups and their representatives to establish a dialogue
and begin problem solving.
• Encourage the formation of additional neighborhood groups wherever possible.
• Work to resolve differences of opinion between staff, advisory bodies and neighborhood
groups.
• Develop and implement the Neighborhood Action Team concept whereby management staff
from the City Administrator's Office, Community Development, Parks and Recreation,
Public Works, Fire and Police meet regularly to better coordinate existing programs,
establish priorities, and work cooperatively to support neighborhood efforts.
• Provide an education program for neighborhood organizations to explain exactly what city
government does, who is responsible, how various departments can assist neighborhood
groups, and how to solve various problems without governmental intervention.
• Create an internal education program to alert City departments.to neighborhood needs and
concerns, fostering cooperation and problem solving, along with enhanced customer service.
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• Provide internal direction to reflect neighborhood oriented services in departmental mission
statements and priorities.
• Encourage all departments to develop and implement programs aimed at neighborhood
wellness and maintain an awareness and sensitivity among City staff to neighborhood needs.
• Encourage the creation of a volunteer-directed "Paint Your Heart Out" program to paint and
do minor cosmetic repair for elderly low income home owners.
• Create a front yard maintenance program called "WIN" (Working to Improve
Neighborhoods) utilizing the Water Conservation Division of the Utilities Department.
• Streamline notification procedures to ensure early warning of projects or issues affecting
neighborhoods.
• Work with Cal Poly and Cuesta faculty and administration to develop courses that
incorporate neighborhood wellness activities; work with students and student groups to
develop and organize neighborhood maintenance and improvement projects.
Alternatives
Alternative 1 —Continue with Existing Prop-ram__._
Continuing with the existing program will not negatively impact the City's current efforts. However,
the City will not fully realize the benefits of improved coordination of neighborhood efforts.
Ongoing dissatisfaction with City efforts will continue.
Alternative 2—Enhanced Neighborhood Protection Program
A Field Services Technician would be hired to provide expanded field support similar to that now
provided by the Police Field Services Technician and building inspectors. This position would
assume some of the current duties of the Zoning Investigations Coordinator, allowing more time to
be devoted to additional neighborhood programs. Cost: $47,800.
This alternative expands the recommended action by providing for additional field support. Doing
so will free up time of the proposed Neighborhood Services Manager, allowing him to implement
additional programs where it is now impossible due to limited staff resources.
With additional time available for supervision, the Neighborhood Services Manager would also be
able to recruit volunteer student interns to further provide support where needed. Cost: none.
Current zoning and building enforcement service levels would be retained.
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CONCURRENCES
Police, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and Fire Departments.
FISCAL EMPACT
The recommended action can be achieved with minimal additional cost ($8,200 per year).
Reclassification of the Zoning Investigations Coordinator to the mid-management position of
Neighborhood Services Manager would cost an additional $2,200 per year. Some of this staffing
cost may be offset by the fact that, as a mid-management staff, the proposed Neighborhood Services
Technician would not be eligible to collect overtime pay which is not currently the case as the
Zoning Investigations Coordinator. To allow for occasional overtime for clerical and inspection
staff an extra$1,000 per year would be needed. Additional funding of$5,000 per year would also
be necessary for extra office expenses such as printing, copying, photographic film and processing,
newspaper advertising, and meeting expenses.
Funding to support these costs has been included in the draft 1995-97 Financial Plan, in anticipation
of Council action on this recommendation.
The recommended action would also have an impact on Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Fire
and Police Department staff who would be participating as members of the Neighborhood Action
Team. The cost and operational impact of this component on those departments is unknown.
'Alternative 1 would use existing staff resources and would continue without additional cost.
Alternative 2 would require a significant additional appropriation of$47,800 per year in salaries and
benefits for the Field Services Technician. As additional programs would be undertaken, $5,000
per year would be also be needed to cover the operating costs of those efforts. It would be possible
to reduce the Field Services Technician to a part-time position, thereby reducing the scope of the
program and the cost by a proportionate amount.
In addition, an enhanced program would have be impacts on the Fire Department (primarily
inspection), Police Department (primarily enforcement), and the Attomey's Office (legal support).
Specific projects may require additional funding (for example, if the City was to purchase materials
for a neighborhood project done by volunteers), and therefore separate appropriations for those
projects may be requested if needed.
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ATTACHMENTS
A—List of neighborhood and environmental groups
B —List of City programs and activities involving neighborhoods
C— Summary of neighborhood comments
D—ACAO Report on Assistant Exchange with the City of Champaign, Illinois
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ATTACHMENT A
Neighborhood Organizations
Old Town Association
714 Buchon St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
San Luis Drive Neighborhood Association
1950 San Luis Drive
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Brizzolara-Nipomo Neighborhood Association
651 Brizzolara #3
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Monterey Heights Neighborhood Association
1874 McCollum Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Greater Alta Vista Neighborhood Association
244 Albert
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Friends of Prefumo Canyon
987 Capistrano
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Chorro Street Neighbors
806 Murray Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Augusta Street Neighbors
2275 Flora Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Residents for Quality Neighborhoods
Post Office Box 12604
San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
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Attachment B
CIN PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES INVOLVING
NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY GROUPS
• Staff presentations to neighborhood group meetings— City staff from the City
Administrator to traffic officers to planners have addressed neighborhood groups
and attended meetings with neighborhood group representatives
• Downtown Physical Concept Plan — Developed with the input from a broad cross-
section of citizens
• General Plan Circulation Element —Addresses traffic issues within neighborhoods
and identifies areas of particular concern
• Bicycle Plan — Developed with extensive community input
• General Plan Open Space Element— Involved broad community input and public
comment and continued neighborhood involvement with specific areas
• Laguna Lake Master Plan — Utilized focus group meetings and telephone surveys
• Cable TV Franchise Renewal — Involved public input and surveys
• Emerson and Anholm Park Development— Designed with neighborhood input and
built with neighborhood volunteer labor
• General Plan Parks and Recreation Element— Involves neighborhood input to
identify and resolve park access limitations
• STAR Program — Implemented as a team effort of the CAO's Office and Parks and
Recreation
• Property Enhancement Ordinance— Developed with extensive input from
neighborhood groups in response to their concerns
• Urban Water Management Plan — Community meetings held to obtain input
• Water and Sewer Rates— Flyers sent out with utility bills to promote awareness
• Salinas Reservoir Expansion — Extensive and ongoing staff presentations to all
those interested, particularly with respect to environmental and North County
concerns
• Water Conservation and Solid Waste— Programs developed to inform and educate
the public
• Human Relations Commission- Has a standing committee to increase awareness
of HRC activities and improve communications with respect to social-service issues
• Human Relations Commission —Working on "Self Reliant Neighborhood" pilot
programs to make neighborhoods safer
• Public and Neighborhood Notification Efforts— Special efforts are given to ensure
extensive notification of pending planning applications and advance notice provided
to neighborhood groups for projects affecting them
• Economic Stability Program — Involves working with business groups and business
leaders and may become a more significant function
• Environmental Quality— Continued input from the members of the environmental
community
• Business Visitation Program— City staff working with the business corrlmunity to
develop improved communications and understanding of business concerns
• People's Kitchen Program — Staff is working with community groups to develop a
successful location for this program
• General Plan Land Use Element— Extensive ad hoc committee involvement and
public workshops were used to solicit input
• Community Development Block Grant Program— Involved public input through a
housing needs workshop
• Police Department Outreach Program — Block Parent Program, Neighborhood
Watch, Operation ID, Police Department Security Surveys, Student Neighborhood
Assistance Program (SNAP), Good Neighbor Program, Abandoned Vehicle Removal
Program
• Special Projects— In support of programs such as the Little Theater, Children's
Museum, and La Fiesta
• Homeless Shelter— Extensive involvement with neighborhoods and meetings with
concerned property owners and neighbors
• Tree Planting Programs— Involves volunteers and City staff
• Neighborhood Parking Districts — Established in response to needs of particular
neighborhoods
a
Attachment C
SUMMARY OF NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP COMMENTS
Role of Neighborhood Organizations
• People consistently say they want a stake in establishing neighborhood values.
• Some values are clearly community-wide versus specific or unique to individual
neighborhoods.
• Neighborhood groups could assist in clearing various problems without the need for
intervention by government.
• Neighborhoods should foster improved communications—neighborhoods should work
with other neighborhoods, and neighbors should talk to other neighbors.
• Common problem-solving techniques could and should be shared.
• Consensus on problems and issues is necessary, particularly where a problem may not
be unique to a particular area.
• Local neighborhood newsletters could be generated that facilitates communication
between neighbors, government and adjoining districts.
• Neighborhood groups should be involved in defining a sense of neighborhood in their
local area.
• Issues for one neighborhood may not be a concern of others
• The City should not be involved in the formation of neighborhood groups but could
facilitate their establishment.
• There is a need for neighborhood group leaders to identify a specific person to contact
at City Hall—this can be more effective than dealing directly with the Council in order
to have certain problems solved.
Experiences with the Citv
• The service level in the Community Development Department has greatly improved
since 1990.
• The communications are better now but there is still a real or perceived lack of action
on the part of the City in implementing programs or doing things.
• Deadlines are established (which are perhaps unrealistic) and when they are missed,
it creates a lack of trust in what the Council says they will do and what actually happens.
• Accessibility to City staff members is outstanding.
• There is still a need to provide a list of who to call as a direct reference for getting
action.
• Response to neighborhood requests sometimes seems to be slow—perhaps due to
staffing, workload or budget limitations.
Highest Priority Issues
• Property maintenance
• Overcrowding due to single family residences used as rentals and resulting parking
impacts.
• Noise (both traffic and social)
• Traffic "calming" and the reduction in the number of vehicles and speed.
• Graffiti (If the current level increases).
• A central coordination of services to or for neighborhoods.
• Loss of property values because problems left unattended worsen.
Neighborhood Programs
• Education of citizens on how to problem-solve, with or without government assistance.
• Guidelines for groups to set up their own programs.
• "Paint Your Heart Out" — or other similar programs that benefit the disadvantaged,
performed by volunteers.
• There is a need for program coordination and facilitation — but the City shouldn't run
the neighborhood groups
• Tree planting (street trees and throughout the neighborhood).
• There is a need to find out what the various city programs are, then include them in
neighborhood newsletters and public literature.
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e There is a need for a motto, buzz-word or theme that can be used to promote
neighborhood awareness and programs in general (such as the WIN Program).
e Clean-up days should be extended or held more frequently, coupled with a helpful
checklist.
e Front yard improvements similar to water conservation programs (WIN Program).
ATTACHMENT D
MEMORANDUM
October 19, 1994
TO: Arnold Jonas, Community Development Director
Tom Baasch, Chief Building Official
John Mandeville, Long-Range Planning Manager
Ron Whisenand, Development Review Manager
Allen Hopldns, Administrative Analyst
Rob Bryn, Zoning Investigator
FROM: Ken Hampian, Assistant City Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: REPORT ON ASSISTANT EXCHANGE WITH
THE CITY OF CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.
BACKGROUND
As a part of the 1994 ICMA Conference, the Illinois Association of Municipal Management
Assistants offered an "Assistant Exchange Program" with cities in Illinois. Because of our
community's recent interest in the Neighborhood Wellness Program, I requested an exchange
with the City of Champaign. Attachment 1 represents an outline of the day, which was followed
almost exactly. .
_ Prior to the exchange, I had conversations or met with various neighborhood representatives in
San Luis Obispo, including members of RQN and the Brimlara Neighborhood Association.
Janet Koralds also touched bases with a representative of the San Luis Drive neighborhood to
solicit their questions in advance of our meeting with RQN. I also met with several staff
members, including the Community Development Director, Current Planning Manager, Zoning
Investigator, Personnel Director (HRC), and the Police Chief. All of the specific questions
posed by some of the above parties (Attachments 2 & 3) were answered during my visit in
Champaign, and the information is provided later in this report.
SCOPE OF THIS REPORT
This report is not intended to fully describe and evaluate Champaign's Neighborhood Wellness
program. That program is fully described in their Neighborhood Wellness Action Plan, which
has been widely circulated among staff and various neighborhood representatives. The program
will be evaluated by the Community Development Department as a part of a larger analysis of
the City's neighborhood outreach and service efforts. Instead, this report primarily focuses on
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the added information I obtained during my visit to Champaign. Some evaluative information
and summary observations are provided, however, to make the information more meaningful.
The attached outline lists the 11 persons that I met with while in Champaign. Although most
of these meetings were focused on neighborhood and planning related issues, three relatively
brief meetings were held related to budget, economic development, and their Convention and
Visitors Bureau. While I gathered valuable information in these sessions, and brought back
certain materials that may be useful in San Luis Obispo, the focus of this report is solely on the
Neighborhood Wellness Program and related issues.
In addition, this report describes mostly how the community of Champaign is working to
improve the physical and social atmosphere of neighborhoods. It does not, however, shed much
new light on methods of notification, citizen participation, and consensus building as related to
planning, land use, and development issues. Although Champaign officials recognize the
relationship of the latter to the former, these considerations are not addressed at length for the
following reasons:
;_ ■ From a "hierarchy of needs" standpoint, Champaign is under pressure to address
more basic neighborhood needs (e.g. blight, crime, deterioration,etc.). This is
their priority, and this is where they spend their time and energy.
■ While there are occasional differences of opinion about development issues, the
community is generally supportive of development (or, as one staff member put
it: "developers tend to have their way"). Thus, they do not have the same
pressures for citizen input on land use policies and standards as we do in SLO.
■ When they have had input on the of citywide land use policies or regulations (e.g.
zoning and subdivision regulations), the structured input (e.g. focus groups) has
consisted mostly of development representatives - - real estate professionals,
developers, lawyers, etc.
■ Based on the above, and other information gathered in my interviews, it is
apparent that SLO is more sophisticated and diligent in terms of citizen
participation with respect to land use policy issues than is Champaign.
SMULARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHAMPAIGN AND SAN LUIS OBISPO
The City of Champaign is a University town with 'a population of approximately 65,000. The
City Urbana is located immediately adjacent to Champaign, and together the metropolitan area
population is about 100,000. The University of Illinois has an enrollment in excess of 36,000.
Unlike SLO, however, students are not widely disbursed throughout the community. Instead,
they are located on campus and in an area known as ."Campus Town", which surrounds the
University. The students tend to live, socialize, and shop in the Campus Town area. The
communities code enforcement problems, therefore, do not involve students to any
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overwhelming degree. Noise problems are also largely confined to the student area. The Police
Department has the equivalent of a SNAP Program.
In terms of housing, as mentioned earlier, students tend to live near the University. The
University contracts with the City to provide a"Housing Certification Program", which involves
city inspection to ensure proper building code consistency. The University works with the city
to certify the appropriateness of the student oriented aspects of the living unit, such as desks,
appropriate lighting, etc. Freshman and sophomore students must live in a city certified. unit.
Approximately 62 buildings of a total of 300 are under the certification program. Participation
in the program is totally voluntary.
The average household size in Champaign is 2.29; SLO's is at 2.44.
The racial breakdown of the community is approximately 81% white, 14% black, 4% Asian,
and 2% Other.
Champaign has approximately 26,000 housing units as compared to about 18,000 in SLO. Of
this amount, approximately 44% are owner-occupied (47% in SLO) and 54% are rental units
(53% in SLO). 52% of the units are single-family (53% in SLO), and 47% are multi-family
units, and 1% are mobile homes (39% and 8%, respectively in SLO). Their vacancy rate is
7%. compared to 5.5% in SLO.
Champaign-Urbana is at the junction of three interstate highways which connect to large cities
(e.g. St. Louis, Chicago). Consequently drug traffic is a significant problem. In fact, some
neighborhoods (those which are the major focus of the Wellness Program) have all the problems
one would find in major metropolitan areas: drugs, prostitution, gangs, abandoned housing, etc.
As a result of Champaign's more severe crime problems, the community has approximately 120
"registered" neighborhood watch areas. Some are active; and some are not. The Neighborhood
Wellness Program is.an effort to use these watch areas as building blocks in creating larger and
more formal neighborhood associations. The goal is to have these associations augment city
services through various "self-help" methods, as discussed later in this memorandum.
THE REASON CHAMPAIGN STARTED THE WELLNESS PROGRAM
When City Manager Steve Carter was hired, he was surprised by the number of run-down
neighborhoods. He noted signs of blight outside formally defined CDBG and redevelopment
target areas. Because it was simply too expansive to approach the problem in the traditional
mode of redevelopment (e.g. "clearing and rebuilding"), a new approach was needed. In
developing this new approach, the three main questions the city asked itself were:
1. How can we evaluate our neighborhoods more systematically?
2. How can we better coordinate neighborhood services and improvements?
3. How do we know when we're done; when we've succeeded?
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The Wellness Program evolved over a number of years, as the city worked to answer these
questions. In the early years, there was no "Wellness Program", per se; rather, efforts were
organized around code enforcement, CDBG programs, and neighborhood watch (though not
necessarily coordinated with one another). The appointment of a new Police Chief in 1991 who
began to aggressively implement a community oriented policing program, gave momentum to
a more comprehensive and coordinated effort. The formal Neighborhood Wellness Action Plan
was adopted in 1992. The Neighborhood Service Department was established in the same year.
NEIGHBORHOOD WELLNESS PROGRAM CONCEPT
In short, the Neighborhood Wellness Program concept involves the establishment of criteria
against which the health of a neighborhood can be evaluated. To do so, the city broke its
community into 15 defined neighborhood areas, and then evaluated each area against the criteria.
After completing the evaluation, the neighborhoods were assigned to one of the following four
categories:
1. Healthy (5)
2. Conservation (3)
3. Preservation (5)
4. Restoration (2)
The idea, of course, is for the city and the neighborhood to work together to either prevent a
neighborhood from decline, or to improve a neighborhood which is already in decline. In order
to do this, city services are delivered in an organized and coordinated way, and focused on
priorities and strategies identified in the Neighborhood Wellness Action Plan. This is in contrast
to the often ad hoc and reactive way that neighborhood services are delivered in many other
cities. As mentioned earlier, the full plan outlines the program in detail, and has been provided
to staff and RQN members previously.
OPPOSITION/OBSTACLES TO IMPLEMENTATION
There was no strong or organized opposition to the creation of the program. However, some
concerns were expressed and some challenges continue to slow implementation. These areas of
concern are:
1. Because a significant portion of the program was funded through an increase in
the utility tax (from 2% to 2.75%), those in "Healthy" neighborhoods wondered
what they were getting in return for the tax increase.
2. Residents in existing CDBG target area express concern about spreading
resources outside their areas.
3. Overcoming staff resistance to change in the way services are delivered (see
attached memo from City Manager).
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4. Staff turnover in the Neighborhood Services Department. ,
5. Lack of action/sophistication among neighborhood residents.
6. Having adequate staff time available to help neighborhoods "get going".
NEIGHBORHOOD WELLNESS "ORGANIZATION" AND FUNDING
Neighborhood Services has departmental status in Champaign, with-the Neighborhood Services
Director reporting to the City Manager. The Neighborhood Services Department(NSD)consists
of the following three divisions, each with its own supervisor; Program Services; Property
Maintenance; and Neighborhood Coordination. These divisions compose a "three legged stool"
which includes the "carrot" (Program .Services), the "stick" (Property Maintenance), and
education and outreach (Neighborhood Coordination).
Program Services delivers various programs to the neighborhood, with an emphasis on home
ownership and rehabilitation. In addition to the supervisor, the division includes two
rehabilitations technicians, one secretary, and a summer intern.
Property Maintenance is essentially.the code enforcement arm of the.city. In addition to the
supervisor,.the division includes four code enforcement inspectors, and four interns during the
summer months.
Neighborhood Coordination consists solely of the Neighborhood Coordinator who is the "point
person" in education and outreach efforts.
An organization chart of the department is provided, as Attachment 4, and further information
about each division is provided below.
Neighborhood Coordination Division. As mentioned previously, one of the major challenges
in implementing the program is to cultivate leadership within the neighborhoods so that
neighborhoods can carry a significant amount of responsibility for identifying their own needs
and solutions to problems. This is primarily the job of the Neighborhood Coordinator, who is
the sole employee in this division. Thus far, success has been quite uneven.
As an example, a utility tax increase (from 2% to 2.75%) generates approximately $300,000
annually for an "Urban Renewal Fund (URF)". These monies are to be used for capital
improvement projects identified by the neighborhoods themselves. 80% of the URF are to be
invested in Preservation and Restoration neighborhoods; the remaining 20%, to Conservation
or Healthy neighborhoods. Projects to be completed with these funds include such things as
sidewalk repair and replacement, street lighting, tree removals, and drainage improvements.
However, the Urban Renewal Fund has been largely unspent because neighborhoods have not
been able to identify appropriate projects. The fund now has a balance of $3 million.
Consequently, staff continues to spend a considerable amount of time working to build the
needed "self-help" capacity.
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As mentioned earlier, Champaign currently has 120 neighborhood watch organizations.
However, not all of these organizations are active, and staff is currently in the process of
determining which are and which are not. The neighborhood watch organizations have served
as the building blocks in the establishment of larger neighborhood associations and thus far 18
such associations exist Creating these association's, however, is done without requiring such
things as formal Council recognition, bylaws, etc.
To improve the effectiveness of these organizations, and to encourage the creation of additional
ones, the city has adopted a "Citizen Participation Action Plan". The plan is provided as
Attachment 5. As a follow-up to the plan, brochures have been prepared which describe why
neighborhoods should organize (Attachment 6) and how neighborhoods, working city staff, can
identify their own needs (Attachment '7). The fundamental premise upon which the entire
program is based is that success "depends upon the direct participation of residents in activities
which improve conditions in neighborhoods". As mentioned earlier, it is taking a considerable
staff effort to build this capacity, and without the resources available in Champaign, it would
be virtually impossible to engage in the level of"handholding" (as characterized by staff) needed
to make progress at this stage.
There have been recent successes in some neighborhoods, which in turn is helping to build
greater interest in other neighborhoods. One notable example involves the identification of a
sidewalk installation project to be funded through the Urban Renewal Fund (one of the few
projects funded from this source thus far). In this case, residents help city staff identify the
appropriate locations and develop the project specifications. By canvasing the neighborhood to
inventory the skills and resources of various neighborhood residents, the neighborhood
"assigned" a contractor and former city official to work with Public Works staff.
"Neighborhood canvasing" is an encouraged part of the Neighborhood Wellness Program.
Another early success has been the Neighborhood Clean-up Program. In essence, the city makes
large dumpsters available to a neighborhood, and the neighborhood itself organizes and carries
out the actual clean-up. A significant amount of staff time is necessary for the initial clean-ups
until residents have the capacity to carry out the program more independently. Currently, the
program is offered four times per year with each clean-up targeting a different neighborhood.
Program Services Division. As mentioned earlier, this division consists of a supervisor, two
rehabilitation technicians, one secretary, and a summer intern. The intent of this division is to
provide programs and incentives to encourage neighborhood improvements on a voluntary basis
as apposed to being caused by regulation and enforcement. The program emphasizes home
ownership and rehabilitation programs, but also includes funding for summer youth employment,
neighborhood cleanups, and other activities. The program is funded through Federal Community
Development Block Grant funds (CDBG), which the City allocates entirely to the Program
Services Division (Attachment 8). A substantial percentage of the divisions time is spent
implementing the housing rehabilitation loan program, which composes about 80% of the annual
CDBG entitlement, which is just over $1 million.
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In contrast, San Luis Obispo's 199495 CDBG program funds the following diverse activities:
■ Blackstone Hotel Rehabilitation $2002000 *
■ High Street Family Apartments 101,750 *
■ Downtown Housing Study 50,000 *
■ SLO Homeless Shelter 1209000 *
■ Handicapped Ramp Installation 60,000
■ Architectural Barrier Removal/Parks 40,000
■ At-Risk Youth Services 80,000 *
■ Seismic Retrofit Loan Program 1202000
■ Program Administration 85.750
Total $857,500
(* can be considered somewhat comparable to Champaign's CDBG uses)
In addition to Champaign's CDBG funded programs, the Division administers the URF Program,
a repaid Urban Development Action Grant (know as "UDAG", which is for economic
development/housing purposes), and other Federal funding (target toward housing programs).
I have separately provided a copy of Champaign's C.H.A.S. and CDBG Final Statement to the
Community Development Department. Together, these documents provide substantial detail
concerning Champaign's housing stock and its home ownership/rehabilitation programs.
The division works in tandem with the other two divisions of the department. For instance, the
Neighborhood Coordinator attempts to direct neighborhood residents to the programs offered by
the division to assist with such things as abandoned building demolition and building or home
improvements. The enforcement division, Property Maintenance, will issue citations related to
trash and debris, but then offer the cited party the option of resolving the problem through the
Neighborhood Cleanup Program managed by Program Services. In other words, they target a
neighborhood just prior to a scheduled clean-up day.
EmRc y Maintenance Division. With four inspectors and a supervisor, Champaign has an
aggressive code enforcement and property maintenance program, and does conduct what some
call "systematic nuisance inspections". The program is closely intertwined with all other
Neighborhood Wellness efforts. Just recently, the division was reorganized to assign inspectors
to four geographical area of the city. This is done in order to instill a sense of "ownership"
among the inspectors for the condition of"their neighborhoods". This concept is consistent with
the philosophy of community oriented policing currently being advocated by the Police Chief.
Champaign has a property maintenance ordinance, and enforces it aggressively. The ordinance
includes landscape maintenance, and an example of plant growth guidelines is provided within
Attachment 10. The inspectors are expected to be familiar with the conditions of properties in
their area on a daily basis and to issue citations proactively (and not just in response to
complaints). Neighborhood residents are encouraged to help identify problem properties through
the completion of a "Problem Property Identification Sheet" (Attachment 9).
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In terms of enforcement, the city has an abatement procedure which begins with informal
telephone calls to property owners, and then progresses to various levels of abatement and
enforcement. They are currently in the process of developing case management and enforcement
guidelines.
The city contracts with various landscape maintenance companies, and abates violations if
necessary. This includes weeds, unmowed lawns, and other plant growth problems. The city
then.;"sues" property owners to recover the cost of abatement, with a goal of recovering
approximately 75% of expenditures. Included as Attachment 10 are various door hangers and
other forms of notification to property owners. Enforcement goes well beyond plant growth
maintenance, however, and includes paint, gutters, broken windows, and abandoned building
problems.
The City does not have a "landscape ordinance" which dictates the Me of landscaping that
should be done by property owners, or the percent of turf versus shrubs, etc. Champaign staff
stated that recent court cases have indicated that there are a number of legal constraint to
regulation of this kind.
In summary, Champaign has a proactive code enforcement program that involves "systematic
inspections". Inspectors are assigned to geographical areas, which emphasis on the preservation
and restoration of neighborhoods. Because code violation problems are far worse in Champaign
than in San Luis Obispo, the City invests resources at a fairly high level in the program. Thus
far there has been absolutely no community opposition to the program; in fact, it is strongly
encouraged by residents and by city council members.
Neighborhood Action Teams. The Neighborhood Services Department does not operate
independent of other departments. Instead, and in order to institutionalize a multi-disciplinary
and coordinated approach to neighborhood problem solving; Neighborhood Action Teams are
formed. This relatively simple concept is one of the most positive and powerful contributions
coming out of the entire effort.
Action teams consist of representatives of several departments, including the City Managers
Office, Neighborhood Services Department, Police Department, Public Works Department, and
Planning Department. Different staff members chair these teams, dependent upon the needs of
the neighborhood. Although these teams currently consist of department heads or higher level
managers, the goal is to eventually include more people at the operating level who deliver the
services on a day-today basis. Significant training at this level, however, is needed before this
can realistically,work.
Funding Of Neighborhood Services Department And Programs. To implement the
Neighborhood..Services Department, two positions were newly created: the Neighborhood
Services Director, and.Neighborhood Coordinator. Program .Services already existed as a
division of the.City Manager's Office. The Property Maintenance activity was located in the
Fire Department.
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Together, the "old' ad the 'new" positions far exceed the staffing levels culrently available in
SLO. The Neighborhood Services Department has between 13 and 18 staff positions at any one
time (depending upon the number of interns). We have approximately 1.5; a Zoning
Investigator and one-half a Building Inspector. The departmental operating cost (staff and
supplies) in Champaign is approximately $760,000 annually, compared to $ 79,250 in SLO.
In addition to the staffing and support costs, additional resources exist in Champaign to
implement specific programs and projects. Program and project funding is available as follows:
■ 94/95 CDBG $1,3349000
■ Repaid UDAG Grant 19700,000
■ Other Federal Funds 400,000
■ Local Urban Renewal 3-000.000
Total Program/Project Funds $6,434,000
The UDAG Grant repayment and the "Other Federal Funds" are one-time in nature. In addition,
$2.7 million of this Urban Renewal Fund should also be considered "one-time", since it consists
of prior year unspent revenues and a fairly large initial "seed" deposit. On an annualized basis,
therefore, the department is funded at a level of about $2.4 million: $760,0006operating (staff
and support), $1.33 million in CDBG (programs), and $300,000 in URF (capital projects).
Current annual funding in San Luis Obispo is approximately $451,000; $79,250 in operating
costs plus $371,750 in CDBG funds allocated to comparable programs. (This is a fairly "high
end" estimate in that I have been somewhat "generous" in the designation of CDBG funds
considered 'comparable").
COMMIM ORIENTED POLICING'
The police chief of Champaign has made the implementation of community oriented policing his
top departmental priority. I have obtained a substantial amount of material from his department
on this subject which shows that he is attempting to institutionalize the concept in the department
by not only selling the concept, but by integrating it into the department systems of "penalties"
and "rewards". For example, sensitivity to community oriented policing is part of the criteria
for selecting and promoting Police Department employees. It is also a formal part of all
employment appraisals. These materials have been provided to our Police.Chief. A program
brochure and memo describing Champaign's progress in implementing community policing are
provided as Attachments 11 and 12.
In terms of specific Champaign police programs, they have the student patrol program which
we studied prior to establishing our own "SNAP" Program. They also have students on foot
patrol; however, this would not be particularly applicable to SLO in that most of their student
population is clustered around the University in "Campus Town".
Champaign's crime problems are also more severe than San Luis Obispo's, and a growing foot
patrol program is in direct response to targeted high crime, high density areas. SLO does not
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have neighborhoods with problems comparable to those found in Champaign's "Restoration"
neighborhoods.
Still, there are some programs in place in Champaign which may be transferable to San Luis
Obispo, for example the "Park and Walk Program". In this program the Police Department
requires its officers to identify specific "park and walk" locations in each of their beats. These
locations are area with particular problems, and typically involve high densities and the high
assembly of people. The goal is that at some point during any given shift, "available patrol
time" will be used for a park and walk location. For the walk to be effective, it should be for
a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, and if possible up to one hour. The purpose is not only to
enhance visibility, but also to establish lines of communication and rapport which will result in
better information to the department. "Park and Walk" is in its early stages and success thus
farhas depended primarily of the commitment of individual officers.
Like the property maintenance program, the community oriented policing program is heavily
coordinated with the overall Neighborhood Wellness Program. Police officers serve on
Neighborhood Action Teams, and in some cases the Police Chief chairs these teams. Training
on the Neighborhood Wellness concept is part of the police officer training curriculum.
The Police Department has a "Citizens Advisory Board", which consists of representatives from
the ministerial association, school district, chamber of commerce, high school students, and
neighborhood associations. The board exists to advise the Police Chief on citywide policies, and
specific operations in neighborhoods.
In order to foster the "self help" concept in neighborhoods eluded to earlier, a "Citizens Police
Academy" has been formed to help train residents in the concepts of neighborhood watch. A
brochure about the academy is provided as Attachment 13.
Like the code inspectors, the chief is also working to instill a sense of ownership for geographic
area in police officers. This is done through the assignment of beats, and by requiring officers
to create "beat profiles". Some profiles have been well developed, and others have been
prepared in a "half-hearted" way. Thus, constant reinforcement of the concept is necessary.
In summary, the police chief feels that the traditional definition of the police role is too narrow;
that the new definition takes into account all factors which enter into the "peace and quiet" of
a neighborhood. He is attempting to align both the attitudes and the procedure of the department
to work with other departments, and with neighborhood residents in broader and more creative
ways.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT ROLE / "DAY TO-DAY" NOTIFTCATION PROCEDURE
The Planning Department drafted the Neighborhood Wellness Plan, and the Neighborhood
Services Department is responsible for implementation.-Still, the Planning Department remains
involved in the program through participation on the Neighborhood Action Teams, and in
communicating with specific neighborhoods with unique problems. Attachment 14 provides
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examples of newsletters prepared by the department. "The Daily Planner's" primary target
audience is the City Council. Due to workload, these newsletters are only prepared for certain
neighborhoods, and they are not prepared consistently. However, they are effective especially
when used in advance of a planned neighborhood meeting. The goal is to encourage
neighborhoods to prepare their own newsletters, but as noted earlier, building such capacity is
neither easy nor fast.
While the department has utilized focus groups, subcommittees, and tasks forces for citizen
input, as mentioned earlier, San Luis Obispo is far more active and aggressive in the solicitation
of broad base community input on citywide land use policies. Therefore, I will not spend added
time in this report describing these endeavors in Champaign. Champaign city staff is hopeful,
however, that greater neighborhood activism will begin to .balance what has been largely a
"developer driven community". For example, Champaign's commercial zoning and subdivisions
standards are fairly weak and: they hope that greater neighborhood involvement will lead to
stronger regulations in the future. Currently, however, neighborhood input on standards is
obtained in a more ad-hoc, informal way.
They are also hoping to improve the linkage between development applications processed by the
Planning Department and the Neighborhood Services Department(NSD). Preseptly, there is no
formal system for referring applications to the NSD for review and comment, and informal
referrals have not been consistent (resulting in one or two "blow-ups").
They do not assign planners by. neighborhood. .They .feel that this.will. actually inhibit
communication by reducing the number of persons available to answer questions or concerns
posed by neighborhoods. They have had, however, some customer service training for staff to
try and instill a greater problem solving orientation and a sense of ownership for the condition
of neighborhoods (when a "symptom" of a problem is noticed, do something about it instead of
waiting for a complaint).
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
As mentioned earlier, this report is not intended to be "the last word" on Champaign's
Neighborhood Wellness Program, or to prescribe what more the City of San Luis Obispo can
or should be doing relative to neighborhood issues. That more comprehensive analysis is being
completed by the Community Development Department. This report is primarily intended to
add further information for the Department's consideration. In order to make this information
more useful, some concluding observations are offered:
■ The City of Champaign and San Luis Obispo are different cities with quite
different problems. Champaign is focusing most of its efforts on correcting and
.preventing physical deterioration to homes, businesses, and public areas. Priority
neighborhoods have significant social problems and high crime.
Because of these added demands, over a period of many years Champaign
established programs and positions in the City Manager's Office (Program
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Services) and the Fire Department (Property Maintenance) and allocated
substantial program resources from CDBG and other Federal sources to these
areas. Therefore, when the City decided to create a Neighborhood Services
Department only two additional positions needed to be created since the others
already existed (adding about $125,000 is cost for salary, benefits, and supplies).
Thus, the financial "shock" was minimized.
■ If we attempted to duplicate their program, the financial "shock" would be
staggering. By way of comparison, their$760,000 annual operating cost is about
the same as the annual operating cost for the City's entire Transit Program; it
exceeds the annual cost of our Parking Program; it is more than the combined
departmental budgets of the City Clerk's Office, City Attorney's Office and City
Council. The annual program and project revenues of over $1.6 million is more
than twice of our annual citywide street maintenance budget.
■ Therefore, San Luis Obispo cannot come close matching the resources invested by
the City of Champaign, nor should we. Our problems are different, and our
solutions should evolve over time and in step with what present circumstances
require, and what is feasible financially.
■ While Champaign is different than SLO (both in terms of problems and resource
availability), and even though we do some things better, there is still much that we
can learn from their experience and perhaps adapt to our own circumstances.
Areas that I feel are especially worthy of added review by the Community
Development Department are:
1. The underlying principles of Neighborhood Wellness make sense: citizen
cooperation with local government; early detection (being proactive);
service delivery based on neighborhood needs and priorities (not "cookie-
cutter", and not just reactive); and greater targeting to smaller area (more
"precision use" of limited resources).
2. In order to integrate the above principles (to one degree or another) some
rational evaluation process to identify and characterize the conditions of
different neighborhoods is required. Most cities never do this, which
makes most of the principles outlined under point#1 virtually impossible
to achieve. The Champaign model offers a very sophisticated and
somewhat complex approach to such an evaluation. A simplified approach
could suffice here.
3. The internal Neighborhood Action Teams is a very powerful idea that
requires no added staffing, and a minimal amount of added resources.
While we currently consult with other departments on an ad hoc basis to
address specific neighborhood issues, we have not institutionalized
comprehensive and ongoing intradepartmental collaboration around
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neighborhood issues. Yes, it would be essential to set priorities in order
not to spread staff.too thin, which is why steps 1 and 2 above would need
to be taken first.
4. Related to the above, the process of involving employees at various levels
of the organization in addressing broader neighborhood concerns has the
advantage of ".consciousness raising" in this area. In other words,
recruiting.more "eyes and ears".with respect to neighborhood problems,
so that more problems can be referred to the appropriate department for
resolution (and not overlooked, or ignored because "its not my job').
City employees work in neighborhoods on a daily basis —police officers,
the zoning investigator, street and park workers, meter readers, etc.
Improving communication, and creating a greater sense of ownership and
teamwork with respect to overall neighborhood issues, would be a
powerful step forward.
5. Symbolism is important! "Neighborhood Wellness" may sound a bit
"new age-ish" or corny to some. However, it has served as a.powerful
way of communicating a fairly complex program to resi4ents, decision
makers, and staff. No, Champaign has not achieved the idealized vision
of "Neighborhood Wellness" and probably never will. However, it has
established a.common understanding of the goal for all parties involved,
and the process and "label" has offered a spirit of cooperation and a vision
around which efforts are organized.
I would like to elaborate on the last point: We are doing a number of things in terms of
neighborhood services, citizen participation and notification, and community oriented policing
right now. Therefore, it frustrates the staff tremendously when these efforts are not recognized.
For example in the Police Department, programs like nuisance abatement, SNAP, graffiti
hotline, bike helmets for needy kids, the STAR program, DARE, Jr. Giants, and a cadre of over
20 volunteers, and participation in numerous community service organizations, demonstrate a
commitment to utilizing all available resources in meeting community needs.
However, it seems that more should be done to effectively communicate what we are doing
beyond the usual staff explanations (which can sound overly complex, or even drab, at best; or
defensive at worst). Some examples: Our success in coordinating capital projects with
downtown businesses came to life only after Council took the symbolic step of adopting a
resolution setting forth our "values" in this regard. Identifying an "economic development
contact" in City Hall has done much to allay concerns that "City Hall doesn't care about
business at all" (even though this was not true, even in the absence of a contact person).
Champaign's 'Park and Walk" program is a great way to communicate practices which many
officers probably follow anyway (and to encourage those that don't to do so).
This is not to say that 'all we need is more sizzle but rather, as we evaluate our own practices,
we need to consider the best ways to better communicate what we are doing, or what we should
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be doing to the Council, community,.and staff. Sound practices and improved services go hand-
in-hand with changed perceptions. Both must exist together to achieve success. In other words,
if one's practices and services are not as effective as they should be (whatever the available
resources), then trying to communicate and "sell" them will only create more negativity. On
the other hand, if practices and services are effective, but not well communicated so that they
are recognized and understood, then perceptions will remain negative, no matter what. When
the two are in greater alignment, then success is not only possible, but can be furthered over
time through the more positive contributions of all parties involved (synergism).
Now that the "philosophizing" is completed, I will close on a more mundane — but very
important note, which is: While I believe that several improvements are possible within existing
resources, any major step-up in service levels, intended to be sustained over time, will require
some amount of added staff resources. For example, any program intended to involve
significantly more neighborhood outreach and education, or more code enforcement, will require
added staffing. One point made very clear by Champaign officials is that "self-help" capabilities
do not come easy or fast. It takes constant and substantial efforts by staff specifically assigned
to the task.
Therefore, recommendations coming out of the Community Development Department should
provide various service level alternatives, with those involving staffing ultimately channeled into
the Council Goal Setting process for consideration in preparing the 1995-97 Financial Plan. In
this way, these options can be evaluated against all other competing community needs.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Meeting Outline
2. Staff Questions
3. RQN Questions
4. Department Organization Chart
5. Citizen Participation Plan
6. Why Organize Your Neighborhood?
7. Identifying Your Neighborhood Needs
8. CDBG Programs
9. Problem Property Identification Sheet
10. Property Maintenance Door Hangers/Brochures
11. Community Oriented Policing Brochure
12. COPS Program Status Report
13. Citizens Police Academy Brochure
14. Sample Newsletters
e: John Dunn(memo only)
Jim Gardiner(memo and Anaehmenty 11, 12 and 13 only)
14
MEL.AG AGENDA
DATE X:C-X ITEM.1,►�.#
• s ■ /
Monterey Heights
"A Neighborhood Association "
May 14, 1995
Dodie Williams
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Dear Dodie Williams,
I would like to go on record as supporting the establishment of a Neighborhood Services Office in
the Community Development Department. The idea of a central location and office where one
could go with any concern or problem, and have the resources of all city agencies pertaining to
that concern or problem set in motion, is a great idea. I believe mediation would be an excellent
idea either as a first step to resolving a concern with a neighbor, or as a needed step for those
situations that can not be addressed through Municipal Codes or Zoning Ordinances. I would like
to see a mediator as an integral part of the proposed Neighborhood Services Office in the
Community Development Department.
Thanks,
\fix•
Lang Allen Batcheldor, 1874 McCollum Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93405 .crCOUNCIL CDD MR
Email: lbatchel@slonet.org phone: 547-9621 (7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.) CIAO O FIN DIR
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CITY CLERK
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