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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/13/1975Pledge Roll Call I� City Staff MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1975 - 7:30 PM CITY HALL PRESENT: John C. Brown, Myron Graham, T. Keith Gurnee, Jesse Norris.and Mayor Kenneth E. Schwartz ABSENT: None PRESENT: J.H. Fitzpatrick, City Clerk; R.D. Miller, Administrative Officer; A.J. Shaw, City Attorney; David Williamson, Assistant Administrative Officer; E.L. Rodgers, Chief of Police 1. Walt Lambert, Chairman, Human Relations Commission, appeared before the City Council stating that.as per the approval of the City Council on January 6, 1975, the Human Relations Commission met on Wednesday, January 8, 1975 and the decision was made to hire Mr. Orloff Miller as a part -time coordinator, and additionally to hire a full -time temporary secretary as soon as possible. Mr. Miller would be working 20 hours per week at the salary of $747 per month. The Secretary would work 40 hours.per_ week at the salary of $624 per month. Both positions would be held for approximately 5 -1/2 months or until the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 1975. Hopefully, Mr. Miller would start on January 15, 1975 and also the Commission felt they would have a secretary by that same date. Both positions would be on a contractural basis with the salaries paid from the money presently in the Human Relations Commission budget. Mr. Lambert asked the City Council to approve this recommendation so that the Human Relations Commission could start taking care of some of the problems that have been brought before them and.have not been handled due to the lack of staff personnel. Mr. Lambert, upon question, stated that the secretary's salary was taken from the present City salary schedule for a secretary. The City Council held a very lengthy discussion on the amount of money being paid Mr. Miller for the 20 hours per week. They felt that this, if it were equivalent to a full -time position would be in one of the top executive positions of the City and some of the Council members felt that this was too much money. Mr. Lambert defended the Human Relations Commission recommendation on the basis that this is a part -time position, for only a short length of time, and that while it was only listed for 20 hours per week, the coordinator. spent many more hours than this in the evenings and other times in fulfilling his responsibilities to the Commission.' After discussion, on motion of Councilman Norris, seconded by Councilman Graham the City Council accept the.recommendation of the Human Relations Commission, that Mr. Orloff Miller be hired as a part -time coordinator at $747 per month and that a secretary be hired.under a contractural.arrangement, with a further stipulation that the Council action did not set a precedent City Council Minutes January 13., 1975 Page 2 for future employment of the Social Services Coordinator. Motion carried on the following roll call vote: AYES: Councilmen Norris and Graham and Mayor Schwartz NOES: Councilmen Brown and-Gurnee ABSENT: None 2 The City Council considered a.proposal to place a.Charter amend- ment on the March 4 Municipal Election, which would increase the minimum dollar amounts on public projects, subject to public bidding procedure. At the present time, the current City Charter requires informal public bidding procedures for public works projects between $500 and $2,000 in value and formal bidding procedures for all projects in excess of $2,000; but due to the loss in purchasing power and the fact that this loss in dollar value had greatly increased administrative burdens on the City without any apparent corresponding increase-in contract savings, it was the City Council's feeling that taxpayers' dollars would be adequately protected and more efficiently utilized if the City Charter were amended to allow informal bidding procedures for projects under $1,000 and formal public bidding procedures for all projects in excess of $5,000. On motion of Councilman Norris, seconded by Councilman Brown the following resolution was.introduced: Resolution No.. 2708 (1975 Series), a resolution of the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo authorizing a proposed Charter amendment ballot measure for the City General Election on March 4, 1975, to increase minimum dollar amounts on public works projects subject to public bidding procedures. Passed and adopted on the following roll call vote: AYES: Councilmen Brown, Graham, Gurnee, and Norris and Mayor Schwartz NOES: None U-31AilI�W=W 3. The City Clerk reported on the cost of Volume No. 2 of the City Newsletter mailed out in-December, 1974. He stated that 11,000 copies were mailed out at a total cost of $2,291.42. ' :This cost would.be paid for partially by the Planning Department whose questionnaire caused the Newsletter to be twice the number of pages as normal. 0 Loren Nicholskn, editor of the City.Newsietter, reviewed the results of the latest Newsletter and urged that-if the City wished to continue this program, they should plan on a one year approval so that the City could take advantage of various cost.savings such as postage on an annual .basis, bidding and printing on an annual basis, and better planning on a continuing basis from one issue to the next. Councilman Brown stated that he felt the Council should continue the Newsletter at least for a one -year basis,.so that a real analysis of the value or no value from continuing the program could -be made. Councilman Graham.was.favorable.on continuing the Newsletter.for one year as he felt that Issue No. 2 was very good. He could not say.as.much for Issue No. 1, but maybe it was the questionnaire that made it more receptive to the people. Councilman.Gurnee stated he was in favor-of continuing the Newsletter for one more year.on a quarterly basis, but he felt that some type of recipient questionnaire should be in each issue so that the people of the community could give some input to the Council on not only the Newsletter but on various issues facing the City. 1 1 1 City Council Minutes January 13, 1975 Page 3 Councilman Norris stated he would not-support the continuing of the Newsletter_. He felt that the information-in the Newsletter was dated, was of..little or no value to the people, and he was opposed to the method of structuring the planning questionnaire. He felt that the questions were slanted, that the questions were confusing to the average person, and he also felt that the questions were so structured that an.obvious conclusion would be drawn by the person who wrote the question-and not necessarily by the recipient of the questions.- He also felt that -the money for the Newsletter would be.better 1 spent for the taxpayers in other areas. Mayor Schwartz stated.that he was in support of the Newsletter,.felt the questionnaire was good; however,.he too stated he might question several of the questions, but he felt that overall it was a good questionnaire and brought out, he.hoped, some good information for.the Planning Commission and staff to work with. He also felt that questionnaires were good to allow the people some input to know what the City was doing. Councilman Gurnee moved that the City.continue the Newsletter for one more year on a quarterly basis and keep the information objective. Motion died for lack of a second. Councilman.Norris stated'he was.opposed to authorizing expenditures within the budget year. He felt :that the Newsletter should be considered at budget . time in competition with all other City expenditures and not be.considered at a study session where the people had no input into this program. Councilman Graham stated he was in.support of the Newsletter on a.quarterly basis for the calendar.year. 1975:. He felt in order to see if-it-was really' worthwhile, it should be given a.full year's run. On motion of Councilman Brown, seconded:by Councilman:Gurnee!;that.the Newsletter be continued to the. regular- meeting.of.the.City::Council on the 20th of January; 1975 for further consideration by the City Council. Motion carried, all ayes., 4. Memorandum from Councilman T. Keith Gurnee regarding recently adopted Federal Community Development Legislation and urging that the City Council consider the formation of a task force on Community Development and Housing problems. He stated that over the.years,.the City of;San Luis-Obispo had become increasingly aware that its rapid growth was on a collision course with its resources. He stated the community could not afford to exceed its major resource limitations of-water supply and sewage treatment capacity. The City might not be able to afford to.expand them, particularly when the City fully assessed the economic and environmental consequences of such a community intent on preserving its atmosphere. The major resource limitation should.be. viewed as an umbrella for maximum growth, not under a threat.of a.resource-crises,:but after-a patient under- standing of the economic and.environmental consequences of:such_an expansion. Until the citizens of San Luis.Obispo chose to expand the City's resource base, the City Council must work beneath the umbrella for sensitive patterns of controlled development with an eye towards satisfying demands for adequate and affordable housing. The plunge of housing starts; although not as serious in this-county as in others, was characteristic of national economic trends. :::Contrary to assertions of the development interests,. it was not the City's demand for quality that was the cause of the local housing problem. High interest rates, the nearly total absence of credit, skyrocketing.costs of materials and labor, and inflation with its erosion of disposable-income had-taken-their toll in this City. :Coupled with the explosive growth of Cal Poly,'these trends had fostered the exorbitant rents and.housing prices, substandard conditions, overcrowding, and strangled facilities were painfully evident symptoms of our housing problems. City Council Minutes January 13, 1975 Page 4 He stated-the City had.a problem-. Some things were out of.the control of the City Council, but others were.not. While the City waited for national leadership to address this country's:economic needs, he felt the City of San Luis Obispo had an opportunity that should not be allowed to slip through its fingers, and that was-the Federal Housing and Community Develop- ment Act of 1974. Briefly he stated.there would be -over 50.million dollars available over the next six years to non - metropolitan.areas such as San Luis-Obispo for 1 community development and the development of low and moderate income housing. He then reviewed an outline of-the-characteristics and provisions of the legislation,..-as well as some.recommendations . he felt should be considered by the Council at this study session. His major recommendation was the formation of a task force on housing and community development, whose purpose.would be to study housing and community development .issues.-:and.problems,.and- ..prepare grant applications required by the legislation to.procure funding on priority projects. He felt the outline of the act would-give most of the City Council necessary information-and the discussions.shoulL revolve around its.contents. He stated that he had also asked Mr.`:Rich Chubon, Housing Authority Director, to attend this meeting to help answer questions and'give information to the City Council. Councilman Gurnee concluded_that..time.was:of. the essence; and he felt that citizen participation in.resolving housing or'any other issue should be pursued. He hoped the City Council would agree with the formation of the task force. He felt that if the City Council did not move along and try to procure'some.of.these funds, that.they would go to-other areas if this City did not feel they wished- to:-proceed. His final recommendation was that in putting together the task force on.housing and community develop= ment that the City Council should consider composition from the following 1 disciplines: A. City Commissions - Citizens Advisory Committee representative Human Relations Commission..representative Housing Authority representative Planning Commission representative B: City Council City Council member C. Private Sector Contractors Association representative Labor representative Real Estate representative Cal Poly representative D. Consumers Student Body representative Senior Citizen Other He felt that the Task Force chatge should-be to study local housing needs, evaluate housing problems, and recommend prioritized methods to.alleviate housing problems within the City'.s major-.resource limits; study community development needs, redevelopment issues, the City Capital Improvement Program, and recommend prioritized methods and projects for City action and for funds through the Community:Development Act; work towards prepara- tion of a grant application for Federal Community Development funds via the preparation of the required Community Development Plan, Housing Assistance Plan, and the City's revised Housing Element as part of the City's General Plan revision; make regular reports to the City Council and propose Council actions within the critical March and May time periods. City-Council Minutes January.13,_1975 Page 5 He also recommended that the planning staff-be-directed to.work with the Housing:Authority staff as technical.assistance.to the Task.Force. The staff would prepare information on.housing.issues and..problems,.redevelopment issues, need for Capital facilities.that have an impact on housing, and to be presented in simple form to.the Task Force.. David:Williamson,:Assistant Administrative Officer;,reported to the-City Council that he had taken:on this-project-personally,. and that he agreed. 1 with almostteverything reported by.Councilman Gurnee and presented by him. He and Mr. Chubon of the Housing Authority were proceeding on a preliminary application for the City of San Luis Obispo :He::continued - that -to date the primary work was gathering.basic.:data for- inclusion in an application by the City if they so desire to proceed. Rich Chubon; Executive'Director of.-the Housing Authority, explained for the Council his interpretation of the.1974.Housing and Community Development Act, and felt.the analysis by Councilman Gurnee was quite.clear�and•to the. point..: The City Council then discussed at length the 1974 Act with City staff and City Housing Authority, and in what-manner the City could proceed, and what would-be the City's responsibility if they made applications under the act. Mrs. Joyce Pederson, President.of.the:League of Women.Voters, appeared . before the City Council and-made the following statement. The League of Women'Voters.of San Luis Obispo-through local, state and national positions had.long:been: dedicated to,the.support_of governmental actions•:aimed at providing.,a:decent:living environment:.-for,-all-its citizens. They had been. greatly pleased by the positive performance of the City of San--Luis-Obispo during the past five years to promote:low -cost housing. They complimented the City Council and the City Housing Authority on their work in this area to date: It was -their hope; therefore; -that. the -City would continue its`efforts:to relieve the housing crisis here by.al-1•reasonable.means. :Certainly, the City should take all necessary steps• to - assure- eligibi,lity:for:.federal funding under.the newly enacted-Housing-and Community Development-Act. Because an important -requirement.of _ the.:Act was that citizens be-.provided adequate opportunity to.participate- in.development of.the application,.and because they were aware of the heavy work loads already being shouldered by other City commissions whose- work.related,to housing, they felt that'the proposal to set up a new task force charged with specificallyrstudying alternatives and developing.-solutions in the fields of housing.and community development was not-only appropriate; it was crucial. Moreover, Mrs. Pederson was personally very pleased to offer:to:the.City their assistance. The League, having been involved in housing.issues in the City for as long as any other nongovernmental group, was well aware of the lack of the solid data necessary for making studied judgments. If the task force was appointed and found that it needed volunteer workers to gather or collate data, the .League.of Women Voters.of.San- Luis_Obispo would be proud to serve the community in this meaningful:. and essential effort. Steve Tetterson. member-of the:P.lanning:Commission; spoke:in support.-of the City's-action-,-in-applying-for funds under the•.1974,Federal Housing and Community Development Act. He was-sure the Planning-Commission would be more than happy to•cooperate.in:whatever route the City - Council wished to go. Neil.-Webre-stated,he was in :support - of.the- City.!.s application for funds .under the.Housing and Commuhity.Development Act of 1974. .He supported the proposal to form a task force on housing composed of a cross - section of citizens living within the City.. He felt that-this was--one-of the most important issues facing .the City Council and its citizens and felt it should be solved-by the community.:.He felt-that-.the task force- should be appointed to concentrate on housing primarily. It was his feeling that City Council Minutes January.13, 1975 Page 6 a task force made up of.representatives of the various.groups,and_ elements of the community would do a more-.comprehensive job than turning it over to a staff member. Kevin O'Conner, ASI Cal Poly, stated he was in support of the task force concept on housing and hoped that it would be appointed by the City Council immediately in order to get the studies underway. He too offered the good offices of the ASI at the University for studies and for membership on this committee. Councilman.Gurnee stated that -his.proposal' for a task force on- housing and community development was not to•be limited to the small area emphasized by the City staff. He felt that this-task force should look into the broader aspects of housing needs within the community, and he urged that the Council should meet again and appoint the membership to this task force. Councilman Norris stated that while he agreed that housing was:.a critical problem in San Luis Obispo and he felt the supply was not getting any better due to both economic and the City's development policies, he felt that the City staff should.continue to study the 1974 act, but time was too short to appoint,:-orient,-and have a citizens task force prepare an application. Councilman Brown agreed that the task force idea was not feasible for the. 1974 Act, due to the short time needed for preparation of applications for funds. He felt that.the staff.could.handle this in a more expeditious manner, although he felt in the long range,!studies might need a task force input. Councilman Graham felt that the.task force was needed in order to study in detail the housing.and community-needs of the City and -come up-with a better analysis that could be put in-by the'City staff,'who were limited possibly in their outlook of.the housing.picture. Mayor Schwartz stated he was in support of the City pursuing an.application under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, but felt that some citizen participation-was needed in order to comply with the provisions of the act. He felt that rather.than appoint a new committee or task force,'the matter should be sent to the Planning'Commission to act as the lead City agency in developing the proposal..or.program under the 1974 act. The Planning Commission as the lead-agency -could ask for participation from other City.boards and commissions. Mayor Schwartz stated he felt-the Planning Commission, Housing Authority, Design Review Board, Citizens.. Advisory Committee and staff should hold public hearings-on pre - application with invitation to other persons for input to the pre - application hearing.' He then stated he would later support the appointment of a task force for an-in-depth housing and community development study. Councilman.Gurnee again spoke in support of the appointment of a =task force on.housing.. .He felt that the City Council had seen the good that could be done by a citizens group,.such as was done by the Ad.Hoc.Task Force on Resource Inventory, a.one =shot task force which did-an-excellent job for the City. He felt that this proposal would 'try to generate the same type of support and input.as.was.done on the overburdened facilities. On motion of Councilman Norris, seconded'by Councilman Brown that-the City staff be encouraged to cooperate-in preparation of an application under the Housing and Community Development Act-of 1974 with hearings to be held before the City Planning'Commission and with the concept of a task force to be continued for further consideration by the City Council if needed. At these public hearings, the staff..was.authorized to invite representatives of the Planning Commission, Housing Authority, Human Relatioris.Commission, and the Citizens.Advisory..Committee.. Motion.carried, all ayes. Mayor Schwartz declared a recess at 10:00 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:15 p.m.-all Council members present. 1 1 1 City Council Minutes January 13, 1975 Page 7 S. The City staff reported on the acquisition by the City of the surplus Cal Trans property at Broad and Santa Barbara Avenue declared surplus due to the widening of Broad Street when the entire parcel was acquired by the City. The City staff presented information to.the City Council suggesting an alternative proposal be made on a different value. 1 The City Council accepted.the.report of the staff and authorized a letter to Cal Trans-.with an alternative proposal for acquisition of this parcel by the City of San Luis Obispo. 6. The City Council adjourned to Executive Session. 7. ... The City Council adjourned on motion of Councilman Gurnee, seconded by Councilman Brown. Motion carried. APPROVED:- April 7, 1975 H. zpatrick, City Clerk 1 1