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CC MINS 20080510 ADJ MINUTES RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING BUDGET WORKSHOP MAY 10, 2008 The Budget Workshop Meeting was reconvened at 11:17 A.M. from an earlier Community Leaders' Breakfast by Mayor Stern at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, notice having been given with affidavit thereto on file. City Council roll call was answered as follows: PRESENT: Clark**, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz and Mayor Stern ABSENT: None ** Mayor Pro Tem Clark arrived at 11:28 A.M. Also present were Carolynn Lehr, City Manager; Carol Lynch, City Attorney; Carolynn Petru, Deputy City Manager; Dennis McLean, Director of Finance/Information Technology; Joel Rojas, Director of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement; Jim Bell, Director of Public Works; Ron Rosenfeld, Director of Recreation and Parks; Kathryn Downs, Deputy Director of Finance/Information Technology; Matt Waters, Senior Administrative Analyst; Gary Gyves, Senior Administrative Analyst; Sara Singer, Senior Administrative Analyst; and Carla Morreale, City Clerk. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Al Edgerton, Rancho Palos Verdes, stated that Crenshaw Boulevard is the dominant access to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve; requested that the speed limit on Crenshaw Boulevard south of Crest Road be reduced from 35 to 25 miles per hour; expressed concern regarding the congestion and parking in that area; and, noted the lack of public restroom facilities at the Crenshaw Boulevard trailhead. Mayor Pro Tem Clark arrived at 11:28 A.M. REGULAR NEW BUSINESS: FY 08-09 City Grant Requests (602) Deputy City Manager Petru provided a brief staff report regarding this item. Council and staff discussed establishing criteria for City grant requests and concerns regarding the downward trend of reserves for funding the grants. Mercy Yanez, Associate Dean, Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC), Wilmington, provided information regarding the Emergency Assistance Program at LAHC and requested financial support from the Council. Responding to inquiries from the Council, Ms. Yanez provided information on the budget allocation for LAHC and indicated that they had been operating at a deficit for the past several years. Council Members suggested that she approach Councilwoman Janice Hahn and Supervisor Don Knabe for support for the program. Muriel MacDonald-Pomeroy, Director, Support for Harbor Area Women's Lives (SHAWL), San Pedro, explained the mission of SHAWL and requested financial assistance to provide needed medical care and dental work for their clients. Robert W. Miller, President, Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay, supported clear criteria for grants and requested an increase to the grant received last year. Kathy Gould, Palos Verdes Library District (PVLD), provided an overview of the Library's Annex Program and thanked the Council for its continuing support of the program. Responding to Mayor Pro Tern Clark, Ms. Gould outlined the requests for funding the PVLD has made to other cities. Councilman Wolowicz recused himself from any discussion of the South Bay Youth Project because of a potential conflict of interest. Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark, for discussion purposes to approve requested grant amounts, not including allocations for Los Angeles Harbor College or Palos Verdes High School. Council and staff discussion included the following matters: the grants as a small portion of the City's budget, which provide an important benefit to the residents of the City; revised grant amounts allocated to different groups; the exclusion of the Los Angeles Harbor College Student Emergency Assistance program and Palos Verdes High School Sea Kings Fall Sports program; and, the ability to balance the budget with appropriate adjustments. Mayor Pro Tern Clark proposed an amendment to decrease the award to South Bay Family Health Care from $5,000 to $4,000 and increase the grant award to SHAWL to $4,000. The amendment to the motion died for a lack of a second. Council discussion included the following concerns: grants could be cut substantially due to the downward trend of monies in the General Fund; the need to establish criteria; the letter sent to organizations indicating that additional funding might be available; if City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 2 of 12 there was any notification given by the City to organizations that grant funding could be cut; a suggestion to staff to notify agencies that future grant funding could be decreased and reluctance among Council Members to decrease funding without warning the agencies. Mayor Pro Tem Clark withdrew his amendment. Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark, and unanimously approved (with Councilman Wolowicz abstaining on the South Bay Youth Project) to approve the following amounts requested including the increases to the grants for the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay and SHAWL, but excluding grants to the Los Angeles Harbor College Student Emergency Assistance Program and Palos Verdes High School Sea Kings Fall Sports Program, subject to re-examination after review of the 2008 Five-Year Financial Model. Animal Lovers of the South Bay $1,000 Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay $1,000 Dance Peninsula Ballet $1,000 Harbor Community Clinic $3,000 Healthcare & Elder Law Program (HELP) $1,500 Helpline Youth Counseling $2,000 Mothers Advocating Prevention $2,000 Palos Verdes Symphonic Band $1,200 Peninsula Center Library Annex $10,000 Palos Verdes Symphony Association $1,000 Peninsula Seniors $10,000 Pet Protector's League $1,000 Shakespeare by the Sea $1,200 South Bay Chamber Music Society $1,000 South Bay Family Healthcare $5,000 South Bay Youth Project $7,000 Support for Harbor Area Women's Lives $3,000 TOTAL: $51,900 Mayor Stern reiterated the need for criteria to be established as a Council Policy and presented to Council for approval prior to the next grant funding consideration. Tactical Plan for 2008 (306) Deputy City Manager Petru provided a brief staff report on the item. Councilman Wolowicz left the dais at 12:29 P.M. and returned at 12:30 P.M. City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 3 of 12 Council and staff discussed the following items as Tactical Goals: Continuous Service Improvement Plan, to include staff initiatives and partnerships with the Council; to identify and formulate solutions to address the City's infrastructure deficiencies, including the Civic Center, arterial streets, storm drains, medians and trails; Palos Verdes Nature Preserve; Citywide Traffic and Roadway Safety; Civic Center Master Plan; continued monitoring of the Water Quality and Flood Protection Program; Active Recreation; Capital Improvement Plan; Emergency Preparedness; Eastview School Boundary Issue; Advisory Boards Assessment; more effective procedures to address the Council's suggestions for the Tactical Plan; and, comprehensive review and adoption of recommendations of the Organizational Assessment Final Report, where appropriate. Sunshine, Rancho Palos Verdes, suggested setting a milestone under the Infrastructure Tactical Goal for the repair of the Sunnyside Ridge Road trail. Councilman Gardiner inquired as to the status of the dewatering wells for the Landslide Moratorium area and if that topic should be added to the Tactical Plan. RECESS AND RECONVENE: Mayor Stern called a brief recess from 12:37 P.M. to 12:55 P.M. Tactical Plan for 2008 (continued) Richard K. Smith, Rancho Palos Verdes, stated that he supported keeping Emergency Preparedness as a Tactical Goal because although great progress had been made much more needed to be accomplished. Council and staff discussed the following issues: prioritizing a list of Tactical Goals versus those items not on the list; a determination of what constitutes a Tactical Goal; raising public awareness about emergency preparedness; and, the realization that items on the list achieve a certain visibility and accountability. Kathy Edgerton, Rancho Palos Verdes, requested assistance in creating an Emergency Preparedness Plan for the Del Cerro neighborhood and requested Council support for emergency preparedness. Council and staff discussed clearly defining goals and expectations from staff; redefining the Active Recreation Goal; measures or scales of effectiveness of the established goals; identifying the Organizational Assessment Final Report from Management Partners as the Citywide assessment; and, procedures to define and address specific action items. City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 4 of 12 RECESS AND RECONVENE: Mayor Stern called a lunch recess from 1:23 P.M. to 1:55 P.M. Council and staff discussed the following topics: narrowing the list of Tactical Goals down to three or four main goals and directing staff to create a detailed action plan for each one based upon Council input; the review of the City's Advisory Boards as a stand-alone or subset of one of the Tactical Goals; establishing Tactical Goal priorities with matching resources; and, agreement that the overriding Tactical Goal is a comprehensive review at the Council and staff level using recommendations of the Citywide assessment as provided in the Organizational Assessment Final Report. Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem, to create a new Tactical Goal to identify infrastructure deficiencies and propose means to address them including a continuation of the Water Quality and Flood Protection Program and including the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), and to instruct staff to formulate and bring back milestones and specific tasks associated with this goal. Council and staff discussed developing a CIP to set the priorities and common expectations, appropriate milestones, and the budgeting of funds to fund the projects. The motion passed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: None Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Stern, to remove the Eastview School Boundary from the list of Tactical Goals. Council discussed removing the Eastview School Boundary Tactical Goal from the list and moving the item forward at a different level; attempts to make progress on this goal and keep the item highlighted; and, the fact that the ultimate decision regarding the matter resides with the boards of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District and Los Angeles Unified School District. The motion to remove the Eastview School Boundary Issue from the list of Tactical Goals failed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Long and Mayor Stern NOES: Clark, Gardiner, and Wolowicz Mayor Pro Tem Clark moved, seconded by Councilman Wolowicz, to continue to adopt the Eastview School Boundary Issue as one of the City's Tactical Goals. City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 5 of 12 The motion passed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, and Wolowicz NOES: Long and Mayor Stern Mayor Stern moved, seconded by Councilman Wolowicz, to keep the Civic Center Master Plan on the list of Tactical Goals. Councilman Gardiner proposed including funding in the motion and Mayor Stern agreed to the amendment. The motion passed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: None Councilman Long moved, seconded by Councilman Wolowicz, to eliminate the recreation goal as listed by staff, and replace it with a goal of identifying deficiencies in recreational facilities and proposing solutions with the identification of milestones. Council and staff discussed working on the recreation goal on a Citywide basis versus a Peninsula basis; interest in a Peninsula-wide study or assessment regarding existing facilities; clarifications on what constitutes a deficiency; the identification of the Recreation and Park Department as the Department to work on the goal; and, the development of milestones for the goal. The motion passed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: None Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark, to eliminate Emergency Preparedness as a Tactical Goal. The motion passed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: Gardiner Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark, to eliminate Citywide Traffic and Roadway Safety from the list of Tactical Goals. Staff and the Council discussed the accomplishments to date and issues that still need to be addressed; the need to clarify the goal if it is retained as a Tactical Goal; speed City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 6 of 12 enforcement, traffic safety, and traffic calming; and, if the remaining Traffic Safety issues that need to be addressed rise to the level of Tactical Goals. The motion to eliminate Citywide Traffic and Roadway Safety as a Tactical Goal failed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Long and Mayor Stern NOES: Clark, Gardiner, and Wolowicz Councilman Wolowicz moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark, to approve the staff recommendation with the exception of modifying Milestone No. 2 to include an alternative if no grant is received. Council and staff discussed the following issues: reaffirmation of Citywide Traffic and Roadway Safety as a Tactical Goal; creation of a work plan and milestones for the Traffic Safety Commission (TSC); direction to staff to bring back proposals regarding efficient and expeditious ways to proceed; discussion of work already performed by the TSC; concerns regarding the resources used in staffing the TSC; the need to approve a scope of work and a budget for the TSC; engaging best engineering practices and the necessity for a meaningful Capital Improvement Plan; and, concern with the assignment of new tasks and strategic measures that conflict with getting the present tasks accomplished. The motion to approve the staff recommendation with the exception of modifying Milestone No. 2 to include an alternative if no grant is received. The motion passed on the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: None Council clarified that they did not want items sent back to the TSC that had been considered previously, but wanted only new issues to be reviewed. Mayor Stern moved, seconded by Councilman Long, to adopt the staff recommendation to keep the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve Goal as part of the 2008 Tactical Plan with the milestones as revised. Council discussed reasons for keeping or removing the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve from the Tactical Goals list; the suggestion that other than funding, the goal had been achieved; concerns with the length of the Tactical Goal list; the fact that the City had not yet taken title to the property; and, an proposed amendment to study best practices for managing and implementing the land acquisition. City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 7 of 12 Councilman Long moved to amend the motion to expand and restate the Tactical Goal to include the study of best practices for managing and implementing the land acquisition. Mayor Stern accepted the amendment to the motion. Further Council and staff discussion included the following issues: the management of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve by the City and Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC) on a day-to-day basis; pending policy decisions regarding enforcement on the property; funding resources and best management practices regarding habitat restoration of the property; comparisons to other Preserves; and, including the status of issues regarding the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve on future agendas. Councilman Long restated his motion as a Tactical Goal: 1) Completing the acquisition of the current land under contract and under option of the Palos Verdes Preserve; and 2) The Council is to receive a report on, examine best practices of, and consider policy decisions with respect to enforcement and habitat maintenance and restoration of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Long, and Mayor Stern NOES: Gardiner and Wolowicz Councilman Wolowicz moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark, to adopt the Organizational Assessment as described by the City Manager as a Tactical Goal. Mayor Pro Tem Clark restated that the goal is to comprehensively address the Citywide Organizational Assessment Final Report by Management Partners during the 2008 calendar year in terms of implementing Council-supported recommendations, and directing staff to proceed with implementation on elements of the report under its jurisdiction with the first priority to be Commissions and Committees. Councilman Wolowicz accepted the amendment. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: None Councilman Long moved, seconded by Councilman Wolowicz, to leave Continuous Service Improvement Plan out of the Tactical Goals. City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 8 of 12 The motion passed by the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: None RECESS AND RECONVENE: Mayor Stern called a brief recess from 3:32 P.M. to 3:40 P.M. 2008 Five-Year Financial Model —1st Draft (602) City Clerk Morreale reported that late correspondence was distributed prior to the meeting on this item. Director of Finance/IT McLean provided a brief staff report on the item and noted that he would at the direction of the Council orchestrate a meeting to enable the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC) to meet and review the Budget documents before the June 17, 2008 public hearing, if desired. Councilman Wolowicz moved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark, to suspend the time- out for the FAC to hold a meeting to review the Five-Year Financial Model prior to the public hearing on the Budget scheduled for June 17, 2008, and discuss the relationship between the Five-Year Financial Model, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, and the Budget Document. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: AYES: Clark, Gardiner, Long, Wolowicz, and Mayor Stern NOES: None Council and staff discussed projected revenue from the Terranea Resort; planning for the Capital Improvement Plan; making policy decisions based on the Five-Year Financial Model and the bridge to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report; and, an estimate that preliminary data regarding the Terranea Resort might be available in 2009. Deputy Finance Director Downs provided a presentation on the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), Budget and Five-Year Model. Mayor Pro Tern Clark and Councilman Gardiner left the meeting at 4:14 P.M. Mayor Stern moved, seconded by Councilman Long, to receive and file the first draft of the 2008 Five-Year Financial Model. City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 9 of 12 Without objection, Mayor Stern so ordered. Budget Policy Issues for FY 08-09 (602) Council and staff discussed the continuation of this item to the May 20, 2008 City Council Meeting. Mayor Stern asked for public speakers on the item. Steve Cummins, Portuguese Bend Club Homeowners Association (HOA), Rancho Palos Verdes, outlined efforts to deal with the Portuguese Bend Landslide and requested that the City budget the estimated $600,000 to fund the needed landslide repair work in the FY08-09 Budget, and continue to establish a reserve fund to pay for the grading work that will be required in the future. Councilman Long questioned the City's liability and suggested the possibility of the City in assisting the Portuguese Bend Club HOA in forming a benefit assessment district that might have some tax advantage in terms of the property owners raising money to repair the damaged property. City Attorney Lynch indicated that the Portuguese Bend Club HOA could vote to impose an assessment upon themselves or through the formation of a district, which would require voter approval. She indicated that the City was not generally responsible for stopping a naturally occurring condition such as an active landslide, unless the City has done something by way of installing public improvements to exacerbate the existing situation. She noted that since the issue has been raised, she and the Public Works Department would need to examine the issue since a portion of Palos Verdes Drive South has slid onto the Portuguese Bend Club's property, to evaluate the situation from an engineering and legal perspective, in order to evaluate the consequences, if any. Council and the speaker discussed current efforts to remedy the situation; the number of homes in the HOA; the basic structure of the association and current assessments; location of property lines in relation to the movement with the landslide; and, a brief history of the area. Mayor Stern indicated that staff would investigate the situation. Sunshine, Rancho Palos Verdes, stated that there was the need for a mechanism so that as policy changes are made or trails are added in the City, that budget adjustments could be made to the Public Works Budget for funding of necessary maintenance work. Council and staff discussed scheduling and had a general discussion about the Budget in an attempt to identify any major issues, the differential problem and possible solutions to the compression problem regarding the employee salary ranges, and the scope of use of Channel 33 with seniors as well as other residents of the Peninsula. City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 10 of 12 Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Stern, to continue the Budget Policy Issues for FY 08-09 to the meeting of May 20, 2008. Without objection, Mayor Stern so ordered. Councilman Wolowicz moved, seconded by Councilman Long, to move the Border Issues Status Report item forward on the agenda. City Manager's Proposed FY 08-09 Budget (602 X 1101) City Clerk Morreale reported that there was one request to speak on the item. Sunshine, Rancho Palos Verdes, stated that she believed the new position of Open Space Trails Manager should be in the Public Works Department, not the Planning Department. Councilman Long moved, seconded by Mayor Stern, to continue the item to the May 20, 2008 City Council Meeting. Without objection, Mayor Stern so ordered. Border Issues Status Report (310) Councilman Wolowicz stated that he wanted to alert the residents about the proposed mixed-use condominium development of 75 units to be constructed in the Peninsula Center. He encouraged interested residents to attend the upcoming meeting of the City of Rolling Hills Estates. Council and staff discussed the following issues: development of the projects in the Peninsula Village Overlay in a piecemeal approach; the importance of staying vigilant regarding the continuing project approvals; and, the related quality of life issues and potential traffic congestion problems on the Peninsula to be borne largely by the residents of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Councilman Long moved, seconded by Councilman Wolowicz, to receive and file the current status of border issues. Without objection, Mayor Stern so ordered. ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Stern adjourned the meeting at 5:05 P.M. to Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at 6:00 P.M. at Fred Hesse Community Park/Fireside Room for Council to conduct interviews of City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 11 of 12 applicants for the Chair of the Equestrian Committee and Chair o - - Traffic Safety Commission. AtbIlk Mayor Attest: A City Clerk W:\City Council Minutes\2008\20080510 CC MINS ADJD BUDGET WKSHP.doc City Council Meeting Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting/Budget Workshop May 10, 2008 Page 12 of 12