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Minutes 2000-01-11 MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2000 COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 215 EAST BRANCH STREET ARROYO GRANDE, CALIFORNIA 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Lady called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2, ROLL CALL City Council: X- Council Member Runels X-Council Member Tolley X- Council Member Dickens X-Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara X-Mayor Lady Staff Present: X-City Manager X-City Attorney X-Director of Administrative Services _Chief of Police X-Director of Building and Fire lLJ)irector of Community Development X-Director of Public Works X-Director of Parks and Recreation X-Director of Financial Services X-Contract Planner 3. FLAG SALUTE Lauren Ferrara, Kayla McBride, and Patricia Thompkins from Camp Fire Club, Su- Cre-Ha-Pa, led the Pledge of Allegiance, 4, INVOCATION Pastor Bob Ainsworth, New Life Community Church of the Nazarene, Pismo aeach, delivered the invocation, 5, SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 5.a, PROCLAMATION - GROUNDHOG JOB SHADOW DAY Katherine Blum, Lucia Mar Unified School District "School-to-Career" Coordinator, accepted the Proclamation, CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 5.b, PRESENTATION OF PLAQUE HONORING CITY MANAGER ROBERT L. HUNT Mayor Lady presented a plaque to City Manager Hunt for his service to the City of Arroyo Grande, 6. AGENDA REVIEW None. 6.a. RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES READ IN TITLE ONLY ~, Council Member Dickens moved, Council Member Runels seconded, and the motion passed unanimously that all resolutions and ordinances presented at the meeting shall be re.ad in title only and all further reading be waived. 7, PUBLIC HEARING None, 8, CITIZENS' INPUT, COMMENTS, AND SUGGESTIONS Shirley M. Polen Prather spoke on behalf of Dave Collins. Flooring located at 1185 Grand Avenue in regard to the Grand Avenue Street Construction project. She read a letter that stated conce'rns relating to the elimination of the parking lane on the south side of Grand Avenue and the impacts to the company's truck deliveries, She submitted the letter for the record, Mark Adams, 1185 Grand, Manager - Dave Collins Flooring, spoke about the amount of truck traffic coming into and out of the store, He said their talks with the. Mayor and staff have been very helpful in resolving issues; however, they would appreciate further help and input from the City regarding their issues. He explained the main concern was the impact the changes on Grand Avenue is having on their business, Tim Mahoney, Southern California Gas Company District Manager for Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo Counties, introduced himself to the Council, He explained that the Gas Company has a new logo, called Sempra Energy, which will be placed on its trucks and uniforms, He said in some communities there has been some concern about seeing a new name on meter reader uniforms due to the unfamiliarity of the new logo, and people were calling the policEt or City Hall. He said if it became a problem, the Gas Company would do more outreach in the community. 9, CONSENT AGENDA Council Member Tolley declared a conflict of interest on Item 9,h, and stated he would not be voting on this item, Council Member Runels moved and Mayor Pro Tern Ferrara seconded the motion to approve Consent Agenda Items 9,a. through 9.1, with the exception of Item 9,h" with the recommended courses of action, 2 ---- CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 a; Cash Disbursement Ratification, Approved, b, Statement of Investment Deposits, Approved. c. Cash Flow Analysis/Approval of Interfund Advance from the Water Facility Fund. Approved. d. Minutes of City Council Meeting of December 3, 1999 and D~cember 14, 1999. Approved, e, Report on Project Development (AB1600) Fees, Accepted and filed. f, Rejection of Claim Against City - B. Williams, Rejected Claim. g. Fee Waiver Request - Hospice of San Luis Obispo County. Approved. i. Annual Adjustment of Traffic Signalization Fee. Adopted Resolution No, 3423. j, Progress Payme~t No, 2 for City Council Chambers Parking Lot, Project No, 80-99-1. Approved, k, Paseo Street - Acceptance of Impvoements, Adopted Resolution No. 3424, I. Progress Payment No.3 for Fair Oaks Waterline Project, Project No, 60-98- 5, Approved, _Voice Vote LRolI Call Vote Aye . Lady Aye Ferrara Aye Runels Ave Tolley Aye Dickens There being 5 A YES and 0 NOES, the motion is hereby declared to be passed, Mayor Pro Tern Ferrara moved and Council Member Runels seconded the motion to approve Consent Agenda Item 9,h, with the recommended course of action, h, Final Approval of the Village Glen Annexation, Adopted Resolution No, 3422, _Voice Vote LRolI Call Vote Ave Lady Aye ,Ferrara Ave Ruriels Absent Tolley Aye Dickens There being 4 AYES, 0 NOES, and 1 ABSENT, the motion is hereby declared to be passed. 3 '-- -~-_..- CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 10. CONTINUED BUSINESS 10.a. DISCUSSION OF THE SOUTH COUNTY AREA TRANSIT (SCAT) COASTAL CRUISER TROLLEY City Manager Hunt highlighted the staff report, He explained that this was a follow-up report and staff recommended that the Council affirm the December 22, 1999 action of the SCAT Board of Directors to extend the Coastal Cruis'er Trolley thro~gh December 2000 with the addition of some performance standards and goals. He stated tl1at the system would be reviewed again in December 2000 in order to determine continuation or cessation of the trolley operations, Mayor Lady opened up the discussion for public comments. Grover Beach Mayor David Ekbom stated he spoke to the Council in November, 1999, prior to the SCAT Board meeting in December. He stated that he was the SCAT representative for Grover Beach, the December meeting was held, a vote was taken, and SCAT was committed to a new course of action that he had voted against. Mr. Ekbom provided his viewpoints on the changes to the program such as the changing of the Mission Statement to include weekend service; the fare box increase; and setting a goal of nine (9) passengers per hour. He stated that there'is such low ridership on the trolley and the goals that have been set are so low that the trolley is not meeting the purpose it was originally started for, He spoke about a private enterprise in Pismo Beach that started a trolley system, did not work and was discontinued, He talked about how the cities are paying 80% of the fees and the business community was paying 20%, Mr. Ekbom further stated that the City of Grover Beach felt that it was not a viable transportation alternative and was not in support of it. He stated that their objection was that because all the cities have joined together in a JPA for SCAT, the City of Grover Beach is being obligated to continue its share, He said if the service was not providing a mutual benefit, it should be continued and funded amongst the agencies that want to continue it. He commented that the City of Arroyo Grande was spending $45,000 on this system and was receiving the least benefit. He concluded by stating he would like to see more discussion on this issue even though a vote had been taken, Richard Neufeld, 932 Charles in Grover Beach, and Grover Beach Council Member, stated th~t he had decided to attend the December SCAT Board meeting because of the trolley issue, He stated that he was surprised about two events that took place at the meeting, The first one was the changing of the Mission Statement and how that could be done without Council direction. He stated that at the meeting it was changed from being a tourist attraction to serving an unmet need, The second issue was the goal of nine (9) passengers per hour at the rate of fifty-cents that was set. He talked about the SCAT bus following the trolley and the duplication of services, He distributed a chart to the Council for reference. He spoke about how a private enterprise in Pismo Beach attempted a trolley system that did not work, He said he thought the trolley was supposed to be experimental to see if it would work and bring in extra revenues. He requested 4 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 that the City of Arroyo Grande's SCAT representative request putting this issue on a future agenda and taking anc;>ther vote, Hearing no further public comments, the Mayor closed the public discussion, Council Member Dickens stated that the staff report laid out the direction that the SCAT Board presented. He said the Board evaluated the situation and hasJooked at the facts. He said the SCAT Board saw things differently and the hope was that there would be an increase in fare-box revenues and ridership, He said the Board knew that the trolley system has not met the expectations to date; however, that it was premature to eliminate the service altogether, He said if trends continue there will be more buy-in from the community, He said standards have been put in place to re-evaluate the system, He noted that the system has been running consistently since October and there was a need for more time to allow the community to get more familiar with the service, He commented this was not an experimental program and was meant primarily to serve the business community and enhance the area, Council disc.ussion included the status and evaluation of the trolley program to date. Council Member Tolley stated the trolley was not a system that generates revenue, He commented that there was no one in the audience in support of the trolley including the drivers who could lose their jobs, He said he agreed with the public comments earlier and that it was time to take a harder look at the program. Council Member Runels agreed. He said he has made a point to see what the ridership was on both the SCAT bus and trolley. He said most of the time there are only one or two p~ople riding, He said the City was subsidizing the taxi program, and the Dial-A.Ride program already, Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara stated he was troubled with the status of the trolley system, He said the troubling part of this issue was that he has not seen a full- blown advertising campaign, He said there have been no television spots with citizens who like it or encouraging. others to ride; no radio spots; no ads in the local newspaper; and no posters in the, local businesses, He said he has seen nothing that encourages ridership or any strategy that involves the respective Chambers of Commerce, He commented that he did not see individual businesses stepping forward to get behind the trolley, He said he did not know the structure of SCAT's RFP; however, if there were no advertising component, the 'system would not work, He said if he could be assured that the RFP addressed an aggressive advertising campaign, he could support the program. Further Council discussion included advertising versus marketing efforts, 5 .---.....----.--.-...--....- CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 Council Member Tolley moved to reject the December 22nd action of the SCAT Board of Directors and direct the SCAT representative to present the City's position at the next meeting of the SCAT Board which would be to discontinue the trolley, Council Member Runels seconded the motion, _Voice Vote lRolI Call Vote No Lady No Ferrara Ave Runels Aye Tolley , No ' Dickens Tbere being 2 A YES and 3 NOES, the motion failed. Mayor Pro Tern Ferrara moved to affirm th~' December 22, 1999 action of the SCAT Board of Directors with the following stipulations: direct the Council representative on the SCAT Board to carry back to the next SCAT Board meeting the strong concerns of the City Council. of Arroyo Grande that a marketing strategy be laid out and that the marketing plan be revisited if necessary and provided to the Council at a subsequent meeting for review, Mayor Lady seconded the motion, _Voice Vote lRolI Call Vote Aye'Lady Aye Ferrara No Runels No Tolley Aye Dickens There being 3 A YES and 2 NOES, the motion is hereby declared to be passed, 11, NEW BUSINESS 11,a, PROPOSED POLICY FOR POSTING PROJECT SIGNS Contract Planner Prutch highlighted the staff report. He explained that a policy Vias being proposed requiring the posting of signs at development sites prior to Planning Commission and City Council public hearing in' an effort to implement Council's direction to expand the City's public information efforts, Council questions and discussion included the proposed 8x4 foot size of the sign; whether it was appropriate for a project such as a variance for a single family residence; specific requirements for placement of signs based on the size 6 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 of the lot; the applicant bearing the cost of the sign; and enforcement issues for non-compliance. City Manager Hunt responded that an amendment to t.he Municipal Code would be necessary in order to establish formal enforcement procedures, He explained that the idea of providing as much information as possible to the publj,c regarding a development proposal was a benefit to the developer, which provides a "win- win" situation for the community, the City, and the developer, He suggested if Council proceeded with the proposed policy that it come back in six to eight months for review, Mayor Lady opened the discussion for public comment. John Keen, 298 N. Elm, stated that at Planning Commission meetings there have been hearings where someone gets up and says they weren't notified. He said the proposed policy was discussed at length at the Planning Commission meeting with regard to size of the sign, posting location, lettering, and content. He said this was a step in the right direction to inform people of development projects, Hearing no further comments, Mayor Lady closed the public discussion, Mayor Lady stated he supported the program and would like to implement it and bring it back in six to eight months for review, Council Member Dickens commented that when dealing with single family residential projects, an 8x4 foot sign would be too much, He said he would like to see more stCiff flexibility/discretion specifically dealing with variance projects to reduce the size of the sign.' Council Member Runels moved to approve the policy for posting project signs, as modified to allow staff discretion in approving sign sizes on a case-by-case basis, Mayor Pro Tern Ferrara seconded the motion, _Voice Vote LRolI Call Vote Ave Lady Aye Ferrara Aye Runels Aye Tolley Ave Dickens There being 5 A YES and 0 NOES, the motion is hereby declared to be passed, Council Member Tolley left the meeting at 9:40 p,m, due to illness, , I I 7 ...._-,---_.._._-_._._-~- - - ---_._--~.-~._.- CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 11,b. PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF FISCAL YEAR 1999-2000 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROJECTS Director of Community Development McCants highlighted the staff report, . Mayor Pro Tern Ferrara referred to the Spruce Street Sidewalk project in Alternative #1 and asked with regard to the HUD national objectives, which of the objectives this project met. Director McCants responded that it met the low-moderate 'income objective in that the project was located within an area of the City that has been designated as a low-moderate income area, Mayor Lady opened up the discussion for public comments, and upon hearing no comments brought the issue back to the Council for consideration, Council Member Runels moved to provide preliminary approval on the proposed funding of Fiscal Year 1999-2000 CDBG projects as listed in Alternative #1. Mayor Pro Tern Ferrara seconded the motion. _Voice Vote LRolI Call Vote Aye Lady Aye Ferrara Aye Runels Absent Tolley , Aye Dickens There being 4 AYES, 0 NOES, and 1 ABSENT, the motion is hereby declared to be passed. 11.c. FORMATION AND APPOINTMENTS TO LAND CONSERVANCY COMMITTEE Director of Financial Services Snodgrass highlighted the staff report. She stated that staff recommended the City Council form and appoint a committee to seek and evaluate proposals for the use of approximately $50,200 collected for land conservancy issues; and direct staff to seek City Council approval for future grants when the balance in the Land Conservancy Account is $10,000 or at the time of build out for Tract 1997, whichever occurs first. Council Member Runels asked why the formation of a committee was necessary. Director Snodgrass explained that the conditions of approval for Rancho Grande Tract 1997 specify that there be a Parks and Recreation Director, Planning Director, and a State Fish & Game representative on the committee to review the conservation program, 8 -.-"- --,-.----",--,.- - CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 Council Member Dickens asked how much more money was expected to be received, Director Snodgrass respond~d that the City would receive $100 per home for 20 to 30 additional homes in Tract 1997. Council Member Dickens asked how a balance of $10,000 in the account was established, Director Snodgrass stated that the $10,000 figure was established to justify staff's time in bringing the issue back to Council for consideration, Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara referred to the conditions of approval and asked if proposals were restricted only from non-profit groups, He asked if proposals could come from individual citizens or citizen groups, Director Snodgrass replied that the conditions of approval state that proposals come from non-profit agencies, She deferred the question to the City Attorney, City Attorney Carmel stated that the committee had the discretion to expand the definition of "non-profit" to include citizen groups as long as the overall goal of , . the program was achieved, Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara asked if the committee membership was restricted or could the committee consider two additional citizens-at-Iarge as members, Director Snodgrass said that guidelines for membership were provided; however, additional members could be added to the committee, Council Member Dickens said there was confusion regarding the name of the committee since there was a County Land Conservancy in existence. He said he would advocate changing the name to Open Space and Conservation Committee, Director Snodgrass replied that the name could be changed, Mayor Lady opened the discussion for public comment, and upon hearing no comments brought the issue back to the Council for consideration, Council Member Dickens said he would like to be placed on the committee, Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara volunteered to serve on the committee. He said he would also volunteer to work with the Financial Services Director to recruit the two citizens-at-Iarge positions, 9 _.~. CITY COUNCil MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara moved to form and appoint 'a committee to seek and evaluate proposals for the use of approximately $50,200 collected for land conservancy issues; and direct staff to seek City Council approval for future gra~ts when the. b~lance in the land Conservancy Account is $10,000 or at the time of build out for Tract 1997, whichever occurs first. He further moved that the name of the committee be modified to Open Space and Conservation Committee; appoint Council Member Dickens and Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara to th.e committee, and increase the size of the committee to include two citizen-at-Iarge positions, Council Member Dickens seconded the motion, ~ Voice Vote LRolI Call Vote Ave lady Aye Ferrara Ave Runels Absent Tolley . Aye Dickens There being 4 AYES, 0 NOES, and 1 ABSENT, the motion is hereby declared to be passed, 11,d, APPROVAL TO SEEK PROPOSALS FOR WINDMill EXHIBIT Director of Financial Services Snodgrass highlighted the staff report. She stated that staff recommends the City Council approve the formation of a committee to seek and evaluate proposals for development of an interpretive windmill exhibit; and appoint a City Council Member and a representative from the Rancho Grande Development to serve on the Committee with the Parks and Recreation Director, Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara referred to Item 11,c, and asked if someone from Rancho Grande was part of that committee, Director Snodgrass replied that the conditions of approval did not specify a representative from Rancho Grande be appointed to that committee, She said that even though Tract 1997 was in the Rancho Grande development, it was a City-wide conservation program, In this case, the windmill is located in the Rancho Grande development. Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara asked if one of the two citizen-at-Iarge positions on the Open Space and Conservation Committee happened to be a Rancho Grande area resident, which then meets the membership requirement for the Windmill Exhibit committee, could this item be added on as a task for the Open Space and Conservation Committee, Director Snodgrass responded that this was an option. 10 --_...~._.-._~ CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2000 There was clarification that the windmill was located on lot 77 in Tract 1994 and would be restored and enhanced with an exhibit. Mayor ~ady opened the discussion for public comment, and upon hearing nO comments brought the issue back to the Council for consideration, Council Member Runels moved to combine the Windmill Exhibit Committee with the Open Space and Conservation Committee, with the appointment of one of the two citizen-at-Iarge positions from the Rancho Grande development. Council Member Dickens seconded the motion, _Voice Vote LRolI Call Vote Ave Lady Ave Ferrara Ave Runels Absent Tolley Aye Dickens There being 4 AYES, 0 NOES, and 1 ABSENT, the motion is hereby declared to be passed. 12. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS Council Member Runels gave a brief report from Zone 3 relating to a strength problem with the bridge that goes from Lopez Drive to the dam, Mayor Pro Tem Ferrara referred to, a document that was distributed to the Council regarding Californians opposed to school and road delay, He asked for clarification that staff had not sent out a letter of support on the measure. City Manager Hunt responded that staff had not taken any action on the matter, 13, STAFF COMMUNICATIONS None, 14. ADJOURNMENT Council Member. Runels moved, Council Member Dickens seconded, and the motion passed unanimously to adjourn the meeting. Time: 9:09 p.rn, 11 -_..~--,_._.,~-,-~------_.._.__._-- C\1Y CQUNC\L N\\NU,.ES JANUARY ,\'\,2000 , i A. ,.-rES": /MI),~ .. ORE. I\.PtA1N1S1'RA 1'",10 SER"ICES PIREC1'ORl DEPU"Y C\,.Y CLERK '\2 ---------------