HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2009-02-25~o~~x SANF~ MI TE S
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CITY COUNCIL
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REGULAR MEETING
MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING
COMMUNITY ROOM
33 ARROYO DRIVE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009
CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL: Present: Councilmen Garbarino, Gonzalez
and Mullin, Vice Mayor Addiego,
and Mayor Matsumoto.
Absent: None.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by Mayor Matsumoto.
PRESENTATIONS
• Relay For Life of South San Francisco Event at South San Francisco High School -
Presented by Tyler Silva of the American Cancer Society.
Tyler Silva, Manager of the Relay for Life Program with the American Cancer Society,
appeared before Council to announce the Relay for Life Event that would take place at
South San Francisco High School on May 16th and 17th 2009. The event would span 24
hours beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and ending at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The first
lap of the relay would be kicked off by cancer survivors and their caregivers. A luminaria
would be lit up in the evening and a local cancer survivor would speak. Funds raised
during the event would permit the organization to continue its work of cancer research
advocacy and services. Mr. Silva invited City residents, employees and officials to
participate in the event.
AGENDA REVIEW
None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Resident Barbara Irli appeared on behalf of Soroptomist International of Northern San
Mateo County to promote the organization's Step into Spring fundraiser. The event would
take place at the Municipal Services Building on March 20th from 5:30 8:00 p.m.
Exhibitors and crafters would be present and a silent auction would be included in the
festivities. She thanked South San Francisco residents and volunteers for their generosity
during difficult financial times.
ITEMS FROM COUNCIL
• Announcements
• Committee Reports
Councilmembers reported on attendance at community meetings and events, including the
Community Learning Center's Tenth (lOt") Anniversary Luncheon, the Lion's Club
Fellowship Dinner and a League of Women Voter's panel for sustainable prosperity that
was held at the Green Building Exchange. Council advised residents of upcoming events
including a Housing Element Public Meeting that would take place on March 3rd at the
Magnolia Center between 6:30 and $:30 p.m., the Police Department's Corned Beef and
Cabbage Dinner scheduled for March 8, 2009 and events at the Library on February 28'".
Specific items for further action andlor consideration were set forth as follows
Councilman Garbarino encouraged residents that would be eligible for the next round of
the Airport Noise Insulation Program to participate as the program substantially helped to
reduce noise related to airplanes.
Councilman Gonzalez and Vice Mayor Addiego reported on a meeting with the Harbor
District at which the District indicated an interest in extending the current Joint Powers
Agreement with the City. Vice Mayor Addiego suggested the City might take the
opportunity to consider whether the Harbor should be operated by municipal government in
the future.
Mayor Matsumoto asked Chief of Police Raffaelli to advise how a grant of $102,000 from
the Office of Transportation Safety would be used by the Department.
Chief Raffaelli advised the grant would be used to fund overtime pay for officers to staff
test areas for drunk driving that would be set up around the City periodically using road
blocks.
Mayor Matsumoto also requested Council's support for a proposal to adopt a Marine Corp
Unit stationed in San Bruno that would be leaving for a tour of duty in Iraq in the near
future.
Council expressed support for the idea.
Chief Assistant City Attorney Woodruff advised Council did not need to vote on the item
since the Mayor had authority to take the required action via Proclamation.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion to approve the minutes of the meetings of January 17, 2009, February 10,
2009 and February 11, 2009.
2. Motion to confirm the expense claims of February 25, 2009 in the amount of
$1,730,784.40.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBERUARY 25, 2009
MINUTES PAGE 2
3. Resolution No. 17-2009 awarding a Consultant Services Agreement to Wilsey Ham
for topography survey services for the East of 101 Area in an amount not to exceed
$47,200.
4. Resolution No. 18-2009 awarding a Consultant Services Contract to Rockridge
Geotechnical for Geotechnical Investigation of Littlefield Avenue in an amount not
exceed $18,650 and amending the Capital Improvement Program Budget in the
amount of $25,000.
5. Resolution No. 19-2009 amending the following sections of the City Council
Handbook: (1) Appendix 10, increasing the annual reimbursement limit for the
Mayor's attendance at regional events; (2) Appendix 1 A, updating the rotation
schedule for the Mayor and Vice Mayor; and (3) Page 25, amending the absenteeism
policy for Board and Commission members.
6. Resolution No. 20-2009 authorizing the City Engineer to file an application for
federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding and
providing assurance of project completion.
Motion- Councilman Garbarino/Second- Councilman Gonzalez: to approve the Consent
Calendar. Unanimously approved by voice vote.
ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS
7. Transmittal of Mid-year 2008-09 Financial Report and Resolution No. 21-2009
amending the 2008-09 Budget.,
Finance Director Steele presented the mid-year 2008-2009 financial results and
recommended changes to revenues and expenditures in the 2008-2009 budget. He advised
the context of his report included that the economy had entered into a recession that was
worse than at the time the budget was adopted and amended. He further noted that there
were no signs of improvement or changes to the economic picture at Mid-year. Director
Steele then provided the following information:
General fund revenues were projected to come in $.95 million less than the
amended budget, an unfavorable variance of .2%. Due to the ongoing recession,
staff was projecting additional declines to Sales Taxes, Transient Occupancy Taxes
("TOT"), Motor Vehicle In-Lieu Fees and Parking Taxes. He advised there were
no signs these trends wouldn't continue into next year.
Councilman Mullin questioned whether the County had provided an estimate of the impact
of property reassessments on property tax revenues.
Director Steele advised this was still forthcoming.
Mayor Matsumoto questioned where the City would be if the voters had not passed the
commercial parking tax.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBERUARY 25, 2009
MINUTES PAGE 3
Director Steele advised revenues would be down an additional $1 million. He then
continued his presentation as follows:
General Fund operating expenditures for 2008-2009 were projected to come in $.15
million below the amended budget, a favorable variance of .2% after factoring in
the mid-year budget reductions totaling $1.47 million that the City Council
authorized on February 1 1, 2009. Director Steele advised the year end expenditures
estimate was fairly conservative and assumed Departments spend every dollar of
their respective appropriations.
Director Steele advised two (2) changes to expenditures were needed, including
$250,000 additional budget funds to cover payments made to employees in January
who exceeded their annual maximum accrual of banked vacation hours. On a
positive note, the other change involved restoring the $400,000 set aside due to the
uncertainty that had been pending prior to the passage of the state budget. With the
passage of the state budget the prior week, concerns that the state might take away
funds or hit the City with additional fees had been assuaged.
Director Steele next cautioned Council that retiree health costs continued to
escalate. The Finance Department was expecting an actuarial study that would
likely indicate that the City might have to reserve $1 to $2 million more than it
currently was to cover this ongoing liability. Further information would be brought
to the Subcommittee and Council as it became available.
Councilman Garbarino questioned the size of the potential retiree health adjustment in
relation to the total operating budget.
Director Steele advised the potential. increase would amount to 5% of the total operating
budget. He then closed his presentation as follows:
The Finance Department would work with the City Manager on additional
reductions for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year. Staff would continue to meet with the
Budget Subcommittee and report back to Council in the spring. He further noted he
believed it would be prudent to reduce property tax increment revenues by 5%. The
RDA would still be well above water and there would be adequate reserves to fund
the CIP. He also would recommend reduction to revenues in the sewer fund while
rate scenarios were forthcoming. He noted there were adequate reserves in the
sewer fund through year end..
Councilman Mullin observed that although the present state budget did not negatively
impact the City's budget, declining tax receipts might lead to state budget revisions in May.
He further noted that the success of the state budget was contingent upon the results
pertaining to five (5) or six (6) initiatives that would be presented during a special election.
Accordingly, he questioned the prudence of restoring the $400,000 that had been reserved
for uncertainties relating to the state budget.
Director Steele advised that based on information he had received from financial
consultants, the City would not be amiss to restore the $400,000. The state budget was
balanced through the end of year and a plan was in place for the next budget that included
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBERUARY 25, 2009
MINUTES PAGE 4
all the doom and gloom scenarios. Additionally, since the revenues contingent upon the
initiatives that would be presented to the voters in a special election did not need to kick in
until 2011 or 2012, restoring the $400,000 in the current budget was still advisable.
Mayor Matsumoto questioned whether furloughs were continued in the state budget passed
the previous week.
Director Steele advised that he believed the state budget included one (1) mandatory
furlough day per month for certain state agencies. In addition, hefty across the board
reductions and lay-offs at the state level were included.
Vice Mayor Addiego stated he was still hopeful the City was positioned to weather the
economic storm.
Councilman Gonzales explained he had talked with an employee in the Fire Department
about the need for the budget cuts that had been made. He stated there was no other way to
explain Council's action except to advise that it was trying to prevent worse service cuts.
Mayor Matsumoto thanked the Budget Subcommittee, Staff and Department Heads for
their continued hard work on the budget issue.
Motion- Councilman Garbarino/Second- Councilman Gonzalez: to accept the mid-year
2008-09 Financial Report and approve Resolution No. 21-2009. Unanimously approved by
voice vote.
COMMUNITY FORUM
Councilman Gonzalez and Vice Mayor Addiego announced a Life Sciences Career Fair
that would be held at the Conference Center on March 9, 2009. Prospective applicants
desiring to participate in the program could obtain more information by visiting the City's
website at w~~~v.ss£net.
Councilman Gonzales also announced an eWaste collection that would be taking place at
Fire Station 61 on Friday and Saturday February 26th and 27th
ADJOURNMENT
Being no further business, Mayor Matsumoto adjourned the meeting at 8:09 p.m.
Submitted bv:
Krista ai i elli-Larson, City Clerk
City of South San Francisco
Approved:
Karyl Matsumoto, Mayor
City of South San Francisco
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
FEBERUARY 25, 2009
PAGE 5