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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2011-01-29 --- SPECIAL MEETING H TTT CITY COUNCIL a os OF THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, California 94083 CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM 400 GRAND AVENUE SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011 1. Call to Order 9:05 a.m. 2. Roll Call. PRESENT: Councilmembers Addiego, Gonzalez and Matsumoto, Vice Mayor Garbarino and Mayor Mullin. ABSENT: None. 3. Agenda Review. Council decided to move Item 5.c. pertaining to City Boards and Commissions to the outset of the meeting in order to accommodate several Board and Commission members that were present to be heard on the subject. 4. Public Comments — comments are limited to items on the Special Meeting Agenda. 5. Items for Discussion c. City Boards and Commissions. Mayor Mullin explained he brought the possibility of establishing a Sustainability Commission to the forefront when he first took on the position of Mayor. Given events in the Old Town neighborhood in late December, his priorities had since shifted. Accordingly, he was now recommending a sustainability advisory group. He also noted that Council was to review the activities of current boards and commissions to determine if they should be modified /scaled back. Councilwoman Matsumoto noted that many of the Commissions required staff work and were staff driven. Given that Department heads were being requested to cut back on staff time allocations, she thought it necessary to make sure the current makeup of Commissions reflected actual need in the community. Mayor Mullin noted the importance of acquiring individuals with specific knowledge or expertise to serve on particular boards and commissions. Councilman Addiego noted the importance of educating applicants on what the Commissions are responsible for. He stated his belief that an Environmental Policy /Sustainability Commission would be useful for the City to establish. He noted his concern that the Historic Preservation Commission might have fulfilled its objectives and that its purpose may have run its course. Mayor Mullin questioned the original responsibilities of the Historic Preservation Commission. City Manager Nagel explained it was to mark, label and designate historic sites as well as to administer funding for historic resources. However, the grants for the historic home rehabilitation program had long since run out. Councilwoman Matsumoto noted the Historical Society could be relied on for some of the duties if the Commission were to be abolished. Councilman Addiego suggested some of the Historic Preservation Commission's duties cold be performed by the Planning Commission. Vice Mayor Garbarino agreed with abolishing the Historic Preservation Commission and possibly designating the Planning Commission to fulfill its duties. He also noted he would not be in favor abolishing the Cultural Arts Commission but suggested it might cancel meetings where no business was before it and /or consider meeting quarterly. City Manager Nagel reminded Council meeting times and frequency were set by ordinance of Council. Mayor Mullin noted the Cultural Arts Commission is a signal to the grant making world that the City takes public art very seriously and thus draws additional art funding into the community. Members of the Cultural Arts Commission Joy Ann Wendler and Ron Burgess spoke of Commission's many accomplishments and activities and of the Commissioners' willingness to work together. City Attorney Mattas noted the language relating to meetings for the Cultural Arts Commission delegates the meeting schedule to the Commission. Director of Economic and Community Development and Assistant City Manager Van Duyn noted staff brought a memo to the Historic Preservation Commission last year requesting that it consider modifying its meeting schedule and /or consider eliminating its functions. At the time, the members of the Commission believed its functions were no longer necessary. Mayor Mullin noted that if the Historic Preservation Commission were eliminated, he would encourage the present members to continue serving in an advisory roll through participation in the Historical Society. Assistant City Manager Van Duyn noted most, if not all, of the Commission's present SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 2 membership was active in the Historical Society. Councilman Gonzalez stated he believed the Historic Preservation Commission could be abolished and noted his interest in creating an Environmental /Sustainability Commission. City Manager Nagel stated Council could review these options at a study session in the future, where staff would present specific options with respect to the Commissions at issue. 6. Items for Discussion: a. Council Goals /Objectives Councilwoman Matsumoto began by noting her interest in a mentorship program for foster children involving roughly 6 individuals meeting 2 times per week. She also noted the goal of creating a Library Foundation 501(c)(3). Councilman Gonzalez expressed his goal of addressing neighborhood issues by focusing on getting the Hispanic community more involved. He also noted he would continue to voice concern over cutting services in the older part of town, such as closures of Grand Library. He would be working closely with the Police Department to develop neighborhood social programs. Councilman Addiego relayed his intent for the City to be more visible in the Old Town Community, which had been very receptive to outreach in the wake of recent tragic incidents. He noted an interest in helping improve small business, volunteer opportunities and recreational programs in the community. Vice Mayor Garbarino noted his goals were a combination of what his colleagues had mentioned as well as increasing visibility in other communities like West Winston Manor and Westborough. He planned to get out to local events and get to know the community. He also noted his intent to work on eliminating empty commercial spaces by encouraging Commercial and Industrial REAs to work with City staff on luring businesses from San Francisco. Lastly, he would like to get through this and future fiscal years with a solid budget plan. He noted the Budget Subcommittee has difficult decisions ahead, and wanted to stay ahead of the game and provide as many services as possible to residents that are still acceptable. Mayor Mullin noted similar goals as his colleagues. He would be Co- chairing the Community Coalition with Councilman Gonzalez. The project's definition was purposely vague and would take a long term, generational approach. He was aware that the challenge would be keeping folks at the table focused. Intergovernmental Advocacy is a continuous goal. He would continue to work on C /CAG. He stated his desire to work on bridging the gaps between people who are regularly involved in civic activities and those that had been inspired to participate in Council meetings recently. He also handed out packets about becoming a "City of Service." Mayor Mullin next expressed concern about the Caltrain station and Genentech commuters. Councilwoman Matsumoto stated the shuttle to Millbrae had hurt the City's position with respect to the new Caltrain Station greatly. Councilman Addiego agreed and stated the schedule was working against the City's position. It SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 3 had been chipped away at for a long time and the station was becoming irrelevant even with employee numbers in upwards of 27k in the industrial park with a large percentage using mass transit. Mayor Mullin noted a new Caltrain Station as a critical component to the City's long term development goals and interests. Council and Assistant City Manager Van Duyn discussed the various challenges and options for the future of the mass transit market over the next twenty years including the ferry system, Caltrain station closures, BART connections and available shuttle services. With ridership numbers of today, South San Francisco had a difficult position in attracting modes of mass public transit options. Council felt the business community needed to be involved in the discussion as it would be affected most. Director Van Duyn felt there was a huge investment opportunity with business partners such as Shorenstein/SKS. b. Staff's Goals /Objectives Prior to beginning this discussion, City Attorney Mattas related questions from the City Clerk regarding Boards and Commission recruitment: (1) Should the applications submitted since the last recruitment was postponed be considered and (2) should recruitment time be extended. Council stated another recruitment should be opened. Vice Mayor Garbarino stated those who apply for multiple boards only need be interviewed once. Councilman Gonzalez felt the questions should be universal to all boards and commissions. Councilwoman Matsumoto asked if interviews would be held for the boards and commissions in question, such as the Historic Preservation Commission. City Manager Nagel said that would be decided prior to the next meeting. City Manager Nagel then began reviewing the goals that had been submitted by staff on a departmental basis as follows: CIP: A consent decree with an environmental group was being pulled into the Sewer Maintenance Agreement; standards would continue to ratchet up — a foam meter would be installed into Colma Creek. Economic Stability: staff was developing a 5 -year plan and a new fiscal year plan. The RDA issue with the state was also in the pipeline. Quality of Life Issues: Park improvements were being completed this year - grants and opportunities would continue to be reviewed. Library grants were being explored to maintain certain services and repurpose the Library. Public Safety Operations: The Community Coalition, public safety and response teams were being formed. To enhance these services, staff was looking at grant opportunities to pay for additional training. On the Fire Department side, staff was looking into whether or not continuing with the Basic Life Support Services (BLS) was in the City's interest. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 4 Information Technology: Staff would continue to expand technology operations. Replacing PCs with a server for low -end, non technical users was also being reviewed. Redevelopment: A lot of uncertainty was surrounding the future of Redevelopment. Staff was staying on top of these changes. In the meantime, staff continued work on the ECR/Chestnut area plan, other developments were Shorenstein/SKS, St. Vincent de Paul, and 636 El Camino Real among others. Maintaining Workforce: Staff was looking for training opportunities with limited resources. Labor Negotiations were upcoming. Mayor Mullin queried employee moral or anxieties due to the current economic climate. City Manager Nagel stated he did not see an affect across the board but did feel there was some nervousness regarding the State budget and PERS retirement. Councilwoman Matsumoto encouraged staff to compete for grants for bicycle pedestrian plans. Assistant City Manager Van Duyn described various grant applications pending and /or received in this area. Councilwoman Matsumoto expressed concern over Police Officer Personnel responding in the Old Town neighborhood from a risk management perspective. City Manager Nagel explained that the Officers receive training to deal with such situations. Councilman Gonzalez explained that at a Community Meeting the week prior, Chief Massoni emphasized the Department was going to train the new officers in the Community. The Chief also planned to have neighborhood block meetings so the Officers could meet the neighbors in the area. Mayor Mullin stated he was envisioning the Neighborhood Response Team ( "NRT ") to be working out of the Downtown Garage substation. City Manager Nagel explained that in addition, the goal would be to have the NRT be visible in other parts of the City if the issues in the Old Town Neighborhood settled down. He further explained this might become a new model for Community Policing mechanisms. Further Chief Massoni noted these Officers would not work normal shift hours. They would be working 40 hour weeks, but not the typical 8 -5 shift. Nights and weekend would be common. City Attorney Mattas began presentation of goals for the City Attorney's Office. The focus of the Attorney's Office effort was to complete land lease documents for certain developments, update the subdivision ordinance and work with planning staff and sustainability staff to work on completion of a climate action plan. There was also a significant push to make sure all Shorenstein/SKS documents were ready for Council action in March. A primary focus of efforts in the short term was assisting RDA staff and the Agency to address legislative changes to the SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 5 RDA and to consider options for the City going forward. Councilwoman Matsumoto stated she would like city Attorney Mattas and his staff to work closely with the Public Works Department on its contracts. c. City Boards & Commissions This item was previously heard. d. BIO 2011 — Washington, D.C. Council discussed the importance of attending the BIO Conference in Washington DC. It was decided that the city would invest in joining Team California. Two Councilmembers and two staff members would attend the conference and 3 full conference passes and one partial conference pass would be purchased. Council and staff were in agreement that valuable contacts were made for the City at this yearly conference. e. "Pedestrian Friendly" Grand Avenue Councilman Garbarino presented the idea of closing portions of Grand Avenue to traffic one weekend day a month to test the walkable community Downtown concept, which was touted as fostering community relationships. This program could be expanded as it developed. Council agreed upon possibly closing the 300 and 400 blocks of Grand Avenue to traffic once a month on a weekend day. Staff agreed to consult with Merchants and the Chamber of Commerce about this proposal. f. North Peninsula Neighborhood Services Mayor Mullin expressed concern over the turmoil presently befalling the North Peninsula Neighborhood Board, which had recently turned over leadership and lost County funding. The CDBG subcommittee agreed to meet with the Board and discuss topics related to the CDBG funding the agency receives. g. Middle School Summer /After School Sports Program The SSFUSD Subcommittee was interested in renewing the afterschool sports program at school sites. There were pros and cons to each model and it wasn't simply a matter of funding. Operational concerns existed. Both the Mayor and Councilman Addiego supported a restoration of the program to its original design for the beginning of the school year, September, 2011. Funding of matching money was one of the details that still need to be flushed out. City Manager Nagel reported the cost difference between the two (2) models was approximately $30,000. The summer program would be an estimated $25,000 at one location. Another site would be the Spruce Gymnasium. Mayor Mullin liked that location for its proximity to Old SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 6 Town and the Community Learning Center, Library and other amenities. The financial contribution from the City still needed to be determined. City Manager Nagel felt it would be in the neighborhood of $10,000 to $15,000. Councilwoman Matsumoto asked if the District would be contributing. City Manager Nagel stated there had been no indication. He noted no one was in attendance from the School Board at either meeting. Mayor Mullin felt this illustrated that our community partners on this issue were not exactly at their strongest point, which is why the City was taking a strong leadership role. Councilwoman Matsumoto thought it was important to have programs in Westborough as well. She also thought Baden should be targeted as receiving some benefits from these programs. Councilman Gonzalez agreed. The black jackets were an unfortunate part of their uniform requirements and had received complaints from parents before. School is also dismissed at noon, causing them to be on the street the rest of the day. Perhaps these things should be revisited. Lastly, Councilman Gonzalez stated the Principal at Spruce, the school attended by his grandchild, was appreciative of his visits and commented that she had wished members of the School Board would come on site every once in awhile. Councilwoman Matsumoto sought clarification as to the functions served by the Boys and Girls Club. Councilman Gonzalez stated it was mostly an extension of Martin School for elementary aged children. Services for adolescents were hoped for in the future. Councilman Addiego also noted the building of healthy neighborhood relationships and the provision of after school homework assistance, artwork and computer lab time. Vice Mayor Garbarino asked who authorized the artwork on the wall at Paradise Valley. Councilman Addiego said it was freelance and not really authorized by anyone. While the Vice Mayor felt art was subjective, he believed it looked too much like graffiti and perhaps staff should have taken the lead on that. Art at other portions of the property was also discussed. Council's consensus was to move forward in its support of the restoration of the Middle School Summer /After School Sports Program in concept. However, more fieldwork should be done in regards to funding. Despite these concerns, a strong message that the City cared about real change was required. h. Apprenticeship Program Councilwoman Matsumoto felt there were opportunities available to place volunteers from the community throughout City departments. Councilman Addiego felt it was a great idea and that there had been a minimum wage program in the past. Perhaps the City could take the lead and encourage local businesses to follow. Councilman Gonzalez noted insurance coverage for on the job accidents could be an issue. He did agree that it was a good idea. Vice Mayor Garbarino also agreed there were businesses within the community that would welcome the opportunity. i. City Council Vehicle SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 7 Councilwoman Matsumoto related an experience in which the car had completely died during a trip to Berkeley. Could there not be a pool car? A pool car was definitely possible. Director Van Duyn stated the car could be replaced. He queried Council's preference with respect to a replacement. The pros and cons of hybrids were discussed. j. Preferential Hiring for Local Businesses and Contractors City Attorney Mattas stated there were two (2) limited options: (1) instituting a small business preference, allowing 5% leeway. Also, if federal funds were involved; there would be a different set of criteria all together, and (2) there was a possibility for a local business preference as done in San Francisco; however San Francisco had a unique set of factors that came into play. The Attorney's office could look into that, but there would have to be something shown to be unique about the work climate in South San Francisco that effects South San Francisco businesses disproportionately to other businesses. The concept is lawful, but application is difficult. Lastly, Women and Minority Business Enterprises (W /MBE) could benefit from outreach programs, but there could not be any hard quotas due to Proposition 209. Councilwoman Matsumoto asked if charter versus general law city guidelines played a role. Attorney Mattas stated in this particular situation no. Having been a Labor Compliance Officer for SamTrans, she understood the difficulty in compliance, monitoring and prevention of fraud. If the City were to go forward with this, oversight would be greatly needed. She also asked if private sector could do focused hiring. City Attorney Mattas gave the short answer that yes, however, it was all using best efforts. The Councilwoman felt focused hiring was a step in the right direction. Attorney Mattas advised if a statement was to be made it should be that the City has a preference for local hiring. Council gave direction for staff to forgo looking into the small business hiring preference as it did not serve the intended purpose they were looking for. k. Local /Regional Meeting Meals on 700 Form (FPPC) City Attorney Mattas stated if the meal is of a minimal nominal value then it does not have to be reported as a gift, if it is above, it must be reported as long as it is not a lawful expenditure, which the FPPC does not define. The City intends to encourage the FPPC to define their terms, namely "nominal" and "lawful expenditure." For clarity, staff could identify a nominal value in the Council handbook. Council agreed to that. 1. City Seal Councilwoman Matsumoto asked if Council would like to update the City seal as it resembles a lot of other cities. Council stated if a group of volunteer individuals could come up with ideas and suggestions, the idea could be entertained. However, Councilman Gonzalez warned there may be a reaction from SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 8 the Historical Society if anything were to change. m. Tuesday Study Sessions Mayor Mullin asked if there was an issue with doing study sessions on a Tuesday night for 2011 rather than Wednesday. Councilwoman Matsumoto stated historically they were done on Wednesdays to allow staff the consistency of Wednesday meetings seeing as Council Meetings are held on that day of the week. Councilman Addiego liked the idea of Tuesdays. The Mayor also asked if there could be an earlier start, perhaps 5 or 5:30 p.m. Council agreed to set Study Sessions for 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month and the option of the occasional first Tuesday if needed. n. Condolence Letters The letters are typically signed by the Mayor but do not include the name of who requested the adjournment in memory of. It was suggested that be incorporated into the condolence letters. Councilwoman Matsumoto stated sometimes the request is of a personal nature but on most occasions it's from the entire Council. If a Councilmember really wanted his or her name included for a personal or special reason, he or she could contact Donna Ochoa and let her know to include the name, otherwise it should stay consistent. 7. Closed Session — Annual Performance Review (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957) Title: City Manager and City Attorney. Closed Session opened: 1:40 p.m. Open Session resumed:2:52 p.m REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION: Council provided direction to come back with a contract amendment extending the City Manager's contract. Coming back to the Boards and Commissions, Councilman Addiego felt some members would be better suited for different Boards and Commissions than which they currently serve. Although he knew it was provocative, he noted that many of the different developers' first introductions to our government are through the Commissions. Attorney Mattas suggested Council deal with the issue in two (2) steps: (1) Schedule the item for a fuller discussion and in terms of the actual incumbents and (2) ask individuals who are not up to par to resign. Council does have the authority to reconstitute a commission. He feels Council should want to have the item specifically agendized and determine how to proceed based on the discussion. Councilman Gonzalez sought clarification. If he understood correctly, it sounded like SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 9 Councilman Addiego wanted to replace members who are not being productive. Councilman Addiego explained he would like to revisit the entire membership of the Commission. Attorney Mattas noted for the record he was the one who brought up the word removal regarding Boards and Commission members. 8. Adjournment. With no further business, Mayor Mullin adjourned the meeting at 2:57 p.m. S ted by: Appro ed: � '� • � Qti Krist' artinelli, City • Kevin Mullin, Mayor City of South San Francisc , City of South San Francisco SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 29, 2011 MINUTES PAGE 10