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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2013-12-09MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2013 8:00 A.M. Purpose of the meeting: 1. Call to Order. Time: 8:00 a.m. 2. Roll Call. Present: Councilmembers Addiego, Gupta and Normandy, Vice Mayor Garbarino and Mayor Matsumoto Absent: None 3. Agenda Review. City Selection Committee actions will not be taken today as they are on the agenda for December 11, 2013. 4. Public Comments — comments are limited to items on the Special Meeting Agenda. None. 5. Items for Discussion: a. Council Goals /Objectives. • Reorder the Agenda, specifically, move "Items from Council" and "Committee Reports" to the end of the agenda but still allowing matters of compelling interest to the community to be discussed earlier at Council's discretion; move short items, particularly "Administrative Business" and before "Public Hearings ". Consideration to be made to dollar amount when moving items to "Consent ". SPECIAL MEETING S� 0 MINUTES W CITY COUNCIL L1F0 OF THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, California 94083 THE SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CONFERENCE CENTER BADEN A ROOM 255 SOUTH AIRPORT BOULEVARD SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2013 8:00 A.M. Purpose of the meeting: 1. Call to Order. Time: 8:00 a.m. 2. Roll Call. Present: Councilmembers Addiego, Gupta and Normandy, Vice Mayor Garbarino and Mayor Matsumoto Absent: None 3. Agenda Review. City Selection Committee actions will not be taken today as they are on the agenda for December 11, 2013. 4. Public Comments — comments are limited to items on the Special Meeting Agenda. None. 5. Items for Discussion: a. Council Goals /Objectives. • Reorder the Agenda, specifically, move "Items from Council" and "Committee Reports" to the end of the agenda but still allowing matters of compelling interest to the community to be discussed earlier at Council's discretion; move short items, particularly "Administrative Business" and before "Public Hearings ". Consideration to be made to dollar amount when moving items to "Consent ". • Use breezeway to parking garage to display metal zoo animals without the use of general fund money; money will come from the Cultural Arts Committee, the Mayor's campaign funds, and Rotary Club. The installation will not be permanent, but will be fenced. • Study session needed to discuss options related to 310 -320 Miller Avenue; Suggested putting up City funds through reserves as part of public /private partnership in an effort to create approximately 55 housing units. Councilmember Addiego suggested re- exploring the Rotary Plaza option that had been an earlier possibility. Attorney Mattas suggested a February study session to discuss alternatives use of this and other city -owned property and the various structures that could be involved. Consider actions to curtail predatory lending practices by establishments akin to check cashing and payday loan businesses. Interim City Attorney Rosenberg stated there were some zoning regulations that could be an option. Councilmember Addiego wanted to know what other cities were doing regarding to supporting community banks and micro financing at reasonable rates. Council's regulatory authority would be researched and the item would be placed on a future agenda pending the necessity. • Staff was asked to come back with a report in regards to the regulation of e- cigarettes. • Study session to discuss City branding; talk of banners announcing entrance to the city, a city motto, redesign of the City flag to incorporate a multi - dimensional view that spoke to the entirety of South San Francisco, Council jackets, and contest opportunities. Interim City Manager Mattas suggested Council direct staff to bring back historical information on this matter and options for further consideration. • Making social media a priority, making information more accessible and keeping department pages updated regularly. • Revisiting the below market rate (`BMR ") requirements as they may act as a development inhibitor and be an overreach. • Look at and better understand all of the Cities in lieu fees that are required by developers. • Review vendor contracts to ensure the payment of prevailing wage. Reconsider "no bid" contracts. Prevailing wage is an issue the City must be consistent on. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 2 • Though South San Francisco is a General Law City and cannot set own minimum wage, Councilmember Addiego wanted to explore the opportunities to advocate on behalf of the Service /Fast food industry and support livable wage issues to address what he characterized as the creation of a permanent underclass. His intentions were focused on people working 40 hours per week as opposed to part-time teen employment. One suggestion for supportive action included identifying South San Francisco employers that already pay beyond the minimum wage. Council was supportive of the idea as a whole. In addition, Councilmember Gupta asked if the City was doing enough for its own staff for them to live close to where they work, for example, preference to housing developments. City Manager Mattas stated through agreements with developers, preference had been given to residents and government employees but not specifically City employees. There are also various loan programs administered by the City that have been available to its employees with a clear recognition that housing on the peninsula is quite expensive. • Explore options on signage /markers at historical sites to help identify them throughout the City. The signs placed at City Hall serve as a good example. • Transition and orientation activities for newer Councilmembers. b. Committee Assignments. Council made the following appointments: • Community Coalition — Councilmembers Addiego and Gupta • Community Development Block Grant — Vice Mayor Garbarino and Mayor Matsumoto • Conference Center Authority — Vice Mayor Garbarino and Mayor Matsumoto • Downtown Subcommittee (Ad Hoc) — Councilmember Gupta and Mayor Matsumoto • Finance /Budget /Audit /Investment — Councilmember Addiego and Vice Mayor Garbarino • Housing — Mayor Matsumoto and Councilmember Gupta • Improving Public Places — Mayor Matsumoto • Kaiser Subcommittee (Ad Hoc) — Vice Mayor Garbarino and Mayor Matsumoto • SSF School District — Councilmember Gupta and Councilmember Normandy • Airport/Airport Noise Insulation Program (ANIP) — Councilmember Addiego • Airport Land Use Committee (ALUC) — Councilmember Normandy/Vice Mayor Garbarino (A) • Bicycle /Pedestrian Advisory Committee (B /PAC) — Mayor Matsumoto • Caltrain Moderization — Mayor Matsumoto/ Vice Mayor Garbarino • City /County Association of Government (C /CAG) Board — Mayor Matsumoto /Councilmember Gupta (A) • Congestion Management Environmental Quality (CMEQ) — Vice Mayor Garbarino • Interagency Council (HOPE) — Councilmember Normandy/Vice Mayor Garbarino (A) SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 3 • JPA -ALS -EMS — Vice Mayor Garbarino /Councilmember Gupta (A) • League of California Cities - Peninsula Division Council Liaison — Vice Mayor Garbarino • Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance — Vice Mayor Garbarino /Councilmember Normandy (A) • Regional Housing Need Allocation — Mayor Matsumoto/Vice Mayor Garbarino (A) • SFO Airport Community Round Table — Councilmember Addiego/Vice Mayor Garbarino (A) • SMC — Emergency Services Council — Councilmember Gupta/Councilmember Normandy (A) • Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) — Mayor Matsumoto /Councilmember Addiego (A) • Water Transit Advocates (WTA) — Mayor Matsumoto /Councilmember Addiego (A) • Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) — Coming up in January. Councilmember Gupta expressed desire to take Mayor Gonzalez' seat. • Bay Conservation and Development Committee — Councilmember Addiego • Housing Endowment and Regional Trust (HEART) — Councilmember Normandy • SamTrans and San Mateo County Transit Authority (TA) — Mayor Matsumoto Councilmember Gupta requested succession planning when replacements take over on the Boards and Committees that are highly competitive. The importance of relationship building when serving on the various Boards and Committees was stressed as a means to gaining support for selection for further committees. South San Francisco is a well- respected member of the County and has put a lot of effort into earning that respect. C. Staffs Goals /Objectives. Documents provided detailing accomplishments for 2013 and priorities for primarily the first six (6) months of 2014 as it was anticipated Council would want to plan out longer term issues with the new City Manager. Interim City Manager Mattas noted that keen attention was paid to the City Manager Recruitment. The goal of the Interim team was to have a permanent team in place as soon as possible given the important issues that are facing the City including departmental staffing, financing issues, and labor negotiations. With regards to departments, goals were briefly reviewed and comments were made about succession planning and strategic planning for all departments, the lack of substantive value of some of the departmental goals and staffing issues in the Finance Department and Economic and Community Development. Interim City Manager Mattas noted that strategic planning had been occurring, specifically in the Public Works Department and Finance. Organization structure was also changing as the position of an Administrative Services Director was being considered. With regards to strategic planning, SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 4 some departmental goals were identified but there was the need for ongoing dialogue with Council where priorities could be identified. Finance Director Jim Steele apologized for the lack of consistency with the Finance portion, noting how the 2014 goals were contingent upon the success of the new Financial Service Manager starting at the end of the month and the filling of an additional vacancy. He added that half of his time was spent mentoring his new financial analysts. He believed the goals laid out were achievable if departmental staffing remained the same. When staffing is down, all that is done is what has to be done and unfortunately the strategic planning falls by the wayside. Interim City Manager Mattas noted temporary staffing had been brought in and the goal was to get the Finance Department at full staff. There is a generational movement that includes a lot of retirements and the applicant pool is getting thinner. Unexpected key departures may require temporary, quality level staff. Prospective retirees were known and this situation wasn't expected but it was important to consider the possibility. Interim City Attorney Mattas asked that Council let the City Manager's office know if there were additional concerns about City business not being responded to in a timely manner as staff was very responsive. d. Financial Update — Ca1PERS. Interim City Manager Mattas stated he was looking for direction as to whether Council would prefer to have staff work through the day to day issues with the budget subcommittee or whether they would prefer to have the larger policy decisions come to them in a work session format. Finance Director Steele gave Council a financial update with various scenarios including modest growth and increased revenues through new parking structures and hotels, and a converse scenario of another recession, increased health costs and declining revenue. Wage scenarios were given as well, with the notation that none of the examples were recommendations. Overall, the City fared well over all of the scenarios and all the way across from 2013/2014 there would be a surplus. Questions still remained as to what effect the Federal and the State budgets would have. One certainty was the increase in PERS and Other Post Employee Benefits ( "OPEB ") obligations. Additional assumptions were given in regards to revenues and expenditures in regards to staffing, wages, contracting services, and health care expenses. Mayor Matsumoto asked about the City's standing as an employer in regards to salary and benefits. Will this become a concern? Interim Assistant City Manager Kathy Mount noted the preference of having a balanced approach to being competitive and living within our means. Last negotiations included two class and compensation studies. With benefits factored in, the City was found to be at about 3 percent below market and some Water Quality Control Plant positions were significantly below market. With regards to other employees, data was anecdotal or rough estimates. Bottom line, some positions may require further study to verify if they are competitive. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 5 Councilmember Gupta asked if wage assumptions would change along with the given scenarios. Could wages be negotiated down or stay flat. Was there a scenario that should be focused on more than another? Finance Director Steele stated that was ultimately Council's direction to give. Discussions have not been had since the new PERS numbers came out. In terms of scenarios to focus, no one could predict what was likely to happen in the financial market, as no one predicted the downturn in 2008. Interim City Manager Mattas stated the models were best case to worst case scenarios. In closing, Finance Director Steele wanted to address the OPEB, which was an $86 million unfunded liability. Scenarios given only represented a pay -as- you -go approach. If this approach continues, by 2020 it will be doubled, and by 2030 it would be tripled. If an additional $1 million was invested with the payment, by 2036 it would be about $0, this shows the huge power of investment. However, it would have to compete with all the other funding priorities. Inter City Manager Mattas stated Council direction was needed to provide policy as to how to address this. Also ahead were contract negotiations. Discussion with employees was needed to help them understand and factor that thought into labor negotiations. Desire was to have everyone with a similar set of facts. Reserve policy was discussed and reserves were said to be in very good shape. It was feasible to use them for capital projects that have the potential to increase revenue stream. Modest investments that net revenue are reasonable to make. One thing Finance Director Steele wanted to consider was the investment of the $12 million, over time, into the CalPERS Trust. Recess: 10:47 a.m. Return to session: 10:57 a.m. e. Economic Development Opportunities. Housing Consultant Armando Sanchez spoke about options related to the Ford and PUC properties. Ford Property - Properties are tied up with Department of Finance so suggestions were to set up exclusive negotiating rights agreements with developers. Interest on Ford properties was high. Options included requests for proposals or interviewing each developer to see what their intentions Council expressed interest in interviewing the potential developers to learn more about their intentions. Hotels had been discussed, specifically a Hilton Gardens. The idea of having a hotel there could be a game changer, but it was noted that the City already had a Hilton Gardens. Inter City Manager Mattas stated the hotels appeared to be in the mid -range chain option. He thought it would be beneficial for Council to hear from all three (3) of the potential developers. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 6 If there was a direction in which Council did not want to go, he asked that they let staff know as not to exert the extra efforts and staff energy. He also noted the deal would still have to go to the Oversight Board and Department of Finance ( "DOF") but felt they would be practical as they had been in other property matters. PUC Property — at the moment there was only one developer, interested in being a master developer for the entire 22 acre area. Council felt a commercial broker would be the way to go as one player was not enough. Interim City Manager Mattas stated a quick Request for Proposals for Commercial Brokers could be done to see what there is to be offered; rate, services, track records. A presentation could be set for the second meeting in January or the first meeting in February. Status of the 312- 314 Miller Avenue property was also discussed, with information exchanged about potential for a 55 -unit development. There had been some interest from developers but issues were present. If the City became involved as a lender, the project could commence. A $2 to 3 million investment would be needed but the City would get its money back as the property is City owned and not controlled by the DOF. f. BIO 2014 Conference. This year's conference would be held in San Diego. Council determined all would attend. Economic Development Coordinator, Mike Lappen, wanted to get Council's opinion on hosting a pre- conference event with Biotech companies, taking place in South San Francisco, as a way to add to marketing strategy. Council thought it would be a hard sell to get attendees and wanted to consider hosting another breakfast instead. As a group, Council wanted to improve the marketing, implementing newer forms of technology like a smart phone app; something people would actually use. g. City Council Reorganization. Council discussed and agreed to adopt a policy setting a spending limit of $250.00 for future reorganization events. It was also suggested that a policy be adopted to start in 2015 regarding a Councilmember opting to forgo their term as Mayor or Vice Mayor. Changes will be made to the Council Handbook reflecting these policy changes. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 7 h. Leaf Blowers. Vice Mayor Garbarino wanted to step up outreach efforts to area gardeners and gardening companies in regards to blowing yard waste into gutters and down the sewers. He did not want to cite them, but just wanted them to be made aware of the potential consequences. i. Sidewalk Vendors. Vice Mayor Garbarino expressed concern with the health and safety and the aesthetic issues of produce sidewalk vendors. He understood there was not a huge amount of money being taken in and noted that he did not want to cite them, he just wanted them to be told they are not allowed to conduct such business. Recess: 12:05 p.m. Return to Session: 12:15 p.m. Financial Sister Cities. Coordinator Lappen spoke about the program that was meant as a type of replacement for enterprise zones, helping to retain manufacturing jobs in California. Correspondence from the office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier suggested reaching out to central state communities. A partnership involving University California, Merced showed potential as they had just established a stem cell research program. Process was definitely in the early stages, but if Council wanted, further discussions could be had with Merced or other interested cities. Council was supportive of keeping manufacturing jobs in California and developing plants that were relatively local. They would contact Coordinator Lappen if there was interest in further action. k. Public Art. Mayor Matsumoto wanted to allocate $50,000 annually to the Cultural Arts Commission and wanted staff input on how to do this without using the one percent impact fee. Mayor Matsumoto also noted HCP said they had two pieces of aboriginal art that the City could have, and she wanted to make sure that they were received. Interim City Attorney Rosenberg stated he would review current development agreements to determine what impact fees exist that have not been used or encumbered. There were some agreements that already had fees worked in for public art. Interim City Manager Mattas said he would check with HCP about the aboriginal art. Council Event Allowance. Amount was left unchanged. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 8 M. Children's Biotech Museum. Councilmember Gupta has long wanted the City to be a destination City and thought an interactive attraction like the Exploratorium in San Francisco or the Tech Museum of Innovation, Children's science museum in Indianapolis involving the Bio Science industry. He wanted to pursue a conceptual framework of looking at a joint effort between the City, the Biotech community, the Community College District and the School District. He would like for this to be a hands -on opportunity and a courier into the industry. Library Director, Valerie Sommers noted previous conversations on the topic and would continue to look into viable options and capabilities with Measure A funding. There may be the possibility of adding some hands -on computer stations for example. n. Regular Citizens Hours with Council Members. Councilmember Gupta questioned whether or not having regular citizen hours at City Hall would be something he could conduct in an effort to increase transparency and public engagement. Councilmembers made suggestions on how he could conduct his outreach efforts including implementing office hours, availing yourself at public events like the Farmer's Market, individual newsletters, columns in local publications, attending community meetings, communication to Homeowners Associations and "management by walking around." It was stressed however, to make sure people are aware that this would be an individual effort and note representative of Council as a whole. City facilities may be used so long as they are about City issues and do not cross over to campaign events and that consideration of the reservation process through the Parks and Recreation Department was given. o. Handling Residents Emails. Councilmember Gupta expressed his appreciation for the timeliness in which staff responds to emails from residents. However, he wondered if there could be opportunities for Councilmembers to respond personally. City Manager Mattas noted there was a policy being designed to address the situation, but it was always under Council's discretion to augment. Council always has the prerogative to respond personally. Vice Mayor Garbarino commented how he sends a standard response to let resident know their concern had been received. Councilmember Normandy suggested using verbiage that explains the email is a personal response and not a response from Council as a whole. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 9 P. Strategic Thinking in South San Francisco. Council and staff suggested Councilmember Normandy and Gupta attend the New Councilmember training that is hosted by the League of California Cities ( "LOCC "). It was also recommended that Councilmember Normandy attend LOCC's Planning Commission training held in San Francisco in March. Interim City Manager Mattas stated he would look into arranging attendance for both events. Council would place this item on a future study session agenda for further discussion. q. Playground Conditions. Councilmember Addiego wanted to improve the conditions of some of the playgrounds and fields that have been brought to their attention and he did not want to wait until the Parks Master Plan was completed. He suggested picking one and making the upgrades. Mayor Matsumoto felt the Parks and Recreation Commission should be involved in setting priorities and determining the costs. Councilmember Normandy suggested involving the School District on the fields that are shared between the City and schools. She anticipated their willingness to assist with costs in light of the Redevelopment money they received. r. City Hall Parking Lot. Options were discussed about how to deal with unpermitted parking during events and on weekends at City Hall. Options included additional signage, closing the lot and increased enforcement. Staff would provide updates on the progress. Signage on Grand Avenue. Despite the presence of signs already, Vice Mayor Garbarino stated traffic issues on Grand Avenue persist, for example, people making u -turns in the middle of the street to get a parking space. He wanted to explore the use of "No "U" turns" and other methods to prevent this from happening. Other ideas included a median or other barriers or perhaps making Grand Avenue a one -way street. 6. Closed Session: Public Employee Performance Evaluation (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957) Position: City Attorney. Recess: 1:18 p.m. Return to Closed Session: 1:30 p.m. Return to Open Session: 2:00 p.m. Report out of Closed Session: No reportable action. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 10 7. Adjournment. Being no further business, Mayor Matsumoto adjourned the meeting at 2:00 p.m. Submitted by: Anna M. Brown, Deputy City Clerk City of South San Francisco SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Approved by: Kary atsumoto, Mayor City of South San Francisco DECEMBER 9, 2013 PAGE 11