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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2008-06-04 ~'t1l s~ S o ("l :>< c;:; B (J C' \~ :4J;lFOtt~ MINUTE SPECIAL MEETING CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM 4,00 GRAND AVENlJE S()UTl-l SAN FRANClSC(), CA WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008 1. Called to Order: 6:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call: Present: Councihnen Addiego*, Garbarino and ~.1ullin*, Mayor Pro Teln Matslunoto and Mayor Gonzalez. Counciln1en Addiego and Mullin arrived at 6:37 p.ln. 3. Public COlnlnents comments were limited to items on the Special Meeting Agenda. None. 4. Review of the proposed Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2008-2009. City Manager Nagel presented the Executive SUlnmary as follows: The General Fund Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 was balanced. The proposal called for drawing down on reserves by $1.5-2 Million to fund iten1s related to the ClP and a payn1ent towards retiree health liability costs. The draw-down was within the City's policies and would leave over $13 million in reserves. City Manager Nagel relninded Council of certain considerations including tenant decline, reduced building pennits and the closure of Ron Price Motors 8,nd advised that health pren1iulns and gasoline prices were soaring. He stated it was unknown whether the City would face state budget cuts; accordingly, a n1idrange hit to the General Fund of $400,000 was factored in based upon the eventual state budget. City Manager Nagel further advised that revenue assulnptions generally included 2% sales tax growth, a .5 million reduction in construction sales, a 4% increase in property taxes and a modest increase in hotel taxes of nearly $150,000. Additional revenues were projected to come from the voter approved initiatives passed in the November 2007 election, including $1.1 million per year related to the tax on parking near SFO and $400,000 related to a business license increase that would take effect January 1, 2009. With respect to Expenditure Assun1ptions, City Manager Nagel advised salary increases were not recon1n1ended for at least a year. Healthcare cost increase figures were estin1ated at an average of 10.5% and this figure would be updated to include final healthcare costs as received fron1 insurance con1panies. A $500,000 draw on General Fund Reserves was factored-in to pay for a portion of the City's retiree health liability. City Manager Nagel then explained certain Departn1ental changes proposed in the budget: The Fire Depmilnent looked to increase its BLS progrmn to 24-hour service seven (7) days a week. Increased revenues as a result of expanding the service were projected at $275,000. The Fire Departn1ent also proposed conversion of two (2) contract safety inspectors to pennanent status and restoration of the frozen Inspector III position. The proposed Fire DepartInent changes resulted in a net contribution of $75,000 toward paran1edic expenses. The Police Departlnent proposed restoration of a vacancy factor that had been in effect since April of 2005, which equated to three (3) positions and roughly $400,000. This would permit the Chief to deploy a con1plete staff without negatively ilnpacting overtime related to task force assignn1ents, etc. Beginning in January 2009, the Police Departn1ent was also proposing addition of one (l) dispatcher at a cost of $44,400 for Fiscal Year 2008/2009. The addition of a dispatcher was recOlnlnended to address the present call volume, which was not expected to decline in the near future. Due to recent litigation activity relating to the Police Department, the ABAG liability insurance premium increased by $100,000. The Parks and Recreation Depmin1ent proposed increased staffing for the new Recreation Building that would be offset by revenues frOln the building. Budget proposals funded by the Common Greens Funds included upgrading a Parks Maintenance Worker to Maintenance Craft Worker accompanied by a vehicle purchase. The City Clerk proposed to restructure the City Clerk's Office with a title change from Adn1in II to Deputy City Clerk and restoration of the OffIce Specialist position with a title change to Assistant City Clerk. Both proposed changes would result in zero (0) net increase to the budget. The Economic and Comn1unity Developn1ent Departlnent ("ECD") recon1mended restoration of the frozen Assistant Building Official position. The $152,000 contribution would be offset by the position's ability to perfonn plan-checking in-house, thereby reducing the budget for contract plan-check services. ECD had also suggested an increase of one (l) position, the ECD Coordinator. The Finance Department proposed Senior Accountant and Senior Financial Analyst classifications. The vacant Assistant Finance Director position would be dropped and replaced with a Budget and Financial Manager position at a slightly lower compensation. The Human Resources Departlnent proposed a flexible staffing ilnplementation with the creation of a Senior Human Resources Analyst. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 28, 2008 PAGE 2 The City Manager's Office proposed a change to the bargaining group of the Executive Assistant II position. The Information Technology Departlnent proposed a $178,000 increase in software n1aintenance costs to be spread across user DepartInents. Also proposed at no cost were fonnal organizational changes n10ving Engineering out fron1 ECD and into Public Works and n10ving Parks Maintenance and Building Maintenance frOln Public Works to Parks and Recreation. Regarding the CIP budget, City Manager Nagel explained the proposed approach to be n1indful of the economic situation, but n10ve forward on capital ilnprovelnents and not ignore then1. Director of Finance Steele introduced Financial Analyst Tribby who reviewed the General Fund S Ulnlnary. Financial Analyst Tribby explained the Sun11nary as compared against projections made one (l) year prior. Revenues for Fiscal Year 2008/2009 were expected to come in .5 million dollars less than projected. Sales tax revenue was expected to fall short of projections by 13% and building and fire pennits were expected to be down 19%. She fUliher advised that expenditures would likely be a lot lower than projected. Director of Finance Steele added that the budget reflected compliance with every category addressed by the reserve policy. Mayor Pro Tem Matsumoto questioned the ilnpact of proposed position title changes and flexible staffing options in consideration of salary surveys. City Manager Nagel explained that the concern had been considered when developing the proposals, and no liability issue was presented. Mayor Pro Teln Matsumoto then requested that staff take a look at revenue ilnpact in the cities that had raised TOT. Regarding the BLS, she questioned the basis of the assumption that two (2) calls per night would be the average. She fUliher queried the percentage of fire calls for parmnedics. Regarding the BLS demand, Chief White explained the Departlnent did a study to detennine the source of business and frequency of delnand. He further advised that 63 % of calls are for paramedics. The Department was interested in pursuing illness and injury prevention programs ain1ed at reducing this percentage. Mayor Pro Tem Matsumoto advocated an education progrmn to reduce dispatch calls into the Police Department. She also questioned the reason for the spike in calls. Chief of Police Raffaelli responded that calls to dispatch increased when 911 cell phone calls stmied being routed to the Police Department. He further noted that all Fire 911 calls COlne into SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 28, 2008 PAGE 3 the Dispatch Con1n1lmications Center. Councihnan Addiego questioned whether the retiree health contribution for the previous Fiscal Year reached $1 Million. Director of Finance Steele explained that at the end of this budget year, the total contribution for the year would be $1 n1illion and the contribution in the upcon1ing Fiscal Year would be .5 million. Councihnan Addiego questioned whether the proposed title change for the COlnn10n Greens Craft Worker was intended to recognize and reward specific talent. He further questioned the rationale for relnoving the vacant Assistant Director of Finance Position and replacing it with the Budget and Financial Manager position. Director of Parks and Recreation Ranals explained there were presently two (2) Con1n10n Greens Workers. One (1) was already so classified and the other was doing the work required of the position. Regarding the Budget and Financial Manager Position, Director of Finance Steele responded that the title change was intended to bring a different level of talent to the position, which would likely function n10re in line with expectations. Councihnan Addiego questioned the hourly percentage rate increase pertinent to City Attorney fees. City Attorney Mattas responded that the increase was 5% on the base hours and 400/0 on the hours over base. Councilman Mullin questioned the basis of elnployee salary projections. He also requested clarification of the City's reserve policy. City Manager Nagel responded that salary figures are calculated based on the CPI for the Bay area. Regarding reserves, Director of Finance Steele responded that the City's policy requires 2% of the General Fund Operating Budget to be set aside for en1ergencies and 7% for economic contingencies. Councilman Garbarino questioned the cost effectiveness of the Council car. Director of Finance Steele responded that the present Inileage reimbursen1ent rate was 50 cents per mile. Based on this rate, a car with Inodest Inileage is cost effective. However, if the car had low mileage, it would be more cost effective to eliminate it and reimburse Councilmembers for Inileage. Director of Public Works White advised the car was generally used for 2000-3000 miles per year. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 28, 2008 PAGE 4 Assistant City Manager Van Duyn advised the current car was an10rtized; thus, the only related costs were gasoline and n1aintenance. He suggested that elilninating the Council car Inight n1ake sense when the car was no longer usable. Mayor Gonzalez expressed appreciation for having the car available for Council's use and noted that he n1ade use of it often. Mayor Pro Teln Matsun10to questioned plans for dealing with potential onerous NPDES n1andates fron1 the state. City Manager Nagel responded that the potential NPDES fees could not be dealt with on an incremental basis, but staff plam1ed to pursue legislative relief with respect to this issue. Mayor Gonzalez questioned plans for centralizing BLS an1bulance service in the County. Fire Chief White advised that the County Manager's Office confirmed the proposal was dropped. He further explained that based upon the current contract, the topic would not be revisited for at least another 10 years. If at that tin1e an exclusive operating zone were created, South San Francisco would be grandfathered in. Mayor Gonzalez questioned whether population growth or other n1easures dictate the need for additional Police and Fire Department staff. Chief of Police Raffaelli explained that additional Police Departn1ent staffing was son1etin1es based upon population growth but was primarily driven by calls for service. He further added that the Police Departn1ent seeks to stay ahead of attrition rates and anticipated retirements. Fire Chief White advised that in addition to population growth and calls for service, the Fire Department also considers factors such as typical dollar-loss at a fire and specific types of fire pro blen1s, such as higher density buildings in the East of 101 area, when detennining staffing needs. Mayor Gonzalez cOlnlnented that the budget was very well balanced and inline with the City's needs. Mayor Pro Tem Matsumoto cOlnmended the Police Department for the quality of its staff. She further suggested that the Department might encourage neighborhood watches so that residents could develop the means to take SOlne responsibility for safety in their neighborhoods. Chief of Police Raffaelli advised the Police Departn1ent holds some neighborhood watch meetings. He further advised that incorporating residents into the process of monitoring their neighborhoods was a priority, but proved challenging in revolving community areas with a high rental population. Councilman Mullin questioned how the South San Francisco Police Department competes for staff with Police Departments in San Francisco and Oakland, which he observed were Inaintaining aggressive hiring programs. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 28, 2008 PAGE 5 Chief of Police Raffaelli advised that both San Francisco and Oakland were expending substantial resources to attract and hire new offIcers. However, the quality of applicants responding to the broad-brush advertising campaigns was not in line with the standards in1posed in South San Francisco. He fluiher advised that the South San Francisco Police Departn1ent attracts applicants through referrals and the internet. Mayor Pro Teln Matsun10to thanked staff and the Council budget subcOlnn1ittee n1en1bers, including Councihnen Garbarino and Mullin for their hard work in developing the budget. City Manager Nagel advised the budget would con1e before Council for approval at its Regular Meeting on June 25, 2008. 5. Review of the proposed Capital Improven1ent Progran1 for Fiscal Year 2008-2009. Director of Public Works White advised staff would walk Council through highlights of the proposed Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Capital Ilnprovelnent Progran1 docun1ent. Associate Engineer Scramalgia explained the proposed Program identified tlu'ee (3) types of projects, including new projects with new funding, existing projects with new funding and roll over projects with no new funding. She then reviewed the iten1s with new appropriations, about which Council asked various questions that staff answered as set forth below. Mayor Gonzalez questioned when and/or if streets located in the section of town on the North side of Hillside Boulevard would be resurfaced. Councilman Addiego cOlTImented that the triangle of streets in the North of Hillside Boulevard area were in bad shape. Director of Public Works White advised streets on the NOlih side of the Hillside Boulevard area were of the nature and character such that the type of micro-resurfacing work done in other pmis of the City could not be perforn1ed. Instead, the volume of cars and traffic required repaving on Hillside Boulevard. He fUliher advised that A, Band C streets had recently been approved for overlay and noted Belmont, Claremont and Drake n1ight be repaired in the next three (3) to fIve (5) years depending on the availability of Proposition 1 B funds. Mayor Gonzalez commented that three (3) to five (5) years would be too long. Director of Public Works White stated he would be mindful of the Mayor's concerns as funds became available. Mayor Pro Tem Matsumoto questioned why there were no new appropriations related to item No.8 under the streets program relating to the Oak Avenue Extension Study and observed that the funding was through Redevelopment. City Manager Nagel advised the funding had been approved in previous CIPs. Counciln1an Addiego questioned the inclusion of a centrifuge device in stonn drains. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 28, 2008 PAGE 6 Director of Public Works White advised the City was not buying and installing the devices. He noted that overtin1e, such devices installed and n1aintained by property owners would help to elilninate the introduction of trash and debris at the source point. Counciln1an Addiego requested clarification as to whether iteln No.9 under Sanitary Sewer pertaining to Sanitary Sewer Rehab related to the City's progrmn with hon1eowners. Associate Engineer Scrmnalgia advised the iteln did not relate to the hon1eowner progrml1, but rather related to the rehabilitation of existing pipes, n1anholes and sewer structures. Mayor Pro Ten1 Matsun10to requested identification of the type of RedeveloPlnent fl1l1ding used for iten1 No.4 under the Public Facilities Progran1 relating to the train station facilities study. Director of Finance Steele advised the iten1 would be funded by Redeveloplnent bond n10ney. Mayor Pro Tem Matsumoto questioned iteln No. 30 under the Public Facilities Program related to delnolition of existing structures and construction of a telnporary parking lot at 200-212 Baden Avenue. She fUliher queried whether the temporary lot planned at the location would include meters. Assistant City Manager Van Duyn advised the temporary parking lot was recolnlnended to accolnmodate public parking spaces expected to be lost during construction of the Miller Avenue Parking Structure. He further advised that based upon parking lot surveys done twice a year, the meter to permit parking ratio on the proposed telnporary lot would be balanced. He further comlnented that a pay box systeln n1ight be possible at the site. Mayor Gonzalez questioned whether the Italian Alnerican Citizens Club ("IACC") would contribute funds related to iten1 No. 21 under the Parks Program relating to the Orange Memorial Park bocce court reconstruction. Associate Engineer Scrmnalgia advised the IACC would fund 50% of the project cost. Mayor Pro Teln Matsulnoto requested identification of a tin1eframe for item No. 25 set forth in the Parks Program relating to installation of a skate park at Orange Men10rial Park. Mayor Gonzalez concurred with the Mayor Pro Ten1's request. Director of Public Works White and City Engineer Razavi agreed to identify a tin1eframe. Councilman Garbarino requested that staff look at the ways other cities such as Santa Barbara and Pacifica have funded skate parks. Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto questioned whether blinking signs used in conjunction with in- ground lighted crosswalks as seen in Peninsula cities such as Belmont were studied by staff in relation to items Nos. 18 and 19 set forth in the Traffic Program and relating to the in-ground lighted crosswalk project. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 28, 2008 PAGE 7 Associate Engineer Scrmnalgia advised that the blinking signs were new and were being introduced by various vendors. Mayor Pro Teln Matsun10to requested that staff look into whether the website could be configured to support online filing of City Docun1ents as related to itell1 No. 11 set forth in the Inforn1ation Technology Progrmn. She also questioned whether the Municipal Services Building supported public wireless access. Director of Information Technology Hollis stated he would look into e-filing capabilities. He further advised that the Atrillln in the Municipal Services building had a wireless access point capable of sUPPoliing three (3) to five (5) public users. Mayor Gonzalez requested that Cable Channel announcen1ents be reviewed for tilneliness. Director of Infonnation Teclu10logy Hollis advised the DepartIl1ents notify his staff to ren10ve announcements as necessary. Mayor Pro Teln Matsumoto proposed that Council consider implelnenting funding for an EOC in Fiscal Year 2008/2009 in the mnount of $llnillion dollars out of bond money. She opined there was substantial value to this last cOlnponent of the new fire station. Fire Chief White agreed to put a report together to pennit inclusion of an EOC in the CIP to be presented at the June 25, 2008 Regular Meeting of the City Council. Mayor Gonzalez questioned "Phase XXII" identified as iten1 No.2 in the Airport Noise Insulation Progran1. Associate Engineer Scrmnalgia advised the item related to continuation of the program extended to 180 hon1es in the Winston Manor area. 6. Adiournll1ent. Being no further business, Mayor Gonzalez adjourned the lneeting at 8:27 p.m. Sublnitted by: Pedro Gonzalez, City of South San Francisco SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 28, 2008 PAGE 8