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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4_9_2001 - Council Minutes - Adjourned Regular MeetingAPPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL ON APRIL 24, 2001 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES ORANGE, CALIFORNIA OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING APRIL 9, 2001 The City Council of the City of Orange, California convened on April 9, 2001 at 6:00 p.m. in an Adjourned Regular Meeting in the Weimer Room, 300 E. Chapman Avenue, Orange, California. 6:00 P.M. SESSION 1. OPENING 1.2 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG Led by Mayor Murphy 1.3 ROLL CALL CITY COUNCIL PRESENT - Slater, Mayor Murphy, Coontz, Alvarez ABSENT - Alvarez NOTE: Councilman Alvarez arrived at 6:15 p.m.PLANNING COMMISSION PRESENT - Smith, Romero, Carlton ABSENT - Pruett 1. 4 PRESENTATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTSIINTRODUCTIONS _ None 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS - None 3. CONSENT CALENDAR All items on the Consent Calendar are considered routine and are enacted by one motion approving the recommended action listed on the Agenda. Any member of the City Council, staff or the publicmayrequestanitemberemovedfromtheConsentCalendarfordiscussionorseparateaction. Unless otherwise specified in the request to remove an item from the Consent Calendar, all items removed shall be considered immediately following action on the remaining items on the Consent Calendar.3.1 Declaration of City Clerk, Cassandra J. Cathcart, declaring posting of City Council agenda of An adjourned regular meeting of April 9, 2001 at Orange Civic Center,Main Library at 101 N. Center Street, Police facility at 1107 North Batavia, the Eisenhower Park Bulletin Board, and summarized on Time-Warner Communications, all of said locations being in the City of Orange and freely accessible to members of the public at least 72 hours before commencement of said adjourned regular meeting.PAGE 1 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 9, 2001 3. CONSENT CALENDAR (Continued) ACTION: Accepted Declaration of Agenda Posting and authorized its retention as a public record in the Office of the City Clerk. MOTION - Coontz SECOND - Slater AYES - Slater, Mayor Murphy, Coontz ABSENT - Alvarez Item 3.1was approved as recommended.END OF CONSENT CALENDAR 4. REPORTS FROM MAYOR MURPHY - None 5. REPORTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS - None 6. REPORTS FROM BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS _ None 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS 7.1 Report on the Seven Year Capital Improvement Program.The City Manager reported on the draft Seven Year Capital Improvement Program that covers July I, 2001 through June 30, 2008. The CIP identifies 185 projects which are being proposed for the seven year period. Fortheupcomingfiscalyear, 32 projects are new and being proposed and 129 projects are continuations ofpreviouslyapprovedprojects. With these projects, the Council is investing over $21 million in capital improvements in the upcoming fiscal year and more than $155 million over the seven year CIP planning horizon.Of the 185 projects funded or carried over for Fiscal Year 2001/02, forty are road and bridge projects, thirty are signal and lighting projects, fourteen are storm drain and sewer projects,twenty-four are water infrastructure projects and seventeen are park or trail improvement projects.The projects involving city facilities and equipment are becoming an increasingly significant portion of the capital projects. Over the past two years, including the upcoming fiscal year, the City will have earmarked over $ 16 million for facility and equipment improvement should those projects continue to go forward. This includes the City Hall seismic retrofit, remodel of Fire Headquarters seismic retrofit, funding for future Main Library, renovation of Taft Branch Library and the replacement ofthe FinancialManagementSoftware. The significance of this trend is that facility and equipment improvements generally require funding through the General Fund while most street lighting and water projects receive funding from outside funding sources or restricted City funding sources.PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 9, 2001 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS (Continued) The final CIP document will show only the unexpended amount of each project that will becarriedoverinto2001/02. Of the $21 million in projects identified for FiscalYear 2001-02,approximately $5 million is funded through the General Fund. The majority of funds in theCIParenon-general fund projects such as Measure M, Community Development BlockGrants, Gas Tax, other transportation related funds and developer impact fees.Regarding the City Hall Seismic Retrofit Project, the City Manager has begunacomprehensivestudytolookatotheralternativeswithoutacommitmentofthe $400,000 that it wouldtaketobegintheformalengineeringstudies. The Financial Management System is severalyearsold.Resources are being identified to determine what it will take to implement the program. At this time, the City Manager recommended not to move forward this next fiscal year since it will take an additional $2 million. It was recommended to fund $1 million and put offtheFinancialManagementSystemforoneadditionalyear. The main reason is ifthe City movesforwardwiththeCityHallSeismicRetrofitandremodel, it could further complicate the addition ofanynewhardwareandimplementationofnewsoftwarebecauseofhavingtomovetheMISDepartmenttothebasementwhichcould cause disruptions.The City Manager further commented he is concerned about having somecontingencyplansshouldtheeconomyslowmore, such contingency plans to include reducing staffingbycurtailingthefillingofallcitypositionsinordertoconservemoneyand prevent layoffs.Councilmember Coontz commented she is pleased that the City Manager isconsideringoptionsatthistimeshouldarecession take place.Mayor Murphy felt planning at this time is necessary especially since they arehearingconcernsfromStateSenatorAckermanandothersregardingtheelectricityissueandrebalancing of budgets.Mayor Murphy questioned the carryover policy. The City Manager explained eachyeartheprojectswithcarryoverfundsarereviewed. If the project will not go forward, staffwillreassess the projects.The following Department Heads gave an overview of their CIP projects: Public Works Planning Commissioner Romero asked if the estimated completion dates were reasonably close to the estimation shown in the CIP? The Public Works Director indicatedcomplicatedprojectdatesareunpredictable; it depends on how much public support there is in thecommunity; as well as attitudes of property owners reaching settlement agreements on right-of-ways. These are the best estimates without a lot of detailed engineering work being done.Councilmember Coontz asked about Level 3. The Public Works Director indicateditusedtobecalledSpectranet, which is one of the CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 9, 2001 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS (Continued) Community Development Councilmember Coontz commented the General Plan addresses almost all the elements included in the CIP. The Community Development Director remarked the Capital Improvement Projects need to be consistent with the General Plan. Councilmember Coontz asked when will the General Plan be completed. The Community Development Director estimated 2002/03. Councilmember Coontz commented by that time some ofthe issues in the CIP will be more defined and may change. Commissioner Carlton asked when the Housing Element would begin and are there any segments of the General Plan the Planning Commission can be working on apart from the Traffic Management Plan. The Community Development Director commented a draft of the Housing Element has been completed and transmitted to the State Housing and Community Development Department for review and approval. After their approval, it will proceed to the Planning Commission and Council for public hearings. Councilman Alvarez asked what strategy would staff come up with as they take this information to the public? The Community Development Director indicated as staff works through the General Plan, it will be a community oriented public outreach effort. The process has not yet been defined, but will get Council input before the process begins. Community Services/Library Councilmember Coontz recommended the Community Services/Library Director expand the description section on Page 389 to include the goals and direction. Commissioner Carlton asked how long would it take for a consultant to come up with a Library Master Plan? The Community Services/Library Director indicated 12-15 months.Councilman Alvarez asked if the Library Foundation was part of the Master Plan? The CommunityServices/Library Director indicated the Foundation has met and one of their goals is a new Main Library Facility. The Foundation plays an integral part of fundraising for that project.Councilman Slater recommended that any renovation plans done on the north side of Hart Park should include a historical consultant and have staff contact the Old Towne Preservation Association. The CommunityServices/Library Director indicated they would make sure this was done.Councilman Slater asked about Cerro Villa Park which has been put off for many years. There was an article in the newspaper that indicated the City was to receive $1.3 million of State Park money and asked ifthis was over and above what is already in the budget? The City Manager PAGE CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 9, 2001 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS (Continued) noted there have been complications regarding Cerro Villa Park. Council has identified a higherneedforsportsparkswhichhasputoffdevelopmentofpassiveparks. Cerro Villa Park has an old landfill in it. However, a recent report confirmed the landfill site was a burn site and it is in a better situation for potential remediation. Staff is in the process of making a grant application to the EPA to see if the City qualifies for EPA funds of approximately $250,000 to assist with site assessments that would include Cerro Villa Park. The City's per capita share is $1.1 million anditisnotincludedinthebudgetbecauseofasetofrequirementstobemet. The applications will be made in July or August. If the City qualifies, Council will have funds to make recommendations on where those funds will be allocated. Councilman Slater commented there are pressing needs in the City for sports parks, but the residents near Cerro Villa have been waiting for a long time and it's overdue. Councilman Slater commented there are other State and Federal grants available and asked how aggressive the City was in getting these sources of funding. The City Manager assured Councilman Slater staff is coordinating a search for grant funds out of his office in every place possible. Commissioner Smith commented there were expensive Library studies completed a few years ago by a consultant that explored the north/south/east and west areas of the City which are available for review. Commissioner Carlton asked who will maintain the park at Serrano Heights? The City ManagerindicatedtheCitywillmaintainthepark. Councilmember Coontz expressed concern regarding the liability with the tot lots and how will they be addressed in the future as the City redevelops the parks. The City Manager indicated staff has developed selection criteria that meet ADA standards. Councilmember Coontz commented new equipment and maintenance need to go together. The State Librarian visited Orange last week and was impressed with the City's historical section in the Library's basement. It deserves a special grant which the State Librarian felt was easy to get. The historical section is an important part to the entire community and County. It has been overlooked because of its poor location and it should be considered in the planning of the new facility because it is a valuable collection and the envy of any city in the State of California. Councilman Alvarez asked if there would be project managers answerable to the City ManagerfortheCIPprojects. The Community Services/Library Director indicated there were project teams that would report to the City Manager. Councilman Alvarez asked if money was set aside specifically for a Library facility or an account the City could draw from. The City Manager indicated the funds have been earmarked for facility development. As a part of that development there could be expenditures for a needs assessment and/or architectural renderings, etc. which would be brought to Council for approval. PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 9, 2001 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS (Continued) Fire Councilman Alvarez asked what the differences were between the roof project, seismic retrofit and headquarters remodel. The Fire Chief gave a history of the roof project which had funds that were carried over. Also, fees were set-aside and carried over to remodel Fire Headquarters. The purpose of the remodel was to bring Fire Prevention personnel back to headquarters from the Orange Street site.The City Manager cautioned the Council that with more information becoming available as these projects progress, concern was expressed that the City may not be able to meet the funding necessary to complete the projects. Ifthe project is too costly, the alternative approach will be to scrap it and start over, maybe building a smaller scale Fire emergency station or another close location. The City Hall Seismic Retrofit Project is receiving the same analysis and will be closely monitored.Economic Development - Housing Projects Councilman Alvarez asked for an update on the Experian Agreement as it is coming to a close. The Director of Economic Development indicated the agreement had one more year and they are moving. They have met all their commitments under the contract. The agency is working with Spieker concentrating on the landscaping of the street median. Commissioner Smith asked about the redevelopment project at 190 S. Olive and the projected use of the property. The Director of Economic Development reported the lease on the property is two more years. At the end of that time an evaluation will be completed. Commissioner Smith asked if the Senior Center expansion was an option. Mayor Murphy indicated it was. Estimated Fund Balance (Copy on file in the City Clerk's Office) The City Manager reported the estimated unreserved fund balance for 6/30/01 is $8,600,000 and discussed the sales and property tax impacts as well as estimating revenues. The City Manager explained the distribution of funds to other projects and indicated there will be an estimated Unreserved Fund Balance of $3.8 million as of 6/30/02. The City still maintains an additional 25% contingency reserve at $15.2 million in the event of any major catastrophe and as part of a contingency plan for downturns in the economy. California was slated to be much stronger but the energy crisis is very real and could cause a mass exit of important businesses from the State. Several hundred thousands of dollars have been added to accounts for this reason and will be discussed at the next Study Session. The next few years may be more lean and this could affect some of the major capital projects. The Public Works Department has done an excellent job going out for competitive grants and were successful receiving federal matching money for the City's road projects. This is approximately a 1/3 match for the City to receive 66% of the federal funds for road projects the City would not otherwise be able to do now. It is important to go forward this year with the road projects. PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES April 9, 2001 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS (Continued) Councilmember Coontz requested additional detail on each of the categories be made available to Councilmembers. Commissioner Carlton asked who monitors the street lights? The City Manager indicated they are on light sensors and the City should be called if a problem occurs. Mayor Murphy recognized John Jameson, 5627 Crest de Ville, who submitted a letter from the residents of Crest de Ville concerned about a promised Cerro Villa Park years ago. The funds were established in 1996 and tied to Standard Pacific Parkridge construction, but have been moved to other park sites in the City. The residents are looking for a solution to have this parkdevelopedsoon. Mr. Jameson also commented on the median shoulder and used Goldenrod as an example that Standard Pacific had developed. The City Manager acknowledged funds have been spent on sports parks because of grant funds received from the State. Part of the problem in continuing funding, was the City did not have a Quimby Ordinance which is State Law that designates certain developer funding to be spentwithinaparticulartimeandarea. The City was faced with increasing demands from youth in sports and trying to keep kids busy in terms of reduction of crime, which has been effective. At this time the City finds itself in limited development and funds. The City has tried to take a new look at how to move forward on park projects with master planning and shelf-ready plans so when the opportunity comes for competitive grants and possibly State money, Council can prioritize the needs and move forward.The City Manager indicated part of the planning project is to do the environmental work which includes community meetings for the design phase.Non-Agenda Item - Orange County Register Newspaper Request The City Manager announced the Orange County Register is soliciting information, as amajorproject, from all Councilmembers throughout the County asking for five goals from each member. The City Manager encouraged Council to consider either identifying goals that are consistent with City planning in the past or do not identifY ones that require fiscal inputbeyondwhatarebudgeted goals.The City Manager suggested the Council work as a team and cautioned as these issues arebeingthoughtoftobecognizantofstafftimeandfiscalissuesbeyondthescopeofthe budget.8. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER - None 9. LEGAL AFFAIRS - None PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 10. ADJOURNMENT MOTION - Murphy SECOND - Coontz AYES - Slater, Alvarez, Mayor Murphy, Coontz The City Council adjourned at 7: 45 p.m.CuuWC/tfCrrA/Ad CASSANDRA J. THCART, CMC CITY CLERK Ji fA f' rf\MARKA.MAYORApril 9, 2001 PAGE 8