HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 07/22/1999July 22, 1999 Vol. "33, Page 235
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2 City of Petaluma, California
3 Minutes~of a Special.
4 ~ City.Council Meeting
5 ~ - - Budget Workshop.
6 ~ ~ Thursday, July 22, 1'999'.
7 _
8 Members of the Petaluma City Council met on .this date of 7:_00 P.M. in the Council
9 Chambers. -
10 _ '
11 ROLL CALL
12 '.
13 PRESENT: Council Members,Cader-Thompson; Maguire,.and Torliatt
15 ~ .
16 ABSENT; Council Member Hamilfon,''Healy; Vice Mayor Keller, and Mayor
17 Thompson ~ " .
18 ~ }
19 Clerk's Note:. There being a lack of a quorum; Counc~l~IVlembers present agreed to have a
2 0 workshop to review segrnenfs of-the City's=Draft;Budget document for FY 1999 - 2000, allow for
21 public imput, and have a dialogue with City Management in public view. No acfion was taken.
22
23 }~ ~ ~ ~-: ~~ PUBLIC COMMENTS
24 ~ ••
25 Geoff Cartwright, 56 Rocca Drive, spoke regarding the flooding problem in Petaluma.
2 6 ~ _. ...
...- -
27 `" - -, COUNCIL COMMENTS
28
2 9 None
30
31 CITY MANAGEMENT COMMENT/
32
3 3 None
34 _
35 UNFINISFIED BUSINESS
36
37 1 Workshop - Pefaluma's Budget for Fiscal Year 1.99.9-2000.
38
39 SPECIAL PROJECTS
40.
41 No questions or comments.
42
4'3 PLANNING AND BUILDING
44
45 City Manager Fred ~Sfouder overviewed ;the budget, stating that City Management.
46 proposed and had budgeted for a reorganization that included refining, if not
47 completely restructuring, :Planning and Community Development. It included taking the
Vol. 33, Page 236
July 22; 1999
1 existing functions;and transfer.cing the DevelopmentEngineer.ing°functions.; that is, two
2 Engineers from Engineering to Planning,: and re=employing or re-.instituting the; Building
3 Inspection Diui'sion to Planning, which had reported to Mr.. Hargis over the last couple
,_,
4 of years. City Management was~woCking,through configurations, but to some degree
5 did not want.'to have it 'in final form .:until a Director of Community IJevelopment .was
6 appointed. or hired. . .
~ ~ .
-.
8 Council Member Torliatt :asked if funds 'were.. included in the budget.: to physically
9 improve: the physical work.environment of the department.
10
11 Interim Planning Manager Vi-n Smith _replied that as proposed', no money~was<available
12 for physical: modifications.. It was not,certain, with the-reorganization, how much room
13 there would be for additional staff. Over the.nextsix months., City Management would
1.4 examine the needs:.C,urrently there were open'ings.;for two Principal:'Planners and; a
15 Senior Planner and', he thought'the positions: would' be filled within the next four to sik
16 month's; `this created some salary savings...,;ln addition the .combined budgets :of
17 Engineering; Building, Rlanning, Housing, and Redevelopment, which had money
18 available, would allow~the'department to pool'ifs resources and d'eterrnine the source.
19 of those funds. .IJur.ing the next`.fiscal year, City .Management would fake a serious
~9 p y p~-_
201 the calendar year, and~lo efull have a .tan fora remodel starting at the beginning of
22
23 Council Member Torliatt concluded'that City Management would' use: the money from
2 4 vacant positions for some of .the remodeling.
2 5 ~ ,; ,
2 6 Mr. Smith replied that this was one concept: There were approximatelyfive: positions
2 ~ vacant between Building, Engineering, Planning. His approach was that; he;believed
2 8 the goal could b.e accomplished without necessarily increasing the budgef in the
2 9 process.
30
31 Council Member Torliaft: asked .if the .Council would be given the opporfunity for a x-
3 2 month review of the budget.
33
34 Mr. Stouder rep,l_ied "yes," adding .maybe not. rnonfhly beat certainly quarterly; Gity .
35 Management would want to .provide an; update in detail. He thought it wou'Id be
3 6 September or closer to January before the: new department positions: were in place...
3 ~ There were several reasons for that. -The Department. of VV'ater"Resources triggered
3 8 much. of the reorganization; it; did take time, and. City Management, wanted. to hake ;a
39 ,smooth transition: He:continued. that; he wanted to be sure that Mr: Hargis had ,the
40 Corps Project in almostfinafcornpletion stage before having him turn his'full attention,
41 or even more than :a small, part of his attention; to a_ department approach to watee
42 resources. That would trigger a lot of other activities.
43
44 He also wanted to~ have a Director of Public Works by January 1, 2Q00'. 1Nhen the
45 initial management leadership positions were filled, an October to March timefrarrme,
4,6 then it would really start to roll:.
July 22, 1999
Vol. 33, Pa9e 237
1 Jn addition,. regarding. water,, it was hard fo separate the three department
2 restructurings frorn~each other. Mr., Hargis, Public Works,. Engineering, and a lot ofi
3 other people spent, a lot of time. the .last. six months thinking this through. and
4 coming up with ideas.. He had participated in. many of those .meetings and there
5 had been many more meetings he did not attend.
6
~ From the Trafifie Engineer to the Development Engineer to the Water
8 Superintendent talking through these things, the Public Works restructuring had
9 not .had the benefiit of having all the necessary parties present, such as the new
10 director. He was reluctant to say, "Here's the actual final design of the house,"
11 without having the new manager present and being sure that all the other people
12 in the organization ,had been involved.
13
14 _ Council Member C:ade:r-Thompson stated that She heard from the public that if a
15 project was going to happen in their neighborhoods, small or large, they wanted to
16 be notified at the beginning of the process, not just when there was going to be a
1~ public hearing
T 8 - .-
19 Mr,.:Smith replied: that City. Management. was starting to look at what should get
2 0 ~ noticed. Traditionally, the :City did not. notice preliminary applications. Past belief
21 was that it was, an opportunity for the developer to have a general conversation
22 .with-.the Site~Plan and Architecfural Review Committee (SPARC) or with staff on
2 3 what they'were proposing. He thought City Management was examining that past
2 4 thought and incorporating, for certain projects, a notice fee in order to get general
2 5 feedback from the public. It was not fully instituted; some notices were sent for
2 6 certain preliminary review projects such as a,project in a riverfront warehouse,, or a
2.7 proposal at Freitas Road and. Lakeville Highway for the Planning Commission's
'28 preliminaryreview of their proposal. He thought the Council would see more and
2"9 added that the. process needed to be formalized. David Woltering was looking at
3 0~ the public participation process and making some recommendations. City
31 Management was already instituting some of these. He thought the preliminary
~~ 32 review process would become an expanded public participation process.. He
'33 thought it was valuable,. at the very beginning of a project, if the City heard from
. 3~4 the neighborhood their feelings about the project. It would certainly help the
35 developer in the long run.
_3~6
3'7 ~ : Council Member Maguire mentionedthe noticing requirements and the established
3 8 300' radius. He thought that if it was large project, a larger area should be noticed
3 9 because it would have a greater impact.
40
41 Mr. Smith replied that~CtyManagernent.was customizing the notice. list so that the
42 first cut minimum requirement was 300'.. In addition, they were looking at the
43 projects and making a judgment call on howfarout people would be interested in
44 commenting on the project and in fact were going well beyond 300' for many of the
4 5 projects.
46
Vol. 33, Page 238 July 22, 1.999
Council. Member Maguire referred to page 227, under Department 1Norkload :and
:Activity,, a subsection;near'the,bottom, Detention Pond Study; and read,.. "The Planning
Departrnent:is assisting in the preparation and review of the ninety-day study. As a
follow'up project, the Planning Department will revisif the allocation process with. the
City Councilonce the outcome of the study is known. " He asked if that refer"red to the
housing, allocation.
Mr. Smith replied `yes."
Council Member'' Maguire wanted to know why ttie housing allocation was being
reconsidered: based on the Detention Pond Study.
Mr. `Smith replied that .the action. the Council. took was. to e~ntinue to forego making a
formal action on the housing allocation process until 'the ninety-day study was
complete, It"was. more of a pJaceholder for City Management as a reminder that it ~ _
needed: to be completed.
Council. Member Cader-Thompson asked what the'Redwood Crossroad; was.
Mr. Smith replied .that it was at the Pacific Cinema site.; the total area.;being 'studied
was thirty acres. I started with a development proposal on the corner`of~Old Redwood
Highway and North McDowell Boulevard for a shopping.center and was expanded to -
add the old,l<leeg Family Tr,usf property'di`rectly on the of_,f-ramp and at Home Road to
`tf1"e west, directly `to 'the west of the theaters acid to take over the ,remaining vacant
portion of the~theafer site. ~ ''
Council Member Cader-Thompson clarified that if`was just the corner:
Mr. Smith replied `yes:`"
ENGINEERING
Mr. Stouder stated that` Mr. _Hargis~also wanted to use this as an opportunity to talk. '-_
about the Department of V1lafer' Resources...: He continued thatonce, C'ify Manager;nent's
efforts were focused and concentrating on water quality, flood managemerif, water ~~
reuse„ and conservation, ;snore than an idea but a proposa'I~ evolved and' asub- -
committee was. formed .of 6-12 people, chaired by Gene. Beatty.; that: cut across ° ~ -•
departmental lines: The committee worked through a va"retyof proposals, not only, for
Water Resources, but also for Public Works, Rlannng and Community IJevel,opment.
In the case of 1Nater Resources, Mr:,. Hargis, as the new Director of 1Nater Resources
and Conservation beginni'ng.January 1, 2000, had further refined and done an,:an."alysis
of the work fhesub-committee produced; ,he wanted to talk to the:Cou°ncil informally to
share his thoughts and'.get the Council's thoughts, comments; and;suggestions and to
answer .any questions regarding the traditional Erngineering Budget.
Director of Public Works and Engineering Tom Hargis asked if the Council had any
July 22, 1999
voL;33, Page~239
1 questions. regarding th,e Draft ,Engineering Budget. _ -
2
3 Council Member .Maguire referred to page 261 of the budgef document,; under
4 Performance Measurements, and read, "Add two enhanced;pedestrian crossings
5 (Putnam Plaza blinking lights)."He asked why that.was in parenthesis, wanting to
6 know ifi anoth'e`r example'was going to be added. ~ ~ -
7 ~ ._
8 Mrs Haargs replied. that it was donee to identify what a pedestrian crossing was and
9 differentiate if from a crosswalk. ,~ ."` `
10
11 Council Member Maguire inquired if the downtown. was the targeted area.
12
13 Mr. Hargis replied that it was and continued that one of the performance
14 measurements established would require~C:ity Traffic Engineer Alan Tilton to look
15 at pedestrian, bicycle., vehicular, bus, traffic counts, update speed counts; traffic
16 calming devices, what worked, what didn't, and from that determine the impact on
17 some projects.
18
1.9 Council Member Maguire asked how in-depth of a circulation report would be
2 o possible.
21
22 Mr. Hargis replied that it would not supplant the General Plan; it was more geared
23 towards the discussions that occurred about Sonoma Parkway, for example. The
24 City had done undulations in some neighborhoods, traffic circles; existing streets,
25 and. traffic circles.with some new development. _It was intended to feed into the
2 6 greater aspects of the GeneraLPlan.and,the Circulation. Element on a small scale.
27 He.announced the upcoming meeting the following Thursday regarding Detention
28 Pond Study and Surface Water Management, another endeavor for community
29 outreach and education that may be able to feed. into the General Plan.
30 _
31 Council Member Torli'att did not see any River`Enhancement Projects iri the Draft
32 Engineering Budget. There had been discussion about improvements under the
33 "D" Street Bridge, even though funding was to come from the Petaluma
34 Community Development Agency budget. She thought'fhat project should fall
3 5 under the, purview of the Engineering Department. She added "that she. didn't ee°
36 anything relative to Lynch Creek and. the recent. action by `Council,to pucsae.
.~
37 additional funding for the under-crossing, under Highway 10i. She thought that,.
3 8 was a sign_ifica:nt project and should be included~asrwelf as looking atperformance
3 9 measures that, were not auto- related, and tracking the„type of projects and' the
4o amount of dollars the City spent on that in addition `to auto related projects. Shea
41 thought that was something City Management should track...
42
43 Mr. Hargis replied. that, with respect to the "D" Street and Lynch Creek projects, ,
44 they were foregone conclusions and not shown as:pe.rformance measurements i.n
45 the budget document. The assumption was they would be done and had Council.
46 commitment already:
Vol. 33, Page 240
July 22, 1999
1
2 Council Member Torliatt thought°if the department spent time. on projects ,within the
3 ~ fiscal year;. those,projects should be identified in the budget.
4 _.
5 Council Member Cader=Thompson said; she warned ,to;have a bookl'ef available for
6 the public that offered 'ideas and provided industry terming ogy ab-out roads; for
7 example! so a.neighborhood that wanted to get involved could get together; look at
8 options, and begin a :dialogue with the Engineering Qeparl:ment. V1/ith respect to
9 water, she wondered if; the City had, looked at what :Napa did with- their "Living
1o River,Plan;" perhaps weaving something similar into the General Plan.
11 -
12 Regarding pedestrian .crossings, next to Longs Drug Store. on North Mcpowell a
13 Senior Citizen Housing, ,Project was I?eing constructed. The 'intersection by the
14 shopping, center and the community center was difficult :for pedestrians. 1Nhen a
15 project was. coming, through, she thought that the City needed. to look at 'the
16 .roadways. on either side to ascertain necessary improvements as part ofi, the
17 development project.: She.added that when the Lakeville and "D" Street renovation
18 began,, she'warifed. to have. aright-hand turn land to force traffic to use Lakeville
19 and use Caulfield. to get across town;. so fewer cars would go down Old East "D"
2 o Street to access 1Nashington Street.
21
22 Council Member Torliatt stated that in addition to mortorin~ the amount of money
23 the City spent on auto versus .non-auto related project's, she fhoughtthe.source of`
2 4 funds :was important; that is; federal., atate, or City-matched .dollars.
25 -
2 5 Mr: Hargis. for clarification gage as an:example `the Lynch Creek project;: stating
27 that a-lot of the funding was from pedestrian and bicycle-oriented funds. He~added
2 8 that those types- of.projects and funding amounts should be highlighted fo show
29 the City was.utilizing those opportunities:
30
`.. .. ,
31 Council Member Cader-Thompson asked what the ,process was for fiundng .a
3 2 project-and-what a neighborhood could do to get their resources together to start a
3 3 project. -
,3 4 ..
35 _Mr. Hargis replied that~the C`itywas~revi'ewing that;process:. He thoughtthat in the
36 future there would'~be a benefit to some partnering with the neigHborhoods to
3 7 resolve ome of the .Health and safety issues, rather `than having the issues blow
38 'up, and,tlie Council'beeome the arbitrators. He noted that the LakevilleVVidening
_.
39 I?roject was,going out to~bi;d on Friday. Forfuture projects the Citycould'lookinto
-4:0 'possibilities of'expanding right=hand turn capabilities from "D"'onto Lakeville.
41 - _ - .
42 Council Member Maguire noted that he .had cbnueraationa with. Traffic Engineer
43 ~~ .Alan Tilton over the years .about a left-turn. signal for cars 'traveling east on "D"
,.:
44 "Str-eet;-as there were3 accidents there and it would allow people to get over to
45 Washington Street safely He reca.Iled Mr., Ti,Iton telling"him that to do a dedicated
46 right-hand furs and have enough for through and left°would mean acquiring Borne
47
July 22, 1999
Vol: 33, Page 241
1 of the property at the corner;; he thought that it may be included in a fufure
2 Circulation. Capital Improvement Project (CIP).
3 _
4 Mr. Hargis was not sure about that.
5
6 Council Member Torliaft noted that drivers in the right-hand lane at that
7 intersection shot through the intersection; she had~seen so many close calls. She
8 did not know how #o better sign it in the interim, but restated that it was very
9 dangerous.
10
11 Council Member Maguire had suggested to Mr. Tilton that instead of green in both
12 directions. on ``D" Street; it should be green forward and right turn and everyone
13 going east could go in whatever direction they wanted and when that turned red,
14 the oppo"sing direction could go straight, left and. right.
15
16 Council Member Torliatf said that was not the problem; it was the. drivers who went
17 straight.
18
19 Council Member Maguire and:erstood, but replied that it was the problem because
2 o they can't get through in the middle lane because people turned left at the shared
21 straight/left lane.
22
23 Mr. Hargis said he would have the Traffic Engineer take another look at that.
24 intersection.
25
2 6 There were no' other questions or comments regarding the Draft Engineering
27 Budget.
28
29 Mr. Hargis proceeded to give an .overview of the. development of the Water
3 o Resources and .Conservation Department,,. including a projected Timeline of where
31 the department would be in six months, a year, and in five years. His report
32 addressed near-term staffing .arid mentioned and reviewed those positions as
3 3 follows:
34
3 5 1. Financial- Manager - He thought one of most important things. for the
3 6 department- was to get a firm :grip on funding for the long-term for
37 projects:like the treatment plant, water-transmission facilities, as well as
3 8 ~ smaller but none the Less important maintenance type of projects.
39
40 2. Surface Water Hydrologist -Interest in flood control, water. .quality,
41 ~ surface water management issues. ,The City'had an existing model of
42 the water supply system, a traffic model, and a model of the. sewer
43 collection system. He wanted the City to have an in-house hydraulic
44 model of the Petaluma River.. He hoped to hire someone with a
45 hydrology background.
46
Vol. 33, Page 242
July 22, 1999
1 3. GIS .(Geograp.hic, 'Information System) Tecf~nic~al -Currently,; the
2 Engineering Departmentfunctioned Ito keepahe water, sewer,,,and: sfo,rm
3 drain basin maps up to :date... He saw this position as ;someone 'in the
4 organization who was dedicated to. keeping the.. reaps current.,
5
6 4. :Utility ...Foreman =Taking-the. existing. water system and. making :it ra part of
~ the total water resources; the: position carried a financial capability, bond'
8 issues, rate increases, connection .fees, certificates of participation.
9
10 5. Engineering Technician - `One year from now.
11 _
12 He thought: it was ambyitous to ,have something like this. in place or even proposed for
13 January.2Q:0,0..He had' several conversations, with the City Manager about not bung
14 too iambitious with, the department. The list of things they could get intq and do
15` needed to be done in increments that allowed for a demonstration of accomplishment.
16 .and progress,and were rneasurable:.,'There was a need to be~ selective. in this process
17 because there were just too many good and interesting ~thin~gs to ~be involved in.. He
18 thought it_may,be a little ambitious-money-wise and timing-wise; it was i'rnportant~that
19 he and the `two new directors had the oppo:rfunty to wank together and do some
2 0 visioning,.
He provided an overview of the issues. and projects the new department would
address. He thought the City had some opportunity to make improvements. and
significant changes with'its regulatory capability; it did not have to be all asphalt,; dirt,
and landscaping modifications. He noted he would propose an ordinance regarding
d'evelopme:nt in the floodplain, possibly no development in .the floodplain or some
variation. He .knew detention ponds would be a hot-topic in the ,real estate market;
However,-when there was a house with a leaky sewer ;lateral, and a requirement to
inspect the sewer and repair before'theho:use was sold,,this was an example of how to
address inflow and .infiltration problems: There was a,lp`t of.enthusiasrn and he:looked
to the Council for temperance; they didn't want to over commit.
;33 Council Menabe,r Torliatt, was. glad' to see included in the draft performance
3 4 measurements, "Maintain the design-life of the Corps of Engineers project to preserve
3 5 fhe hundred-year level of protection.
36
37 Mr. Hargis stated the City cou d do its part within its boundaries and.ad'ded that~there
38 was a need to work with the county and the watershed groups to preserve ;that life
3;9 because the: City did ..not :control its destiny, One of the important things he saw in' his
40 potential duties was working i'n that greater arena, to, involve agencies other:than the
41 City of Petaluma with what the City wanfed to do.. He saw it as the kind ofiactivity that
42 could bring opportunities and a greater awareness.
43
44 Council Member Maguire noted the abundance of ,great opportunities that were
45 made manifest by the Urban Growth Boundary (U.GB), because, without that, so
46 much of the administrative energy was focused outward on newdevelopment.,
July 22, 1999
Vol. 33 Page 243
1 Now that 'it was in, p ace, the City could ,go back and find out what its working;
2 systems were. in an effective and environmentally efficient way. He loved good
3 fertile thihking.
4
5 Mr. Stouder commented on the entire concept of performance measurements. If
6 ordinary tasks and day-to-day responsibilities were the subject of the conversation,
~ there could and wouf'd~ be hundreds in each department; he then provided a
8 number of examples. The examples he stated were daily, monthly objectives and
9 tasks; performance measurements were established by a process of determining
1o what was really important, needed to be understood, was ambitious, and must be
11 done. The City was trying to address its critical needs and. determine how it would
12 know when it these were met. The processes would easily fail if the City tried to
13 accomplish fifty along with the two hundred daily things. The question was which
14 two or three really needed. to b.e done, not only in Water Resources,r but all
15 departments. He continued to provide examples of what that~might entail ;in the
16 area of Water Resources; he believed°the examples provided were easy to~state
17 but hard to achieve. This was important`over the next several years to understand
18 and focus on. ~ ~ ~~
19
2 o Council MemberMaguire did not want to be discouraging but on the chart prcvided
21 showing the. department layout by January 2005, he pointed out an aggregate of
22 twenty new,positions,.. four positions per year. He stated,the City had trouple~filling~ .
23 two or three new positions in any given year in the past and wanted to know if .
24 there was a plan on how to accomplish this. . '.
25
26 Mr. Hargis- replied that he started with the chart that showed the positions of a
27 Financial Manager as one of the: first hires, as there was no way the.,Cify could
2 8 achieve these kinds of ideals without creating„a financial structure,. Surface;wate,r
2 9 and storm water regulations: and the population in the City now being rn. excess of ~ ~ ,
3 0 50,00.0 would force some positions. The City would be gcng into mandates fo.r
31 surface water and storm drain maintenance and would` need to look at
32 mechanisms, such as an assessment district like Santa Rosa had, or perhaps a
3 3 modification of the existing Zone 2A Benefit District, in order`to finance compliance
34 with those regulations.. Itleally, he thought there were,. some cross-training
3 5 opportunities-that -could reduce some of the. numbers., among; other-things, but the
3 6 draft plan was ari open-minded visioning process.
37
3 8 Mr. Stouder noted that-some of ,the things Mr. Hargis talked about were things that
3 9 were noviror were about to be mandated' and would impact the City; the City would
40 be in a position that it would have to comply. If in fact this was not the case,. if
41 things changed, then objectives and, performance measurements may not have to
42 be realized.. It was not an exercise of building a castle but rather what it took to
43 accomplish what the City was or wou_Id be required to do or achieve, which were
44 really baseline responsibilities for the community, such as water quality and flood
45 protection, for example.
46
Vol. 33, Page 244
.July 22, 1999
1 Council. Member Maguire asked if there were other furidimg;mechanisms, such as
2 grants,. state or:federaf funding opportunities, associated with, mandates imposed
3 `on a City with a populaton~of 50,000 or more.
4
5 Mr. Stouder replied Ghat there were some but they were "teasers" to get into ;the
6 business; the days ofistate and federal grants, as they°w,ell knew; were: long gone:
7 There were some to lure an agency in with planting money but he did not think
8 there was even 25% coverage available by grants to make improvements,, The.
9 assistance there would be .more: on the regional approach; that.. is, on regional
10 drainage and wafer issues and even: at that, 'itdid not mean that it;w.ould cosf less:
11 It meant that regionally it might be more economically efficient for` the larger
12 questions:-
13 ~ ~„ • .
14 Mr. Hargis added more thoughts: Some of the structuring, within the five=year
15 horizon,. may be transfers of existing personnel within department: There maybe
16 an,En~ironmental Planner that was a shared function, a contract on an as-needed
17 basis. The,interit was~to show functions such,as needs, concerns, reminders, and
18 maintenance. He expressed concern and cautioned the City to consider' how. it
19 `would accommodate future.growth in the area,and how resourceswould be shared
2 0: between areas.
22 ~ C.ouncil cMember Maguire mentioned a peripheral canal in the Cal-Fed Program
23 ~ ,thatpoten`tiall,y posed a threat to Northern California's :eco-system :because of the
24~. need'~for `water''in .Southern California,, Currently, if was a little snore of a
25 ~ cooperative process than, what transpired in 1975 or 1°979 but nonetheless.,,. he
'2 6' agreed with Mr. Hargis that it,~was incumbent upon the Cityto keep these: issues in
2 7 mind:
28
2,9 Mr. Hargis stated. that he thought the~lNater Resources Department .would. be
3 0 involved with- issues like 'this and Council had indicated, that it wanted. to become
31 more proactive: in legislative actions at higher and broader levels of governmeht.
32
3 3 Council Member Gader-Thompson thanked Mr.. Hargis for his work and noted~that
3 4 the proposal was refreshing to look at. She thought. `it important #hat peop e
35 understand that discussions about a moratorium; on development were. to
3 6 implement 'plans such as Mr. Hargis presented.. Plans ,like these would enable
37 smart growth or°at leastprovide a direction. To slow down was not wrong; it would
3 8 provide for a healthier community; a place with a higher :quality of life.
3 9 "Moratorium" might sound like a terrible wo"rd to people who: want to develop, but
40 #or the gualityof the co"mmu,nity, a fewyearswas not,reallya.proble.m: Regarding
41 the RMI Study, it was_ a first step towards: addressing water°;issues in Petaluma and
42 the-county.. She asked if'the Lawler Reservoir had been dismantled.
43
44 Mr, Hargis replied that the filter plantthat went along°w,ith the reservoir was gone,,
4 5 probably for about #ive years: The ,reservoir was :either effectively, empty or~empty;
46 it was a reservoir #haf required diversion from creeks to be filled. Since the
47
July 22, 1999 Vol. 33, Page 245
1 operation was shut down, water was not being diverted anymore.
2
. ~ 3 Council Member Caller-Thompson wanted that option to remain open in the event
4 it became a viable source for water again.
5
6 Mr. Hargis rep ied that it would have cost the City a lot of money to rebuild the
7 system and the biggest. concern was surface water protection. In order for the
8 reservoir to be~a.source of water supply in future., it was necessary to have control
" 9 over the entire: tributary; that, is, fencing the creeks, allowing no cattle,. minimal
10 access by people.; and it would take a lot more land than what the City had at
11 Lafferty Ranch to restore thatwatershed and be able to protect it for surface water
12 supply. Also, issues may arise with the commitment of .water to Adobe Creek for
' 13 fish purposes,, should the City go :back on that agreement.
14
15 Council Member Maguire-added that the dam did not meet the Bureau of Dam
: 16 Safety Standards and it would cost many millions of dollars to repair because it
17 was an earthen dam.
18
19 Mr. Hargis continued. that the earthquake vault went through two of the
2 o embankmenfs on Lawler.
21
22 Council Member Torliatt said at some point it might become cost effective;
23 perhaps in ten or twenty years.
24
25 Mr. Hargis stated the City was at a point.: where it should think before it acts.
2 6 Lawler wou Id have problems now; it did not mean that. it needed fo be built the way
2 7 it was. Maybe there was a different, way of .approaching it, such as with piping,
28 storage, partial diversions, and looking at it as a source for peak and demand
' 2 9 situations.
30
31 Council Member Maguire. stated that the City had preserved the headwaters of
~. _ 32 Adobe Creek as belonging to the City and public; hopefully that would always be
3 3 the case.
34
3 5 Council Member Cader-Thompson referred to page 267 of the budget tlocumenf
3 6 -and stated that she had provided the City Manager with information .about Kerrie
" 3 7Smith of the Center for Energy Efficiency and. Renewable Technologies (CERT).
. 38 She. would .like Ms. Smith to speak to the Councif regarding Green Power. She
3 9 wanted the 'information. shared with Mr. Hargis and asked that arrangements be
4 0 made for'.Ms. Smith to address the Engineering Department and the Council about
41. possibilities on the topic., perhaps sometime after the summer.
42
43 PUI3LIC'WORICS
44 -
45 Mr. Stouder explained -that the Public Works Department would remain as it was
46 . with the addition of engineering components from the Department of Engineering'
47
Vol. 33, Page 246
July 22,,1999
1 including Traffic..,. Traffic Engineering, and: Transit., it-would fje expanded in ,its
2 functions to absorb pieces of the Engineering Department.. The Department of-
3 Engineering; as known,; was being split:, Two positions were going to: Planning,
4 two engineering positions that did Curren"t ~,developrnent.re~iew. Several positions
5 that address water issues, Mike B'an in particular, were going, to Wastewater
6 Engineering, and Project Management on Water Reesources The day-to-day
7 engineering services and. inspection services and capital., irnprovement:engineer,ing
8 would go to the Department. of Public Facilities, as he called it, femporarily. There
9 would:be a full-time Director.
1.0 ~ .
11 Gene Beatfy served three positions,; if' not more. He was an Assistant City
12 Manager, ho;use.d. in the City ':Manager's Office:. He was also Director of Public
13 V1lorks, not housed out there,, not' .able to devote 100% of his time in th'e
-.
14 management and leadership of the issues that a City of #his size faced just in
15 operation; 'an_d maintenance.: Mr. Beatty performed a variety of other duties: as
16 Council well knew. Each _six.months or each year there .was a new opportunify for
17 him. He was:also'the:Director of Animaf Services over. the last several months and
18 a variety of other positions.
2::0 Mr. St``ouder thought°the interests and needs of the comrnunityand the'inabilify of
21 the community to really have. .a concerted program. onthings like equipment
22 replacement'pr pothole filling, werea result of not having. someone there 100% of
2 3 the time to help diagnose and provide: leadership and problem solving- and'.
2 4 financial proposals to do the day-to-day things: The: p.bthole need among others;,
2'5 just ordinary.operational maintenance, was. a big. need here,. The City eliminated'
2 6 one of the. two Assistant City Manager positions by focusing on strengthening
27 department ..heads and :redirected those funds closer°to the actual workforce in
28 positions like afull-fime Pui?lic Works Director,
29
3 0 .Assistant City Manager Gene Beatty referred 'to page 295 of the draft 'budget
31 document and stated that. the- :budget was constructed using the eurrenf
32 organizational structure. 1N;ith the proposed'reorganization, a significant°portion of
33 what. was now Public 1Norks: would be eliminated and reassigned mostly to the:.
34 Water Resources 'Department.. 1Nhat will be left was still a significant area of
35 responsibility in the maintenance area.
36
37 He acknowledged Steve S'immonsfor an excellent job on the day-to-day care antl
3 8 feeding of ,Public UVorks;along with Randy Wyatt; tfie sole supervisorfor a variety
3.9 of the responsibilities of the d'epart'ment. There was some relief' with the recent;.
4:0 selection of an Airport Manager. Ted Anderson had been with the City for about;six.
41 months and had accomplished a number of very important projects; not the east
42 of which was the upgrading ofithe initial undergroundtanks at the airport. The: City
43 was in the. process of upgrading the last one; the Council recently awarded the .
44 contract.
45
4 6 Council Member Torliatt noted'that she: recently stopped by the office at the airport
July 22, 1999 Vol. 33; Page 247
1 and was pleased about the physical improvements made.
2
3 Mr. ,Beatty .replied. -the City- heard mostly positive comments .about the
4 improvements; he• thought it was brighter, more functional, there were new
5 restrooms: Mr. Ari'derson did, a ,;great job, a lot on his own time and effort; to
6 accomplish this and did a lot of outreach to get the dust settled. He thought it was
7 a much better facility:tfan it was before and complimented Mr. Anderson for a job
8 well done.
9 ... - - -t
1 o Although a finite orgariizationalsfructure was not completed, work was being done
11 on drafts of what the department,would, _be., The reorganization of this City function
12 was critical as the 1N~ater Resources Department was developed. Currently, the
13 way the Department of F.ublic Works and.the Engineering Department worked was
14 that the Engin~eeriig'Department;designed'and was responsible for building. public
15 projects. The Pub is Works ~Department;was primarily a maintenance function of
16 the City; -they did potholing,- street markings, street signs., signals and fleet
17 maintenance. ~^ -
18
19 In addition, Public ~1Norks was also responsible for Transit. The City had. one
2 0 person, James Ryan, who was responsible for two contracts, both fixed route and
21 paratransit, and he, Mlr: Beatty.;thought, had done a great job:; the City's ridership
22 was higher than e~er.The airporf was technically another area that came under
23 the organizational_stru_cture ~of ;Public V1/orks; during its development stages it
24 came under thewing of the City Manager's Office but as things changed, he
25 thought it would be a Public Works.furiction.. Another plan was to obtain, in Public
2 6 Works, .engine-enn,g capability so `that one portion. of the City was responsible for
27 the design, construction, and maintenance of public facilities. He thought that
28 would be a big bonus. Those were the main things that were happening.. He
2 9 stated that the City wa's very understaffed. and under-funded out on the street. to
3 0 maintain the. City's infrastructure; that needed to be .addressed long term. He
31 asked if the Council had any questions.
32
3 3 Council' Member Torliatt. referred to page 303 and asked for clarification of the
34 number of traffic signals in the City; the document stated there were 45~ trafifc.
3-5 signals and she thought there were 51.
36 .
37 Mr. Stouder stated there was a term, "specialized. signals," and that there were
3 8 three o,r four thatw,ere not the standard intersection signals. There were 45 or 48
3 9 regular signals and then there were these "specialized signals."
40
41 Mr. Hargis stated that he did not knowthe exact number of signals and added that
42 the figure reflected the number of full traffic signals that were maintained by the
43 City,; Caltrans also.maintained some. Technically, a pedestrian flashing signal was
44 not called a traffic signal.
45
46 Council Member Torliatt continued that it cost the City approximately $200.00 per
Vol. 33, .Page 248
July 22, 1999
1. month per light for the. electricity to keep them running, She did not ;think- the
2 general public,was aware this.
~.
4 Council Member Maguire pointed ,out-that there 'was an economic opportunity
5 knoekin ; a solar anel on to of the si`g~nal with a battery would sage a slot of
9 p p
6 electricity.
Mr. Beatty called the Council Members'- attention to page 303 of the draft,budget
document,. an update that included'. Animal. Control in the Public Works.
organizatron~al structute. The City had identified .an Animal Services Manager: A
committee: interviewed. her-the previous,:evening.. She: had participated_rn:interviews
that day for a Volunteer Animal Educational' CoordinatUr. The City had :also
identified. a preferred .candidate for the ~Shelter~ Supervisor anal, was~`half way
. _
through' the process of selecting A_nimal'Control Officers.~Two more interviews
were scheduled for the following week for Kennel Attendant positions: '~So far, he
was. very pleased, especially with the '.Animal _ S;ervices~ Manager's, position
candidate. He thought ;if the City was fortunate .enough' to hire -thee, S:h,elfer
Supervisor candidate who was. number one on the list, things would go`well, He
continued. that space needs designs were:atarted-for'ahe expansion of the. shelter;
the. architect was meeting with the Animal'Service"s Advisory;Committee..
22 Council Member Caller-Thompson thanked Mr.. Beatty ,for. ;his work on the
2 3 committee and his sense. of humor. She wantedto know about fund'ingto improve
2 4, 'the Corp Yard.. r
26 Mr. Beatty replied that a Facilities CIP would come beforethe Council very soon:.;
27 The replacement for the Corp Yard was still pending. Th'e City~need_ed to fi.nalze
28 its location and determine whether 'it would be a ,part of the Central Petaluma
2 9 Specific Plan. Nothing really significant. could happen until ahe .relocation..of. the
;.:
3 0 water treatment plant occurred. Even then, he th`oug'ht it would be a stretch to'find
31 the money to accomplish that. Improvements'tothe Animal Shelfer. would be the
32 first component to `improving the facility. It was amulti:-million dollar projectjand
33 currently`there were no funds to implementsignificant improvements there, i.t;was
'34 a,major goal°to identifythose'funds. Jn hi"s opinion it was one of the City's sorriest
3 5 facilities.
36
37 PARKS AND RECREATION
38
3'9 Mr. Stouder irifroduced Parks and Recreation. IJ:irector Jim 'Carr and Parks.
40 Supervisor Ed Anehord'oguy and asked if the Council had any questions.
41
42 Parks and ,Recreation Directgr Jim Carr described the. department's employees as
43 people who ,go 'a long way to provide. qualify of life :for the community, as the
44 Council's "Good=lN~ill Ambassadors." There were three divisions: Recreation;
4 5 which included childcare; Parks,; .and the: Marina. 'The sphere of services ranged
46 from pre-school through senior citizens. The Senior Center:facility had reached
47 ..
July 22, 1999
Vol. 33, Page 249
1 capacity and the City was looking., to do some expansion there;.. this would be
' 2 addressed during the presentation. of the Capital Improvement Program.: The
' 3 .Petaluma Community Center was the most heavily used facility in the community
4 and included, paid events, publichearings, public meetings, and staff meetings with
5 various departments,; improvements to the facility were in progress, such as
6 rep acing the carpet.
7
8 Much like. the other departments; ..Parks and Recreation had an ever-growing
9 inventory, such as turf, trees, and landscape ..areas. 1Nith the level of use, he
10 commended Mr, Anchordoguy and his staff for keeping it green, keeping it safe.
11 Capital Improvement Projects being considered would be addressed when
12 scheduled. The Landscape Assessments were discussed at the Council's last
13 meeting. One area that he thought was kind of a "nugget" was the Building Facility
14 Maintenance section. There was orie facilityperson who cared for every building
~;
15
in the City. Mr. Carr pointed out the fremendous amount of work that was involved
16 to do the job and remarked what a great resource this kind of effort was to the
1~ City. He then "asked. for questions.
. 18
Y _ 19 Council Member Caller-Thompson stated that it was important for the public to
' 2 0 recognize how little money the City had to maintain all of its departments and
_
- 21 services;; there was: only one electrician, one person for facilities maintenance.
- 22 • She thought it was amazing how much act-wally got done and expressed her
2 3 ~ appreciation to all the departments and all the people who worked for the City for
24 ~ such a great job.
25
2 6~ Mr. Carr added that the efforts of personnel went straight across the City from
- 27 department fo department. Randy Wyatt of Public Works brought his crew over
2 8 and they re-striped the entire parking lot at the Petaluma Community Center. If Ed
29 Anchordoguy'needed help from them, he got it. Engineering had given assistance
3 0 to them as ~wel with their Capital Improvement Projects. He thought that was one
31 of`the nice qualities of a small community like this. City Clerk Beverly Kline and her
• - 3 2 staff helped; too:; they were just a phone call away and the City was maximizing its
33 resources.
34
3 5 Council Member Maguire added that he and Council Member Tor.liatt attended the
3 6 PPFC 25th Anniversary at the Senior Center earlier and reported that it was
,.
3 ~
"packed." He thought it was great the facility was getting that kind of use.
38
39 Council'.Member Torliatt stated that the community was very fortunate to have the
4o number of recreation programs the City provided of such quality for the amount
41 paid. She commended Mr. Carr for the programs provided. and acknowledged his
42 efforts in coordinating them. She had never heard any complaints about the
43 programs and she thought that certainly said something.
44
45 Mr. Carr thanked her and said that spoke to the professionalism ofthe staff and he
46 would pass That on to them.
Vol. 33, Page 250 July 22, 1999
1
2 Council Member Maguire asked M_r., Carr "to send the Council's. appreciation and..
3 added ,that he appreciated Mr. Anchordoguy's responsiveness to the~ch~ip bark;and.
4 pesticide issues:
5
6 Mr. Carr acknowledged Mr, Anchbrdoguy as the coordinator of the City's Graffiti
7 Removal Program;, these were, approximately 70-80: persons participating in the
8 community. fos.example, the day before he seee'ived a calCfrom someone abouf
9 .graffiti; when he drove 'by today, °the graffiti was gone.. Mr. Anchordoguy and hi"s
1o group. we're. responsive and dedicated and a g"rect. resource for the community,;,
11
12 Council Member Tosfiatt:.agreed. She had received compliments from people who
13 saw members of'the community, painting, over the graffiti that had' only been there
i4 one day. She thought that was definitely an asset to'the City.
15
16 Mr, Stoudernoted that it was~8:3O P:M: He suggested.the Council revisitFsome of
17 the issues .discussed for `the behefit of the Council Members not present.
18
19
2~0 ADJ:OURN
21
2.2 Council .Member Maguire asked :if there was anyone present. wanting to anake:
23 public comments: These being none he adjourned the workshop .8:30' P:'M.
24
2'5
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33 .ATTEST:
34.
3
3 BeveslyJ.'Kline;, City Clerk
37
38
39
40
41
G~ti~'
Matf Maguire Council Member
42 ******