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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-02-1975 City Council Minutes MINUTES SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL TIME: Wednesday, July 2, 1975 - 7:30 P.M. PLACE: Saratoga City Council Chambers, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga, California TYPE: Regular Meeting I. ORGANIZATION A. ROLL CALL Present: Councilmen Brigham, Bridges, Kraus, Corr,~Matteoni Absent: None B. MINUTES Minutes of June 18th regular meeting to be considered at July 16th meeting. II. BIDS AND CONTRACTS A. A~REEMENT FOR MAINTENANCE OF STATE HIGHWAYS IN THE CITY OF SARATOGA Due to certain policy issues with respect to this proposed agreement, it was recommended the agreement be continued for further discussion at the Committee of the Whole Meeting on July 8, 1975. III. PETI. TIONS,'ORDINANCES AND FORMAL RESOLUT-IONS .~ A. REPORT FROM JEFF NORMENT,-DIRECTOR,~RECYCL~'CENTER,~ONRESULTS~OF.RECYCLE CENTER USE SURVEY Jeff Norment presented his preliminary report on a survey of p~ople who utilize the Recycle Center, which was conducted as a part of~.~H' Ecology class at West Valley College. The survey took into cons4deration factors such as: Percentage of people who utilize the Center, age range~ occupations, where they reside, type of materialsrecycled, and reasons for recycling. He indicated he would be presenting a comparison survey on this information at a later time. Mayor Bridges thanked iJeff for this report, indicating the Council would look forward to his final conclusions o n this survey. B. PETITION REQUESTING PEDESTRIAN WAY ALONG QUITO ROAD BETWEEN NORTHERLY CITY LIMITS AND BUCKNALL ROAD It was agreed by the Council to refer this petition to the staff for further consideration of possible alternatives, right-of-way, and costs involved in implementing the proposed walkway, and report their findings to the Council. C. PETITION REQUESTING THE INSTALLATION OF LEF~ TURN LANES ON SARATOGA-LOS GATOS ROAD, PARTICULARLY AT PEPPER LANE, PARK DRIVE, AND MENDELSOHN LANE, AND URGING THE CITY COUNCIL TO TAKE STEPS TO SPEED UP THE PROPOSED INSTALLATION The City Manager explained the CounCil has previously gone on record_FS~ approving this project; ,however, the Director of Public Works has been recehtly advised that the State~"~tl~U~'~l~'~F~i~B~,~th~ 'p~63~ could be implemented. It was hiT'~6~'6~h~nda~6'6~th&t th'(~'ur~'~f'action at this point would be to arrange for ~ representative from the State Transportation Department to meet with the Council to help provide clarification of priorities. The Council concurred in the City Managerbs recommendation to request a ~ep~e- sentative from the State to meet'with ~he Council, and this(~~ i ~ '~-~ for a Committee of the Whole Meeting on July 22nd. D. RESOLUTION NO. 85-9.20 A Resolution Amending Resolution 85~9 and 85-9.16, Rev,ising Salary Ranges, Personnel Policy and Fringe Benefits for Non-Management Employees of the City of Saratoga It was moved by Councilman Kraus and seconded by Councilman Brigham Resolution No. 85=9.20 be adopted. The mot. ion was carried. IV. SUBDIVISIONS, BUILDING SITES AND ZONIN~ REQUESTS A. SDR-1175 MATT VOROS, MT. EDEN ROAD'(Cont'd. 6/18/75) a 1 rl , The'City Manager explained th t th s~i~_tem pe tans )~ a-request by ~. Voros to appeal Condition-"N" of the Planning S~ff'RepoFt, which states: "Proposed dwelling must have a minimumrecognized 6" water main capable of delivering 1,000 GPM for one (1) hour. He then asked Chief Kraule of the Saratoga Fire District to comment regarding fire service in this area. Chief Kraule commented .that the Fire Department has been concerned with the~> ~]a~Z~ierce Road area with respect to inadequate water supply for fire serwce for some time. He further commented that he feels any further develop- ment in this area would hamper the present' homes in this area. He felt that tanks are one way of resolv. ing the problem, but they cannot completely correct it. Also, he felt tanks are a poor way to plan this area, as there is not adequate water supply to service a home during the time it takes for the Fire Department to reach it (approximately 7 minutes). Mr. Voros addressed the Council, stating that he would be willing to install a water tank at his own expense .to protect his home. He furthep commented that the adjacent property owner has received Final Approval from the County to build his home. Mr. Voros also pointed out that there is a fire hydrant in front of his property which he understands tO be a private line, and cannot be used. Mr. Van Dugn~ Planning Director explained that the private wateL_l~.ne_to w~hich Mr. Voros refers is one which Mr. Day has put in to service the~rgpp~ed_2~_'~.qOt sub- division on the other side of Mr. Eden Road. He indicated that the line is not in use presently. The City Manager indicated this is one area~_~eTe~i't.y.ST~ou~d_like ~o a~oach L~o:. {r~d~a~h~~f~ i~enc~ -for 'the fi ~e "~ ?': ~'~ (depar~To ~Fo~s e~ ~o~~ ~urr~t'l~n~ '~.' ~'~6~i on · t'~l'l. ' After considerable discussion of this matter, it was moved by Councilman Kraus that the Council sustain the Planning Co~ission decision to impose Condition "N", with the understanding that if in the future~9~tion is found to the problem of fire protection in this area, the Council would be amenable to determining whether or not it would want to re-open this appeal and~Sany proposed solution. Councilman Matteoni seconded the motion, and it was carried unanimously. B. SDR-1186 RICHARD G. CARLSON It was moved by Counci'lman Brigham and seconded by Councilman Kraus Resolution SDR-1186-1, granting Final BuildingsSite Approval, be adopted, and the Mayor be authorized to execute the Deferred Payment Agreement in connection with Pike Road improvements. The motion was carried. .- 2- C. SDR-1065 KOCHER-TYLER, BIG BASIN W~ AT FIFTH S~REET The City Manager explained this proposed addenda would provide for an additional $2,000.00 incurred as a result of the re-design of the oversize storm drain project, amounting to a total of $15,000. It was moved by Councilman Kraus and secondedby Councilmah'Brigham this modification to the Improvement Agreement be approved. The motion was carried. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED:1975;76 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (Cont'd. 6/4/75 & 6/18/75) The City Manager indicated he has no new information to present at'this time, except to verify comments in this morning's newspaper concerning new County assessment figures. He indicated thatthe new figures are approximately 10% above what the City was initiallg.'uSing. He indicated the property tax,Tbased on a tax increase of 7.8~, would bring ~n approximately $400,000.00. \ CounCilman Kraus asked .if 'it has~been established what it would cost to con- ver~Ythe present system over.tO the data processing system, and also, approximate ' response time. The City Manager indicated the Ci~y:~ould go with a ]5-year program for $9,600.00 each year. ,~ , . Mr. Hendrickson, Assistant to the City Manager, commented~l~ to the question of response time, indicating that~TF~a'~3~(~i~t~d '3~'~o'7'4~f~rent ~st~and, for example,~O.S.I. could prov~T~v~ffi'ght~espo6s~ervice. ~h~'V~ous~Tu'~'~ evening with respect to the proposed budget, but were not. These were: l) Prospect Road Landscape Maintenance proposal; 2) Rat Control Program; and 3) Chamber of CommerCe request for $1,000.00 increase over that amount(i~h~T~oposed budget. to cover additional overhead expenses. The Mayor then declared the public hearing re-opened at 8:45 P.M. Miles Rankin, representing the Saratoga Historical Foundation, addressed the Council, indicating there is a proposal before the City Council to establish a Historical Committee in the City.. He indicated the Foundation was hoping there would be money allocated in the Budget for someone in the City Planning. Department to assist in the function of designating homes and sites as histo.rical sites in the Ci~.y~y~aSatoga, and they had hoped ~ ~]~]Lthi~sPos~gT']~the'near future. "~ '~"~ ....... ' .... ' The City Manager explained that what is being proposed is that the function of the Historical Commission would necessitate the need for staff time as outlined. The Council also discussed modifying this function somewhatto take away the need for staff time. ~- Mayor Bridges indicated that funds are included in the Budget to pay personnel to achieve the inventory the Historical Preservation Co~ission has foreseen; however, there is no money in the budget for a formal commission and designated staffing from the Planning Department. Rather, this would have to be a volunteer project,'~ith aid received from the Planning Department. Councilman Matteoni comented he understood' there was some concensus that the Planning Commission would be receptive ~o formally receiving an inventory list of present and proposed historical sites, and felt the Commission would be willing to adopt a resolution endorsing the Historical Comission, thereby. giving it historical significance fn Saratoga. A'lso, he co~ented that the City would like to extend its appreation for the past Gfforts of the Historical Commission by trying to make available more. staff time for {hese projectS. -3- 1975-76 Fiscal Year Budget (Cont'd.) Frank Perdichizzi, 19804 Colby Court, indicated he would like tovoice his objection to the proposed budget with the proposed increase in the ~ity tax rate. He commented that instead of proposing a budget increase, the City should be looking at areas where it could economize. Mr. Perdichizzi commented that we are presently experiencing a recession, compounded'by inflation, and that while other people are being laid off, or taking cuts in pay, the City GoVernment wants to increaseits tax rate. Mr. Perdichizzi commented that the proposed budget is considering additional personnel, upgrading positionst and even putting in an electronic data accounting system, and this is being planned by means of'increasing the tax rate. He stated~ that he does not agree this 'increase~of personnel or increase of services is necessary, especially during a time of recession. He commented that the~County is "holding the line" on its taxes, and he feels the City of Saratoga should do the same. He felt, also, that the City..Manager should be looking at the possibility of com-" bining duties and reducing personnel. Mr.-Perdichizzi indicated that the proposed budget states that the average property ,tax rate wi31,be increased 10.2%; however, he stated that a survey which he~made with several of-his neighbors indicates an average assessment increase~l (~er 15%, and in some cases,~as high as 40 to 50%. Therefore, he didn't underst~n~re this 'figure'came from, except possibly some industrial properties, such as shopping centers, which do not get their assessment increased. He felt it would be good for the City of Saratoga~to look into the relative tax increases of these industrial properties as compared to private homes, as'he doesn't feel industries should be getting off "scott free". Mr. Perdichizzi indicated that the property tax increase, assuming a 20 to 25% increase, would result~in approximately $25,000.00 increase in revenues for Saratoga. He commented that a 20%increase would provide 4~cents, and he feels this would be more than adequate to cover exis.ting services in the City of Saratoga. It was his opinion that streamlining the government begins'at home'~ and the City Manager should be looking into what could be done to master this. Mr. Charles L~'~z~, 12495 Ti.tus Avenue, member of the'County Taxpayers Association, indicated he was not present for'the first formal hearing on the proposed budget, and did not get to hear Mr. Hern's comments, however he has received a summary of those comments and reviewed same. He commented he would have to agree 100% with what Hr. Hem had to say. Xt was Mr. Lfti'~s feeling' that~..~_~ery- one would have' to agree with the comments ma~tonight that the which are proposed are those which cannot be abided by. Hr. Lex~{~]indicated that he talked with City Nanager Mr.' Beyer the other day, and was appalled to learn that only 'eleven people have shown up to voice their objections concerning the l0 cent i~crease to the city ~ax rate. He commented that he wonders if the~e had been a 'statement in the San Jose Hercury ,yesterday that "the City of Saratoga is requesting a 50% increase to their current tax rate", how many peopl~ would there be present'in the audience tonight. He commented that this is about how %{'works out now, in that there is currently a rate of 20 cents on the dollar, and the City is requesting a lO cent increase. He further commented that there are people in the County and. the City who are receiving a fixed income and trying to live on $132 to $232 per month, and he doesn't-know how the Council can si~ here and say they want. to increase the tax rate 50%.beyond its current rate. Mr.~stated~t he b~lieves we~ have to think about what bene~i-ts.ail 'of the people,~'~:l~C~i~;~'~res~.~ groups, ~a~-~'(~ th~i ng of' ~nrembr0yb an~ al 1 owl out of h~d~h~S~si~Of' the Nanni ng: Department expenses, :as wel 1 as Administrative expenses. He indicated he feels it is time we took a very hard look at what we ape doing, and commented that this year with a 20~ increase in the assessed valuation of property, we ape going to realize some $28,000 to $30,000 increase in our taxes. Nr. L~t~further commented that it would appear' to him that if we were to hold the line on the tax rate as the whole nation is -4- 1975-76 Fiscal Year Budget (Co.nt'd.) attempting to do, that we would more properly be carrying out 'the responsi-~ bility as a city government, and he'finds it almost:~mpossible to believe that consideration is being given to increasing the city tax rate almost 50% over what last year's tax rate was, when many of the people who are footing the bill for city government are unemployed and drawing welfare, and don't know how they are even going to keep their property. RussellCrowther, 20788 Norada Court, addressed the Council, indicating that he is also concerned about the increase in taxes. He indicated that'he conducted a poll in his homeowners association, and the average tax increase amounted to 40%. He further indicated that the_~t. hing which concerns him 'is the trend, and he would like to specifically~ugge~]the City take a harder look at where it could make better use of citiz~s ~d volunteer help to assist i n getting this job done. It was his feelfng that the City is going too much in the direction of the "big government syndrome", and 'he would like to see the budget looked at in this respect. It was his feeling the City is getting fufither away from being a minimum service city. Mr. Crowther further commented that~he was pleased to see Senator Smith's position on tax reform, and he would like to see the City take formal action endorsing this position. Also, he commented that the County part of' the tax is not a very large part and it is not clear that the assessments are not actual; therefore, he would like to adopt a formal resolution to the County to provide a city breakdown, by community, of the tax increase over the last several years. It was his feeling this breakdown would better help the citizens to u~derstand this in- crease, as he felt one of the reasons so many people are concerned about this is that they don't have the data and they don't really know the trends. Mayor Brldges.L~.~ad~.anto the ~record on~esltem of~corres~o~e'fromHarr May_/jf,eld, c ~___~9.'~d~'~C'(f'~'t~G6~6~'Go~F~"~ ~of ~ataoa~a~edLto 'th~ ~op~d ' bu~g~t~ -'._'-~-~_L.- "' . " -' ~ It was then moved by Councilman Kraus and seconded b Councilman Brigham the public hearing be closed. The motion was carried. The public hearing was closed at 9:05 P.M. Councilman Kraus indicated he wouldlike to offer some suggestions in an attempt to cut propos~ budget operating costs ~o the absolute minimum. These were as follows: 1) Hold each department head responsible for a 5% reduction in his department, not be cuttingout essential services, but taking care to control to11 calls,'supplies, travel, etc., being cognizant of reducing operating costs to the absolute minimum. 2) Recovering the full cost of of agendas and minutes, etc. from those requesting these item. 3) Costs for every service offered by the City be borne by th6se re- questing these services. 4) Suggested that the City not fiire two permanent additional city ~ployees, but rather, try this on a daily basis. 6) Look at 'the possibility of volunteer help fromsome of our talented retail people. 7) Concentrated effort on the part of the city staff to keep expenses at an absolute minimum. - 5- 9975-76 Fiscal Year Budget (Cont'd.) 8) The City Council review all requests for additional funds through- out the year-with a critical eye. 9) The taxpayers of Saratoga; when making requests for .additional servi'ees, realize that city expenses have risen just as much as' theirs. He concluded that he is concerned not only about this year, but also the years to follow, that economies~become a way of life,~and a ~ound fiscal policy be maintained. Also, that we do not jeoparodize the General Fund. reserVe, and ultimately make the burden of taxation on residents as light as possible. It was also Councilman Kraus's' recommendation the budget not be adopted this evening so further consideration of!his suggested reductions could be given. Councilman Brigham commented he would f~vor the Budget as it is proposed, as he has reviewed i.t in detail and found the only way to cut it woul~ be to cut police services, which represents an extremely large increase. Councilman Matteoni 'commented Ithat he would be reluctant to do any more trimming on the proposal for Consulting Geologist for the Planning Department, as he felt this to be a necessary function which would pay for itself. He further commented that the area of police services places continues demands on the City, and it was his feeling this pushes Saratoga beyond'the'original concept of a "minimum service city". Councilman Matteoni further commented that he is hesitant t~ endorse the Rat Control Program; however, he would be willing to work through those items in the. Budget to see what can 'be worked out. Also, he ind~catedhe would not be opposed to seeing what the 'individual departm6nts might suggest i.n the way of economies. He indicated his other area of'concern would be to protect as much as possible the RevenuesSharing monies, or Capital Expenditures. He also commented that(~h'~'~G~d~(~d6e~h6~ propose expanding ~n personnel, and the Consulting ~eol6~positionl'~uld:not be considered 8s"a City employee. Councilwoman Corr commented that, inline with Mr. Kraus's comment on the 5% reduction, she had looked over the proposal that was given to the Council, and she wasn't very happy with some !of them because they woua8.be cutting some of the things .the City had already started and wanted to continue with. She indicated she agrees with the philosophy that everyone should try to hold back on expenses as much as possible. Councilwoman Corr further commented that the Council is constantly being~k~d1 ~F{6~p6~e for more police protection, and this seems to be where the greatest "~ncrease is. It was her feeling the budget as proposed was a fairly sound one. Mayor Bridges commented he feels this budget reflects the amount of funds needed to run the City in a physically real?istic manner, and he would favor the budget as it has been reworked. With respect the inclusion of'the Prospect Road Land- scape Maintenence proposal, he suggested this be accomplished by utilization of federal funds to purchase the needed equipment, and putting the work under the charge of the City's own Communi~ty Services Program. It was then moved by Councilman Brigham and seconded by Councilwoman Corr that the proposed 1975= 76 Budget-~adoDted. ~T~T~hTG~l~ti~~n-~o~d'on ~ car~d'S~cTl~n Kraus] voti~ng' i~o~i~ '~ ' ~ Councilman Matteoni indicated he wo~ld like to offer an amendment to the motion by reco~ending that $10,450~00 in the way of expenses allocated for part-time personnel be deleted; also, the reduction to Unallocated Reserve account in the a~unt of $15,000.OObe accomplished, and the Co~unity Promotion account in the amount of $1,000.00 be eliminated. This motion failed for lack of a second. -6- 1975-76 Fiscal Year Budget (Cont'd.) It was then moved by Councilman Mat~eoni ~nd seconded by'Councilman_Brighem . the Council adopt a m~e~l~t'i~n~i_n_"~'T~hTC~t~i'de~6~"Gity of Saratoga i nformati on on t~e breakdown ~~tTt~i6u~ypes of properties within the co~unity. The motion ~a~ ca~riTd~~'~ VI. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS A. MAYOR 1. Announced that McWilliams HouseSwould be proclaimed an-"Histori~cal Land- mark" on'this Friday, July 4th.; B. FINANCE 1. Payment of Claims It was moved by Councilman Kraus and seconded by Counci3man Brigham the list of disbursements, 21510 thru 21585, be approved, and the Mayor be authorized to sign the warrants. 'The moti~on was carried. C. COUNCIL AND COMMISSION REPORTS 1. Councilman Brigham - Announced he Was selected to serve.on 1975-76 Resolutions Co~i ttee for League of Cali forn~a Cities~ Convention, and Councilwoman Corr 2. Councilman Matteoni - Announced that he/had attended the Transportation Meeting in the City of Campbell, at which time it was proposed to utilize the Southern Pacific:line f~Mountain View to Monte Sereno,.Los Gatos, and ' San Jose, ~nd that he had made a motion to explore the alternative of using existing'rails, and further the concep~ of-a demonstration system. Further, it was reco~ended this proposal be sent to the various cities involved for consideration and comment. 3. Planning Commission Recommendation Re: Painless Parker Ranch Rezoning from "A" (Agriculture) and R-1-40,O00 to R-1-40,O00 P.C. The City Manager brought to the attention of the CoGncil a letter from R. L. Crowther, Arguello Homeowners Association, 20788 Norada Court,' relevant to the Parker Ranch hearings , and also, Fremont High School rezoning hearings. ~'b~ COnSider~d',separateiy, and the +petitions to which Mr. C~h~r(fers 'be~ns'iH~d 'in tandem with the. individual hearingS. These were reco~ended to be scheduled for August'6, lg75. This was approved.by the Council. 4. filanning Commission R(pO~ '~)~'~zoning from "CV" (R-1-32,500) to ';~-~-1-12,500 property. located at north- west corner of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road . and Manor Drive. Council approved public hearing to be set for August 20, 19~5. b) Undeveloped Fremont Union High School Property be Rezoned from R-1-12,500/15,000 to R-1-20,000 P.'C. Council approved public hearing to be set for August 20, 1975. - 7- D. DEPARTMENT HEADS AND OFFICERS 1. Director of Public Works Re: 'Status Report on Village Parking District No. 2 City Manager indicated that a meeting is scheduled'for 2:00 P.M. tomorrow, July 3rd, at which.time the proposed district. revisions will be discussed. A report will be forthcoming at, the July 16th City Council Meeting, and public hearing date set. 2. Director of Public Works Re: Peti.tion Submitted June 10, 1975, Concerning Improved Bike Lanes. The City Manager reported the status of.the questions posed on this petition, as outlined in the Public Works staff memorandum, dated June 19, 1975. E. CITY MANAGER 1. Report Re: Library Site Acquisition Discussions The City Manager requested continuing this item for~'der~ti~]~t an Adjourned Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8th. This was acceptable to the Council. 2. Report Re: Letter from the City:of Cupertino Concerning Name Change of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road to DeAnza Boulevard. -. Noted and filed. 3. Report Re: Proposal for State Revenue Sharing with Citie~ as Proposed by the League of California Cities. - Directed Citj Manager to draft a letter to League of Cities recommending that action be taken to re-vamp total tax ~st~r~Cture~.,~rather_Lthan_adding~an_additionaltax 4; B~sts for Block Parties July 4thon_Ki3b~de_C~,_,_Cha]~t_Lane,_Thelm~_' ....... A.v3-.,9~_~l_a_~ggW Drive ............ All requests have been approvedby the Code Enforcement Officer, County Sheriff's Department and Saratoga Fire District. It was moved by Councilman Kraus and seconded by Councilman~ the3equests for Block Parties be approved. ~The motion was carried. VII. COMMUNICATIONS A. WRITTEN 1. Harry L. Mayfield, President, Good Government Group. P. O. Box 371, Saratoga, indicating support to Planning Director's recommendations Re: Article 2 and Article 3 of Ordinance No. 60. - Letter to be a part of considerations on this ordinance at July 8th Committee of the .Whole Meeting. · 2. James W. Day, 12361Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, Re: Emergency access road for Subdivision No. 5384. - Referred to staff for report back to the Council. 3. R. Maurice Tripp, 15231Quito ROad, extending thanks and appreciation for participation in Bicentennial activities last Sunday. - N~ted and filed. 4.Senator Jerry Smith, Twelfth District, Re: Community colleges. - Noted; copy of letter to be included innext City Council packet. B. ORAL Nancy McDonald, 20301Kirkmont Ave., inquired if the City currently implements street sweeping. The City Manager replied the City contracts for street sweeping on major streets only - 8- Mayor Bridges acknowledged presence of public group representatives~'~~''~ follows: ~ JoAnn Runyen, A.A.U.W.; John Powers, Quito Merchant's Association, Frank Perdichizzi~ President, P~de's Crossing Homeowner's Association: 'Lynn Belanger, Planning Commissioner; Russ Crowther, Greater Arguello Homeowner's Association; Don Sifferman, President, Manor Drive Home- owner's Assoc!at!on; and Mr. and'Mrs. Bob McGuire, Good Government Group. VIII. ADJOURNMENT It was moved by Councilman Brigham and seconded by Cou milman Kraus the meeting be adjourned to Executive Session and to an Adjourned Regular Meeting on July 8, 1975. The motion was carried. The ~eeti'ng was adjourned at 10:30 P.M. ' ~spectfully~submitted, City Clerk ~ -9-