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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-26-1999 City Council Minutes MINUTES SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL TIME: Tuesday, October 26, 1999 - 7:00 p.m. PLACE: Adjourned Regular Meeting, Adult Care Center, 19655 Allendale Avenue TYPE: Adjourned Regular Meeting/Joint Meeting with Parks & Recreation Commission and Finance Commission CALL TO ORDER - Vice Mayor Bogosian called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. in the Adult Care Center, 19655 Allendale Avenue. ROLL CALL - All present Staff present: City Manager Perlin, City Attorney Taylor, City Clerk Ramos, Director of Administrative Services Walker, Recreation Director Pisani, Administrative Analysts Bloomquist and Reeve. REPORT OF CITY CLERK ON POSTING OF AGENDA - City Clerk Ramos reported that pursuant to Government Code 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly posted on October 22, 1999. The Notice of Adjournment fi.om the October 20 meeting was posted on October 21, 1999. 1. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC ON NON-AGENDIZED ITEMS - None 2. Oral presentation fi.om Library Commission and Friends of the Saratoga Library on the status of the library expansion project. Library Chairperson Manzo and Bill McDonnell, Library Friends President, gave oral presentations using visual aids. Highlights of their presentation included: a) History and background of the project b) Objectives/Needs Assessment c) Bond measure proposal d) Consultant's fmdings (Rolf report) e) Fund raising events f) Awareness campaign program: newsletters, newspaper inserts, brochures, other mailings g) Polls and surveys and responses received ~ Vice Mayor Bogosian thanked Chair Manzo and Mr. McDonnell for their presentation. 3. Joint Meeting with Parks and Recreation Commission Commissioners present: Commissioner Clabeaux, Swann, Whitney, Alberts and Chairperson Olsen. Commissioners Ioaunnou and Friedrich were absent. a) Presentation fi.om Anderson-Brule ,aa'chitects on Community Center renovations Pamela Anderson-Brule provided an oral presentation. Highlights included: b) Professional background c) Project review phases: needs assessment and specific definition of goals and process including a survey questionnaire d) Project options (Option A: minimal improvements/does not meet all needs identified; Option B: remodeling and upgrading existing facility; Option C: new construction) These options do not include improvements to the Senior Center. Discussion ensued. Page 1 of 6 Minutes for City Council Octobei 26, 1999 Adjourned Regular Meeting/ Joint meeting with Finance and Parks and Recreation Commission Vice Mayor Bogosian thanked Ms. Brule fOr the presentation. e) Status of park restroom renovations Commissioner Clabeaux provided a report covering a brief background and the Warren Heid proposal for renovations at Wildwood, Congress Springs and E1 Quito parks. She'added that the E1 Quito Park restroom is at the bottom of the priority list because the Commission has not previously reviewed this project. She expressed concems about the City's ability and commitment to maintain these facilities. .. Councilmember Waltonsmith commented about considering modular units to cut costs. Discussion ensued. Councilmember Streit commented that the idea of including E1 Quito and Congress Springs parks was to bring all three restrooms to the same standards that would make future maintenance of them more efficient. f) Status of play equipment upgrades Commissioner Clabeaux presented the report and distributed copies of her report to Council and staff, for playground equipment for Gardiner and Kevin Moran Parks, noting that public meetings were held for both sites. Warren Heid submitted a plan for the equipment and costs will be forthcoming. DiscUssion ensued. g) Discussion ofplayfields project and alternatives Chairperson Olsen presented the report covering overview and background, park development fund, potential playfield sites identified by the Commission and staff, the Hub concept and Congress Springs renovation. Further work by the Commission on the playfields issue is pending direction from the City Council. Vice Mayor Bogosian deferred to City Manager Perlin for a status of the five playfield sites that were identified by staff at their last presentation to Council. City Manager Perlin provided a status report of the potential sites previously identified by staff. In addition, Administrative Analyst Bloomquist reported that Prospect High School has indicated they are not available for playfields use; Mark Linsky, AYSO representative, reported that the West Valley College and Saratoga High School expressed their sincere desire to help out, however, they would be faced with the issue of over use and increased maintenance costs to accommodate their need. Councilmember Streit commented that renovating Congress Springs would be a short-term solution. If that park were renovated to make it usable for competition, the City would need to find a practice field to allow a rest period for Congress Springs. The City needs to continue to look for additional property to build a brand new park to handle the overflow; and secondly, the City needs to renovate Congress Springs and continue to work with the user groups to find them a place for their practice activities. Councilmember Mehaffey suggested approaching this issue at a regional level. Discussion ensued regarding ,talking to the City representatives, surrounding communities and' looking at the Statewide bond measure for parks slated in March fbr possible grant funding options. Councilmember Swan suggested leasing properties. City Manager Perlin suggested the City should continue to find a solution for the users while the plans and specifications for the Congress Springs renovation are being drawn up. Page 2 of 6 Minutes for City Council October 26, 1999 Adjourned Regular Meeting/ Joint meetin~ with Finance and Parks and Recreation Commission Councilmember Streit commented on his discussions with staff and the user groups regarding re- configuring Congress Springs Park to accommodate flexibility for the users Mark Linsky, commented that in his conversation with Saratoga Little League, they would support any in~'estment in Congress Springs Park as long as there is a well thought-out plan and there is a real partnership between the City and the user groups to maintain these fields. He added that consideration should also be made in the plan to control the use of Congress Springs after it is renovated, when user groups are not using it. Councilmember Waltonsmith commented she would like to move forward on leasing property in the interim and buying property through a bond measure at some point in time. Councilmember Baker expressed support for leasing or buying land, however, he feels the City should build a strong and justifiable base to educate and convince the citizens before it goes out on a bond measure vote. Councilmember Mehaffey expressed his support to explore the possibilities of leasing or purchasing land for playfields. City Manager Perlin suggested the following work plan for staff as follows: a) Proceed with the playground upgrades b) Proceed with the three restroom renovations and pta-sue using CDBG funding to address ADA issues to the extent possible for the E1 Quito Park restrooms. a) Begin the project development work to renovate Congress Springs Park d) Convene a task force or working group to focus on: a. the interim issues while Congress Springs park is being renovated such as finding a place to put the user groups; b. to find long term solutions to meet the needs for additional soccer and little league space, through working with the schools, leases, purchases, regional efforts with neighboring cities, creative scheduling by using Saturdays and Sundays, phasing the construction of the renovation, exploring revenue raising options to purchase property if it comes down to that solution. Councilmember Waltonsmith commented she is not prepared to support the restroom renovation as presented until other options to cut costs have been explored. Discussion ensued regarding restroom renovation options. The rest of the Council expressed their comments in support of the restroom renovations as presented by staff. Vice Mayor Bogosian commented to include fire safe roofing for the restrooms and to possibly look into advertising revenues to help defray future costs. b) Commission recommendations on Park Development Fund priorities Vice Mayor Bogosian recognized Katie Alexander, 12340 Goleta Avenue, who spoke on behalf of Azule Park Neighborhood Assn. regarding their concerns about the interim uses of Azule Park for soccer use. She commented the association cannot agree with this plan at this time and asked that this be considered in the next budget cycle. Commissioner Alberts summarized each item on the priority list for the park development fund, noting that it is over-allocated but part of it is going to come from additional funding for the Community Center and the restrooms at E1 Quito Park. Discussion ensued. Councilmember Mehaffey asked and Chairperson Olsen referred to and read the Quimby Act regarding use of the Park Development funds. Page 3 of 6 Minutes for City Council Octobe~ 26, 1999 Adjourned Regular Meeting/ Joint meeting with Finance and Parks and Recreation Commission ~ Vice Mayor Bogosian asked and Commissi6ner Swann provided information regarding trail improvements. , Discussion ensued. , Councilmember Mehaffey asked the Commission to consider discussions for a skateboard park on a future agenda of the Commission. The Council expressed mixed feelings about moving forward with the COmmunity Center improvements. Based on the comments made by Council on Option "C", City Manager Perlin suggested allowing staff additional time to explore financing alternatives for option "C" and report back to Council with alternatives available that won't require voter approval. BAKER/MEHAFFEY MOVED TO APPROVE THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 6 AS LISTED IN THE STAFF REPORT; AND DEFER THE DECISION FOR RECOMMENDATION NO.5 FOR NO MORE THAN NINETY DAYS. MOTION PASSED 5-0. BAKER/WALTONSMITH MOVED TO EXTEND THE TERlVlS OF THE COMMISSIONERS WHOSE TERMS WILL EXPIRE ON OCTOBER 31sT FOR ANOTHER THIRTY DAYS AND TO RESCHEDULE THEIR NEXT MEETING OF NOVEMBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 15, 1999 TO ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL APPLICANTS TO ATTEND A COMMISSION MEETING BEFORE THE COUNCIL INTERVIEWS SCHEDULED ON NOVEMBER 17, 1999. MOTION PASSED 5-0. Vice Mayor Bogosian called a recess at 9:50 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 10:10 p.m. 4. Joint Meeting with Finance Commission Commissioners present: Roten, Swan, Ousley, Brookfield and Gordon. a) General Fund Reserve Policy b) Discussion of City's current financial condition Chairperson Swan provided an oral presentation with visual aids covering current projects such as updating the City's purchasing policies, defining key financial indicators, and review of the audit process. Discussion ensued regarding property tax, TEA and the reserve fund. Commissioner Roten provided a breakdown of how the 3.5M recommended reserve fund was arrived at. Commissioner Ousley clarified that reserve funds can be spent if necessary. All of the Councilmembers felt that 3.5M is too high for a reserve. In response to Vice Mayor Bogosian, Administrative Services Director Walker explained that the reserve fund is invested the same way as the general fired. The interest eamed from the reserve fund goes into the general fund. Vice Mayor Bogosian suggested to restrict the use of the interest eamed from the reserve fund back to the reserve fund to build it up over time. Discussion ensued. MEHAFFEY MOVED TO CREATE A RESERVE POLICY' STARTING AT 2M IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND ESCALATING BY $100,000 A YEAR TO 3M OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS. MOTION DIED FOR LACK OF A SECOND. Councilmember Baker suggested it ought to be escalated by compounding the interest. Page 4 of 6 Minutes for City Council October 26, 1999 Adjourned Regular Meeting/ Joint meeting with Finance and Parks and Recreation Commission MEHAFFEY/STREIT MOVED TO START THE RESERVE FUND AT 2M IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND COMPOUND THE INTEREST ANNUALLY IN AN ACCOUNT FOR THE RESERVE FUND, TO BE EVALUATED ANNUALLY. MOTION PASSED 5-0. Oouncilmember Waltonsmith requested the Commission provide coUncil with information regarding what other communities are looking at in terms of contingency funds to help them in the annual evaluation of the reserve policy. CoUncil concurred. STREIT/BAKER MOVED TO EXTEND THE TERMS OF THE COMMISSIONERS WHOSE TERMS WILL EXPIRE ON OCTOBER 31sT FOR ANOTHER THIRTY DAYS AND TO RESCHEDULE THEIR NEXT MEETING OF NOVEMBER 8 TO NOVEMBER 15, 1999 TO ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL APPLICANTS TO ATTEND A COMMISSION MEETING BEFORE THE COUNCIL INTERVIEW SCHEDULED ON NOVEMBER 17, 1999. MOTION PASSED 5-0. 5. Status report on Saratoga Creek litigation settlement activities City Manager Perlin presented the staff report. Discussion ensued. In response to Vice Mayor Bogosian, City Manager Peflin replied to inform staff of any property on septic that is not on the list and staff will follow up on it, otherwise staff would rely on the lists provided by the sanitation district. 6. SELF-EVALUATION OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS: October 6 and 20, 1999 Good meetings. Vice Mayor Bogosian will continue to restate motions on the floor before a vote is taken. 7. AGENCY ASSIGNMENT REPORTS Association of Bay Area Governments Mehaffey Chamber of Commerce Board Bogosian Waltonsmith County HCD Policy Committee Mehaffey Emergency Planning CoUncil Baker Mehaffey Hakone FoUndation Liaison Mehaffey Waltonsmith KSAR Community Access TV Board Mehaffey Baker Library Joint Powers Authority Board Bogosian Streit North Cent. Flood Cont. Zone Adv. Committee Bogosian Mehaffey Penin. Div., League of Cal. Cities Bogosian Santa Clara Valley Water Commission Baker Bogosian Santa Clara County Cities Assn./ City Selection Committee Baker Bogosian County Cities Assn. Leg. Task Force Bogosian Baker SASCC Liaison Streit Mehaffey Saratoga Business Development Council Mehaffey Streit Sister City Liaison Bogosian West Valley Solid Waste JPA Streit Bogosian Valley Transportation Authority PAC Streit Waltonsmith West Valley Sanitation District Baker Streit Councilmember Mehaffey reported on discussions at the Hakone annual meeting and KSAR board meeting including budget increase, City contract and a new grant. Hakone is requesting if the City could send Green Valley to sweep the roads at Hakone. Mr. Perlin replied he does not think Green Valley could take their sweeper vehicle up the driveway, but he would look into it. Councilmember Streit reported on items of discussion at the VTA PAC meeting and SASCC including the Highway 85 noise abatement committee and fundraisers. Councilmember Baker reported on discussions of the Emergency Preparedness Council, Santa Page 5 of 6 Minutes for City Council October 26. 1999 Adjourned Regular Meeting/ Joint meeting with Finance and ~ Parks and Recreation Commission Clara County Cities Association and the West ',Valley Sanitation District board meeting regarding election of new officers, nominating committee for next year's officers, the scorcher tire issue and the proposed sewer connection fee increase effective in January 2.000. vice Mayor Bogosian (who attended this meeting on behalf of Councilmember Baker) reported the West Valley'Sanitation District passed this next year's budget. 8. OTHER Councilmember Waltonsmith asked and City Manager Perlin replied that he would ask the City Attorney to research on PBID and BBID and provide a report at the next SBDC meeting in January. With Council's concurrence, Vice Mayor Bbgosian read the proclamation for Eagle Scout Christopher Denise and directed the City Clerk tO forward the proc!amation to the recipient. Councilmember Baker requested a status report on the City's plan to meet the affordable housing goals for a future agenda. Council concurred. City Manager Perlin suggested the beginning of the year would be a good time for this item concurrent with the completion of the update of the housing element which the Planning staff is currently working on. In response to Councilmember Streit, City Manager Perlin replied the Council meeting calendar for year 2000 will be presented at the December 1st meeting and back for approval at the December 15th meeting. City Manager Perlin reminded the Council of the Chamber meeting tomorrow night and the Y2K Forum on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. He announced that Communily Development Director Walgren will be acting on his behalf at the November 3r~ meeting because he will be leaving following closed session for a seminar in San Diego. He also announced th.at the Library Commission would like to meet with City Council regarding the library expansion project on November 17~. ADJOURNMENT - Vice Mayor Bogosian adjourned the meeting at 11:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~arnos, ~ City Clerk Page 6 of 6