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SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE: December 16, 2009 AGENDA ITEM:
DEPARTMENT: City Manager’s Office CITY MANAGER: Dave Anderson
PREPARED BY: Barbara Powell DIRECTOR:
Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Santa Clara County Cities Association Policy Priorities for 2010
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Accept report, recommend three to five policy priority proposals for the Santa Clara County
Cities Association (SCCCA) 2010 policy priorities, and authorize staff to return suggestions to
the SCCCA Board of Directors for their January 14, 2010 meeting.
BACKGROUND:
The SCCCA was developed in 1990 to provide local leaders with a connection to one another
and to provide municipalities in Santa Clara County with a unified voice when dealing with
other levels of government and other agencies. Each of the fifteen cities in Santa Clara County
has a councilmember appointed to serve on the Board of Directors; in 2009, Councilmember
Chuck Page was the City of Saratoga representative on the SCCCA Board of Directors. The
Board meets monthly to provide support to Santa Clara County cities and to monitor state and
federal legislation that will have an impact on Santa Clara County municipalities.
Each year, the SCCCA selects policy priorities that shape the work plan of the Board of
Directors. Two years ago, at the January 2008 SCCCA Board of Directors meeting, the policy
issues listed below were proposed by board members, with the exception of one additional
policy issue -- State Budget Reform -- that was added in 2009. In order to focus the SCCCA’s
work, each City Council has been asked to:
1. Discuss the proposed policy issues below;
2. Suggest additional policy issues, if desired; and
3. Select three to five policy priorities.
The policy issues selected by each city will help determine SCCCA’s 2010 priorities.
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Prior Year
Priority
No.
Policy Issue
Community Development
2008, 2009
1.
Countywide Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Housing
Allocations vs. Allocations by City: Review benefits of pooling housing
resources and working as an entire county to meet overall ABAG housing
requirements, similar to the approach used by the County of San Mateo.
2. Review of State Law Governing ABAG Housing Allocations: Study
benefits and drawbacks of potential amendments to or repeal of the state
law that governs housing allocations.
3. Streamlined Planning and Permitting Process: Examine feasibility of
expedited planning and permitting process (additional fees and/or tools)
for residents and businesses facing development timelines.
Emergency Preparedness
4. Countywide Coordination of Super-Urban Area Security Initiative
(SUASI) Grants: Explore possibility of working as a county to
collectively leverage investments in disaster and terrorism preparedness
when applying for Bay Area Department of Homeland Security SUASI
grants.
5. Emergency Communications Best Practices: Determine best practices for
emergency communications, in order to provide the public with accurate
and consistent information.
Employee Benefits
6. Prepayment of PERS premiums and Realized Savings: Evaluate benefits
of prepaying Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) premiums
7. Medical Benefits and Retirement at 55: Study benefit packages that may
be cost prohibitive in the years ahead and
Environmental Sustainability
2008, 2009 8. Countywide Green Building Standards: Create green building standards
for all new private construction that can be used in each of the 15
jurisdictions in Santa Clara County, making it easier for builders to adopt
green building practices.
9. Countywide Solar Assessment Districts: Explore opportunities to
promote installation of solar panels through solar assessment districts and
assess the success of solar assessment districts in the City of Berkeley.
(NOTE: Already underway through CaliforniaFIRST Program)
2008, 2009 10. Countywide Streamlined Solar Policy and Solar Permitting Process:
Establish countywide policy on residential and commercial solar panel
installation to make it easier and less expensive.
11. Green Power Challenge: Coordinate a contest between Santa Clara
County cities and residents to reduce energy use.
12. Water Conservation Best Practices: Identify most effective ways to
conserve water.
13. Encouraging Use of Reclaimed Water: Promote the use of reclaimed or
recycled water.
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Prior Year
Priority
No.
Policy Issue
Public Records Requests
14. Email Policy & Public Records Requests: Review email policies of other
cities, particularly in relation to public records requests.
15. Public Records Requests: Review how other cities handle public records
requests.
Public Safety
2009 16. Gang Intervention, Suppression, and Prevention: Develop regional
solutions to gang problems throughout Santa Clara County.
Public Safety
17. Speed Limit Policy: Review the State of California’s method for
determining street speed limits and identify opportunities to work with
state legislators to improve this methodology.
Purchasing Practices
18. Vendor Clearing House/ Purchasing Pool: Review purchasing methods,
such as a vendor clearing house or purchasing pool, which would allow
smaller cities to collaborate with larger municipalities to receive better,
more competitive rates for goods and services.
State Budget
2009 State Budget Reform
FISCAL IMPACTS:
N/A
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
The City of Saratoga will not provide input on suggested SCCCA 2010 Policy Priorities.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
N/A
FOLLOW UP ACTION(S):
Implement Council direction.
ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT:
Nothing additional.
ATTACHMENTS:
Nothing additional.