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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-03-2013 Written Communications -redactedPhotos of Event Banners in Saratoga July 3, 2013 AM r 1 tFbq ,'INNDEPENDEN'CE DAY OBSERVANCE 9. City of Saratoga �. Memorandum C�tlFORN�P To: Saratoga City Council From: Crystal Bothelio, City Clerk Date: July 3, 2013 Subject: Written Communications Attached to this memo are written communications that the City received on items on the July 3, 2013 City Council Agenda. City of Saratoga City Council Comments by Trish Cypher Non- Agenda Items: I am requesting that the City Council consider taking action on a resolution requesting the vote of the adoption of the regional sustainable community strategy in the form of the One Bay Area Plan and the 2035 Transportation Plan come back to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) General Assembly.. 1. Appointment of Traffic Safety Commissioner and Oath of Office Congratulations to Mitch. I am hoping at some point that a Saratoga Citizen's Resource Center could provide an orientation program for our new Commissioners. I like the oath of office that public officials and public employees take and wonder if it might be helpful to define what one taking the oath is agreeing to in fact and annlication. It is my understanding that public employees are part or a concept or rormer rresiaent vvooarow that government is better run by public employees who were considered "experts ". Thus the rise of the administrative state. 2. City Council Meeting Minutes: Your City Council Meeting minutes are fabulous. I appreciate the work the City Council is doing and the staff support that you are getting. Having all of this information about the meeting available is very helpful. Thanks! 3. Review of Accounts Payable Check Registers Having check registers available for public viewing is very good. 4. Treasurer's Report for the Month Ended May 31, 2013 If I read these numbers correctly, Saratoga has a lot of money lying around. Maybe we want to buy some property and put solar panels on that property and start printing money like Santa Clara does with their City owned utility. Let me know if I can help with this if you choose to follow up on this. There is a parcel for sale at Quito and Pollard. Or not. 5. Resolution Authorizing Final Disposition of Certain City Records Wise decision to shred these documents which appear to have been chosen carefully. 6. Annual Approval of the City's Investment Policy Looks good to me. Good to see this sort of information is available to the public. 7. Citizen Options for Public Safety - Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Funds Grant: I generally support funding law enforcement activities. I know our City wants to and does support our sheriff. I wonder why the City is paying for a school officer. I would think the school district would pay for this. What is the stated value to the City for this money? Does the School district pay some portion? I defer to you on this. 8. Agreement for Annual Financial Audit Services: Excellent idea to go with later years as options. 9. Resolution to Establish Property Tax Levy for Debt Service Payments on the Library General Obligation Bonds I understand the reasoning for this. I wonder if the City would benefit from retire the bonds on this project earlier than scheduled. I defer to the finance folks on this one. 10. Resolution Naming City Representative to the ABAG PLAN Board: Unless there is some need to act on this resolution at this meeting, I might recommend that the City Council defer this resolution until they have time to assess the benefits of being part of this ABAG Plan. I don't have enough information myself to say, but I am now very cautious about the City and ABAG services and representation. Perhaps the City Council wants to explore other options for meeting.insurance and risk management needs for the City. 11. Resolution Supporting Measure A, Santa Clara County Library District Special Tax Renewal: I support this resolution and urge City Council members to vote in favor of this resolution. 12. Confirmation of Report and Assessment of 2013 Weed Abatement Program: Some of these properties have very little weed growth and the idea that these are now "hazardous" is of concern to me. Weeds are weeds and they are not necessarily hazardous. It would be interesting to see the total number of Saratoga weed notifications given and the percentage of those who correct the situation on their own. I am concerned with how this program may relate to the City fire hazard map. I will be putting something together on this to transmit to the City Council at a later date. As long as residents have had adequate notice and warning of how this _program works and the charges that will be incurred as a result of their inaction, I have no issues with this other than the hazardous designation. I would be interested to know what amount or type or condition of vegetation constitutes a "hazardous" condition. 13. Application for Community Event Grant Funds: I'm not sure I can support getting additional funds from elsewhere for making grants if the funds allocated are no longer available. It might be interesting to see this table of organizations with the events or use of the City grant funds. I hesitate to provide. gifts of public funds, popular as it may be. 14. Saratoga Emergency Operations Plan (EOP): These staff reports are really well done. I have down loaded this 120 +page ops plan and will give comments to the City Manager when my review is complete if the City Council would find that helpful. It is my understanding that the City citizen preparedness is not very good at this time. I think there is an opportunity to coordinate with the Youth Commission on this issue. 15. Provide Direction on the Planning Commission's Review of the City's Residential Green Building Standards: I would suggest not require more than the State has determined for these standards. If a homeowner chooses to be more green, I prefer it be their choice. 16. Council Meeting Decorum: This is a tricky one. I think there is a general feeling that sometimes members of the public lack the proper respect for the City Council members who are working hard on their behalf. Those City Council members react negatively to these comments. The cycle seems to feed on itself with one member of the public saying something that incites a City Council member who responds in. kind. Who knows who starts this, a City Council member or a member of the public, but.no one wins. I think there are many ways for the City Council members to defuse negative comments from the public. I encourage the City Council members to make use of these techniques when dealing with situations that they find uncomfortable for them. We all don't always agree, but we can be respectful of each other as we share our opinions. I think trying to understand where that person is coming from goes a long way to avoiding these types of situations. I think when some of the discussions go on among City Council members it is perhaps an indication that the topic is not fully understood and more background on the issue might reduce the need for detailed discussions among the City Council members at their meeting. While the public does not want to see the City Council making their decisions on agenda items before the meeting, getting some of the City Council members questions answered on issues before the meeting may help with the amount of time spent on any one agenda item. I'd guess if the City Council discussion goes for more than 10 minutes on an item, they might not have enough information and may choose to defer the issue and get more information to decide the issue at a later date. Thanks for your consideration of my comments A N D E R S O N B R U L E A RC H I T E C T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WORK PLAN The following pages include scope descriptions of our proposed work process as illustrated in the Process Map. This process has been reviewed and revised with staff to align with the city's project goals. PHASE 1 A — KICK -OFF & VISIONING Phase 1A, Kick -Off &Visioning, serves as a means to align project expectations and refine the proposed process, as needed, in collaborative work with the City of Saratoga. 1.1 — Process Plan Validation - Complete The ABA Consultant Team will work collaboratively with the City Staff to review and validate the proposed scope of work. This includes reviewing and revising, if necessary, the contract components including-scope, schedule, fee, and any contract language. 1.2 — Contract Approval - Complete Once the process and contract have been negotiated and finalized, the City Council will approve the Consultant Team to proceed. 1.3 — City Council Study Session The ABA Consultant Team will prepare for, facilitate, and document a City Council Study Session in which we will: Review the Project Process • Discuss City Council Goals and Expectations for the Project 1.3 — Core Team Meeting #1 The ABA Consultant Team will prepare for, facilitate, and document a City Staff Meeting in which we will: • Review the Project Process • Review the Outreach Plan drafted by ABA • Discuss Goals and Expectations for the Project • Gather City Staff User input Phase 1A Deliverables The ABA Consultant Team will complete the following: • Process Plan • Review Existing Documentation • Draft Outreach Plan PHASE 1 B — MASTER PLAN & COST MODEL Phase 1 B, Master Plan & Cost Model will explore different options for the Master Plan for the Civic Theater and Council Chambers based on input through outreach efforts and then Cost Model the preferred option. 2.1 — Primary User Interviews (2) The ABA Consultant Team will prepare for, facilitate, and document two outreach meetings to gather primary user input about needs and service priorities. One meeting will be with the theater groups and the other will be with the Planning Commission and the Parks & Recreation Commission. The meetings will: • Discuss their Vision for the Facilities • Discuss Challenges in the Current Facilities • Establish Priorities for improvements to the Facilities 2.2 — Forum The ABA Consultant Team will prepare for, facilitate, and document one Forum to gather input from the general community. The Forum will: • Discuss their Vision for the Facilities • Discuss Challenges in the Current Facilities • Establish Priorities for improvements to the Facilities Strategies, Architecture, & Interiors Anderson Brule Architects Inc. 325 South First Street, 4`" Floor San Jose, California 95113 Tel: 408 298 1885 Fax: 408.298 1887 2.3 — Core Team Meeting #2 The ABA Consultant Team will prepare for, facilitate, and document a Core Team Meeting in which we will: • Review User and Community Input • Prioritize Needs 2.4 — City Review The ABA Consultant Team will draft a Master Plan with (3) alternative sketches, based on previous input and priorities established by the Core Team. The Core Team will then review the Draft Master Plan and provide comments for revision. 2.5 Parks & Recreation Commission Review The ABA Consultant Team will prepare for, present, and document input at a Park & Recreation Commission meeting in which we will: • Review the Draft Master Plan • Review the Draft Cost Model. • Review Community Input • Gather Public Input • Recommendation to City Council .2.6 City Council Public Hearing The ABA Consultant Team will prepare for, present, and document input at a City Council Public Hearing in which we will: • Present the Master Plan & Cost Model DELIVERABLES The ABA Consultant Team will present the Following deliverables as completion of Phase 1: • Master Plan with (3) alternatives including • Architectural Concept Drawings • ADA and Building Compliance issues relevant to alternative • Cost Model • Phasing Strategy • Narrative Summary of Recommended Changes and Additions • Documentation and Presentations from Project Meetings described herein PHASE 2 — FINAL CONSTRUCTION PLANS Phase 2 scope of work and process would be determined through Phase 1 decisions. The ABA Team would then implement a design development and construction set for permit and bidding. Our team will provide construction administration services through the completion of the project. SERVICES NOT IN CONTRACT Existing Facility Assessment - By City Staff Existing Facility Seismic Assessment - Optional 4; 0. City of Saratoga - Speaker Card Please Note: City Council meetings are both live and delayed broadcast. smoothly, but yoi rou -do not wish V Please see reverse side of this card for Speaker Guidelines. I would like to speak about. / l Agenda Item? Yes Support Date: 1 Name: (� No ✓ Agenda Item number. 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