HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 2000-06-12
6-6-00 I 6-12-00
*
It was stated again that money has been requested and
the amount needs to be known when talking to the
vendors, there is no certainty as to the system at this
point;
*
The indication was that the Council may be willing to
spend a reasonable amount but would like to have more
information as to what.they are spending the money for,
the vendors would be willing to provide their background
data, response was that some vendors have been
contacted, there are not a lot of choices;
I
* If utility billing was outsourced it may be possible to
obtain a lesser priced software package;
* It was pointed out too that there are no software
packages that will do all of the functions, it is known
what is needed in the Finance Department and there have
been meetings with the other departments to discuss
their needs, response was that the needs need to be
identified before discussions with the suppliers.
Conclusion, direction given to the City Manager to identify
money for a Deputy City Clerk, General Fund monies for
streets, sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, and prepare an
ordinance to reduce the Utility Users Tax by 1.5 percent. It
was noted that the presentation relating to the automation of
the beach parking lots will be agendized for the regular
meeting of June 12th.
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ADJOURNMENT
It was the order of Chair, with consent of the Council, to
adjourn the meeting until Monday, June 12th at 5:30 p.m. for
a continued budget workshop. By unanimous consent, the
meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
Jh
and ex-offi io
of Seal Beach
Approved:
'-IJofti;;J!-~
Attest:
I
Seal Beach, California
June 12, 2000
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
adjourned session at 5:34 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling
the meeting to order.
6-12-00
ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor'Campbell
Councilmembers Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost
Absent:
None
Also present: Mr. Till, City Manager
Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development
Services
Mr. Badum, Director of Public Works/City
Engineer
Ms. Arends-King, Director of Administrative
Services
Chief Sellers, Police Department
Captain Schaefer, Police Department
Chief Cushman, Lifeguard Department
Ms. Beard, Director of Recreation and Parks
Ms. Yeo, City Clerk
I
CONTINUED BUDGET WORKSHOP
*
From the last meeting, Council asked for as much funding
as possible for capital projects, staff looked at where
monies could be transferred from currently funded
projects to new capital projects, more specifically
streets and sidewalks, and where Council requested
additional funding for operating budget expenses,
primarily new positions, staff looked for monies within
the current operating budget rather than the capital
budget;
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*
An additional $40,000 has been found that could be made
available for additional capital 'projects, that was done
primarily by deferring the exterior painting of the
Police Department, $10,000, a couple of projects are
proposed to be done in-house rather than contracting,
the seawall fence was replaced within the current budget
so the $8,000 in this budget is not necessary, some
improvements at Arbor Park, also some revised budget
estimates for heating and air conditioning and the west
end pump station, all of this is basically the
additional $40,000 for sidewalk replacement;
* It should also be kept in mind that there was $75,000
already inserted in this years budget for tree
replacement and $50,000 for sidewalks, the $40,000 is in
addition to that, also, a good portion of the $75,000
goes towards sidewalk replacement as well, when
replacing a tree it is usually because it has already
done damage that needs to be repaired, this would mean
more than $100,000 for curb, gutter, and sidewalk
repair, the City also continues to pursue grant monies;
*
With regard to the operating budget, Council wanted to
fund a new position, it has been found that a couple of
expenditures had been missed, specifically the lease
payments on the bucket truck and the tractor which are
$19,800 and $7,100, those critical needs and add to the
money that must be appropriated for a balanced budget;
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* There was need also to look at the part time salary
package, that includes seasonal lifeguards, part time
. employees, recreation personnel and maintenance
personnel, funds have been added for that as there has
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not been an adjustment in several years, there were also
additional materials and supplies and a new position
requested;
*
This means that $130,000 of new monies are needed, staff
came close to that by removing some positions that had
been requested, a part time landscape person in the
Recreation budget which was meant to coordinate, on a
part time basis, the requests for tree removals,
replacements, and new trees;
* Inadvertently a part time animal control officer was
included, an error carried over from the previous year,
that typographical error created $20,000, the Animal
Control budget correctly reflects two full time
positions;
* The requested additional supplies for the Emergency
Operations Center can also be deferred, there is a need
to add some communications supplies for the long term;
* Noted that there, may be some Department of Justice funds
coming available that could be used for that purpose,
suggesting contact be made with the office of
Congressman Rohrabacher;
* It was also presumed that there would be a reduction of
part time personnel expenses within the City Clerks
office with the filling of a Deputy position, the part
time positions would be eliminated;
*
Trying to pick up all of the other expenses there is
still about a $46,000 shortfall;
* Again, there is an additional $40,000 for capital and it
is suggested that money be used for that purpose in that
it came from the capital budget, this would be a matter
of prioritizing, the operating budget about $46,000
short but there are some options that could be
considered;
*
The options for consideration would be to:
Reduce the salary and benefits package by that amount
across the board, eliminate or reduce the part time
compensation package, there could be a deficit budget
but that would not be recommended, fees and/or fines
could be raised, look at things such as photo ticketing
at intersections, which is a controversial issue, if the
Council determines to convert to the new beach parking
lot system some additional revenues could be
anticipated, also, postpone the filling of the full time
positions, there are some part time positions now that
could be extended, and during the course of the year if
more revenue from the beach lots is realized that could
be looked at again;
*
Question was what full time positions, the response was
a clerical position in the Police Department;
*
Noted that more money has been identified, there is no
significant reduction of work in the Capital Improvement
Program, some is being done in-house, requests for part
time positions have been eliminated, some typographical
errors were found with regard to the Fire Authority
based upon an earlier assumption of the maintenance
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costs not falling within the cap;
*
The budget is still somewhat short but it may be alright
with a combination of postponing the hiring for vacant
positions and additional revenue from parking, otherwise
the alternative is across the board reductions of salary
and benefits to full time or part time employees;
I
*
Question was if the sewer diversion is included in this
budget - the response was that that was going to be done
with the grant monies already approved, question also as
to a cost estimate, the response was that the City is
working with a consulting engineering firm that will
likely propose a study be made, there may also be some
options to get a plan in place, question also as to an
anticipated diversion project for Anaheim Bay, the
response was that that depends on when the County moves
forward, maybe a diversion to the sewer pump station,
the north end from the River will likely not be as
easily dealt with as the east side of the City, it was
asked if capacity is not a problem, also, there was
mention that a question will be where to place the
filters;
*
with regard to the capital, the $50,000 for sidewalk
repair means about one thousand two hundred fifty feet
of curb and gutter replacement or one thousand five
hundred feet of sidewalk repair, the market costs are
about $20 per foot, for both $40 per foot;
*
There is also a new Maintenance Manager, the number one
priority is to go forward with the maintenance programs,
particularly the areas for curb, gutter, and sidewalk
repair, concentrate also on in-house patching, a new
material is being tried that blends in very well, tried
on Main Street with brick and mortar;
I
* The idea is to jump start the sidewalk repair projects
however the program can not be as aggressive as will be
seen in future years when new monies become available;
* with regard to street repairs, it was mentioned that
Coral Place has been looked at, while it was not in good
enough condition to slurry seal it was also not in bad
enough condition to warrant a full overlay, there are a
number of streets that need an overlay, Coastline is in
very bad condition;
*
It was noted that there is $100,000 available for
streets, that is apart from the group one arterial
streets that are programmed out to 2001 and 2002, staff
has been able to obtain some outside funding for this
purpose, that is why Lampson and Seal Beach Boulevard
can be done, however in the category of local streets
they are ranked at about the same level, there are four
or five cul-de-sacs, one could take the total money and
do four of them or do the west end of Coastline, yet the
cul-de-sacs are in such bad condition, even though they
do not generate the traffic volume, they are the
projects proposed;
I
* There has been no discussion as to what may be happening
with the State budget this year with regard to local
governments, last year the City realized an additional
$73,000 which allowed the repair of additional streets,
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that is a possibility this year if they were to use the
same formula, and that would present an opportunity to
address Coastline Drive;
*
Question was raised as to where Violet Street is ranked
for repair - the response was that Violet has been
slurry sealed once, it is felt it can last a little
longer, it is deteriorating from the westerly end to the
east, that likely because of the way it was built;
*
with regard to letters ,received relating damages to
sunken living rooms in College Park East as a result of
flood situations, a record was kept to track their
locations, all but two of them were in the westerly end
of CPE, also, repairs to Lampson and Basswood should go
to the east City limits;
*
Concern was again expressed with regard to the proposed
computer software package, especially if there were to
be an outsourcing of water billing, in that case the
package as proposed would not be necessary;
*
It was stated that a call had been placed to the only
known company that outsources utility billings, as yet
there has not been a response, there is no known company
that outsources business licenses at this time, there
was a response from the County, in that case there would
continue to be the need for someone to do the business
licenses then the County would place that amount on the
personal property tax bill, it is not certain what that
would do for the City;
*
with regard to the software, this would involve a
general ledger module, a centralized cash receiving
module, a purchasing module, accounts payable and
accounts receivable module, those are the basic Finance
function modules, pricing has been looked at, it is felt
that what is needed could be obtained, with
installation, for about $100,000, some of the other
packages are as much as $500,000, this needs to be
reliable software with the needed programs and
integrity;
* It was mentioned that based on research thus far that
price is likely what the cost of the software will be,
yet that does not mean that someone will just go out and
purchase it, this would allow staff to document the
costs, evaluate the options, bring that to the Council,
and then go out to bid;
*
Notation was made that $60,000 would come from the Water
Enterprise Fund if water billing was not outsourced,
there are a number of different issues that are involved
with outsourcing utility billing, all have to be
explored, the $60,000 was set forth separately as the
funds can not be co-mingled, it is also felt that the
$60,000 is high end, with the current system and the
dysfunctional MOM software, it is felt that new software
must be given serious consideration;
*
There was a request for assurance that a software
contract will not be let or the money spent without
approval by the Council - response was that is what was
understood the procedure would be, look at the different
softwares and it is hoped it will come in for less than
6-12-00
$100,000;
*
The problem with outsourcing, it is felt the personnel
in the Finance Department needs to be analyzed, that
department is available to the public fifty-three hours
a week, the office has been operating on part time, but
given the nature of part time there is more turnover,
there needs to be people there;
I
*
Comment was made that preference would be to go back to
the forty hour work week, Monday through Friday, as it
is now the work week is an additional thirteen hours, in
that case the costs for personnel, utilities, etc. can
be substantial, the question too is how much more public
service is provided during those additional hours;
*
In that regard a concern was expressed as to the lack of
continuity with part time employees, the response was
that a schedule has been developed to address that, it
is felt that services have been maintained at minimum or
above while staffing costs have gone down, argument was
made that full time employees have the ability to know
who did what and can answer questions accurately, the
public wants responses when they come to City Hall;
*
The complaints heard are not why someone could not get
into the building at 7:00 a.m. rather why is City Hall
closed on Friday or that people do not like the
automated phone system, when looking at staffing issues,
the capital budget seems to be alright but there is
still need to find $46,000;
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*
Every year there are transfers from the General Fund to
Public Liability, Workers Compensation, Tidelands Beach
and Recreation, not much can be done with the Liability
and Workers Comp funds, but there is $322,000 to
Recreation and $510,000 to Tidelands, to that the
question is how marginally can fees be raised to offset
some amount of that transfer, is this City low in terms
of charging for recreation classes, etc.;
*
The response was that every year the Recreation
Commission reviews the Comprehensive Fee Resolution,
Seal Beach is neither the highest or lowest, the attempt
is to keep competitive;
* Question was if the Council took $10,000 from the
Recreation budget could that be made up or would that be
devastating, the response was that it would impact
programs, to that it was also stated that the intent is
not to make the fees so cost prohibitive that a family
could not afford to put the children in classes;
*
There was clarification that the transfer to Tideland
Beach covers lifeguards and beach maintenance;
I
*
Question was if there are any other requests for
personnel other than the Deputy City Clerk position, the
response was no, however a point was made that a column
was added entitled 'Anticipated' for future staffing,
but nothing is added this year;
*
It was noted that under that column for next year is the
position of a Water Quality Engineer, the response was
that if the City is to be responsive to the things the
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Council is doing with the agencies in which they are
involved and playa leadership role, it will not be done
with existing staff;
*
Question was raised if personnel could be shared with
another community such as Huntington Beach on a part
time basis, the response was that the City requests
reports etc. on an on-going basis from the other
involved cities;
*
With regard to the proposed Code Enforcement position it
was explained that would be a combined position of
Planner, Code Enforcement, and Inspector for next year;
*
Question, does the present Assistant Planner need to be
certified to issue citations, the response was that that
could occur once an authorizing ordinance is adopted,
which is presently in draft form;
*
Reference made to the statement that the Agency has not
fulfilled its obligation for the twenty percent setaside
and questioned the following statement that the Agency
has also not satisfied its outstanding debt to the City;
*
Response was that the City had loaned the Agency money
at a time when the Zoeter Place leaseholder was in
default on a payment to the City which in turn put the
Agency in default on a payment to the School District,
that loan will be satisfied in the near future as there
is an increment forthcoming that will be sufficient to
pay up the amount owed the setaside fund, thereafter
there will be a policy decision by the Agency and
Council as to the amount and time frame for the payback
to the City, that is about $200,000, after that a tax
increment will be realized;
* If a redevelopment project area were to be done on the
south side of Pacific Coast Highway, question 'was if the
tax increment could be used to fund capital projects,
etc., the response was it could however should be
qualified to eliminate blight or an affordable housing
program, then it could be used for infrastructure needs
in those areas, mentioned that that might be looked at
in the future;
* Budget shows an additional $125,000 transfer into the
General Fund from the TRAN over the period of more than
five years, question was has that been transferred, the
response was that it has, placed in the capital budget,
additional response was if you take the interest earned
for 2000/2001, about $25,000 the total is a $125,000
transfer;
*
Explanation was requested as to the comments relating to
the position of Deputy City Clerk, the response was that
that office currently has one full time and two part
time employees, therefore if one full time were added it
was anticipated that one part time could be eliminated;
*
A response was that the budget reflects the position as
'Anticipated' for 2001/02, two full time and one part
time, Council has moved this ahead a year, that proposal
does not lessen the need for the two part time, the
money needs to be found somewhere other than the two
part time positions;
6-12-00
*
It was suggested that the options mentioned at the
begining of the meeting be restated, reduce the amount
of the across the board benefits for full time
employees, eliminate the cost of part time employee
increases, retain the part time position, rather than
the proposed full time, at the Police Department, spend
reserves the effect of which would be a deficit budget,
raise fees, also, look forward to better than projected
income from the beach parking lots should that proposal
be approved;
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* The needs of the City Clerk's office needs to be known,
the office currently has one full time position, the
budget reflects 1.3 part time, it is known that a Deputy
position is priority, to that the part time positions
reflected were corrected to reflect the actual of 1.1,
twelve hours per week for one, thirty-two hours per week
for the other;
* Question was raised if a full time Clerk, full time
Deputy, another full time typist clerk at forty hours,
supplemented by a volunteer would cover the office
needs, with regard to using a volunteer the response
from the Police Department was that it would be better
to recruit a volunteer directly for City Hall as the
intent of the current volunteers was to work for the
Police Department;
*
Mention was made that there have been some volunteers
who have worked in some of the other offices, that
usually satisfactory for special projects but not on an
on-going basis;
I
* Reducing the part time positions in the Clerk's office
will not be a cost saving, the current hours of the
Clerk are between forty-five to fifty or more on average
per week, the suggestion was to maintain current
staffing and add a full time Deputy Clerk;
* It was stated this is a Civil Service position, would
require recruitment, response was that that could be
done in a time frame of about sixty days, also that the
position would be open until filled, mention was made
too that there needs to be training and continuity for
the office of the City Clerk;
* It was stated again that options were provided the
Council, the response was that the options are not
realistic choices, staff was asked to find the money for
a Deputy Clerk position, the responses were not adequate
and are not citizen friendly;
*
Mention was made that it is difficult to do things with
no new revenues, that was the purpose for laying out a
plan for a year from now when new revenues are
anticipated, with respect to the Council directive,
staff is trying to provide a balanced budget, the
deficit budget was mentioned only because if the other
options are rejected that is what the budget would be;
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* with regard to the City Council budget it was noted that
$7,500 was budgeted this past year for meetings and
travel, not much was used, and suggestion was made that
it be reduced for this year to $2,500, that makes $5,000
available, with regard to account 43300 it was stated
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the correction has been accounted for;
* City Manager budget, account 45100, questioned the
purpose of the contract professional services, response
was that part is for the labor negotiator and
recruitment;
*
Question if there is other capital that could be
extended out another year;
* Suggested that the capital not be dealt with, it is the
operating budget that has gone up 2.86 percent;
* Clarified that the position for the Police Department
was clerical;
* Non-Departmental budget, account 46005 in the amount of
$5,000, explained that it is for the Christmas lunch at
Rivers End, the comment to that was that the Council has
$5,700 for promotional activities, therefore delete the
$5,000 from Non-Departmental, the response was that it
is divided out;
* Statement was made that if too many of these kinds of
changes are made it will result in budget amendments
throughout the year to support something, the money will
not be available, then a draw will be made from reserves
to fund something;
*
Question as to the disposition of the 10K funds, the
response was that for the last two years they have gone
to the pool renovation, the 10K Committee makes those
decisions, each year $5,000 is kept back as start up
funds for the following year, and the remainder goes to
the volunteer organizations;
* Given a description of the members of the 10K board of
directors, it was suggested that the board consist of a
cross section of the community;
* Confirmed that the amount in Non-Departmental for
equipment and supplies and $100 for animal control
vehicle maintenance has been deleted as has $20,000 for
part time salaries;
* Suggestion was made to reduce the transfers out;
* Questioned if the increase of $33,000 in Public Works
could be reduced, the response was that that is the
result of the forthcoming projects;
*
To a suggestion to hire a full time engineer instead of
utilizing consulting services, the response was that
that may be a worthwhile consideration when new revenues
are realized and more projects begin, about a year away;
*
Explained that the $35,000 reflected in the Public
Works/Engineering budget is basically for the management
of the capital projects, primarily Zimmerman and
Associates and AKM, if these people were on staff the
cost would be closer to $80,000 for each, there were a
number of projects this year, actually the consultant
monies ran out about mid-May, also, if there is concern
with the amounts of some of the bills it was explained
that many are pass throughs, the grant monies are also
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6-12-00
shown, and the Measure M monies actually fund the grant
monies;
*
It was explained that in response to the directive of
the Council at the last meeting staff reviewed each of
the budgets and there did not seem to be any more
attractive options than was presented at this meeting,
review can be done again but it will not be easy;
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* Question was as to how much loss was realized by
increasing the exemption cap for the utility users tax,
the response was that it is thought to be about
$200,000, also, the exemption requests continue to come
in a few at a time;
* Mention was made that a directive be made to staff to
cut the operating budget by a half percent, that would
be about $67,000, the response was that has already been
done;
* Recommendation from the Clerk was that the Deputy Clerk
position be deferred until January, the response of
Council was no;
* Consideration could be given to placing a hiring freeze
on vacant positions;
*
Mention was made of a prior suggestion to reduce
landscape maintenance budget of $56,000, it is felt that
some of the tree trimming is not absolutely necessary;
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*
Response was that some tree trimming is necessary, and
it has been proven during recent storms that the City
has experienced much less damage from fallen limbs and
trees due to the tree trimming maintenance, has reduced
liability, the trimming has been aggressive which keeps
the trees healthy and safe;
* To the comment to impose a hiring freeze on vacant
positions, question was asked if that could make up the
difference, the response was that it is uncertain what
vacancies are funded, but it could, but there is a
tradeoff in service levels;
*
with regard to anticipated purchase of vehicles, could
that be postponed until there are improved revenue
sources;
~
* It was clarified that the Police undercover vehicle is a
flexible fuel vehicle;
*
with regard to reducing the janitorial contract of
$50,000, it was noted that that contract saved three
full time positions;
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*
Suggestion was made that the Manager talk directly to
the affected departments rather than the Council trying
to make these decisions.
ADJOURNMENT
The intent of the Council was expressed to adjourn the
regular meeting until 5:30 p.m. on June 26th to continue
budget discussions.
The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent at 6:56 p.m.
6-12-00
City Clerk and ex-officio clerk
of the City of Seal Beach
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Approved:
Mayor
Attest:
City Clerk
Seal Beach, California
June 12,2000
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
session at 7:02 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting
to order with the Salute to the Flag.
ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor Campbell
Councilmembers Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost
Absent:
None
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Also present: Mr. Till, City Manager
Mr. Barrow, City Attorney
Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development
Services
Mr. Badum, Director of Public Works/City
Engineer
Chief Sellers, Police Department
Chief Cushman, Lifeguard Department
Ms. Beard, Director of Recreation and Parks
Ms. Arends-King, Director of Administrative
Services
Ms. Yeo, City Clerk
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Mayor Campbell requested that Item "F", the lot line
adjustment for the Old Ranch Towne Center, be considered
after Item "N", the eucalyptus tree permit appeal.
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Councilman Boyd requested that an item be added to the agenda
relating to the recent beach closure. Councilman Yost
seconded the motion. The City Attorney advised that this
issue came to the attention of the Council after the posting
of the agenda and requires attention prior to the next
meeting. The item was identified as agenda item "0".
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
It was requested that Item "A", Resolution Number 4810, be
considered before Public Comments. Council was advised that
the public would be allowed to speak to the item if desired.
6-12-00
Doane moved, second by Larson, to approve the order of the
agenda as revised.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mayor Campbell and Councilman Yost mentioned the memorial
service to be held on Saturday, June 17th at 10:00 a.m. for
Nathan Cohen, owner of the Book Store On Main Street.
Councilman Boyd noted a suggestion from the public that a
small plaque be placed in the sidewalk outside the Book Store
in memory of Mr. Cohen.
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PRESENTATION - RESOLUTION NUMBER 4810 - HONORING KEVIN SMITH/
ROBERT ELLIOTT / ELIZABETH LYONS - BEACH RESCUE HEROISM
Mayor Campbell read Resolution Number 4810 in full entitled
"A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH
HONORING AND COMMENDING KEVIN SMITH, ROBERT ELLIOTT AND
ELIZABETH LYONS FOR THEIR COURAGE AND HEROISM." Larson
moved, second by Boyd, to adopt Resolution Number 4810 as
presented.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
Mayor Campbell presented each with a copy of the Resolution
who in turn expressed their appreciation. Chief Cushman as
well expressed his gratitude, and noted that without the
action of these honorees the man would have drowned. Lt.
Pounds accepted a copy of the Resolution on behalf of the
Lifeguard Department and praised the collective effort of the
Police, Fire, and Lifeguard Departments in addition to the
efforts of Mr. Smith, Mr. Elliott, and Ms. Lyons. It was
noted that a copy of the Resolution is being prepared for
presentation to Ruby's restaurant.
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PUBLIC COMMENTS
Mayor Campbell declared Public Comments to be open. Mr. Dave
Potter, Seal Beach, was advised he would have an opportunity
to speak to the beach parking lot automation item. Mr. -Sue
Corbin, Seal Beach, stated the budget workshop session did
not allow for a public comment period. She mentioned her
suggestion of a year ago that the Council appoint a committee
to consist of members of the public to look at the
availability of grants, and stated the public should
participate in the budget process. She claimed that Oakwood
is subleasing their apartments, it is being run like a hotel
and the City should be collecting bed tax, suggested that a
contractors license should be more than $150, said there are
many people who do not pay for a business license or pay
late, they need to be required to pay at the beginning of the
year, volunteers could help with this. Ms. Corbin suggested
that the City needs to keep the sewer lines clear and they
should be cleaned by the City as a cost saver, an
appropriation of $160,000 is being requested to replace the
MOM software, the people need to know why, is it the
personnel or the system itself, also the newest member of the
Council made the statement that if there is money in the
budget it will be spent, he asked questions and wanted
answers. Besides contractors, the City is losing revenue by
not requiring a business license for people who do work at
private residences, someone should be hired to follow through
on this. The Mayor clarified that the City does check its
own sewer lines, also, the MOM software was discussed in some
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detail at the June 6th budget workshop. Mr. Ed Simmons, 17th
Street, stated he was present to speak to the beach and
water, made reference to a meeting held regarding that issue
some time back, said there are a lot of people who like to
help the City with regard to clean water, there needs to be
nets or some other mechanism to stop trash coming down the
River before it gets to the beach, there are tons of trash
along the jetties from the second bridge to the ocean, how
can it be cleaned up before the rains come. He mentioned
that there is considerable money currently in existence for
clean water, there needs to be people to write letters to
obtain some of this money, it needs to be known who cleans up
what, from the First Street bridge to the ocean is a mess,
there are fishermen, no trash cans, who owns it, who takes
care of it, who is in charge. For the agency that tests the
water in Seal Beach and then closes the beach, let them also
test up-river about every half mile and determine where the
pollution is coming from, the City does not have the time to
do such testing but there are individuals who would, then
bring the studies to the City, in turn the City could send
the paperwork to the State with the notation that this is
what the City believes can be done to clean the ocean waters.
Mr. Simmons stated that putting sand on the beach and the
groin is not the priority, nets and refuse collection systems
are not needed year round, just when there are storms, the
government should be petitioned for a clean water system in
the River like the sewer system, information should be sent
to the State and federal governments to participate in
funding a system. There needs to be a meeting, get something
going, too much time has gone by. With regard to the new
beach restrooms, they cost considerable money, they are
cleaned at 5:00 a.m., that is all for the weekend, there is
graffiti, other coastal cities hire someone to clean them
throughout the day, last weekend there were two kids tearing
up the restroom, he inquired at the Substation as to how
often the restrooms are checked, was informed they are not,
but in his opinion they should be checked every hour
otherwise they will be ruined by the end of summer, things
are built but not maintained. Councilman Yost noted that
there will be discussion relating to water quality later in
the meeting, some things are being looked at, possibly a
diversion at the southern end going into Alamitos Bay, the
thought of a boom in the River is most difficult in that the
River is a navigable waterway which can not be blocked,
possibly at Coyote Creek but that too would be difficult, at
this point probably the best the City can do is a dry water
sewer diversion at Anaheim Bay, at the northern end it would
be more difficult given the distance from the main line, high
volume filtering could be tried but that is fairly expensive.
He agreed that the City needs to be more active in State
legislation, the San Gabriel River and Joint Rivers and
Mountains Conservancy will be taking up these issues. He
mentioned again that in this part of the county all of the
storm drains flow directly into the River and the ocean,
given the concern with flood control everything has been
channelized, therefore whenever there is a sewer spill inland
it ends up in the River and then the ocean, until the
infrastructure problems are resolved that will continue to
happen, in other parts of the world the storm drains do not
flow directly to the ocean, rather by means of a sewer system
or some other system, the present system can not bear the
volume, costly to resolve, until people are committed to
designating tax dollars to revise the system this will
continue. Councilman Yost noted that he has held two water
quality workshops, Steven Weisberg will be invited back to
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present some new information, that likely in about six weeks.
There being no further comments, Mayor Campbell declared the
Public Comment period closed.
COUNCIL ITEMS
APPOINTMENTS - ORANGE COUNTY LIBRARY BOARD
Mayor Campbell indicated an interest in serving as the
representative and Councilman Yost agreed to be the
alternate. Boyd moved, second by Doane, to approve the
appointment of Mayor Campbell as the representative to the
Orange County Library Board and Councilman Yost as the
alternate representative.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
APPOINTMENT - PLANNING COMMISSION
Councilman Larson moved to appoint Mr. James Sharp as the
District Two representative to the Planning Commission for
the unexpired term ending July, 2001. Councilman Boyd
seconded the motion.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
RECONSIDERATION - APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Councilman Boyd moved to reconsider the approval of the
agenda to consider Item ",0", relating to water quality,
immediately following the Consent Calendar.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
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CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEMS "D" thru "I"
Boyd moved, second by Doane, to approve the recommended
action for items on the Consent Calendar as presented, except
Item "F" to be considered after Item "N", and Item "G",
removed for separate consideration.
D. Approved the waiver of reading in full
of all ordinances and resolutions and
that consent to the waiver of reading was
deemed to be given by all Councilmembers
after reading of the title unless specific
request is made at that time for the
reading of such ordinance or resolution.
E.
Approved regular demands numbered 27819
through 28073 in the amount of $725,738.79,
payroll demands numbered 7779 through 7923,
27682 through 27683, and 9000286 through
9000293 in the amount of $215,736.00, and
authorized warrants to be drawn on the
Treasury for same.
H.
Received and filed the staff report
relating to receipt of the Orange County
Council of Governments "2000-01 Overall
Work Program Project Request Status, and
instructed staff to forward same to the
Planning Commission and Environmental
Quality Control Board for information
purposes.
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I.
Received and filed the Monthly Investment
Report for the month ending April, 2000.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
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ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR
ITEM "G" - APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Body moved, second by Campbell, to approve the minutes of the
regular/joint meeting with the Redevelopment Agency of May 8,
2000.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane
None
Larson, Yost
Motion carried
Boyd moved, second by Campbell, to approve minutes of the
regular adjourned meeting ,of May 16th, 2000.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
Boyd moved, second by Doane, to approve the minutes of the
regular meeting of May 22nd, 2000.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
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Boyd moved, second by Doane, to consider Item "0" before Item
IIJ".
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane" Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
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ITEM "0" - BEACH CLOSURE
Councilman Boyd noted this item relates to the recent beach
closure and is for the purpose of discussing some potential
cost recovery efforts that may be available to the City.
Councilman Boyd introduced the General Manager of the Orange
County Sanitation Districts, Mr. Blake Anderson. Mr.
Anderson stated he wished to provide the Council with the
most recent update with regard to the Friday sewage spill
that closed the beach at Seal Beach for Friday, Saturday,
Sunday, and portions of today, the understanding is that the
remainder of the beach will open tomorrow as the water
samples are now clean. Mr. Anderson explained that the
Sanitation District is a regional agency with large trunk
lines throughout the County, two of the large lines run down
Beach Boulevard in the vicinity of Imperial Highway, they run
in parallel and designed to carry sewage day to day, it is
known that they will be out of capacity in the next few years
therefore there is a construction project underway to add
sufficient new capacity to the line, the contractor had work
underway and needed to make an inter-connection between the
existing lines and new line, to do that he must have the
sewer out of service when the connection occurs. At midnight
on Friday he took one of the parallel lines out of service
and put all of the flow into the one remaining line, the
intention was that he would be out of that work by 6:00 a.m.
so that as flows come up in the morning the two lines would
be back in service sufficient to carry the flow. Mr.
Anderson reported that the work was not completed by 6:00
a.m., the contractor continued, then about 7:45 a.m. the
flows came up and the overflow occurred, the spill was
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between forty and sixty thousand gallons into a storm
channel, Coyote Creek, the San Gabriel River, then out into
the ocean. Inasmuch as it was the contractor's
responsibility in making the decision to continue the work
and not have the lines in service, it is felt there is a
partial responsibility of the District, there were inspectors
on-site but did not convey the urgency and did not insist
that the lines be back in service so this would not occur.
Mr. Anderson stated that based on this incident the District
will be changing the way inspection work is done, the
obligation to the City was not fulfilled and as a result a
portion of the City beach was closed and for that there is
apology. Councilman Yost made reference to dry runoff
diversions to the Sanitation system, can the system handle
that, is there a cost estimate, is that being budgeted into
the future, in most of Europe and several east coast cities
the storm drains flow by way of the sewer or sanitation
system which is not the case here, that will require a major
buildout, how is that being addressed. Mr. Anderson
explained that the decision to separate storm and sanitary
sewers was good for the west coast because the practice on
the east coast is to combine the two and whenever it rains
many of the sewer lines overflow, with that comes domestic
and industrial waste, long ago the west coast decided to keep
them separated, the down side is that anything that goes onto
the street or the gutters of the community goes directly to
the beach untreated. He mentioned that there is a program
going forward where dry weather urban runoff can be diverted
into the sewer, during the summer when the flows are low and
it is just the nuisance flows there is hydraulic capacity to
accept that, mentioned too that the Board of Directors
adopted a policy just a few months ago, there is a committee
that will be considering some of these issues and what should
be done long term, cost is another issue that the committee
will be taking under consideration, who and how much is paid,
what type of facilities need to be constructed, what
operational protocol needs to be in place, there are a number
of issues that need to be dealt with on a long term basis.
Councilman Boyd confirmed that the Sanitation District has
given this issue consideration, specifically with regard to
the cases of Bolsa Chica and Crystal Cove that are
biologically sensitive habitat areas, in those the
consideration was whether the District could accept their dry
weather flows. Councilman Boyd thanked Mr. Anderson for
attending, the explanation was clear and shows that the
District is responsive to the community needs. He mentioned
that the Council may want to give direction to the City
Manager as to what options there may be for the City, revenue
issues that should possibly be addressed, etc. Councilman
Yost pointed out that the beach does not serve just this
community but the region, with the closure this past weekend
there was virtually no one on the beach, there is a
significant impact financially to have the beach closed. Mr.
Anderson expressed his understanding, as the City should
expect that its beaches be open three hundred sixty-five days
a year. Mayor Campbell noted that there is not only an
environmental impact from the spill, but an economic impact
on the merchants which in turn impacts City sales tax
revenues as well as revenue from the beach parking lots.
Councilman Boyd requested that the City Manager provide the
Council with an estimate of direct damages, the parking lots
for one are measurable revenues, then possibly some steps can
be taken to recoup some of the loss. Councilman Larson
offered that the community can be thankful as well for those
who check the water quality so that people are forewarned and
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not getting sick from being in that water. Councilman Yost
added that there is more water quality testing on these
beaches than anywhere else in the country. The Mayor
mentioned that Seal Beach is not the only beach community
that has experienced spills, Huntington Beach an example,
there is need to work more closely with the other beach
communities to raise public awareness and to resolve this
issue, for these kinds of violations there needs to be
penalties, financial recourse should be pursued from the
cities up the River. Councilman Boyd agreed that there needs
to be some solution to recover the financial losses.
Councilman Doane pointed out that Long Beach has experienced
similar problems with the Los Angeles River, possibly Seal
Beach can learn from their experiences, to that Councilman
Yost offered that Long Beach is being monitored, they are
doing a boom project for gross waste management and removal
which is being watched to see if something similar could be
done in Seal Beach.
RESOLUTION NUMBER 4812 - BEACH CLOSURES / WATERCOURSE
CONTAMINATION - SOURCE IDENTIFICATION
Mayor Campbell read Resolution Number 4812 in full entitled
"A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH
RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL RESOURCES TO IDENTIFY
THE SOURCES OF BEACH CLOSURES AND WATER COURSE
CONTAMINATION." Councilman Boyd moved to adopt Resolution
Number 4812 as presented. Councilman Yost described the type
of water quality tests that are currently done, the organisms
that are found in the water, and their sources. Councilman
Larson seconded the motion.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
VEHICLE PURCHASE - POLICE DEPARTMENT
Boyd moved, second by Larson, to authorize the purchase of a
Ford Taurus, year 2000, flexible fuel vehicle for undercover
police work, this purchase, in the total amount of
$21,818.04, funded through an Air Quality Management District
grant.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council,
to declare a recess at 7:55 p.m. The Council reconvened at
8:03 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting to order.
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PRESENTATION / CONTRACT - BEACH PARKING REVENUE COLLECTION
AUTOMATION
The Director of Administrative Services presented the staff
report, explained that the current system is manually
operated, the result of that is lack of control and
accountability with regard to the collection of cash, the
existing system is inefficient and causes a number of
indirect costs, automobiles can only enter at 8th Street to
access the 10th Street lot, to do that they must travel
underneath the pier which poses a safety concern in that the
tot lot and the showers are located adjacent to the emergency
roadway, traffic congestion is also experienced in the summer
months with vehicles attempting to enter the lots. To
address these issues she and Chief Cushman researched ways
that the system could be automated, the capital costs for a
booth with a gate and automated computer system were quite
high, between $35,000 and $65,000 per lot, in addition there
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would be annual maintenance fees and the cost of City
personnel to man the booth, collect the fees, and make
deposits. The second option considered was the pay and park
turnkey machines and a company to manage the system for the
City, a list of requirements was developed, it was found
there are only two companies qualified to do this, and AMPCO
the only one to meet all of the requirements.
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Mr. Jose Guitterez, Assistant Vice-President, AMPCO,
introduced Mr. Kerry Turner, Regional Manager for Orange
County, and Mr. Glen Mosman and Mr. Jeff Weiland of Pacific
Parking Systems. Mr. Guitterez mentioned that the packet
provided the Council contained considerable information
relating to their company, AMPCO is a wholly owned division
of ABM Industries, a $1.6 billion organization, ABM basically
provides facility services such as janitorial, security,
elevator, lighting, supplies, and parking, each division
independently run, founded in 1967, their services are
located in about fifty locations in Orange County, about five
hundred fifty in Southern California, the packet provides a
listing of municipal facilities that their firm handles
around the country. Mr. Guitterez reported that Mr. Turner
is a native of Seal Beach thus has a vested interest in
overseeing the contract if awarded, noted the depth of their
management team, stated there are municipal accounts
throughout the country in terms of off-street contracts, five
in the general area, with regard to on-street systems they
have implemented a model that replaces the single space/meter
that serves twelve to fifteen spaces, they provide airport
shuttle services for both the John Wayne and Ontario
airports. Mr. Guitterez cited the benefits of AMPCO
contracting with Seal Beach for the fee collection service,
the City will have the attention of a small company because
that is how they operate, the regional managers run their
branches like small companies, yet they have the resources of
a large company, that is how they can guarantee the average
of the net operating income for the past three or four years,
they take the risk as they are convinced that this can work
and actually generate additional revenue. AMPCO has the
financial integrity of a large company, this is a cash
business, the City needs to deal with someone it can trust as
this is the City's money, there needs to be assurance that
what is collected is deposited, they use reliable and proven
fee collection equipment, their company has unmatched local
presence and supervision, a machine collects the money but if
it is not maintained and supervised then the revenue will not
be there, also, by joining with Pacific parking there is the
integrity of a parking operator and the manufacturer. Mr.
Glen Mosman, representative of Pacific Parking Systems,
Irvine, stated that they represent Vantech International, the
Northern California based machine manufacturer, their
equipment is in several municipalities in the general area,
throughout the coastal areas, State beaches and parks,
primary focus is on user convenience and customer service,
the product is as easy to use and functional as possible.
Mr. Jeff Weiland, Pacific Parking, provided a description of
the automated payment machine, similar to an ATM machine
however takes rather than gives money, a large screen, easy
to read instructions, it would be set up for morning, all
day, and evening rates, takes bills, coins, visa and
Mastercard, ATM's for those, is user friendly, American
Express and Discover could be added at a future time if
desired, the machine can also be pre-programmed for a change
of rate for a specific date and time, there is no need to do
that manually. Question was posed if the Finance Department
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could access information via a link with AMPCO, the response
was that such means would need to be arranged with AMPCO,
also, that said to be a requirement of the City that access
to information per machine would be accessible through the
computer system. The description of the automated machines
was that they be free standing self-contained payment
machines, powered by solar energy, must adapt to flexible pay
rates, accept debit cards, credit cards, coins, up to $20
bills and provide change, must be bilingual, bullet proof,
vandal proof, and provide complete audit trails without being
opened, City staff must be able to obtain information, must
page the management company staff when a machine malfunctions
such as a paper jam, out of paper, or out of change, the time
frame to correct a malfunction must not exceed one hour, etc.
This a one year interim contract with option for extension
for three years, the income guarantee is the average of net
for the last four years, $267,300, AMPCO installs the
machines and Pacific Parking maintains them. Mr. Weiland
stated they will work closely with AMPCO to service and
maintain the machines, the placement of the machines,wou1d be
close to the beach area, the procedure is that once the fee
is paid, the ticket is received, then placed on the dash area
of the vehicle.
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with regard to the overall parking operation in the beach
lots, the Lifeguard Chief diagramed the entry at 8th Street,
the location of the two automated payment stations near the
beach in the vicinity of the light posts, once a parking
space is located the person would return to the pay station,
receive the parking ticket, then return it to their vehicle,
the access road under the pier would be closed by means of
barriers or removal of the asphalt, that would self-contain
the 8th Street lot. He stated there is no need for the 10th
Street lot to open at 6:00 a.m. as does the 8th Street lot,
it is felt that 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. would be adequate for
opening the 10th Street lot and that it remain open until
7:00 or 8:00 p.m., that would basically be day use beach
parking only, the guards would assume responsibility for
closing the 10th Street gate. There have been some concerns
with creating any type of traffic congestion for the
residents in the vicinity of 10th Street but it is felt that
can be alleviated, one of the positive things from this would
be decline of traffic congestion at 8th Street and Ocean
during peak hours given there will be two entrances to the
beach lots. The Chief advised that there are between two
hundred sixteen to two hundred twenty parking spaces per lot,
a few spaces were lost to the tot lot, generally families
prefer to use 8th Street in that the water on that side runs
shallower where on the south side there is more of a drop
off. As to the gate, the arm will stay open until 10:00 p.m.
when the beach is closed, it is already on a timer, and there
will continue to be ability to exit afte'r 10:00 p.m.
Councilman Boyd expressed support for the automated system, a
pilot program that could be tried for a year to determine if
it works, better accountability, possibly new revenues,
however, concerns have been raised with regard to the use of
the 10th Street lot by means of 10th Street for access, the
concerns primarily expressed by residents between 10th and
11th on Ocean as well as Seal way residents. He pointed out
that the lots were designed between the 1940's and 1950's and
not for the capacity and volume of todays traffic, it is felt
that allowing access to the 10th Street lot via 10th Street
causes a problem, the ramp is narrow, pedestrian traffic use
the ramp, residents of Ocean and Seal Way use that ramp as
well, at present when traffic backs up at 8th Street people
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use 10th Street, turn left, then use Seal Way to access
Ocean. Councilman Boyd said his preference would be to not
use the lOth Street entrance for beach access each day of the
year, it is understood that this would not alleviate the
concerns associated with the tot lot, showers and under pier
roadway, suggested that possibly other safety measures be
found, some residents however did not express objection to
utilizing that entry for certain holidays such as Memorial
Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, etc. To questions posed by
Councilman Yost, Chief Cushman confirmed that the proposal is
to close the access road under the pier for safety reasons
given the location of the tot lot, people and children
walking and running across the roadway to the beach, and with
regard to moving lifeguards and safety equipment from one
side of the pier to the other, Chief Cushman stated that they
can not move emergency vehicles from the south side to their
Area I given the number of cars and parking, confirming again
that this is a public safety issue. Councilman Yost
questioned the proposed location of the automated machines
given the elements of sand, dust, wind, etc., the Chief
responded that Pacific Parking had provided a smaller version
machine that has been used on a trial basis at First Street
for more than three months, there were some malfunctioning
problems in the beginning but since then it has been working
well, they are a completely sealed unit. Councilman Yost
mentioned that he had used a similar unit in Huntington
Beach, it was however further back from the actual beach, it
seemed to work well, and he too received calls relating to
the 10th Street lot use. Chief Cushman mentioned that some
type of aesthetically acceptable structure on top of the unit
is being looked at for protection from the elements,
explained that the 10th Street lot was run as a parking lot
in the early 1070's with booths at 8th, 10th, and 1st
Streets, if there were a payment booth people may travel the
alley to avoid it, yet if it is simply an accessway it is
believed they will use it, there has been some investigation
of installing loops in the asphalt that takes a count of
vehicles entering and leaving, there could be signage that
the lot is closed to entry if the lot is full or open the lot
when there is a major impact of cars, the only place that lot
can be opened up is at 10th Street. The Chief confirmed that
the same type of machinery will be in the 1st Street lot, in
fact last Sunday nearly $1,000 was realized from that lot.
He mentioned too that AMPCO and Pacific Parking will have
staff available at all times, in fact the larger machine has
a pager direct to the maintenance personnel, the plan is for
two machines in the 8th Street lot, one in 10th Street, this
will allow the opportunity to monitor how much parking impact
there will be on the secondary 10th Street lot, and if deemed
necessary a second machine will be installed. It was pointed
out that certain merchants have had the 10th Street lot
restriped to their advantage, and question was if the
presumption is that everyone using that lot is going to the
beach. Response was that the beach parking passes will
continue to be available, however the merchants are going to
be questioning some type of validation system for use by
their customers. The vendor representative stated that
electronically there is validation capability, such merchant
programs do exist, certain language can be developed for the
parking coupon, the validation amount, there is the
capability for a token or card system as well, the automated
machines have the potential of dual purposes, programs
specifically for residents also. He explained also that the
machines have a thick rubberized coating that stands up well
to beach and weather situations. Councilman Boyd said having
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just one machine at 10th Street indicates that parking volume
is not anticipated as it is for 8th Street, again, he would
have a difficult time supporting the automation if the 10th
Street access were to be open every day, his suggestion would
again be that it be accessible from Ocean only on certain
holidays and for special events, leave the under the pier
roadway open, it has existed for more than twenty years, and
possibly make a small investment to implement some safety
measures in the area of the tot lot and showers. Inquiry was
made as to what type of public safety measures, the response
was that staff should be directed to develop some ideas.
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Ms. Sue Corbin, Seal Beach, claimed that the major problems
are not being addressed, first the parking fees will need to
be raised with this half for the City half for the
vendor/operator. She mentioned that there were two parking
lot employees present, a reason for automating the lots was
mentioned as accountability, who and what is being accused,
there will need to be people to check the cars for the
parking coupon and issue citations, this will require more
staff which is opposite of what was said to be the intent,
the people that man the parking booth provide a valuable
service and security, the automation does not replace the
people in the booth. Again, fees will need to be raised in
order to divide the revenues three ways, there will still be
congestion, and spoke against this proposal. Mr. Dave
Potter, Seal Way, a resident since 1972, he has seen a
variety of parking schemes come and go, in 1978 life became
pleasant, prior to that 10th Street was an accessway, the
staff report speaks to safety issues under the pier with the
crossover but ignores the safety issues that there were on
Seal Way, cars were driven down 10th and all too often then
raced down Seal Way, that led to the speed bumps, the alley
is only fifteen feet wide, children run out into the alley
because of not having a yard, sidewalk or parkway, there is a
traffic issue with cars going down an alley, of concern too
is how much traffic will backup onto 10th Street during the
peak hours. As to the opening of the lot at 8:00 a.m. and
closing in the evening, the mid-day period is when there is
considerable use of the beach, the lot may be full, the
question is where does the 'full' sign go so that people will
pay attention to it. Mr. Potter urged that the present
system continue which eliminated the nuisances when the 10th
Street access was eliminated, if 10th,were to be used as the
exit area the under the pier roadway could be changed to one
way and in turn cut the traffic to half. From his personal
experience Mr. Potter encouraged that there be more machines
or that the parking control be directed to give some leeway,
in that one may exit their vehicle and while attempting to
obtain a parking coupon be ,issued a citation while doing so.
Councilman Boyd inquired as to how prevalent pedestrian
traffic is on 10th Street south of Ocean, the response was
all the time, when one turns off of Ocean to travel to the
10th Street lot one usually goes down the middle on a busy
summer day because of the pedestrians, there is a wall as
well next to the Park and next to the apartments. Ms. Heidi
Gill, Seal Beach resident and five year employee of the
parking lot staff, stated that the employees are concerned in
that no one has asked them any questions, they probably have
the best view of how things work in the lots. Ms. Gill said
she works the Saturday and Sunday peak hours, the 10th Street
lot is going to fill every weekend, it can not be used as an
overflow, without an attendant there is no one to stop the
traffic, presently when the lots are closed a line of cars
can be seen as far as 7th or 6th Street, with no attendant
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these people will enter and drive around searching for a
space. The employees receive very little compensation to be
ambassadors for the City and answer all the questions that a
machine will not, when people enter the lot they know that
they have to pay, when people do not have to pay until they
park they are often cruising looking for crime, there are
people unloading and picking up which is traffic, what about
the traffic safety issue when a half block or more of cars
drive into the lot but there are no spaces, there are always
many children running around. As to the machines, how many
languages are there, the best language from the booth is the
number five, when one leaves their vehicle to get a parking
coupon there may be a number of people in line, one may want
to walk to the next machine, and while doing so who knows
that they are not getting a ticket, it is said there will be
more revenue but from her understanding the additional
revenue will actually be from tickets which certainly does
not make for a friendly parking lot for a day at the beach.
It is felt that very few people knew about this proposal, the
first the lot personnel knew was at a meeting in May, at that
meeting the opinion was that the lots are City property and
no one cares about the 10th Street residents, she could
understand the suggestion for one way of the under the pier
road, on the other hand it is not felt practical to require
parents and children to walk from the 8th Street side to 'the
tot lot, she would support the idea of opening access from
10th Street, also, why is this being tried in the middle of
summer, if there is a question as to accountability then put
a register in the booth with the attendant. In the opinion
of Ms. Gill, this community is too small to not have a person
in attendance for its beach lots. Mr. Ed Simmons, Seal
Beach, said Councilman Boyd brought up some good questions,
he has been talking to the people, and the same as Mr. Potter
he too frequents every city up and down the coast, and for
holidays and special events the cities go back to attendants,
machines can not regulate the number of cars that come
through, in this community on busy weekends the street is
coned for one way in one way out, now there is this talk of
two parking lots. Mr. Simmons then asked who monitors the
meters and the citations, it must be monitored, who pays for
that, the employment of one person is being taken away so is
the City then going to hire another for the same amount of
money, in Huntington Beach this weekend two large events took
place, they have a similar automated system, but the parking
was handled by people as there were too many cars. He
questioned who will respond to people if they have a problem,
who will post the lot when it is full, if people enter the
lot when it is full will they be parking behind other cars,
the automated machines are fine the majority of the time yet
on major weekends or hot weather periods the lots should be
handled by personnel. To a question as to what will be done
with people who cruise the lots in search of a parking space,
the Administrative Services Director responded that that
issue has been addressed, the revised procedures are the
result of a suggestion from the auditors, there will be
police aides on foot monitoring the lots daily, they will
post signs or put out cones, there will be some cost involved
because they are paid a salary however that would be covered
by the writing of a minimal number of citations. She
mentioned that there is always room for error, as well as
theft even though one does not want to think that, at this
point since the system is not automated there is no proof
that there has been theft but there is potential,
unfortunately not everyone is scrupulous and ethical. The
Director offered that in fact it is not really known what can
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be generated in revenues in the beach lots, it is understood
that there are people who park to go fishing then wait until
the gate closes before they leave therefore have parked the
entire day without paying, that is another issue of
accountability, it is difficult to address the cash issue but
it is an area where there could be real problems, any
problems in the past are unknown because of the lots not
being automated, also, the auditors are saying this needs to
be changed to automation, that the current system is not
doing due diligence to the revenues the City collects, as a
former auditor she would agree. Chief Cushman mentioned that
there will be one or two parking enforcement officers walking
the lots, there will also be an information person, they will
be mobile, not sitting in a booth, all of current parking lot
personnel have been offered jobs, the intent was that they
have the first opportunity for employment, with regard to the
issue of when the parking lots are full he explained that
there is technology for the gate arm to close automatically
however with parking control being mobile and those who work
the parking lot also work for the Police Department, as in
the past when the lot is full the people working the lot will
call the parking enforcement officers to cone off the 8th
Street entrance. It was again confirmed that parking lot
fees will not exceed $6 per day, $2 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00
p.m. and $2 from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., valid until 10:00
a.m., and having watched the lots over the years there are
masses of people at certain times of the day. Councilman
Boyd once again spoke in support of automation, objected to
using 10th Street as the access to that lot on an ongoing
basis, and invited AMPCO, as the experts, to present any
thoughts they might have to address the public safety issue
while maximizing the use of the lots. Mr. Weiland concurred
with Chief Cushman, a concern of his also was the public
safety issue under the pier, it is dark, there is a fair
amount of traffic, stopping, loading, unloading, one does not
want something to happen to force something to be done as a
result of a potential liability, a fallback would be possibly
making it one way traffic from the 8th Street side to 10th, a
help to the Chief too with his beach access, and then exit
the 10th Street side, however the entrance and exit at 10th
Street is not seen as a problem. He said by having the
machines close to the beach and not having a kiosk close to
the street that eliminates a queuing problem on the street
and the backup, the queuing actually takes place in the
parking lot, that is seen as a safety issue and benefit.
Councilman Boyd offered that if both lots were utilized and
10th Street as egress only, would AMPCO make a recommendation
or be willing to assume the cost of certain improvements to
make the under the pier roadway one way, to that Mr. Weiland
said they would be willing to participate under the
conditions of the contract as public safety is one of their
key issues and they do not want to operate a facility that
they deem to be unsafe, and gave an example of a parking
structure in another city where the bike lane ran through the
middle of the structure and on their recommendations the city
created a barrier for separation of the bicycles from the
vehicle traffic, pedestrian and automobile traffic can not be
mixed and expect that something will never happen. Mayor
Campbell mentioned watching children running underneath the
pier, therefore she would deem that roadway to not be a safe
condition, the fact that there has not been an incident means
nothing.
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Councilman Boyd moved, to approve the automation of the beach
parking lot revenue collection through a park and pay turnkey
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system managed by AMPCO System Parking, on the contingent
that 10th Street not be used for ingress except on the
weekends of Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, special
events such as the car show, sandcastle, or beach volleyball.
This with the understanding that the passageway under the
pier would be one way only and there will be some safety
measures taken. Chief Cushman advised that that is the way
it has been run during the summer season with the exit sign
at 10th Street, during the remainder of the year the
passageway allows two way traffic and exit is from 8th
Street, other possibilities could be explored, maybe some
snow fencing by the showers. Noting again that this is a one
year trial system, if after a year there has not been the
impact as anticipated there can be further consideration. It
was confirmed that closing gates have now been installed at
the tot lot. Councilman Larson seconded the motion for
discussion.
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Discussion continued with regard to concern relating to
vehicle movement under the pier, even in a one way direction,
and even if there is no automation there is still the car
movement under the pier near the tot lot and the possibility
of children running across the roadway, given the
recommendation of the person in charge of beach safety that
the roadway be closed it is felt action needs to be taken by
the public officials. Mayor Campbell noted there are now
three options for consideration, to not accept the proposal,
accept as recommended to place two automated payment machines
in the 8th Street lot, one in the 10th Street lot, remove the
under the pier roadway, and allow entry and exit at both the
8th and 10th Street lots, or the amended recommendation of
Councilman Boyd to keep the under the pier roadway open for
one way movement only and allow exit only from the 10th
Street lot, entry and exit capability only on the special
holidays and special events.
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Vote on motion of Councilman Boyd:
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd
Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost Motion failed
Councilman Yost moved the recommendation of staff with an
addendum that staff meet with the residents that may be
impacted to explore changes in the hours of operation that
would be acceptable, and that a report be forthcoming to the
Council possibly within six months. Councilman Doane
seconded the motion in that this is for a one year trial
period.
Mayor Campbell noted that the parking lot employee raised
some interesting considerations, they were valid, and there
needs to be some follow up. Councilman Larson made mention
that should the staff recommendation not be approved the
Council would still need to address the potential of
liability with the crossing under the pier.
Vote on the recommendation of staff as amended:
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AYES:
NOES:
Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
Boyd Motion carried
The City ,Manager stated that should problems arise staff will
report to the Council sooner than the six months. Councilman
Yost recommended that parking lot employees be offered the
opportunity for employment. Chief Cushman reported that he
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has contacted Personnel to alert them that there are persons
in current employment that'would be available for any part
time opportunities should those persons not be available for
parking control. Councilman Larson stated that would be most
important to him and no one was challenging their honesty,
integrity, or ability to do their job.
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PUBLIC HEARING / RESOLUTION NUMBER 4813 - STREET LIGHTING
ASSESSMENT DISTRICT
The Director of Administrative Service presented the staff
recommendation to adopt Resolution Number 4813 establishing
the Street Lighting Assessment District for year 2000/2001,
this a follow up to the May 22nd meeting where Council
adopted Resolutions relating to the Engineers Report and set
the time and date for this public hearing. The City Manager
stated this is the annual renewal, the assessment unchanged
for a number of years, this a means for the City to recover
the costs of the street lighting system. Question was posed
as to what residents can do when a street light is out, to
that the Director of Public Works responded that it is Edison
that maintains the lighting system, a citizen can contact the
City with the location and pole number and it will be passed
on to Edison for repair, the City Clerk confirmed that
information as well. Mayor Campbell declared the public
hearing open to consider the Street Lighting Assessment
District for year 2000/2001. The City Clerk certified that
notice of the public hearing had been advertised as required
by law and reported there were no communications received
relating to this item.
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Mayor Campbell invited members of the public wishing to speak
to this item to come to the microphone and state their name
and address for the record. Ms. Corbin, Seal Beach, asked
what is meant by Assessment District I, to that the Mayor
read the assessment description of properties citywide. Ms.
Corbin inquired if this is a separate district from the Mello
Roos, the response was that this is pursuant to the 1972
Lighting Act, and the Mayor stated this is the annual
renewal, it was clarified also that there is no change to the
rate. Ms. Corbin made reference to a completely different
item where approval was granted upon legal review, to which
she said legal review should be done first. There being no
other comments, Mayor Campbell declared the public hearing
closed.
Boyd moved, second by Doane, to adopt Resolution Number 4813
entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SEAL BEACH CONFIRMING THE DIAGRAM AND ASSESSMENT AND LEVYING
ASSESSMENTS FOR STREET LIGHTING DISTRICT NO. 1 FOR FISCAL
YEAR 2000/0l." By unanimous consent, full reading of
Resolution Number 4813 was waived.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost
None Motion carried
Councilman Boyd asked that the Public Works Director check to
see if the beach parking lots fall within the Assessment
District for replacement purposes.
It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council,
to declare a recess at 9:50 p.m. The Council reconvened at
9:56 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting to order.
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PUBLIC HEARING / RESOLUTION NUMBER 4814 - APPEAL - EUCALYPTUS
TREE PERMIT NO. 99-2 - BIXBY OLD RANCH TOWNE CENTER
Mayor Campbell declared the public hearing open to consider
appeal of the Planning Commission approval of Eucalyptus Tree
Permit No. 99-2, Bixby Old Ranch Towne Center. The City
Clerk certified that notice of the public hearing had been
advertised and mailed as required by law, and reported no
communications received. For the record, Mayor Campbell
. reported having received telephone calls and a letter. The
Director of Development Services presented the staff report,
it was explained that the Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this matter on May 3rd, the item was previously on
their agenda several months ago however tabled pending
resolution of the litigation relating to the Environmental
Impact Report document. On May 3rd there were only four
Commission members available to discuss the issue, the motion
to approve was a two to two vote, on May 17th the Commission
considered a resolution to deny the project based on the
previous vote, there was further discussion of the matter,
one member having indicted intent to deny changed his vote
and the project was approved on a three to one vote, the
resolution reflecting that action and draft minutes of both
meetings provided to the Council, in accordance with the Code
an appeal of this matter was filed by the Mayor, a public
hearing then scheduled for this meeting. The Director
pointed out that the area under consideration is what is
considered by many as the eucalyptus windrow along Seal Beach
Boulevard from Lampson Avenue to approximately two thousand
feet to the north. There were a number of previous approvals
for the shopping center project that relate to the tree
removals that are subject to this permit, the request is for
removal of sixty-seven of two hundred twenty-three trees
which is within the thirty percent criteria when the Council
certified the EIR for the Bixby project and adopted a number
of mitigation measures, of the ninety-eight mitigation
measures several related to eucalyptus tree removals along
this area, and this permit a follow up as required by City
Code to allow for those tree removals to occur. The Director
mentioned that on April 21, 1999 the Commission approved Site
Plan Review 98-1 which was for the entire twenty-six acre
shopping center project which included the driveway entrances
in conformity with the driveway tree removals which are part
of this request. As part of the reapprovals the Council
approved the same Site Plan on August 23rd, 1999 setting
forth the same driveway locations that are part of this
application, at that same meeting the Council reapproved
several other items relating to development of the shopping
center, conditional use permits, as well as Eucalyptus Tree
Permit 99-1 for the removal of one hundred eucalyptus trees
within the commercial shopping center site itself which is
separate from the windrow along the Boulevard. The Director
mentioned that in conjunction with certification of the EIR
there were a number of mitigation measures that anticipated
this follow up application and set forth a number of
conditions for mitigation of the removal of the trees, a
requirement that any trees removed must be replaced on a four
to one ratio, a preservation plan prepared by an arborist
selected by the City, that includes landscape maintenance of
the area, an irrigation system, all of those will follow once
these final actions are taken. The Director noted that under
the Development Agreement there are also a number of
provisions that relate to the City's good faith efforts to
move forward the project as quickly as possible given the
approvals that were granted in 1999 by Council. He mentioned
an issue brought forth by Commission Chairman Hood to
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eliminate the second driveway into the shopping center
project which would be an unsignalized driveway between St.
Cloud and the major entrance into the shopping center, an
issue the Mayor has also mentioned on several occasions, in
response to those concerns the City, in 1999, had the traffic
consultant prepare an evaluation of that proposal and some
other alternative proposals for joint access driveways for
the residential and commercial development on the north side
of the project, which are not the subject of discussion at
this time, in response the consultant submitted a letter in
March of 1999, a copy of which was provided the Council for
this meeting, the recommendation of the traffic consultant
was to not modify the driveway approaches, that what was
proposed and approved by both the Planning Commission and
City Council allows for the best ingress, egress and traffic
safety that could be provided for this development, and with
regard to the CEQA process, this project has been litigated
on the adequacy of the CEQA documentation, certified, and
upheld by the courts, thus any substantial modification of
the project would require some type of additional CEQA
evaluation which is not contemplated at this point. The
Director presented photographs of the windrow which, although
somewhat difficult to see, are two rows of eucalyptus trees
from about Lampson to the far end of the grove, this is the
area where the twelve foot off-road bikeway/pedestrian
walkway is anticipated between the trees, as to the width
between the trees it was estimated to be between fifteen and
twenty feet on average, a photo from the golf course side of
the windrow looking towards St. Cloud, the location where the
first signalized driveway would provide entry to the shopping
center, with regard to the surface of the bikepath it was
said at this point it appears it may be asphalt, to that
concern was expressed with there being asphalt in the middle
of the trees and question posed if the path could be four
rather than twelve feet wide, to that it was pointed out that
twelve feet is what has been approved by the City. A photo
was shown of the location of the second entry/exit into the
shopping center, a non-signalized, right turn in and right
turn out driveway in a northerly direction on Seal Beach
Boulevard, the location approximately across from Marie
Callenders, a photo also from the golf course of the general
location of the main signalized entrance into the Bixby Towne
Center and into the Rossmoor Center, aligned with the now
existing driveway into the Rossmoor Center, a photo too of
the location of the northerly entrance, some scrub trees that
will be removed, there is no entry into the Rossmoor Center
at this location and there will be center medians to prevent
full movement. The Director showed additional photos of the
windrow, the size and height of trees, scrub trees and
sprouts that will be cleared as the project proceeds, a chain
link fence divides the trees located on City property from
those on Bixby property that will be dedicated to the City as
part of the forty foot easement, at present there is a two
foot sidewalk immediately adjacent to the street with trees
overhanging the street, that a concern in that eucalyptus
tree limbs have a tendency to fall for no apparent reason.
It was explained that the forty foot easement is from the
Bixby property line. The Director showed various photographs
of windrows in other communities, trees of similar age,
larger and taller due to their planned spacing as a windrow,
some planted closer together for a different effect, the
anticipation in Seal Beach is that once the trees and
undergrowth is cleaned out the remaining trees will become
healthier and start to grow. The Director mentioned that the
staff report outlines the criteria adopted by the City to
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grant a eucalyptus tree permit, discussion as to how the
trees that are being requested to be removed comply with the
provisions of the ordinance, sixty-seven trees are requested
to be removed, forty-seven are actually within the frontage
of the shopping center area, twenty within the golf course
frontage, the tree removals are for three primary purposes,
the driveways, the installation of a bus turnout on Seal
Beach Boulevard between Lampson and St. Cloud, also to move
the entire curb back two to three feet to accommodate the
bike path and the driving lane width that is presently
substandard, the on-road bike path is in addition to the off-
road bike path, that will be about five to six trees. To a
question of Councilman Boyd as to the proper width of a
driving lane for two-way traffic, the Director explained that
thirteen feet is the preferred width however can be narrowed
somewhat, a bike path is generally five feet.
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Councilman Yost questioned this procedure in that it was the
Mayor who filed the appeal and in turn intends to make a
presentation. The Mayor stated that after hearing comments
from those opposed she would make her presentation from the
floor, once completed would return to chair the meeting.
Councilman Boyd questioned if the Mayor could vote on an item
she appealed. The City Attorney explained that the Mayor has
the option of abstaining as the appellant or acting on the
item as a member of the City Council, it is not a conflict,
traditionally the Chair would turn the gavel over to another
member while making her presentation.
Mr. Ron Bradshaw, Bixby Ranch Company, noted that this is a
second part of the process for tree removals for the Old
Ranch Towne Center project, this permit would have been
approved a year ago in May when the other was approved
however the lawsuit was filed on both the City and Bixby
Ranch in opposition to the EIR, at that point the City felt
until that issue was addressed the trees should not be
removed, it has been contemplated that those trees would be
removed as far back as 1998 when the project was approved,
the resulting ordinances and resolutions were then set aside
and readopted by the City Council, that has been consistent
with all of the prior approvals which included the site plan
approval for the,project that was consistent with the plan
approved in the EIR, there is doubt that there will be new
issues that would require reviewing whether or not the trees
should be removed. Mr. Bradshaw noted that since the August
approval there have been many commitments by Bixby Ranch
Company to potential buyers and users of that Center that are
relying on the City's approval of the Site Plan, it is not an
issue of whether or not the trees should come out, they must
come out in order to have access to the site, the City's
traffic engineer addressed the issue of whether or not there
should be one less ride in and ride out, that report quite
straight forward and recommended that the City not change the
Plan. It is likely this review is worthwhile to just make
sure that when the tree permit is granted everyone will
understand that the trees need to be removed. with regard to
the windrow in general, Mr. Bradshaw noted that one of the
requirements set by the City for Bixby and the tree removal
permit was that a tree preservation management plan be
prepared, that was submitted to the City in May of last year,
and outlines tree removal, maintenance of the grove, during
the year there has been continued watering of those trees
even though they did not have irrigation to begin with, there
have been major clippings placed on the windrow to provide
nourishment, those derived by grinding the trees removed
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under the original permit, however, the infestation of
psyllids of the red gum trees continues to be active, that
throughout Southern California where there are red gum
eucalyptus trees, there have been plans by the local agencies
to address this problem, one was a specific wasp from
Australia, that is anticipated but has not as yet. He noted
that the arborist does a monthly inspection on this windrow,
issues a report that is on file, whenever there is anything
that is significant it is passed on to the City, in the May
report as an example the arborist stated concern for the
continued health of the trees given the psyllids eating at
the leaves for over two years and not taking in enough
nourishment, the water that the trees are drawing in is
substantially the same as it was when the first report was
done, he mentions that the inside bark that transmits the
food process for the trees is starting to fail, thus concern
for the trees in general, and those that are in significant
stress and are in need of major pruning have been identified,
it is believed that most of those trees are on the City side
of the fence and closest to Seal Beach Boulevard. Mr.
Bradshaw stated that under the replacement program for the
eucalyptus trees that have been removed, over two thousand
one hundred trees have been planted to date on the golf
course alone, about one thousand seven hundred are
eucalyptus, the entire requirement for replacement based on
all of the permits, including the permit for the Seal Beach
Boulevard windrow, will include a replacement with one
thousand five hundred, thirty-two eucalyptus trees of twelve
inches or larger, an additional two hundred four of those
were smaller, for a total of one thousand seven hundred
eucalyptus trees, the off-site landscaping on Lampson from
the Boulevard to the tennis club that will include a number
of eucalyptus, the total number of eucalyptus anticipated
have already been planted, that does not include the trees
that will be planted in the residential and commercial
project sites, and where there had been about seven hundred
twenty-two trees plus the seventy-five trees to be removed,
when the project is complete the area will have an
approximate three thousand five hundred trees in replacement,
in terms of following the City's plan to increase the number
and density of trees there is assurance that the trees are
being replaced, and upon project completion the data will be
submitted to the EIR consultant for verification. Mr.
Bradshaw noted that anything that holds up the project, given
the City is somewhat of a partner by means of the development
agreement and interest in moving the project forward for the
benefit of the revenues that are seen as coming to the City,
at this late date to do a major alteration of the project
will have a significant time delay and impact on City
budgeting for year 2001.
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Mayor Campbell reported receiving a letter from a Rossmoor
resident in support of the appeal to the Planing Commission
decision to allow the Bixby Company to remove additional
windrow trees, disturbing to a number of people, which also
stated that with more planning on the part of Bixby no
additional trees would need to be removed, make the main
entrance at the signaled intersection of the Rossmoor
Shopping Center and Mobil Station, then make a four lane
access road behind the trees running parallel therefore
forming an island of trees. The Mayor reported the author of
the letter was Mr. Bob Shields, Rossmoor.
Mayor Campbell mentioned that the City has a eucalyptus tree
ordinance that was supposed to protect these trees. Mayor
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Campbell stated she has reviewed the arborist's report, at
the north end of the windrow there are seven trees slated for
removal at the first driveway, the first is the healthiest
tree of the whole windrow, five of the other six trees are
healthier than most of the others in the windrow, her request
would be that the driveway be moved sufficiently north to
prevent the removal of those trees. With regard to the other
driveways her feeling is that one should be removed or the
first two consolidated with another driveway added north of
the trees to retain the four driveways, her goal is to save
trees and improve the traffic on Seal Beach Boulevard and
Lampson. Each time a path is cut through the trees the trees
on either side are weakened, that will eventually cause the
demise of the trees closest to the driveway, the result being
that more trees will be lost than just those being taken out.
With regard to traffic, her feeling is that the driveway at
St. Cloud is too close to Lampson Avenue, traffic will stack
up and make it difficult for cars coming from Lampson
traveling north but not into the shopping center, requiring
them to transition the center or left lane as quickly as
possible, cars going north over the freeway and into the
shopping center will be transitioning to the right, this will
be a mixing bowl effect, also, the people entering at the
first driveway will encounter the loading dock with large
trucks, her desire would be to move that building up somewhat
for a better traffic flow. She noted that the intersection
of Lampson and Seal Beach Boulevard is currently a level of
service F, she personally does not shop at the market in the
Rossmoor Center because of the traffic, coming off of Lampson
it is just difficult to access Seal Beach Boulevard, for that
reason most of the people from College Park East shop
elsewhere. This shopping center is in the middle of an area
where people did not want it so if the idea is to have people
use it, the traffic pattern needs to be made as user friendly
as possible. Again, move the first driveway sufficiently
north to prevent the removal of the northerly trees, there is
also an area where the trees are thinning where a driveway
could be located so that a lesser number of trees would be
removed, eliminate one of the southerly driveways or
consolidate two of them, and put another at the northerly end
which could be designed so that the residential area would
not be diminished. Mayor Campbell said her intent had been
to appeal the previous Council decision however she had been
informed by the City Manager that her concerns would be
worked out, she even had difficulty in meeting with the
traffic engineer, and this is the first she has seen of the
letter in the staff report from the traffic engineer. The
Mayor stated that if the shopping center and access to and
from is not made more user friendly people will continue to
go elsewhere to shop, that is not what is wanted as the City
is looking to the sales tax revenues. Councilman Boyd
inquired if the Council hadn't taken an action at the behest
of the residents of Rossmoor to eliminate through traffic on
St. Cloud Drive, if there were a flaw in the process it would
be that one can not come straight out of the shopping center
onto St. Cloud, eliminating that driveway does not make sense
where there is a signalized access intersection, he would
take the signalized access from one point to another, instead
of being able to come to the south of the shopping center and
exit straight onto St. Cloud a driver must exit the Center,
turn left on the Boulevard, and then right on St. Cloud.
Mayor Campbell stated her request and intent once again.
There being no further comments, Mayor Campbell declared the
public hearing closed.
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Mayor Campbell moved to discuss with the traffic engineers
some resolution of the deficiencies by means of realigning
the driveways, making the entrances/exits more workable.
Councilman Yost seconded the motion for the purpose of
discussion. Councilman Yost mentioned that the letter of
March 29th from the traffic engineers was quite extensive
with regard to the concerns of Mayor Campbell, in the opinion
of Linscott, Law and Greenspan it was felt that the changes
proposed would negatively impact the overall traffic, that
the ingress and egress for the Bixby Towne Center is well
designed, and inquired what it is that implies this is not
accurate. Mayor Campbell reported she had met with the
traffic engineers twice, to her the four driveways are cookie
cutting, all evenly spaced, one concern is the close
proximity to Lampson Avenue, Lampson is the only in and out
access to College Park East, the residents of the area prefer
the easy in and out access to Valley view rather than Seal
Beach Boulevard, the ease of in and out is what she had hoped
for with this project, concern also with cars stacking up and
crisscrossing the Boulevard, she is merely trying to make
this more user friendly. Councilman Larson noted that Mayor
Campbell represents her district well, however a problem lies
in that the City made a commitment with Bixby, as was said
this evening also is that Bixby has made commitments to their
prospective tenants, agreements and signed leases likely,
this based on a good faith reliance on what the City and the
Council at the time determined was acceptable, it is not felt
that Bixby would design a shopping center that would not
work, in its design surely the traffic engineers understand
the proximity to Lampson as to whether it will make the mix
master effect. Councilman Larson mentioned having been on
the Planning Commission when some of these issues were
discussed, the Rossmoor residents, as distinguished from
College Park East, made many statements that they would not
shop at this center, which are not realistic statements, they
projected traffic coming from Katella and going through
Rossmoor to get into this area so what he would consider as
not the best intersection was designed to accommodate them,
and whether good, bad, or whatever, the issues of the trees,
access, etc. were developed into plans and agreed to, Bixby
proceeded with that, therefore he would vote to keep the word
of the City that that was what was agreed. Mayor Campbell
countered that there are several issues involved, the
driveway at the end of the trees where the request is to
remove seven trees, she would like to see the driveway moved
ten to fifteen feet to the north to accommodate the saving of
trees, also, when looking at the location of the drugstore
she would prefer that it be moved twenty to thirty feet to
the north to eliminate the problematic bend going around the
loading dock, given human nature the people of CPE are going
to go in and out of the first driveway where there is a
traffic light, even the traffic engineer agreed that there
could have been a better design to go around the corner of
that building.
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Mayor Campbell suggested breaking her motion into several,
possibly move the driveway to save the end trees. Councilman
Boyd countered that the issue under consideration is only the
removal of a specific number of eucalyptus trees. Councilman
Doane called for the question. Councilman Yost mentioned
that he was not entirely pleased with the final decision on
this issue even though this was something he voted for, most
of the people who addressed the Council spoke of saving the
trees, at least seventy percent of them, it is understood
that it may be desirable to have them thinned as much as
6-12-00
possible to allow the shopping center to be seen, yet Bixby
did get a project and development through the City and surely
at least seventy percent of those trees could be saved, it is
certain Bixby will do their best to do that, yet he must go
along with the letter from the traffic engineers of more than
a year ago, also expressed concern with an appeal being filed
in this manner and the time and expense associated therewith.
He urged again however that Bixby save as many trees as
possible and to make the shopping center as nice as possible.
Mayor Campbell noted her concern again with moving the drug
store building somewhat to the north. A call for the
question was again made.
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Mayor Campbell repeated her original motion to save the trees
at the ,end of ,the windrow, moving the driveway and the
building with the loading dock, deny the tree permit and try
to resolve other associated problems.
AYES:
NOES:
Campbell
Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost
Motion failed
Doane moved, second by Yost, to deny the appeal and sustain
the decision of the Planning Commission through the adoption
of Resolution Number 4814 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH SUSTAINING THE PLANNING
COMMISSION APPROVAL OF EUCALYPTUS TREE PERMIT NO. 99-2 (BIXBY
OLD RANCH TOWNE CENTER PROJECT)." By unanimous consent, full
reading of Resolution Number 4814 was waived.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost
Campbell
Motion carried
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ITEM "F" - RESOLUTION NUMBER 4811 - LOT LINE ADJUSTMENT -
LL-OO-Ol - TRACT 15767 - BIXBY RANCH COMPANY
Boyd moved, second by Doane, to adopt Resolution Number 4811
entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SEAL BEACH APPROVING LOT LINE ADJUSTMENT NO. LL-OO-Ol FOR
TRACT 15767, LOTS 1 THROUGH 8 INCLUSIVE, OF BIXBY OLD RANCH
TOWNE CENTER." By unanimous consent, full reading of
Resolution Number 4811 was waived.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost
Campbell
Motion carried
CITY ATTORNEY REPORT
There was no..,report presented.
CITY MANAGER REPORT
The City Manager invited the Police Chief to explain a new,
innovative security program for which the Department is at
the forefront. Chief Sellers recalled that a few years ago
the City agreed to participate in a mobile computer grant
with the City of Brea, it was approved by the federal
government as one of the largest grants for the State of
California under the federal COPS program. This prompted
looking at a means of improving security for the police
facilities, one was the installation of cameras in the lobby
of the Station in that as a result of the WestComm project
the lobby doors were closed and specific lobby hours were set
for both the Los Alamitos and Seal Beach Police Departments
even though they are operational twenty-four hours a day,
this would allow monitoring even when closed, as part of that
process it was learned that there may be a way to generate
revenue for the dispatch center by making a video feed
available in the form of an alarm system to some of the local
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6-12-00
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businesses. In the event of a bank robbery as an example,
they could alarm the Department as they do now then ship a
live video feed to the Station through the Comm Center, it
has been proven in concept that this does work, a local bank
is working with the Department, there are four cameras, and
when they transmit to the Dispatch Center there is then the
ability to look inside the bank at the same time the robbery
is going on, that would be worthwhile in describing suspect
information or even with a false alarm. The Chief reported
that while this experiment was going on it was also learned
that this live feed could also be included in the police
cars, therefore, what is hoped to be in place by August when
the mobile data computers are in place is to ship the local
feed from the local bank to the Comm Center which in turn is
directly broadcast to the police car, this means that as the
officer is rolling on call he will have the ability to see
into the bank, see the condition of the victims, the location
of the suspects, and an ability to contain the bank area in a
safer approach, it is believed this will enhance the safety
of the bank as well as the officers. The Chief invited the
Council to preview the program, hoped to be ready for a
formal press announcement by July, also reported that Seal
Beach in conjunction with Los Alamitos had applied for a
State grant for technology, Seal Beach was denied, Los
Alamitos was approved in that it was based on the size of the
agency, however in working with some private vendors that
support the concept they have donated equipment that has more
than offset the grant. To question of Council the Chief
explained that it would only be a bank that chooses to
participate, it would be the choice of the bank organization
as to whether or not they ship the information, the
Department would not have access. As to the potential for
use with traffic, the Chief explained that the next logical
step would be the use of video recorders in the trunk of the
cars with cameras in the dash, as some departments have now,
at this point a digital recorder has been loaded into the
truck of the experimental car, no video recorder, and it is
foreseen that in the future the same type of information
could be shipped from the car to the Comm Center or to
another police vehicle, or in the event of a disaster
directly from the car into the information center, also,
fixed cameras are already used by CalTrans for freeway
management. With regard to the security cameras in banks
now, the Chief acknowledged that there are cameras and videos
and after the crime occurs the video or film needs to be
retrieved, then processed so that photographs can be taken
from it, providing information instantly rather than hours
later. The Chief stated this concept is new, he was not
aware of any other such program in the United States, and it
came from creative minds in the Police Department and
interested vendors coming together.
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COUNCIL COMMENTS
Councilman Doane mentioned that as the Council representative
to WestComm he and the other representatives to the Board
were able to see the demonstration, it is unique, all were
very much impressed, and urged the Council to arrange for the
demonstration as well. Mayor Campbell reported receiving a
call from a College Park East resident who had been taken to
the hospital in recent months and has now asked that the
paramedics be publicly commended for their services. To a
question from Mayor Campbell, the City Clerk responded that
expiration of terms for certain board and commission terms
are forthcoming in July, those appointments or reappointments
will be on the June 26th City Council agenda.
6-12-00 / 6-26-00
ADJOURNMENT
By unanimous consent of the Council, the meeting was
adjourned until June 26th at 5:30 p.m. for a continued budget
workshop. It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the
Council, to adjourn the meeting at 11:00 p.m.
"
clerk
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Approved:
"fJ111J;l,,:.j; ~ ~
Mayor
Attest:
Seal Beach, California
June 26, 2000
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
adjourned session at 5:37 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling
the meeting to order with the Salute to the Flag.
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ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor Campbell
Councilmembers Doane, Larson
Absent:
Councilmembers Boyd, Yost
Pending their arrival, by unanimous consent the absences of
Councilmembers Boyd and Yost were excused.
Also present: Mr. Till, City Manager
Mr. Barrow, City Attorney
Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development
Services
Mr. Badum, Director of Public Works/City
Engineer
Captain Schaefer, Police Department
Captain Cushman, Lifeguard Department
Ms. Arends-King, Director of Administrative
Services
Ms. Beard, Director of Recreation and Parks
Ms. Yeo, City Clerk
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BUDGET WORKSHOP - 2000/2001 FISCAL YEAR
*
Mayor Campbell inquired if the roundabout for Marina
Drive at the area where the streets converge is in the
budget, the response was that it was, it is part of the
grant, the roundabout one of the design concepts for the
greenbelt/bike trail which is funded as one, also, the
Director of Public Works has obtained supplemental funds
to the State funding from the Orange County