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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 2000-08-28 8-14-00 / 8-28-00 I The Director of Public Works explained that at present the City is awaiting additional dirt, that is coming from the sewer project, City crews will then amend the soil, install an irrigation system, there is about two hundred fifty fifteen gallon trees anticipated, the size is a requirement of the grant, as a result, in addition to beautification it is hoped that this will slow traffic speeds as well, the intent is to use ground cover rather than turf, turf uses more water and labor, ground cover will also add color, there will be some hardscape, the Recreation and Parks Director has been working with the tree committee, some architects, and the Parks Supervisor on this project. Councilman Boyd mentioned that if there are other opportunities for medians in the community he would like to see a variation of turf and ground cover use, it is understood that the continuation of the greening of the Bolsa parkway will take place this year as well. with regard to the time frame for the Boulevard improvements, the Public Works Director reported that the Gas Company phase is nearly complete, the sewer line replacement will be finished shortly thereafter, it is a week ahead of schedule, all southbound lanes should be open this week, the northbound possibly the following week, then the paving phase which as yet does not have a start date. To Councilman Larson's inquiry as to something taking place on Westminster Avenue, the Public Works Director stated that it is a Long Beach project, possibly the bridge, and there was work too by the Orange County Water District on some injection wells. Mayor Campbell thanked the City crews for the weeding in the Lampson Avenue center divider. I ADJOURNMENT By unanimous consent, the Council adjourned the meeting until August 28th at 6:15 p.m. to meet in Closed Session relating to employee negotiations. The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 p.m. CJ ex-off"cio clerk Seal Beach Approved: ---fJWJ~; ~ ~ Mayof Attest: I Seal Beach, California August 28, 2000 The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular adjourned session at 6:15 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting to order with the Salute to the Flag. 8-28-00 ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Campbell Councilmembers Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost Absent: None Also present: Mr. MCIntyre, Interim City Manager Mr. Barrow, City Attorney Ms. Yeo, City Clerk I CLOSED SESSION The City Attorney announced that the Council would meet in Closed Session to discuss the items identified on the agenda, a conference with the City's labor negotiator pursuant to Government Code Section 54957 and a conference with legal counsel relating to existing litigation, Ruby's Diner, pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(a). The Council adjourned to Closed Session at 6:17 p.m. and reconvened at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting to order. The City Attorney reported the Council had discussed the items previously identified, gave direction, and no other reportable action was taken. ADJOURNMENT It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council, to adjourn the meeting at 7:01 p.m. I Approved: ~cdk~lfl)~ Attest: Seal Beach, California August 28, 2000 The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular session at 7:04 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 I Absent: None Also present: Mr. McIntyre, Interim City Manager Mr. Barrow, City Attorney Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development Services 8-28-00 I Mr. Badum, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Chief Sellers, Police Department Mr. Dorsey, Assistant to the City Manager Ms. Beard, Director of Recreation and Parks Ms. Arends-King, Director of Administrative Services Mr. Corbin, City Manager's Office Ms. Yeo, City Clerk APPROVAL OF AGENDA The Interim City Manager mentioned being made aware of a request as of this date from the office of the Grand Jury for a response to the Jury report relating to urban runoff, noted the need for a written request for an extension of time to respond, and requested that this issue be placed on the agenda to authorize either the Mayor or City Manager to make said request. The City Attorney noted that this issue came to the attention of the Council after the posting of the agenda and requires action prior to the next City Council meeting. Yost moved, second by Boyd, to add the Grand Jury response request to the agenda as Item "G-1". AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried Boyd moved, second by Larson, to approve the order of the agenda as revised. I AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilman Yost noted that the Ray Bay Surf Classic will be held on September 9th and 10th, applications are available at the surf shops and Lifeguard headquarters. Mayor Campbell mentioned the Muscular Dystrophy telethon over the upcoming weekend, to which she has volunteered her time for several years, and invited anyone having some time to devote to this cause to contact her for a telethon representative, and directions, or, suggested that they make a donation. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Campbell declared Public Comments open. Mr. Glen Clark, Trailer park,"noted the upcoming Sand Castle event, a wonderful event, many Trailer Park residents helped last year and will likely do so again this year, people attend from all over, and invited the community to join in. There being no further comments, Mayor Campbell declared Public Comments to be closed. I PRESENTATION Mayor Campbell read in full the Proclamation citing the month of October, 2000 as "Seal Beach Days" and October 7th, 2000 as "Seal Beach Founder's Day. Ms. Carla Watson mentioned that on October 7th there will be a parade and events on the greenbelt. Ms. Emily Allebaugh-Frazier noted there is need for more sponsors and persons to work the booths. Councilman Boyd expressed appreciation to the Founders Day committee that works year after year on this celebration. POLICY MANUAL Councilman Boyd noted this is an item carried forward from a prior meeting, this will basically create a binder to contain 8-28:"00 city Council policies to be available at all public counters. He mentioned that the Council had been provided copies of prior policies from a manual initiated by the City Manager in about 1990/1991, recent Council adopted policies such as the investment policy, historic structure preservation policy, and encroachment policy will be included in the manual, for those policies in the prior manual he would recommended that they be reviewed/revised for future Council consideration as to their appropriateness at this time for placement in the manual, thus discussion of the prior policies be postponed to a future date. Councilman Boyd asked for Council consensus to establish the policy manual. Councilman Larson indicated he would have questions relating to the prior policies as to the amount of liability insurance, the policy relating to the hours of closure for alcoholic beverage establishments is a blank, in fact that is specifically non-existent inasmuch as each establishment is different. Councilman Larson noted that the policy states that a telephone number is to be made available for those establishments, his preference would be an after-hours telephone number. Councilman Boyd again pointed out that the prior policies had been provided Council as background, no action is requested at this time, and noted that the new manual proposes seven categories and will contain an annual message from the Mayor, will also be included on the web site. Yost moved, second by Boyd, to adopt the format for the City Council policy manual. I AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried APPOINTMENT - CITIZENS PARTICIPATION COMMITTEE - DISTRICT TWO Councilman Larson moved to appoint Ms. Allene Harding as the District Two representative to the Citizens Participation Committee for the full term of four years expiring July, 2004. Councilman Boyd seconded the motion. I AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEMS "D" thru "G-1" Doane moved, second by Larson, to approve the recommended action for items on the Consent Calendar as presented. D. Approved the waiver of reading in full of all ordinances and resolutions and that consent to the waiver of reading shall be 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 28840 through 29087 in the amount of $885,567.33, payroll demands numbered 8870 through 9066 and 9000359 through 9000370 in the amount of $276,886.53, and authorized warrants to be drawn on the Treasury for same. I F. Approved the minutes of the August 9th adjourned meeting, and the August 14th special, adjourned, and regular meetings. G. Adopted Resolution Number 4834 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH DECLARING WORK TO BE COMPLETED 8-28-00 I AS TO PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR PROJECT #814, SEAL BEACH BOULEVARD SEWER MANHOLE RECONSTRUCTION, CONTRACT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN STEVE BUBALO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. AND THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH." By unanimous consent, full reading of Resolution Number 4834 was waived. G-1. Authorized the City Manager to prepare a letter to be forwarded to Superior Court Judge Jamison requesting an extension of time to respond to the Orange County Grand Jury Report entitled "Rainy Seasons First Flush Hits the Harbors of Orange County." AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried I PUBLIC HEARING - PROPOSED AMENDMENT - DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT / VESTING TENTATIVE TRACT MAP 15797 - BIXBY OLD RANCH TOWNE CENTER PROJECT - RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION TIMING - ORDINANCE NUMBER 1467 / RESOLUTION NUMBER 4833 Mayor Campbell declared the public hearing open to consider a proposed amendment to the Bixby Old Ranch Towne Center Project Development Agreement and Vesting Tentative Tract Map 15797. The City Clerk certified that notice of the public hearing was advertised and mailed as required by law, and reported no written communications received relating to this matter. The Director of Development Services presented the staff report and noted the Planning Commission consideration of this item under public hearing on August 9th, the intent of the item is to amend the Development Agreement that was entered into with the Bixby Ranch Company for the Bixby Old Ranch Towne Center project, more specifically with regard to the phasing of timing of permit issuance fqr residential construction as it is related to the construction of the commercial structures in the shopping center. He mentioned that the development agreement was adopted by ordinance therefore amendment thereof is also required by ordinance, at the time the development agreement was approved the Council also approved a tentative tract map for the residential component of the project that contains a similar condition therefore amendment of the vesting tentative tract map is proposed by adoption of a resolution. He noted Council has been provided a copy of the Planning Commission staff report, draft minutes, and the Commission Resolution recommending approval of the change by a four to one vote. The Director explained that Section 3127 of the development agreement does not allow the issuance of a building permit for the residential component in Area D prior to the approval of interior lath and drywall inspections for the commercial retail areas A, the Target Store, B the Ralphs Market, E the Bed, Bath and Beyond, and F the Sav-On Drug Store, the major building pads of the shopping center. The Director clarified that at the time of placing this provision in the development agreement Bixby had previously proposed a residential only project on the site and the concern was if the City were to grant permits for both the commercial and residential that only the residential would be built and the commercial would not, the provision was to assure that the commercial would occur. The Director made reference to a letter from the Bixby Ranch Company explaining their reasons for believing it was appropriate to make this change given the fact that at the time of the initial approval of the conditions the City had not been considering residential development on that I 8-28-00 site, rather the proposal was for a church facility to which. the Council determined to not be an appropriate land use thus the change from institutional use to residential use, subsequent to that there was the CEQA litigation, the initiative effort, all of which caused considerable delay, the feeling of Bixby is that at this point it is no longer necessary to retain that condition. The Director mentioned that as part of the staff review the EIR was looked at for any discussion of the phasing issue, it was discussed also with Culbertson Adams Associates, the City's selected EIR consultant for the project, their opinion was that there are no substantial changes proposed, the basic project description would not change if the condition were eliminated, there is no new information that was not known at the time that has been entered into the record prior to the certification of the EIR that would impact the certification, with the recommendation of Culbertson Adams the staff has determined that the proposed change to the phasing complies with CEQA therefore no further CEQA analysis is necessary. with regard to the status of the project to date, the Director reported that Kitchell Development has taken title to Development Area A, the twenty-six acre shopping center, and two portions of Area B, eight acres designated for commercial at Lampson and Seal Beach Boulevard, they have proceeded with preparation of grading plans, have completed rough grading, the infrastructure plans are now in the Engineering Department for utilities, roadway improvements, driveway points, etc., Kitchell has in turn transferred title to Target Corporation for their structure, they now own that site in fee title. In terms of timing for the anticipated construction schedules for the residential and commercial components of the project, Kitchell as the primary developer for the remaining stores in the shopping center expects to have the construction plans for all of the other buildings to the City for plan check review in October of this year with anticipation of obtaining building permits to commence construction in November with the intent of having those buildings completed for businesses to open in a March and April, 2001 time frame. The Director noted that should the proposed amendments be approved, Centex Homes would anticipate submitting grading plans for the seventy homes in September with actual grading in November, building plan submittal for plan check in November as well in anticipation of building permit issuance by February, 2001, it would then be approximately five to six months until the homes would be occupiable. The Director said, as brought to the attention of the Planning Commission, it is felt these are policy determinations of the City, questions are did the delays caused by the CEQA lawsuit change the circumstances under which the condition was imposed, is it desirable for the residential development to proceed without the completion of a large portion of the major commercial tenant structures, is it desirable for the residential development to proceed prior to and/or parallel to the construction of the major commercial tenant structures, and, does the progress of the commercial development on the site make it clear that commercial development will be completed concurrently with residential development, to that the Director stated that from a land planning standpoint, staff, in reviewing this request with the office of the City Attorney, could find no adverse effect from an approval of the amendments, and again, the staff feels this is a policy issue for the City Council. The Director noted that an alternative was presented to the Planning Commission should they have felt there should be another level of completion by Kitchell Development prior to I I I 8-28-00 I granting the amendment requested, which was that no activity on the residential component could take place until the building permit was issued for Target, that is no longer an issue in that the building permit was issued this past Friday. Should the Council adopt the recommendations of the Planning Commission, the Director noted there could be beneficial impacts, there would be a shorter time period of traffic disruptions along the Boulevard due to a shorter construction period, rather than the commercial and then the residential construction they would occur nearly at the same time, a shorter period of dust generation, noise impacts, specifically from the residential construction, a shorter period of air quality impacts, and less conflict on new businesses while the residential construction takes place. The Director mentioned that information received this date is that on July 14, 2000 Bixby sold the twenty-six acre site to Old Ranch Towne Center, LLC, which is an Arizona limited liability company, the City has a copy of the grant deed, that same day Kitchell Development transferred title of the Target building area to Target Corporation, the City has the recording number of that grant deed, the final grading permit for the Towne Center was issued this date by the Public Works Department, the building permit issued on Friday is numbered 18495, in order to obtain the permit Target Corporation paid to the City for said permit $678,016.75, $457,130.06 of that is the Transportation Development Impact Fee that will be placed in a separate account designated for the bridge widening. To an inquiry of Councilman Doane, the Director explained that there had been a rough grading permit previously issued for the entire site, with the issuance of the final grading permit there were some drainage issues at the southerly end of the Center in the vicinity of where Ralphs will be located, there were no issues relating to the Target building area, the Engineering Department then agreed that a foundation permit could be issued while resolution of the drainage issue at the southerly end continues. To the question of Councilman Yost relating to curtailment of urban runoff, the Director of Public Works explained that the grading plan addresses drainage in its entirety, all of the drainage from the commercial site drains to the golf course retention basin, prior to flowing onto the golf course the development has been required to install Stormseptors, which is a sediment catch basin, for oil/water separation and debris removal, this is beneficial to the golf course as well as water quality, however anything that does not get picked up by these devices will filter through the basin, therefore the vast majority of suspended pollutants in the water system will probably filtrate into the ground surface of the golf course, a good system with the retention basin. The Mayor inquired about the issues with the channel from the air base. The Public Works Director stated that the grading of the golf course has been separated from the grading of the commercial site, the City is still working to resolve the issues on the golf course, working with the AFRC, the Army Corps of Engineers, to resolve the channel issues, from a technical perspective it is solved, it is now essentially getting agreement from the AFRC to resolve the issues and seek permission to make certain changes on their property, and confirmed that the City is working with the Bixby Company for resolution and is working with the military. I I Mayor Campbell invited members of the audience wishing to speak to this item to come to the microphone and identify themselves for the record. Mr. Ron Bradshaw, Bixby Ranch Company, the applicant for the amendment of the development 8-28-00 agreement, stated that the issues that have been discussed by staff have basically covered the request for the modifications. Mr. Bradshaw referred back to 1998 when the agreement was approved at which time the City determined that residential was a more appropriate use than the church institutional use, there was then the request by the City to ensure that the commercial went forward, that was not an issue at the time. He noted that what has happened in the ensuing two years was the CEQA lawsuit brought by the City of Los Alamitos, the community of Rossmoor, and the Rossmoor Center, they directed objection to a number of issues however did not object to the residential. During that period of time Bixby was also seeking a builder for the residential component, and given the amount of time, it is felt what has been found is a quality residential builder for the seventy homes. Mr. Bradshaw expressed his belief that short of the issuance of a building permit all of the grading for the residential could move forward anytime, it just could not go forward from the slabs up in terms of building, a problem however at this point is the transfer of title of the property, Bixby Ranch Company to Centex, they are being held up due to a condition in the development agreement that is to be performed by Kitchell and Target, which is an issue for Centex in terms of them moving forward and a delay of the residential component. He offered that the project could move forward to lessen the number of impacts on the street improvements, the work on the Boulevard could be done in one phase and prior to the residential being in place, if Target were to open in May of 2001 all of the street improvements could be done, including signalization, by the end of 2000 or early 2001, Target will need the signals for their opening, and the subsequent opening of the other majors will be about two months following Target. Mr. Bradshaw said what will also come about with this development agreement amendment is that following this consideration Bixby will be coming in with a new parcel map for the residential component that will show one additional parcel, the community television studio and the north Seal Beach police substation, that facility can not move forward until there is a parcel map and approval to move forward with the residential as that facility is a component of the residential, his feeling is that the overall benefit of concluding the disruption of the benefits that are outlined in the development agreement, the path along the windrow, the work on the Boulevard, etc., it makes sense to have all of this come together at one time, the City to then receive the benefits of the conditions that it imposed prior to a date that would be more uncertain if the home builder is not allowed to move forward. I I By unanimous consent, a recess was called at 7:47 p.m. The Council reconvened at 7:59 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting to order. Ms. Janice Shackle, Centex Homes, the residential developer, for this project, stated that Centex is looking forward to doing the project, the schedule that was presented would allow them to open the models in June of 2001, the prime selling season, the concern is if the performance of Centex is held contingent upon the performance of another that Centex has no control over that and they may not be able to meet the schedule. Mr. John Unrath, Dogwood Avenue, noted that it has been said that the transfer of property has taken place between the Bixby Company and Target, the document numbers quoted relating to the transfer were 720, reference was made to documents 713 and 716 in the presentation, yet at I . .~ .. I I I 8-28-00 the time that research took place the only document on file at the County Recorders office was the 720 document, not the 713 or 716 documents, the 720 document is a Memorandum of Developer Rights Agreement between Target Corporation and Old Ranch Town Center, which makes the statement that the owner grants,the devel~per the 'option' to purchase the property, an opt~on, to th~s he suggested that before consideration is given to approve the amendment that documents 713 and 716 be in hand to verify that the transfer of title has taken place. Mr. Unrath made reference to the schedule that estimates a Target opening as April/May 2001, homes anticipated to open by June 2001, to him there is not much difference in the time frames whether the amendment is granted or not, thus by the time the lathe and wallboard are up it makes little difference in terms of building the houses, also, the City loses the only leverage to assure that the commercial development actually occurs, in his opinion there should be no opportunity given to cancel the commercial development, and asked that there be clarification of the term option. There being no further comments, Mayor Campbell declared the public hearing closed. In response to Mayor Campbell, the Development Services Director confirmed that the City has copies from the Recorders Office of the referenced 713 and 716 grant deed documents. At the invitation of Council, Mr. Bradshaw made reference to the statement of there only being a two month difference in the time schedules, which he clarified that that would be the case if the requested amendment is granted, if that does not occur the actual processing on the residential project will not start until about February, 2001, which ends up to be a seven to nine month period of time, there will not be completed streets, the police substation and cable studio will not have been started, therefore the impact is much greater than two months. Councilman Boyd asked if there is any negative fiscal impact to the City by accelerating the development schedule. The Director said he could not think of one, the commercial development will proceed irregardless of the Council decision, what actually could be seen is a positive fiscal impact because the title would likely transfer to Centex Homes sooner which would result in an earlier adjustment of the property tax value, also building department and traffic fees that would be realized sooner. Councilman Boyd stated he would support the amendment to the development agreement for the reasons that it is felt there has been adequate assurances that the commercial development will proceed, that was the spirit and intent of that condition being placed in the agreement initially, also, as can be seen by the housing market in Seal Beach there is a shortage, as well as in the County, this is an addition of seventy quality homes, sixteen of which will have an affordability clause for mortgage assistance, this is an opportunity for additional housing and a contribution to affordable housing. Councilman Boyd moved to approve the introduction of Ordinance Number 1467 entitled "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH AMENDING THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE BIXBY RANCH COMPANY, DELETING SECTION 3.1.2.7 - PROJECT PHASING (TIMING OF RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION) RELATING TO THE OLD RANCH TOWNE CENTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN" and to adopt Resolution Number 4833 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH DELETING CONDITION NUMBER 2 (PRIOR TO ISSUANCE OF BUILDING PERMITS) OF CITY 8-28-00 COUNCIL RESOLUTION NUMBER 4735, VESTING TENTATIVE TRACT MAP NO. 15797 (BIXBY OLD RANCH TOWNE CENTER DEVELOPMENT)." Councilman Larson seconded the motion. Councilman Doane said he believed that the reasons brought out by the Development Services Director are valid and that this provides an improved time frame. Mayor C~pbell n~t7d that she did not vote for the project, the subJect cond~t~on was placed in the development agreement for a reason, and in her opinion the developer should be held to it. Councilman Yost mentioned that he had suggested the condition at the request of the District Four EQCB representative on behalf of the Mayor due to a concern with regard to the possibility that residential development would hasten Closing of the Base, however the commercial is going forward and he would no longer have concern. By unanimous consent, full reading of Ordinance Number 1467 and Resolution Number 4833 was waived. I AYES: NOES: Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost Campbell Motion carried The City Attorney advised that Ordinance Number 1467 would be presented for second reading at the next meeting. CONSULTANT INTERVIEWS - CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT The City Council commenced interviews with representatives of three recruitment firms, Mr. William Avery, William Avery and Associates, Mr. David Harris, Shannon Associates, and Mr. Bob Murray, Bob Murray and Associates. Each of the interviewees presented an overview of the qualifications of their firm, history of recruitments and references, personal professional backgrounds, involvement of the City Council, and others if desired, in the recruitment process, steps to be taken to develop a candidate profile, search strategy, advertising campaign and recruitment brochure, ICMA and Western City are candidate sources, the recruitment process would include contact with potential candidates, personal interviews, candidate assessment, reference checks, recommendation to Council of candidates for the position, final interviews, selection, negotiations, employment agreement, etc. It was pointed out that it is the Council who will establish the guidelines as to the type person desired with regard to skills, competencies, experience, background, personality, character traits, etc., and the recruitment process generally takes between four to six months. With regard to the typical longevity of a City Manager the response was four years or longer, a Council workShop could be arranged subsequent to the hiring of the City Manager to develop criteria as to Council expectations and desires, that also makes the evaluation process easier, the cost of facilitating a workshop is in addition to the recruitment fee, in response to a question as to what would be the primary factor that would bring a key City Manager to Seal Beach, the response was compensation, professional growth and challenge, the environment, commonalities of interest, also, there needs to be a clear understanding up front of the costs of living in the Southern California area, a national search would not be recommended, start with Orange County then expand throughout the State. I I Councilman Boyd mentioned that following the departure of the prior Manager there have been residents that suggested using Long Beach State for the recruitment process, basically an in-house process, that is thought to be the process of the last recruitment. The City Attorney recalled that the -. ..,< I I I 8-28-00 recruitment was in-house, the Council having established a sub-committee, they may have had some assistance from the University. Given the potential cost of about $20,000 to do a successful recruitment, Councilman Boyd said if the Council determines to use a consultant for the search and recruitment he would think that issues beyond the process should be given thought, the compensation level, the role and responsibilities of the City Manager internally, as well as expectations being just a few, the position of City Manager is political, administrative, emotional, and physically challenging, this would allow the recruiting firm to go out and promote Seal Beach. Mayor Campbell offered that there will be interviews by the consultant of the members of the Council individually, then collectively, and at that time the Council can find the commonality of what is being sought in terms of a City Manager, her feeling would be that the compensation package, etc. should be discussed with the recruiter at that point. Councilman Boyd suggested that possibly a market survey should be done of Orange County now, review cities of a fairly like size, maybe even special districts and other jurisdictions, possibly look at that before becoming too involved with a consultant, he personally has some hesitancy at spending up to $20,000 for a process that has been done before for less, in his opinion this Council has demonstrated that it can work together effectively, regardless of personalities or issues, the Council has made some tough decisions, it may be beneficial for the Council to discuss issues beforehand, the expectations, the challenge of revenue generation, infrastructure, etc., yet a Manager who is going to leave Seal Beach as small as the person found it. Councilman Larson confirmed that the recruiter needs to know the range of salary and benefits to respond to questions of candidates as to living expenses, housing accommodations, separation pay, etc., the Council needs to come to agreement on the issues otherwise the City will not realize the best candidate. Mayor Campbell suggested that the Interim City Manager do a survey of other cities as to salaries and benefits. Councilman Yost asked that housing subsidies be addressed as well, that being a means of augmenting salary without augmenting benefit when attracting people to a high income area. The Mayor said in lieu of a housing loan her preference would be relocation expenses. with regard to compensation, Councilman Boyd said his intent is to pay for performance, he would want a Manager that understands that performance is the issue, the City has a good staff, these people need to be empowered to make decisions, involve as many people as possible in the decision making process, the department heads, the labor management representatives. The Interim Manager noted that all of the consultant representatives indicated they would be meeting individually and collectively with the Council, that is the time when directions need to be given, also, legal counsel advised that such discussions could be conducted in closed session. To the question as to the preference of the Council with regard to using consultant services, there was a majority indication in favor of, with a comment made that there be as much interaction as possible, possibly incorporating an element of team building for the Council as well. with regard to a salary/benefits survey, Council suggested all of the coastal cities, cities of like size in Orange County, Los Angeles and San Diego counties as well. It was confirmed that the Council could meet in closed session prior to the next meeting for further discussion. 8-28-00 CITY ATTORNEY REPORT No report was presented. CITY MANAGER REPORT The Interim City Manager reported being advised that the 2000/2001 budget is about to go to print, should be available to the Council by next meeting. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilman Doane stated he has been remiss in promises to the Leisure World residents with regard to publication of news articles, he intends to commence writing articles again, his focus will be on business opportunities in the community in regards to shopping locally, and he would encourage all members of the Council to instill the importance of local shopping to the City's tax base, the City receives one cent on every retail dollar spent, an improvement of that will help the General Fund. Councilman Larson noted that there is currently a bus that transports Leisure World residents to Rossmoor, presumably that will serve the Bixby Center as well, and inquired if there is an opportunity to extend that type of service to Main Street. Councilman Doane responded that there is route 42 that offers a senior rate certain hours of the day. Councilman Boyd mentioned his interest in pursuing federal or State transportation funds to fund an inner-city shuttle service that would run from North Seal Beach to downtown for those who do not drive, there are other cities that do this. Councilman Doane mentioned that former councilmember Hastings had been looking into some type of a trolley system. Councilman Boyd also encouraged persons that shop nice stores in other areas to tell the operators they are from Seal Beach and why that type of business would likely thrive in this community, Main Street being a prototype environment for the next twenty years, an example would be the Sideboard, a culinary store recently located in the 300 block of Main Street. Councilman Doane mentioned that the Chamber of Commerce mixer will be at the Sideboard next Thursday. Councilman Yost expressed appreciation to staff for the All City Swim Meet, run very well and successful. He mentioned receiving a letter from the resident of 601 Bayside Drive, directly across from the school, with regard to someone making a right turn onto Bayside from Bolsa, went over the sidewalk and crashed into his wall, this not the first time, and his concerns were with traffic safety, to that Councilman Yost said the letter would be forwarded to the Traffic Committee and Police Department for follow up. With regard to the newspaper letter relating to meetings of the San Gabriel Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, Councilman Yost reported their meetings are open, they are posted on the web site of the Secretary of Resources, he has given updates during Council meetings and is on his web site as well. Relative to that same topic said it was reported at last meeting that on August 10th there was a bus trip from the top of the San Gabriel River dam and ended at Rivers End Cafe, stated he made two telephone calls to the local paper to alert them that the Conservancy was coming however they did not respond, at the Cafe an update was given on water quality, during the route each person spoke of issues within their given area inasmuch as the Conservancy is split between Los Angeles and Orange counties plus the interest of those in the mountains and those at the beaches, there is now an executive director and there will likely be offices in Azusa and in Long Beach. councilman Yost mentioned that he had also given the local paper information relating to a local interest story with regard to I I I ~.' .' 8-28-00 I the smallest baby ever, less than two pounds, that was put on bypass in Orange County, had the heart defect repaired and has now gone home, and two of the professionals that made the procedure possible are Seal Beach residents, however the paper has yet to run the story. Mayor Campbell inquired about a Conservancy gathering at the Brea Council Chambers at the same time as the League Conference. Councilman Yost said he had no information however that may relate to the $15 million allocated to the Conservancy thus far, an anticipated $10 million may be designated to the lower Los Angeles River, however that is not yet decided. Making reference to web sites of other cities, Councilman Boyd suggested that some funds be allocated to upgrade the Seal Beach web site, making it user friendly, a common means for persons to access information today. He suggested also that thought be given to publishing a community newsletter once or twice a year to disseminate information to the public rather than merely relying on the local media. Councilman Yost said he does that on his personal web site and Mayor Campbell stated she publishes a newsletter every four to six weeks. Councilman Yost announced that he is appealing the Starbucks approval by the Planning Commission for the reasons of the traffic data submitted, suitability of the site for a Starbucks, suitability of the parking lot to maintain a queue and function as a parking lot, effect on the surrounding traffic circulation and safety, effect that Starbucks would have on existing businesses, and consistency with the General Plan and Main Street Specific Plan, he also asked that the City Attorney look into other cities which have contemplated and/or passed anti-predatory business ordinances and legislation. Mayor Campbell complimented the just released fall Recreation brochure. Response to a question of Councilman Larson was that the tree in College Park West is down. I CLOSED SESSION The holding of a second Closed Session was unanimously waived by the Council. ADJOURNMENT It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council, to adjourn the meeting until Monday, September 11th at 6:00 p.m. to meet in Closed Session. By unanimous consent the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. C't Clerk and the City of clerk I Approved: -IJcd.A:r{~ ~ ~ Ma or Attest: