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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 2000-09-11 9-11-00 Seal Beach, California September 11, 2000 The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular adjourned session at 6:02 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting to order with the Salute to the Flag. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Campbell Councilmembers Doane, Larson, Yost I Absent: Councilman Boyd Councilman Boyd arrived at approximately 6:22 p.m. Also present: Mr. MCIntyre, Interim City Manager Mr. Barrow, City Attorney Ms. Yeo, City Clerk CLOSED SESSION The City Attorney said it is understood that a matter has corne to attention after the posting of the agenda which may require an action before the next meeting, the Interim City Manager requesting that the Police Officer Association negotiations be added to the Closed Session discussion. Larson moved, second by Doane, to include the POA negotiations as Closed Session Item "D", a conference with the City's labor negotiator. AYES: NOES: ABSENT: Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Boyd Motion carried I The City Attorney also advised that members of the public wishing to speak to any item on the agenda may do so at this time. Ms. Sue Corbin, Seal Beach, requested an explanation of the real property negotiations relating to 201 - 8th Street with California Historic Properties. The City Attorney advised that the item referred to was for Closed Session discussion, should any action be taken the Council would report same at the conclusion of the Session. Ms. Corbin stated her belief that certain aspects of the negotiations should be provided the public for their information. The Mayor advised Ms. Corbin that that could have an affect upon negotiations. By unanimous consent, the Council adjourned to Closed Session at 6:06 p.m. to discuss the items identified on the agenda, a personnel matter pursuant to Government Code Section 54957, a conference with the City's real property negotiator pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8 relating to 201 - 8th Street, a conference with legal counsel with regard to anticipated litigation pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(b), and the POA negotiation matter. The Council reconvened at 7:07 p.m. with all members of the Council present. The City Attorney reported that the Council had discussed the four items, gave direction with respect to two of the items, and there was no other reportable action. I i ADJOURNMENT It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council, to adjourn the meeting at 7:08 p.m. 9-11-00 I Approved: ~ttft;cWl t~ ~uJ"1v t City Clerk Attest: Seal Beach, California September 11, 2000 The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular session at 7:08 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 Mr. Badum, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Chief Sellers, Police Department Ms. Arends-King, Director of Administrative Services Mr. Corbin, City Manager's office Ms. Yeo, City Clerk APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Campbell requested that Item "I" be removed from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration. The City Attorney advised that the matter of appointment of a recruitment firm for the City Manager search became a matter for consideration after the posting of the agenda and there is need to take action prior to the next meeting. Larson moved, second by Boyd, to add the item to the agenda as Item IIP'I. I AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilman Yost reported that the surfing contest was moved from this past weekend to the end of the month. Councilman Boyd extended appreciation to Steve and Kim Masoner for their efforts relating to the Sand Castle Contest, stated that it was well organized, it brought families into town that was beneficial for the businesses, the community enjoyed the event, given its success he would hope the City would have 9-11-00 the ability to participate next year, and that this will encourage corporate donations for other activities. Councilman Yost thanked Recreation Supervisor McGlynn 'for her efforts towards parking and bus service for the event. Mr. Masoner expressed appreciation to the residents of the community for allowing the hosting of this event, for being tolerant of the traffic and crowds as it is known to be an inconvenience, however the efforts were focused on raising funds to clean the San Gabriel River and beach. Mrs. Masoner thanked the employees of the City, the volunteers, the military, the owners of John's market, and the residents of the Trailer Park for their assistance with the Sand Castle event. I PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Campbell requested that the Director of Public Works provide an explanation in response to the flier that was distributed relating to alley repairs. The Director of Public Works said he only had a brief glance at the flier earlier in the day, however his understanding is that there is some concern with funding for alleys, reported such a program is in place, if the concern is that the alley funds are proposed to be spent elsewhere he assured that those funds can only be used for alleys as they are water and sewer enterprise funds, in addition there are matching Sanitation District grant monies that can also be used for alleys. The Director stated that with the current monies available it is anticipated that two more alleys will be done this year from Ocean to Pacific Coast Highway, construction likely in the spring, and offered to provide Council with a priority list. Mr. Frank Boychuck, Trailer Park resident, expressed appreciation to the Council, the Interim Manager, and City Attorney for their help with the attempt to purchase the Trailer Park, noted that last Thursday there was a meeting attended by two members of the Council, the Manager, Attorney, Link Housing, bond counsel, and attorneys to discuss further the financing and purchase issues of the Trailer Park towards the transfer ownership of the Park to Link Housing and ultimately the residents. Mr. Boychuck mentioned receiving a letter from Attorney Gibbs advising that he had taken documents to Sacramento to seek MPROP funds to help fund the Park purchase, made a presentation before H/CD, it has been learned that there were only five parks in the State that submitted their applications seeking funding on time therefore it is thought the Seal Beach Park may have a good chance. Park residents Mr. and Mrs. Clark were commended for their efforts towards the preparation of the document package. Greg Newton, president of the Seal Beach Leo group, and Nick Bolen, reported their organization held a barbecue last weekend in conjunction with the Arts and Crafts and Sandcastle events, their thoughts were that the boardwalk be extended on the north side of the beach up to the bike trail which would make the beach and downtown shops more accessible, their organization would like to support it. Ms. Mary Newton, Seal Beach, thanked all who participated and enjoyed the barbecue, explained that the Leo's are an extension of the Lions Club consisting of youth between twelve and eighteen years of age, all of the money raised through their efforts will hopefully come back to the City, and the boardwalk extension is supported by the Leo's, the boardwalk would also be an alternative to pedestrian traffic on Ocean. Ms. Newton displayed a map showing the extension plan-for the boardwalk from 1967, said it has just not been implemented, this was shown to the Coastal Commission who I I 9-11-00 I indicated support for beach access, the bike clubs contacted showed support as well, and asked that the City look into the feasibility of extending the boardwalk so that all can enjoy the beach. Mr. Glen Clark, Trailer Park, mentioned a newspaper article that commended Olympian Pat McCormick for having won four gold medals in her competitive years, a Trailer Park resident, and is presently helping Seal Beach kids to learn. Mr. Clark suggested that she be recognized locally for her achievements. Mr. Norm Schutzberger, 13th Street, said he wished to speak of two important concepts, the basis for representative' government, promises and priorities. Mr. Schutzberger mentioned that the town has corne a long way since moving here in 1975, particularly apparent in Old Town, old in that it was incorporated in 1915, the area also in greatest need of infrastructure replenishment, this a requirement under which a town continues to improve rather than deteriorate. A particularly urgent need, recognized and planned over twenty years ago, was the replacement of the alley sewer system and resurfacing, work initially progressed in a planned and orderly manner until twelve years ago when a financial crisis enveloped the City and all work ceased, that crisis is gone, the alleys have continued to worsen and in many cases becoming dangerous and unhealthful. Mr. Schutzberger said in February residents petitioned their councilmember, a meeting was convened shortly thereafter to address this matter, the Chambers were full attesting to the urgency of the situation, the councilmember emphasized that alley replacement was his top priority, he provided the meeting attendees with written staff development plans and an alley replacement priority list along with potential time tables which are dependent on funding streams, not just funding from water and sewer but from the General Fund and other sources as well. He said the key to timely alley replacement was the passage of an increase to the sewer bills, the justification for the increase was replacement in four years rather than fourteen, the majority of the attendees at that meeting agreed to the rate increase based upon the timely replacement promise. Mr. Schutzberger noted that a promise was made by the councilmember to report back to the residents within three months on two commitments, the construction schedule for sewer replacement and alley reconstitution based upon the staff generated list, secondly was a comparative breakdown of what the cost would be to lay phone, cable and power lines underground while the alleys were open as opposed to doing so subsequently, the report would also show the funds already set aside by the utilities for just that work, and stated that what was promised is yet to be delivered. Of further concern is that other less pressing'projects may now be taking precedence, one such project is a complete redo of Ocean Avenue on the Gold Coast, however Ocean Avenue is a perfectly serviceable thoroughfare previously made quite attractive by the placement of utilities underground, and stated that not one penny of taxpayer money should be spent on beautification projects before what is urgently needed and the long delayed alley replacement program is completed. He noted that that program, presented at the February meeting, was divided into eight segments and if that program is to be complete in four years as promised then two alleys per year must be done, and since no one has been seen surveying the next scheduled alleys it can only be assumed that the program is on hold or shelved for some period of time in deference to other City work. Mr. Schutzberger stated that there was no way that the sewer rate change would have been acceptable to the meeting attendees, the voting citizens, without the I I 9-11-00 promise that the alleys would be done in four years, by the approval of the sewer tax increase the Council, as the elected representatives, has signaled its desire as well as assumed the responsibility to follow through and have the alleys repaired as a top priority. He asked again that there be a follow through for alley replacement as well as the cost and funding available to provide for underground utilities at the time of alley replacement, that this be done at the next Council meeting, and furthermore the status of alley replacement should be a standing agenda item commencing with ,the next meeting and continue until a completed project plan and schedule is implemented. Ms. Sue Corbin, Seal Beach, said she is believed to be the first person to complain that the alleys were falling apart, a speaker stated that the crisis is not on-going, that is not so. Ms. Corbin claimed that some years ago the City wrote millions of dollars of checks over budget, the monies for alley and sewer replacement were spent for something other than, it was also said that the only sidewalks being repaired were those for which grant monies were received, yet grants were not being applied for. Ms. Corbin stated that this is actually the first time that there has been an effort to repair the alleys, the fact that that is happening should be commended, one group of people should not demand that their needs be taken care of before the needs of others, the City needs to work as a community, there is only so much money and it will need to be allocated accordingly. Mr. Rick Gordon, Marina Hill, said if he could think of a way to have everyone in the United States send him a dollar he would be a multi- millionaire, the Trees For Seal Beach Foundation found a scheme, a way of having all of the property owners send money to the Foundation to enhance millionaire property values, it does nothing for the City, the figure used as the cost of the Ocean Avenue proposal was stated as about $600,000, a percentage reduction of the utility users tax is said to be about $300,000. Mr. Gordon said he personally dislikes narrow streets, narrower streets are not needed, and once there is even $1 of General Fund spent for a project such as Ocean Avenue then it becomes everyones business, no longer just Ocean Avenue, there are degraded streets on the Hill, they have not been slurried because they are so severely degraded, the curbs are damaged as well, yet it is proposed that hundreds of thousands of dollars will be spent on an ill-conceived notion that one side of one street will enhance the property values by planting trees. Mr. Gordon concluded that if the City has that much money then the utility users tax is not needed or can be reduced by about two percent. Mayor Campbell clarified that nothing has been approved as yet. In response to comments, Mr. Jim Watson, Main Street, said the Trees for Seal Beach group has been established as a Foundation, donations are tax deductible. Mr. Watson suggested that anyone who would like to do something to improve their neighborhood could do so by using the Foundation to allow donations to be tax deductible, possibly for alleys, curbs, gutters, most any type of improvement, bring a neighborhood together and make tax deductible donations to accomplish the improvements, perhaps the City could become a partner to accelerate the improvements that would otherwise be done in time. In the case of Ocean Avenue the improvements proposed are all public improvements, the City would be required to do those improvements at such time as funds become available, however on Ocean it is known that will not happen for five to ten years, the intent is to accelerate the process, even if the City donates no money the people are still prepared to go forward to improve the paving I I I 9-11-00 I and curbs and gutters with private funds, there is $125,000 committed, more can likely be raised if the City does not want to participate, trees are included in their budget, it does not take a great deal if a neighborhood comes together, makes tax deductible contributions to accelerate improvements to a neighborhood instead of waiting for the City to have the budget. Mr. Watson stated that is the mission of the Foundation, not everyone on Ocean is interested in contributing therefore the entire street could not be done in one phase, this is private money paying for public improvements that are the responsibility of all of the residents of the community to pay for, but again, would likely not happen for five to ten years. With regard to narrowing the street, Mr. Watson said the residents have been working with the City Engineer since about October of last year, from a street safety aspect and street standards, it will be a safer street, it is presently about a lane and a half on each side allowing traffic to travel faster than it should, also, by moving the curbs out it allows for more landscaping, the proposal is for both sides of the street, not just one side. Mr. John Gilford, Seal Beach, said he is part of the silent majority, they merely ask for fair representation, they go to work, raise their children here, they all participate in providing revenues to the City, for most it is a priority to support the local vendors and the City, but their voices are seldom heard. Mr. Gilford thanked Mr. Schutzberger for his presentation which he felt addressed the needs of the residents, however was somewhat disappointed with the staff comments with regard to a program, to him a program should have a beginning and some form of end, there has been a little here and there concerning the alley situation, he would applaud the people living on the Gold Coast if they want to beautify their street, he has no problem with that, however there is need to prioritize the situation, apparently the City Engineer has seen a fair amount of information referred to by Mr. Watson, yet very little information was conveyed concerning the alleys, again, the question is how much money is dedicated to the resurfacing of the alleys, what is requested from the Council is a specific plan and program from the staff. I I Councilman Boyd responded that the City does have a program, there is a Pavement Management Plan, a Sewer Master Plan, alleys fall under the Sewer Plan, it is available at the office of the City Clerk and Public Works counter, believed to also be in the libraries, the Plan is the result of mapping and inspecting all of the alleys to determine which is improved first, second, and last, the problem of the Council is that there is no vehicle to communicate that to the public in general, an effort is underway to put as much as possible on the web site, Seal Beach is behind the times technologically and is catching up, now, thanks to the sewer rate restructuring there will be money dedicated to fixing the sewers, that money will not be used for anything else, as a result of the rate restructuring the first sewer main, in Seal Beach Boulevard, has been replaced, apologized that projects are not moving along as quickly as some would like however said the financing alone took four months to complete. With reference to the comment that the rate increase was for the Boulevard force main only, the Director of Public Works explained that the sewer capital improvement charge, recently added to the rate, funds the first half of the ten year Master Plan improvements, there is about $375,000 allocated in the alley fund for sewer replacement this year, another $175,000 in the water fund, in total that 9-11-00 will do considerable work, the design for the projects will likely occur in the fall with start times in the spring, at present the conditions of the alleys are being reviewed since each winter conditions change, that to possibly do the worst first, taken into consideration as well are the alleys where there have been main breaks, it is hoped that in the next few months the projects that will be recommended for this year will be presented to Council for approval. Councilman Boyd pointed out that Seal Beach is a $33 million corporation, this year $8 million will be spent on public safety, Police and Fire, water and sewer are restricted funds and can only be used for that purpose, this year an expenditure of about a half million on alleys, that does not include the pump stations or the main lines, the majority of the improvements are in Old Town, some in other areas of the City. He pointed out that basic policies are in place to make certain things happen, the residents have waited considerable time yet on the other hand the City started with nothing and is now moving forward, the City is taking care of what the residents have asked as quickly as possible. Mayor Campbell read portions of the flier that had been distributed relating to Ocean Avenue, suggested that people inquire as to whether or not information disseminated is correct, and whether or not decisions have been made. Ms. Rhonda Young, 14th Street, thanked the Council for speaking to this issue yet said it is also her right to let the Council know her feelings, it is likely that this matter is under discussion because of the concept plan and demonstration project for Ocean Avenue, the mention of extending the boardwalk sounds like a wonderful proposal yet there still needs to be priorities, repair of the infrastructure is important, it has been said that $300,000 to $500,000 will not cover the cost of redoing the alleys, where will the remainder corne from if General Fund monies are used for things like the beautification project, that is her concern and those present. Mayor Campbell stated that there are wants and there are needs. Ms. Judy DiPiazza, 17th and Electric, said she found it interesting to hear Mr. Watson say they are collecting private money to change a street in Seal Beach and if the City does not want to participate the Ocean Avenue group will do it and pay for it, yet to her that must fall under the plans of the City, a private group can not just change a street. There being no further comments, Mayor Campbell declared Public Comments to be closed. I I PRESENTATIONS U. S. JUNIOR NATIONAL CREW TEAM Councilman Boyd presented a Certificate of Recognition to Fred Fielding, a member of the Long Beach Junior Crew and on June 11th he was the stroke of the four that took the Gold in the U. S. Junior National Championship, from there he went to the U. S. rowing selection camp, the only junior rower in nine years from Southern California to make the U. S. World Team, he was also the stroke of the four that took the bronze medal at the Worlds this summer in Croatia, and the only rower in the history of Long Beach Junior Crew to earn a medal. Mr. Fielding thanked the Council for the recognition inasmuch as it then makes other young high school students aware of the sport. Other members of the Long Beach Junior National Crew Team, not present at the meeting, were Andrew Brennan, Andrew Nowak, Jacob Sattelmair, and Dan McMannus. I PROCLAMATIONS Mayor Campbell read in full the proclamation of October 7th, 9-11-00 2000 as the "Alzheimer's Association 7th Annual Memory Walk Day" and encouraged Seal Beach residents to support this event. Larson moved, second by Boyd, to so proclaim. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried I Mayor Campbell read the proclamation declaring the week of September 18th through September 22nd, 2000 as "Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week." Boyd moved, second by Doane, to accept the Proclamation. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried RESOLUTION NUMBER 4835 - SUPPORT OF LOW EMISSION VEHICLE MANDATES Mayor Campbell read in full Resolution Number 4835 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA, IN SUPPORT OF THE LOW EMISSION VEHICLE MANDATE." Larson moved, second by Boyd, to adopt Resolution Number 4835 as presented. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried I CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEMS "D" thru "L" Mayor Campbell requested that Item "I" be removed from the Consent Calendar. Boyd moved, second by Doane, to approve the recommended action for items on the Consent Calendar as presented, except Item "I", 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 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 29088 through 29219 in the amount of $209,438.59, payroll demands numbered 9067 through 9273 and 9000371 through 9000382 in the amount of $272,332.94, and authorized warrants to be drawn on the Treasury for same. F. Approved the minutes of the August 28th, 2000 regular adjourned and regular City Council meetings. G. Adopted Resolution Number 4836 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH DECLARING WORK TO BE COMPLETED AS TO PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR PROJECT #706, CONSTRUCTION OF THE SEAL BEACH BOULEVARD MEDIAN, CONTRACT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN EXCEL PAVING CO. AND THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH." By unanimous consent, full reading of Resolution Number 4836 was waived. I H. Approved Amendment Number 3 to the Orange County Transportation Authority Master Funding Agreement, C95-991, replacing 9-11-00 Exhibit "A" thereto, a revised list of open projects. J. Received and filed the Orange County Council of Governments 'project Budget for 2000-01 Overall Work Program', and instructed staff to forward same to the Planning Commission and Environmental Quality Control Board for information purposes. I K. Adopted Resolution Number 4837 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH APPROVING AMENDMENT OF THE JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY CITIES RISK MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY." By unanimous consent, full reading of Resolution Number 4837 was waived. L. Concurred with recommendation that the City not request additional sensitive information from the Southern California Edison Company re potential brownouts. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEM "I" - ORDINANCE NUMBER 1467 - AMENDMENT - DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BIXBY OLD RANCH TOWNE CENTER PROJECT - RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION TIMING Boyd moved, second by Larson, to adopt 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." By unanimous consent, full reading of Ordinance Number 1467 was waived. I AYES: NOES: Boyd, Doane, Larson, Yost Campbell Motion carried RESOLUTION NUMBER 4838 - GRANT APPLICATION - DEPARTMENT OF BOATING AND WATERWAYS - GROIN REPAIR PROJECT The Director of Public Works presented the staff report, explained that this is a request to authorize staff to seek funding for repair of the groin. He noted that the groin was built in the late 1950's, it is in need of upgrading, several pieces of the groin have been lost. The Director mentioned that this funding opportunity is part of the Department of Boating and Waterways annual program, the intent is to submit this application under their beach erosion control program, an option added to the application is a groin extension, although that may be somewhat controversial at this point, that affords the opportunity to apply for a greater amount of money and allow the City to then give further consideration as to the desirability of a groin extension, this would merely allow the City to get into the State budget process and should the determination be to not extend the groin the project could be scaled down to just go forward with repair. The Director reported that Moffat and Nichols Engineers have provided preliminary dollar amounts, those need to be refined for the application so that the project can be justified economically, this would be a seventy-five/twenty-five percent match, at this point the City contribution would be I 9-11-00 I in the area of $375,000 for the extension or $125,000 for just the repair. The Director requested Council approval of a professional services agreement with Moffat and Nichols at a cost not to exceed $7,500 to prepare the documents necessary to complete the application, investigate options to extension of the groin, and to adopt the Resolution supporting the Groin Repair project. Mayor Campbell offered that since 1993 when the State took away funds the City could do no more than patch the infrastructure, the groin is part of that, it has now reached the point that patching will no longer work and needs to be addressed. I Councilman Boyd moved to approve the professional services agreement with Moffat and Nichols Engineers at a cost not to exceed $7,500, and adopt Resolution Number 4838 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH SUPPORTING AND AUTHORIZING AN APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, DEPARTMENT OF BOATING AND WATERWAYS UNDER THE BEACH EROSION PROGRAM FOR THE SEAL BEACH GROIN REPAIR PROJECT." By unanimous consent, full reading of Resolution Number 4838 was waived. Councilman Yost posed a question as to whether extension of the groin is the right thing to do, it may retain some sand on the east beach however questioned the impact on water quality, impact too on the surf break. Councilman Doane noted that there are those in the community who feel the groin has caused much of the sand problem rather than correcting it including damages to the pier as a result of wave action against the groin and bouncing up to the pier, he has been witness to that, suggesting that an extension be looked at closely before it is ever approved. Councilman Yost seconded the motion. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried It was the consensus of the Council to take a brief recess at 8:13 p.m. The Council reconvened at 8:26 p.m. with Mayor Campbell calling the meeting to order. I REPORT - 8th STREET PARKING LOT IMPROVEMENTS Mr. Corbin presented the staff report, explained that this is in response to a request of Council for staff to do an evaluation of the 8th/Central Avenue parking lot, what was taking place in the lot, what could be done to improve the lot, and based on input from Council and staff three goals were developed that would conceivably increase parking availability, maximize occupancy, and generate additional revenue, the report addressed the background of the overall parking lot design, signage that is confusing, the variety of users, the merchant permit parking program, and the Grace Community Church agreement. Mr. Corbin provided a visual presentation in summary of his report. He noted that the lot is comprised of fifty-eight parking spaces, the lot dimensions are one hundred seventy by one hundred twenty feet, the front row spaces are currently reserved for City employees, the back row provides reserved spaces for Orange County Fire Authority personnel, the remaining spaces are used by the merchants and other users, pointed out that there is currently no disabled parking in the lot, and occupancy runs on average about seventy percent. Mr. Corbin reported considerable confusion with the signage, the Police Department has received numerous appeal letters relating to the issuance of citations in that lot, the verbiage states that public parking is permitted, no permit required, then it states that no public parking is permitted, a permit is 9-11-00 required, it also states everyday as well as Monday through Friday, this proposal hopes to eliminate the confusing language. He noted there are a variety of users of the lot, primarily merchants, utilizing between fifteen to forty-ones space in the lot most every day, City Hall employees use about thirteen spaces Monday through Friday, the Fire Authority utilize four spaces every day, the Grace Community Church uses approximately thirty-seven spaces on Sunday mornings, other users are the Reserve Firefighters when necessary, and the general public either by incorrectly reading the sign or legally each day between 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Mr. Corbin explained that the Merchant parking Program allows parking in the 8th/Central or beach parking lots by permit, they are issued between September 1st and October 30th, on average about one hundred fifty issued annually, the cost of which is $40 per year per vehicle, the Church too is a primary user on Sunday mornings and ten passes for daily use in the event of special activities, their cost if $1,480 per year, that agreement expired in June pending consideration of this matter by the Council. I Mr. Corbin mentioned that each of the three alternatives include the transition of four parking spaces to three disabled spaces and installation of new signage with clear instructions, the alternatives are for a partial meter installation, full meter installation, or modifications to the existing system. with the partial metering the City employees would likely be moved to the back row and reduced to nine spaces adjacent to the Fire Authority places, the two front rows would become metered parking, with the exception of the three disabled spaces, this would reduce the merchant usable spaces from forty-one to twenty-two, the meter revenue generated annually would be approximately $15,000, the cost of meter purchase and installation would be about $8,000, annual collection/service cost would be around $2,500, the Church and merchant use would need to be resolved. The second alternative would be to meter the entire lot with the exception of the disabled and Fire Authority spaces, would involve the purchase and installation of fifty parking meters, there would be no designated City employee or merchant spaces, the employees would utilize a metered space at no cost during working hours, however revenues would be generated after normal business hours and on weekends, the merchant program would need to be adjusted or eliminated as welf as resolution of the Church use, the City would realize about $40,000 annual revenue, and an increase of available public parking, however the initial meter purchase and installation cost would be approximately $21,000, annual collection/service cost of about $6,000. With regard to alternative three, a modification to the existing system, the City employee spaces would be reduced to ten to allow for the installation of the disabled spaces, the merchant program would continue however staff would recommend consideration of adjustment of the annual rate, a merchant current pays an annual fee of $40 to parking in the 8th/Central lot, assuming a person works a typical forty hour week for fifty weeks a year, two weeks being vacation, that two thousand hours of parking per year comes to $.02 per hour per parking space. He pointed out that staff developed a further hourly equivalent as compared to the current meter rates of $.50 and $1.00 which would generate $1,000 and $2,000 annually per space, under alternative three the cost of new signage would be about $700, the merchant program would lose only one space to a handicapped space, the Church use would continue however review of their rate could be considered, disabled spaces I I 9-11-00 I would be developed, yet there would be no additional meter revenue, no increased public availability, periodic under- utilization by existing user groups, and a decrease of City employee spaces by three. Mr. Corbin pointed out that the 8th/Central lot is currently set up for use by a variety of groups, to go to a metered lot it would become a first corne/first served system which is considerably different than any current user is accustomed, also, it is felt that the existing parking meters have created a 'cruising for parking' phenomenon whereby motorists will seek on-street free parking even though off-street parking may be available at a nominal charge, the installation of meters could make that situation worse, meters would displace the Merchant parking, it has also,been found that metered parking further reduces lot occupancy in favor of street parking. I Mr. Corbin reported that the recommendation of staff at this time would be alternative three, modifications to the existing system, it has the potential for increased revenue if consideration is given to increasing the fee for the merchant permit, maximize lot occupancy, however does not increase available public parking. Mr. Corbin noted that a request of the City Manager was that staff do an overall evaluation of the parking in the Old Town area, what was found is that the parking is fragmented, one part of the system working against another, $1 being charged in the beach lots where a meter charge is $.50, the system not working holistically, rather, each lot and street parking is being treated individually, it is felt the City needs to move towards a more comprehensive parking system, as part of that parking meters on Main Street would need to be considered, an assumption of seventy-five percent occupancy at $.50 per hour for a period of ten hours of daily operation would generate $346,000 annually, with a rate of $1 per hour at fifty percent occupancy the revenue generation would be approximately $470,000 annually from meters on Main Street, Ocean, Central, and Electric between 8th and 10th, also, those funds could be restricted to much needed Main Street improvements or added to ~he General Fund for other improvements. Mr. Corbin requested Council consideration of the alternatives, should alternative three be adopted staff would request consideration of the merchant parking permit fee, in turn staff would prepare the appropriate documents for the next meeting. I Mr. Corbin again clarified that about ten spaces are occupied by City employees Monday through Thursday. A concern was expressed with metering the lot as set forth in alternative two whereby an employee may not find an available space should they leave the lot during lunch hour as an example, the response was that the lot is rarely one hundred percent occupied. Mayor Campbell agreed that the signage in the 8th/Central lot needs to be changed, agreed also with the need for a comprehensive parking policy in that as long as there are areas to park at no charge people will utilize them. To questions of Councilman Boyd, Mr. Corbin confirmed that the cost of a parking space for merchants is $.02 per hour assuming it is a full time merchant utilizing parking two thousand hours a year, a thousand hours would be $.04 per hour, etc., again, the lot size is one hundred seventy by one hundred twenty. Councilman Boyd noted that the lot would be about $2 million in land value based upon a $350,000 per residential lot value. Councilman Doane suggested that as a courtesy to the merchants that staff make arrangements to attend a meeting of the Business and Chamber Association for 9-11-00 discussion of this issue and possibly some positive feedback, it is known that when the meters were placed in the lots at Electric there was dissention among the merchants because of their use of those lots, they were then told they could use the 8th/Central lot. To the question of Councilman Yost as to how many spaces are in merchant use during the day, Mr. Corbin responded that it is nearly filled, that depends upon the time of day, utilization of that lot is high, if it were metered that would displace those vehicles to another location. Given the discussions of this issue over a number of years, Councilman Boyd said the problem is not necessarily a deficiency issue rather parking management, it is not believed it can be dealt with by fragmenting the issue, at present the lots are being looked at one by one, in his opinion it is not the appropriate time to consider meter installation even though at one point he felt it would work, rather, his feeling is that the cost to the merchant to park in a space should be looked at, in comparison to other cities and commercial areas Seal Beach is felt to be far under market in terms of the merchant permit charge, there is a fiduciary responsibility to provide a return on the tax payers money for the value of that land, $.02 per hour is not reasonable, a $.10 per hour, $200 annual permit, is more reasonable. I Councilman Boyd moved to consider alternative three modified to adjust the merchant parking permit fee to $.lO per hour, $200 annually. Mayor Campbell cited that to be a significant increase for many people, suggesting that there be an option to allow people to purchase the merchant permit every six or three months, merchants and employees may not know whether they will be there for the entire year, it is presumed the business owners purchase the parking spaces for their employees. Question was raised if this consideration would require a public hearing. Councilman Boyd countered that in some areas people pay $200 per month to park, in his opinion the City is presently giving away the spaces for $40 a year, the Main Street Specific Plan cited the value of a parking space at $9,000 however the cost of pn in-lieu space is $3,500, the fee needs to be steep enough to encourage the merchants to utilize the parking and space behind their businesses that is currently being used for storage, there are likely residents of the area that would also be willing to pay $40 a year for an extra parking space. I Given the understanding of the discussion, the City Attorney advised that both the fee amount and options for purchase periods could be made part of the report from staff at the time of public hearing, if that is the direction of Council. Councilman Boyd revised his motion to direct staff to come back to the Council under public hearing to consider an amendment of the annual merchant parking permit fee to $200. Mayor Campbell mentioned that it is likely many of the Main Street employees earn only minimum wage, $200 would be very expensive for them, the land in question may be valuable but consider whose cars are parking in that lot, they are not the well paid people. Councilman Boyd said his feeling is that it is many of the business owners who park in this lot, that they are the majority, some may be a minimum wage earner, but that needs to be looked at in terms of balance, the City must stop giving everything away, if one wants to do business here it will cost, in turn the City will provide good infrastructure, police and fire protection, etc. Councilman Larson asked where the 10:00 p.m. exit time for the public I 9-11-00 I from this lot came from. Mr. Corbin said he believed it was the desire of the Council a couple of years ago to open the lot up to the public in the evening, at the request of the neighbors there was a 10:00 p.m. exit hour to avoid persons parking over night. Councilman Larson said however the neighbors could occupy the lot after 5:00 p.m. as a parking space without having to rent a garage for their second car, if cars are parked in the lot after 10:00 p.m. and are not merchants, City employees, church attendees, or fire personnel, they should not be there, this would constitute a segment of the public that would then not be paying their fair share. Mr. Corbin said he believed that the Code has some provision to allow residents with a resident permit to park in a municipal lot during nighttime hours until some early morning hour. It was noted that the metered lots are not enforced after 8:00 p.m. Councilman Boyd said as time goes on and the lots are metered, the City needs to look at an annual pass for use in all areas, exempting the provisions of metered and hourly parking for residents, as is done in Laguna Beach. He stated his belief that the merchant parking program needs to be looked at in terms of fairness. Councilman Yost said his preference is that the merchants have an opportunity to look at the proposal prior to a public hearing, he would not want to be like Laguna Beach, in Seal Beach there is a resident serving Main Street where the businesses are mostly locally owned as well as a fairly low rent base, if the rents were to increase substantially then you attract the fashionable chain stores that would change the community to look like a Laguna or Newport Beach, the locally owned businesses are what gives Seal Beach its flavor, raising costs could start to price out the local businesses. Councilman Boyd said that is the purpose of the public hearing to allow the merchants and Chamber of Commerce to present their views, in his opinion a change to the merchant parking permit is not going to change Main Street, what he has heard is that businesses are leaving the community, this would preserve what exists. I Councilman Yost suggested a workshop prior to any public hearing as has been done in the past, and presented that in the form of a motion. Councilman Doane agreed and Councilman Larson seconded. The City Attorney advised that a motion made by Councilman Boyd was on the floor however did not receive a second. Councilman Yost again proposed a motion to hold a workshop on the proposed parking issues relating to the merchant parking permit program. Councilman Doane seconded the motion. Councilman Boyd restated his motion as a substitute motion to direct staff to notice a public hearing on this issue in that the merchant permit period expires September 30th. Councilman Larson seconded the motion. I The Interim City Manager inquired of any reason why both could not be done. Mr. Corbin offered his belief that this was presented because staff was seeking Council direction relating to the parking meters, what is being heard is that Council preference is to maintain the current program with some modification, to that he offered to meet with the Chamber and Business Association the result of which could then be presented to Council. The City Attorney advised that this issue could not be heard at the last meeting of September as additional time will be required to meet the noticing requirements. At that point both motions were 9-11-00 withdrawn. Councilman Boyd moved to extend the current merchant parking program until October 31st at the current rates, prior to that staff be directed to hold a town hall meeting inviting the Chamber and Business Association and interested parties, then corne to the Council under public hearing to consider adjusting the rates as deemed appropriate. Councilman Doane seconded the motion. The Manager offered that staff will speak with the Chamber/Business Association to establish a date. I AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried OCEAN AVENUE CONCEPT PLAN / DEMONSTRATION PROJECT PROPOSAL / TREES FOR SEAL BEACH FOUNDATION The Director of Public Works reported this to be a request for authorization to do a temporary project to demonstrate, visually, on Ocean Avenue, should the street be narrowed, twelve foot vehicles lanes, four foot bike lanes, and seven foot parking areas, this accomplished by moving the curbs three feet towards the centerline, a total street width reduction of six feet. He noted that the Trees for Seal Beach Foundation brought this forward after considerable discussion with City staff as to what could and could not be done, their initial goal was to look for opportunities to beautify the City and if possible enhance the safety of the roadways, staff met with the group several times, workshops have been held, it was understood that with whatever was going to be done there could be no loss of parking spaces, that nothing could impede the visibility at intersections, that there be no impediments to drainage, and that adequate, safe space be maintained for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The Director stated the plan that came from the numerous discussions was to narrow the street and provide a limited amount of bulbout areas at the intersections, those would be in the areas where typically there is red curbing and parking is not permitted. He stated that what is being requested is an opportunity to show what the proposal would look like, the thought is to use striping tape to mark the areas on the street, the Foundation has committed to bringing in some boxed trees and possibly some turf for a temporary project demonstration over a period of about three days, likely a weekend, there would be traffic control at either end of the area, this would give the neighborhood the opportunity to view the layout, possibly clear up some misunderstandings, and determine if there is support. He mentioned that the Foundation is not proposing to do the project at this point in time however they are committed to raising the funds, as a point of clarification, in the past when a citizen has corne to the City and offered to share in the cost of an improvement the City has been open to discussion of participating, as an example, there are property owners who wish to redo their sidewalk or curbs and gutters, there is in fact a considerable backlog for these types of repairs, therefore Mr. Watson was correct in his statement that sidewalk and curb work would not be accomplished by the'City for some time, the City is still in the process of putting together a plan of the backlog and what the priorities are, sidewalks, curbs and gutters have been a lesser priority as compared to alleys, sewers, and water. With regard to payment of the costs for the demonstration project, the Director stated it is essentially the City at this point, primarily employee time, about $1,000 I I 9-11-00 I for labor and $1,500 for materials, the City may have some of the materials in-house. Councilman Larson said when he first heard of this he had mentioned to the then City Manager that when the budget is adopted it sets the priority for the expenditure of money for the year, when it comes to the dispute between the neighbors he thought that the City did not want to get into the position of arbitrating a dispute that was not caused by a project that the City had no intention of carrying out at this time, at that time he was thinking only of Mr. Watson and the Foundation's application and the letters he received stating that another group of signatures had been obtained from those who did not want the proposal, tonight there was a new group interested in the alleys, now there are three groups contending how City money is spent based on the priorities at the time of the budget adoption. He said he had no objection to a demonstration project, the amount of City cost was reported to be minimum, and as stated by Mr. Watson earlier if the City did not have the money they were prepared to attempt to finance the proposal privately, if that is so it would seem reasonable for the City to assist with the demonstration. Councilman Larson moved to authorize demonstration project as requested. the motion. the proposed Councilman Boyd seconded I Mayor Campbell said again, there are wants and needs, the Foundation group wants to improve their street with trees, new curbs and gutters, however the City needs to get some alleys in Old Town and streets in College Park East paved, this is a problem because there is only so much money, there is a Pavement Management Plan where each street is prioritized so that the worst get fixed first, a demonstration project may be fine however said she could not vote for expenditure of City money for trees on Ocean Avenue when there are other needs, again, since 1992 things have been patched, that no longer works, the streets and alleys need to be paved. Mayor Campbell inquired as to how much money has been spent on .this project thus far. The Public Works Director responded that he believed some engineering money has been spent for a concept plan, initially there was a shared investigation of conceptual design and concepts, the Foundation and the City each paying half, the total expenditure in the area of $25,000. Mayor Campbell noted that to be a lot of money, now the cost attached to the demonstration project would be another $2,500, she would have no problem with the demonstration project, just the expenditure of more money. Councilman Yost mentioned Coral Place and other streets on the Hill that are in such dire condition they can not even be slurry sealed. He said he agreed with the public/private partnership concept, that has occurred on occasion. He noted too that this is a fairly sizeable project, there are questions that to him have not been resolved, examples would be who is liable for the design, how can it be assured that the project is done correctly, being private money would the contractors be required to be licensed and bonded, there are a number of unresolved concerns, yet he still supports the partnership concept. Councilman Boyd claimed that the City itself has not spent $25,000. The Public Works Director responded that it is more likely half of that amount, a large portion was for a survey relating to the drainage issue that the City would ultimately need to do nonetheless, the information from the survey will not be lost and can be used when a curb and gutter improvement project comes forth in the future, the I 9-11-00 survey was not for the beautification proposal. Councilman Boyd then pointed out that since this is a shared partnership, and should the proposed project not go forward at this time, in essence the Foundation group has paid for engineering work that will be used for curb and gutter replacement in the future, yet he too was surprised at the dollar amount in that no funds in support of this project had been authorized, the explanation was helpful. He offered that the initial goal of the Foundation was noble, that was to beautify the City, considerable time has already been spent planting more than two hundred trees, when first mentioned to members of the Council the concept sounded good, there have been public meetings, his feeling is that it should be looked at objectively to try to leverage the money, leverage the private money for priority projects of the City, if the City spends $1,000 for this group to determine if they want to invest $100,000 that is good, yet while continuing to be judicious, however there is still no consensus on the part of the Ocean Avenue residents to do this, this item is not a request for money merely to do the demonstration project that may encourage a decision as to what they want to do. I Mr. Rallie Rallis, Ocean Avenue, mentioned his involvement with the Ocean Avenue Improvement group since February, said the demonstration project is the result of considerable misinformation, when the program was originally conceived it was not only for Ocean Avenue, that was just the beginning, this a catalyst to bring citizens together to try to help the City through its financial difficulties as the City's limitations are recognized. Mr. Rallis stated that Ocean is not a public residential street as it accommodates public traffic, it is a corridor to the pier and special events, and the citizens who want to donate considerable time and money to assist the appearance of the community should not be overlooked. He noted that narrowing the street was a way to achieve more trees, the proposed beautification project began with palm trees, people did not want then, the alternative was a larger parkway to accommodate the planting of a variety of trees, residents signed petitions in support of the plan, some did not like the median, a different plan was developed, then there were petitions that said if the residents did not participate in the plan their property would be assessed, that was a falsehood. Mr. Rallis mentioned that at the last meeting people stated they could not visualize the plan thus the suggestion for a demonstration project so people can see what is being proposed, and concluded that at some point the City will need to help. Mr. Norm Schutzberger, 13th Street, said he would like to know, as should the Council, how much money has been spent on this project to date, this is money of the citizens and they want a full accounting. He offered that all want beautification, a more beautiful city, but everything can not be done at once, there are priorities and necessities, they corne first. with regard to the demonstration project, Mr. Schutzberger asked why the City would spend money for something that is not going to take place until the necessities of the community are taken care of, why was money spent on a study of drainage that is not presently needed, if a drainage project is done in ten years this study will most likely be obsolete and need to be done again, suggesting that the beautification proposals be set aside for now and concentration be to the infrastructure needs. Ms. Seretta Fielding, Seal Beach Boulevard, stated she was neither against Mr. Watson or the Trees for Seal Beach project as long as money does not corne from the General Fund, she has waited seventeen years for some improvements to I I 9-11-00 I Seal Beach Boulevard, the ugliest street in town, she has heard no one offering to beautify that street, and yes there are things coming that are in the process, yet when she hears that the City is going to have to help this group, that is frightening, and leads one to wonder which project will be done first, if the beautification project is started and the Foundation does not have quite enough money to finish, then were is the money going to corne from, concluding that should Ocean be improved before Seal Beach Boulevard there will be considerable unhappiness. Mr. Jerry Flom, Ocean Avenue, said his concern is not with the demonstration project nor the intent as he has supported the concept as discussed at the town meetings, rather, it seems what has been lost is the idea of polling the residents that are affected by the changes as to their feelings, there are several petitions moving around all of which claim to have the majority of public sentiment on their side, from his observation it appears that no one has a majority for or against the project, before moving forward with the demonstration project consideration should be given as to what the result of the project will show and how, will there be a count done along Ocean Avenue as to opinions or will there be a poll of each landowner as to their feelings and the impact, he is personally in favor of whatever the majority prefers, his concern is how things progress where a small minority may in fact present themselves as a majority, and those who are adversely impacted, perhaps unknowingly, where their street has been changed in a process that they are powerless to resist. Mr. Flom requested consideration of some means of a poll of those who will be affected in terms of their property along the specific area, his assumption was that if a demonstration project is started that runs for three to four blocks a change of the City's program is not going to be allowed half way through the project for a different type of landscaping which would give a patchwork effect. Mr. Flom again suggested a poll of all of the residents as to their opinions and sentiment with regard to funding the project through a private source. Councilman Larson noted that those that would be polled would be those residing on Ocean, those present at this meeting arguing for alley repair would not be included in the poll, otherwise the whole City would be polled, and in that case why have elected representatives and a budget. Mr. Flom said if this is going to be a largely privately funded project, and if the City feels it can not substantially afford it, a poll will indicate to the Council the feelings of the Ocean Avenue residents when asked to personally fund this project, who is going to have the reaction of the residents to the demonstration project. Councilman Larson said he would assume that would be Mr. Watson because at this point this is not a City project, it is not the City asking if the residents want the City to build curbs, gutters, and plant trees, it is Mr. Watson who asked permission to do a demonstration project for the residents of Ocean Avenue and at some point the residents would be asked to make a contribution to the project. Mr. Flom said he has not been made aware of how this process would work, he would presume the Council would be interested in knowing the results of the demonstration project. Councilman Larson offered that even if a poll was one hundred percent in favor of the proposal he would still not vote in favor of City money for the project. Ms. Sue Corbin, Seal Beach, stated that if the residents do not do something nothing will happen on Ocean unless private money is used, just because some are wealthy they do not have to live in disrepair, there needs to be a consensus to move ahead with I I 9-11-00 something, it may be necessary to obtain partial funding through grant monies. Councilman Larson restated his motion to approve the demonstration project as proposed. Councilman Boyd noted his second of the motion. Councilman Yost inquired as to the acceptability of an amendment to have the Foundation pay the City related costs. Councilman Larson said within the entire City budget he felt the $1,500 was reasonable, it would be okay if they pay but there are two sides. The Mayor said it is the principal, she could support the demonstration project but not an expenditure of City funds. Councilman Larson mentioned his desire to have a center divider on Seal Beach Boulevard in the area of Leisure World with landscaping similar to what is currently being constructed in the area of the Naval Weapons Station. Mr. Watson offered that either the Foundation or he personally would cover the demonstration project costs. I Councilman Larson amended his motion to reflect that the Foundation will assume the City costs. Councilman Boyd agreed, then mentioned that the there will be need to use public employees as the City is required to manage the public right-of-way, the Foundation group can not just go ahead and do the demonstration project by themselves, therefore there will be some staff costs. It was confirmed to Councilman Larson that the Foundation would pick up the associated costs. Councilman Boyd offered that this issue needs to corne to conclusion, on one hand the residents are offering private dollars to help improve the City then on the other end they are asking for money to match those dollars, the money needs to be leveraged, yet there are other needs as was heard at this meeting, a way must be found to resolve the dispute because ultimately it is the responsibility of the City, this process needs to determine something that everyone will want. Councilman Yost asked how the results of this is going to be assessed and how is that going to be used to make yet another decision. To that, Councilman Boyd predicted that the group is going to know what the opinion is and it should give them a clearer picture of what they are trying to do. I Vote on the motion to approve the demonstration project, amended to reflect that the Foundation will cover the costs of the City: AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried Mayor Campbell commended Mr. Watson for organizing and undertaking such a large project. Mr. Watson responded that about twenty to twenty-five people have put in considerable time on this effort. Councilman Doane mentioned that this group has also been very cooperative, first it was the median, then the beautification, modification of that as well. Councilman Boyd recalled that he had been asked in the beginning to help get people to understand that the intent was not stop with Ocean Avenue, that just the beginning to then move to another area in need of sidewalks, curbs, gutters, or trees, there will always be those who disagree, there are no easy decisions, the Council too gets polled every four years, that is when the issue of good or bad decisions shows up. Mention was made of the few people who attended the budget workshops, about five from College Park East seeking street repairs, also that the Pavement Management Plan sets forth projects having the greatest need, I . . . - 9-11-00 I mentioned too that when the City needs money it goes to Sacramento to bring the taxpayer dollars back to Seal Beach, a few million was realized a some years back for the first time ever, about. $440,000 has been realized during this past year and $250,000 the prior year from the Sanitation District through its cooperatively funded projects program, the City's priority projects are being funded first. Councilman Larson again stated his request for a landscaped divider in Seal Beach Boulevard north of Westminster, however noted the Boulevard is soon to be paved then predicted the City will not open it up to put in a divider. CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT FIRM Mayor Campbell moved to select the firm of John Shannon and Associates to conduct the City manager recruitment. Councilman Boyd seconded the motion. The Interim City Manager announced that the basic services are not to exceed $18,000 and the reimbursable expenses are not to exceed $8,000. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried CITY ATTORNEY REPORT No report was presented. I CITY MANAGER REPORT The Interim City Manager announced that the final printing of the budget is complete, the year end revenues exceed the estimates by about $700,000, although not resolving the financial situation it is better than being the opposite. I COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilman Yost again commended the Sand Castle contest with thanks to the Chamber and Business Association, the best event of the year, and a busy day on Main Street. He announced that the San Gabriel River and Mountains Conservancy had a meeting last Friday, approved monies for an open space plan initially budgeted from the start-up costs of the Conservancy, the Executive Director has been chosen, his personal web site has been posted with the meeting schedule. He mentioned that on this date a meeting was held with a large group representing the Coastal Conservancy, River Conservancy, State Parks, the Trust for Public Land, a representative of Hellman, and a councilmember from Long Beach, the attempt is to do a large wetlands restoration project consisting of all the Cerritos wetlands, including Bixby, Bryant, and Hellman as a single project, trying to secure more State funds to do that. The Hellman project for seventy homes will be going before the Coastal Commission in October for a permit and to deed restrict or sell the remaining property, possibly one hundred acres for wetland restoration and thirty acres for mineral production. Councilman Yost inquired if the Starbucks appeal is scheduled for the next Council meeting, his concerns are with the drive-thru, it is not thought that the parking lot can handle a queue and function as a parking lot, the building was designed as a bank, not a fast food restaurant nor as a Starbucks, there is concern with the traffic data submitted which states Starbucks will generate less traffic than Burger King, that data came from Starbucks rather than from a neutral source, question as to whether it is consistent with the General Plan which has to do with circulation and public safety, citing a previous staff report that stated it may be necessary to close the northbound left turn from Pacific 9-11-00 Coast Highway onto Marina as a result of traffic and pedestrians at that location, a concern also with inconsistency with the Main Street Specific Plan, this felt to be the beginning of further commercialization. Councilman Yost made reference to a news article relating to the impact of Starbucks in other communities and concern with what high priced commercial real estate has done, it is known that Starbucks has a history of coming into a community and displacing locally run businesses, also, some cities have legislation that gives preference to regionally and locally managed businesses over national chain businesses. Councilman Larson questioned the purpose of making comments relating to Starbucks in that the hearing will take place in two weeks, and as the appellant questioned the ability of Councilman Yost to vote on the matter. Councilman Yost mentioned he is also working on a diversion project for the San Gabriel River and Coyote Creek. Councilman Boyd expressed appreciation to the Sanitation District who participated in the Sand Castle event by having a booth with a pin ball machine-like device that showed what happens to wastewater, how it is treated and processed, then pumped out five miles into the ocean, another side of the pin ball machine showed what happens when lawns are over watered, things are dumped in the storm drains, flows down-river onto the beaches, it was a popular booth, a good eduction tool. He reported also that the Sanitation District will be paying for ads in certain newspapers, primarily in the San Gabriel Valley area, distributed in cities along the San Gabriel River, advising of what happens when pollutants and debris gets into the River and eventually the ocean waters and beaches. He too thanked all who participated in the Sand Castle and Art Fair events. Mayor Campbell reported having attended the annual League of Cities Conference, informative seminars, new ideas gathered from the vendors and consultants, and at one session Councilman Larson was publicly recognized for his work while head of the Fair- political Practices Commission. As an example of vendor information, the Mayor mentioned a roller that attaches to beach cleaning equipment that rolls out a message to keep the beach clean, the message paid for by the vendor, and is said to have reduced trash on the beach by about twenty percent. I I ADJOURNMENT It was the consensus of the Council to adjourn the meeting until Monday, September 25th at 6:30 p.m. to meet in Closed Session. By unanimous consent, the meeting was adjourned at 9:59 p.m. Approved: I Attest: