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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2001-12-03SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 1 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2001 AT 8:00 P.M. Regular Meeting: San Rafael City Council Also Present: Rod Gould, City Manager Gary T. Ragghianti, City Attorney Jeanne M. Leoncini, City Clerk CLOSED SESSION — CONFERENCE ROOM 201 — 7:00 PM: Present: Albert J. Boro, Mayor Cyr N. Miller, Vice -Mayor Paul M. Cohen, Councilmember Barbara Heller, Councilmember Gary 0. Phillips, Councilmember Absent: None 1. a) Conference with Legal Counsel — Existing Litigation Name: Gary Mordue vs. City of San Rafael WCAB No.: SFO 0447022; SFO 0447023 b) Conference with Legal Counsel — Existing Litigation Name: Preserve Open Space for a Safe Environment, et al. v. City of San Rafael, Marin Emergency Radio Authority, et al. Marin County Superior Court, Case No. 010785 City Attorney Gary Ragghianti announced that no reportable action was taken. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS OF AN URGENCY NATURE: Re: Persecution in China: - File 9-1 8:06 PM David Kute, San Rafael resident, addressed the City Council on behalf of local Falun Gong practitioners and supporters in connection with the persecution taking place in China. He recalled the events of September 11, 2001, expressing gratification for the concern and care Americans across the nation had shown to one another; however, he noted in China, the good side of nature has been twisted by the state run hate campaign and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Kute suggested that Councilmembers either co-sign a letter to President Bush, and/or issue a proclamation or pass a resolution condemning the Chinese government's terrorist acts in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Mayor Boro thanked Mr. Kute, stating he had received this correspondence; however, based on Council policy of not dealing with issues where the City has no direct interest, he had personally chosen not to participate. He indicated that individual Councilmembers could choose whether or not to participate. Councilmember Phillips moved and Councilmember Miller seconded, to approve the Consent Calendar, as follows: ITEM 2. Approval of Minutes of Special Meeting of Monday, November 19, 2001 (CC) 4. Resolution of Support for Proposition 40 — California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks and Coastal Protection Act of 2002 (CM) — File 116 x9-1 5. Support for Proposition 42 — Transportation Funding Sales and Use Tax Revenues (CM) — File 116 x 9-1 RECOMMENDED ACTION Minutes approved as submitted. RESOLUTION NO. 10963 — RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT PROPOSITION 40, CALIFORNIA CLEAN WATER, CLEAN AIR, SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, AND PROTECTION BOND ACT OF 2002 Approved staff recommendation to Support Proposition 42. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 1 6. a) Resolutions of Appreciation to Retiring Police Personnel: (PD) File 102 x 9-3-30 Michael G. "Mick" Bunker, Sharon Bunker, Gregory Cella, James "Jimmy" Cook, Michael Costello, Alan Grieve, John Randall Huntoon, Harold "Hutch" Hutchinson, Gayle O'Hara, William "Bart" Snyder, Warren Taylor b) Resolution of Appreciation to Retiring Reserve Police Officer for 29 Years of Service: (PD) — File 102 x 9-3-30 Robert "Bob" McEachern c) Resolution of Appreciation to Marine Auxiliary Volunteer for 10 Years of Service: (PD) — File 102 x 9-3-30 Thomas W. Slagill SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 2 a) RESOLUTION NO. 10964 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO MICHAEL G. "MICK" BUNKER, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE CORPORAL (27 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10965 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO SHARON BUNKER, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND POLICE COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER (20 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10966 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO GREGORY CELLA, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE OFFICER (17 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10967 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO JAMES "JIMMY" COOK, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE OFFICER (28 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10968 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO MICHAEL COSTELLO, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE SERGEANT (32 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10969 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO ALAN GRIEVE, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE OFFICER AND RESERVE OFFICER (25 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10970 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO JOHN RANDALL HUNTOON, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE OFFICER (21 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10971 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO HAROLD "HUTCH" HUTCHINSON, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE CORPORAL (20 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10972 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO GAYLE O'HARA, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER AND RECORDS CLERK (10 years of service) RESOLUTION NO. 10973 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO WILLIAM "BART" SNYDER, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE OFFICER AND MEMBER OF THE STREET CRIMES UNIT (4 years of service) SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 2 7. Resolution Authorizing Use of Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (SLESF) in amount of $113,799 to Fund Overtime for Community Oriented Policing for Fiscal Year 2001-2002 (PD) — RIP 9-3-3n 8. Resolution Approving Use of Federal Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Funds in Amount of $73,854 for Community Policing (PD) — File 9-3-30 9. Resolution of Appreciation to Eda Lochte, Business Improvement District (RA) — File 102 x 224 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 3 RESOLUTION NO. 10974 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO WARREN TAYLOR, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL POLICE OFFICER AND RESERVE OFFICER (11 years of service) b) RESOLUTION NO. 10975 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO ROBERT "BOB" MCEACHERN, RETIRING SAN RAFAEL RESERVE POLICE OFFICER, FOR 29 YEARS OF SERVICE c) RESOLUTION NO. 10976 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO THOMAS W. SLAGILL, SAN RAFAEL MARINE AUXILIARY VOLUNTEER, FOR 10 YEARS OF SERVICE RESOLUTION NO. 10977— RESOLUTION APPROVING USE OF STATE COPS PROGRAM SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $113,799.00 FOR COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING RESOLUTION NO. 10978 — RESOLUTION APPROVING USE OF FEDERAL LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $73,854.00 FOR COMMUNITY POLICING RESOLUTION NO. 10979 — RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO EDA LOCHTE, SAN RAFAEL DOWNTOWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT DIRECTOR (BID) (for over 9 years of outstanding service) AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None The following item was removed from the Consent Calendar for discussion, at the request of Councilmember Phillips: 3. RESOLUTION INITIALIZING PRIORITY PROJECTS PROCEDURE (PPP) FOR IMPLEMENTING SAN RAFAEL GENERAL PLAN 2000 CIRCULATION ELEMENT POLICIES C- 2, C-3 AND C-7 AND PROGRAM C -b RE: CIRCULATION IMPACTED AREAS OF BELLAM BLVD./1-580/HIGHWAY 101 (EAST SAN RAFAEL), FREITAS PARKWAY/HIGHWAY 101 AND LUCAS VALLEY ROAD/SMITH RANCH ROAD/HIGHWAY 101 (NORTH SAN RAFAEL) (CD) — FILE 115 x (PPP) x 11-1 Councilmember Phillips referred to Item #1 of the staff report — Current Traffic and Level of Service Conditions in North San Rafael - and requested clarification on the significance of p.m. versus a.m. in terms of peak. He commented that a level of service "F", which exceeds the standard, regardless of time of day, should be addressed; therefore, as there is a level of service "F" at Las Gallinas and Nova Albion, his concern is heightened regarding the time period for the measurement. Community Development Director Bob Brown stated that the General Plan from 1988 is very specific in its references related to traffic level of congestion, and specifically to the p.m. peak, as the traffic model only contained analyses and data regarding the p.m. peak hour period, the worse SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 3 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 4 period at that time. He reported that the new General Plan will contain both an a.m. and p.m. model and regulations which apply to both; however, in practical terms, regulation of traffic is multi -layered, the PPP (Priority Projects Procedure) and General Plan policies being one layer, and the other, CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act). Mr. Brown stated that any project which comes through, regardless of whether or not it receives PPP allocation, has to go through a CEQA review, at which point a.m. peak period traffic is also analyzed. To be specific to this intersection, should it remain at level "F", Councilmember Phillips inquired whether signalization at this location would improve traffic. As Mr. Brown responded in the affirmative, Councilmember Phillips inquired as to the rationale for not doing so. Mr. Brown stated that at this point, there is no development proposal which would increase traffic at this intersection sufficiently to warrant signalization and he was not aware of whether Mr. Nader Mansourian, Traffic Engineer, in the revised General Plan traffic model, would identify this as a location requiring a future capital improvement program. (Councilmember Phillips suggested the levels should be listed numerically rather than alphabetically.) Councilmember Phillips stated that as this intersection has been at level "F" for some time, he would at least be interested in exploring signalization, as the location had been a problem and the level of service indicates as much. City Manager Gould stated in reading the staff report, it indicates that although signalization does not meet the current warrants, the Traffic Engineer believes that signalizing this intersection could result in an improvement in the traffic flow. He indicated that while it does not currently meet the City's policy for signalization, Mr. Mansourian believes consideration should be given to its implementation at this particular intersection. At level "F", Councilmember Phillips inquired as to the portion of policy it does not meet. Responding, Mr. Gould stated he could not speak for Mr. Mansourian; however, the warrants involve the number of vehicles passing through the particular intersection in an hour and whether or not accidents had been reported. Councilmember Phillips confirmed that the number of trips in an hour would be peak; therefore, by definition, this is high volume. He hoped it would not be necessary for a number of accidents, rather than some other element, to prove the point. Referring to a portion of the last paragraph of section #1 — "the Traffic Engineer recommends that last year's traffic conditions be utilized in determining capacity and that project impacts be evaluated based on individual cases", Councilmember Phillips requested clarification. Explaining, Community Development Director Brown stated he believed Mr. Mansourian is indicating that he does not propose conducting new traffic counts this year for the PPP process to determine whether or not there may be a surplus of traffic capacity in North San Rafael to allocate. Rather, it is proposed to open up PPP and ascertain the extent of applications. Although none are anticipated, other than re -authorizations, should new applications be received, they would be examined at that time, rather than going forward with the exercise of taking detailed traffic counts in advance. City Manager Gould stated that given the high vacancy rates being experienced in office buildings in North, East and Central San Rafael, staff believes it would be a mistake to rely too heavily on traffic counts this winter or next spring in allocating future trips. Councilmember Cohen stated it was difficult to understand how an intersection which is at level of service "F", both a.m. and p.m. peak, could not be found to meet the traffic signal warrants. He requested staff provide a report on this situation, as in terms of the standards set, "F" is not acceptable. City Manager Gould confirmed that a report would be provided. Councilmember Cohen noted it was a more conservative assumption to use last year's numbers when the economy was robust, than to carry out a count now. Councilmember Phillips stated this assumption was fine with him. Councilmember Phillips moved and Councilmember Cohen seconded, to adopt the Resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 10962— RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NOS. 7583, 8071, 8313, 9331, 9418, 10162 AND 10714 ESTABLISHING PRIORITY PROJECTS PROCEDURE (PPP) FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SAN RAFAEL GENERAL PLAN 2000 CIRCULATION ELEMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 4 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 5 SPECIAL PRESENTATION: 10. PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO EDA LOCHTE, BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (RA) — FILE 102 x 224 For all concerned, Mayor Boro stated this occasion was somewhat sad and for the benefit of the audience, explained that Eda Lochte had been the Director of the Downtown Business Improvement District since 1992. She was being presented with a Resolution of Appreciation, which Mayor Boro indicated was just a small token of the City's sincere thanks for the great job Ms. Lochte had done, not only for her organization, but also for the City of San Rafael and in promoting the downtown. Mayor Boro reported she had worked tirelessly on the many downtown events, such as the Greg Borelli Car Parade, the recent Holiday Parade, and the Resolution addresses all of these, including appearing as Raggedy Andy, Snow White and Glenda the Good Witch, all to support the downtown. Mayor Boro stated that Ms. Lochte had been a great asset to the community and on behalf of all, thanked her for her hard work, wishing her much success in the future. Accepting the Resolution, Ms. Lochte stated the City Council had made her job very easy because of their love for the downtown, which was so far ahead of every other city. She noted that downtown San Rafael was great because of the vision, redevelopment, new sidewalks, lights and all the events, which are wholeheartedly supported. Ms. Lochte complimented all concerned on a great job, adding that her heart always has been and always will be in San Rafael. PUBLIC HEARING: 11. Public Hearing — CONSIDERATION OF ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT TO SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 14.29.040 TO MODIFY NOTIFICATION PROVISIONS OF PERMIT TERMS AND CONDITIONS PRIOR TO ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS; APPLICANT: CITY OF SAN RAFAEL; FILE NO.: ZC01-006 (CD) — FILE 10-3 x 10-1 Community Development Director Bob Brown stated that the newest Associate Planner, Emi Theriault, introduced to Council approximately 6 weeks ago, would present her first application this evening. Associate Planner Emi Theriault reported that staff was alerted to the need for tonight's zoning ordinance amendment during a routine zoning ordinance hearing for Code Enforcement. The item, as described in the staff report, referred to a new property owner who had violated some conditions of approval which went with the land. At that time, the property owner and his legal counsel suggested that zoning ordinance section 14.29.040, could be interpreted to imply that the onus is on the City to notify each and every new property owner concerning planning permit conditions of approval; however, established case law indicates that planning permits run with the land and hold new owners accountable for those planning permit conditions of approval. Ms. Theriault indicated that the City had taken a proactive first step to endeavor to assist new property owners and has amended the re -sale building inspection report; however, this report only addresses new single-family homes, and staff's ability to reach out to new property owners for different types of new property exchanges, would be difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, she stated that staff believed the most practical measure would be to amend the ordinance. This, basically, would delete the last phrase of the section, indicated on page 3 of the draft ordinance attached to the staff report. Ms. Theriault stated that the amendment would afford the Code Enforcement Division the ability to enforce the permit conditions which are thoughtfully prepared by that body and other decision- making bodies in the City. She indicated that during the Planning Commission's review of this item, some discussion took place as to whether the accountability should be limited to property owners only, or whether it should also include agents and other persons connected with the property. Ms. Theriault reported that the consensus at the time was that it would be best to include those other persons to prevent them from using ignorance as an excuse for not complying with the local requirements. Ms. Theriault stated that staff recommends adoption of the amendment to the zoning ordinance. Mayor Boro declared the public hearing opened, and there being no comment from the audience, closed the public hearing. Realizing it was necessary to have a policy which runs with the land, Councilmember Cohen SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 5 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 6 stated staff should continue to explore ways to be proactive in terms of notification, to ensure that prospective property owners are aware at the outset to check with the City, and that they have an easy and convenient way to do this. He inquired if it was proposed to have some of this information on-line. Responding, Community Development Director Brown stated staff is attempting to include all of the past permit data in the new permit tracking system rather than merely going forward as of the date of implementation of the system. This will require some time and is currently being carried out with volunteer assistance. He estimated it was approximately a year from completion; however, when available, it will be a resource to share with the public. Mayor Boro stated it was his understanding that the owners are being alerted as to their responsibility in the process of acquiring a piece of property, and through the re -sale inspection report, will have the obligation to come in to check the files. Councilmember Cohen stated he was satisfied with the need to take this step this evening. The title of the Ordinance was read: "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL AMENDING TITLE 14 OF THE SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE (ZONING ORDINANCE) RELATED TO CODE ENFORCEMENT (ZC 01-06)" Councilmember Cohen moved and Councilmember Heller seconded, to dispense with the reading of the Ordinance in its entirety and refer to it by title only, and pass Charter Ordinance No. 1774 to print by the following vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None OLD BUSINESS: 12. a) SECOND READING AND FINAL ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 1772 — AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL ENACTING NEW CHAPTER 2.19, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE PROTECTION, OF THE SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE TO ESTABLISH MEASURES TO IDENTIFY, PROTECT AND PRESERVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES IN THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL (CD) — FILE 10-6 x 10-2 b) RESOLUTION RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 10933 AND APPROVING REVISED PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE PROTECTION IN THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL (CD) — FILE 10-6 x 10-2 Community Development Director Bob Brown stated he was astonished at the lack of representation from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. He reported having met with three representatives from this organization on Thursday last, providing copies of all the materials and analyzing the proposed changes with them. He ensured they were aware of the time of this evening's meeting; therefore, was rather surprised they were not in attendance. To put the procedure being recommended into prospective, Mr. Brown explained it is proposed that the City Council adopt procedures for staff to follow in processing development applications. These procedures do not establish new law, rather they are merely instructions to staff on implementing existing State law. Mr. Brown indicated that the two areas of law in question are: The California Environmental Quality Act, which contains parameters for analyzing impacts on archaeological resources, including how to determine what constitutes a significant impact; and ■ The Public Resources Code, which includes procedures to be followed when remains or artifacts are found and allowable mitigation measures which can be imposed under those conditions. Mr. Brown indicated that it is not necessary to adopt the proposed procedures; State law still applies and the City is legally bound to implement it. He explained that the reason staff is proposing the procedures is that they will provide a more consistent direction and reminder to consider archaeological impacts in processing their applications. He stated staff believes these procedures go further than any other City in the state and already, numerous inquiries have been received from other cities, requesting copies of the procedures. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 6 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 7 Mr. Brown further explained that the use of an archaeological sensitivity map is not new for the City of San Rafael, as one has been in existence since the 1970s. He indicated that, unfortunately, this is very out of date and as it identified specific sites which had archaeological finds on them, it could not be shared with the public; therefore, it is tucked away. Also, Mr. Brown explained that it did not identify possible sites near former creeks or the former bay margin; therefore, staff believes the new computer-based archaeological sensitivity map is a much superior tool which can be accessed on the computer at the counter each time a permit is issued which involves grading. Finally, Mr. Brown stated that these recommended procedures provide much better notification to property owners, explaining what to do should they discover any deposits on their property, and as revised, provide much more notification to the Miwoks when input is requested from the Northwest Information Center and when an environmental impact assessment, which deals with an identified or likely archaeological resource, is prepared. Mr. Brown announced that a letter of support was received today from Professor Betty Goerke, College of Marin. He also stated that the City Attorney requested it be noted that the action before Council is not subject to CEQA, as it does not have the potential to create an environmental impact, rather it seeks to prevent environmental impacts from occurring. Mr. Brown indicated that should Council desire, Mr. Bill Tuikka, Associate Planner, could explain how the procedures would work for three different types of applications. Inviting anyone who wished to speak to do so, Mayor Boro stated this came before Council in October when the ordinance was adopted; however, prior to the second reading, Council was put on notice that there were some questions on this issue. He recalled that the first ordinance adopted reflected some issues brought to staff's attention prior to its presentation to Council. Subsequently, significant correspondence was received, a summary of which was attached as Exhibit 5, together with the current status. A number of changes had been incorporated into the ordinance before Council this evening and Mayor Boro stated it was his understanding from the City Attorney's office, that these changes are not substantive and as such, the second reading can be proceeded with, should Council so choose. As there was no comment from the audience, Mayor Boro returned the issue for Council consideration. Councilmember Heller inquired of Mr. Brown if on leaving the meeting, the Miwok Indians were satisfied. Responding, Mr. Brown stated they were not, as fundamentally, they would like to have a discretionary process involved with any building permit which involves any grading and this, stated Mr. Brown, would add significant delay and staffing requirements. He reported that they believe the City should establish new law, beyond existing State law, with regard to protecting archaeological resources and would like, for a fee, to be very involved in the selection of archaeologists conducting studies. Mr. Brown noted they wished to have the ability to provide early input to staff on proposed mitigation measures, etc., outside of the typical CEQA public review. Mr. Brown indicated they reject the suggestion that they constitute an interest group under CEQA provisions, believing they have greater standing. a) The title of the Ordinance was read: "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL ENACTING NEW CHAPTER 2.19, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE PROTECTION, OF THE SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE TO ESTABLISH MEASURES TO IDENTIFY, PROTECT AND PRESERVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES IN THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL" Councilmember Cohen moved and Councilmember Phillips seconded, to dispense with the reading of the Ordinance in its entirety and refer to it by title only, and pass Charter Ordinance No. 1772 to print by the following vote, to wit, as modified: (non -substantive) AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None Councilmember Cohen moved and Councilmember Phillips seconded, to adopt the Resolution. c) RESOLUTION NO. 10980 — RESOLUTION RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 10933 AND APPROVING REVISED PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE PROTECTION IN THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 7 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 8 AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None Community Development Director Bob Brown thanked Mr. Bill Roop, Consulting Archaeologist, for his presence this evening. Mayor Boro concurred. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT: 13. None. COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS: 14. a) Parking: -File 11-8 x 11-18 Councilmember Cohen reported that while in Monterey on business recently, he met Chad Lynn, Parking Services Manager, and availed himself of the opportunity to accompany Chad to observe displays of various parking equipment. He indicated there are some excellent opportunities for some creative technological solutions. Councilmember Cohen stated he indicated to Mr. Lynn that his ultimate vision is to be able to use his Fastrack transponder for all parking in San Rafael; however, Mr. Lynn was of the opinion the required technology is some way off. Items observed included card operated parking meters, and Councilmember Cohen indicated it could be possible to use a rechargeable Smart Card/Parking Card for any City operated parking in San Rafael; he believed this was worth pursuing and noted there are also machines which apparently, will accept the Smart Card and allow value to be added. While not advocating any specific solution, Councilmember Cohen believed there is an opportunity now to evaluate some of the new technology available. Mayor Boro stated he had met the person in charge of the MTC Smart Card effort who indicated that MTC is currently working with all the counties throughout the Bay Area Region to generate a replenishable Smart Card to be used on all modes of transportation. He indicated having passed this information on to Parking Services Manager Chad Lynn. b) Public Restrooms: - File 11-8 x 13-18 Councilmember Cohen reported having been approached by a constituent recently who expressed concern regarding the lack of adequate public restroom facilities in the downtown. Noting that the City is about to embark on expending approximately $8 -million on the construction of a new parking structure, Councilmember Cohen believed it would be prudent to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating a small public restroom at this time rather than incrementally. He did not favor repeating San Francisco's experiment and while noting the ongoing expense of a stand-alone attended garage, he believed the possibility of incorporating a restroom facility adjacent to the location of the attendant, should be examined. Councilmember Cohen noted the most cost effective method would be while the structure is under construction. While she envisioned a lot of problems, Councilmember Heller was in favor of evaluating its feasibility. She regretted that as a public entity, it was not possible to have public facilities available because of the astronomical expense for a small city. Mayor Boro stated it would be advisable to ascertain what other communities had done. He noted San Francisco parking garages now restrict restroom access only to those using the garage. Mayor Boro concurred with Councilmember Cohen on the appropriateness of evaluating this issue at the time of construction. There being no further business, Mayor Boro invited those in attendance to stand in silence in memory of former Board of Supervisors' member, Bob Roumiguiere who passed away several weeks ago. He indicated that Bob represented the City of San Rafael for twenty-two years on the Marin County Board of Supervisors and was a great friend and champion for the City. Mayor Boro adjourned the City Council Meeting at 8:45 p.m. in Bob Roumiguiere's memory. JEANNE M. LEONCINI, City Clerk APPROVED THIS DAY OF .2001 MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 8 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 9 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 12/03/2001 Page 9