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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2003-11-17SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 1 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2003 AT 8:00 P.M. Regular Meeting: San Rafael City Council Also Present: Rod Gould, City Manager Gus Guinan, Assistant City Attorney Jeanne M. Leoncini, City Clerk OPEN SESSION — COUNCIL CHAMBER — 7:30 PM: None CLOSED SESSION — CONFERENCE ROOM 201 — 7:30 PM: None Present: Albert J. Boro, Mayor Gary O. Phillips, Vice -Mayor Paul M. Cohen, Councilmember Barbara Heller, Councilmember Cyr N. Miller, Councilmember Absent: None ORAL COMMUNICATIONS OF AN URGENCY NATURE: 8:10 PM a) House Joint Resolution #20: - File 9-1 John Jenkel, Greighton, California, requested that Council send a letter to all three federal representatives urging an end to strike -first policy. He distributed a handout on the issue to the City Council. Councilmember Phillips moved and Councilmember Miller seconded, to approve the Consent Calendar as follows: ITEM Approval of Minutes of Regular Meeting of Monday, November 3, 2003 (CC) 3. Resolution Authorizing Staff to Execute Contract with Class Software Solutions Ltd. for Purchase, Support and Maintenance of eConnect Software in Amount of $31,875 (CS) — File 4-2-329 x 9-3-65 4. Resolution Authorizing the Marin County Board of Supervisors to Designate Fire Stations Located Within the Jurisdiction of the City of San Rafael as Permissible Locations to Safely Surrender a Child 72 Hours Old or Less Without Criminal Prosecution of Child Abandonment Under Penal Code Section 271.5 (FD) — File 9-3-31 x 13-1 5. Resolution Authorizing the Signing of an Agreement with The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. for Occupational Health Provider Services, Effective January 1, 2004 (MS) — File 7-1-44 RECOMMENDED ACTION Minutes approved as submitted. RESOLUTION NO. 11437 — RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH CLASS SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS LTD. FOR PURCHASE, SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE OF eCONNECT SOFTWARE IN THE AMOUNT OF $31,875 (Two-year term commencing 12/31/2003 and ending on 12/31/2005) RESOLUTION NO. 11438 — RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MARIN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO DESIGNATE FIRE STATIONS LOCATED WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL AS PERMISSIBLE LOCATIONS TO SAFELY SURRENDER A CHILD 72 HOURS OLD OR LESS WITHOUT CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF CHILD ABANDONMENT UNDER PENAL CODE SECTION 271.5 RESOLUTION NO. 11439 — RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SIGNING OF AN AGREEMENT WITH THE PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP, INC. FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROVIDER SERVICES (Commencing on January 1, 2004) SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 1 6. Resolution for Implementation of Domestic Partnership Coverage (MS) — File 7-1-45 7. Resolution to Provide a Severance Package to Employees Subject to Layoff Due to Fiscal Year Budget Adjustments (MS) — File 7-1-46 8. Resolution Amending Resolution No. 10744 Pertaining to the Compensation and Working Conditions for SEIU Local 949, Child Care Unit (Three-year Agreement from November 1, 2003 to October 31, 2006) (MS) — File 7-8-4 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 2 RESOLUTION NO. 11440 — RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP COVERAGE RESOLUTION NO. 11441 — RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE A SEVERANCE PACKAGE TO EMPLOYEES SUBJECT TO LAYOFF DUE TO FISCAL YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS RESOLUTION NO. 11442 — RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 10744 PERTAINING TO THE COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS FOR SEIU LOCAL 949, CHILD CARE UNIT (3 year agreement from November 1, 2003 through October 31, 2006) 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 staff: 2. RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT TO COORDINATED RESOURCES, INC. IN AMOUNT OF $117,873.26, RE CITY HALL THIRD FLOOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (PHASE II) FURNITURE; PROJECT NO. CDD 2003-02 (CD) — FILE 9-3-85x4-2-301 Community Development Director Bob Brown reported having received a protest from Advent Office Interiors, explaining that they were notified of the bid process late, after having requested to be notified, and as a result did not submit a bid. He indicated that since there was only one bidder for the office furniture, staff was suggesting that the City Council direct the City Attorney to prepare a resolution rejecting all bids. The project would then be re -bid, hopefully including Advent, to provide some competition. As the resolution was not available this evening, rather than bringing the item back formally in two weeks, Mayor Boro suggested Council direct the City Attorney to prepare such a document; however, it would be voted on tonight, in order to proceed. Councilmember Phillips moved and Councilmember Heller seconded, to adopt the Resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 11443 — RESOLUTION REJECTING ALL BIDS FOR FURNITURE FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PHASE II REMODEL AND AUTHORIZING STAFF TO REISSUE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None PUBLIC HEARING: 9. Public Hearing — 366 Margarita Drive; CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND DESIGN REVIEW PERMIT FOR A 1,443 -SQUARE -FOOT UPPER STORY ADDITION TO AN EXISTING 6,256 -SQUARE -FOOT SINGLE-FAMILY HOME; AND CONSIDERATION OF EXCEPTION REQUEST TO ALLOW THE HOME WITH THE PROPOSED ADDITION TO EXCEED 6,500 SQUARE FEET PURSUANT TO THE HILLSIDE OVERLAY DISTRICT; APN 186-520-01; SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL -HILLSIDE OVERLAY MA -H) ZONING DISTRICT; ROBERT POLITZER, ARCHITECT; SASAN FARAMARZI AND THERESA CAMPBELL, OWNERS (CD) — FILE 10-7 x 10-6 Mayor Boro declared the public hearing opened. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 2 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 3 Associate Planner Micah Hinkle stated this was an Environmental and Design Review Permit for a 1,443 square -foot upper -story addition to an existing 6,256 square -foot single-family home. He explained that the application included an exception request to the Hillside Overlay District maximum gross building square -footage of 6,500 square -feet. He noted this was the first request for such an exception; all previous homes considering this had been re -designed to meet the requirement. Pursuant to meetings with the Design Review Board and Planning Commission, Mr. Hinkle reported that the Planning Commission recommended approval with conditions to minimize the home in respect of its existing visual impact effects. These conditions included painting the home a darker color, adding more landscaping and recording a deed restriction to eliminate future subdivisions. Mr. Hinkle stated that the applicant had agreed to all three, in addition to the other conditions contained in the resolution. Mr. Hinkle explained that the Planning Commission justified the addition based on the unique architecture of the home. While large in size, he indicated the living areas are relatively small and being designed as a piano, the home has lots of curvatures rendering redesign of the inside difficult. In addition, the home color would make it less visible, viewed from offsite, and it would be in proportion with the 3.35 -acre size, presuming the property was not subdivided. Reporting that a color visual prepared by the architect was included with the staff report, Mr. Hinkle explained this displayed the existing color of the home, a color sample, and views of the addition. He indicated that based on the architect's analysis, the addition would be relatively minimal. Mr. Hinkle stated Council options were to approve the ED permit as recommended by the Planning Commission, deny the ED permit and direct staff to return with denial findings, or refer the item back to the Planning Commission for further review. Councilmember Heller inquired as to why this house was in City limits while the remainder of the neighborhood was still in the County. Responding, Mr. Hinkle explained that this particular home was originally built within the County jurisdiction, the City jurisdiction line goes in an out, i.e., homes next door and across the street remain in the County. He believed this home was annexed into the City's Sanitation District. There being no comment from the audience, Mayor Boro closed the public hearing. Mayor Boro confirmed that the pictures being circulated were merely background information. He confirmed with Mr. Hinkle that staff had met with the neighbors and they supported the project. Mr. Hinkle stated multiple public hearings did not produce any objections to the home. Councilmember Heller stated she had looked at the property and had no problem with it as long as the conditions were met. Councilmember Heller moved and Councilmember Miller seconded, to adopt the resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 11444 — RESOLUTION APPROVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND DESIGN REVIEW PERMIT (ED02-122) AND EXCEPTION TO ALLOW CONSTRUCTION OF A 1,443 SQUARE -FOOT UPPER STORY ADDITION TO AN EXISTING SINGLE- FAMILY HOME EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM GROSS BUILDING SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE HILLSIDE OVERLAY DISTRICT AT 366 MARGARITA DRIVE (APN 186-520-01) AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None NEW BUSINESS: 10. CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION AMENDING FISCAL YEAR 2003-2004 BUDGET (MS) — FILE 8-5 Assistant City Manager Ken Nordhoff stated he would highlight some key elements. By way of background he stated that looking ahead last spring, Council realized the City was facing difficult budget problems, particularly in the General Fund, and in July, chose to adopt a one-year budget. He indicated that at that time, $2.1 million worth of actions were taken, of which 85% were expense reductions or program reductions or eliminations, the remaining 15% being fee increases of some type. Mr. Nordhoff stated it also included the elimination of 8.5 positions. He stated staff reminded Council at the time that the City still faced a lot of SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 3 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 4 uncertainty; the books from the prior year had not been closed, and it was not evident what action the state had taken. Staff, therefore, was back before Council in fairly short order indicating there was a problem. Mr. Nordhoff stated that anticipating this, City Manager Gould suggested and Council conducted a series of study sessions with each of the departments to review a level of detail in the budgeting process normally not undertaken. Council, therefore, was in a position to see various presentations dealing with levels of funding over the past several years, levels of staffing, how volunteers were used, sources of grants, the types of costs recovered through various revenues, etc. He indicated that a study session also took place that afforded Council an opportunity to evaluate some options on a citywide basis, such as new fees or areas of compensation where consideration could be given to changes in work schedule, reductions in pay, foregoing of bonuses, etc. Mr. Nordhoff stated that as part of those presentations, departments put forth options that explored reducing 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% of their budgets. The idea being that if all the departments were aggregated, each $1 million worth of reductions under the General Fund would be approximately 2.5%; therefore, given the situation, this appeared to be the appropriate levels at which to hold those discussions. Reporting that a further study session took place on November 3, 2003, to give a true sense of the financial picture and put forth a number of options staff believed worthy of recommendation at this time, Mr. Nordhoff stated that while these were difficult decisions, they appeared to be a good first round of selections. As a reminder, Mr. Nordhoff stated that the current budget deficit was $1.8 million, comprised of a combination of funds taken away by the state, the closing of the books from the prior year, over -spending in areas such as overtime and workers compensation, etc., and some adjustments staff believed necessary to the current year's budget. Mr. Nordhoff stated that all along in the process staff had been looking ahead to next year because typically, Council had adopted budgets in two-year cycles and staff had not lost sight of that. He indicated that last July staff began with a $4.3 million projected deficit for next July. Recommendations totaling $2.4 million were received from Council, which included eliminating 14.5 positions. Some of the current or anticipated operating adjustments were expected to roll forward into the next year. Mr. Nordhoff stated staff was trying to evaluate covering not only a $1.8 million problem for this fiscal year but also a $2.2 million problem in July, 2004. Reporting that a whole menu of options had been presented, Mr. Nordhoff stated he had attached as Schedule A what the City Council chose to do with those options. Explaining the recommendations, Mr. Nordhoff stated these were sorted as: 1) Revenue Options; 2) Expense Reductions; 3) Items Council was not ready to act on; however, had been under consideration before; 4) Compensation issues. Indicating that the first two items on the list pertained to Impact Fees, Mr. Nordhoff explained this process had been ongoing for approximately a year. A previous study session specific to this issue had been conducted, which initially involved imposing impact fees for the damage done on streets and residential neighborhoods by refuse trucks; however, over time, the scope had been expanded to evaluate commercial areas, together with road impact fees for construction vehicles, similar to road impact fees adopted by the County and some other cities. Indicating that direction only was required, Mr. Nordhoff explained that included in the staff report were the results of his working with Public Works, the City Attorney's Office and consultants to come up with recommendations concerning imposition of these two fees. He noted Schedule A identified the amount of money to be generated in the current year and potentially the following year and indicated that the fees went through extensive review. Mr. Nordhoff stated a letter was received this afternoon from the Marin Builders Association, which understood the outcome of the study, supported the imposition of a fee because it is very consistent with what had been done in other jurisdictions, and recommended that the fee be placed into a street maintenance or restricted account that would provide directly for this type of work rather than be placed in the General Fund. He indicated that staff concurred with this. Reporting that the study had been reviewed on a number of different levels, Mr. Nordhoff stated staff would be recommending the imposition of a 1 % Road Impact Fee which would generate a fairly significant amount of money to the Street Fund, and also a Residential Impact Fee on Marin Sanitary Service, which ultimately, would be passed along to the consumer. He indicated that Marin Sanitary Service was in the process of generating their rate application, to be considered by Council in terms of establishing rates, and this could be included at that time. Mr. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 4 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 5 Nordhoff stated that the estimated cost on a residential unit would be approximately $1.60 — $1.65 per month; however, this required refinement. Mr. Nordhoff stated that working with the Community Development Department, staff had attempted to provide a sense of what these fees would look like in terms of additions to the Building Permit costs. He indicated that while there were variations, it could clearly be seen that there would be a fairly significant increase in the building permits when compared to that currently being paid. Mr. Nordhoff stated that should Council choose to amend the budget as proposed on Schedule A, staff would take this study and work with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, the Business Improvement District and other stakeholder groups, and schedule the necessary public meetings and hearing to actually impose the fees. He reminded the City Council that the fees could not be imposed this evening, rather staff sought direction to proceed. With regard to further revenue items, Mr. Nordhoff stated Council had ratified the eConnect registration for Community Services this evening. In connection with the Long Range Planning Fees, he stated the intent was to cover approximately one-quarter of the long range planning program; therefore, a separate Master Fee Schedule would be returned to Council for this purpose. He indicated that a number of fee increases were included for a number of programmatic items in Community Services, such as non-resident fees, athletics, etc. Mr. Nordhoff also noted the transfer of $200,000 back to the General Fund for the street sweeper. He indicated this would no longer be replaced as that level of service was being reduced based on budget actions in prior meetings. Regarding the Expenses on Schedule A, Mr. Nordhoff stated the important items were • Closing City Hall at the Mall, to take effect on January 1, 2004; • Operating expense reductions in Management Services, City Attorney, Community Development; • Cutting back the tree trimming budget; • Reallocation of staff time; voluntary reduction of staff time in the City Clerk's Office; • Most importantly, at least as it affects personnel, reorganizing the Print Shop, which includes the layoff of one employee, reorganizing that service, replacing the equipment and bringing some of the operations back into City Hall. Mr. Nordhoff stated there were several other items listed on Schedule A not requiring immediate action in terms of amending the budget, rather various processes being worked on: Council had expressed interest in evaluating the 911 Dispatch Fee, which required evaluating the cost of the City's Dispatch operations, and determining to what extent Council chose to impose that fee. Mr. Nordhoff explained it was similar to what had been done in the Business Cost Study, looking at the cost of service and to what extent this cost should be recovered. He indicated it would entail working with numerous telephone companies, which would add some complexity. He anticipated returning to Council shortly with at least a proposal on the timeline and how it was envisaged to happen for 2004; • Discussions took place regarding pursuing some additional legal analysis in the event Council chose to assume the garbage contract in the northern part of the City, currently not franchised. Mr. Nordhoff stated this was an option that could produce approximately $300,000 of revenue; • Consideration was also given to paying for downtown footbeat through the parking program. Mr. Nordhoff reported staff was scheduled to return in the spring with rate options in connection with the opening of the new garage, and means of recovering part or all of the footbeat cost could be folded in, should Council so choose; • Service levels and expense reductions concerning the Fire Department were also discussed that related to not filling three vacant positions. Mr. Nordhoff stated staff was not recommending any action on this, indicating that a meeting was scheduled with the City Manager, Fire Chief and Fire Association representatives to discuss the issue. He stated further information would be presented to Council as the process developed; • Regarding the hours of operation in County and City libraries, Mr. Nordhoff reported that Library Director Vaughn Stratford and staff had generated a separate memo which was included as part of the staff report; • Mayor Boro had suggested (also included in the Employee Budget Workgroup) that consideration be given to consolidating Police and Fire Dispatch. This dovetailed with the 911 fee; therefore, there would be some committee process to evaluate this. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 5 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 6 Mr. Nordhoff stated there were other issues codified in the budget actions, Exhibits 1 and 2, dealing with operating issues. To the extent the City is recovering more POST reimbursement or adjusting for overtime or utility costs, he indicated that these amendments to the budget were proposed in the belief the changes were necessary. Regarding the loss of Vehicle License Fees, Mr. Nordhoff stated the new Governor had today rolled back that tax and was convening the Legislature in an attempt to convince them of the need to appropriate $3.2 billion this week to keep cities and counties whole, which was a big uncertainty. Mr. Nordhoff reported that the City had also lost $123,000 in property taxes, which was coming back to the City through the Redevelopment Agency. This, he stated, was again another State action which forced tough choices. Summarizing Schedule A, Mr. Nordhoff directed Council's attention to the first page which identified gaps of $1.8 million and $2.2 million. He stated the recommendations from the City Council totaled $560,000 in amendments for this year, which were included in the resolution, and almost $1.1 million of recommended actions for fiscal year 2004-2005. He indicated this brought this year's deficit down to $1.3 million in this fiscal year, leaving $1.1 million for next year. Mr. Nordhoff stated that some of the issues discussed but not being acted on this evening by Council would help to blunt numbers, particularly out in the second year. Mr. Nordhoff stated he had mentioned in the report that unless action continued to be taken, this $1.3 million, de facto, would end up coming out of the City's reserve and Council had a long-standing policy of maintaining a 10% reserve for exactly the type of circumstances that prevail. However, he indicated that staff wanted to keep returning to Council to chip away at further solutions and not rely on reserves, which are a one-time source of solving the problem, to fix what staff believes is a structural problem. Recalling that questions had arisen in the last study session regarding workers compensation, age of injury, etc., Mr. Nordhoff reported that Sharon Andrus, Risk Manager, had compiled tables showing the reserves position, which indicated the level had not changed. With regard to the number of open claims, largely public safety, he indicated that the average age at which the injury occurred is higher in Fire than Police; however, it should be recognized that the average age of the employees in the Fire Department is fairly significantly higher than in the Police Department. Mr. Nordhoff noted there were a lot of long-standing employees in Fire and a lot of new faces had come through the Police Department in the last five years. Mr. Nordhoff stated there was also a question regarding Travel and Training and he had provided a separate exhibit with the breakdown. Of the $330,000, he indicated that probably one-third was Police Officer training through POST, some of which was reimbursable, required training in Fire, USAR training, etc. Stating there was a resolution before Council, Mr. Nordhoff indicated staff believed that all of the amendments recommended from the last meeting, together with recommendations from staff to keep the budget in balance, were reflected on Exhibits 1 and 2, and the sum total of those actions was codified in the resolution. Regarding the Print Shop reorganization, Councilmember Cohen noted it entailed the loss of one FTE but a net savings of $14,000 in 03/04 and $28,000 in 04/05, and inquired whether this was because it was all absorbed in capital costs or whether the position was extremely low paid. Mr. Nordhoff stated it was a lower -end paid position; however, not extremely lower -end, and part related to replacing some of the equipment, i.e., very antiquated print presses. He indicated staff believed there would be more efficiency with regard to the volumes of work by replacing the equipment. Mr. Nordhoff stated there was some netting effect between the cost savings of a position and the capital costs of new equipment. Councilmember Cohen inquired whether it was anticipated that fiscal year 05/06 would produce more savings, some of the capital costs having been absorbed. Mr. Nordhoff stated he believed the costs were worked in under a leased base rather than capital outflow. He believed it was worked up on a three or five-year lease basis so it could be amortized out, and at lease end, the potential was to see greater savings. Lydia Romero, Assistant to the City Manager, stated she had worked up the analysis using a five-year lease agreement. Councilmember Cohen stated that therefore, the City would realize $28,000 yearly in savings for five years, and he inquired as to the life expectancy on the machines. Ms. Romero stated this would be longer; however, at that time, a determination would be made whether to continue the lease, get more efficient equipment or purchase the equipment. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 6 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 7 Councilmember Cohen stated the report contained some assumptions concerning the cost savings based on experience and he inquired whether the City would dispense with the existing equipment or hold it and evaluate whether or not the savings were produced. Ms. Romero stated the assumption worked on dispensing with the current equipment as it was quite old. She stated the youngest press was fifteen years old, the oldest being thirty-five years old. She noted that everything is done manually, i.e., stapling, hole punching, collating, etc., and this could be done electronically with the newer equipment. Mr. Nordhoff stated that the Employee Budget Workgroup (EBW) had added an addendum to his report. He indicated he had no involvement in producing or working through this document; however, should there be specific questions, Public Works Office Supervisor Richard Landis, EBW facilitator, was present. Mr. Nordhoff stated the EBW was continuing to meet and put forth ideas. He noted that some items needed definition, some overlapped with previous lists. The Group had attempted to prioritize these items, at least through this juncture as often as it had been possible for them to meet. Mr. Nordhoff stated this was something else to consider looking down the road for options. Mayor Boro thanked Mr. Nordhoff for his work and the format in which it was presented, noting that although it was a difficult process, he had made it very accessible and logical to follow. He suggested it could be helpful at some point to take the $560,000 (tonight's action) plus the $2.1 million (already cut) and combine them to produce a record of the budget actions that had occurred. Mr. Nordhoff stated he and City Manager Gould had discussed "telling the story" over perhaps a three-year cycle going back to last January. This would cover the major issues regarding Council action in January, July, now, and what had been approved, although not formally adopted, for next year, to demonstrate the full impacts of these decisions. Regarding the Library, Mayor Boro confirmed that in the first phase the library was closed on Monday and the proposal now was to close it on Sundays and Thursday evenings from 5:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m. He further confirmed that in order to achieve those three levels of closing, all temporary staff had been eliminated, and while savings had been realized, availability of the library to the public had also been greatly impacted. Mayor Boro inquired as to what could be done with the existing permanent staff to possibly remain open during one of the cut back periods. He indicated that he felt an obligation to attempt to provide some more accessible hours for the public. Understanding that a lot had to be done by the professionals, he inquired whether some level of volunteer force could be utilized on some issues not requiring a true professional. While not wishing to address the issue this evening, he indicated his goal related to how to take the existing library staff and try to claim back some of the hours eliminated. Library Director Vaughn Stratford stated that in terms of present permanent staffing, para- professionals already do some of the work carried out by librarians in other libraries. He stated he would be very cautious of utilizing volunteers. Unsure of whether volunteers were the answer, Mayor Boro reiterated his suggestion of how to re -deploy existing staff and still achieve some hours of service to the community. He offered to work with the City Manager, Assistant City Manager and perhaps the Library Board, noting that three segments of opportunities for the public had been eliminated and while cuts needed to be made, he questioned whether some of this could be gained back. Mr. Stratford stated that "on -calls" were no longer used except in situations of vacation, etc. Gail Lockman, Head Reference Librarian, stated that "on -calls" were used to cover Sundays as staff would need to be paid time and a half on those days. Pondering how staff could be re -deployed, Mayor Boro stated he was not satisfied with the fact that the doors were just shut. He indicated his only request was to explore what could be brought back to the public. Mr. Stratford stated staff was very disturbed by that fact also as they wished to provide a good level of service to the public. Indicating he did not believe all three opportunities could be restored, Mayor Boro suggested that perhaps one could be. He requested that staff evaluate the situation. Concurring, Councilmember Heller stated she found this very disturbing for the community. From the list of libraries open on Sundays, Mill Valley, Sausalito/Belvedere, while they are all very small communities, she noted they keep their libraries open on Sundays. Should San Rafael close its library on Sundays, she believed there would be no central county libraries open. Councilmember Heller suggested staff work with the various libraries on structuring the closings so that the entire county is not quite so inconvenienced. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 7 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 8 Mr. Stratford stated that all the public libraries in the County belonged to MARINET, the Board of which meets once per month and next Thursday, this issue could be discussed. Gail Lockman explained that every library in the County uses "on -calls" to maintain their hours; however, a lot are cutting back. Should there be voids in service, Mayor Boro stated there should be some place for people to go. If San Rafael's closing on Sundays had a huge impact on people within the radius of the library and there was no alternative, perhaps this should be considered. He requested that staff ascertain where the biggest void might be and attempt to fill that with existing staff. Mayor Boro and Councilmember Heller thanked staff for their report. Councilmember Miller suggested perhaps condensing hours on certain days to afford the possibility of opening on others, perhaps opening every day but not for so long. Councilmember Cohen inquired whether these items were on Attachment A. Mr. Nordhoff confirmed that the items were listed on Schedule A; however, no action was proposed to reduce the hours or save money. Mr. Nordhoff confirmed for Mayor Boro that the proposal Council saw on November 3, 2003 had the library closing on both those time periods. Should Council choose to proceed with this proposal, the item would be returned for formal action. Following up on Councilmember Miller's suggestion, Councilmember Cohen stated he would be interested in seeing some analysis, such as an hour -by -hour breakdown of usage. He believed it would be of value to evaluate perhaps extending Thursday evening hours by opening later in the day. Mr. Stratford indicated it would be possible to provide the circulation figures per hour. Gail Lockman noted this did not necessarily reflect the amount of people using the library, i.e., those in the library not checking out books. Councilmember Heller inquired whether Councilmember Cohen was suggesting putting Monday back into the equation and look at the entire seven days. Councilmember Cohen stated he did not see this as feasible under present budget constraints. He suggested exploring where the demand is. Regarding the first two items on Schedule A (Impact Fees), Councilmember Phillips stated he was concerned about implementation, timing and any constraints there might be. He noted this would be in effect by March 1, 2004. Responding, Mr. Nordhoff explained staff anticipated spending some time over the next month working with the stakeholders group, schedule the public meeting and public hearing in January, 2004, and once adopted, the fees would be effective in 60 days, i.e., end of March, 2004. Councilmember Phillips inquired whether Mr. Nordhoff was comfortable that this was a reasonable expectation. Mr. Nordhoff believed it to be reasonable. Councilmember Phillips recalled a discussion regarding the scope of damage from the refuse trucks. He noted the residential area was simple; however, was curious about the city in its entirety. Mr. Nordhoff explained that staff spent an extensive amount of time working with Public Works and a consultant to try to provide data that would help pinpoint this. He stated the best they could do was to come up with very suspect information, as there was not a lot of data regarding truck trips, truck weights and the things that relate to commercial areas. Mr. Nordhoff stated it was determined that because these arterial and collector streets are built to a much higher standard, the impacts are far less significant than in residential areas. He indicated they could not generate any conclusive data; the best determination was approximately $29,000, 10% or perhaps slightly more than in a residential area; therefore, there was no specific recommendation related to commercial development. Mr. Nordhoff believed that data could be collected going forward to refine this for implementation at a future time. Councilmember Phillips stated this appeared to be appropriate and more equitable throughout the City. SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 8 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 9 Regarding the Hilton Farnkopt report, Councilmember Phillips stated it made reference to a cost on an annual basis of $196,000, yet the Schedule indicated a figure of $118,000. He noted a small difference also with regard to construction - $322,000 versus $316,000. Mr. Nordhoff stated that unfortunately, having only received the last schedule from Hilton Farnkopt on Friday afternoon for inclusion in the staff report, he had not had the opportunity of amending the figures in the proposal for the budget. Because this was not actually being adopted, he explained he did not spend the time amending the figures; however, he would take the time to do this. He explained it did not affect this evening's action, as he believed the figures for this year were indicative of what would be done and he would update Schedule A to reflect those in the Hilton report. He confirmed the report was more reflective of Schedule A, particularly for the second fiscal year — 2004-2005. Councilmember Phillips confirmed that staff was confident of its implementation, with a slightly better situation. Councilmember Cohen noted the letter from the Builders Association indicated support for the proposal assuming these were reserved funds earmarked for road maintenance purposes only, and he inquired whether this was feasible. Mr. Nordhoff explained that currently, $400,000 annually of franchise fees from the General Fund are placed in the Gas Tax Fund to help compliment those dollars to carry out street projects. These new fees would be put directly into that fund for the express purpose of street and road improvements. City Manager Rod Gould stated that tomorrow would see a very stark test of how the state values local services versus state funded programs. He reiterated Mr. Nordhoff's sentiments that the new Governor had called for a special session to commence tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday, November 18, 2003) that would include action to amend the state budget to hold cities, counties and special districts whole for $3.2 billion. Mr. Gould stated that the initial reaction from the Senate Democrats was no way would they bail out cities and counties with what they considered to be state money. Should San Rafael lose that share of the Vehicle License Fee backfill, he indicated it would punch another $2.2 million hole in the budget and seriously affect city services up and down the state. Mr. Gould stated the Governor had made promises in recent weeks not to harm public safety services. He understood the link between the Vehicle License Fees that historically flowed to cities and counties and public safety services such as the nation watched in Southern California recently. However, Mr. Gould believed the Legislature was not of the same mind; therefore, there would be a very quick determination as to which has primacy in the state capital. Councilmember Phillips moved and Councilmember Miller seconded, to adopt the Resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 11445 — RESOLUTION AMENDING THE 2003-2004 BUDGET AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller, Phillips and Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS: 11. a) Special Meeting December 1, 2003: - File 9-1 Mayor Boro stated the swearing-in of the Mayor, Councilmembers, City Attorney, School Board Members and City Clerk would take place at a Special Meeting prior to the regular City Council meeting on December 1, 2003. He requested that City Manager Gould invite Division Chief Brian Waterbury and the team of firefighters who went to Southern California to attend this Special Meeting so that the Council could hear from and acknowledge them. Mayor Boro extended the invitation to anyone else who would like to be present, and indicated that a celebration would follow in the lobby. b) Fire Service: - File 9-3-31 With regard to issues pertaining to the Fire Service, Mayor Boro noted that the City Manager, Assistant City Manager and Fire Chief would meet with members of the Department in the next week. He invited Vice -Mayor Phillips to meet with him, City Manager Gould, Assistant City Manager Nordhoff and Fire Chief Marcucci subsequent to that meeting to obtain an understanding of the issues and possibly generate a recommendation to bring to Council. c) Memorial Service for Firefighter Steve Rucker: - File 9-1 x 9-3-31 Vice -Mayor Phillips reported that he and Mayor Boro attended the memorial service for Firefighter Steve Rucker and commented that it was a pleasure to have been in the SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 9 SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 10 company of so many fine men and women who provide the service depended on by the community. Mayor Boro thanked Division Chief Brian Waterbury for his assistance in getting there, noting the San Rafael Fire Department had a big role in the organization of the event. There being no further business, the City Council meeting was adjourned at 9:07 p.m. to a Study Session addressing budget issues. JEANNE M. LEONCINI, City Clerk APPROVED THIS DAY OF 12003 MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL SRCC Minutes (Regular) 11/17/2003 Page 10