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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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