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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPRA Minutes 2009-04-29(Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 1 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2009 AT 7:30 PM Special Joint Meeting Present: Albert J. Boro, Mayor/Chairman San Rafael City Council / Redevelopment Agency Barbara Heller, Vice-Mayor/Vice-Chair Greg Brockbank, Councilmember/Member Damon Connolly, Councilmember/Member Cyr N. Miller, Councilmember/Member Absent: None Also Present: Ken Nordhoff, City Manager/Executive Director Robert Epstein, City Attorney/Agency Attorney Esther Beirne, City Clerk/Agency Secretary REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY / CITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING 7:44 PM BUDGET HEARING: CM/Fin) — File (SRCC) 8-5 x (SRRA) R-103 1. Budqet Outlook: City Manager Ken Nordhoff stated that this was the first formal setting to discuss the current financial situation. He explained that staff was in the process of preparing the next two-year budget process. Tonight's session would be in four segments: 1) An overview of finances; 2) Document referred to as "2011 A look back"; 3) An exercise with regard to service prioritization; and 3) Initial recommendations and the next steps. Mr. Nordhoff hoped this would provide a clear understanding of the City's financial picture. He indicated he would collect from the City Council this evening individual sheets related to service considerations and prioritizations, and staff would like to receive City Council direction on initial budget balancing recommendations. Finance Director Cindy Mosser stated she would discuss the proposed budget for the Redevelopment Agency, the status of 2008-2009 Fiscal Year for the City and the 2009-2011 City budgets. c) Proposed Fiscal Years 2009-2011 Redevelopment Aqencv Budqets Ms. Mosser explained that appropriations for 2009-2010 was $6.3 million, the majority of which was for debt service and low income housing. For 2010-2011, appropriations were $6.46 million also for debt service for bonds and low income housing. Staffing levels remained at 5 -FTE (full-time equivalent) and the agency continued to support Code Enforcement. She indicated that no new projects or bond moneys were planned, noting new bond revenues were under study. Staff hoped to adopt this budget on July 6, 2009. a) Status of Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Citv Budget Ms. Mosser reported that the City budget for 2008-09 was adopted in July, 2008 with a mid -year review in February, 2009. Currently, appropriations were $87.4 million with General Fund appropriations of $60.9 million and a full-time equivalent staff of 433.47. Action taken by the City Council since February included Fire Dispatch, reorganization for the City Attorneys office, Public Works Management, and Information Technology. She indicated that staff was still evaluating minor revenue revisions and use of radio system reserves to make this budget balance for the $87.4 million, the majority of which was accounted for by Police and Fire, with Public Works at 13%. b) Proposed Fiscal vear 2009-2011 Citv Budqet Using PowerPoint Ms. Mosser indicated that the proposed revenue budget for 2009-2010 was $80.5 million. For total revenues by source, taxes accounted for 58% at $47 million, with fines and forfeiture at 4%. She identified on a graph: • Sales Tax trends and Triple Flip Backfill — Projected 6.8% decline for 2009-2010; • Property Tax - no increase projected for 2009-2010; (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 2 • Property Transfer Tax — flat; • Transactions and Use Tax — projected decline of 9.3% in 2009-2010 and a projected 2% increase in 2010-2011; • Transient Occupancy Tax — flat; • Business Licenses - Decrease in 2009-2010 to $2.3 million and a slight increase in 2010-2011 to $2.4 million; With regard to Appropriations for all of these funds: 2009-2010 - $85.5 million for all funds, which is lower than 2008-2009: o Implemented personnel costs associated with approved MOUs - Fire, Management and Mid -Management (No salary increases in Management/Mid-Management resolutions); o No changes for Bargaining Groups currently under negotiations; o No COLA increases for supplies and services — held at Fiscal Year 2007-2008 level; o Increased contracts or obligations (animal control, JPAs, fine increases). Police and Fire account for 44% of the total City budget, with Public Works at 14% and capital projects at $2.2 million. Ms. Mosser reported that all other funds were balanced. Staff would return to the City Council for the Paramedic Tax for separate action - $4 rate increase for a total of $81 per unit for residential for 2009- 2010 and $85 for 2010-2011. Square -footage for non-residential would increase to 10.03 cents and then 11.00 cents, the cap for 2010-2011 Fiscal Year. She indicated that staff was evaluating restructuring some funds to ensure that the General Fund did not need to have any new support. Ms. Mosser reported that the General Fund appropriation was $61.8 million for 2009-2010, of which 58% related to public safety, with Public Works at $7.7 million or 12%. Appropriations would be reduced by $2.1 million per the City Manager's recommendations coming later this evening, which would include furloughs and vacancies, etc. With those $2.1 million recommendations, the current General Fund would have a deficit for 2009-2010 of $3.2 million. Ms. Mosser expressed thanks to her staff: Van Bach, Helen Yu and Carl Tregner for their support. Councilmember Brockbank noted that in comparing the Sales Tax to the Transactions and Use Tax, Ms. Mosser mentioned "leakage" and inquired as to what this meant. Ms. Mosser explained that "leakage" referred to not capturing an item purchased outside of San Rafael for delivery within the City San Rafael. A consultant assists in identifying such transactions. Mayor Boro clarified with staff that $2.1 million had been reduced for 2009-2010, leaving a deficit of $3.2 million. 2. Citv Manager's Report — A look Back City Manager Ken Nordhoff stated that in his PowerPoint presentation he had included the Mission and Vision Statements of the City of San Rafael so that when services, etc., were being considered in a difficult economic environment these types of overarching goals were not lost. Indicating that the City provides a variety of services, Mr. Nordhoff reported that polling had consistently indicated over the last decade that public safety remained a strong area of emphasis. He noted Ms. Mosser presented a chart this evening indicating that 59% of the General Fund was public safety, which had been consistent for many years and reflected to some degree what the community expected. For the benefit of the other employees not working in public safety, he was aware that the community needed a lot of other things which emanated from Community Development, Community Services, Public Works, etc. San Rafael had very informed and involved constituents and traditionally hired very professional and high quality staff who delivered excellent services. Mr. Nordhoff also noted that it was necessary to live within one's means. San Rafael did not have the luxury of Propositions A -F, a print press or stimulus plans to solve budget problems; therefore tough decisions must be made to close the gaps presented. (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 3 Mr. Nordhoff commented that over many years there appeared to be less and less control, whether due to propositions being passed that put limitations on raising local revenue or land use decisions being chipped away at; however, increasingly, it was being found more difficult to be creative about how to solve some of the problems. Mr. Nordhoff stated he believed it would be an interesting exercise to see what was different looking backward as though this two-year budget process to be embarked upon had just been completed. He referred to a series of issues the City Council would face and that staff would make recommendations on around priorities and how they would be maintained. He believed there would be radical restructurings in how the City had to work at its revenue base; the auto industry was a good example. The City had traditionally relied on auto dealers and the auto industry to be approximately 25% of its sales tax base; however, this would not continue into the future. Explaining the contents of the handout, Mr. Nordhoff reported that it was written as though the City had just accomplished its current two-year budget (2009-2011) under consideration. Staff was working on developing a number of Goals and Objectives from which he gleaned some thoughts to add to his own. He noted that Exhibit D — attached to the handout- was the framework for the house model built two years ago. It contained five Areas of Emphasis: • Fostering Community and Volunteer Partnerships • Improving Economic Vitality and Sustainability • Investing in Infrastructure and Transportation Systems • Enhancing Community Safety • Preserving Critical Services and Fiscal Health Sharing what he believed the City could look like in July 2011, Mr. Nordhoff stated he would begin with some community and volunteer partnerships — • Community leadership team would be created through key volunteer efforts that would generate a structure to allow the City to raise at least $200,000 per year to support ongoing program needs and facility requirements at Pickelweed; • Community volunteerism and activism continued through boards • Canalfront Conceptual Plan approved. New grants could be obtained to begin putting the infrastructure into place; • Tree Advisory Committee would be completing its work in the next couple of years by providing strategies and guidelines on City right-of-way trees; • Collaborative partnership with Whistlestop for older citizens; • Additional planning carried out on parks. Glenwood neighborhood interested in forming an Assessment District to get work done at Victor Jones Park, together with additional improvements needed at Pickelweed Park fields. In the area of Economic Vitality and Sustainability — • Recession Action Plan and Economic Vitality Plan adopted and guided the City through this difficult time; • Increased business expansion and job development — San Rafael Corporate Center completed and occupied; • Northgate Mall up to a 90% tenant level; • Commercial areas — Downtown, West End — taken a little bounce and survived this turbulent period; • Office and retail vacancies in decline and some rising in employment; • Climate Change Action Plan adopted; • New ordinances in place; • Housing received a bounce — credit markets loosened up, foreclosures ceased in the retail and office segments and property being turned over. In the area of infrastructure — Mr. Nordhoff reported that on Monday, May 4, 2009, the City Council would potentially ratify the next phase of the Critical Facilities Effort and with a push from the Critical Facilities Committee members, Fire Commissioners and (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 4 staff work, it was hoped this would lead to successful ballot measures, and by July 2011, the City would be constructing, designing and making improvements to a number of important facilities. One part of this would potentially be a new fire station at the County Civic Center area, which would be a great partnership between three government agencies that would provide a very cost effective and long-term solution for that particular public resource. Noting staff had been focused on non -motorized grants, Mr. Nordhoff stated a number of these would be built over the next year. Funding was still needed for Phase II of Francisco Boulevard East. SMART was underway and work must be done at the local level, including engineering, railroad crossings and quiet zones; therefore an entire piece would actively be done looking out a couple of years; however, more work needed to be done, including the City's involvement in station designs. The last major freeway initiative in San Rafael would take eighteen months to be completed; therefore, there would be two dedicated westbound 580 lanes heading into downtown. Mr. Nordhoff stated it was important to note that while working on all these major initiatives, funding to maintain the levels of service in streets, parks and sidewalks was not being achieved. Capital investments would be made with outside money and it would be very difficult to keep up on paving throughout the City with shrinking resources. Gas taxes had been stagnant for years and would decline and become less reliable; therefore, outside sources of money would have to be identified. In the area of community safety, Mr. Nordhoff stated that the police department was actively pursuing a number of grants. They reconstituted their Citizen Police Academy. Public Safety had great opportunities over the next couple of years for shared services and future opportunities working with neighbors to the north, south and west to share in service delivery. Emergency preparedness and other programs were being developed, together with programs that focused on schools and business. The newly appointed Disaster Council would be very helpful in guiding the future and involving other agencies. Noting that the Paramedic Tax needed to be renewed, he was optimistic that would again occur in November 2010, and the City would continue to have a skilled and professional workforce. In terms of fiscal health and critical services, Mr. Nordhoff noted that in 2011 the City was halfway through Measure 'S' and it was time to plan for what would happen with that tax when it came up for an extension vote in 2015. It had given long-term stability and had maintained essential services. With regard to long-term obligations related to retiree healthcare, Mr. Nordhoff noted some steps had already been taken in that area and he was hopeful that new cafeteria plans would have been worked up for all employee groups by that time. Noting a number of grant opportunities, Mr. Nordhoff stated the most obvious was the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act where some moneys were being received on a per capita basis, others under a formula basis and some competitive. These grants would allow the City to accomplish a number of things over the next couple of years; however, would not solve the current problem. Noting pensions were the elephant in the room, Mr. Nordhoff stated that, absent getting some reform or restructuring in pension systems, this would be an increasing burden to San Rafael as well as statewide and nationally when investment losses in the market place over this last year were taken into account. In terms of staffing, Mr. Nordhoff stated that the City had preserved what it could. Staffing levels had not been increased which would bear itself out as decisions were made over the next couple of years. Staff's challenge was to figure out how things could be done creatively in an effort to continue as many services as possible. In summary, Mr. Nordhoff stated that, in spite of the economic period faced through 2009-2011, there would be much to be proud of and much had been accomplished. He offered this as a different way of looking at where the City was headed and raising some issues for Council's consideration. Returning to 2009, Mr. Nordhoff stated that before considering Services Prioritizations, he wished to remind the City Council of how staff was assessing what was being done and how well. He stated that Citizen Satisfaction Polls had been conducted for a number of years; however, there were other means to assess the City's effectiveness and how well the City was doing on the important services and projects of the community. This was (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 5 handled through meetings, community feedback, surveying, talking directly with community leaders and there were a number of documents and media tools, together with plans that were in place to gauge how well the City was doing. Mr. Nordhoff presented some slides from the most recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey and indicated it was important to note that over two-thirds of those surveyed believed the City was heading in the right direction. There were a number of perceptive questions ranging from safety and crime, revitalization of downtown, the ability to solve challenges and the heart and soul of the General Plan, which was maintaining the hometown character. Mr. Nordhoff noted that consistently, traffic was number one, and cost of living, housing and poor financial condition bounced up a few points this year. He stated that, although the City was doing well, there was always room for improvement. 3. Budaetary and Service Priorities: Mr. Nordhoff discussed the Recession Action Plan Principles as follows: • Collaborating with other agencies • Reduce services intelligently and thoughtfully • No new projects • Continuing to assess and look for ways to improve within departments and across departments Manage size of workforce -- compensation was a key component Layoffs inevitable Looking for revenues in any and all ways possible Referring to the charts, Mr. Nordhoff stated these were keying off of some information from the City Council Retreat in January, 2009, prior to taking some mid -year budget actions in February. Referring to the landscape chart — Service Considerations - Mr. Nordhoff stated that this evening staff would like to receive City Council direction to assist shape future solutions. He noted these were the core services delivered most directly to the public and requested that the City Council consider responding to each one in one of the following three categories: • Highest Priority — Individual Councilmember considers this service of such importance that at this point he or she was not interested in seeing it altered or reduced in some way. • Mid Level Priority - Councilmember could be open to the idea; however, could need additional information. • Lesser Priority- - Willingness, should there be a reduction in services and understanding the consequences, Councilmember believed this to be an appropriate area to consider making reductions. Mr. Nordhoff noted that most of these things were wrapped in reducing levels of staffing. Mr. Nordhoff stated the second list contained recommendations from him where services may already have been paired down over a period of time; there could be a limited amount of staff in terms of availability to do fairly basic service levels in some of these areas, together with a listing of items funded through outside moneys. Police Department -page 1: With regard to patrol beats, Mayor Boro inquired whether there was a way on certain beats at certain times of the day to divert someone from traffic to take the place of a beat officer. Chief of Police Matt Odetto stated that staff had been doing this for some time. Should there be a shortage on patrol someone would be pulled from one of the specialty or other units to ensure patrol was staffed properly. With regard to the issue of mental health and noting two officers (one in training) were involved in this effort currently, Mayor Boro inquired as to the consequences of continuing training but redeploying that officer. (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 6 Chief of Police Matt Odetto explained that part of the service provided to the downtown dealt with a lot of the mentally ill and homeless. These two officers make referrals to County agencies to ensure the individuals received the proper guidance and medication to maintain themselves. If the officer in training were to be pulled from that position he could be supplemented into patrol; however, he did not recommend this. With regard to the park ranger and marine officer, Councilmember Heller confirmed that one person was assigned to these positions and she inquired whether this person would seek retirement in the near future. Chief of Police Odetto stated this would be a few years out. Councilmember Heller believed nothing would be lost by not having the boat; however, over time, it could possibly show up in the homeless encampments in the hills and parks as this was the one person who patrolled all the parks and open space. Chief of Police Odetto clarified that it did fall to patrol staff also. Councilmember Brockbank stated that in terms of community input he felt strongly that the every other year polls were very important; however, he believed there were other methods also. With regard to community meetings, he inquired whether Mr. Nordhoff was referring to Special Meetings, Regular City Council Meetings, etc. He believed it important to afford people multiple methods to weigh in, such as designated Town Hall meetings, as it was difficult for the City Council to make decisions without that type of input. Mr. Nordhoff stated his experience was that when there was money to be spent, people had a lot of good ideas; however, when the reverse was true, it was difficult for people to indicate that they could do without or with less of something. He believed the best traction was achieved from attending neighborhood meetings, etc. Pubic finances were very complex; however, information would be posted on the website and he encouraged the community through "Snapshot" and by other means to provide information or ideas. He commented that in the City's best days, there had not been more than a couple of hundred people involved in the budget process, no matter how many different ways meetings had been facilitated. Councilmember Brockbank believed that, while anecdotal evidence and one-on-one conversations, random or planned, were not as valuable as polling, they were valuable and he was glad to see staff exploring the idea of having "Talk to your Councilmember at the Farmers' Market" sessions. Believing scientific polling to be very valuable, he considered other forms of polling to also be valuable, e.g., Internet polling, and he suggested that this could be done once or twice a year to supplement the every other year scientific telephone polling. Regarding the Police Department and noting the comment "use of overtime as needed to sustain basic police services" , Councilmember Brockbank inquired as to the amount of overtime and dollars involved, and how much would be saved versus increased crime and decreased sense of security. Chief of Police Odetto stated his priority was basic level police services. Patrol was the backbone of the organization and the people necessary to be out there. He commented that six beats for a City this large was getting close and he would not recommend any cuts on patrol. With regard to ancillary services in general, he believed it important to keep in mind that from the last survey conducted, a primary issue of contention was traffic and traffic congestion. Motorcycle teams work very well with this not only as a deterrent but as an educational component also. With regard to red light cameras, should they be implemented, Mayor Boro inquired whether this potentially would have some impact on motorcycle coverage at certain intersections. Chief of Police Odetto stated that this absolutely would have an effect. Police Department - pape 2: Mr. Nordhoff recalled that several years ago the City pulled out of the Major Crimes Task Force. While he had specifically included an item on this he was not recommending rejoining the Major Crimes Task Force. (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 7 Councilmember Connolly invited staff's perspective on the restructuring of the Major Crimes Task Force. Chief of Police Odetto believed it was a benefit. Restructuring had done a good job as far as cutting staff and allowing other agencies to participate through having an officer assigned. At this time, he concurred with the City Manager that it would not be a good idea to rejoin the Task Force for a variety of reasons. It was not funded in this or next years' budgets to reassign an officer. He reported that the Police Department currently had one unfilled position, one position in the Academy which would not be on the streets for six months and three officers on long-term disabilities. Chief of Police Odetto explained that, since San Rafael removed itself from the Task Force, participation never really ceased. Officers had always been assigned to the auto theft Task Force, Probation Enforcement unit, etc. With regard to the COPE (Coordination of Probation Enforcement) program and count of parolees, Councilmember Miller expressed concern with regard to the lack of following up of parolees and consequent crime, and he inquired whether efficiency studies had been carried out regarding this issue. Chief of Police Odetto stated that staff had statistics of parolees identified within the community and how many checks were made during the weeks or months. He commented that the San Rafael Police Department had a unique relationship with the COPE unit because it was also under the umbrella of the Task Force. Councilmember Heller fully appreciated the job done by the school resource officers; however, believed it to be a one-way partnership in that it was something the schools wanted and benefited from. Unless it became more of a partnership she favored cutting back. With regard to Criminal Investigations and Support Services, Councilmember Brockbank inquired as to how much more time would be needed to complete an investigation or how much less phone coverage would result, and whether this would significantly reduce the quality of service where people's safety was jeopardized, or conversely, whether it would be minimal with greater savings. Chief of Police Odetto stated he could get back to Councilmember Brockbank on the numbers. Taking the investigations component, he explained that a primary duty was to investigate crime and bring those people to justice. Having a reduced staffing in the investigations section would mean taking more time in developing those leads. With regard to 911 calls and front desk non -emergency calls, he believed that any delay posed a problem or risk for either the officer or the caller. With regard to the School Resource Officer Mayor Boro shared Councilmember Heller's comments. He suggested discussing this matter with the School Boards, putting the item on the agenda for the next meeting. He wanted to see each School District come up with at least 25% of the cost. He believed it would be difficult not to do this coverage; however, the schools were benefiting and it should be pursued with them. Mr. Nordhoff reported that he and Chief Odetto met with Superintendent Wattenpaugh and a staff member and they had been evaluating ways to perhaps grant underwrite these services. He believed the Marin Community Foundation and another foundation were being considered. Ivaldo Lenci, San Rafael resident, noted that moving violations provide revenue to the City and inquired as to how much revenue is received by the City. Chief of Police Odetto explained that, if the officer was removed from this position, 1,100 fewer citations would be written resulting in approximately $90,000 in lost revenue for the City of San Rafael annually. With regard to Park Ranger/Marine on page 1, Councilmember Brockbank inquired whether anyone other than sworn officers could carry out the work of clearing encampments, etc., at a lower cost. Chief Odetto explained that using individuals not properly trained and not having the proper tools put that person in jeopardy, which also caused jeopardy for the fire crews doing the clearing. Mayor Boro thanked Chief of Police Matt Odetto and staff for all their efforts for the City of San Rafael. (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 8 Emerpencv Services — pape 3: Councilmember Brockbank suggested reducing the number of CERT training classes from four times per year to perhaps two or three per year to save some money. Jim Schutz, Assistant City Manager, believed the savings would not be significant as the information was provided by City staff and volunteers, together with grants. He noted that the entire Emergency Services Program amounted to approximately one-quarter of one -percent of the General Fund. Fire Department — pape 3: With regard to the Wildland Urban Interface program, Councilmember Heller inquired whether there were any grants that could be used, especially through the ARRA program. Fire Chief Chris Gray stated that staff was in the process of applying for stimulus money. The current budget was approximately $50,000 and this was the second year of implementation. State inmate crews had been utilized which covered a total area of over 40 acres. That work was done at a fraction, about 20%, of what it would cost to hire private contractors. He noted that requiring private property owners to clear their homes and create that defensible space was costly; albeit some take advantage of landscaping improvements. Chief Gray stated he was optimistic and reiterated that staff was in the process of applying for some grants. He commented on a program called "Fire wise" that identified specific neighborhoods that would set an example for other communities. He noted very few "Fire Wise" communities existed in the state, with none in Marin, and those communities that applied and received acknowledgment through "Fire Wise" were eligible for annual grants. Chief Gray was hopeful that the City could continue to maintain the existing funding level. He reported that many of the homeowners' associations were actually voluntarily sharing the funding, in some cases to the extent of 50% - 75% of the total. He noted that the cooperation and compliance rate has been nearly 90%. Staff was trying to achieve voluntary compliance and he appreciated the City Council's guidance and leadership in adopting the ordinance. Noting the Council action on May 4, 2009 to extend the Marinwood agreement and not yet having reviewed the report, Mayor Boro stated he would be looking to see whether this could be resolved sooner than one year. Mr. Nordhoff explained that some of the termination language had been accelerated and he anticipated having recommendations within a month. He explained that a decision needed to be made fairly quickly about how to conduct business, together with the implementation of that endeavor, which could involve working with union representation, etc., to effect the mutual change. Fire Chief Gray noted that staff would recommend reduction and the opt out from six to four months. Staff felt very strongly that improvements could be made before the one-year expired. With regard to rotating closure of fire stations, Councilmember Brockbank stated it sounded like a bureaucratic nightmare, difficult to implement, and somewhat like playing Russian Roulette, and he inquired as to how much savings this could be worth. Fire Chief Gray explained that the fire force was essentially the City's insurance policy protecting the resources of the community. The insurance policy in place saves the City hundreds of thousands of dollars and protects not only people, but also property. In terms of station closures, `brown outs" it was essentially taking a risk. He indicated that staff takes a calculated risk every day because a staffing policy was established that would respond to a certain number of calls. 23 people were on duty with six fire engines, and they could only do so much, which was the reason for CERT and other programs. Chief Gray noted that the City spends $1.5 million to staff a fire station year round, with six stations fully staffed, one of which was being paid for through an agreement with the County for CSA 19. Chief Gray noted that not only was the geography unique, but the topography was also unique. CSA 19 was broken into five separate areas that were in different parts of the City and served directly by four different fire stations. He commented that even getting to a rolling "brown out", while he would never advocate it, should it have to be introduced, it would be done so that a different station was closed at different times. He indicated the complication arose when the next station in to the closed station was on call, making it necessary to pull from a third station away. (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 9 Chief Gray noted that six months ago the City Council approved changes in the paramedic delivery system where today paramedics came from six stations instead of two. Being the first line of offense in terms of paramedic service, closing a station would impact emergency medical care because 75% of the time that engine company is on site first. He noted that the engine companies with paramedics can provide life-saving services in a short period of time. As well as management problems, he believed the result would be higher losses. He believed the CSA agreement served the City very well; however, it was also an outstanding bargain for the County because there was no effective way they could serve those five areas from one fire station. Chief Gray stated that Fire Department staff was working with the City Manager on several initiatives with regard to reduced costs, sharing services and increased revenue. Mayor Boro thanked Fire Chief Gray and his staff for all their efforts for the City of San Rafael. Public Library - Pape 4: Councilmember Connolly requested further description of the adult services and outreach program. Library Director David Dodd explained this was the basic service of the library to grownups. This was the staff that sits at the reference desk, answers questions, orders and selects materials and guides people in their use. This year had seen a phenomenal leap in the type of service provided by the library which could be traced to the economic downturn. Circulation figures were up and he was astonished to find that reference question statistics had gone up almost double. Councilmember Connolly inquired as to adult programming: Mr. Dodd stated the programming generally featured special events and included monthly Art Talks. Councilmember Brockbank noted the comment "Keep open position open" and inquired whether this was a recommendation. Mr. Nordhoff and Mr. Dodd confirmed this was a recommendation. Communitv Services — Pape 4: Councilmember Heller inquired whether Falkirk Cultural Center was open full-time. Community Services Director Carlene McCart explained that Falkirk was reduced by one full- time staff member on a previous occasion; therefore, public hours were reduced at that time. All cultural services, educational programs, events and rental operations were operating with one full-time person, 10 hours of part-time assistance as well as a contract employee. With regard to the elimination of adult programming, which would also mean a probably loss of revenue, Councilmember Brockbank stated that in order to make this evaluation he would like to know how much revenue would be lost, how many people were served by the program which could be eliminated, and how this could be quantified. Ms. McCart stated she could provide the numbers; however, staff could not quantify exactly how much value each experience was to each individual. She noted that operating what they considered a full service helped support the entire department. Noting they were in competition with every other recreational, retail or nonprofit organization in San Rafael, staff attempted to provide the highest level of service at the lowest fees and eliminating a portion of programming would eliminate some of their market niche, which would affect their revenue. Ms. McCart confirmed for Mayor Boro that 50% to 75% of programs were self-supporting. With a $6.5 million budget, the General Fund subsidizes the department by $1.5 million, most of which goes to keeping the buildings open and maintained. Mayor Boro thanked Community Services Director Carlene McCart for all her efforts (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 10 Volunteer Program — page 4: Councilmember Miller noted the comment "including volunteer coordination on the CCAP" (Climate Change Action Plan) and indicated that to him this was one of the most essential things this person could do. He stated this was a perfect example of where a volunteer program fits into the priorities of the City and nation. Mr. Nordhoff indicated that Cory Bytof, Volunteer Coordinator, would be working with Community Development Director Bob Brown on some of the short-term implementation actions, which was integrated into his overall volunteer efforts. Public Works — page 5 With regard to Engineering, Councilmember Miller requested clarification on "delays in completing emergency response" and whether that depth of engineers was necessary. Interim Public Works Director Parviz Mokhtari stated that two engineers in the Traffic Division had been moved to Engineering, leaving one Traffic Engineer and one Technician in the Traffic Division. Staff had been evaluating the productivity, efficiency and output of that division and concluded that there was a lot of room for improved productivity and efficiency. He confirmed for Mayor Boro that project volumes were down also in the current environment. Mr. Nordhoff stated he understood Mr. Mansourian, Assistant Public Works Director and Mr. Mokhtari were working on a two-year Capital Improvement Plan that would be part of this budget process; therefore, they were evaluating projects either underway or on the drawing board and particularly evaluating funding. Noting 150 plus fleet vehicles was a lot to maintain, Councilmember Heller inquired whether there was a way to turn this more into revenue enhancing by working with other cities. Mr. Mokhtari explained that the Fleet Maintenance Committee evaluated this based on the City Manager's direction and had suggestions with regard to either reducing the number of fleet vehicles or making some modifications. He believed that as a result there could be a possibility of offering services to neighboring cities. Councilmember Brockbank noted that in recent months more funds than usual had been granted for street paving from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and inquired whether this could mean getting by with less money than usual for the next year or two in street maintenance. Responding affirmatively, Mr. Mokhtari explained that the gas tax of approximately $375,000 was placed in operations, relieving the General Fund of approximately $650,000. Mr. Nordhoff noted it was very difficult to keep up with pavement management requirements and there were diminishing resources relative to the amount of work needed. The stimulus money was directed towards arterials or major roads which tended to receive more repetitive attention, as well as more wear and tear; however, over a period of time neighborhood streets were not being maintained as required. Ivaldo Lenci inquired with regard to a "Quick Patch" remedy for fixing potholes. — amended 6/1/09 to note Mr. Lenci suggested that a "Quick Patch" (bag of asphalt @ $6.87) method of fixing potholes was something the City could consider. Mayor Boro thanked Mr. Mokhtari and his staff for all their efforts for the City of San Rafael. Communitv Development — page 5 Noting Mr. Nordhoff had mentioned some months ago the term "demand management", Councilmember Brockbank believed this perhaps applied to permitting services and planning approvals, and if demand had decreased by 30%, he inquired whether staffing levels could be reduced comparably. Community Development Director Bob Brown stated that volume revenues had decreased by approximately 25%. Staff anticipated that with fee increases in building, the department would essentially be at cost recovery or very close to it next year. Planning was closer to 50% cost recovery. Noting remarks that the recession (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 11 could ease possibly later this summer, he stated that staff did not wish to be in the position of not being able to respond rapidly when development revived. Mayor Boro invited Mr. Brown to evaluate on an attrition basis some level of contract planning, building up to full-time planners. Community Development Director Bob Brown responded affirmatively, indicating that it would be prudent to staff with consulting help. Mayor Boro thanked Community Development Director Bob Brown and staff for their efforts for the City of San Rafael. Councilmember Heller requested an update on the San Quentin work crews because she thought they were not active for the past several years. Mr. Nordhoff explained that the agreement had lapsed. A new agreement was instigated through the local representatives of San Quentin which had to be fed through Sacramento. Some of the individuals in the work crews had some contraband issues at the prison which stopped the program for a while. Mr. Nordhoff stated he was writing to the Warden at San Quentin to ascertain whether this program could be jumpstarted or whether the City should be planning to fund the program in the next budget cycle. Councilmember Heller inquired whether staff was hand sweeping in the Canal. Mr. Nordhoff stated street sweeping was taking place in the Canal, not hand -sweeping. Councilmember Brockbank inquired as to the criteria for placing items on one list versus the other. Mr. Nordhoff explained that it was looking at the levels of service in place. By way of illustration he noted when Human Resources' staff had been cut down to 3, currently at 4, a lot of items were not done or neglected. Regardless of the decisions necessary to balance a budget, a basic level of work needed to be done on risk management issues, workers' compensation, recruitment, retention, required training, etc., that required that number of people to carry out the work for an organization of this size. Encouraging the completion of a Communications Plan, Councilmember Miller inquired as to the status. Mr. Nordhoff reported that Nancy Mackle, Deputy City Manager, and Terri Hardesty, Assistant to the City Manager had done some initial work on the Strategic Plan referred to. The intention was to get this back on track and codify on a number of levels the strategies and work plan ideas that made good sense for an effective Communication Plan for the City of San Rafael. Mayor Boro requested that staff in the future share with the City Council some of the potential restructured positions and the potential savings. Mayor Boro commented that he would have great concern about changing how the City conducts polls. Internet polling was open-ended and random and did not go to the voters. He believed polling should be carried out with the voters as they cared enough to vote and to voice their priorities. Mr. Nordhoff reported that the City's pollster, Brian Godbe, had indicated over time in addressing the Critical Facilities work that more people were providing their email addresses as part of their voter registration. He suggested that should something such as this be pursued it could be wound into a communication strategy, directed at or targeting specific people. Councilmember Heller stated she had added her email address to her registration. She inquired as to the manner for purging obsolete addresses. Mr. Nordhoff stated he would collate the results of the City Council survey on Services Prioritizations and present the results at next Monday's meeting. (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 12 4. Budget Balancing Recommendations: • Implementing 5% Salary Reduction and Furlough Program • Reserves in Workers' Compensation and Liabilities Funds • Total of 10 Positions — Saving $900,000: Streets —2 Parks —1 Information Technology Analyst —1 Fire — Analyst Position 1 Police Business Manager —1 Engineering -1 Code Enforcement Officer —1 Part -Time Librarian —2 These positions are currently vacant and had been suspended over the course of the year. Mr. Nordhoff stated he would provide the City Council with a prioritization report at the next meeting. Staff was beginning a comprehensive review of options and how the pieces of the budget would come together. At the last meeting, the City Council approved an Early Retirement Incentive Package, which 90 plus employees were considering. Mr. Nordhoff stated he had some determinations to make which would not occur until some initial interest was received; this was due May 8. He indicated that he would be working through how some of these scenarios would affect services to the different departments over the course of next week. Staff would present the first draft of the two-year goals on May 18th along with the furlough details. The June City Council meetings would include some final deliberations and decision-making regarding numbers, with adoption of both the Redevelopment Agency and City Budgets on July 6, 2009. Mr. Nordhoff reported that staff was working on the Economic Vitality Plan. Tenant applications were being received at Northgate Mall and the Corporate Center buildings were being completed; however, this would be a long and slow effort. He believed that when employment rates began to fall, things would begin to turn the corner. Councilmember Connolly believed the Economic Vitality Plan was a very important part of what the City would be doing. The immediate concern was to figure out how to close the $3 million budget gap, noting the reality was that Auto Row would never be the same. While he agreed to some extent that the City's fate was tied to an overall increase in economic activity in the state and nation, it was necessary to contemplate how to attract new businesses to San Rafael. Mr. Nordhoff believed some of this could be new industry, while some could also be reusing sites that could be zoned one way and developed differently. For example, the Sutter application might see a medical use where currently there was under -performing and vacant retail, which would help to bring in well paying and a range of jobs to help sustain the adjacent businesses. Ivaldo Lend, San Rafael resident, reported that he submitted an email to the City Clerk and requested that the City Council take the time to read it and report back to him. He suggested that the City should request more property tax funds to support the Police and Fire Departments. Mayor Boro confirmed that the City Council did receive Mr. Lend's letter which the City Manager would review and offer comments on. Matt Butler, San Rafael Yacht Harbor operator, stated that in looking at the maps the Canalfront Advisory Committee had generated for their plan, his business would be the one with the most walkways and bridges through it, together with the property of Dan Gabrielson. He indicated that they signed up to be on that committee and were excluded, which he believed was by design. He reported having attended the meetings and attempted to offer public input; however, he was basically provided with a multiple choice questionnaire which he believed provided a skewed picture. In light of the economic picture painted this evening, he inquired how any of the proposed plans would fly. Mayor Boro stated that this plan would come to the Planning Commission and City Council at some point in the future for consideration and adoption, when there would be opportunity to comment. This was a long term (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 Page 13 plan and not something that would happen soon. It was a long term vision if and when funds became available. Mr. Butler stated he would like to see the economic reality portrayed this evening be front and center stage while the plans were being formed. Mayor Boro stated this was the reason for his comment "if and when the funds become available." Councilmember Brockbank inquired whether it was premature to inquire as to the Budget figures. Mr. Nordhoff explained that the vacant positions mentioned earlier got the City down to the $3.2 million deficit and a lot more work needed to be done. It would be a combination of positions and creative ideas, which could include shared services, cost cutting, etc. The next step in determining what that would look like was ascertaining which employees were interested in retiring early, how this affected the organization, how many of these positions could be accepted and how this could integrate into some of the recommendations staff would provide to the City Council. He stated it was clear Council could expect to see some additional reductions in the workforce, however that place was arrived at. Ivaldo Lenci commented that three moving violations daily in the City of San Rafael meant good drivers. There being no further business, Mayor/Chairman Boro adjourned the Special Joint Meeting of the Redevelopment Agency and City Council at 9:55 PM. ESTHER C. BEIRNE, Agency Secretary, City Clerk APPROVED THIS DAY OF 12009 MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL / CHAIRMAN, REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY (Spec.) SPJTCC/RA MINUTES 04/29/09 (Spec.) 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