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2008-04-01 Regular CC MinutesMINUTES OF THE REGULAR OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY- -APRIL 1, 2008- -7:30 P.M. Mayor Johnson convened the Regular City Council Meeting at 7:48 p.m. Councilmember Matarrese led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL - Present: Councilmembers deHaan, Gilmore, Matarrese, Tam, and Mayor Johnson - 5. Absent: None. AGENDA CHANGES None. PROCLAMATIONS, SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY AND ANNOUNCEMENTS (08 -129) Proclamation declaring March 30 through April 5, 2008 as Boys and Girls Club Week. Mayor Johnson read and presented the proclamation to Executive Director George Phillips; Board President Burney Matthews; Program Director Mark Morales; and 2008 Youth of the Year Jamara Caldwell. Mr. Matthews stated this year is the Boys and Girls Club 58tn Anniversary in Alameda; the new building will be at the former Woodstock School site; the new facility will be approximately 24,000 square feet; the $10 million capital funding campaign is half way complete; thanked Council and the community for all of the support. Mayor Johnson stated that she is confident the project will move forward quickly. (08 -130) Presentation by the School Board President on overview of Alameda Unified School District budget issues. Bill Schaff, School Board President, gave a brief overview. Luz Cazares, Chief Financial Officer, gave a Power Point presentation. Mr. Schaff requested that Council endorse the proposed parcel tax at the next Council meeting. Mayor Johnson stated that a lot of the budget problems are due to the State diverting local government money to other levels of government; every year students and teachers go back to school wondering which programs will be cut; she hopes that the School Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 District has strong support for the proposed measure in June. Councilmember Matarrese inquired whether Council would be voting on the matter at the next Council meeting. The City Manager responded Council would be voting on the matter at the first Council meeting in May. Vice Mayor Tam inquired whether the resolution would be to support and endorse Measure H, to which the City Manager responded in the affirmative. Councilmember Matarrese inquired whether the May Council Meeting date was okay with Mr. Schaff, to which Mr. Schaff responded in the affirmative. (08 -131) Presentation by the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Director of the Light Brown Apple Moth Program on the Apple Moth. A.G. Kawamura, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, gave a brief presentation. Dr. Bob Dowell, Director of the Light Brown Apple Moth Program (submitted handout), gave a Power Point presentation. Opponents (Not in favor of aerial spraying to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth) : Carolina Rogers, Alameda; Stuart Dodgshon, Alameda; Chloe Ashley, Alameda; T'Hud Weber, Alameda, (submitted petition); Simi Sikka, Fremont (submitted handout); Stanley Schiffman, Alameda; Jane Kelley, Berkeley; Tom Kelley, Berkeley; Bernard Clark, Alameda; Helen Kozoriz, stopthespray.org; Michael John Torrey, Alameda; Mary Jane Pryor, Alameda; Victoria Ashley, Alameda; Jim Hoffman, Alameda; Rebecca Hall - Crosby, Alameda; Irma Marin- Nolan, Alameda; Cathy Kordetzky; Daria Schwarzschild, Alameda; Maria Morales, El Sobrante; Frank Egger; Constance Barker, Environmental Health Network of California; Lynn Elliott - Harding, Oakland. Council requested that the matter be placed on a future Council agenda for action. CONSENT CALENDAR Councilmember deHaan moved approval of the Consent Calendar. Vice Mayor Tam seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5. [Items so enacted or adopted are indicated by an Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 asterisk preceding the paragraph number.] ( *08 -132) Minutes of the Special Joint City Council, Alameda Reuse and Redevelopment Authority, and Community Improvement Commission Meeting of March 5, 2008; the Special City Council Meeting held on March 10, 2008; the Special Joint City Council and Public Utilities Board; Special Joint City Council and Community Improvement Commission; and Regular City Council Meetings held on March 18, 2008. Approved. ( *08 -133) Ratified bills in the amount of $1,631,590.32. ( *08 -134) Introduction of Ordinance Amending the Alameda Municipal Code by Adding Section 3 -53 (Claims) to Division VIII (Refunds and Corrections) to Chapter III (Finance and Taxation) to Establish Uniform Requirements and Procedures Applicable to the Presentation and Processing of Claims for Money or Damages with the City of Alameda That Are Not Currently Covered by State Law or Other Provisions of the Alameda Municipal Code. Introduced. ( *08 -135) Ordinance No. 2978, "Amending the Alameda Municipal Code by Repealing Section 5 -30 (Filming Activities) in Its Entirety, and Replacing It with A Successor Section to Article II (Permits) of Chapter V (Licenses and Permits) Making Changes to the Procedures, Regulations and Related Fee Provisions for Filming Activities Within the City of Alameda." Finally passed. ( *08 -136) Ordinance No. 2979, "Amending Various Sections of the Alameda Municipal Code Contained in Article I, (Zoning Districts and Regulations), Chapter XXX, (Development Regulations), Pertaining to Retail and Commercial Uses." Finally passed. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS (08 -137) Resolution No. 14191, "Appointing Cecilia Cervantes as a Member of the Public Art Commission." Adopted; and (08 -137A) Resolution No. 14192, "Appointing Andrea M. Leal as a Member of the Public Art Commission." Adopted. Councilmember Matarrese moved adoption of the resolutions. Vice Mayor Tam seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5. The City Clerk administered the Oath and presented a certificate to Ms. Leal. (08 -138) Recommendation to discuss and finalize the City Council's Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 priorities for Fiscal Year 2007 -2008. Jan Perkins, Management Partners, gave a Power Point presentation. Ms. Perkins sought Council consensus to add the eighth policy objective [deliver high - quality services that improve and promote the safety of the community]. Councilmember Matarrese inquired how the new objective differs from the previous objective [continuously improve internal operations, systems, and management practices in order to provide high - quality customer service]. The City Manager stated continuously improving internal operations is an effort to look at processes in every department; the additional objective focuses on the safety of the community, including Police, Fire and Code Enforcement. Councilmember Matarrese stated the objective seems redundant; the City already has high - quality public safety; there is always a need for continual improvement regardless of the operation. Vice Mayor Tam inquired whether the previous objective focuses on customer service and the new objective focuses on public safety. The City Manager responded in the affirmative; stated identifying a focus on public safety is important. Mayor Johnson stated the new objective should be clarified. Councilmember Matarrese stated the intent to capture the broader idea of public safety should be clarified. Mayor Johnson suggested that the objective be revised to read "health and safety." Councilmember deHaan noted that the new objective is a catch all for the health, safety and well being of the community. Mayor Johnson stated "well being" should be added. Vice Mayor Tam suggested the language be: "health, safety and welfare." Ms. Perkins stated the objective would be revised to indicate the intent is not just Police and Fire; inquired whether there is consensus on the new objective. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 The Council responded in the affirmative. Mayor Johnson requested that the policy objective that reads: "Take measures to improve and promote the community's economic health" be revised to include the City government's short -term and long -term economic health. Ms. Perkins inquired whether there is a consensus to add the language proposed by the Mayor, to which the Council responded in the affirmative. Councilmember Matarrese stated that he wants to clarify that all the projects are on -going before assigning priorities; the Council should be notified if something has to stop; the priorities are dynamic and could change next week or next month; further stated the budget could cause changes; inquired whether establishing the priorities is a starting point. The City Manager responded the process is dynamic; many work programs span a number of years; reviewing the list and receiving feedback will finalize the initial list. Councilmember deHaan noted some departments do not have many tasks or tasks that require a large amount of labor; public safety only has emergency preparedness; that he does not want functional requirements displaced. Mayor Johnson inquired why the limit should be ten priorities if there are departments that are not overburdened with projects. Ms. Perkins stated the effort is to distinguish between the work program and the Council's top priorities so that the Council's priorities are understood when internal adjustment of assignments are necessary. Mayor Johnson inquired why the priorities are not being reviewed by department. The City Manager responded the mechanism is to establish the Citywide priorities. Vice Mayor Tam inquired whether the Council would be informed if resources for a project were reallocated; and whether a project would be delayed, but not dropped, in said instance. The City Manager responded in the affirmative; stated the Council would be informed if a project has to be delayed. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 Vice Mayor Tam stated the local action plan spans departments, while the telecom issue is just an Alameda Power & Telecom (AP &T) issue; inquired whether one project might be delayed if staff is shifted to another project. The City Manager responded said example could occur; AP &T is working on more than one project. Vice Mayor Tam stated AP &T staff is needed to work on reducing the carbon footprint; inquired whether the same staff person might work on the telecom issue and the formation of the local action plan and whether said staff working on the telecom issue might delay the formation of the plan. The City Manager responded one could impact the other depending on workload; stated moving forward with the local action plan does require some of the same people [as the telecom issue]; having some of the same people work on multiple projects has been incorporated in the time estimates. Councilmember Matarrese stated there are a variety of issues from addressing the financial issue at AP &T to renovating Rittler Field, and Lincoln and Krusi Parks; said items do not belong on the same ranking sheet; getting a measuring mechanism for each item would be a far more productive use of time; the department work plans are excellent; some projects are interdisciplinary and can be separated out; the next step should be to get Microsoft Project or some other type of project tracking tool and assign due dates and resources; Council would need to make decisions about priorities if resources become impacted because more requests are added; finishing easily taken care of projects, which might be of less importance, might become important in order to get the project off the list. Councilmember Matarrese inquired whether the list is composed of items Council has directed staff to complete, to which Ms. Perkins responded in the affirmative. Councilmember Matarrese stated the looked at objectively and resources a finite number of projects; some p because there are too many tasks information needs to presented to adjustments. presented workload should be should be allocated; there are rojects might be five years out for the current staff; said Council and Council can make Ms. Perkins stated Councilmember Matarrese's description is exactly how staff views their responsibilities to determine how to implement the direction provided by the City Council; the intent tonight is to have Council conclude the discussion about the most Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 important priorities, provide perspective as policy makers and expect staff to carry out the workload. Mayor Johnson stated things need to be prioritized because there is not enough staff for everything to be at the same level; questioned whether the top ten projects can be prioritized while at the same time there is a work chart listing all of the items as suggested by Councilmember Matarrese; stated there is a concern that projects will drop off the list if not in the top ten. Councilmember deHaan stated the priorities have been established; the desire is not to lose the priorities; the priorities do not equate to individual workloads; some tasks might take two months and are low staff resources; important tasks require high staff resources and cross department lines. Mayor Johnson stated the priorities should be looked at in an organization chart structure to see which tasks go with which departments. Councilmember deHaan stated the Library has the long -range plan and the facilities at Harbor Bay and West End, which should be worked on; Development Services has Alameda Point, Coast Guard housing, and a West End project, which are tougher tasks; AP &T's tasks to reduce carbon footprint and address telecom and are heavy duty items; Recreation and Parks has the Alameda Museum business plan that should be cleared in two months. Ms. Perkins suggested that Council go through the ranking and continued the Power Point presentation. Councilmember Matarrese stated the budget review and tracking task [Item 18] and strengthen revenue task [Item 17] should be combined into one task and ranked in the top ten given the current and future budget situation. Mayor Johnson stated another way to look at the list would be to have the projects listed under the overall policy objectives; some of the objectives might not be getting enough attention. Councilmember Matarrese stated all of the projects would suffer and slow down regardless of the prioritization if the City does not have the revenue. Vice Mayor Tam stated four Councilmembers ranked "explore options to generate revenue for City operations and /or infrastructure improvements" as a top priority; suggested the priority be consolidated [with budget review and tracking]. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 Councilmember deHaan stated Item 28 regarding GASB -45 is part of the budget and could also be included [with budget review and tracking], as well as review of the compensation system [Item 14]. Mayor Johnson stated that all the items fit into the third overriding policy objective [improve and promote economic health]; requested that the policy objectives be numbered. Councilmember deHaan stated the labor agreement with public service should be included, too. Ms. Perkins stated one suggestion is to combine some of closely aligned projects, such as budget review [Item 181 and strengthening revenues [Item 17]. Mayor Johnson stated said items are simply running the City and should not be considered projects; there is not a start and finish. The City Manager stated said activity is a priority. Councilmember Matarrese stated there should be a way to accelerate planning projects or recruitments that will generate revenue in order to meet the policy objective. Mayor Johnson stated perhaps the third policy objective [improve and promote economic health] should be the number -one, overriding policy and other policies be listed under it; everything needs to be focused on and considered the long -term and short -term economic health of the City. Councilmember deHaan stated that he took said policy as applying to all departments. Ms. Perkins stated the policy objective could be placed first because it is so important; the items being prioritized are actions. Mayor Johnson stated people will understand the sense of the Council's priorities better if put in diagram form; suggested the economic issue be a curve line with all other policies issues underneath; stated everything that is done needs to consider the City's long- and short -term economic health. Councilmember Matarrese stated a certain level of service is desired; the connection between the level of service and what it costs needs to be made; the steps needed to pay for the desired level of service needs to be drawn out for everyone to understand; Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 questioned what it costs to reach the goal of a safe and clean city with good schools, libraries, parks and an efficient government; and how reaching the goals would be paid for. Ms. Perkins stated Council is looking to establish a template to look at the various objectives and projects. Councilmember Matarrese stated Microsoft Project is a great tool; hiring someone to create project diagrams would be worthwhile; Microsoft Project includes the resources, timeline and key decision points; there would be a nice graphic representation when decisions need to be made due to constraints; Council can be presented with choices; there is accountability because there would be a timeline; if the timeline is slipping, Council could be informed and decide whether or not to allow the delay from a policy standpoint. The City Manager stated Councilmember Matarrese is describing something very similar to the work plans. Councilmember Matarrese stated the work plans are great documents because they show what is happening and the status; having the graphic makes it easier to make a decision when there is a problem. The City Manager inquired whether Council is expressing interest in ranking the policy objectives. Mayor Johnson responded in the negative; stated the fiscal policy should be the overriding, umbrella policy. The City Manager stated everything else would be underneath said policy. Councilmember Matarrese stated the goal is to deliver a set of services and know the cost. Mayor Johnson stated fiscal impacts need to be considered when anything is done. Councilmember Gilmore stated Council had a realization that the complete financial impacts were not always understood when decisions were made in the past; Council wants to know the financial impacts when decisions are made. Ms. Perkins inquired whether Council wants the overarching value or framework to be that the financial capacity of the City would be evaluated in terms of any new objectives or projects. Mayor Johnson responded in the negative; stated anything new would Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 be evaluated in terms of how it would impact the long- and short - term economic health of the City; Council wants to know how things will be paid for currently and 20 years from now. Vice Mayor Tam stated all staff reports include a section that addresses fiscal impacts; Council would like a broader context of understanding the short -term and long -term impacts; the budgeted amount for a vehicle should not be the end of the story. Mayor Johnson stated the long -term economic impact should be considered every time the decision Council is making has an impact on the City for twenty or more years. Councilmember Matarrese stated it is all about risks and benefits; the framework needs to include that Council always reviews the cost today and the cost as long as something is projected to run; costs need to be accounted for up front. Mayor Johnson stated, for perspective, the Mayor of Vallejo told her that if Vallejo has done anything good for other cities, they have shown that bad things can happen. Councilmember deHaan stated that he does not want to micromanage; the big picture is to stay healthy and viable. Vice Mayor Tam stated that she does not see the direction as an attempt to micromanage; Council needs to have information to make a good decision about the health, safety and welfare of the community, needs to truly understand the long -term and short -term trade offs, and needs to decide whether or not to accept the risk. Ms. Perkins stated all projects would move forward unless there is a reason and Council would be informed; the top nine priorities have been identified and a tenth has been proposed. Councilmember Matarrese stated the list is artificial; Item 9 is the Housing Element, which has to be done anyway; inquired whether the Housing Element could be prioritized as Item 29 and would still have to be completed. Ms. Perkins responded in the affirmative; stated the intent of priorities is for the staff to know what is most important to the City Council; everything on the list will be finished unless there is a resources problem. The City Manager stated the Housing Element is something that the City is required to do and will require a lot of resources; the Housing Element might not be completed because of the resources if Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 there is something else that Council is interested in staff doing. Councilmember Matarrese stated the important thing is that Council needs to be informed, and then Council can make a policy decision about putting something before a mandated project. The City Manager stated that is part of the process; the work plans identify all the things that staff is working on. Vice Mayor Tam and Mayor Johnson stated that they did not select items required by law when setting the priorities because they knew the items had to be completed. The City Manager stated there are limited resources; staff is sharing where resources are being applied and having Council provide feedback on what it sees as priorities. Councilmember deHaan stated that he has not seen tasks causing major displacements; some things, like the environmental issue, have been refocused and brought up to a higher priority. The City Manager stated staff had to evaluate other programs and bring the matter to the top; other items might have been extended; staff is informing Council of the projects underway, getting feedback on priorities and developing a method for reporting back. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether staff is seeking a tenth priority. Ms. Perkins stated there are nine priority tasks and a tenth has been proposed by Councilmember Matarrese. Councilmember Matarrese stated every project is to be evaluated against the budget standard; the same thing has to be said for the City's environmental initiatives; every project and function of every department should be evaluated against the recommendations on how to protect the environment, whether it is the green building ordinance or the vehicle use policy; this is not a whim, but is a clear direction of the Council. Mayor Johnson stated there needs to be a process to involve community stakeholders in developing an economic sustainability strategy that includes outreach to residents and businesses; said issue should be included with the GASB -45 and long -term and short - term economic issues; said item could be the tenth priority. Ms. Perkins stated said proposal combines separate things that are interrelated; the items all require separate work efforts; priority Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 setting is an attempt to establish enough separation between items to provide staff direction as to use of resources. Mayor Johnson stated that she is not combining the items; she is suggesting that the item become the tenth priority; how it would be done and the structure would need to come back to Council; the task would be to implement the overriding goal of short -term and long- term financial feasibility; GASB -45 is something that the City has to do. Ms. Perkins inquired whether the suggestion is to move up Item 28 [GASB -45], to which Mayor Johnson responded that it could be put with the budget task [Item 18]. Vice Mayor Tam inquired whether the suggestion is that GASB -45 is a separate effort. Mayor Johnson responded GASB -45 is not something the City has to plan for or study; stated it is something that the City has to pay for and costs money; not paying is like making interest only loans on a mortgage; the State says a plan has to be adopted, but the City actually has to pay. Councilmember Gilmore stated it does have to be paid for, but should be part of the budget. Mayor Johnson stated the budget is only one or two years; these are things that have to be paid for forever; further stated when Council makes commitments they go well beyond the current budget and the cost grows. Ms. Perkins inquired whether Item 28 should become one of the top priorities. Mayor Johnson stated the item relates to community stakeholders developing a long -term and short -term economic strategy; the two could be combined. Ms. Perkins inquired how broad Council would like to make the priority because the items are really different work efforts. Mayor Johnson responded GASB -45 states the City has made commitments and has to tell everyone how the commitments will be paid for; the City might want to take it one step further and actually pay. Ms. Perkins suggested the City Manager address the work effort involved with GABS -45. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 Councilmember Matarrese stated the work effort needs to be allocated against the priority; staff would have to inform Council of everything that needs to be done to meet the priority and make sure post retirement and long -term obligations are sustainable. Councilmember deHaan stated long -term impacts are being discussed; the current mentality is to look at two years; there are things other than GASB -45 with long range impacts; both the long -term and short -term have to be examined; the best guess for the out years needs to be made; said issues will be discussed at the budget hearings. The City Manager stated that the Mayor is suggesting the number ten priority be the economic sustainability strategy and GASB -45 is just a part of said priority because it is part of the budget. Mayor Johnson stated that is correct; inquired whether the first nine items are ranked in order. The City Manager responded not necessarily. Ms. Perkins stated the intent is to set the top ten priorities, not focus on the order. Councilmember deHaan stated extra tasks happen all the time, for example the Brown Apple Moth; that he would not ask what needs to be displaced to work on said item; priorities need to be addressed when drastic things change. Mayor Johnson stated Council always has the ability to change the priorities; that she is sure Council will do so. The City Manager stated staff wants to ensure change is done in a systematic way and that impacts are understood. Mayor Johnson stated changing the priorities might mean setting something aside; further stated that she hates to see Item 24, the West Alameda Neighborhood improvement project, way down on the list; inquired whether the item would be not be done since it is Item 24. The City Manager responded in the negative. Councilmember Matarrese stated receiving updated work plans would be helpful; some items might have been accomplished. The City Manager stated a number of ways would be used to inform Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 Council about changes to the work plans. Councilmember Matarrese stated whatever method is used should indicate the starting point and current status to allow tracking. Ms. Perkins summarized the discussion and completed her Power Point presentation. The Management Partners report is hereto attached and made part of the minutes by reference. Bill Smith, Alameda, discussed finances. (08 -139) Vice Mayor Tam moved approval of continuing the meeting past midnight. Councilmember Matarrese seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON- AGENDA (08 -140) Wu Lu, Human Rights Torch Relay; Michelle Midliff, Human Rights Torch Relay; and Connie Wang, Falun Gong, (submitted handout) discussed the Human Rights Torch Relay and human right violations in China. (08 -141) Bill Smith, Alameda, discussed economics. COUNCIL REFERRALS None. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS (08 -142) Consideration of Mayor's nominations for appointment to the Recreation and Park Commission. Mayor Johnson nominated Lola W. Brown and Gina M. Mariani. (08 -143) Mayor Johnson stated that the City received the California Redevelopment Association award for the Bridgeside redevelopment project. (08 -144) Councilmember deHaan congratulated Mayor Johnson on appointment to the Water Emergency Transportation Authority; stated the appointment is good for Alameda. ADJOURNMENT Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008 There being no further business, Mayor Johnson adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 12:05 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Lara Weisiger City Clerk The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Brown Act. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council April 1, 2008