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Home My WebLink Aboutcc min 1978/04/13 MINUTES OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA Held Thursday - 4:00 p.m. April 13, 1978 An adjourned regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Chula Vista, California was held on the above date beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the Council Conference Room, City Hall, 276 Fourth Avenue. ROLL CALL Councilmen present: Mayor Hyde, Councilmen Hobel, Cox, Scott, Egdahl Councilmen absent: None Staff present: City Manager Cole, City Attorney Lindberg, Director of Public Works Robens, Transit Coordinator Bloom Special Guest: Senator James Mills SENATE BILL 1746 This Bill would abolish the Comprehensive Planning Organiza- tion (CPO) and transfer that regional authority to the County of San Diego. Mayor Hyde remarked that at the meeting of April 4, 1978 the Council took a position on this Bill of preliminary opposition unless the Bill was amended to provide comparable safeguards for the interest of the City which currently exists under the structure of the agreement established with CPO. Senator James Mills Senator Mills gave a brief history of the Bill, stating that he first conceived the idea when being interviewed by a Professor who questioned whether CPO and LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission) should be combined because of duplication of services. After reflecting on this, Senator Mills said he realized that a Council of Governments was necessary in such areas as the San Francisco Bay area which has nine counties; however, there are a few counties in California (San Diego being one) where the metropolitan planning area and the county are the same, and there is not the initial necessity for an organization to exist which will cross County lines. Time element Senator Mills added that he asked to have the Bill prepared and since it had to meet a deadline, there was no time to circulate the Bill through the various agencies to get their input. In talking to Mayor Callahan of Coronado, he was informed that an ad hoc committee has been set up to consider this legislation and make recommendatiofis. Senator Mills indicated that he would be willing to move the Bill from the Senate to the Assembly within the legislative deadlines (prior to the recess). This would mean that he would have to wait until the Bill was in the Assembly before it could be put into shape to reflect the concerns of the local government; therefore, the Senator added, he would like to have the recommendations of the City by the beginning of August. Chief concern Senator Mills said that the chief concern he has been re- ceiving is that the c~'ties want a more positive part in the decision-making process, which is reasonable and a principle he agrees with. Commenting further on council of govern- ments generally throughout the United States, the complaints have been that they have not produced the quality of plan- ning the people have hoped for. Adjourned Regular Meeting -2- April 13, 1978 Cities forming Councilman Egdahl asked if the Senator was aware of any one unit place wherein the concept of this Bill has been tried whereby the cities bicamerally would form one decision- making side and the County Board of Supervisors the other side. Senator Mills said he is not aware of this concept being tried anywhere. It is not being done in California. Weighted Formula Senator Mills expressed his opinion on the weighted formula under CPO, stating that the City of San Diego can talk to a couple of other jurisdictions and influence their votes (a back-scratching procedure), thereby evading the normal re- sponsibilities of a democratic system of government. The concept of SB 1746 is that the Board of Supervisors repre- sents the entire County which the City of San Diego does not. Metropolitan Transit Councilman Scott asked the Senator if he envisoned whether Development Board (MTDB) the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) would be brought back under CPO. The Senator said he didn't think MTDB should be combined in this fashion. The reason they were given the powers over transportation money was because if they were going to build a rail line, they would have to build it into a transportation system that would fit. He added that Senator Kapiloff has a Bill which would combine all agencies, such as the Coastal Commission, MTDB, CPO, LAFCO, etc., and perhaps a transportation system should be set up combining those functions. 2. AB 2829 This is a transit bill which extends the 50% Local Transpor- (Inbrecht Bill) tation Funds limitation waiver provisions for an additional five years. Mayor Hyde remarked that the City is concerned over this provision since it has an ambitious transit system improve- ment program which will necessitate funding not available to the City even though funding which the City consider alloted to it can not be touched. Senator Mills explained that this is a very important Bill which does a number of important things - the authority to act from the relief of the 50% requirement, which only counties under 500,000 have, will be extended to all operators of counties under two million. He added that the whole intent of SB 525 is that cities will go out and find all other available funds to enhance their operations. This is one reason for the 50% rule and the second reason is to encourage local contributions - the thought being that if cities and districts were putting up some local taxpayers' monies, they would be more careful with the expenditures of those funds than if they were simply receiving LTF funds. Also, the Bill encourages operators to get more money from the fare boxes (increase riderships.) Chula Vista In answer to the Senator's question, Transit Coordinator Operating Budget Bloom stated that 70% of the City's transit operating budget comes from LTF funds. In three years, this per- centage would be reduced to 50% of LTF. Adjourned Regular Meeting -3- April 13, 1978 Transit Impact Mr. Bloom commented that if the City did not have the Inbrecht Bill, it would face additional costs which would mean raising the fares, not implementing the transit system, or try to get more federal funds. Senator Mills elaborated on the expanded services which would have to be provided in the matching funds provisions under the Inbrecht Bill. The present law is to get the cities to make a considerable contribution which would expand its systems - the impact of the Inbrecht Bill is to relieve the City of that requirement; therefore, the system would not be expanded to the same extent. Senator Mills indicated that it is necessary provide to some relief to cities; however, there may be some other way of doing it rather than this Bill which has statewide applications. He added that perhaps he could get together, with Chula Vista and sort out some solutions of its problems. SB 1906 This transit bill requires all unexpended LTF funds to be transferred to a housing assistance fund established by the County for the development of low-income housing within public transit corridors. Senator Mills explained that this Bill relates to the "325 monies," and the way the Bill is proposed to work is that 12 months after the year has passed during which LTF monies have been received or set aside, and the money has not been allocated, it goes into a holding fund - a housing assistance fund. This fund would be made available for assistance in housing along the lines that are served by transit. After 18 months, if not expended, the money goes back into the transportation funds. The purpose of the Bill is to provide housing along the transit lines for people of moderate income because they are likely to be transit-dependent. The money will be provided free of constraints to local government as long as is used along the corridor - this applies to the bus lines as well. Council discussion Discussion centered on Council's comments: the Bill was too broad - taking money that should be used for transpor- tation; Chula Vista has bus lines going throughout the City and this Bill could mean housing covering ali areas of the City; the Bill is premature; Council not against its concept. Unallocated monies Councilman Egdahl questioned the provision on page #7 of the Bill: "...not less than 75% of the unallocated portion as of June 30, 1978 goes to MTDB .... " Senator Mills stated that if this is a major problem for Chula Vista, he will take it out of the Bill. City Manager Cole related the frustrations of the City in that money is built up and the City cannot use it. It was hoped that somewhere down the line regulations would change and the money would be released to the City for capital development. Then MTDB came along and took this balance. The City now has approximately 2 million accum- mulated in this fund at the present time. The City Manager informed the Senator on the fact that the City is exploring a South Bay Transit District with National City. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hyde adjourned the meeting at 5:33 p.m. to the regular scheduled meeting of April 18, 1978 at 7:00 p.m. - CITY CLERK ~/~