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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcc min 1992/02/27 MINUTES OF A WORKSHOP/jOINY MEETING OF YHE CITY COUNCIL AND THE SAFETY COMMISSION Thursday, February 27, 1992 Council Conference Room 4:10 p.m. Administration Building CALL TO ORDEI~ 1. ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Councilmembers Malcolm, Moore, Rindone (who left at 5:15 p.m.), and Mayor Nader ABSENT: Councilmember Grasser Horton City Manger Goss gave Council an updated report on the hostage situation at the Redi Care Medical Center located at H Su'eet and Fifth Avenue. 2. REPORT STATUS AND DISCUSSION OF THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 5'Yb~rldJ~I (Director of Public Works and Deputy City Manager Thomson). Cliff Swanson, City Engineer/Deputy Public Works Director, in~oduced Fred Wong, the GIS Manager. Mr. Wong presented an overview report on the Graphic Information Systems (GIS) including: What is GIS, Why GIS for Chula Vista, and the GIS Implementation Plan. Councilman Rindone asked if the Library would be included in the system and would the public be able to access this system? If so, there were a number of policy issues which would have to be addressed. Perhaps there were other cities with such a system who have addressed many of these issues already. He further stated that this would also have regional implications. Mayor Nader expressed that he hoped before any decision was made to sell or give any information, the policy issues would first come to Council. Councilman Malcolm stated that no one on the Council could comprehend the full impact of this system. He felt that because of the complexity of the program, he would rather see the City Council appropriate the $65,000 and ask staff to send Council a memo on the spending. If staff could save $25,000 great. Because Council did not have the expertise, he felt staff should make those decisions. Councilman Moore stated this is a program which will cost over $2 million and will ultimately save time and help us work more efficien~y. He felt staff should be able to show this. Therefore, he would like to know what Phase I will do: how will it save staff time, the cost, the results expected, list of priorities, and the time flame. Councilman Rindone stated that staff had given Council a recommendation which they felt comfortable with. Therefore, he felt the staffs recommendation was appropriate. MSC tl~oore/Pdndone) to accept stairs reCOmrnerldation, Altenlative II. Motion carried 3-0-2 (Grasser Horton absent;, Malcolm had left the room). Minutes February 27, 1992 Page 2 Alternative 11: Consultant to establish detailed design and specification for the GIS system and for the base map convertion and database development. Develop procedures and c~iteria for benrhmark test for the system. Evaluate proposals and benchmarks and assist in the selectdon of the GtS system vendor. evaluate proposals and assist in the selection of the map conversion contractor. Staff to update city-wide needs assessment and specify functional requirements. Work dosely with consultant on all other tasks to effect a transfer of knowledge. Consultant cost: $40,000 Mayor Nader called a break at 5:15 p.m. with the meeting reconvening at 5:22 p.m. Councilman Rindone left because he had another meeting to a~end. 3. JOINT MF..ETING OF Ci'IY COUNCIL AND SAFETY COMMISSION COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Malcolm, Moore, and Mayor Nader ABSENT: Grasser Horton, Kindone SAFET~ COMMISSIONEKS PRESENT: Padilia, Chidester, Pitts, Koester, Malacia, and Vice Chair Thomas ABSENT: Chair Braden Mayor Nader opened the meeting. He stated that the purpose of the meeting was to review Traffic Safety issues. Vice Chair Thomas stated that a lot of the Commissioners were new and unsure of their role. There were two questions that they had: 1. Direction of what the Council would like them to do; and 2. Overall effectiveness of the Safety Commission. Councilman Malcolm stated that most of the time, Council overrode the Safety Commission's decisions. Because of that he felt something was wrong. Counc~ makes political decisions, and because of the political pressure, he felt people should not appeal to the City Council. The only time anything should come to the Council is when there is a division between staff and the Safety Commission. Then it could be appealed to the City Council. Mayor Nader asked the Commission what was the relationship between the Commission and staff and ff the Commission started with the presumption that staff was right? He disagreed with Councilman Malcolm because he felt his decisions were not political. Minutes February 27, 1992 Page 3 Vice Chair Thomas stated their position was an advisory position of a lot of lay people. They did not rubber stamp staffs recommendation. He felt they took the lay information from the people and iried to balance it with the experience of staff. Commissioner Padilia stated that he doesn't remember a time when staff recommended the eitizen's request. He felt that if the Commission had the final say in matters that Council would be shifting Council's responsibility to the Commission. Then they would be facing the political decisions. Councilman Malcolm felt that he did not have the time to visit each intersectiota He was looking for a compromise; a way to give more responsibility to the Commission. For example, if the Commission felt that the warrant system was wrong, then they should change it. Commissioner Chidester stated in every instance the staff leans over backward to give them information. He felt a great deal of support from staff, Other members of the Commission concurred. Vice Chair Thomas stated that when Council turns down a Commission recommendation, they are actually turning down their own staff. Counc~man Moore stated that when the issue of the Coral Canyon stop sign request was before Council, he visited the area. In that location there was a vine street system instead of a grid system. Council denied the residents the stop signs. However, if they had had a grid system of streets, they would have had many more signs. He suggested the the issue of signs could be delegated entirely to the Safety Commission, but traffic signals could be appealed. Commissioner Malacia asked why Council did not agree with the City standards. Mayor Nader responded that he had problems with the weights and felt the Commission should review to see if the weights given by staff are accurate. Commissioner Malacia stated it would seem that the staff should be better supported by Council if they use the standards given by Counc~. Mayor Nader expressed that the emphasis as to how the standards are formulated would be a good area for the Commission to look at. Counc~man Malcolm suggested that the Commission should go through the present warrant system and make recommendations for improvement. Vice Chair Thomas stated the Commission looks at the human side because at times a sign will be put in that requires fifty points for only twenty-five points. Councilman Moore stated that 99% of the Safety Commission's tasks deals with traffic control: speed, signals, and/or signs. He felt the major problem today is speeding. He suggested that the Commission have a workshop to propose ways to stop speeding. Mayor Nader suggested that the Commission get into broader issues instead of dealing with issues case-by- case. He suggested that the Commission look at other unsafe practices and look at different technologies. He felt the Council should delegate similar authority to the Safety Commission as it did to the Planning Commission's CUP process. Minutes February 27, 1992 Page 4 Commissioner Padilia stated he had no problem with increasing the Safety Commission's authority. His concern was how much weight should they give to staff recommendations. If you disagree with staff, are you effective? Counc~man Malcolm responded that the Commission is to look at the standard. The CotincH would like to give the Commission more authority, but if you go entirely by the standards, then the Commission isn't needed. Councilman Moore reinforced that staff doesn't make the law, but they abided by the law. Only the people who makes the law can change it. Mayor Nader stated one of the reasons we have commissions is that they are able to focus on an issue. He recommended that staff pursue the legality of turning the Safety Commission from an advisory body to one with authority. He explained that when the Planning Commission makes a decision on a CUP application it is final unless a Council member appeals it to the City Counc~ within ten days. MSC (NADER/lVlALCOLM) to have the City Altorney bring an oralnance forth that would limit appeals from the Safety Commission in a .~imflar way to that of the Planning Commlssion's CLIPs. Motion carried 3-0-2 (Grasser Horton and Rindone absent). Vice Chair Thomas asked why wasn't the Safety Commission involved in any of the funire things going on such as Growth Management. No one from the Safety Commission was on their Board. Councilman Malcolm stated that any time the Commission believes Council needs to review something, there isn't anyrahing wrong for the Commission to make a motion to recommend a change. This could be done any~ime the Commission saw a problem. The Counc~ wanted the Commission to be proactive instead of reactlye. Mayor Nader reiterated that the Commission was not limited to items from Council or staff. He stated that they could put other items on their agenda for consideration. They should look at the whole picture. He stated that the requested ordinance should go to the Safety Commission first and then on the City Council agenda in the next couple of weeks. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:22 p.m. ~ffully subm~. ~ Beverly A.A~elet, C~4C City Clerk