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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcc min 1995/05/31 MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA Wednesday, May 31, 1995 Council Conference Room 6:05 p.m. Administration Building CALL TO ORDER 1. ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Councilmembers: Scott D. Alevy, John C. Moot, Stephen C. Padilia, Jerry R. Rindone, and Mayor Shirley Horton (arrived at 5:08 p.m.) ABSENT: Councilmembers: None ALSO PRESENT: Staff: City Manager, John D. Goss; and City Clerk, Beverly A. Authelet. While waiting for Mayor Hotton to arrive, Mayor Pro Tem Rindone offered a suggestion that had been done in past years. Whenever we wanted to see an item added to the budget, we would put it on a wish list. Whenever there were items we wished to have modified, they were placed on a carryover list for a report to come back from staff. He felt this would improve the budget process. (Mayor Hotton arrived at 5:08 p.m.) City Manager Goss stated that at the proposed June 14th meeting, there is a time to discuss carryover items. So if there were any items you wished to carryover, this would be the time to review them. The practice has been that if there are no questions on a particular department budget, then it is tentatively approved subject to final review and approval. Mayor Horton stated that Councilman Rindone's suggestion is included in the suggested order of review on June 14 for carryover items. She t~lt that this is how we should proceed. City Manager Goss stated that the Mayor Pro Tern was also suggesting a process for detertinning when you have a carryover item. He was suggesting that if anyone wants to do it, then it is carried over. Councilman Rindone concurred that this was his purpose, and it will help to facilitate this process. It will also give each one an opportunity to question something and set it aside for review. City Manager Goss stated that a "wish list" will be coming forth. This will be a list of some of the important things that are not in the budget and under better times, should be. FIRE: City Manager Goss stated that it is reconrunended to increase the budget by $221,540. Cost reduction effort has been proposed to eliminate 1.5 positions and freeze another position. There are some revenue proposals: (1) to establish a non-building permit related Permit Fee from $25 to $140 and (2) establish a Citation Program for fire safety inspection violations with a proposed penalty fee of $75. They are also proposing to take the Disaster Preparedness function and duties and consolidate them with existing staff. Councilman Rindone stated he had some questions regarding new fees, and it will also be regarding any proposed new fee in any department. He asked Chief Hardiman if the non-building permit related Permit Fee was a flat fee for carnival/circuses and Christmas trees? Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 2 Chief Hardiman responded that there are different fees for dift;erent types of events. The Fire Department fees apply to certain types of occupancies that are not normal businesses. These are businesses which do special types of events such as carnivals, Christmas tree lots, hazardous materials, cryogenics; these fees do vary. The average fee is less than $100. These are well within the norm of what other agencies in the County are charging to businesses within their jurisdictions. Councilman Rindone asked what was meant by a non-building permit related Permit Fee? Chief Hardiman replied that this is not related to activities for a building permit. It is specific to the inspections of the Fire Department. He wanted to separate this from planning and building permit process. This was not any duplication of fees. These are higher risk type businesses. Councilman Rindone asked how can you safeguard from allegations that they are just coming out to do a needless inspection, making a fee to pay their salaries. Would there be written guidelines for each type of fee? Chief Hardiman responded that there would be written guidelines on the frequency and types of inspections. They are conducted on either an annual or semi-annual basis. Sometimes more frequently on a few of the individual businesses. Cotmcilman Rindone asked if there would there be a procedure to waive those fees for fund raising of non-profit groups? Chief Hardiman replied that there is no set provision, but they would explore this. His caution would be when there are two activities that are the same, and one is non-profit and one is profit, the other may object if he was forced to pay and the other not. Councilman Rindone felt comfortable with the two proposed fees if we have the understanding that the City Manager's Office would review the guidelines before they are implemented for all new fees proposed by the Fire Department and also insure that there is a provision for non-profit organizations where it could be administratively waived without having to come to Council when it is truly non-profit. Councilman Alevy asked if the $75 citation for safety violations was per violation or per business. Were there any guidelines? If you have a business where a violation affects 300 employees versus one affecting five employees, is there any differentiation. Chief Hardiman stated this was per business. The effect of the citation program is as much for enforcement as it is for any generation of revenues. We are required to go back repeatedly in some instances to the same business b~cause we give them three or four weeks to comply, then we go back two or three times. We stipulate very clearly what conditions we want to have corrected. The $75 will be applied to all those conditions which must be met. Councilman Alevy asked if you were an auto repair facility with welding, storage of combustible materials and compressed gas where there are several violations, would there be just one citation? Chief Hardiman responded that it would be one fee of $75. Councilman Alevy expressed that if there were multiple violations perhaps we should look at $25 increments for additional violations. His concern was that someone who has only one violation will have to pay as much as someone who has several violations. Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 3 Chief Hardiman responded that it is a notification of lack of compliance. Since we don't have any citation program or fees applied to those businesses, we would start with a single citation. We could reconsider this after a period of time. Councilman Rindone expressed concern regarding the fireworks fees. He asked when would the fireworks fee be not for profit or a city sponsored activity? City Manager Goss responded the San Diego Country Club always has fireworks. Councilman Rindone asked if the $100 fee was to be proposed on high school homecomings when they have fireworks? Chief Hardiman responded this is a fee which could be passed along to the commercial vendor of the fireworks display, not the people putting on the display who are non-profit. Again, they do hire pyrotechnical people to put this on, we need to research this, but the fee may be applied to that business. Councilman Rindone stated that a high school has fireworks at the homecoming. They paid $700 for fireworks. Now there is an additional $100 fee; they will actually pay $800 because the company will pass that along. This is what troubles him. Chief Hardiman stated that fireworks is something which we need to inspect very thoroughly because the potential for danger is there. Aside from that, they would look into this matter in terms of what would be fair and equitable. We do not, nor in the future will they propose, anything which will be a serious imposition to our citizens. Cotmcilman Alevy stated that the fireworks company has to be inspected before they can set up the display. The commercial venture should have to pay some sort of token fee which would be lesser so it would not be passed on to the school or charity. Chief Hardiman stated that they have not looked into all the details for the not-for-profit; we will look into this to see what the numbers are and how frequently this occurs. Councilman Rindone stated that we should give conceptual approval to the fire department budget, but request that they come back on a supplemental budget report about fireworks. This is separate from the guidelines which we talked about previously. Mayor Horton stated that this would not apply just to fireworks; Christmas tree lots would also be for non-profit and there might be some others. MSUC (Rindone/Alevy) to give a conceptual approval of the Fire Department Budget. BUILDING AND HOUSING: City Manager Goss stated that it is recommended that this budget be decreased $48,960. The main savings in this budget is the proposed freezing of a Code Enforcement Officer and a Building and Housing Inspector II and that the Senior Code Enforcement Officer be eliminated. MSUC (Rindone/Alevy) to conceptually approve the Building and Homing Budget. PUBLIC WORKS: Public Works/En~:ineering: City Manager Goss stated that 8.75 positions were recommended for freezing and one position to be deleted as a response to reduced workload. It is recommended that these positions not be Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 4 filled until workload increases. The following positions are to be frozen: Engineering Technician in the Design Section; Assistant Engineer in the Sewer Section; Engineering Aide and .75 Administrative Office Specialist in Land Development; an Assistant Survey II and Public Works Inspector in Construction Inspection Section; an Assistant Traffic Engineer and Associate Traffic Engineering in Traffic Engineering; and a Civil Engineer in the Otay Ranch Section. The following position is to be deleted: an Assistant Engineer II. Cost saving measures identified are: an energy saving traffic signal lamp, reduction in overtime, reduction in professional services, and other miscellaneous reductions. A revenue proposal by this Division is the sale of GIS produced city maps. Public Works/Operations: City Manager Goss stated that budget reduction proposals included: deletion of a CIP Project Supervisor, a Senior Maintenance Worker, a Public Works Supervisor, two Senior Maintenance Workers, three Street Tree Trimmers, and a .25 Custodial position; and a Building Superintendent position be frozen. Other cost cutting r~ommendations are: commercial street sweeping be reduced to once per week, except on Third Avenue to twice a week; residential street sweeping be reduced to once per month; tree trimming contract be reduced by $10,000; reduce painting of crosswalks at signalized intersections and STOP legends; reduce the graffiti supplies; reduce pest control to once per month; and reduce window washing at Norman Park Center to a semi-annual schedule. Councilman Rindone requested that the commercial street sweeping be added to the carry-over list for reconsideration. He could reluctantly go along with the residential, but he could not agree with the commercial. He felt this set the whole tone for the City. Mayor Horton suggested we try this for a month or two to see how this works. Operations Director Byers stated that we have reduced commercial sweeping in the current year except on Third Avenue between E and G and on Broadway to twice a week. There was no appreciable difference. Councilman Rindone stated this is exactly where he was thinking was on Third Avenue between E and G. Once a week he could see that it would not look good. Operations Director Byers responded that this is the one area that they were not recommending to go to once a week because of the theater. Councilman Rindone stated he could go along with that. Staff does not need to put it on the list since this was his Transit: City Manger Goss stated that this budget is reduced $506,690 in the Capital Expense portion of the budget while the operating budget will increase by $158,610. Councilman Alevy asked if we had considered advertising on the outside of transit buses. Transit Coordinator Gustafson replied that the issue has come up a few times in the past. In the late 70s and early 80s, we did have ads on the buses. When we got our own fleet of buses, the Council at that time voted not to have ads on the buses. If we had ads on the buses, the law states that any money received would have to go to support the transit system. It could not be used for the general fund. There was a discussion about a year or so ago to try to look into putting ads on the buses but to use the revenue for non-transit general fund purposes. We looked into that with MTDB and at the State level. The conclusion was that in order for that to happen, we would have to get the State legislation to make a change to permit that. Currently, there is no general fund support of the transit. In the past, staff has recommended against this primarily from the aesthetics standpoint and that we have always had sufficient TDA funds to operate the system and for our capital expenditures. Central Garage: City Manager Goss stated the recommendation for this budget is an increase of $25,590. It is recommended that an Equipment Mechanic position be deleted. Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 5 MSUC to conceptually approve the Public Works budget. * * * Mayor Hotton called a recess from 7:35 p.m. to 7:53 p.m. * * * INSURANCE: City Manager Goss stated that staff is recommending a reduction of $633,210 for this budget. MSUC (Rindone/Horton) to conceptually approve the insurance budget. MANAGEMENT AND INFORMATION SERVICES: This budget is proposed to be reduced by a slight amount of $2,170. However, actually in terms of percentage of hits over time, this budget has been hit more in the past. In 1991-92 there were 17.48 positions and today there are only 10. Reluctantly, staff is recommending that PAPE be deleted. For additional revenue, staff has released a RFP to qualified vendors to install pay telephones at selected city bus stop locations. It is expected that this could result in approximately $90,000 net revenues to the City annually. Councilman Rindone asked if we would be creating a potential police security problem with the pay phones. Director Vignapiano replied that the phones that we would be looking at in any RFP would make a stipulation that the phones will not ring; they are outgoing telephones only. For the drug traffickers, the phones would need to ring. In talking with vendors, it is possible to have phones that are outgoing calls only. Councilman Alevy asked what the city's liability would be if someone broke into them to steal the money? Director Vignapiano stated that we would negotiate with any vendor. They would assume the maintenance liability to come in to fix them on a timely basis. Stealing of the money would depend on whose loss that would be which would be negotiated. Mayor Hotton asked about the graffiti and the etching on glass. Director Vignapiano stated that there are several different applications. Some vendors state there is a way to eliminate the graffiti rather quickly because the material used can be cleaned easily with a special cleaner. Graffiti eradication would be part of their responsibility. Councilman Rindone asked if we would ensure that the phones were clearly marked that any user would know that the phones were for outgoing calls only. Director Vignapiano replied that we could make certain that this was included in any contract. Councilman Alevy asked if we have looked into the possibility of making a moderate investment of being able to do all data work and printing cheshire labels inhouse so that all that has to be done is to affix the labels by a mailhouse processing company. Director Vignapiano stated that we already print labels inhouse for the majority of the mailings. Whenever we have a large enough mailing, we will do it on a diskette or tape and send it to a mailing house; they will print it from our data. Many times companies prefer this. Councilman Moot asked if we had a CIP fund for computer equipment? City Manager Goss stated that we are in the process of making the last payment toward the system we have in place. What is suggested in this budget is doing some planning for what the next generation would be. Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 6 Director Vignapiano stated the time table for this would depend on how quickly we can complete a RFP. Probably are looking at approximately three years. In the micro computer area, there is a couple of things being done on a department by department basis. Some computers are obtained through CIP programs. Mostly, computers are generated on a supplemental basis; there is none being requested this year. We are maintaining a lot of the older equipment, and if we do have equipment that is a lot older than it should be and it can't support the new software, through this maintenance account if there is money left near the end of the year, we will start replacing the older equipment. Councilman Rindone asked if it is really prudent not to budget for new computers? Director Vignapiano replied that there are some requests that we satisfied from the FY 94-95 budget toward the end of the year. The important ones did get purchased out of the FY 94-95 budget. City Manager Goss stated that there are some which are obtained through alternate funds which are non-general fund money. Councilman Padilia asked if the $70,000 for the mainframe software license was for the final installment or is this the beginning. Director Vignapiano replied that this was the beginning of the renewal. When this version of the mainframe was purchased five years ago, it came with a five-year license agreement. It is now up for a three year renewal. Councilman Moot asked if the mainframe would still be good for another three years. Director Vignapiano stated that this is why we recommended only a three year renewal; we are positive it will be good for three years. Councilman Alevy asked if this license included software and hardware. Director Vignapiano replied it was for software only; we have paid for the hardware. We have a maintenance agreement on the hardware which is also part of this budget which has not changed much from prior years. We don't expect any capital outlay to upgrade the present hardware. Councilman Moot asked if we did the sewer billing inhouse, was the initial equipment for that included in this budget. Director Vignapiano stated it was not. It is a separate proposal that is in an overall recommendation as to how we will do the sewer billing. As part of that. we would be looking at doing it on a micro-based utility billing system if we did not do it jointly with the water company. The funds for that would come from the sewer fund. MSUC (Padilla/Alevy) to conceptually approve the Managentent and Information Services budget. PERSONNEL: City Manager Goss stated this budget reflects a reduction of $96,490 which is basically a result of the elimination of the Quality of Work Life and Training Coordinator and the Senior Personnel Analyst reduetinn to 3/4 time. Councilman Rindone expressed that periodicaily its a good personnel practice to benchmark positions and to do studies. He asked where were we regarding this. Personnel Director Emerson responded that we do participate in a county-wide benchnmrk salary survey each year which is done by the City/County Personnel Association and compiled by SANDAG. So we do have a sense by Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 7 looking at benchmark classifications as to where we fall. As part of the budget process we do individual classification studies. We take them on an "as needed" basis. We have not done a broad-based classification study for approximately five to seven years; it is a costly process. Councilman Rindone asked that this item be placed on the carryover list to price it out. Although we may not want to propose this for this year, it is something which needs to be looked at. MSUC (Rindone/Moot) to give conceptual approval of the Personnel budget. Councilman Rindone asked what safeguards have been put in place when people request maps from the GIS system. City Engineer Swanson replied that currently the Steering Committee consisting of Deputy City Manager Thomson, Director of Management and Information Services, Director of Planning, Director of Public Works, and City Engineer are exploring this. A lot of the products are not ready; we have only been producing some of them within the last 4-5 months. Councilman Rindone felt that we needed really tough guidelines. He was concerned about the policing issues. He felt that this needed to be really looked at before we institute the practice; at least make a report to Council as to what safe guards are in place before this is started. City Engineer Swanson stated that they have been concerned about the public records act. There are certain requirements that if it is a public record, it must be available. The Act makes this more onerous that may potentially say that if a person requests a record, we may have to give it to them in any format they desire including a computer disk, etc. We are concerned about this legislation and have been watching it. Councilman Rindone felt this should be reti~rred to staff to work with our local legislators because this is not acceptable. Senior Management Assistant Gerald Young stated there are two bills currently before the legislature on that subject which would open up computer records such as GIS and City data bases to any request from the public to get a hill copy of what we have. For example, a person could walk in with a disk and request a copy of the GIS data base. Both of those measures the City has taken a position to oppose, and they are currently smiled in the legislature and not expected to become law this year, but they may come back next year. Councilman Rindone requested a separate memo on those two bills. FINANCE: City Manager Goss stated that this budget proposes a $I4,830 increase. There were also four revenue items in this budget: increase of the parking citation penalties, enforcement of delinquent library book fine collections, enforcement of rending and amusement machine license requirements, and enforcement of delinquent business license collections. Councilman Padilia asked if the estimated potential revenues in the enforcement of rending and amusement machine vending licenses would be above and beyond any cost cutting considerations since it is a new program in terms of the staffing costs or the time you would have to allocate existing staff to performing those functions. Finance Director Powell responded that all four of the items will be accomplished with existing staff by refocusing the staff who is currently doing this work. He felt these were areas in which there has not been enough emphasis placed in the past. Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 8 Councilman Rindone felt that the fee for parking citations being proposed was too high in a single jump. He requested that this be brought back on a carryover list. He wanted to know what this would be at $15 and $20. MSUC (Rindone/Itorton) to bring back the budget as a carryover item with further explanation of the parking citation fees. BAYFRONT CONSERVANCY TRUST: City Manager Goss stated that there were a number of things being recommended to reduce cost such as: reducing the publication, By-Line, to be printed six times a year instead of twelve. A formula had been worked out several yearn ago on how to support the operation financially. It is recommended that we use that same formula as to money from the Redevelopmerit Agency and General Fund for support of its operations. Councilman Alevy asked if Chula Vista was a member of the greater San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau and if we utilized that in promotion of the Nature Center. Executive Director Neudecker responded yes, but probably not as effectively as we should. We have been discussing ways to do that. The Nature Center had belonged to Convis in the past, but it was too expensive. They were working with the Pubic Information Officer to try to use this as a vehicle to promote the Nature Center. MSUC (Rindone/Alevy) to conceptually approve the Nature Conservancy Trust budget. NON-DEPARTMENTAL: City Manager Goss stated that this is kind of a Mcatch all" category. He stated he forgot to mention regarding Redevelopmerit Agency and the General Fund is that staff is recommending that we shift the remainder of the legislature advocacy services, which was split between the Agency and the General Fund, to the General Fund solely. There are items like community promotions which is money we supply outside agencies, but we continue to have in non-departmental. Budget Manger Herring clarified that in the past Council has asked if we didn't want to coordinate all kinds of activities under one portion of the budget; that has been done in the new Community Promotions Department. The narrative in the Non-Departmental Budget lists items that says they are included in that budget. That is not correct; they are actually in the new section entitled, Community Promotional Budget. Councilman Rindone asked if all 5.58 positions listed were temporary. City Manger Goss replied that two were full time, and the remainder were part time. The full time were Barbara Bamberger, Environmental Resources Manager; and Michael Meacham, Conservation Coordinator. Councilman Rindone asked why these were not included under the Manager's budget. City Manager Goss replied that this has been here for a number of years. The reason is that there doesn't really seem to be any particular place to put them. The Manager's Office is really administration, and these am more direct line functions. Councilman Rindone stated that they report to the Manger's Office. City Manager Goss stated that they did, but it seemed to him to be more appropriate to show them elsewhere because it gives a distorted picture as to the amount of the edministmtive cost. These are not administrative costs in terms of management of the entire city. These are more direct services. Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 9 Councilman Rindone disagreed. He expressed that full-time employees needed to be in a department. It would be up to the Manager as to which department. He would like the City Manager to take a look at this and to add this to the carryover list. MSUC (Moot/Horton) to conceptually approve the Non-Departmental Budget. REVENUE PROPOSALS: The City Manager suggested that this item be carded over to the end after all other items have been discussed. CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Horton stated she made the recommendation to cut out one of the 1/4 time employees based upon past experience. However, the trend is changing because we have four people working full-time whereas before some didn't use the assistant. She was finding that this Council utilizes the Mayor/Council assistant more than they have in the past. Therefore, she would like to add this to the carryover list. City Manager Goss stated that Council had a question regarding some of the numbers listed in the detail. What they found was that the numbers under department request and recommendation were accurate, and the ones that were in there previously were not. What may have happened is that there is a process that when the salaries were set for Mayor and Council that there could be a cost of living increase which has been waived for about three years. However, the computer picked up these figures. The current salaries listed for Mayor and Council are accurate. MSUC (Alevy/Horton) to conceptually approve the balance of the Council budget. ADMINISTRATION: City Manager Goss stated that it is recommendcd that a Principal Management Assistant position and a Secretary be deleted. They have a revenue idea for consideration. It is AB-939 related administrative fee which the city is allowed to charge to cover the cost of planning and implementing recycling waste reduction programs. It would be about a $70,000 to $73,000 a year revenue producing item. Councilman Rindone felt this should be added to the carryover list to come back, but he felt it probably should be under Public Works. He did not feel it should be under the City Manager's budget. City Manager Goss replied that this money would not go into a particular budget. If Council implements the idea, then the money would go into the General Fund. MSUC (Alevy/Horton) to conceptually approve Administrations budget. CITY CLERK: City Manager Goss stated that it is recommended that one of the full time positions be deleted and transferred to another position when another position is available. If the sewer billing became a city operation, this is one place we would suggest this position be transferred to. There would be some backfill of some part-time hours to meet some of the peaks of workload in the Clerk's office. Regarding the elections, there were no funds to add any propositions to the ballot if that is desired. Councilman Rindone suggested that we put this as a carryover item. He felt there should be some money set aside that if there is a decision by the Council for a proposition they think is critical. He didn't want to get caught up in the issue of cost to do so. He felt at that time, Council should talk about the merits of the proposition not funds. He felt that we should add to the budget at least the cost of two propositions. Minutes May 31, 1995 Page 10 MSUC (Rindoneatorton) to conceptually approve the balance of the City Clerk's budget. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Horton adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Beverly A. ;uthelet, CMC/AAE City Clerk