HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-04-27 City Council Summary Minutes
1 04/27/09
Special Meeting
April 27, 2009
The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council
Chambers at 7:05 p.m.
Present: Barton, Burt, Drekmeier, Espinosa, Kishimoto, Klein, Morton,
Schmid
Absent: Yeh
SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
1. Resolution 8919 entitled “Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo
Alto Expressing Appreciation to PASCO Sam Upon His Retirement.”
MOTION: Council Member Barton moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Morton
to adopt the Resolution expressing appreciation to PASCO Sam upon his
retirement.
Council Member Kishimoto said PASCO Sam was part of the Palo Alto culture
and expressed her appreciation for the many years of service.
MOTION PASSED: 8-0 Yeh absent
Vice Mayor Morton expressed his special thanks for the service and viewed
PASCO Sam as an icon.
Paul Matson, Jr. spoke on behalf of Alfredo Romo, General Manager of
PASCO and accepted the Resolution.
2. Selection of Candidates to be Interviewed for the Citizens Oversight
Committee for Expenditures of Library Bond Funds for Five, Four-Year
Terms Ending in May 2013.
MOTION: Council Member Klein moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Morton to
interview all candidates for the Citizens’ Oversight Committee for
Expenditure of Library Bond Funds for Five, Four-Year Terms ending in May
2013.
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MOTION PASSED: 8-0 Yeh absent
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
City Manager, James Keene said a new gateway sign was installed at the
intersection of El Camino Real and Alma Street by Palo Alto Rotary Club
volunteers and the City of Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Department. He
reminded everyone of the upcoming events: The San Francisquito Creek
Storm Water Pump Station Dedication Ceremony located at 2027 East
Bayshore Road, April 30, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.; The 87th Annual May Fete
Children’s Parade, Downtown Palo Alto at the corner of Emerson Street and
University Avenue, May 2, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. The theme for 2009 was
“Dream Green”; E.O. Wilson would be speaking at Stanford University on the
topic: “Biodiversity & Our Future, Healing Mother Earth,” May 10, 4:00 p.m.,
sponsored by Canopy. Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.canopy.org
Mayor Drekmeier announced Council Member Schmid would be serving on
the Finance Committee and Council Member Yeh would serve on the Policy &
Services Committee.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Victor E. Nelson, 880 Moana Court, said he was in favor of the City’s fire
alarm system but asked the fees be lowered.
City Manager, James Keene spoke of the late payment process on alarm
permit fees. He would meet with Staff to review the options of providing a
second notice regarding the escalating penalty fee from $35 to $250 and
would provide the Council with update on the process.
Eli Serumalani, City of Palo Alto Parks Division, spoke regarding SEIU. He
said Palo Alto workers were the strength and heart of the City and provided
the highest quality of services to the citizens.
Lydia Wallace Pounds, spoke regarding SEIU and urged the Council to
continue health care insurance for employees.
Bryan Ward, SEIU, spoke regarding the need for continued retirement
benefits to employees.
Lynn Krug, SEIU Chapter Chair for Palo Alto, urged the Council to maintain
employee benefits.
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Alagu Perlyannan, spoke regarding the processing of alarm permit fines. He
asked the process be handled in a more friendly and reasonable manner.
Art Sklaroff, 1112 Byron Street, spoke regarding the processing of alarm
permit fines. He felt the process should be reviewed. He asked that his
$250 fine be refunded due to the irregularity of the notice.
Charles Stevens, 1431 Edgewood Drive, said he was erroneously fined for
the alarm permit and asked to be refunded the $250 fine. He felt the billing
process should be modified.
Hildegard Cervenna, 1106 Embarcadero Road, said the recycling process of
all recyclable items should be made more convenient for the community.
She spoke of the distance she had to drive to recycle milk cartons and
styrofoam products.
Dan Garber, 2201 Byron, said his agency would be hosting three events.
The National Architect’s Convention in San Francisco that featured Palo Alto
which included an all day tour called, “Birge Clark, the Making of Palo Alto”;
a seminar on How Palo Alto Adopted its Green Building Ordinance; and a
construction tour of the LEED Platinum House project.
Dennis Mitrzik, 201 Maclane, spoke regarding High Speed Rail and opposed
having an overhead track going through the center of the peninsula.
Wynn Grcich, 3045 Miraloma, Union City, spoke regarding fluoride being
toxic.
Michael Francois, 224 Gardenia Way, East Palo Alto, spoke against the use of
fluoride in water.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION: Vice Mayor Morton moved, seconded by Council Member Barton
to approve the minutes of March 30, 2009.
MOTION PASSED: 8-0 Yeh absent
CONSENT CALENDAR
MOTION: Council Member Barton moved, seconded by Council Member
Klein to approve Consent Calendar Item Nos. 3-11.
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Vice Mayor Morton advised that he would not be participating in Agenda
Item No. 6 as he is the founder of Community Skating, Inc.
3. Approval of Amendment No. 2 to the Memorandum of Understanding
with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to Allow for up to $125,000
in Additional Funds Over Two Years for Increased Water Conservation
Rebates and Adoption of a Water Enterprise Fund Budget Amendment
Ordinance 5037 in the Amount of $50,000 to Provide Funding for
Water Conservation Programs.
4. Approval of an Amendment to Purchase Order No. S05110315 with
Toter Incorporated to Increase the Compensation Amount by $25,000
for the Purchase of Additional Carts for a Total Amount Not to Exceed
$2,123,300.
5. Resolution 8920 Authorizing the Filing of an Application for Federal
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Funding in the
Amount of Approximately $1,300,000 for Street Rehabilitation Projects
on San Antonio Avenue, Lytton Avenue and Guinda Street.
6. Approval of: 1) Amendment No. 1 to the Lease Between the City of
Palo Alto and Community Skating, Inc. for the Tennis Facility at 3005
Middlefield Road, Extending the Term for an Additional Ten Years; and
2) Amendment No. 2 to the Lease Between the City of Palo Alto and
Community Skating, Inc. for the Winter Lodge at 3009 Middlefield
Road, Extending the Term for an Additional Twenty Years.
7. Approval of a Contract with Kuehne Construction in the Amount of
$244,977 for Cubberley Community Center Wing “I” Elevator Upgrade
and Accessibility Improvements - Capital Improvement Program
Projects PF-07001 and PF-93009.
8. Approval of Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. C06116197, with
Advanced Data Processing West, Incorporated (ADPI) to Extend the
Term and Add $215,000 for a Total not to Exceed Amount of
$600,000.
9. Resolution 8921 entitled “Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo
Alto Expressing Appreciation to Russell Reiserer Upon His Retirement.”
10. Approval of a Recommendation from the Historic Resources Board to
Designate a Residence Located at 175 Byron Street to the City of Palo
Alto’s Historic Inventory in Category 2 and Record of Land Use Action
at the Request of the Owner.
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11. Ordinance 5035 entitled “Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo
Alto Amending Sections 18.16.060(d) (Neighborhood, Community, and
Service Commercial Zoning Districts), 18.18.060(d) (Downtown
Commercial District), 18.30(D) (Hotel Combining District), and
18.34.040(c) (Pedestrian and Transit Oriented Development
Combining District) of Title 18 (Zoning) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code
Regarding Development Criteria for Hotel Development.”
MOTION PASSED for Item Nos. 3-5, 7-11: 8-0 Yeh absent
MOTION PASSED for Item No. 6: 7-0 Morton not participating, Yeh
absent
AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS
MOTION: Vice Mayor Morton moved, seconded by Mayor Drekmeier to
move Agenda Item No. 12, to be heard at the end of the meeting, to
become Agenda Item No. 16A.
MOTION PASSED: 5-3 Barton, Kishimoto, Schmid no, Yeh absent
REPORTS OF OFFICIALS
13. Update on City Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives.
Environmental Specialist Julie Weiss gave a presentation regarding the Less-
toxic Pest Control Program for City Operations as outlined in Staff Report
CMR:228:09.
Council Member Espinosa asked if Staff anticipated savings or additional
costs in switching over to alternative pest management techniques and was
the program’s effectiveness being measured.
Ms. Weiss said it depended on whether it was a landscaping or structural
pest control. The City was using a contractor that assisted with various
repairs that resulted in less frequent use for their services. The pest control
was a new decision and information would be tracked closely.
Council Member Barton said the chart used in the presentation noted a
decrease in insecticides and asked for clarification.
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Ms. Weiss said the chart was broken down by tiers. Tier 1, chemicals were
of highest concern, Tier 2, were of moderate concern, and Tier 3, were of
lowest concern. The most accurate baseline was during 2003.
Council Member Kishimoto suggested setting a toxic free goal by 2012 and
asked about the native weasels.
Ms. Weiss said the City had been working with a Biologist and found there
was a native weasel that lived in the Foothills and the possibility of
reintroducing the native specie into the area. It was a significant project
and the City would be working with the State and the Department of Fish
and Game. A meeting was scheduled for the Water Quality group and all
interested parties to discuss moving forward in making the project work.
Associate Planner Kristin Heinen gave a presentation regarding Green
Buildings as outlined in Staff Report CMR:217:09
Council Member Espinosa asked whether Staff had concerns of the Council
passing more restrictive building codes.
Ms. Heinen said she did not feel it would be of concern since applicants
showed no resistance. Many large commercial projects were implementing
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). New home
constructions required the Green Building ranking be a minimum of 70
points. The majority were beyond the 70 points. She had concerns on
existing homes and renovation requirements since it was difficult to include
Green Building ranking on renovation projects. It was more costly and
caused a big impact to the environment.
Council Member Schmid said he had a vision to extend beyond building
Green Buildings to a Green community. He asked whether there were plans
to take advantage of the LEED Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND)
standards in working toward a Green community.
Ms. Heinen confirmed Staff would be using LEED-ND standards as a tool.
The City Ordinance required large commercial projects to look at LEED-ND
benefits and incorporate them but it was not mandatory.
Interim Director of Planning and Community Environment, Curtis Williams
said Staff was working towards integrating the LEED-ND standards into the
sustainability component of the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan).
Vice Mayor Morton asked whether the extensive checklist had impacted the
processing time of an application.
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Ms. Heinen said the processing time had not changed unless an applicant
submitted a poor package.
Council Member Klein said to help the environment and sustainability
program for the City, more work had to be done on bike lanes, LED or
induction street lighting, on-bill financing, photovoltaic, smart meters, water
conservation, retrofitting existing buildings and home, and to consider
combining miscellaneous plans into one major plan.
Council Member Burt concurred with Council Member Klein. He said Staff
should do a review of cost assessments on direct and indirect savings and
expenses in these areas to better understand the effectiveness of the
programs. The Bike Master Plan was approved five years ago and had
almost no progress. The photovoltaic and the thermal hot water heating
systems should have been promoted and both were neglected.
Council Member Kishimoto stated she was on the Air District Board and
Chairperson for the Air Protection Committee. The infrastructure for
transportation and energy would be transformed from centralized to
distributed energy within the next 50 years.
Walt Hays, Community Environmental Action Partnership (CEAP) Chairperson
summarized the organization’s annual report as outlined in Staff Report
CMR:217:09, Attachment A.
Council Member Barton acknowledged Chairperson Hays’ work and
accomplishments.
Carroll Harrington, 830 Melville Avenue, gave an overview of the CEAP
banner located in City Hall’s lobby corridor. It summarized CEAP’s activities
and its progress. She acknowledged all who helped with the banner.
14. Approval of 1) Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals and Reduction Plan for
2009, 2) Continued Monitoring of Emissions from City Operations, and
3) Expansion in the Reporting of Emissions to the Community.
Energy Risk Manager, Karl Van Orsdol gave an update on the Climate
Protection Plan as outlined in Staff Report CMR:213:09. The Staff report
included a Gas Emission and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan from each City
Department.
Council Member Espinosa needed clarification on the departments’
percentage reduction impact noted in Staff Report CMR:213:09, Table 1.
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Mr. Van Orsdol said the 5 percent reduction challenge was issued to each
department and several departments came up with greater than the 5
percent reduction. Each department came up with their own solution in
assessing cost effectiveness in reducing emissions.
Council Member Klein said the denominator was reduced for the City’s share
of the total community greenhouse gases. He had concerns as to whether
the City was meeting the goal on the basis of the new denominator.
Mr. Van Orsdol said the challenge was 3,025 metric tonnes and the 7,000
metric tonnes would be achieved through the plan.
Council Member Klein raised concerns regarding offsets and felt they did not
always work. He asked what the cost was on offsets.
Mr. Van Orsdol said renewable energy credit fluctuated from $1 to $5.
Council Member Klein asked what was the cost on renewable energy credits.
Mayor Drekmeier said approximately one and half cent per kilowatt hour.
Resource Planner, Shiva Swaminathan said they were not offsets but were
renewable energy certificates and were environmental attributes associated
to wind and solar photovoltaic (PV).
Council Member Klein asked what the numbers were if there were no offsets.
Mr. Van Orsdol said the numbers were reflected in Staff Report CMR:213:09,
Table 1, column titled: “2009 Expected Emissions (metric tonnes of C02e)”
as 24,841 metric tonnes of C02 WHKH and achieved an 11 percent reduction
or approximately 6 percent reduction over the original estimate. The energy
savings for 12-months would be over $2 million if the forecasted plan was
achieved.
Council Member Burt asked what percentage of the City’s C02’s as a
community was coming from gas and electricity usage.
Mr. Van Orsdol said 300,000 metric tonnes or approximately 45 percent.
Council Member Burt said there was a 50 percent water use increase in 2007
versus 2008.
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Mr. Van Orsdol said it was due to the Water Quality Treatment Plant
undergoing energy efficient updates and the golf course had to use potable
water.
Council Member Burt said Staff may want to look at quantifying hybrid cars
per capita.
Vice Mayor Morton said Staff may want to quantify the natural gas leak
before and after the gas pipe replacements in the California Avenue area.
He hoped the interdepartmental Green Team approach would not be lost and
the total workload not be transferred to Sustainability Coordinator position.
Council Member Kishimoto said SEIU showed an interest in cooperating with
the City on environmental initiatives and would be reviewing the free parking
provision to employees during Union negotiations.
MOTION: Council Member Barton moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Morton
to approve Staff recommendation to: 1) Authorize Staff to continue
monitoring greenhouse gas emissions on a departmental basis, and report
back to Council with additional results, 2) Have Staff post the results of the
City’s greenhouse gas emissions monitoring program on the City’s website to
enhance the transparency of the long term monitoring program, and to
expand opportunities for individual residents and business establishments to
view emissions data on the website.
Mayor Drekmeier asked whether the biogenic C02 was still being tracked or
was it decided that it was atmospheric carbon dioxide being cycled and not
counted.
Mr. Van Orsdol said a recent reassessment had not been done on the larger
community. It would be taken into consideration the next time a community
inventory was performed.
Mayor Drekmeier said the renewable energy certificates were not as clean as
purchasing renewable energy but enabled more renewable energy to go
online. Purchasing Green energy was saving money. The City had entered
into a 15-year contract with the Shiloh Wind Farm for 25 megawatts which
was 6 cents per kilowatt. There was a 4 cent price increase per kilowatt
since the City entered into the contract.
MOTION PASSED: 8-0 Yeh absent
PUBLIC HEARINGS
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15. Approval of a Negative Declaration and Adoption of Ordinance
Repealing Chapter 5.30 (“Chlorofluorocarbon – Processed Food
Packaging”) and Adding a New Chapter 5.30 (“Expanded Polystyrene
and Non-Recyclable Food Service Containers”) to Title 5 (“Health and
Sanitation”) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code.
Public Works Director, Glenn Roberts said the topic was one in a series of
continued initiatives that was under the umbrella of the Zero Waste Plan to
eliminate problematic materials from solid waste and pollution perspectives.
The Ordinance was to prohibit the use of expanded polystyrene containers in
Palo Alto.
Associate Engineer, Karin North Public gave a presentation as outlined in
Staff Report CMR:201:09.
Council Member Espinosa asked why Staff had decided to exempt certain
items such as bottle caps.
Ms. North said the Ordinance was only for expanded polystyrene and
focused on its environmental impact. Caps did not fall under polystyrene.
Council Member Burt said there were alternatives to polystyrene that were
more biodegradable than others and asked whether the City was working
with downtown businesses to determine the best options.
Ms. North said yes. It was the next steps in assisting businesses.
Council Member Schmid asked whether plastic items used for food were
permissible in recycling bins.
Environmental Compliance Manager, Phil Bobel said plastic items needed to
be cleaned before placing them in recycling bins. The practice was not
promoted because of the water usage issue. The City was not in a position
to dictate one alternative was better than the other.
Council Member Schmid said the City of San Francisco had compostable
corn-based containers for all food services and mandated the use for the
past two years.
Mr. Bobel said he was not aware of San Francisco as having mandated a
particular alternative to polystyrene and would look into it and return to the
Council with his findings.
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Council Member Schmid said Palo Alto had a Composting Task Force and he
assumed one of the things being looked at was mandated compostable
containers.
Council Member Schmid asked if Staff could wait for the Composting Task
Force to provide information after their 6-month assignment to help
determine specific guidelines for stores operating in Palo Alto.
Mr. Bobel said the task force assignment was not to establish operating
guidelines for businesses. Their goal was to look into technology to employ
green waste, food scraps, and compostable items. Effective July 1, 2009,
commercial and multi-family could process the items through Z-Best in
Gilroy, California.
Council Member Schmid said it seemed the goal was to move forward toward
a coordinated future in dealing with the waste-stream. He felt it was an
opportunity to move away from polystyrene as well as clear plastic products.
He said there was a model in a neighboring city with 2 years experience in
doing away with clear plastic products in food stores and composting. He
asked whether Staff could look into the process and if the City could benefit
from it.
Mr. Roberts said that could be taken into consideration in the long-term but
currently the City was moving forward in dealing with the polystyrene issue.
Vice Mayor Morton questioned the one-year waiting period to implement the
program when 70 percent of restaurants already had converted.
Mr. Roberts said it was to provide businesses with ample time to respond
and make the switch.
Vice Mayor Morton ask whether a label could be placed on plastic items to
indicate it had been cleaned and ready for recycling.
Mr. Roberts said he was not sure about placement of labels but he was open
to having an outreach and education effort as part of the program.
City Attorney, Gary Baum said the Ordinance was written as having one year
and 45 days for implementation because of the second reading requirement
of an Ordinance. The Council could direct implementation in one year
effective April 27, 2009 instead of 13-1/2 months.
Public Hearing opened at 10:12 p.m.
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Trish Mulvey, 527 Rhodes Drive, said in answer to Peak Democracy
questions, the approval of the Ordinance would level the playing field for all
food vendors to do the right thing. It would reinforce to the community the
need to move beyond disposing of everything. The Council was taking the
time to deal with the polystyrene issue as opposed to other high priorities
because it was one of the Council’s Top Priorities for the year.
Amalia Chamosso, California Restaurant Association, said the Association
had 25 members who were all in support of going Green and many had
already made the switch to other alternatives. She was pleased the
Ordinance addressed affordability and the one-year period for
implementation was reasonable as it gave restaurants time to use up
supplies of polystyrene products. The Association would assist restaurants
in complying with the approved Ordinance.
Walt Hays, 355 Parkside Drive, said “Greentown Los Altos” was the City of
Los Altos’ equivalent to CEAP. It was in the process of developing a co-op
where restaurants worked together in purchasing volumes of compostable or
other alternatives that were less costly. He urged the Council’s support.
Public Hearing closed at 10:17 p.m.
MOTION: Vice Mayor Morton moved, seconded by Council Member Barton
to approve Staff recommendations to: 1) Approve a Negative Declaration for
the proposed Ordinance restricting food vendors use of Expanded
Polystyrene and Non-Recyclable Food Service Containers (Negative
Declaration), and 2) Adopt the proposed Ordinance amending Chapter 5.30
(“Clorofluorocarbon Processed Food Packaging”) of Title 5 (Health and
Sanitation) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to prohibit food vendors from
providing food in disposable food service containers made from expanded
polystyrene or non-recyclable plastic to customers. The proposed Ordinance
would eliminate the use of expanded polystyrene and non-recyclable food
service containers by food vendors in Palo Alto. Effective date would be April
22, 2010.
Vice Mayor Morton said the effective date for the Ordinance was Earth Day,
April 22, 2010.
Council Member Espinosa raised concern regarding the one-year waiting
period for implementation. He understood the City had a hardship exception
provision. He said a business could go through the hardship process if they
could not get out of a contract and did not understand why there was a 6-
month waiting period for the implementation date.
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Mr. Bobel said the main motivation was relative to Staff’s time. There were
375 entities that had to comply and the department did not have a budget to
take on the new task. The more people the City allowed to fit into the one-
year transition period and not request a hardship exemption, the better off
the City would be.
Council Member Schmid suggested the Composting Task Force explore the
City of San Francisco’s experience in using compostable fiber-base
containers.
Council Member Burt said he had concerns regarding the implementation
period, but according to the Staff Report, 30 percent of businesses were still
using polystyrene. If businesses had a mandate on the horizon, the vast
majority would not wait to the last minute to switch over. Businesses would
begin to implement the program once their inventory turned and most of the
30 percent would most likely do the switch within months. He clarified
containers would not be manufactured specifically for Palo Alto and
instruction labels could not be printed on containers when used universally.
He said Council Member Schmid’s concept to pursue fiber-base containers
was good but clarified it was not the mandate the task force was given.
Their goal was to deal with land use and technologies.
MOTION PASSED: 8-0 Yeh absent
MOTION: Council Member Klein moved, seconded by Council Member
Espinosa to move Agenda Item No. 16A to be heard before Agenda Item No.
16.
REVISED MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND
SECONDER to continue Agenda Item No. 16 to May 11, 2009.
MOTION PASSED: 8-0 Yeh absent
16. Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 5.24 of the City of Palo
Alto Municipal Code (Requirements to Divert Construction and
Demolition Waste from Landfill) to Increase Diversion Rate and Expand
Applicability to Projects in Excess of $25,000; Environmental
Assessment: Categorically Exempt Pursuant to Section 15308 of the
CEQA Guidelines.
STUDY SESSION
16A. (Former No. 12.) Presentation of the City Manager’s Proposed Budget
for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011.
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City Manager, James Keene presented the Proposed Operating and Capital
Improvement Plan budgets for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011. He read the City
Council his transmittal letter from the Proposed Operating budget. Through
the transmittal letter the City Manager updated the City Council on the
financial status of the General Fund for FY 2010 and 2011, and the budget
balancing strategies initiated.
Lalo Perez, Director of Administrative Services reviewed the Operating
budget document. He discussed the budget process, where the public could
access additional copies of the budget information, and ended by
highlighting where the major sections of the budget could be found by page
number. He also reviewed the Budget Hearing schedule which includes two
public outreach sessions scheduled for April 29 and May 1, six Finance
Committee hearings scheduled throughout the month of May, and two
meetings with the full City Council in June, with budget adoption scheduled
for June 15.
Sharon Bozman, Budget Manager followed with a walk through of the
Proposed Budget for the Capital Improvement Plan.
COUNCIL COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND REPORTS FROM CONFERENCES
Vice Mayor Morton spoke about attending the Airport Land Use Commission
meeting. He stated the Santa Clara County Comprehensive Land Use Plan
for the Palo Alto Airport will be considered by the Palo Alto Planning and
Transportation Commission on April 29, 2009. He and Council Member Burt
attended the Museum of American Heritage recognition ceremony
recognizing the donation of the Lane Family.
Council Member Burt reported on attending the Association of Bay Area
Governments general meeting where there was a panel discussion on
SB375. He also spoke on the upcoming High Speed Rail Peninsula Cities
Coalition (Coalition) meeting on May 1, 2009. He spoke about his comments
at the last Coalition meeting about the potential impacts of Eminent Domain
with regards to the High Speed Rail Project.
Council Member Klein spoke about attending the National League of Cities
Congress of Cities Conference in March 2009 and the Green Cities
Conference in Portland, Oregon this past week.
Council Member Kishimoto spoke on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority who is going through their budget process, they are proposing
reduction changes to Route 88, and fare increases to bus riders.
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Council Member Schmid spoke about a the new Palo Alto University which is
a joint venture of the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and Foothill-
DeAnza College beginning August 1, 2009.
Council Member Espinosa spoke about a project that he and Council Member
Yeh are involved in dealing with forming a Council of Palo Alto non-profit
organizations.
Mayor Drekmeier spoke about attending the Santa Clara Valley Water
Commission meeting and the upcoming water rationing within the County.
He also spoke about the feasibility study that is moving forward with the San
Francisquito Creek JPA looking at upstream detention basins and
downstream by-pass channels. He also spoke about the success of the Farm
Shop. He spoke about attending the Santa Clara County Recycling Waste
Reduction Commission last week. He stated there will be a USA/China
Energy Summit in October 2009, as a result of Destination Palo Alto.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 11:58 p.m.