Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-08-12 City Council Summary MinutesCITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 1 of 22 Special Meeting August 12, 2013 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers at 6:08 P.M. Present: Berman, Burt, Holman, Klein, Kniss, Price, Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd Library Advisory Commissioners: Chin, Hochberg, Landauer, Moss, Train Absent: STUDY SESSION 1. Potential List of Topics for Joint Meeting with the City Council and Library Advisory Commission. The Library Advisory Commission (LAC) reviewed their activities for 2012, focusing on how Palo Alto Libraries compare to similar libraries nationally, statistical reports to focus on actionable metrics, the virtual library branch, Mitchell Park Library’s opening activities and new services available, their recommendation to rename Main Library, and the advocacy presentation developed to simplify the Commission’s community outreach efforts. Commissioners will continue the work in these areas, along with continuing to monitor the library building projects and discuss strategies for long-term budget needs. City Council Members made comments and asked questions of the LAC and Library Staff, and commended Library Staff for their excellent work. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS Pamela Antil, Assistant City Manager, announced that work would begin on the Golf Course the following week in preparation for the flood protection project. MINUTES Page 2 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Clayborne Carson, Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, announced a partnership with the City to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 26, 2013 at 5:00 P.M. Palo Alto Free Press felt the Human Relations Commission (HRC) was not involved in the vehicle habitation issue. He wanted to know why the Council did not question the HRC's lack of involvement. Paul Mitchell opposed the plan to close the showers at Cubberley Community Center. The showers at The Opportunity Center were metered, did not function properly, and were insufficient in number. Herb Borock understood Ms. Antil's comment to indicate the stockpiling of soil at the Golf Course was part of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Council would have to approve the EIR prior to removal of the 90 trees at the Golf Course. He could not recall if the Council approved the EIR. Grover Amos thanked the Council for providing a forum regarding local issues. Stephanie Munoz congratulated the Council on expanding the role of the Sister City Program. Palo Alto needed public showers to be a world class power. AJ reused paper bags from grocery stores to hold recyclables. Because paper bags were no longer free, he could no longer recycle. Barbara Slone proposed that Taunggyi, Myanmar, be considered as a Sister City. MINUTES APPROVAL MOTION: Council Member Kniss moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Shepherd to approve the minutes of June 10 as amended, June 13, June 17, June 24, and June 28, 2013. MOTION PASSED: 9-0 MINUTES Page 3 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION: Vice Mayor Shepherd moved, seconded by Council Member Schmid to approve Agenda Item Number 2. 2. Approval of Additional CDBG Entitlement Funds for Fiscal Year 2014 in the Amount of $111,091 including an Additional Allocation of $38,000 to Avenidas from the City's Federal Line of Credit and Adoption of Related Budget Amendment Ordinance 5203. MOTION PASSED: 9-0 ACTION ITEMS 3. Resolution 9367 entitled, “Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Allowing the Implementation of a One-Year Trial No Overnight Parking (2:00 A.M.-5:00 A.M.) Program on Streets within the Crescent Park Neighborhood” (Continued from August 5, 2013). Jaime Rodriguez, Chief Transportation Official, reported several residents of the Crescent Park neighborhood approached the City approximately one year ago regarding overcrowding of streets, blocked driveways, and litter. Over the last year, Staff worked with the neighborhood to implement a series of traffic calming measures. The main concern was overcrowding of parking. Staff provided residents with options focusing on an overnight parking restriction, and made it clear that neighborhood residents would have to lead efforts to initiate parking restrictions. Staff asked residents to circulate petitions, notified surrounding residents about petitions, and provided a process for implementing restrictions. The restrictions focused on a ten- block buffer area around the eastern portion of Crescent Park neighborhood. Following receipt of the petitions, the City administered a postcard survey to validate signatures on the petitions and to gauge community support for the specific project. There was strong support within the neighborhood on the blocks surveyed. Residents on streets not part of the original petition requested to participate in the survey. The one-year trial would affect anyone parking in the neighborhood. An overnight parking permit could be sold at a cost of $5, the same cost as permits sold in the College Terrace neighborhood. Permits could be made available at City Hall and would expire after two years. Residents of the neighborhood could purchase as many permits as they wanted. Staff recommended the Council adopt a Resolution authorizing Staff to implement a one-year trial program for no overnight parking between 2:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. within the select blocks of Crescent Park with the addition of Island Drive. MINUTES Page 4 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Norma Jean Kelly supported the parking restriction and permits. Richard Yankowich supported the trial program. The problem was spillover parking from apartments located in East Palo Alto. Leo Ware concurred with Mr. Yankowich's comments. Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper along streets, blocking driveways and lines of sight. Frank Branson supported the trial parking program. He and his wife were concerned that drivers parking along the street would burglarize their home. Chris Goumas felt the character of the neighborhood changed due to extrinsic forces. The high-density apartment complexes did not provide adequate parking for their residents. He encouraged the Council to approve the trial program as soon as possible. Herb Borock provided a history of overnight parking within Palo Alto. An overnight parking restriction was the solution for the Crescent Park neighborhood. Jason White stated the problems were litter and lack of street sweeping. Ben Ball reported more than 90 non-resident vehicles parked along Edgewood Drive and Newell Road nightly. Neighborhood residents worked with City Staff to understand the issues of the problem and identified five objectives. The temporary overnight parking ban accomplished those objectives. Daniel Hanson supported the trial program. Cars parked along the streets and left trash. The City of East Palo Alto closed on-street parking along Woodland Avenue, resulting in more on-street parking in Palo Alto. David Dorosin also supported the overnight parking ban. Bhusan Gupta felt the inconvenience of the ban was a small price to pay to eliminate overcrowded parking. He suggested the City begin work on a Residential Parking Permit (RPP) program for Crescent Park. Trish Mulvey requested the City delay action to obtain additional information from the City of East Palo Alto. Bruce Nixon supported implementation of the trial program; however, he had no room to park five cars off the street. He favored an RPP program or a long-term mitigated fee. MINUTES Page 5 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Andrew Vought wanted to implement the program and requested the Council adopt the trial program. Vanessa Belland requested the Council implement the trial program as it would assist the neighborhood residents. Glenn R. Campbell indicated the people parking in Crescent Park could not afford to park elsewhere. The owners of the apartment complexes should be required to provide adequate parking. Rob Zucker suggested the City stripe the streets for parking and add parking to a portion of Woodland Drive. This would allow more cars to park along the streets. Charging for overnight parking permits was not right. Gioia Zucchero stated many of the people parking on neighborhood streets worked in Palo Alto. She requested the Council work with the City of East Palo Alto to find a better solution. Jane Kershner encouraged the Council to approve the trial parking program. Neighborhood residents needed relief now. Stephanie Munoz related a parking program utilized by the City of San Francisco. She suggested photographs of license plates be collected for use in investigating crimes. Shuttles could be used for Crescent Park residents to park in East Palo Alto. Sarah Sans supported the trial program, but hoped it would not push parking to her home. Jeff Levinsky objected to the requirement of 70 percent of residents on a block support the program. A better requirement would be 51 percent of residents. Council Member Klein inquired whether Staff fully understood the reasons for the increase in the number of vehicles parked on the street in Crescent Park. Mr. Rodriquez reported that Equity Partners' purchase of the apartment complexes and subsequent increased rental of apartments resulted in the parking congestion in Crescent Park. Council Member Klein asked if the number of rental units increased. MINUTES Page 6 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Aaron Aknin, Interim Director Planning and Community Environment, replied no. Equity Partners leased more units and separated the cost of parking from the rental of the unit. Council Member Klein inquired whether the parking spaces at the apartment complexes were fully occupied. Mr. Aknin understood most of the parking areas were fully occupied. Parking at complexes undergoing remodeling was not being used. Council Member Klein asked if the City had talked with the owners of the apartment complexes. Mr. Aknin indicated Staff had not talked with the owners. The City Manager and he talked with the East Palo Alto City Manager who talked with the property owners regarding short-term and long-term plans for parking. In the short term, the property owners wanted to utilize two offsite parking lots containing 42 and 46 spaces. He understood the owners would charge renters for use of those parking lots. Council Member Klein inquired about the cost to the renters for those parking spaces. Mr. Aknin did not know. Council Member Klein asked if the intentions were mere proposals or official actions. Mr. Aknin understood the property owners obtained some type of use permit for offsite parking. Council Member Klein asked if the apartment complexes originally provided adequate parking. Mr. Aknin reported the complexes provided one parking space per rental unit. The overcrowded parking resulted from more people living in each unit. Council Member Klein inquired whether the two offsite parking lots would solve the parking problem. Mr. Aknin did not know if the additional parking spaces would solve the entire problem. MINUTES Page 7 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Mr. Rodriguez estimated 80 cars parked in Crescent Park. One of the parking lots was closer to the Newell Street Bridge and the other was closer to Bayshore Road. Council Member Klein inquired whether Staff proposed a one-year trial program because of the impending utilization of the two parking lots. Mr. Aknin wanted to try the program for one year to determine how it worked and to develop policies for possible RPP programs for neighborhoods in Palo Alto. Council Member Klein inquired about a timeframe for a discussion of an RPP program. Mr. Aknin felt Staff could provide an overall policy to the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) and the Council in the next few months. Staff discussed such a program with the Crescent Park and Downtown neighborhoods. MOTION: Council Member Klein moved, seconded by Council Member Kniss to adopt a Resolution authorizing Staff to implement a one-year trial program for No Overnight Parking (2:00 A.M.-5:00 A.M.) within certain street blocks of the Crescent Park Neighborhood. Council Member Klein indicated the trial program would provide relief for the neighborhood and send a message to the property owners of the apartment complexes. Staff should observe the situation to determine whether the parking problem moved to another neighborhood. Council Member Kniss requested Staff comment on the cost of the overnight parking permit. She noted other neighborhoods continued to suffer from parking problems. It was important for the City of East Palo Alto to know that Palo Alto was coping with the parking problem. She inquired whether the $5 cost of a permit was included in the Motion. Council Member Klein responded that his intent was for it to be included. He inquired whether the purchase could be made online. Mr. Aknin reported $5 was the same cost as a guest permit provided in other programs. If the Council wanted to lower the cost, then the permit cost should be sufficiently high to pay for administrative and printing costs. He would determine whether the City had the capability to sell the permits online. MINUTES Page 8 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Council Member Kniss asked about the procedure to obtain an overnight parking permit. Mr. Rodriguez indicated a permit cost of $1 would pay for administrative and printing costs. A resident could purchase several permits at one time. He needed to determine whether overnight permits could be purchased online. Council Member Kniss requested Staff return with additional information regarding online purchases. Council Member Price inquired whether Staff would communicate with Equity Partners and the City Manager and Mayor of East Palo Alto. Mr. Aknin replied yes. Council Member Price requested a schedule to address an RPP program. Mr. Aknin noted Staff held several outreach meetings primarily for Downtown residents and commercial property owners. In September, Staff would present a proposal for an RPP program for Downtown to the P&TC and then to the Council. Once Staff developed the parameters for a program in the Downtown area, then they could utilize those guidelines for other neighborhoods. Council Member Price asked if the $5 cost for a permit included costs for enforcement. Mr. Rodriguez understood enforcement would result from residents' complaints. Council Member Price inquired whether people without an overnight permit would be warned or receive a citation. Mr. Rodriguez explained warnings would be issued during the first two weeks of the trial period. After that the Police Department would issue citations. Council Member Price asked if Staff's analysis of the program would include impacts to adjacent streets. Mr. Rodriguez reported Staff would return to the area to count cars. Council Member Holman asked why the 51 percent versus 70 percent requirement and information about the East Palo Alto parking lots were not included in the Staff Report. MINUTES Page 9 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Mr. Rodriguez explained that Staff viewed the program as traffic calming, and traffic calming guidelines typically utilized 70 percent. Guidelines for an RPP program used 51 percent for parking. Mr. Aknin did not have the information on the parking lots when preparing the Staff Report. Council Member Holman inquired whether Staff had asked the City of East Palo Alto about the legality of charging for a parking space separate from the unit rental. Mr. Aknin answered no. Charging separately was a common practice for rental units located near transit stations. It was a bit unusual for rental units isolated from transit to charge separately for parking spaces. Staff could inquire with the East Palo Alto City Manager. Council Member Holman asked if street sweeping could occur during the 2:00 A.M. to 5:00 A.M. timeframe. Mr. Rodriguez would inquire about the issue with the Public Works Department. Council Member Holman expressed concern about the cost of a parking permit being too low. If the cost was too low, then residents would simply purchase permits to park in front of their homes. Mr. Aknin would monitor that effect during the trial period. Pricing the permit was difficult to gauge. Council Member Holman hoped Staff would contact the City of East Palo Alto as well as the property owners to report the Council's action. Vice Mayor Shepherd understood Equity Partners purchased additional rental units in East Palo Alto. Staff should open a dialog with the City of East Palo Alto and the property owners. She inquired about parking on Woodland Drive. Mr. Rodriguez would talk with the City of East Palo Alto the parking situation. He understood East Palo Alto restricted parking along Woodland Drive because of flooding in the area. Portions of Woodland Drive did not meet federal guidelines for parking. MINUTES Page 10 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Vice Mayor Shepherd requested that Staff communicate with the City of East Palo Alto about parking along Woodland Drive. She was concerned about the separate charge of parking from the rental cost, and asked about State prohibitions against that. Mr. Aknin noted each rental unit received one parking space. The two- bedroom units formerly received two free parking spaces. Now, the renter paid for a second space. Vice Mayor Shepherd asked why the number of parking spaces could deviate among cities. Mr. Aknin felt Ordinances had not caught up to the market charges for parking spaces. Charging for additional parking spaces was feasible when the rental units were located close to transit and ample free parking was not available. Vice Mayor Shepherd inquired about possible legal recourse. She asked if the two parking lots were lots or garages. Mr. Aknin stated they were parking lots. Vice Mayor Shepherd asked if there were plans to build garages on the lots for a future apartment complex. Mr. Aknin did not know. There were no long-term plans for anything other than parking on those lots. Vice Mayor Shepherd felt the property owners should provide adequate parking. Council Member Berman asked if Staff obtained a baseline analysis of the parking situation outside the proposed restricted area for future comparison. Mr. Rodriguez indicated by the end of August 2013 Staff would have an expanded footprint. Council Member Berman shared his experience counting cars in the Crescent Park area in January 2013. He hoped an RPP program was not implemented. He would reach out to the City of East Palo Alto regarding the parking problem. MINUTES Page 11 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Council Member Schmid noted the approval vote for Hamilton Avenue was exactly 70 percent. He asked Staff how they would draw the boundaries for counting residences. Mr. Aknin explained the 70 percent requirement came from traffic calming guidelines and was used to inform the Staff recommendation. For an RPP program, Staff would provide percentages for the P&TC and the Council to make their own determinations. Because Staff utilized 51 percent for the College Terrace permit program, they would utilize it again for other RPP programs. Council Member Schmid stated the definition of a block was very important, especially along the periphery of the affected area. Palo Alto had city-wide parking problems. He inquired whether Staff would utilize the same policies for permit programs in other neighborhoods. Mr. Aknin indicated the rules for an RPP program would be slightly different from the rules for an overnight parking permit program. Staff needed to develop policies for an RPP program. Council Member Schmid was referring to the emergency Ordinance of no overnight parking. Mr. Aknin reported no other neighborhood had requested an overnight parking ban. Most requests focused on RPP programs related to commercial intrusion into residential neighborhoods. Council Member Schmid asked if parking ratios for dense commercial development or dense housing development were appropriate. East Palo Alto apartments were looking more like Palo Alto apartments. Mr. Aknin explained that parking ratios would be one of the critical points of the Downtown Development Cap process. Council Member Schmid inquired if the Downtown Development Cap Study would be performed soon. Mr. Aknin responded yes. Council Member Burt inquired whether signage would be placed prior to implementation and enforcement of parking restrictions. Mr. Rodriguez explained the plan was to place signs on all the streets in the program over the next two to three weeks. MINUTES Page 12 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Council Member Burt asked if Staff was working collaboratively with the City of East Palo Alto on the parking problem. Mr. Rodriguez answered yes. Council Member Burt suggested parking on Woodland Drive could be a stopgap measure until the new parking lots were ready. It was appropriate to have super majority support to opt into a parking program. He inquired whether Staff should be given discretion to grant hardship permits. Mr. Aknin indicated neighborhood residents had not raised that concern. If the issue was raised, Staff could return to the Council for guidance. Council Member Burt supported adding Staff discretion to the Motion to prevent Staff from returning to the Council for direction. Mr. Aknin wanted to consider criteria for a hardship. Council Member Burt wanted to leave hardship criteria to Staff discretion. Mr. Aknin was agreeable. Council Member Burt understood there were vacant parking spaces since Equity Partners began charging for them. However, Staff indicated there were no vacant spaces. He requested clarification of that issue. Mr. Aknin was not sure all parking spaces were occupied. Mayor Scharff inquired whether the parking problem began in 2011 when Equity Partners bought the apartment complexes. Mr. Aknin indicated the problem arose in 2012 once Equity Partners implemented its policies. Mayor Scharff recalled the previous owners of the apartment complexes attempted to raise rental rates. He agreed with Council Member Burt's suggestion to allow Staff discretion to set criteria for hardships. He requested the Motion include Staff discretion to extend permits for more than one night. Molly Stump, City Attorney, reported State law required the program be authorized by Resolution or Ordinance. Under those circumstances, allowing Staff discretion needed to be considered carefully and parameters set. MINUTES Page 13 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Mr. Aknin recommended the cost of the overnight permit be decreased to $1 or $2. Mayor Scharff preferred Staff draft criteria and place the item on the Consent Calendar. If three Council Members objected to the item, then they could remove it from the Consent Calendar. The Council wanted the program to work for the neighborhood. INCORPORATED INTO THE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND SECONDER that the residential parking permits shall not exceed $5 a night and if possible may be purchased online from the City. MOTION PASSED: 9-0 4. Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 9.14 (Smoking Regulations) of the Municipal Code to Either Ban Smoking in all City Parks, or Ban Smoking in City Parks Except the Municipal Golf Course and a Designated Area at Mitchell, Greer and Rinconada parks; Increase No-Smoking Buffer Zones; and Make Findings. Gregory Betts, Director of Community Services, reported merchants of Downtown requested Staff consider a smoking ban in Downtown Plaza, Cogswell Plaza, and a small park off California Avenue. Staff presented the matter to the Policy and Services Committee on March 19, 2013. The Policy and Services Committee requested Staff present the Council with a draft Ordinance for parks under 5 acres. Upon presentation to the Council, Council Members supported a smoking ban for all parks and open space areas in Palo Alto. Vice Mayor Shepherd moved that the Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC) consider exemptions for larger City parks. On May 28, 2013, PARC recommended that the Ordinance apply to all open space areas, and future non-smoking areas could be designated in high- traffic areas of the Golf Course. PARC also recommended that smoking areas in Rinconada, Greer, and Mitchell parks be considered. Staff provided two options, both of which banned smoking in open-space areas and increased no-smoking zones around buildings from 20 feet to 25 feet. Alternative A banned smoking at all parks and open space areas. Joel R. Betts supported Alternative B. The opposing interests of smokers and non-smokers should be studied further. Banning smoking in open space areas was sensible, because of the fire hazard. MINUTES Page 14 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 MOTION: Vice Mayor Shepherd moved, seconded by Council Member Price to: 1) amend Chapter 9.14 (Smoking and Tobacco Regulations) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, by adding Section 9.14.005 (Purpose), 2) approve a new Section 9.14.035 (Smoking Prohibited – Public Parks) (Attachment A), and 3) amend Section 9.14.010 (Definitions) to increase the no-smoking buffer zone near public building entrances from 20 to 25 feet for consistency with LEED standards. Vice Mayor Shepherd originally moved for smoking zones in open space areas; however, smoking zones in open space areas would not be wise. Smoking did not appear to be a problem in City parks. The policy should be consistent; therefore, she preferred smoking be banned in all parks. Council Member Price felt smoking should be prohibited in order to protect public health, welfare, and safety in public parks. Banning smoking would reduce litter and fire hazards. Council Member Kniss felt designated smoking areas would be worse than at-large smoking in City parks. The Council's responsibility was to protect the public. Council Member Schmid requested Ms. Hetterley provide PARC comments regarding the Golf Course. Jennifer Hetterley, Park and Recreation Commission Chair, reported PARC felt the Golf Course was a different setting in that people on the Golf Course were spread out over a large area, children were not playing nearby, and for many golfers a cigar was part of the golf experience. PARC did not want to risk turning away clientele when the City was attempting to build a clientele for the redesigned Golf Course. Once the Golf Course reopened, the issue could be reconsidered. AMENDMENT: Council Member Schmid moved, seconded by Council Member Berman to except smoking on the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course. Council Member Schmid noted PARC held a long discussion and excepted the Golf Course. Because of the City's investment in the redesigned Golf Course, it should be an exception to the smoking ban. Council Member Berman would not want smoking allowed in areas at the Golf Course where people congregated. Health concerns were less for smoking on the Golf Course because people were spread over the course. MINUTES Page 15 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Council Member Burt agreed with restricting smoking in parks to the extent it impacted park users. There was a delicate balance between legislating behavior and restricting impact on others. PARC's recommendation, Attachment B, was more appropriate. He had a reservation about prohibiting smokers from using parks because they were smokers. SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Council Member XXX to approve Attachment B; 1) “to Establish New Smoking Restrictions for All Parks, with Exceptions for the Municipal Golf Course and Designated Smoking Zones at Greer, Rinconada and Mitchell Parks, 2) Increase No-Smoking Buffer Zones from 20 to 25 feet for Consistency with LEED Standards and, 3) Make Findings Regarding the Purpose of No- Smoking Regulations” per the majority recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Commission. SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILED DUE TO LACK OF A SECOND Council Member Klein did not support the Amendment. Golfers encouraged young people to play golf to continue the sport, and he did not want to encourage young people to smoke while playing golf. Council Member Holman did not believe smoking should be allowed on the Golf Course. The City should be consistent in supporting good health practices. If golfers did not play the course because of the ban, then the Council could reconsider the issue. AMENDMENT FAILED: 3-6 Berman, Burt, Schmid yes MOTION PASSED: 8-1 Burt no 5. Review of the City of Palo Alto/Neighbor's Abroad Sister Cities Program, Discussion of International Relationships Strategy, Authorization to Engage in a Non-Binding "Smart Cities Partnership Agreement" with the City of Heidelberg, Germany, and Direction on Exploring Future "Smart City" Partnerships. Thomas Fehrenbach, Manager of Economic Development, reported the intent of the item was to build a framework and strategy for choosing cities and regions for partnership and methods to measure success. Staff sought Council direction to work with Neighbors Abroad and other volunteer leaders to explore a new model for future global partnerships. The first part of the recommendation authorized the Mayor to execute a Smart Cities Partnership Agreement with Heidelberg, Germany. Staff would utilize the non-binding agreement as a test case for a new model of partnership and work with MINUTES Page 16 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Neighbors Abroad and other community members who supported the partnership. The idea was to build a structure for a fruitful exchange and to measure outcomes. If approved, the Mayor and Council Members would sign the agreement in October 2013 in Germany. Staff recommended the Council discuss the Bay Area Council's invitation to participate in the U.S.- China Symposium in October 2013 in Shanghai, China. The conference aligned with the City's current exploratory agreement with the Yangpu District in Shanghai. Staff could work with Stanford University to explore creation of a Local Government Innovations and Entrepreneurship Fellowship in the City Manager's office. That position could be mirrored at the University of Aalto in the City of Espoo, Finland. Staff could return to the Council in early 2014 with any plans for a fellowship. Staff requested Council direction to work with Neighbors Abroad to determine whether current sister cities were interested in a new relationship. Robert Moss felt the potential agreement with Yangpu regarding technological and scientific information could be a problem. Bing Wei, Bay Area Council, stated the agreement was designed to provide a broad structure for partnership. She supported the City signing an agreement with the City of Heidelberg. Vice Mayor Shepherd asked why Heidelberg would be considered a test case when the Yangpu agreement was in place. Mr. Fehrenbach indicated the cultural and business differences between the US and China allowed for the building of cultural understanding. Because the City had worked with Heidelberg over the past few years, the relationship was more tangible. MOTION: Vice Mayor Shepherd moved, seconded by Council Member Kniss to: 1) authorize the Mayor to execute the attached “Smart Cities Partnership Agreement” (Attachment 5) with the City of Heidelberg, Germany at a ceremony to be held in October 2013; 2) discuss the Bay Area Council’s invitation to the Mayor and/or other Council Members to represent the Council in the US-China Collaboration Symposium in October 2013, with special focus on the Smart Cities Conference in Yangpu, Shanghai; 3) direct Staff to work with Stanford University to explore the creation of a Government Innovations and Entrepreneurship Fellowship; and 4) direct staff to work in collaboration with Neighbors Abroad and other community volunteers to explore the addition of the “Smart City” concepts to existing Sister Cities who might be interested. MINUTES Page 17 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Vice Mayor Shepherd believed the City should work with Neighbors Abroad to develop economic relationships. She reported on the student exchange with Yangpu. A closer relationship with Yangpu would provide good experiences. Palo Alto had a natural synergy with Heidelberg's green energy. All Council Members were invited to the symposium in Shanghai. Council Member Kniss indicated Neighbors Abroad made a difference in the cultural aspects of Sister Cities. The new model provided an opportunity to interact on a different level with Sister Cities. Council Member Price inquired whether Staff would provide additional details concerning the fellowship position with Espoo, Finland. Mr. Fehrenbach reported the partnership with Stanford University to create the fellowship was a concept at the current time. Staff requested Council direction to explore that opportunity. Council Member Price inquired about the expenses Council Members were expected to pay for the trips to Germany and China. Mr. Fehrenbach stated Council Members were expected to pay their expenses. The Bay Area Council provided a reduced rate. Council Member Price asked if Staff would present information regarding resources needed to work on these programs. Mr. Fehrenbach could return with information for Council consideration. Council Member Holman expressed concern about the impact of these programs on City resources. SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Council Member Klein to go forward with Staff recommendations 1 and 3 at this time: 1) authorize the Mayor to execute the attached “Smart Cities Partnership Agreement” (Attachment 5) with the City of Heidelberg, Germany at a ceremony to be held in October 2013; and 3) direct Staff to work with Stanford University to explore the creation of a Government Innovations and Entrepreneurship Fellowship. Council Member Holman felt proceeding in phases was prudent. Because of earlier Council comments, Recommendation Numbers 1 and 3 were logical first steps. MINUTES Page 18 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Council Member Klein agreed the future was global partnerships. However, the Council needed to define its goals and determine metrics and resource impacts. He did not understand why Recommendation Number 2 needed Council action. Pamela Antil, Assistant City Manager, recalled that previously the Council decided Council Members would pay for travel. Staff provided Recommendation Number 2 to allow the Council to discuss payment of expenses. Council Member Schmid was excited by the prospect of building relationships with foreign cities. The intent was to build relationships with respect to technology, innovation and sustainability. One of the goals of the Heidelberg partnership was to assist businesses, which was not the City's responsibility. With respect to sustainability, exchanges with Heidelberg would benefit the City. He was attracted to Recommendation Number 3, because of the potential flow of ideas regarding government operations. That type of relationship could be valuable to the Council. Council Member Berman supported the Substitute Motion in order to understand the Smart City concepts and to solidify those concepts with a few cities. Mayor Scharff agreed with limiting action to Recommendation Numbers 1 and 3. The Substitute Motion did not preclude acting on Recommendation Number 4 once relationships were solidified with concrete proposals. Council Member Burt recommended the primary focus of the relationships relate to technology, innovation and government and best practices in sustainable cities. Heidelberg implemented innovative technologies that could benefit Palo Alto. He supported the Substitute Motion. Vice Mayor Shepherd wanted to include Recommendation Number 2 to allow Council discussion regarding payment of expenses. Recommendation Number 4 should be implemented to build a better relationship with Neighbors Abroad. Council Member Price supported the Substitute Motion. She acknowledged the important relationships built with Yangpu and China and the fine work of Neighbors Abroad. Because of impacts to City resources, she preferred to focus on Recommendation Numbers 1 and 3. With additional experience, the City could ensure future relationships were successful and mutually beneficial. MINUTES Page 19 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Council Member Holman requested Staff provide possible funding sources for Council trips. SUBSTITUTE MOTION PASSED: 7-2 Kniss, Shepherd no 6. From Policy & Services Committee: Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program. Council Member Kniss, Chair of the Policy and Services Committee, felt the proposed Recruitment Program would be innovative and provide cost savings. It would better utilize City resources and alter the methods for advertising open positions. A volunteer fair would allow the community to learn about service to the City. Donna Grider, City Clerk, was excited by the proposed Recruitment Program. Staff researched practices in other cities in the Bay Area, and other cities were interested in the proposed program. She wanted to recognize Board and Commission Members for their service in the fall of 2013. Ronna Jojola Gonsalves, Deputy City Clerk, related Staff's interaction with the Policy and Services Committee. Staff's first recommendation was to place recruitment on a biannual schedule. Currently recruitment occurred approximately 11 times per year due to expired terms and resignations. Staff recommended the Council review mid-term resignations and determine whether to hold a special recruitment. The City was required to advertise in the Palo Alto Weekly. Less than 10 percent of applicants indicated they learned of the recruitment through the Palo Alto Weekly; therefore, Staff requested the ability to advertise through other media and to focus on the targeted audience. Staff proposed accepting applications continuously. When current liaisons, Commissioners and Council Members participated in recruitment, the City received dramatically more applications. A volunteer fair would allow existing volunteers and Staff to meet with potential applicants. Staff wanted to host an annual recognition event, beginning in 2013. In addition, applications were being revised. The Policy and Services Committee recommended a second phase to train and mentor new Commissioners and Board Members. Palo Alto Free Press indicated Council Member Klein was involved in petitioning the Court to grant the designation of newspaper of general circulation to the Palo Alto Weekly. This was a conflict of interest. He would file an ethics complaint against Council Member Klein. Council Member Klein stated Mr. Peterson-Perez was referring to events of 30 years ago. Prior to Council Member Klein joining the Council, his law firm MINUTES Page 20 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 represented Palo Alto Weekly. Once he joined the Council, he was not involved with representation of Palo Alto Weekly. Council Member Kniss felt the Recruitment Program was important. Many cities held recognition events for Board Members and Commissioners. MOTION: Council Member Kniss moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Shepherd to approve the Policy and Services Committee recommendations to adopt an ordinance and Resolutions 9370 and 9371 (Attachment A) updating the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program by: 1) realigning Board and Commission terms to match a biannual recruitment schedule with the Human Relations Commission, Library Advisory Commission, Public Art Commission, and Utilities Advisory Commission recruitments in April each year and the Architectural Review Board, Historic Resources Board, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning and Transportation Commission, and Storm Drain Oversight Committee recruitments in October of each year; 2) allowing for midterm resignations to be reviewed by Council on a case by case basis; 3) providing the City Clerk latitude on how to advertise in local media; 4) directing the City Clerk to continuously accept applications throughout the year; 5) encouraging Staff Liaisons and Commission Members to commit to participation in the Boards and Commission Recruitment Program; 6) directing the City Clerk to hold a trial volunteer fair inclusive of all applicable City Government volunteer opportunities, with a table for each Commission, hosted by the City in March 2014; and 7) directing the City Clerk to begin hosting in 2013 an annual Boards and Commissions Members recognition event. Vice Mayor Shepherd believed revision of the Recruitment Program was long overdue. Council Member Holman hoped the changes would generate excitement for recruitment. INCORPORATED INTO THE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND SECONDER to add “create a training and mentoring program for new Commissioners.” INCORPORATED INTO THE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND SECONDER to add language stating that each table at the Trial Volunteer Fair will be staffed by a Commissioner and/or Staff Liaison. MINUTES Page 21 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 Council Member Holman suggested the Historic Resources Board (HRB) make recommendations to City Staff rather than the Architectural Review Board (ARB). That language made the HRB subservient to the ARB, which made recruiting for the HRB difficult. Mayor Scharff did not believe the issue was agendized for the current meeting. Council Member Holman indicated the language was in the document proposed for adoption. Molly Stump, City Attorney, reported an Ordinance adjusted the procedural aspects of appointing new Commissioners. Council Member Holman's suggestion related to land-use and historical issues and substantive authority. That topic was a separate item and should be agendized. Council Member Schmid inquired whether Staff would present resignations to the Council for determination of when to recruit for the vacant positions. Ms. Grider stated Staff would present resignations to the Council to determine whether to leave positions vacant until the next recruitment or hold a special recruitment. Council Member Schmid asked if Staff would hold continuous recruitment. Ms. Grider answered yes. Staff could provide applications along with resignations. Council Member Schmid suggested advertisements move away from the general circulation commitment. Advertising to the general public was as valuable and important as utilizing internal contacts. Council Member Berman looked forward to positive results from the revised Recruitment Program. Council Member Burt encouraged Staff to consider holding volunteer fairs as part of community events where community attendance was high. Participation of Board Members and Commissioners certainly benefited recruitment; however, the danger was recruitment would be limited to a small population. MINUTES Page 22 of 22 City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 8/12/13 INCORPORATED INTO THE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND SECONDER to add clarification of intent for Item Number 5 on the Motion, by adding “broadening potential applicants to be drawn from a larger and more diverse section of the community.” Vice Mayor Shepherd did not believe the proposed language changed current practice. Council Member Burt explained the intent was to reach out to a broad portion of the community. Vice Mayor Shepherd did not believe the language was necessary but would accept it. MOTION PASSED: 9-0 COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Council Member Klein announced that Nicole Sandkulla would become Executive Director of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency on September 30, 2013. She would address the Council later in 2013 or in early 2014. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 P.M.