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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-07 City Council Summary MinutesCITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL FINAL MINUTES Page 1 of 17 Special Meeting October 7, 2019 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers at 5:04 P.M. Present: Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Fine, Kniss, Kou, Tanaka Absent: Study Session 1. Study Session With Stanford Research Park Transportation Management Association (TMA). Philip Kamhi, Chief Transportation Official reported the Stanford Research Park (SRP) Transportation Management Association (TMA) reduced single- occupancy vehicle trips, reduced local and regional congestion, partnered with Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Alameda-Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit) to maintain levels of service, and made employment in SRP more desirable. Jamie Jarvis, SRP Programs Director advised that transportation programs were available to all companies and employees in SRP. SRP's programs complemented programs offered by tenants and served both large and small companies. She highlighted the programs implemented in the TMA's first three years. Core programs included information, personalized assistance, a guaranteed ride home and points rewards. Mode-specific programs included VTA SmartPasses, Caltrain shuttles, commuter buses, Scoop carpool, vanpools, free onsite bike tune-ups, Bike Champions, Women on Wheels and a park-wide Bike to Workday. A dedicated outreach coordinator provided one- on-one, personalized assistance on request. Staff responded to requests for information submitted in the annual survey. In 2019, 6,569 people responded to the employee commute survey, and 1,093 of the responses contained write-in comments. Solo driving continued to decline, and the TMA had achieved a 10 percent reduction in solo driving since the TMA began in 2016. Transit use had increased from 6 percent to 11 percent, and Caltrain was the most used transit option. Sixteen percent of transit riders used Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to connect to the Dumbarton Express and Caltrain. The California Avenue station was used most often by commuters. Scoop carpool registered users totaled 8,000, but employees also participated in traditional carpools. SRP companies had adopted 37 VTA bus stops and all shelters. The FINAL MINUTES Page 2 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 TMA had partnered with public agencies to retain public transit service. To retain service in 2020, SRP companies were likely to pay twice the amount paid in 2019. Additional train service had been achieved at California Avenue. The TMA was working with SamTrans on a new route between San Francisco and SRP. In 2019, the TMA focused on identifying significant enhancements to ensure long-term success. Improved bike access and amenities were keys to increasing bicycle commuting and last-mile connections. Three custom- designed bus shelters supported and encouraged transit use. Tiffany Griego, SRP Managing Director indicated a 22,000 square foot office building in SRP would house the TMA and SRPGo services. The building was the focal point to attracting employees to transportation programs and would be located at an intersection served by many modes of transit. The project was consistent with seven transportation element goals and several business and economic element goals outlined in the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan. The building was to open in 2021. Stanford University and SRP companies were fully committed to transportation efforts and to reducing solo driving by facilitating the use of commute alternatives. Establishing effective transportation programs required flexibility, partnership, experimentation, and the freedom to add and subtract programs. Council Member DuBois asked who owned the vans used for vanpools. Ms. Jarvis explained that Commute for Enterprise owned the vans. A vanpool coordinator was designated and signed an agreement with Commute for Enterprise to operate the van. Two drivers were assigned to each van, and each driver was required to be 25 years of age and to have possessed a driver's license for five years. Riders paid $100 per month for vanpool service. The TMA paid rental fees, gas, and tolls. Typically, the TMA paid at least half the cost. Council Member DuBois asked if long distance bus service was offered directly. Ms. Jarvis responded yes. Bus service was provided to areas that needed transit. Council Member DuBois inquired regarding the success of Scoop carpools. Ms. Jarvis felt Scoop had been a good partner with the TMA. Each year, TMA staff evaluated the potential of utilizing a second carpool partner. Council Member DuBois remarked that companies in the Bay Area were offering free e-bikes for six months as an introduction to biking further distances. At the end of the program, users received a discount for continued use of the program. FINAL MINUTES Page 3 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Ms. Jarvis related that some SRP companies were using those programs. She wanted to utilize the Palo Alto bikeshare program and perhaps supplement it with one of the e-bike programs. Council Member DuBois inquired regarding the number of SRPGo staff members. Ms. Jarvis indicated three full-time staff and about eight contractors. Council Member DuBois asked about funding for the TMA. Ms. Jarvis advised that Stanford University funded the TMA with SRP companies contributing for services that directly served the companies' employees. Council Member DuBois asked if the TMA was expected to breakeven or was considered a benefit for SRP companies. Ms. Griego reported over time the TMA wanted to deliver a tangible value proposition to companies so that they felt their TMA investments had a direct payback. The primary goal was to make daily commutes easier. Council Member DuBois asked if the TMA was interested in being part of a regional TMA. Ms. Jarvis explained that the TMA was large enough to benefit from scale and partnerships and small enough that staff knew many of the commuters. The TMA was the most effective by focusing on the SRP and SRP tenants. Ms. Griego added that the TMA's efforts to preserve public transit services provided value to other TMAs. Many of the SRP companies were willing to share their data and allow employees to share information with the SRP TMA so that programs were able to be optimized and could provide a return on investment to SRP companies. Council Member DuBois appreciated the TMA's policy on utilizing public transit. He asked if operating the TMA was logical for SRP and SRP companies. Ms. Griego replied yes. Council Member DuBois commented that the Finance Committee had considered providing a credit on a potential Business Tax to companies that funded a TMA. Ms. Griego related that some SRP companies chose to fund the SRP TMA and could not envision paying a tax that funded the same effort. FINAL MINUTES Page 4 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Council Member Kniss requested the reasons SRP employees chose to utilize commute alternatives. Ms. Jarvis indicated the reasons were numerous. Employees hated commuting or wanted to build coworker relationships or increase productivity. Scoop users commuted because they liked to meet new people. Council Member Kniss asked if there was one mode of transportation that most people preferred. Ms. Jarvis advised that most employees wanted to take a train, but carpooling was the most convenient mode of transportation. Vice Mayor Fine inquired about the number of users of the lunch shuttles. Ms. Jarvis reported two shuttles traveled between SRP and California Avenue during lunch time with a 20 minute frequency. Ridership was growing. Vice Mayor Fine asked if the actual use of a transit pass could be measured. Ms. Jarvis replied yes for VTA SmartPasses but not for Caltrain Go Passes. Vice Mayor Fine inquired whether employees could continue to utilize passes after their employment ended. Ms. Jarvis responded no. Vice Mayor Fine inquired about the cost of shifting an individual from a single- occupancy vehicle to public transit. Ms. Jarvis did not have that data because the cost of each program was different. Vice Mayor Fine inquired whether use of parking lots had decreased with the decrease in solo driving. Ms. Jarvis related that parking counts were not conducted. Vice Mayor Fine inquired about the vision for parking lots if programs continued to reduce solo driving. Ms. Jarvis reported employees had requested basketball courts, soccer fields, and walking trails. Vice Mayor Fine invited SRP companies to attend the October 15, 2019 Finance Committee discussion of a Business Tax. FINAL MINUTES Page 5 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Council Member Cormack inquired about the TMA's subsidy of Scoop. Ms. Jarvis indicated the TMA's cost was approximately $2-$3 per trip, with a trip being counted for each passenger traveling to or from a destination. Two persons in a carpool traveling to and from SRP counted as four trips. Council Member Cormack requested the ridership for vanpools, Scoop, and traditional carpools. Ms. Jarvis explained that vanpool users comprised 2 percent of total ridership and carpool user’s 11 percent of total ridership. She did not know the number of traditional carpool users and Scoop users. Council Member Tanaka suggested parking counts be conducted to validate the reduction in traffic. He asked about a method to measure through traffic. Mr. Kamhi indicated the growth in demand for trips and other regional factors were unknown. Ms. Griego noted the County Expressway conducted a study of traffic trips coming off Highway 280 onto Page Mill Road. The study determined that 40 percent of those trips terminated at offices in SRP. Council Member Tanaka requested additional details of the rewards program. Ms. Jarvis explained that email addresses associated with SRP companies could track daily commutes on the SRPGo website. Points were awarded for each trip and could be redeemed as gift cards. Council Member Tanaka inquired about the approximate monetary amount that incentivized behavior change. Ms. Jarvis related that commute trips over a six-week period could obtain a $25 gift card. The gift cards were more of a reward than an incentive. Council Member Tanaka wanted to understand the elasticity of SRP employees. He asked if that was being measured. Ms. Jarvis reported customized software would provide more analytics for programs. Council Member Tanaka suggested Uber or Lyft costs could be less than the cost of the lunchtime shuttle, depending on utilization of the shuttle. Ms. Jarvis agreed that the cost could be less, but the number of car trips could increase. FINAL MINUTES Page 6 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Council Member Tanaka requested ways the City could assist the TMA. Ms. Griego commented that customer acquisition, marketing, and raising awareness of the SRPGo brand name were consistent challenges. She asked Staff and the Council to understand the challenges and the ongoing nature of the challenges. Council Member Kou requested the number of TMA staff members. Ms. Jarvis replied three full-time staff and eight part-time contractors. Council Member Kou requested Ms. Jarvis' title. Ms. Jarvis answered Director of Transportation Programs. Mayor Filseth inquired whether the 20,000 trips a month were all carpools or only Scoop carpools. Ms. Jarvis responded Scoop only. Mayor Filseth requested the source of the data. Ms. Jarvis advised that Scoop provided a monthly report of trip use. Mayor Filseth inquired whether the mode share results reflected employees taking transit some days and driving other days. Ms. Jarvis explained that the mode share was a daily average. On a given day, 37 percent of employees used a commute alternative. Sometime during the week, 58 percent of employees used a commute alternative. Mayor Filseth asked if surveys were sent to employees in the TMA's database or to all SRP employees. Ms. Jarvis reported surveys were sent to all SRP employees. SRP companies shared the survey through newsletters and onsite communication methods. TMA staff conducted many onsite events to obtain responses to the survey. Mayor Filseth requested a breakdown of geographic areas where employees lived and asked if the number of transit users varied by geographic area. Ms. Jarvis related that about 50 percent of employees lived in Santa Clara County, 20 percent in the East Bay, 20 percent on the Peninsula, and 10 percent in San Francisco. With respect to alternative use, San Francisco was first, East Bay was second, and Santa Clara County was third. FINAL MINUTES Page 7 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Mayor Filseth assumed that bicycling comprised 5-10 percent of mode share. Ms. Jarvis advised that approximately 4 percent of mode share was attributable to bicycling on a daily basis and about 10 percent sometime during the week. Nationwide, bicycle commuting was trending down. Safety was a primary concern about bicycling. Mayor Filseth inquired about the number of employees who lived within biking distance of SRP. Ms. Jarvis related that 6 percent lived within 5 miles of SRP and 13 percent within 10 miles. Approximately 25 percent of employees who lived in Palo Alto biked to SRP. The City Council took a break at 6:22 P.M. and returned at 6:30 P.M. Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions Mayor Filseth announced Staff had requested Agenda Item Number 11, “Adoption of a Resolution Approving an Updated Standard Form Master Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) …”, be continued to a date uncertain. City Manager Comments Ed Shikada, City Manager announced a public safety power shutoff could occur Tuesday or Wednesday and could affect parts of the City. The shutoff was likely to extend for several days. Palo Alto Connect, the City's newest blog, was available on medium.com/paloaltoconnect. A semi-annual Informational Report regarding the City's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) was provided in the Council's Packet. The Expanded Community Advisory Panel (XCAP) was to meet October 10, 2019. The next regularly scheduled meeting was October 16, 2019. October 6-12, 2019 was Fire Prevention Week, Public Power Week, and Public Natural Gas Week. Council Member Cormack requested the location of Fire Station Number 6. Mr. Shikada answered 711 Jane Stanford Way Street. Oral Communications Fred Balin advised that Staff incorrectly allowed Michael Alcheck to construct carports at two properties. Council Members who appointed Mr. Alcheck to the Planning and Transportation Commission needed to suggest he resign. Dave Warner believed Santa Clara Valley Water District's (Valley Water) $16 million payment for the salt removal plant should not be part of the transfer FINAL MINUTES Page 8 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 agreement. The agreement provided no value to Palo Alto, particularly in the context of reliability and reductions in imported water. Ken Joye indicated the Ventura Neighborhood Association thanked the City for purchasing the real property to expand Boulware Park and looked forward to working with Staff to plan the expansion. Zoe Wong-Van Haren hoped the City would adopt Reach Codes as Mountain View did. Minutes Approval 2. Approval of Action Minutes for the September 16, 2019 Council Meeting. MOTION: Mayor Filseth moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Fine to approve the Action Minutes for the September 16, 2019 Council Meeting. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Consent Calendar Council Member Cormack registered no votes on Agenda Item Numbers 7 and 17. Council Member Tanaka registered no votes on Agenda Item Numbers 3, 4, 7, and 14. Council Member Kou registered no votes on Agenda Item Numbers 7 and 14. MOTION: Mayor Filseth moved, seconded by Council Member Kniss to approve Agenda Item Numbers 3-10, 12-17. 3. Approval of Contract Number C19173550 With Accela, Inc., for Five Additional Years for Annual Software Maintenance and Support Services for Accela Citizen Access and Accela Automation Online Permitting Programs for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $791,344. 4. Approval of Contract Number C14151181 With SAP Public Services, Inc. for Licensing and Support for the Upgrade of the City’s SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System for a One-time fee of $227,504 and an Annual Support Fee of $50,051; and Approval of Contract Number C20175911 With Labyrinth Solutions Inc. (LSI), for Upgrade, Migration, Online Hosting and Support Services, and As-needed Technical/Functional Support Services, for the Upgrade of the City’s SAP ERP System in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $2,585,000. FINAL MINUTES Page 9 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 5. Approval of Contract Number C19173686 With Open Cities for Five Years for the Next Generation City Website in the Amount of $267,200. 6. Resolution 9859 Entitled, “Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Establishing the Southgate Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) Program as a Continuing Program With Modifications, Including Increasing the Number of Employee Parking Permits and Limiting the Number of Daily Parking Permits Available to Employees.” 7. Approval of an Exemption From Competitive Solicitation and Approval of Contract Number C20176858 With Sandis Civil Engineers for a Maximum Not-to-Exceed Amount of $121,000 for Design Services Related to the Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway Project (PL-14000). 8. Approval of the Electric Overhead Construction Services Contract Number C20172366A With Hot Line Construction, Inc. for a Total Not- to-Exceed Amount of $4,500,000 Over Three Years. 9. Approval of a Purchase Order With National Auto Fleet Group in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $576,745 for the Purchase of two 2019 Chevrolet G4500 Type III Ambulances, Utilizing a Cooperative Purchase Agreement, Funded Under Capital Improvement Program Project (VR- 19000). 10. Approval of Amendment Number 1 to Contract Number C15152971 With Contract Sweeping Services, Inc. for Street Sweeping Services, in Order to Extend the Term by six Months (Through April 24, 2020) and Increase the Rate Schedule by the Applicable Consumer Price Index (CPI) During the Additional six Months. 11. Adoption of a Resolution Approving an Updated Standard Form Master Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Purchase and Sale Agreement, Approving Master REC Agreements With Three Counterparties, and Modifying the Approval Process for Future Individual REC Master Agreements, Thus Amending Section 2 and Recital J of Resolution Number 9652. 12. Approval of a Five-year General Services Agreement With Universal Semiconductor Inc. d/b/a Universal Security Company in the Amount of $472,282 for Security Guard Services at the Municipal Services Center (MSC). 13. Approval of a Purchase Order With National Auto Fleet Group in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $379,429 for the Purchase of a 2020 Peterbilt FINAL MINUTES Page 10 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 337 Cable Puller With Crane, Utilizing a Cooperative Purchase Agreement. 14. Approval of Amendment Number 1 to Contract Number C18168707 With Metropolitan Planning Group to Increase Compensation by $250,000 for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $750,000 for the Existing Three-year Contract Supporting Planning Review; and Finding This Project Exempt From Environmental Review in Accordance With Section 15061 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. 15. Approval of Contract Number C20176719 With Alex Kushner General Inc. in the Amount of $614,909 for the Animal Shelter Renovation Capital Improvement Program Project (PE-19002). 16. Approval of Amendment Number 1 to Contract Number S18165157 With Smart Energy Systems, LLC., d/b/a SEW for Professional Services for the new Utilities Customer Portal, to add an Additional $215,500 and Extend the Contract Term for two Additional Years, for the Total Not-to- Exceed Amount of $346,123 Over the Five-year Term. 17. Direction to Staff to Negotiate an Agreement With Palo Alto Unified School District to Continue Leasing Cubberley Community Center for an Additional Five Years With Additional Terms as Provided in a Draft Term Sheet Negotiated by the Parties. MOTION PASSED FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 3-4: 6-1 Tanaka no MOTION PASSED FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBERS 5-6, 8-10, 12-13, 15- 16: 7-0 MOTION PASSED FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 7: 4-3 Cormack, Kou, Tanaka no MOTION PASSED FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 14: 5-2 Kou, Tanaka no MOTION PASSED FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 17: 6-1 Cormack no Council Member Cormack was not able to support Agenda Item Number 7 without additional information. She expressed disappointment that the design of Cubberley Community Center would not proceed. Council Member Tanaka believed the contract amounts in Agenda Item Numbers 3 and 4 were too high, and Staff should have sought competitive bids. In Agenda Item Number 7, the El Camino-Churchill bikeway should be part of the project. Agenda Item Number 14 should express a good reason for expending 50 percent more for contract services. FINAL MINUTES Page 11 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Council Member Kou concurred with comments regarding Agenda Item Number 7. The contract in Agenda Item Number 14 should include accountability for inspecting properties during construction. Action Items 18. Approval of the 2019 Workplan to Address the Council Priority “Transportation and Traffic.” Philip Kamhi, Chief Transportation Official read the Mission, Purpose, and goals of the Office of Transportation. The Office of Transportation's work was divided into six categories so that Staff could track the status and maintain progress of work. Activities previously approved and in progress included the Safe Routes to School five-year plan; Citywide traffic signal optimization and upgrades; Middlefield North traffic calming improvements; bike and scooter share programs; participation in the implementation of large projects; and the Palo Alto crosstown shuttle. Activities previously approved but being reevaluated included the bike boulevard implementation and follow-up report and the Embarcadero and El Camino Real Enhanced Bikeway Project. Big initiative activities included grade separations; evaluation and revision of the Residential Preferential Parking Permit (RPP) Program; a revised community engagement process; and data collection opportunities. He hoped to change community engagement with personal contacts and temporary treatments. Recruitments for a Safe Routes to School Coordinator, a Transportation Planning Manager, an Administrative Assistant, a Senior Engineer, and an Administrative Specialist were underway. Elizabeth Greenfield questioned the logic for prioritizing improved ease of public parking and increased traffic flow when the focus should be on a mode shift away from vehicles. Patricia Lau requested the Office of Transportation Plan and implement safety measures that would prevent trespass on the Caltrain right-of-way. Ken Kerschner asked the Council to eliminate projects that ease parking and increase traffic flow and to adopt a bike-first planning methodology. The Netherlands and Paris were models for the City to follow. The Council was able to consider a car-free Sunday program. Neilson Buchanan enthusiastically supported Mr. Kamhi's plans. A workplan needed to be prepared along with the Office of Transportation's annual budget. Ron Baker urged the Council to support the Office of Transportation. The Council had to develop an Integrated Funding Plan for grade separations. FINAL MINUTES Page 12 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Mark Mullineaux remarked that the Council could reduce car ownership by drastically increasing the cost of residential parking permits or eliminating on- street parking. Penny Ellson hoped the Office of Transportation would increase bicycle parking. Traffic flow and public safety were both high priorities. David Coale, Carbon Free Palo Alto noted the mission, purpose, and goals of the Office of Transportation did not mention climate change. Robert Neff suggested the Office of Transportation's goals consider people who traveled to Palo Alto via other modes of transit. The City needed good connections between modes of transportation and destinations. Making Palo Alto more bikeable and walkable made it a more livable and sustainable community. Traffic needed to be prioritized over parking. Kelsey Banes expressed concern that safety would be subordinate to traffic flow. People who chose a non-car mode needed to be prioritized for use of roadways. Kathy Durham commended the proposal for community engagement. Sustainability and safety of all users should be the top priorities. Council Member DuBois considered the report an organizational update rather than a workplan. The goals were good. Congestion relief needed to be a priority. Secondary goals were decreasing nonresident parking in neighborhoods and managing parking inventory. Perhaps Staff was able to consider a safe parking performance metric. The Council needed to review the Embarcadero-El Camino Bike Pathway Project when it was ready. The RPP implementation process should be streamlined. Council Member Kniss understood the Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan (Bike Plan) was adopted prior to 2013. Mr. Kamhi reported his plans included an in-depth review of the Bicycle Boulevard Project. The Bike Plan was due for an update. He wanted to understand the Bicycle Boulevard Project so that lessons learned could be incorporated into an update of the Bike Plan. Council Member Kniss suggested implementation of the Ross Road Project was the problem rather than the project itself. She inquired whether an offer had been made to a candidate for the Safe Routes to School Coordinator position. Mr. Kamhi advised that the candidate had accepted the City's offer and could begin work in November, 2019. FINAL MINUTES Page 13 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 MOTION: Council Member Cormack moved, seconded by Mayor Filseth to approve the 2019 Workplan to address the Council Priority “Transportation and Traffic.” Council Member Cormack appreciated Mr. Kamhi's willingness to improve community engagement. She inquired about a Staff person specifically for grade separations. Mr. Kamhi related that the Senior Engineer position would be responsible for grade separations. Recruitment for the position was to begin soon. Council Member Cormack felt sharing an analysis of the Bike Boulevard Project with the community was imperative. Mayor Filseth indicated the workplan included the major items. Council Member Tanaka requested Mr. Kamhi's thoughts about prioritizing modes of travel. Mr. Kamhi reported Staff should think about Complete Streets because it considered all modes of travel. Council Member Tanaka shared the City of Cambridge's plans for protected bike lanes. People had to feel safe using bikeways or they would use other modes of travel. Mr. Kamhi clarified Cambridge's plans for protected bike lanes. The City had implemented a similar project recently on Charleston-Arastradero. Engineering concerns and public opinion were factors in implementing bike boulevard projects. Council Member Tanaka noted a great deal of public feedback regarding the project on Arastradero. Temporary installations of projects were to help the public visualize and understand projects. The car-free Sunday program was interesting. He wanted to explore economic incentives to encourage use of transit. He inquired about the bike and scooter share pilot programs. Mr. Kamhi recalled that a pilot project had been approved but not implemented. He anticipated approving guidelines for a pilot project very soon; however, the March 2020 deadline needed to be extended. Council Member Tanaka suggested Staff consider the addition of bicycle parking and methods to improve the vitality of the University Avenue area. The biggest users of the different transportation modalities needed to be a part of community engagement. FINAL MINUTES Page 14 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Vice Mayor Fine encouraged Mr. Kamhi to provide the Council with frequent updates. Climate change needed to be integrated into the workplan. Mr. Kamhi clarified that the goals were based upon the Adopted Budget. Vice Mayor Fine commented that multimodal safety was the primary priority. Bicycle and pedestrian movements had to be emphasized. Ease of parking was a bit vague. Traffic and on-street parking and bike lanes needed to be considered as allocation of resources. He encouraged Staff to accelerate programs that provided more mobility options and to propose policies that could enable more mobility for people, goods, and services. Council Member Kou requested the rationale for Mr. Kamhi not being a department director. Ed Shikada, City Manager explained that Chief Transportation Official was a legacy title. Council Member Kou wished to ensure Mr. Kamhi had the authority of a department director. Mr. Shikada clarified that Code amendments would include the organization of the Office of Transportation and reflect consistency in job titles across departments and offices. Council Member Kou wanted to see more public education for pilot projects. She inquired whether the Office of Transportation would handle enforcement. Mr. Kamhi advised that the Office of Transportation handled enforcement for RPP programs. Otherwise, the Police Department or Code Enforcement handled enforcement. The Office of Transportation was to coordinate with the Fire Department, Police Department, Public Works Department, and Code Enforcement in developing plans. Council Member Kou wanted to include enforcement in plans to ensure public safety and to ensure use of the roadway did not cause frustration or rage. Mr. Shikada indicated the City Council would approve any Ordinances or regulations for plans and projects. Council Member Kou noted the goals and objectives did not refer to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mr. Kamhi reiterated that the goals were taken from the Adopted Budget. By law, all projects had to be accessible to all users. FINAL MINUTES Page 15 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Mr. Shikada related that education for users and members of the public was a core mission for transportation. Council Member Kou recalled the Comprehensive Plan's requirement for use of both Level of Service (LOS) and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). Mr. Kamhi clarified that VMT was required for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis of projects, but Staff would continue to use LOS for evaluations. Council Member Kou remarked that without review of transportation infrastructure for public transportation at the State and regional levels, it was difficult to provide options to vehicles. MOTION PASSED: 6-0 Kniss absent 19. Approval of the Recommended City Positions for the 2019 League of California Cities Resolutions. Monique LeConge Ziesenhenne, Interim Assistant City Manager reported Staff provided recommendations for the votes on two resolutions before the League of California Cities (LOCC). Neither resolution affected the City; therefore, Staff recommended the voting delegate abstain from voting on both. Robert Moss believed the City should take a position on serious issues that affected any part of California. Undergrounding utilities improved safety and reliability. The City of Palo Alto needed to support other cities in California by voting yes on both resolutions. MOTION: Vice Mayor Fine moved, seconded by Council Member XX to direct the Council-appointed voting delegate to abstain on the two resolutions up for consideration at the annual League of California Cities (LOCC) conference to be held in Long Beach, CA from October 16-18, 2019. MOTION FAILED DUE TO THE LACK OF A SECOND MOTION: Mayor Filseth moved, seconded by Council Member Kou to direct the Council-appointed voting delegate to support the two resolutions up for consideration at the annual League of California Cities (LOCC) conference to be held in Long Beach, CA from October 16-18, 2019. Mayor Filseth agreed that the City should support other cities in California affected by pollution flowing from Mexico. Local ratepayers had to pay for undergrounding utilities, or all California ratepayers were going to have to pay for the damage resulting from utility lines causing wildfires. FINAL MINUTES Page 16 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Council Member Kou concurred with Mayor Filseth. Council Member Cormack was comfortable supporting the second resolution but preferred to abstain on the first resolution. SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member Cormack moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Fine to direct the Council appointed voting delegate to abstain from Resolution 1 and support Resolution 2 up for consideration at the annual League of California Cities (LOCC) conference to be held in Long Beach, CA from October 16-18, 2019. SUBSTITUTE MOTION PASSED: 6-1 Kou no State/Federal Legislation Update/Action None. Council Member Questions, Comments and Announcements Council Member Cormack reported students from Addison Elementary wanted more trees. Council Member Kou advised that the San Francisco Community Roundtable had established an ad hoc committee consisting of three members from the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz Roundtable and three members from the San Francisco Roundtable. The Oakland Noise Forum was able to participate in the ad hoc committee. The committee was able to discuss noise monitors installed by San Francisco. The Caltrain Board had approved the Long Range Service Vision with the moderate growth scenario. Ed Shikada, City Manager was going to obtain and share the Caltrain Board's approval with the Council. Closed Session 20. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Title: City Manager Authority: Government Code Section 54957 (b) MOTION: Mayor Filseth moved, seconded by Council Member Kniss to go into Closed Session. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Council went into Closed Session at 8:29 P.M. FINAL MINUTES Page 17 of 17 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 10/07/2019 Council returned from Closed Session at 10:20 P.M. Mayor Filseth announced no reportable action. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:21 P.M.