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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-06-20 City Council Summary MinutesCITY COUNCIL MINUTES PALOALTO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGSARE BROADCAST LIVE VIA KZSU- FREOUENCY90.1 ON FM DIAL Regular Meeting June 20, 1988 ITEM Oral Communications Approval of Minutds Consent Calendar PAGE 60-125 60-125 60-125 I. Contract with Raymond J. Bragato, Inc. for 60-125 Addition of Surface Rock at East Meadow and Park Boulevard Substation 2. Report from Council Legislative Committee: AB 4099 (Presumption of Adverse Housing Impact) ; and AB 3049 (AIDS Presumption for Public Safety Officers) 60-126 3. PUBLIC HEARING: Finance and Public Works 60-126 Committee Recommendation re Adoption of (Interim) 1988-89 Budget 4. Finance and Public Works Committee Recommendation re Third Quarter Financial Report 60-127 5. Finance and Public Works Committee 60-127 Recommendation re Water Supply Issues Adjournment at 8:27 p.m. 60-130 60-124 6/20/88 Regular Meeting Monday, June 20, 1988 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue, at 7:30 p.m. PRESENT: Bechtel, (arrived at 7:34 p.m.), Cobb, Fletcher, Klein, Patitucci (arrived at 7:34 p.m.), Renzel, Sutorius, Woolley ABSENTz Levy ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 1. Ben Bailey, 171 Everett, spoke regarding his right to know how many complaints received by the Police Depart- mea1t resulted in disciplinary actions, and the fact that 19 weeks had elapsed since his original request.. 2. Edmund Power, 2254 Dartmouth Street, spoke regarding the destruction of the Yaht Harbor, Palo Alto City Council accountability, and the Winter Club dodge. 3. Sophia Dhrymes, 483 Hawthorne Avenue, spoke regarding the Palo Alto Police Department Complaints. 4. Bob Moss, 4010 Crme Street, spoke re emergency evacua- tion procedures in the event of hazardous spills or a toxic cloud, and the City's policy regarding the handi- capped, infirm and the elderly. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Council Mosiber Woolley moved, seconded by Klein, approval of the Minutes of May 23, 1988, as submitted. MOTION PASSED unanimously, Levy absent. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION & Council Member Cobb moved, seconded by Fletcher, approval of tho Consent Calendar. 1. CONTRACT WITH RAYMOND J. BRAGATO; INC.. FOR ADDITION OF SURFACE ROCK AT EAST MEADOW AND PARK BOULEVARD SUBSTI ON CMR: 7:8) (1 fo l ) Staff is further authorized to execute change orders to the contract up to $3,600. 60-125 6/20/88 2. REPORT FROM COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE: AB 4099 PRESUMPTION OF ADVERSE HOUSING IMPACT): AND AB 3049 (AIDS PRESUMPTION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS) T717274:16/725-02-01) NOTION PASSED unanimously, Levy absent. 3. PUBLIC HEARING: FINANCE AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION RE ADOPTION OF INTERIM 1988-89 BUDGET) CMR: 5:8) (7 -03/280-04 Council Member Patitucci said the interim budget allowed the various City departments to continue to operate _while the Finance and Public Works (F&P ) Committee and subsequently the Council, completed the final budget process which was targeted for late July, 1988. The interim budget was pre- pared by making adjustments across-the-board in order for revenues to balance with the expenditures. The F&PW Committee was currently reviewing the final budget recog- nizing the revenues and expenditures were not balanced, and were attempting to reduce the expenditures. The reductions would not result in an across-the-board process, The City's financial conditions was before the City Council several months ago, and the Council developed a series of guidelines for staff. The F&PW Committee had been reviewing a document which identified all of the different departments, the ser- vices they provided, as well as the persons/years associated with them. The document showed proposed cuts and noted the implications. The first round of hearings dealt with the City Manager and staff recommendations on what the cuts ought to be. The F&PW Committee made modifications to those recomunendatic:ns, and staff had an agenda of items to return to the Committee during the second round of hearings. To date, the F&PW Committee had reviewed the Capital Improvement Program, Police, Fire, Public Works, Social and Community Services, and the Council Appointed Officers Departments. It also considered the Utility Rates and Reserves in ?reparation for reviewing the Utilities Department budget. The Personnel Department: Information Resources, the Finance Department, and Planning Department still needed to be reviewed. The F&PW Committee had not taken any specific actions; some of the recommendations were tentatively accepted. One of the guidelines approved by Council was to find an additional ongoing $1 million. /year revenue, which was achieved by re-examining the rent rates the Utilities Department paid the General Fund. The $1.68 million in current dollars was built into the upcoming 1988-89 budget. The document contained appro"imataly a 52.5 position reduction which was more than the Council originally contemplated. The Council talked about reducing 60-126 6/20/88 $1 +i1 ►;on of recurring expenditures from the General Fund for each of the next two fiscal years, and using the reserves to soften the impact. There was a question regarding eliminating versus Leducig services. He believed the cut of approximately 7 percent should be absorbed with- out eliminating services. The F&PW Committee was wrestling with the definition of an "elimination or cutback of ser- vices." There could be a serious cutback in some services, but the City could still retain a core of services in those areas; the guidelines needed to be modified to reflect that. Mayor Sutorius declared the Public Hearing open. Receiving no requests from the public to speak, he declared the Public Hearing closed. MOTION: Council Member Patitucci for the F&PW Committee moved that the City Council adopt the (Interim) 1988-89 Budget. ORDINANCE 3817 entitled "ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO ADOPTING A BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1988-89' !LOTION PASSED unanimously, Levy absent. 4. FINANCE AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION RE THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL REPOYT (CMR:280.:8) (701-03/411) NOTION: Council Member Patitucci for the Finance and Public Works Committee moved that the City Council approve the ordinance amending the budget for fiscal year 1987-88 to provide for adjustments to budgeted revenue. ORDINANCE 3818 entitled °ORDINAN E OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CTY OF PALO ALTO AMENDING THE BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1987-88 TO PROVIDE FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO BUDGETED REVENUES' NOTION PASSED unanimously, Levy absent. 5. FINANCE AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION RE WATER SUPPLY ISSUES (CMR:267:8) (1123 ) MOTION: Council Member Patitucci for the Finance and Public Works Committee coved that the City Council 1) Approve the Report on the Condition of the City of Palo Alto Water Well System; and 2) Authorise staff to proceed with the recommendation of the Ceport on the condition of the City of Pala Alto Mater Well System. 60-127 6/2 0/88 Council Member Fletcher confirmed the staff report (CMR:267:8) indicated that sealing some of the wells would save the Water Utility another $115,500 in annual rent, and it would also reduce the General Fund by that amount. City Manager B11 Zaner answered yes. Council Member Fletcher asked if the wells could be reacti- vated if sealed, and whether there was any intent to sell the prcopcIrty. Mr. Zaner said the wells could be reactivated, but the prop- erty belonged to the General. Fund, and it would remain there. If at sometime in the future, the Council wanted to sell the property, it could do so. Vice Mayor Klein said there could be a reduction in income to the General Fund if the wells were closed, but there could also be an increase in revenue if the properties were sold and the ampint was added to the reserve. Council Member Renzel noted three criteria were used to determine which wells would be retained. She was concerned that some wells recommended for retention had a higher ptential for pollution than the wells that would be abandoned. With respect to the land use issue for the sites, the wells proposed to be r¢:t,ained were on parkland; the wells proposed for closuie were situated on land that could be sold. She was concerned that on an issue as vital as water, the City was using the potential sale price of the land as a heavily weighted factor in determining which well sites to close. She asked if staff had evaluated the clo- sures from a water quantity and quality standpoint as much as from the potential revenue source standpoint. Chief Water -Gas -Wastewater Engineer Doa',g Pursell said the bottom line was the economics factor. The cost of producing good quality water was an important issue. The staff used more than the three factors to determine whether a well should be abandoned or not. Council Member Renzel asked if the cost figure for producing good quality water factored in the value of the land. Mr. Pursell answered yes. Council Member Renzel confirmed that by approving • the recom- menaation, Council was not deciding to dispose of the four sites that were proposed to be abandoned as wells, and therefore, the City could use the property for some other purpose if it so desired, 60-128 6/20/88 Mr. Zaner said yes, and with respect to selling the prop- erty, it would require Council action. Mayor Sutorius said the economic considerations included land value, but the actual cost to produce quality water was a very important economic consideration. The _'ankings of Hale, Rinconada anti Peers Pauk were high because they were most immediately accessible as a very substantial water supply at an extremely low cost. Three wells ranked low because of the low water production capability, and in some cases, the location, and because of the costs associated with improving the wells to provide a specific capacity of quality water production. Council Member Patitucci said the concern with reactivating a well was the staff might not reopen a well at the same location because there could be a better location in the City. Bob Moss, 4010 Or me, representing the Barron Park Association (BPA), said BPA was concerned about the poten- tial closure of the Matadero well. While the well might not be the best producer or the highest quality of water in the City, it was located in Barron Park. In case of an earth- quake or some other major disaster, the residents would rather, have a small quantity -of relatively low quality water as opposed to no water at all. Health, safety, and emer- gency should be included in evaluating the closure of wells. BPA wanted additional wells opened west of El. Camino. The remaining wells would be clustered in the eastern half of the City, and the rest of the City would need to draw from those walls in the event of an emergency. He urged con- tinued access to the Matadero Well in order to test the well, and assure the residents that the acquifer had not bccc+me polluted. Mr. Pursell said the wells recommended to be retained would serve the entire City on an emergency level. There were also three Hatch Hetchy pipelines that served Palo Alto. Mayor Sutorius clarified the wells recommended for reten- tion, and the distribution system assured the Barron Park area service equal to the balance of Palo Alto. Mr. Pursell said yes. MOTION PASSED unanimously, Levy absent. 60.129 6/20/88 ADJOURNMENT Council adjourned at 8:27 p.m. ATTEST: APPROVED:_ 60-130 6/20/88