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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-02-12 City Council Summary MinutesRegular Meeting February 12, 1979 ITEM PAGE Oral Communications 5 0 6 Gloria Horne, Friends of the Library 5 0 6 Consent Calendar - Referral Items 5 0 6 Exchange of Property With Lounty of Santa Clara for Grant -Ash Mini Park 5 0 6 Consent Calendar - Action items 5 0 6 Finance and Public Works Committee Recommends to the City Council by Unanimous Vote that It Approve Phase I for Development of Greer Park 5 0 6 Ordinance re Title 18 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code 5 0 6 Public Employees' Retirement System 5 0 7 Sale of $1,150,000 City of Palo Alto Elertric and Gas Revenue Bonds, 1979 Series A 5 0 7 Public Hearing: Recommendation of the Finance and Public Works Committee - Community Development Stock Grant Funds, 1979-80 Public Hearing --Weed Abatement City Manager's Objectives Councilmember Witherspoon re City Manager's Report on Fee for Paramedics County Negotiations on Yacht Harbor Lease Request for Airport Liiusine'Rate Incfoase Historical Preservation Inventory and Report Welcome Former P yor Comstock Oral Communications Adjournment to Executive Session re Litigation Adjournment 505 2/12/79 507 506 509 51 4 514 515 516 5 I 6 515 515 515 f • l Regular Meeting February 12, 1979 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date at 7:30 p.m. in the Council chamber of City Hall. PRESENT: Brenner, Carey, Clay, Eyerly, Fletcher, Henderson, Sher, Witherspoon ABSENT: Fazzino ORAL CC NICATIONS 1= Gloria Horne, spoke for Friends of the Library and Concerned Citizens in presenting an award for excellence in journalism to Jay Thorweldson for his reportage of City matters that had come to the attention of the City Council throughout the past l3 years, in his capacity-as--reporter-for the Paso Alto -Ti`res. yoe Carey added his thanks to Jay Tborwaldson. Mayor Carey read the following items from the Consent Calendar: CONSENT CALENDAR Referral Items EXCHANGE OF PROPERTY WITH TIMTIST-- -- x, -___-- :146:9 ) Staff recommends that Council refer this matter to the Finance and Public Works Committee for discussion of alternatives, and formulation of policy direction. Action Items FINANCE MD PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE The Finance and Public Works Committee, in the meeting of January 23, 1979, recommends to the City Council, by unanimous vote, that it approve Phase I for the development of Greer Park. ORDINANCE RE TITLE 18 OF On January 29, 1979, Council had first reading of an ordinance making several changes to the zoning ordinance, establishing identical daylight plane requirements for P -C, OR, and CC zones which abut residential districts. This charge is clerical in nature. ORDINANCE 3108 entitled °ORDIMHCE OF THE CI1�Y OF PALO K'LTO SING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF TITLE 18 OF THt PALO ALTO MUNICIPAL CODE.4 (1st reading 1/29179) 506 2/12/79 PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM (CMR:142:9) Staff recommends that Council 3dopt the Resolution of Intention so that the City-PERS contract may be amended effective July 1, 1979, to include Section 21222.85 (one-time 3%-15% benefit increase for certain safety employees who retired prior to January 1, 1974). RESOLUTION 5650 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL Or THE CITY OF PALO ALTO OF INTENTION TO APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT BETWEEN THE BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION OF THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO." SALE OF 11,150,000 CITY OF PALO ALTO Staff recd er that Council Adnrt -ecelt't{on selling $1,150,000 City of Palo Alto electric and gas revenue bonds, 1979 Series A. This resolution has been reviewed and approved by the City Attorney's office. RESOLUTION 5651 entitled "A RESOLUTION KADINTSALt Or BONDS. ° Mayor Carey said the low bidder for the bonds was Smith, Barney, Harris, Upham and Ca ny, at 5.5977 percent. MOTION: Vice Mayor Henderson moved, seconded by Fletcher, that Council approve the ordinance, adopt the resolutions, approve the recommendation and rake the referral. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote, Councilmember Fazzino absent. PUBLIC HEARING: RECOMENDATION COMMITTEE ilifi9 F a �weRwM7V,�, ! i♦ —v-v tva .. 24:9; C :147:9) O i IMr rw s��IMMOMI r - Mayor Carey noted that Sargent Hearn of the Adlai E. Stevenson House was in the audience to answer questions. Vice Mayor arson, cha i roan of the Finance and Public Works Committee: said that the Citizens' Advisory Committee expedited the work on the Community Developmeet Block Grant, and the finance and Public Works Committee had made little change. There had been $90,000 to be re- programmed from the current year, as shown on page 2 of the staff report. The Citizens' Advisory Committee had recommended that the $90,000 be added to the Rental Housing Acquisition Program; after discussion with staff and the Housing Corporation the Finance and Public Works Committee had decided to allocate - the 890,000 as indicated in the report on page 2, because it thought program requ i rehments would not be great during the first year. Staff had pointed out heed for funds for the Stevenson House that water system, and had recommended programming ,000 of the $90,000 for the StevensonHouse Project, with consequent shift of progress 2, 3, and 4 to the 1979-80 program. flat shift did not affect overall recommendations of the advisory or Finance and Public Works Committee. Recommendations to the Council were by unanimous vote. MOTION:. Vice Mayor Henderson introduced the following Finance and Public Works Committee recommendations for bhe Community Development Block Grant program for 1979-80 and moved their r approval by Council: 801 21/12/79 A. Find that the proposed 1979-80 Community Development (CO) program will not have a significant environmental impact. B. That the nine projects plus the contingency on page 2 of CMR:124:9 be included in tfse 1979-80 CD program, with the following amendments: 1) that $5000 be added to the Senior Home Repair Service funding; 2) that $62,500 be added to the Stevenson House funding; 3) that $11,831 be added to the contingency fund; 4) that the PAAIRS request of $8169 be funded; and 5) that the Midpeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing'admirlistra- tion request for funding in the amount of $4500 be granted. C. That the staff be authorized to submit an application to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) including the 1979-80 CD program, the 1979$0 CD plan, and the 1979-80 HAP; and D. That staff be authorized to submit a project to Santa Clara County for the County to include in its CD application. That project would consist of the removal of architectural barriers to the handicapped on the Stanford campus and later may be amended to a housing program. RESOLUTION 5652 entit1 "PrES0i uTIO . OF THE Co',INcIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO ADOPTING A 1979-82 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND PROGRAM APPROVING A 1979-22 HOUSING � w� ..vt.rat�za ASSISTANCE PLAN, APPROVING THE USE OF 1979-82 COMKONITY DEVELOPMENT FUNDS, AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF AN ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT WITH THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARt.': RESOLUTION 5653 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL 07 -THE a +' -Pao ALTO AMENDING THE 1978-79 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND BUDGET." Mayor Carey declared the public hearing open, He ascertained that there was nobody in the audience who wished to speak on the matter. Mayor Carey declared the public hearingclosed, and returned the matter to Council. Counci1arermber Sher commended the Citizens' Advisory Committee for its efficiency; he voiced his appreciation to committee members and the chairperson, whose work had made the work of the Finance and Public Works Committee go smoothly. MOTION PASSED: The emotion for the Finance and Public Works Committee recommendations A through 0 for the Community Development Block Grant Program for 1979-80, and the two resolutions, passed on a unanimous vote, Councilmember Fazzino absent. �'UBLT Ri ING--WE T£ T (cMR:143:9) Mayor Carey said that it was the time and place set for a public hearing on Resolution 5628 declaring weeds to be a nuisance. He asked that the record show that notice of the hearing had been given in the time, manner, and form provided for in Chapter 8.08 of the Palo Alto Municipal code. He asked the City Clerk if she had received any written objections. Ann Tanner, City Clerk, replied that she had received no written objections. (Mayor Carey declared the public hea ri ng open and a sc erta i ned that no one present in the audience wished to be heard on the natter; he then declared the public hearing closed. He asked that the record show that no persons appeared or filed written objections against the weed abatement proceedings, and that any resolution passed by the Council on the getter would reflect that f i ndi ng . Roy Abrams, City Attorney, noted that the written record of parcels upon which weed abatement was to take place had been entered into cater record; ten of the parcels were owned by Stanford University. Stanford 508 2112/79 had received notice to abate the weeds; he did not think it was necessary for Councilmembers who were Stanford University employees to disqualify themselves, Councilmember Sher said that weei:s, so-called, were termed "a natural state" by Stanford. He asked if the matter would come before Council again. Mr. Abrams said that if the property owners did not abate the weeds the matter of costs for the City to do so would return to Council; at that time, if Stanford were involved, Councilmembers Sher and Witherspoon might disqualify themselves. Councilmember Sher said that the memorandum pointed out that the county administered the program. He said he would like to have current information on means of abating weeds used by the county. Alan B. Carder, County Fire Marshal, said that within the City of Palo Alto pis were abated by means of tractor disking, hand mowing, but no herbicides were used. Counc==i/me ber Eyerly if there was a weed abatement program for the Foo."h' l ; s e The Council had discussed the fire hazer, resulting from on larger housing lots in that area. Mr. Carder said that the County had the capability and worked with Palo Alto's Public Works Department and Fire Department. Roadside weed abatement did not fall within the limited scope of his work. MOTION: Councilmember Eyerly introduced the following resolution, and seconded by Henderson, moved that it be adopted by Council: RESOLUTION 5554 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL THE CITY OF PALO ALTO ORDERING WEED NUISANCE ABATED." The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote, Councilmember Fazzino absent. w®a e CITY MANAGER'S O3JECTIVES (CMR:154:9) George Sipel, City Manager, said he had thought it wise to make a public record of his objectives, a list of which was before Council. The list of five objectives did not encompass all of the things in which he bec3me involved, he said. Counc i 1 mcmber Brenner referred to Item 4 on the City Manager's list of objectives: "Select and develop a current ester of the management team to act as City Manager in my absence." She said she would like a better` understanding of the management team, that is, who was on it...perhaps a brief rundown. Mr. Sipel replied that the management team was composed of those who reported directly to the City !tanager: department heads in the operation, ranging froar, the police and fire chiefs, Director of Public Works, the Utilities Director...and also the three Council -appointed Officers (CA0). The group met for about one and one-half hours on a weekly basis, and dealt also with some policy considerations on an as -needed basis. The process had evolved over about a f i ve-year period; people with power in the organization talked about smatters important to the City on a regularly scheduled basis. There were eight or nine department heads, the three CAO's and the assistant to the City Manager. 509 2/12/79 Councilmember Brenner ascertained that the department heads listened to one another's problems, among other things. Councilmember Witherspoon referred to Point (b) Measurement of the City Manager's Objective 4: "Hours spent by me and new assistant consulting en assignment." She said she assumed Mr. Sipel was not planning to reduce the number of hours worked per week. Mr. Sipel replied that he thought "...it'll probably go the other way." Councilmember Witherspoon recalled Mr. Sipel having described thl tanageient Team. Mr. Sipe had, about two years ago, described it as not ohlyfor purpose of communication but also for problem solving. Was that still. the case? Mr. Sipel said that was still the case; it looked at organization -wide probl erns . That day the team had considered the problem of employee orientation, which, .though important, had not been given much recent consideration. Employee orientation had organization -wide implications. The team discussed problems of varying degrees of importance. Councilmember Witherspoon said she thought that perhaps the team could take nn some of the Cite;] management problems, as a team, not just through one pe rsnn. Mr. Sipel said he would have some concern about having some decisions made by a group; for example, there had been a team approach in the matter of a strike, but ultimately some one person had to make some decisions. quickly. Councilmember Witherspoon said she agreed ---the City Manager would, however, be there to do that. She had thought the team could help the City Manager, not take his place. Mr. Sipel said he had thought of selecting and developing a current member of the management team to act as City Manager in his absence; having someone work along with him on a day to day basis was not his objective. Last week, for example, he had attended a City Managers' meeting in Monterey, aed there had been no one here to sign papers, because the other authorized signer attended the City Managers' meeting also. Councilmember Eyerly said he thought the list of objectives was good but he wondered if enough epha s 1 s was being given to some matters he thought t important which were not included or, the list. For example, he thought negotiations with the county on the Baylands Master Plan were of prime. importance; also, the reorganization of Northern California Power Association (NCPA) seed very irportant, and had not been included. He thought the City Manager should have direct input on that, or a member of his staff. Councilmember Eyerly said that the Eldredge case concerning property in the foothi 1 l s sass also coming up He hoped Mr. Sipel would be well informed on developments in that case. He asked for comments on those three matters, which he thought of prime importance. Mr~. Sipel said that had he listed ten rather than five objectives, the three given by Counci l umber Eyerly would have been among them. In the current year, he noted, liets of objectives for management employees. had been restricted to *bout six. In previous years each had had as mem high as ten objectives.- He would be involved fn those three: He spent a couple of hours a week on the Baylands Master Plan. He said he was less involved in the NCPA because he had so couch confidence in Ed Aghjayan, Utilities Director, and he kept the City Manager informed periodically. Mr. Sipel said he would continue his involvement in the Eldredge litigation in the foothills. 5 1 0 2/12/79 Vice Mayor Henderson said he too had had some concern about possible reduction in number of hours, as mentioned in the measurement of objec- tive 4(b). Mr. Sipel said he had been concerned about net being able to do the same numbers of things as in the past, yet he was not sure just what things would receive less attention, as a result of cutbacks in staffing. That was difficult to measure, He thought that were 50 percent more hours added he could do much more than in the past, but it was not an attractive option to him. Vice Mayor Henderson referred to the Measurement for Objective 5 (c): "List of important projects that did not receive adequate attention (ray judgment and City Council's)." He thought that alternate revenue sources in the wake of Proposition 13 cuts, and school closings, might be two such items. Vice Mayor Henderson said he thought perhaps Councilmembers might contact the City Manager and list matters they too found important. Mr. Sipel answered that he needed to know what Councilmembers thought important for him to put his time on, for though he had his own idea of was important, an whatd t _ ` to spend i '. what was i�.�rs.r, ;rtttl4, flfri.l he wanted time on, that did not?- tell hip: how Councilmembers and Council wanted him to spend his time.' At present he perhaps could be justified in spending 30 to 40 percent of his time on school closings, though, in his view of priorities, he was not likely to do so. Where his resources should go should be a joint decision. Councilor tuber Clay asked Mr. Sipel if he thought priorities should come from individual Councilmembers, or the Council as a body. Mr. Sipel replied said that the process could start by contacts with individual Councilmembers. Also, such decisions could be made at this or subsequent Council meetings. Counci lreaber Clay said he thought that individual Councilmembers should give their own lists of priorities, then, with response from the City Manager, Council could act as a body. He moved to the City Manager's Objective 5: "'Reduce scope of City Manager's office activities to meet available personnel resources." What did Mr. Sipel Bean when he said "scope"? Amount of work, or kind of matter involved in? Mr. Sipel said he would define "scope" in this present usage as meaning that his involvement in some issues just could not be as aeep as it. . might -once have been --"I have to rake a decision as to whether I want to spend 15 minutes on it or four hours....and hope that it will work out - 0Cay." He likened it to playing roulette so far as making errors was concerned. He thought there was likelihood of more errors being made because the organization did not have experienced people in sensitive positions to catch errors. He thought he had not been as involved in the proposes Capital Improvements Program as he or others had been in previous years. The program could have been more completeV thought through. He hoped it would not happen often, and that it would be in areas that were not very important. Councilmember Clay conjectured that for Mr. Sipel to feel more satisfied about the list of important projects that did not receive adequate attention, as noted in Measurement 5 (c), he would inform Council of his decision so that it could be consistent with Cit'i aims. Mr. Sipel said he saw that evening's meeting as a beginning point in determining things upon which mutual agreement of importance had been reached. That might mean another look should be taken at the goals in written form in about three months; in August, for example, another look might be taken at gloat this should have received more attention. 511 i 2/12/79 Councilmember Sher referred to 4 (a) which called for development of a current member of the management team to act as City Manager in the event of Mr. Sipel's absence, to be approved by the Council. Did Mr. Sipel think the City Council would approve that concept or the person? Mr. Sipel said he thought that approval should be of both the concept and the person. If Council decided it did not want a City Manager�in his absence he would accede to Council's wishes. Under the City'cole, if the person were to be called Assistant City Manager, Council's approval would be needed, and so he would bring the matter before Council. Councilmernber Sher summarized that the question had not yet been decided; this was the first step toward making that decision. He referred to Objective 1: Implement 1978-79 budget reductions in a manner which is sensitive to public and organizational needs," considering staff changes, changes suggested by the public, and changes recommended by staff. He asked if Mr. Sipel would review the impact of budget reductions on delivery of services in the City periodically with Council, Mr. Sipel said he intended, at the present time, to do that by way of the Finance and Public Works Committee, with adjustments to be made as part of the budget process. He said he thought he had a responsibility to let Council know how things were going and/or what things were going to happen. A number of the reductions would not actually take place until 3-5 months from now, when the full impact of cuts made in December would be felt. Councilr ber Sher said he thought that would be useful. He thought Council would need a report from Mr. Sipel on how budget cuts were affecting different parts of the City's population, and different groups within the City. Councilmember Sher referred to a citizen's letter in' that week's packet which stated strongly that South Palo Alto was not getting it's fair share of available funds and services. Council r Fletcher noted that the position of assistant City Menacer had been eliminated last summer; she confirmed that Kr. Sipel did not want an assistant city manager but wanted instead to orient someone in a management position into the City Manager role in addition to his normal duties. Mr. Sipel said he had in mind having a current staff member take on the duties of City Manager in his absence, along with the staff hr's present duties. He did not know about the legal standing of the position. He thought there was a gap in that there was no specific person in charge should he become ill, for example. kr. Sipel said that he was not trying to set up a lineage toward _t the City Manager position, but he was trying to insure that the organization could continue to function effectively. The term "assistant city manager" related to the City's charter and code. Council ber Eyerly observed that Mr. Sipel had expressed concern about not being able to keep abreast of all the demands placed on him by Council regarding priorities and the like; Covncilmember Fyerly said he thought it would be good for Council to beer what cutbacks resulting from passage of Proposition 13 had directly impacted the City Manager's workload, He tho qht the City was an efficient organization and could still turn out a lot of work. Mr. Sipe said one direct cutback had been in the area of employee development, in which he had been heavily i nvol ved through the past two years. and in which he had personal interest. He found he could no longer spend time on it, and he had asked Jim Zurchsr to continue with it as he had during leer. Sipel's 'ea f..abssence. ter. Zurcher sit one S 1 2 ?,dw 74 or two hours a week on that function, which added to his duties. Another matter was the number of proposals being made in the post -Proposition 13 era having to do with change in sales tax allocation, with 1¢ of the sales tax being allocated to cities, counties and special districts. There was also the Post Commission Report, dealing with structural reorganization of government; also, there was the proposal of the League of California Cities (LCC) on cities in the future so far as financing and restructuring. That matter should perhaps receive 5-10 hours per week of his time. He did not know how it could be handled within the next six months, except by expanding the time spent on City business. Mr. Sipel said that though he was sensitive to the question that Councilmerber Eyerly had raised, he did not know how to report "...in a definitive fashion what's not happening that ought to happen." Councilmember Witherspoon asked City Attorney 'Abrams if Council had to authorize a pro tem City Manager. Mr. Abrams replied that the City Charter spoke of an assistant City Manager in two places once as a City Manager pro tem and once as an assistant City Manager, with powers as assistant City Manager, and appointment to be approved by the Council, and he would have all the powers of the City Manager in the City Manager's absence. The erpi ten position has limited powers --the person could not dismiss any City employees without the approval of the Council, and so on. Councilor tuber Witherspoon said she favored the idea of the :narrater pro tem. Mayor Carey said he regretted his negative reaction to the City Manager's list of goals. Was he missing something? Almost all the current fiscal year had been spent on budget hearings and cuts and reshuffling of personnel and so he did not think the budget hearings to come would be as lengthy as the City Manager indicated on his list of objectives, and therefore would not take as much time as their inclusion on the list wculd indicate, Mayor Carey said he thought the budget cuts and reductions were virtually completed in the eight months that had been given to the process. Mayor Carey referred to Objective 3: "Recruit and select a qualified person to fill Public Works Director position." He assumed that since it had been known that the position would beccee vacant some Corrected time back the selection process would have begun some time ago. Councilmembers see page recently filled complex position with only part time --with the City 535. Manager's full time he foresaw that three of the listed objectives would take only a little of that full time. Mayor Carey said he thought the City Manager's objectives should also list the garbage problem, the cover for the garbage, relations with the county, the job/housing imbalance, state lobbying for some kind of allocation of state funds to come back to local government --without strings, sales tax legislation, school closures, use of surplus lands, relationships with East Palo Alto, the impact of the Dumbarton Bridge, the approach lane to Dumbarton Bridge. Mayor Carey said those were significant and volatile issues facing the community and he was disappointed that not only were those items omitted but also swatters which, to him, had been virtually settled, were included. Mayor Carey said he would like a response to his observations -perhaps at another time, not at the present, unless Mr. Sipel felt compelled to. Mr, Sipel said he would like to take a couple of brief responses: he had not view his list as one -for -one relative to the amount of time he thought would have to be spent but more as in order of importance. He did not think selection of a Director of Public Works Director would take as much time as he spent preparing for and attending Council meetings, but that selection was very important for the person selected would have a lot of positive impact on the organization. The selection process had begun. He thought that time-consuming process very imi,.tant. 513 2/12/79 He felt that the budget matters were far from over; even if some of the cuts had been made they had not yet been felt. He agreed that the matters Mayor Carey had mentioned were important; he would like to get some idea from Council as a group on their ranking of those matters in importance. State lobbying, for example --a few letters had been sent and if Council wanted the City Manager to become heavily involved this wqs- perhaps the best time: it would mean a change in his priorities and also of method for the City and as an organization. COONCILMEMBER WITHERSPOON RE CITY OICS (CMR:145:9) Counciimerrrber Witherspoon said that the City had wanted the matter of expanded paramedic service in north county investigated. In Mr. Sipel's report of February 6, 1979, the statement in the second paragraph saying "This is consistent with the concept of charging a fee for paramedic transportation approved by the Council in November 1978." She said she had looked up the matter and had found that Council had not discussed it on any of its agendas. . On February 13, 1978, Council had voted not to charge a fee for paramedic service. Mr. Sipel re}lied that in November of 1978 the Committee action had been taken; Council action had been taken in Becembea along with changes in connection with passage of Proposition 13. The Committee had recommended, and Council had approved, a transportation fee for paramedics. That transportation fee was not to be confused with a fee for response. Charges would be for raving a patient under paramedic care from the site of the occurrence of the problem to the hospital. At present the ambulance takes the patient, and the City follows, or the patient goes in the paramedic van and the ambulance follows. Mr. Sipel said it seemed reasonable for the City to do the transportation to the hospital since it had responded to the call, and that the City be paid for it. Therefore, the statement she referred to had to do with transportation, not the response. Councilmember Sher asked when the change was to be made. Mr. Sipel replied that the change would take place at the earliest, in July, /979, and that might be delayed dependent on decisions on Requests for Proposal (RFP's) that had been submitted to the county for paramedic service. COUNTY NEGOTIATIONS DM 151:9) Councilmember Sher said he was somewhat uncertain about the procedure to be followed. He knew that the county had indicated that it thought the lease should be renegotiated, and the memorandum said that the process was going forward at the staff level. Councilmerrtrer Sher asked at what point Council would become involved; Palo Alto's adoption of the Baylands Master Plan had been on the base of certain assumptions, among them one about cost -sharing on dredging, de -watering ponds, and the like. If there was any change in those assumptions he thought Council siould have a look at it, and he did not know how far along negotiations between Palo Alto and the county might get before Council became involved. Mr. Sipel said it was difficult to talk about, negotiations publicly because the nature of negotiations was that they were confidential, as his memo had indicated. He had sent it to Councilmembers so that if they had questions or concerns they would contact him. At the latest Council would becomeinvolved when county/City agreement NA gotten to where i t needed Council attention and approval. 614 2/12/79 Mayor Carey observed that the memorandum had been marked confidential. Councilmember Sher said that the county's response had been given publicly in the newspapers. Mr, Sipel said that the assumptions Councilmember Sher referred to were the assumptions that staff was using as a base for negotiations. If . those assumptions changed staff would return to Council for further direction. REtJEST FOR AIRPORT LIMOUSINE RATE INCREASE Councilmember Eyerly noted that staff had circulated a notice which said airport limousine companies had applied to the Utilities Commission for' increases in 'fir fares, with increases ranging up to 50 or 60 percent of present rates. He voiced the wish that Mr". Noguchi, Director of Transportation, or someone on staff, could give Council some inforrgati n on the time of the last increase, so that perhaps the City could contact the Utilities Commission in that regard. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION INVENTORY Mayor Carey noted that the Historical Preservaton Inventory and Report was going to Policy and Procedures Committee on February 21, 1979. He said that the inventory totaled 385 buildings, that might require "historical designation" restrictions. Mayor Carey said that he was concerned about the possible rancor that could be generated around such an issue; he• hoped that the Policy and Procedures Committee would give plenty of notice about the hearing, and that propertyowners on the list knew that they were on the list. WELCOME FORMER MAYOR COMSTOCK Mayor Carey welcomed one of Palo Alto's former mayors, Kirke Comstock, and his wife, Dottie Comstock, who had attended_ the meeting. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None ADJOURNMENT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION Council adjourned to Executive Session et 8:45 p.m. to discuss litigation. ADJOURNMENT Council adjourned the meeting at 10:00 p.m. AFFIRM APPROVE (:) 515 2/12/79 AA, Corrected seepage 535.