HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-03-19 City CouncilC ty
City of Polo Alto
Manager’s Report
TO:HONORABLE CITY COIYNCIL
ATTENTION: FINANCE COMMITTEE
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES
AGENDA DATE: MARCH 19, 1996 CMR:163:96
SUBJECT:ITEMS IN FINANCE COMMITTEE
REQUEST:
This report was prepared in response to a request by the Finance Committee to review and
make recommendations on whether to retain outstanding items on the active Committee
agenda. These items were initially referred to Committee by the Council, or remain in
Committee based on previous Committee work.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that all items except Consultant Contract Scope of Services, Storm
Drainage Collection System Improvements; Golf Course Master Plan Financing; and Options
for Funding Future Infrastructure Needs be removed from the Committee’s agenda, to be
referred again by the Council, if and when there are active issues.
EXE.CUT~ SUMMARY:
The Council Finance Committee is charged by the Palo Alto Municipal Code, "to consider
and make recommendations on matters referred to it by the Council relat!ng to finance,
budget, audits, capital planning and debt." On February 13, 1996, the Finance Committee
requested a staff report on items currently in Committee, with the intent of clearing some of
the older items from the agenda, if appropriate. Several items are approaching the ten-year
mark in Committee, and recreating the circumstances under which they were referred would
be somewhat difficult. Others relate to long-standing issues, which the Council could refer
to the Committee, when or if they again became the focus of activity.
CMR:163:96 Page 1 of 3
Below is a summary of the items currently in Committee, the date on which each was
referred or on which the Committee took action to retain it in Committee for further work,
and a recommendation on whether to retain it in Committee, or to take alternate action.
Insurance Costs: Referred 4/10/86. History of referral not readily available. Recommend
removing from Committee agenda, with specific issues to be referred to Finance Committee,
per its Municipal Code charge, as they arise.
Infrastructure: Referred 4/10/86. History of referral not readily available. Recommend
removing from Committee agenda, with specific issues to be referred to Finance Committee,
per its Municipal Code charge, as they arise. Also, duplicates the 11/9/95 item retained in
Committee on options for funding infrastructure needs.
Information Resources: Referred 4/10/86. History of referral not readily available.
Recommend removing from Committee agenda, with specific issues to be referred to Finance
Committee, per its Municipal Code charge, as they arise.
El Camino Park Lease Issues: Referred 5/8/90. The item in Committee is the exploration
of options for addressing the costs of the lease with Stanford University for 16.33 acres,
which includes E1 Camino Park, MacArthur Park Restaurant, the Palo Alto Red Cross, and
the S.P. Depot. Recommend removing from Committee agenda, to be referred to Finance
Committee or Policy and Services Committee, if and when the related issues again become
active.
Palo Alto’s Economic Future: Referred 3/9/92. Council referred the 1992 Council priority
of Palo Alto’s Economic Future to the Finance Committee. Recommend removing from
Committee agenda, given the creation of the Economic Resources Program in the City
Manager’s Office. Specific issues may be referred to Finance Committee per its Municipal
Code charge.
Cubberley Community. Center: Referred 10/27/92. Issues retained in Committee were:
options for changing the lease with the Palo Alto Unified School District and budgetary
approaches to the Cubberley Master Plan. Recommend removing from Committee agenda.
This item will be part of the 1996-98 budget discussions, and related issues can also be
referred to the Finance Committee at any time, per its Municipal Code charge.
Extension of the Utility. Users Tax: Referred 9/20/93. After reviewing a staff
recommendation to extend the utility users tax to interstate and international phone calls, the
Committee decided to take no action on extending the tax, in the absence of a financial need
to do so. Recommend removing from Committee agenda. This item will be part of 1996-98
CMR:163:96 Page 2of3
budget discussions, and can also be referred to the Finance Committee at any time, per its
Municipal Code charge.
Health Care Costs: Referred 9/13/94. The Committee directed staff to report on issues
concerning overlap of retiree health coverage with Medicare benefits, cost containment for
future retiree benefits, pre-funding and equity issues. Recommend removing from
Committee agenda. No specific follow-up work is being done by staff on the issues
identified. This item may be referred to the Finance Committee when it again becomes
active.
Consultant Contract Scope of Services - Storm Drainage Collection System
Improvements: ’Referred 7/12/94. This item will be discussed on April 2, 1996.
Golf Course Master Plan Financing: Referred 6/12/95. In submitting the Golf Course
Master Plan for renovations to the Council (CMR:298:95), staff committed to submit a
related recommendation for implementation, development and financing to the Finance
Committee. In February 1996, the Finance Committee received a status report, but
considerable work remains to be done before a fmancing plan can be completed.
Recommend retaining in Committee until financial plan is completed.
Options for Funding Future Infrastructure Needs: Referred 11/9/95. On November 9,
1995, the Finance Committee reviewed a staff report on options for funding additional tree
maintenance and School District playing fields maintenance. The Committee asked staff to
return with a comprehensive plan for City infrastructure, which includes parks, before acting
on the staff recommendations. Recommend retaining in Committee.
DEPARTMENT HEAD APPROVAL:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
Emil) Harrison
Deputy City Manager,
Administrative Services
CC: rda
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