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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 267-10, J TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER DATE: JUNE 7,2010 CMR: 267:10 REPORT TYPE: ACTION SUBJECT: Approval of Recommendation from the High Speed Rail Committee to Endorse Peninsula Cities Consortium Revised Core Message and to Approve City Manager's Proposed High Speed Rail Staffing and Appropriating $90,000 from the Council's 2010 Contingency . RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council: 1. Approve recommendation from High Speed Rail Committee to endorse Peninsula Cities Consortium Revised Core message (5/28/1 0) and; ., 2. Approve City Manager's proposed high speed rail staffing and appropriating $90,000 from the Council's contingency to fund the proposed staff costs. BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION Peninsula Cities Consortium Core Message The Peninsula Cities Consortium (PCC) has drafted a document titled "Core Message" that is similar to Palo Alto's Guiding Principles. It is intended to summarize the PCC core beliefs and concerns and to provide policy direction to the PCC members. On May 28, the PCC reviewed the draft and suggested a few changes to the document. A revised version incorporating the Consortium's changes is provided as Attachment A. The PCC has requested that member cities review and comment on the draft prior to its next regular meeting on June 11. The CouncilHSR Committee is scheduled to discuss the revised draft on June 3. The Committee will provide a verbal report and staff will provide an at-places edited version of the document with the Committee's recommended edits to the Council on June 7. CMR: 267:10 Page 1 of3 Proposed High Speed Rail Staffing Plan Staff has evaluated the project workload impacts of High Speed Rail and has identified the need to develop a formalized staffing plan. With the release of the alternatives analysis and the pending release of the draft Environmental Impact Report, the project management and staffing needs will increase significantly. In addition, the current part-time project manager, retired Transportation Manager Gayle Likens, will be leaving at the end of June and will be unable to continue her work on the project. As such, staff in the City Manager's Office and Planning & Community Environment have developed a plan to address both the short and longer term staffing needs for the project. At a minimum, the short term staffing plan will require additional funding, which staff recommends appropriating from the City Council contingency fund. The details of the needed funding are outlined below. Project Manager: As an interim step until the recruitment process for the Transportation Manager is complete, the City would hire a project manager to coordinate and manage the City's High Speed Rail efforts. This individual would work up to 40 hours pei week for the next six months and would be paid at an hourly rate of between $65-70 per hour. The individual would be responsible for: coordinating and managing work of technical consultants hired by City to assist with the project (e.g. Engineering/Planning/lobbyist); serving as internal point of contact for departmental liaisons; preparing High Speed Rail Council Committee meeting agendas and managing follow up actions; and serving as a central point of contact for community who would coordinate sharing of important information. The project manager would also supervise the work of the intern position described below. Intern: The City would also hire an intern who could work up to full-time through the summer and may continue this work into the fall. The intern would be paid at an hourly rate of between $15-20 per hour. The intern's key tasks would include: coordinating the City's public information efforts related to the High Speed Rail project, which include posting information to City's website and disseminating information to other sources; supporting project manager on analytical and administrative tasks; and other administrative and analytical support functions as necessary. Deputy City Manager, Steve Emslie, will continue to provide overall leadership for the project out of the City Manager's Office and would oversee the work of these temporary employees. Based on the assumptions made above, the maximum estimated six month budget for this staffing plan is approximately $90,000. Staff is requesting the maximum budget for the plan as it allows flexibility to adjust staffing hours to the current project workload. These positions would add needed staff capacity for a project that is a top priority for the Council and the community. The positions would be temporary and could be eliminated at any time if the staffing needs for the HSR project change for any reason. As funding is not currently available in the City Manager's Office budget to support this plan, staff is requesting an appropriation of $90,000 from the Council contingency to cover these costs. CMR: 267:10 Page 2 of3 ATTACHMENTS A. Peninsula Cities Consortium Core Message detail: 5/28/10 ~ PREPARED BY: G~~ APPROVED BY: CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: CMR: 267:10 Page 3 of3 ATTACHMENT A Core Message for Peninsula Cities Consortium Revised May 28,2010 Mission Statement from pee Website Cities all along the Peninsula are joining together to provide input into the process of reviewing and constructing the high speed rail project between San Francisco and San Jose. Although each city faces unique and location specific challenges, all Peninsula cities share many similar concerns and the strong underlying belief that particular care must be taken to integrate high speed rail into the living fabric of the Peninsula. Our objective is to have the California High Speed Rail Authority consult with the Peninsula Cities Consortium and its member cities in determining the alignment and the range of alternatives and mitigations. We believe that the final design should minimize the impacts upon and improve the qualify of life in local communities, and incorporate the best urban design ideas from around the world. Suggested eore Message for pee Cities belonging to the Peninsula Cities Consortium believe that high speed rail should be built right -or not at all. By "right," we mean that the rail line should integrate into our communities without disrupting their current livability, according to criteria determined by each city that includes a collaborative process with each city's neighbors. We believe that high speed rail should be part of a comprehensive regional public transit plan and that the California High Speed Rail Authority should: • Provide a valid business plan and financial plan that support the full range of alternatives proposed and satisfy the request of the state Legislative Analyst's Office for an investment-grade proposal • Provide ridership studies to support the project that are validated by an independent peer review body that is responsive to the state Legislature • Increase and enhance local Caltrain service and improve Caltrain infrastructure as a condition of using the Caltrain corridor • Fill all positions on the Peer Review Committee, ensure members review all items detailed in AB 3034, and provide them a budget and a staff to do their job To empower communities in the decision-making process, we believe the Authority should: • Give transportation goals and community goals equal weight • Affirm that the best design, rather than finances, will determine the alignment chosen for each section of the rail line • Include community leaders as an integral part of the decision-making process, regarding the final alternatives • Clearly define the points at which the public can influence the process, the deadlines for comments and the decision-making process / • Assure that the Alternatives Analysis is based on complete and accurate information, allow adequate time (a minimum of 90 days) to fully involve the public in Alternatives Analysis and EIR discussions, and conduct these reviews at separate times • If Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) is employed, allow sufficient time and funds to carry out this very thorough eight-step process, and ensure that the timing of CSS complements the Alternatives Analysis and California Environmental Quality Act processes • Answer questions from community members promptly and accurately, and post these answers on a website where others can read the answers • Treat community members with respect and refrain from labeling them To expedite the process, we believe the Authority should: • Secure funding that will allow the full range of alternatives to be considered without expecting local cities to contribute substantially to the cost • Provide funding to allow cities to compensate staff and experts to study reports requiring feedback • Provide funding to allow cities to' engage community members and accurately capture their concerns and suggestions • Provide realistic renderings of what various alternatives will look like in each community and sound/vibration simulations that accurately reflect their impact