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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2405-2998CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Special Meeting Monday, December 02, 2024 Council Chambers & Hybrid 5:30 PM     Agenda Item     17.Adoption of a Resolution Declaring Weeds to be a Public Nuisance and Setting February 10, 2025, for a Public Hearing for Objections to the Proposed Weed Abatement; CEQA status: exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15308. City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR Lead Department: Fire Meeting Date: December 2, 2024 Report #:2405-2998 TITLE Adoption of a Resolution Declaring Weeds to be a Public Nuisance and Setting February 10, 2025, for a Public Hearing for Objections to the Proposed Weed Abatement; CEQA status: exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15308. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council adopt the attached resolution: 1. Declaring weeds to be a public nuisance; 2. Setting February 10, 2025, for a public hearing on objections to proposed weed abatement; and 3. Directing staff to publish a notice of hearing in accordance with the provisions of the Palo Alto Municipal Code. BACKGROUND On April 18, 1977, the City Council approved an agreement with Santa Clara County for the administration of weed abatement within the City of Palo Alto. This agreement has reduced the City’s costs and staff time required for the administration of weed abatement. For the past seasons, the weed abatement program has been expeditiously carried out by the County Department of Agriculture and Resource Management. ANALYSIS Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 8.08 specifies weed abatement procedures. The chapter requires property owners or occupants to remove certain weeds, as defined in Section 8.08.010 that exist upon their premises, public sidewalks, streets, or alleys. It also specifies the procedures to be followed to abate weeds, in the event owners do not remove them. The procedures are as follows: •Resolution of the City Council declaring weeds to be a public nuisance. This resolution sets the time and place for hearing any objections to the proposed weed abatement. •Public Notice. This notice informs property owners of the passage of the nuisance abatement resolution and provides that property owners shall remove weeds from their property, or the abatement will be carried out by Santa Clara County. The City then publishes a legal advertisement in the local newspaper announcing the date of the public hearing. •Public Hearing. The Council must conduct a public hearing, at which time any property owner may appear and object to the proposed weed destruction or removal. After the City Council hearing and considering any objections, the Council may allow or overrule any or all objections. If objections are overruled, the County will be asked to perform the work of destruction and removal of weeds. Council adoption of the weed abatement resolution at the December 2, 2024, meeting will set this public hearing date for February 10, 2025. An overview of the program and annual calendar for the steps involving City Council action is provided in Attachment B. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT There is no direct fiscal impact of this action on the City. The City of Palo Alto administers the weed abatement program with the County Department of Agriculture and Resource Management with a minimal amount of staff time. All charges for the weed abatement services are included as a special assessment on bills for taxes levied against the affected lots and parcels of land. Such charges are considered liens on these properties. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Santa Clara Department of Agriculture and Environmental Management coordinates the weed abatement program. Coordination includes contracts, inspections, nuisance reports/lists and fees. Engagement with impacted property owners is outlined above in the Public Notice details; after this resolution is adopted, Santa Clara County will mail out a notice of hearing to all property owners on the 2025 Weed Abatement Commencement report. Staff will publish a legal advertisement in the local newspaper and post it on the City bulletin board. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The Santa Clara County Counsel has determined the Weed Abatement Program be Categorically Exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15308. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Resolution Declaring Weeds a Public Nuisance Attachment B: Weed Abatement Program Overview APPROVED BY: Geoffrey Blackshire, Fire Chief NOT YET APPROVED 027112024 1 Resolution No. Resolution of Intention of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Declaring Weeds to be a Nuisance and Setting February 10, 2025 for a Public Hearing for Objections to Proposed Weed Abatement R E C I T A L S A. Weeds, as defined in Section 8.08.010(b) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, are anticipated to develop during calendar year 2025 upon streets, alleys, sidewalks, and parcels of private property within the City of Palo Alto sufficient to constitute a public nuisance as a fire menace when dry or are otherwise combustible, or otherwise to constitute a menace to the public health as noxious or dangerous. NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto does RESOLVE as follows: SECTION 1. Weeds, as defined in Section 8.08.010(b) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, which are anticipated to develop during calendar year 2025 upon streets, alleys, sidewalks, and parcels of private property within the City of Palo Alto, are hereby found and determined to constitute a public nuisance. Such nuisance is anticipated to exist upon some of the streets, alleys, sidewalks, and parcels of private property within the City, which are shown, described, and delineated on the several maps of the properties in said City which are recorded in the Office of the County Recorder of the County of Santa Clara, reference in each instance for the description of any particular street, alley, or parcel of private property being hereby made to the several maps aforesaid, and, in the event of there being several subdivision maps on which the same lots are shown, reference is hereby made to the latest subdivision map. SECTION 2. THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the said public nuisance be abated in the manner provided by Chapter 8.08 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code: i. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a public hearing shall be held on the 10th day of February 2025, at the hour of 5 pm, or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, at the Council Chambers of the Civic Center of said City, at which the Council shall hear objections to the proposed weed abatement of such weeds and give any objections due consideration; ii. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Fire Chief of the City of Palo Alto is directed to give notice of the public hearing in the time, manner and form provided in Chapter 8.08 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code. NOT YET APPROVED 027112024 2 SECTION 3. Unless the nuisance is abated without delay by the destruction and removal of such weeds, the work of abating such nuisance will be done by the County of Santa Clara Department of Agriculture and Environmental Management Office on behalf of the City of Palo Alto, and the expenses thereof assessed upon the lots and lands from which, and/or in the front and rear of which, such weeds shall have been destroyed and removed. SECTION 4. The City Council of Palo Alto adopts the determination of Santa Clara County, as the lead agency, that the Weed Abatement Program is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15308. INTRODUCED AND PASSED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTENTIONS: ATTEST: __________________________ _____________________________ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED: __________________________ _____________________________ Assistant City Attorney City Manager _____________________________ Fire Chief _____________________________ Director of Administrative Services Attachment B City of Palo Alto Weed Abatement The City of Palo Alto contracts with the Santa Clara County Department of Agriculture and Environmental Management (SCCDAEM) to remove and destroy weeds in its efforts to mitigate potential fire hazards (as defined in Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 8.08). The entire weed abatement program is coordinated by the SCCDAEM. Abatement proceedings must follow a legally established course. This is and annual process with weed abatement occurring in late Spring. City of Palo Alto involvement is limited to the following 3 steps for City Council: 1) (Nov-Dec) City of Palo Alto declares Weeds a Nuisance to allow for County abatement and sets a later date (Jan-Feb) for a public hearing to review the Annual Commencement Report (list of “nuisance” parcels). 2) (Jan-Feb) Public Hearing to review the Annual Commencement Report and approve the County abatement proceedings. At this public hearing, property owners may appear and object to the proposed weed destruction or removal. After the hearing and consideration of any objections, the Council may sustain or overrule any or all objections. Upon adoption of the resolution confirming the weed abatement commencement report and ordering weed nuisances abated, the County will be asked to perform the abatement work to destroy and remove any weeds. 3) (July/August) Public Hearing to approve the invoices for the abatement work performed by the SCCDAEM. The Santa Clara County Weed Abatement Program The Santa Clara County Department of Agriculture and Environmental Management and the City of Palo Alto work together to protect our community from fire. The purpose of the Weed Abatement Program is to prevent fire hazards posed by vegetative overgrowth and the accumulation of combustible materials. Typically, a property is placed on the program list by a County Weed Abatement Inspector who identifies a potential fire hazard on the property. The Palo Alto Fire Department (PAFD) & Code Enforcement also report addresses of concern and forward (verified) complaints from residents to the SCCDAEM. Residents can report addresses of concern to POAFD, code enforcement, or directly to the County Weed Abatement Program. Santa Clara County program staff annually inspect “nuisance” parcels at the beginning of the fire season, which is typically April 30th for CPA parcels. The Weed Abatement program is entirely funded from fees charged to residents. All parcels on the list will be charged a basic inspection fee. If the parcel is not in compliance at the time of inspection, the property owner will be charged an additional failed inspection fee, and they will receive a final courtesy notice as a reminder to abate their weeds within 2 weeks. If the weeds are not abated by the property owner, the work will be completed by the County contractor. The property owner will pay the contractor’s fees plus a County administrative fee. All fees will be included in their property tax bill. Properties that meet and maintain the minimum fire safety standards will only be charged for the annual fee. These properties will be removed from the list after three years of compliance.