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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/01/2017 ARCADIA CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017 CALL TO ORDER — Mayor Amundson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Beck, Chandler, Verlato, Tay, and Amundson ABSENT: None PUBLIC COMMENTS — No one appeared CLOSED SESSION a. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1) to confer with legal counsel regarding the matter of Los Angeles SMSA Limited Partnership, a California limited partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless v. City of Arcadia (United States District Court, Central District, Case No.: 2:17-cv-03778 DSF JEMx). No reportable action was taken on the Closed Session item. STUDY SESSION a. Report, discussion and direction regarding potential revenue enhancement through a voter-approved sales tax measure. City Manager Lazzaretto presented the staff report. Mickey Segal, former Mayor, appeared and indicated that the decision to increase the sales tax should be a decision for the residents, not the City Council; he explained that the bottom line is how much, maybe add a sunset clause, including questions raised by City Manager Lazzaretto; he encourage the City Council to let the people decide if they want a sales tax increase; he talked about the PERS rates and shared that the same issue is happening in the entertainment world; and again urged the City Council to let the people choose. Gary Kovacic, former Mayor, appeared and shared Mr. Segal's comments and concerns. After discussion, it was the consensus of the City Council that this Study Session item be continued for further discussion to Tuesday, August 15, 2017. REGULAR CITY COUNTIL MEETING 7:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER — Mayor Amundson called the regular meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. INVOCATION — Reverend Terry Keenan, The Santa Anita Church PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Mary "Mickey" Ball, United States Navy Veteran (Korean War) 1 08-01-2017 ROLL CALL OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Beck, Chandler, Verlato, Tay, and Amundson ABSENT: None REPORT FROM CITY ATTORNEY REGARDING CLOSED/STUDY SESSION ITEMS City Attorney Deitsch reported that prior to the regular meeting, the City Council convened in a Closed Session to consider the one item listed on the posted agenda under Closed Session (a litigation matter), no reportable action was taken. City Attorney Deitsch further announced that the City Council also conducted a Study Session to receive a report from the City Manager Lazzaretto regarding a potential revenue enhancement through a potential voter approved sales tax measure; he indicated there was a brief discussion by the City Council, including comments by two members of the public; and that the matter was continued to the next City Council meeting on August 15, 2017, for further discussion and possible direction. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM CITY MANAGER REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS City Manager Lazzaretto noted that an e-mail was received by Laurie Thompson regarding Agenda Item 1.a, (district based elections), which he will read into the record under that public hearing item. MOTION TO READ ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS BY TITLE ONLY AND WAIVE THE READING IN FULL A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tern Tay and seconded by Council Member Chandler to read all ordinances and resolutions by title only and waive the reading in full. PRESENTATIONS a. Presentation by the Friends of the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage of a monetary gift to the City of Arcadia for the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage. b. Presentation of Mayor's Certificate of Commendation to the Arcadia Junior League All Star team for winning the 2017 All Star Tournament for District 17. 1. PUBLIC HEARING a. Public Hearing to receive Public Comments on Transition to District Based Elections. Recommended Action: Conduct a public hearing to receive public input regarding the composition of the districts. City Manager Lazzaretto presented the staff report. Mayor Amundson opened the public hearing. 2 08-01-2017 Richard A. McDonald, Esq., representing the Chinese American Equalization Association, appeared and recommended that the City obtain a minimum of three maps from the City's demographer; he also recommended that the City Attorney be involved in the drawing of the maps to ensure acceptable legal criteria is considered in the drafting of district boundaries; he suggested two options of which three Asian majority districts would be created; the first includes one south of Duarte Road, a second south of the 210 Freeway, and another east of Santa Anita Racetrack using El Monte Avenue as a dividing line in the south, Baldwin Avenue as the dividing line in the north, and Huntington Drive as the primary southern boundary for the two northern districts; the second is to have five districts, one in the northeast, one in the northwest, one in the southeast, one in the southwest, and a horizontal central district connecting north and south. Paul Van Fleet, an Arcadia resident, appeared and indicated that he agrees with the City Council's decision to avoid costly litigation by transitioning to district-based elections; he asked how the district elections would be staggered under the upcoming election cycle; he recommended that in addition to ethnicity, resident's socio-economic status be taken into consideration when drafting the districts; and he questioned how the rotation of the Mayor position would be determined under the new district model and suggested that each Mayor be appointed for 9 months instead of a year. Roger Nemrava, an Arcadia resident, appeared and expressed his opposition to district based elections; he suggested that Santa Anita Boulevard be the dividing line between east and west Arcadia; he recommended that the Highlands Homeowners Association be one district as it represents a cohesive community of interest, that the Oaks and Upper and Lower Rancho Home Owners Associations be a separate district as they too represent separate communities of interest, that Camino Real be the dividing line between north and south Arcadia; that using Camino Real as the dividing line, the Village area should be combined with the area north of Camino Real and west of Santa Anita Boulevard, the fourth district would include east Arcadia with areas east of Santa Anita Boulevard and then south to Camino Real, and that all areas south of Camino Real be the final district. Dr. Sheng Chang, former Mayor, appeared and congratulated the City Council for changing the City's voting system from at-large to district-based voting; he expressed his desire for straight- forward, simple, and fair districts with an emphasis placed on population and demographic considerations; and he requested the City Council consider term limits as part of this process. Burton Brink, an Arcadia resident, appeared and expressed his opposition to districting; he indicated that he supports the City's current voting system; however, recommended that the homeowner associations be considered during the drafting of district maps as a cohesive community of interest. Gary Kovacic, former Mayor, appeared and expressed his opposition going to district-based elections; he recommended the City Council carefully draft the district boundaries and take into consideration communities of common interest within each district, including homeowners associations and other traditional neighborhoods that exist throughout the City; he cautioned the City Council to avoid gerrymandering in order to preserve a current Council Member's seat; he questioned how will the district-based system be implemented in the upcoming election, and how will incumbency be factored in to the process; and recommended that an independent committee be created to study and recommend the proposed district boundaries. 3 08-01-2017 Laurie Thompson, Santa Anita Village Architectural Review Board Chair, was not present but submitted an email to the City Council to be included in the official record, which was read by City Manager Lazzaretto. In her email, Ms. Thompson stated the Highlands is in a category by themselves for many reasons, and the Village has had a different flavor and set of circumstances since its inception in 1937; that the Village would be better represented in a district with R-1 zoned homes; the Upper Rancho, Lower Rancho, and Oaks are zoned R-0; and overall stated her position of keeping the homeowner associations intact and not clumping them into only one or two districts. A motion to close the public hearing was made by Council Member Chandler, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Tay, and seeing no further objection, Mayor Amundson declared the public hearing closed. It was moved by Council Member Chandler, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Tay, and carried on roll call to set a Public Hearing, on Wednesday, August 9, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., to receive additional public input regarding the composition of the districts. AYES: Chandler, Tay, Beck, Verlato, and Amundson NOES: None ABSENT: None PUBLIC COMMENTS Kirk Olsen, an Arcadia resident, appeared and distributed a photograph to the City Council of his neighbor's property, and expressed his concerns that the property is not being maintained by the property owner; he requested that something be done so that the property is maintained at all times; he stated that residents should not have to continually report these issues, and asked that Code Services monitor the property on a regular basis. City Manager Lazzaretto agreed with Mr. Olsen, and explained that when there is a new property owner, the process basically starts over with notices and time to respond to the violations. Assistant City Manager/Director of Development Services Kruckeberg addressed Mr. Olsen's concerns, and stated that he will have Code Services continue with the existing process in an effort to resolve the ongoing issue. REPORTS FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY CLERK (including reports from the City Council related to meetings attended at City expense(AB 1234)) Council Member Verlato announced that there are two weeks left of concerts in the park on Thursdays, and movies in the park on Friday nights, and encouraged everyone to attend; she also announced that this afternoon she attended the dedication of the Floretta K. Lauber Museum Education Center, and that it was a nice to see former Council Members and Mayors come together to pay tribute to Floretta. Mayor Pro Tem Tay indicated that today he received an e-mail from the Water Smart Program, and encouraged everyone to sign up to receive e-mails with tips on how to conserve water; he shared an incident that occurred in his neighborhood regarding suspicious activity and explained why the Neighborhood Watch Program works; he announced that Thursday is National Night 4 08-01-2017 Out and the concert in the park, that there will be crime prevention information available, as well as the Police Swat Vehicle, and encouraged everyone to make an effort to attend. Council Member Beck also indicated that the dedication at the Museum in honor of Floretta Lauber was really nice; he wished Council Member Chandler a happy birthday on August 5, and also former Mayor Mickey Segal on August 10; he acknowledged the donations on the agenda from Santa Anita Park and Friends of the Museum, and congratulated the Little League team for their accomplishment; he indicated that he has noticed enhanced police presence and has received compliments which he feels is due to the overtime the City Council approved, and congratulated all the Police Officers and the Police Chief for all their efforts in tackling crime and burglaries in the City. Council Member Chandler spoke about crime and the different propositions that are allowing felons to be released on early parole to commit crimes and burglaries; he provided statistics of percentages of released felons, and indicated that this is not going to end. City Clerk Glasco also announced National Night Out on Thursday, and spoke about the different activities at the event; and indicated that there will be a birthday cake celebrating 114 years of Arcadia's incorporation. Mayor Amundson announced that the City would like to honor Arcadia veterans, or hometown heroes, who are currently serving and encouraged residents to contact the City Manager's office; he commented on district-based elections; he noted that he recently was out of the country, and indicated that he followed the advice of the Police Chief and used the Police Department VIPS to do periodic vacation checks on his home. 2. CONSENT CALENDAR a. Special Meeting Minutes of July 10, 2017 and July 18, 2017. Recommended Action: Approve b. Ordinance No. 2348 amending various sections of Article IX, Chapter 1 of the Arcadia Municipal Code ('The Development Code") with an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") to prohibit short-term rentals, home sharing, and the advertisement of these uses. Recommended Action: Adopt c. Resolution No. 7177 determining the amount of revenue to be raised from property taxes for Fiscal Year 2017-18 to pay for the debt service on the 2011 and 2012 General Obligation Bonds. Recommended Action: Adopt d. Donation in the amount of $1,105 from Santa Anita Park for programs and services at the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage. Recommended Action: Accept e. Donation in the amount of $8,585 from the Friends of the Museum for artifacts, supplies, and programming at the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage. Recommended Action: Accept 5 08-01-2017 f. New Classification Specification for Library Clerk (Part-Time). Recommended Action: Approve g. Revisions to the existing classification specifications for Deputy Director of Development Services/City Engineer, Community Development Administrator, Building Official, Building Technician Series, and Administrative Assistant Series within the Development Services Department. Recommended Action: Approve h. Revisions to the existing classification specification for Public Works Inspector and new classification of Senior Public Works Inspector as a flexible staffing position. Recommended Action: Approve Professional Services Agreement with Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA for Animal Control Services in an amount not to exceed $173,555. Recommended Action: Approve j. Professional Services Agreement with UCLA Medical Center for prehospital care for Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician Continuing Education ("CE") and Quality Improvement ("QI") in an amount not to exceed $30,000. Recommended Action: Approve k. Professional Services Agreement with EBSCO Information Services for Subscription Services in an amount not to exceed $18,500. Recommended Action: Approve I. Professional Services Agreement with Security Patrol & Management Corporation for Security Guard Services in an amount not to exceed $25,000. Recommended Action: Approve m. Automatic renewal to the Fire Communications Service Agreement with the Verdugo Cities for Fire Dispatch Services in the amount of $334,598. Recommended Action: Approve n. Contract with Vincor Construction, Inc. for the Library Technology Center Improvement Project in the amount of $79,710.66. Recommended Action: Approve o. Final Map No. 72421 with a categorical exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") for a six-unit multi-family residential condominium subdivision at 681 N. First Avenue. Recommended Action: Approve Council Member Beck requested that item 2.f be pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion. Mayor Pro Tem Tay requested that item 2.i be pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion. 6 08-01-2017 It was moved by Mayor Pro Tern Tay, seconded by Council Member Chandler, and carried on roll call vote to approve Consent Calendar Item 2.a through 2.e, 2.g and 2.h, and 2.j through 2.o. AYES: Tay, Chandler, Beck, Verlato, and Amundson NOES: None ABSENT: None Regarding Consent Calendar item 2.f, Council Member Beck indicated that he was happy that the City is going to provide passport services and the City is going make some money on this service, and he commended Director of Library and Museum Services Bradley for her part in putting the program together; and questioned the salary for the new classification specification for Library Clerk (part-time) because in his opinion he feels it is too high. In response to Council Member Beck's question, Director of Library and Museum Services Bradley indicated that the Human Resources Division surveyed other local cities who conduct this type of service and this was the range that was agreed on. It was moved by Council Member Chandler, seconded by Mayor Pro Tern Tay, and carried on roll call vote to approve Consent Calendar item 2.f. AYES: Chandler, Tay, and Verlato NOES: Amundson ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: Beck Regarding Consent Calendar item 2.i, Mayor Pro Tern Tay asked if the City receives a monthly , ,..• report from the Pasadena Humane Society pursuant to their Agreement. In response to Mayor Pro Tern Tay's question, Police Chief Guthrie responded that a monthly report is provided to the City by the Pasadena Humane Society which consists of a variety of statistics and services they provide to the City; he also provided a brief summary of the Request for Proposal process the City recently went through for animal control services. In response to various questions raised by Council Member Verlato, and Mayor Pro Tem Tay, Ricki Whitman, Vice-President of Communication for the Pasadena Humane Society, appeared and responded to questions raised about its contract with the City, the euthanization of animals, and the City's coyote problem. It was moved by Council Member Beck, seconded by Council Member Chandler, and carried on roll call vote to approve Consent Calendar item 2.i. AYES: Beck, Chandler, Tay, and Amundson NOES: Verlato ABSENT: City Manager Lazzaretto requested that City Manager item 3.b be heard first in the interest of time. 7 08-01-2017 3. CITY MANAGER b. Donation from the Rotary Club of Arcadia for a Veterans Memorial; approval of the location for the memorial; and an agreement with the Rotary Club of Arcadia outlining the responsibilities of each party concerning this project. Recommended Action: Accept Donation and Approve Location Assistant to the City Manager Bruckner presented the staff report. Bob Harbicht, representing the Rotary Club of Arcadia, and former Mayor, appeared and provided the City Council with additional information regarding the proposed Veterans Memorial; he indicated that Mary Hansen, whose husband served in the armed forces, feels very strongly that a memorial should be in Arcadia and has donated the additional $20,000 needed; he also noted that Santa Anita Park has donated $6,000 toward the memorial, for a total of $36,000; he discussed the criteria where they wanted to place the memorial, and provided some preliminary dimensions, and indicated that the designer is in the process of preparing some conceptual plans. Council Member Beck indicated that in the future he would like to see something more permanent in front of City Hall honoring those currently serving in the military, instead of the plywood sign. Mayor Pro Tem Tay asked City Attorney Deitsch if he can vote on this item since he is a member of the Rotary Club of Arcadia. City Attorney Deitsch responded that yes he can vote, since the Rotary Club of Arcadia is not a source of income to him, and he is not on the Board of Directors. It was moved by Council Member Chandler, seconded by Council Member Verlato, and carried on roll call vote to accept a donation from the Rotary Club of Arcadia for a Veterans Memorial; approve the Community Center as the preferred location for the memorial; and approve an agreement with the Rotary Club of Arcadia outlining the responsibilities of each party concerning this project. AYES: Chandler, Verlato, Beck, Tay, and Amundson NOES: None ABSENT: None a. Resolution No. 7175 adopting the 2017 Recreation and Parks Master Plan. Recommended Action: Adopt Recreation and Community Services Director Somogyi presented the staff report. It was moved by Council Member Chandler, seconded by Council Member Verlato, and carried on roll call vote to adopt Resolution No. 7175 adopting the 2017 Recreation and Parks Master Plan. AYES: Chandler, Verlato, Beck, Tay, and Amundson NOES: None ABSENT: None 8 08-01-2017 ADJOURNMENT LThe City Council meeting adjourned at 10:11 p.m. to August 9, 2017, 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. All Ad&Mist it" Mayor of the City of Arcadia ATTEST: L A .J GL. - Chie.Deputy City Clerk/ Reco anager L L 9 08-01-2017 1 1 1