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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017_03_21 - Regular MINUTES Regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Redlands held in the Council Chambers, Civic Center, 35 Cajon Street, on March 21, 2017 at 5:00 P.M. PRESENT: Paul Foster, Mayor Paul Barich,Mayor Pro Tem Pat Gilbreath, Councilmember Jon Harrison, Councilmember Eddie Tejeda, Councilmember STAFF: N. Enrique Martinez, City Manager; Dan McHugh, City Attorney; Robert Dawes, City Treasurer; Jeanne Donaldson, City Clerk; Carl Baker,Public Information Officer; Jeff Frazier,Fire Chief, Shawn Ryan, Commander Police Department; Danielle Garcia, Management Services/Finance Director; Chris Diggs, Municipal Utilities and Engineering Director; Chris Boatman, Quality of Life Director; James Troyer, Interim Development Services Director; Amy Martin,Human Resources Director; Janice McConnell,Assistant to the City Manager Mayor Foster called the meeting to order and offered those present the opportunity to provide public comment on any item on the agenda for the closed session. PUBLIC COMMENT: None Forthcoming CLOSED SESSION: Public Employee Performance Evaluation-Government Code §54957 (Mayor Foster) a. City Manager b. City Attorney The meeting reconvened at 6:10 P.M. with an invocation by Mayor Pro Tem Barich followed by the pledge of allegiance to the American flag. CLOSED SESSION REPORT City Attorney McHugh announced that no reportable action was taken during the closed session. PRESENTATION: Animal Control Volunteer Sentil Chinnachamy introduced"Yogi", a two-year old neutered male Chihuahua mix,who is available for adoption,with twenty-six other dogs and thirty-eight cats, at the Redlands Animal Shelter. Mr. Chinnachamy informed the Council twenty-seven dogs and seventeen cats have been adopted since the last regular City Council meeting. March 21,2017 Page 1 PUBLIC COMMENT: Redlands Animal Shelter-Andy Hoder requested the Council increase the budget for the Animal Shelter, rather than have the Shelter rely on public donations to meet the funding needs they face throughout the year, for items such as special pet food and or supplies. City Manager Martinez pointed to the success of the RUDY pet adoption program he implemented in the latter part of 2007, This program has helped prevent many animals from being euthanized. Organ Donor Awareness-Marie Hyta encouraged the Council to delegate the month of April as "National Donate Life Month", and she described the important work being done by One Legacy Donate Life and encouraged everyone to sign up to be an organ donor. General Plan - Stephen Rogers, of the Mentone Area Community Association (MACA),was troubled with the amount of time the General Plan update is taking and he challenged the Council to accomplish the update as a complete document,by the end of 2017. In response, Development Services Director James Troyer stated the draft General Plan and associated Environmental Review documents are expected to be before the Council in September, 2017. Olio-Greg Brittain spoke on three subjects, including his concern for California's growing unfunded pension liabilities for the public sector. He suggested the Council consider contracting with an outside company to perform solid waste division services, rather than raising user rates,He stated alternative parking arrangements should be made before the City sell current public parking, and he encouraged the Council for more transparency related to larger projects in the downtown area that directly impact the public.A delay with some sort of plan for the mall but he wants transparency if we are still in negotiations then the public deserves the right to have an idea about the concept for the future of the property. CONSENT CALENDAR: Minutes On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Paul Barich the City Council unanimously approved the minutes of the regular meeting of March 7, 2017 as submitted. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed Proclamation On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Paul Barich the City Council unanimously approved a proclamation declaring March 2017 as National Nutrition Month. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed COMMUNICATIONS Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Report Commissioner Ryan Johnson presented some of the main goals of the commission this past year as: (1) Develop and prepare, for Council's consideration, a priority list of projects to be funded by the sale of the Palmetto Grove. (2) Collaborate with the Friends of Redlands Skatepark and participate in fundraising efforts for the establishment of a City of Redlands Skate Park. Other accomplishments include participation in an annual park, open space,trails and facility tour in order to keep commissioners apprised of facilities status, review of the City website to keep Parks and Recreation March 21,2017 Page 2 information up to date, and working through City's 311 Notification System, Commissioners were able to help identify areas needing attention within all parks. Inland Empire Economic Partnership Award Olivia Crowley, of the Municipal Utilities and Engineering Department announced the City of Redlands and the San Bernardino Community College District won the program award for Sustainability and Green Development for the Crafton Hills Nonpotable Pipeline Project. This project installed approximately 1,250 feet of nonpotable water pipeline and upon completion,the college will reduce the annual potable water usage by 67%. The award is meant to highlight local government agencies that broke through bureaucratic "red tape"to carry out projects to promote a better quality of life. Budget Review Management Services/Finance Director Danielle Garcia provided an executive summary of the Mid-Year General Fund Budget Review for FY 2016-2017, including the General Fund activity year-to-date, a comparison to this point in time last fiscal year, and a ten-year General Fund History. General Fund Revenues year-to-date are about$2.6 million higher than at this time last year, largely due to an increase in property taxes and increases to sales tax. Expenditures are on target with the approved budget. Items of note in this year's budget include, improved sales tax receipts from Citrus Plaza and Mountain Grove retail developments, as a result of the full opening and operation of the new Mountain Grove businesses. Property tax revenue continues to meet budget projections. A combination of factors, including Prop 8 Restoration and CPI, signal the potential for increased growth in this revenue category. Mayor Foster and Councilmember Gilbreath thanked staff for their thorough work and stated the City is very sound financially. On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Council Member Jon Harrison the City Council unanimously agreed to receive and file the budget review report. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed PUBLIC HEARINGS COUNCIL DISTRICT BOUNDARY MAPS - ORDINANCE NO. 2848 BY-DISTRICT ELECTIONS Mayor Foster opened the public hearing and announced staff was made aware yesterday of a possible posting error of Map 1-C and the incorrect version was posted on the consultant's website and distributed to Councilmembers and the public in the agenda packets for March 7 and March 21, 2017. In the Council and the public's best interest,the Mayor recommended the City Council continue the public hearing to April 4, 2017. Furthermore,he stated the Council will open the public hearing tonight and take public comment regarding the draft maps,however,with the understanding that a correct version of Map 1-C is not properly before the City Council and is not a subject for discussion at this meeting. Staff confirmed that the legal analysis previously prepared by outside special counsel for the correct version of Map 1-C and the demographic data used for the analysis, remains unchanged and is accurate. Since that time, all six focus maps and the correct version of Map 1-C are now currently posted on the Consultant's website. City Attorney McHugh explained the continuance of this item will not change the subject matter of the item before the Council on April 4, 2017, indicating the ordinance content for Map 2-13,the map previously selected by the Council, remains the same and the other focus maps will still be available for discussion, as well. As public comment, Mike Layne restated his concerns related to whether legislative procedures spelled out in AB 350 were appropriately followed by the City with regards to the timing of the Consultant Draft Maps and the schedule for public hearings. Mr. Layne encouraged the Council to take additional time in order to be in compliance with all March 21,2017 Page 3 regulations. In response, City Attorney McHugh explained the by-district election process began in 2016 before AB 350 took effect and every step of this process has been in accordance with the law at all times and the City is in full compliance. Stephen Rogers, representing the Mentone Area Community Association (MACA), again questioned whether the attorneys hired by the City to review the draft maps were truly independent,he pushed for the Council to extend the hearings, and stated MACA is seriously considering other alternatives to "opt-out" of the City districts. Mark Kumlar, Geographic Information Systems Professor at the University of Redlands (U of R), along with his masters students,developed a new map now identified as Map3-C2. Mr. Kumlar listed the following advantages of Map 3-C2 over Map 2-13: the deviation for the ideal balance is very good; it is more compact than 2-13;the neighborhood boundaries are better matched;there is broad support with citizens; and this could reduce the likelihood of litigation.Willen Pennings supported the continuance of this agenda item and encouraged the Council to have an open mind to seriously consider the maps submitted by the University students, as these maps were developed by concerned citizens who specialize in mapping, and received no payment for their services. Kathy Feely,Associate Professor of History at U of R pressed the Council to consider Map 3-C2 and reiterated the map is well balanced,very compact, follows neighborhood boundaries,meets legal requirements, and limits the likelihood of litigation. Shana Higgins showed her support for extending the public hearing phase and encouraged the Council to consider Map 3-C2. Councilmember Tejeda would like to consider a map with a tighter population base and called for more collaboration. On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Paul Barich the City Council agreed to continue the public hearing to the regular City Council meeting scheduled for April 4, 2017 Vote: 5 - 0 Passed SAM-REDLANDS, LLC,APPLICANT Mayor Foster opened the public hearing and called upon Loralee Farris, of the Development Services Department, for a summary of the applicant's requests to develop approximately 11.97 acres of land located on the east side of Wabash Avenue,north of Sylvan Boulevard,within the unincorporated County of San Bernardino, designated within the Sphere of Influence for the City of Redlands. The applicant, SAM-REDLANDS, LLC, is requesting a proposed annexation, zone change, and tentative tract map. The Applicant's representative,Pat Meyer,thanked staff for their thorough review and stated the applicant agrees with all the Conditions of Approval. Councilmember Harrison asked for clarification with Condition of Approval 4 26, as it relates to the crosswalk on Wabash Avenue. Meyer agreed to enter into discussions with the City in regard to developing a plan to accomplish a proper crosswalk and signalization for Wabash and, staff was tasked to work out the details. As public comment, Stephen Rogers, representing MACA, listed several concerns with the project, including,the General Plan,traffic studies, development impact fees,the floodplain, and the overall impacts. Steve Hellerman, a resident who lives next to the project site on Wabash,was pleased with some of the mitigation measures and pushed for the Council to ensure the measures are fulfilled. He expressed his concern with the loss of citrus groves, as a result of the project, and wondered how the City will preserve the citrus heritage of Redlands. Bill Cunningham pointed out this is a precedent setting project as it relates to Measure U and Measure N,but,he stated the project could be modified to be consistent with both measures. In response to public comment, Mr. Meyer informed the Council the housing portion of the project is totally outside the floodplain area. Mayor Foster closed the public hearing. Councilmember Harrison added information with respect to the future of maintaining the City's citrus heritage and he and Councilmember Gilbreath discussed some of the criteria needed to establish and maintain citrus operations that are esthetically and economically viable. March 21,2017 Page 4 On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Council Member Jon Harrison the City Council unanimously determined that based on the whole of the administrative record to date,the information justifies the adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project and the accompanying mitigation monitoring and reporting program, and directed staff to post a Notice of Determination in accordance with the state CEQA guidelines; agreed to direct staff to prepare a written letter of support on the reorganization regarding Annexation No. 94; approved the introduction of Ordinance No. 2846; and adopted Resolution No. 7712 for a socio-economic cost-benefit study; approved Resolution No. 7713 for Redesignation of Lands in Active Agricultural Production; and adopted Resolution No. 7714 for Tentative Tract Map No. 19942. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed NEW BUSINESS Ordinance No. 2847 -Fireworks Fire Chief Frazier provided the background for Ordinance No. 2847, amending Chapter 15.20 of the Redlands Municipal Code,establishing liability for persons who allow or permit the sale,use of discharge of any fireworks on certain properties, and to provide for liability for response costs related to fireworks. On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Council Member Eddie Tejeda the Council unanimously approved the introduction of Ordinance No. 2847. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed Wedding Event at Airport Will Hamilton, of the Quality of Life Department,provided details of a request from Philip Ensley and Emily Holmes to hold a wedding event on September 30, 2017 at the Redlands Municipal Airport. As public comment,Philip Ensley thanked the Council and informed them the event time frames have been modified and he requested an adjustment in fees be based on the new times. Director Boatman confirmed staff will revise the condition accordingly,based on the time schedule submitted. On motion of Council Member Eddie Tejeda, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Paul Ban ch the Council unanimously agreed the proposed event request is exempt from review under Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines, and approved the wedding event subject to the conditions of approval recommended by staff. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed MSRC- Class II Bike Lanes Risa Jones, of the Municipal Utilities and Engineering Department summarized an overview of the MSRC- Class II Bike Lanes Project. On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Council Member Eddie Tejeda the City Council agreed that approval of an agreement and construction of the MSRC - Class II Bike Lanes Project,Project No. 47024,is exempt from review under Section 15304(h) of the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines, and approved the Project plans and specifications and awarded a construction contract to Cat Tracking, Incorporated in the amount of$185,370.65 for the work. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed March 21,2017 Page 5 Allev Improvements Risa Jones, of the Municipal Utilities and Engineering Department,provided an overview of a program to address maintenance and repair needs for City alleys. On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Council Member Eddie Tejeda the City Council unanimously agreed that alley paving improvements are categorically exempt from further review in accordance with Section 15301(c) of the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines and 24 CFR Part 58, Subpart D of the Code of Federal Regulations.; and approved the plans and specifications for the 16/17 Community Development Block Grant Alley Paving Improvements, Project No. 43062; and awarded a contract between the City of Redlands and El Camino Asphalt Paving Corporation in the amount of$115,000.79, for the work. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed Green Bike Lane Enhancements Risa Jones, of the Municipal Utilities and Engineering Department,presented an overview of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 4 -Green Bike Lane Enhancements. On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Council Member Eddie Tejeda the City Council agreed that approval of an agreement and construction of the HSIP Cycle 4 -Green Bike Lane Enhancements, Project No. 41061,is exempt from review under Section 15301(c) of the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines, and approved the Project plans and specifications and awarded a construction contract to Cat Tracking, Incorporated,in the amount of$176,160.00 for the work. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed Purchase and Sale Agreement Development Services Director James Troyer provided details for the sale of City owned property at 216 Brookside Avenue. As public comment, Stephen Rogers questioned whether the City has the expertise to be handling these kinds of real estate deals and raised concerns related to exhibits. On motion of Council Member Pat Gilbreath, seconded by Council Member Eddie Tejeda the City Council unanimously agreed that approval of a Purchase and Sale Agreement and Escrow Instructions for Assessor's Parcel Nos. 0171-211-13, -14, -16, -18, -19, -20, and -21,by and between the City of Redlands and VantageOne Real Estate Investments V, LLC., is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA)pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3)of the CEQA Guidelines; and approved the Purchase and Sale Agreement. Vote: 5 - 0 Passed INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND/OR REPORTS ON ACTIVITIES Mayor Pro Tem Barich attended the Historic and Scenic Preservation Commission meeting on March 16 and the Human Relations Commission meeting held March 20, 2017. He was pleased to attend the Coffee with the Council, on March 18, 2017, at the Community Center and commented the event was very well attended with over twenty-three people. March 21,2017 Page 6 Councilmember Gilbreath attended the Omnitrans Administrative and Finance Committee meeting on March 9, 2017,the Library Board Meeting on March 14, 2017, and stated the Board will soon obtain ownership of the Contemporary Club, currently undergoing a remodel. She is thankful her hearing has been improving and was glad she made it through tonight's meeting without her hearing supports. Councilmember Harrison continued to collaborate with the Friends of the Redlands Skatepark and announced their fundraising event has been moved to Sunday,April 23, 2017. He participated in a video to promote the Skatepark fundraiser. and represented the City at the Town and Gown Citizens of Distinction event on March 11, 2017. Councilmember Tejeda also enjoyed the Coffee with the Council on March 18, 2017,held at the Community Center and was impressed with the Smiley Library's Adult Literacy Program event he and his wife attended. Mayor Foster attended the Crafton Hills College Foundation dinner on March 18, 2017,the Senior Citizen's Advisory Board,the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting and the Planning Commission meeting on March 14,2017. He enjoyed participating with Councilmember Harrison in the video production for the skatepark fundraising efforts. ADJOURNMENT There being no further action required the meeting adjourned at 7:51 P.M. The next regular meeting of the City Council will be held on April 4, 2017. March 21,2017 Page 7