CITY OF ELK GROVE Incorporated July 1, 2000 MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL Wednesday, February 27, 2013 REGULAR MEETING CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Mayor Davis called the regular City Council meeting of February 27, 2013 to order at 6:01 p.m. Present: Absent: Mayor Davis, Vice Mayor Detrick, and Council Members Cooper, Hume and Trigg. None. Vice Mayor Detrick led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Davis asked that a moment of silence be observed. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: M/S Hume/Detrick to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: 5 Noes: 0. CLOSED SESSION None. PRESENTATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS 4.1 Chair Marsha Holmes provided a presentation and update on the Committee for With the aid of an overhead presentation (filed), Ms. Holmes noted accomplishments over the past year of the Committee for the Arts including: 1) providing guidance on artistic elements for the East Stockton Sound Wall project, 2) establishing a regular feature in the City newsletter to highlight art in public places, and 3) worked on formulating a civic engagement campaign with the theme "I love Elk Grove". She noted the Committee for the Arts was utilizing part of its funding allocation this year to provide two performance venues. The Committee developed a Request For Proposals seeking producers who could provide a single evening pertormance with the funding available. Six responsive proposals were received, and the two selected were from the Gary Mendoza Band presenting "Future of the Blues," a musical history of the blues, and the second performer was Jeremy Taylor presenting the "History of Music". Tickets for both events were free, with each performing arts venue seating up to 750 people. The focus of the Committee for the upcoming year was continued work on performing arts events, featuring local art in the City newsletter, and continuing work on the "I love Elk Grove" the Arts community awareness campaign. Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27,2013 Page 1of12 Council Member Hume inquired if the Committee had pursued a program for Ms. Holmes noted the Committee had discussed the item but had yet to pursue the concept, and would look at opportunities in the coming year to evaluate the feasibility of such a project. She noted in the last year Mel Ramos and Gregory Kondos, two former art teachers from Elk Grove High School, had their art collections exhibited in California art museums, noting the heritage of the arts they had fostered in Elk Grove. 4.2 Ty Sorci provided the Elk Grove Sister Cities Council Update neighborhoods to paint utility boxes with differing murals. With the aid of an overhead presentation (filed) and policy document (filed), Mr. Sorci noted the Sister Cities Council had drafted a proposed policy on their governance and operations, and submitted the document for concurrence by the City. He summarized outreach to date with potential sister city partners, noting documents were being reviewed by the cities of Montichiari, Italy and Hailin, China, and itineraries were being evaluated for future tours. The Sister Cities Council was working in conjunction with the Youth Commission and Elk Grove Unified School District to establish online contacts with prospective sister cities, as well as exploring student exchange programs. The Sister Cities Council had continued contact with Danglas, Philippines, but communications had not been returned for months, and it was decided to open the opportunity for other cities from the region to be considered. PUBLIC COMMENT Anthony Cooper addressed his suggestion that off-duty peace officers be required to carry side arms at all times in the interest of public safety. He had designed signs promoting the idea and had been asking local businesses to post such signs, and he John Blohm, representing the Laguna Lakes home owners association (HOA), stated the HOA wanted to replace the 2,700 feet of fencing along Folks Ranch Road. The fence design applied for was a six foot fence with a one foot lattice extension on top, but the application was encountering issues for approval with the Building Department. John Whitmore, the contractor for the fence submitted by the HOA, believed the requirements of the City were excessive, requiring engineer designed plans that would lead to larger concrete footings than they had planned for. He requested an exemption be made for this project to utilize smaller concrete footings, noting the design implemented steel posts and that soil compaction at the project site would provide a Vice Mayor Detrick noted that if an engineer would not sign off on plans it was likely an By consensus the City Council agreed the matter should be reviewed, and Assistant City Manager Rebecca Craig stated staff would work with the applicants to assess requested feedback from the City regarding the matter. secure footing. indicator of design issues that could lead to liability. requirements of the application. Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting. February: 27, 2013 Page 2of12 Jim Crowder requested the hours of door to door solicitors end at dusk in the interests of public safety, which received consensus from the City Council for consideration as a Michael Monasky observed that public speakers were being identified on the overhead video system in the Chamber. He noted that a public body in a public meeting could not future agenda item. compel speakers addressing the body to identify themselves. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION City Manager Laura Gill reviewed the February 27, 2013 Administrative Report (filed). In reply to Vice Mayor Detrick, Assistant City Manger Craig noted public works staff had been coordinating activities regarding the Elk Grove Boulevard and Elk Grove Florin Road Bus Turnout Project with the Elk Grove Unified School District, and staff would evaluate if the project and lane closure could be scheduled for construction while school Mayor Davis addressed the preparation of the Housing Element, noting feedback from a property owner that a historic site was identified as a potential low-income unit site. He requested that proposed sites be evaluated against the historic preservation site list City Manager Gill noted the historic preservation site list yet had yet to be completed, but internal review would be conducted for preparation of the Housing Element. She noted the site list would be taken under consideration for future budgeting. COUNCIL COMMENTS/REPORTS/FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS was not in session. before being recommended for consideration. Council Member Cooper attended the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation Board of Directors meeting, but noted no items to report. Vice Mayor Detrick had no items to report. Council Member Hume attended the Sacramento Regional Transit District Board meeting, highlighting the announcement of the grand opening of their bus maintenance facility that included a fast fill Compressed Natural Gas station. He requested staff monitor the California State Controller's Office unclaimed properties listing for monies due to the City. Mr. Hume requested, and received City Council consensus, to review the sign code to address excessive signage seen at particular business sites. Vice Mayor Detrick requested looking into whether the City could reçover costs and fine Council Member Trigg thanked staff for providing orientations of City operations, and appreciated communications and suggestions from the public on City issues. sign owners for removal of illegal signs. Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27,2013 Page30 of12 Mayor Davis attended the Cash for College event held at Franklin Library. He stated he was voted as the Chair of the Sacramento Transportation Authority Board. He participated in a dialogue regarding regional shared services and how the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) could bring value added services to jurisdictions, offering certain services in a centralized format alleviating each agency from having to purchase such services individually. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS PUBLIC COMMENT None. Motion: M/S Detrick/Hume to approve the Consent Calendar as presented. The motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: 5 Noes: 0. Agenda Item No.8.1: Received December 2012 Treasurer's Report. Agenda Item No. 8.2: Approved City Council meeting Minutes of January 9, 2013 Agenda Item No. 8.3: Received report on City Manager approved purchases and contracts authorized by Elk Grove Municipal Code Chapter 3.42 Contracts and Agenda Item No. 8.4: Received report on Requests for Proposals, Qualifications, and Agenda Item No. 8.5: Ordinance No. 2-2013 adopted amending Elk Grove Municipal Agenda Item No. 8.6: Resolution No. 2013-32 adopted authorizing the City Manager tos submit a grant application to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) for a Local Government Waste Tire Amnesty Grant Program Agenda Item No. 8.7: Resolution No. 2013-33 adopted dispensing with and waiving the competitive bidding process for Streaming Media Services and authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Granicus, Inc. for Streaming Media Services for a period of three years, with one three-year renewal, for an amount not-to-exceed Agenda Item No. 8.8: Resolution No. 2013-34 adopted accepting the 2012 Slurry Seal Project as complete and authorizing the City Engineer to prepare, and the City Clerk to file, the Notice of Completion with the Sacramento County Recorder Agenda Item No. 8.9: Resolution No. 2013-35 adopted finding the 2013 Citywide Curb Ramp Accessibility Improvement Project (WAC005) exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and directing the filing of a Notice of Exemption; authorizing the City Manager to execute a construction contract with David Engineering Construction, Inc in the amount of $115,286; authorizing the City Engineer to approve special meeting Purchasing, filed through February 20, 2013. Bids Code Title 4 relating to Business Regulation (Second Reading) $211,891 Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27, 2013 Page4of12 change orders not-to-exceed $17,314; and authorizing the City Manager to execute a construction contract with the second lowest bidder if David Engineering Construction, Agenda Item No. 8.10: Resolution No. 2013-36 adopted designating the Public Works Director as the representative on the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership Steering Committee and the Engineering Services Manager as the Agenda Item No. 8.11: Resolution No. 2013-37 adopted authorizing the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cosumnes Community Services District (CCSD) regarding the collection of certain building and plan check fees on Agenda Item No. 8.12: Resolution No. 2013-38 adopted authorizing the City Manager tos submit all necessary forms and documents to receive $500,000 of Proposition 1B Transit Safety and Security Bonds for the construction of a secure employee parking Inc does not meet filing obligations alternate representative behalf of CCSD's Fire and Parks Departments area at the Corporation Yard PUBLIC HEARINGS Agenda Item No. 9.1: A public hearing to consider introduction of an ordinance amending Elk Grove Municipal Code Chapters 12.03, 16.81, 16.82, 16.85, 16.86, 16.91 and 16.95 to synchronize cost index updates for various development impact fee programs RECOMMENDATION: Introduce and waive the full reading, by substitution of title only, an ordinance amending Elk Grove Municipal Code Chapters 12.03, 16.81, 16.82, 16.85, 16.86, 16.91 and 16.95 to synchronize cost index updates for various development impact fee programs. Brad Koehn, Director of Finance and Administration, presented an overview of the staff report and recommendation. He noted the update was to improve administrative efficiency by aligning the time of year when annual impact fee updates were conducted, Council Member Hume suggested the date be the calendar year, as summer was the height of construction season, and the calendar year would assist development from a planning perspective. Mr. Hume suggested if switching to the calendar year to advance and synchronize them on July 1 of each year. the time of adjustments to the following year. Mayor Davis declared the public hearing open. PUBLIC COMMENT: Michael Monasky raised concern that current impact fees were not high enough, and fee amounts and housing policies should be reviewed. Mayor Davis declared the public hearing closed. Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27,2 2013 Page 5of12 Motion: M/S Hume/Trigg to introduce and waive the full reading, by substitution of title only, Ordinance No. 3-2013 amending Elk Grove Municipal Code Chapters 12.03, 16.81, 16.82, 16.85, 16.86, 16.91 and 16.95 to synchronize cost index updates for various development impact fee programs as amended to set the date for updates on the calendar year and not the fiscal year. The motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: 5; Noes: 0. REGULAR AGENDA ACTIONITEMS/RECOMMENDATIONS Agenda Item No. 10.1: Economic Development Program Quarterly Report RECOMMENDATION: of2012. Receive the Quarterly Report on economic development activities for the Fourth Quarter With the aid of an overhead presentation (filed), Randy Starbuck, Economic Development Director, presented an overview of the staff report. He noted the California Correctional Health Care Services facilities had an expected construction completion date of March 2013, and construction continued on the Cosumnes River College Satellite campus with a completion date expected Fall 2013. The California Northstate University College of Pharmacy was completing the accreditation process. He detailed efforts in outreach to priority tiers of target industries, including two Tier 1 firms, one Tier 3 firm, contact to three developers with interest in the Southeast Policy Area, and a potential partnership with Five Star Bank for financing opportunities to build a capital equity pool and lending opportunities. Regarding retention and expansion staff had worked with three firms, provided continued development assistance to the Northstate University College of Pharmacy to expand research facilities, and continued work with the Elk Grove Economic Development Corporation (EGEDC) workforce development and training, capital formation, and real estate working groups. He stated Apple Computer had released statements of expanding production, and representatives of the State of California had conducted outreach to Apple Computer to expand operations in the state. Marketing for the quarter was locally focused on the ice rink in Old Town and the EGEDC Capital Campaign. Regional marketing included participation in UC Davis Agriculture and Food Research Program and the Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance (SARTA) MedStart initiative strategic planning workshop. He displayed that business vacancy rates were decreasing in Elk Grove, and were lower than average vacancy rates in the greater Sacramento region. Vacant office space had the biggest reduction, equating to a reduced inventory of vacant office space down to 260,000 square feet, and reduced vacancy rates in commercial and industrial spaces as well. He believed the decreasing vacancy rates could serve as a trigger for increased business development. He noted the City strategy for economic development, especially as related to the business research park in the context of the Southeast Policy Area, was poised to meet trends in planning for additional business space. He reviewed new housing starts displaying a slow but progressive increase in activity in housing permits pulled on an annual comparison. Mr. Starbuck reviewed current initiatives noting preparations were being made for the trade show season, a Community Development Block Grant application was submitted to create a small business loan program, a hiring assistance program was being pursued in conjunction Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting. February27,2013 Page6 6of12 with the North State Building Industry Association, a small business resource event was being planned for May 2013 in partnership with the Sacramento Region Small Business Association, and continued assistance with the Southeast Planning Area was provided. Vice Mayor Detrick appreciated efforts of staff to meet with Congressman Ami Bera and brief him on City and regional economic development policies and objectives. PUBLIC COMMENT: Michael Monasky raised concemn of placing too much emphasis of economic development solely in the area of health care, or any singular industry, and believed a diverse economic base was needed. He believed the economic development office had Council Member Hume addressed that with a decreasing percentage of vacant business space for the City, for staff to evaluate the total inventory and ensure adequate too much leeway in their operations and needed more direction. space was allocated and available for various business types. The City Council received and filed the report. Agenda Item No. 10.2: Report on Ice Rink at Old Town Program Receive and discuss a report on the Ice Rink at Old Town Program RECOMMENDATION: With the aid of an overhead presentation (filed), Randy Starbuck, Economic Development Director, presented an overview of the staff report. The ice rink was well received by the community having over 14,000 attendees, but financially the program was not sustainable under the contracted terms for that season and resulted in a net loss of $76,000, which included a $21,000 cost to provide modified transit service. There was support from the community and the Old Town merchants to offer the amenity next season, and in the brief amount of time prior to opening the ice rink staff had obtained $20,000 in sponsorships. Overall costs were lower than projected, but overall revenues were lower as well with poor weather conditions impacting two major holiday weekends. The net losses were absorbed under the economic development budget. The lessons leamed from the initial season were to start the process earlier, utilize a Request for Proposals process to identify a preferred operator, provide advance planning for advertising, promotions, and sponsorships, and revisit transit services provided. Mr. Starbuck believed with adequate time and preparation the event could be offered in future seasons without requiring the significant subsidy as expended this year Vice Mayor Detrick believed staff time invested in the project should be included in the by the City. report of total project expenses. PUBLIC COMMENT: Lynn Wheat supported the ice rink, but asked for additional analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the investment in the amenity including costs of utilities to the site and Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27,2013 Page 7of12 any data to indicate if sales to local merchants increased. She inquired as to what other Vice Mayor Detrick stated sales tax received could be isolated to particular geographic Assistant City Manager Craig responded that the report expenses included electricity, and water costs were viewed as negligible by the water provider, who received uses were considered for the City purchased property. segments, but projected the sales tax differential would likely be low. promotional in-kind offerings instead. City Manager Gill noted Allied Waste supplied trash services. Michael Monasky believed an operating loss of $76,000 was excessive, and disagreed with the revenues and expenditures reported. He believed the amenity would be a Tom Waltman expressed that he was initially critical of the project, but overall the project provided an amenity that was well received by the public. He believed if the project drew more customers there would be a negative traffic impact at the Old Town Elk Grove location. Mr. Waltman believed the report understated costs, but that costs Council Member Hume found the initial offering of the project was an experiment, which due to timing constraints operated at a loss, but believed in future years many of those costs could be avoided. He received feedback from the community that participants enjoyed the amenity, and business owners in the area reported an increase in customer volume. Mr. Hume expressed his desire to see the amenity offered in the Old Town Vice Mayor Detrick stated he had opposed the item when first considered, mainly because the contract with the operator was unfavorable to the City. He believed the operator made a profit to the detriment of the City, and he believed the operator provided a low quality operation. Mr. Detrick stated he could support the project in Council Member Cooper supported the amenity but to remove the operating loss, and suggested the venue be moved west of State Route 99 for the upcoming year, suggesting a commercial area such as Laguna Crossroads which had more businesses to benefit from additional customers, and would better accommodate traffic. He believed the Old Town location would encounter problematic traffic issues, and suggested switching the site of the amenity each year to evaluate program success. Mayor Davis believed that with City ownership of the property it provided a site to offer sustained economic investment projects for Old Town Elk Grove, including the seasonal ice rink. Mr. Davis disagreed that the venue would create negative traffic impacts, and believed this project was a starting point to discuss other uses for the site. benefit, but felt the project was mismanaged. could be reduced and the amenity should be offered in future years. area in future years. future years if a vendor proposed a non-subsidized operation. Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting. February27.2013 Page 8of12 City Manager Gill noted the effect of the amenity on sales tax in the area would be evaluated once the quarterly reports were available, and to compare the 2012 numbers with 2011 to evaluate any percentage change. The City Council received and filed the report. Agenda Item 10.3: Wayfinding Program Presentation RECOMMENDATION: next steps Receive a presentation on the wayfinding program and provide direction regarding the Randy Starbuck, Economic Development Director, provided an overview of the staff report. The program was introduced in June 2012, and direction was given for staff to conduct public outreach and return with recommendations for the program and policies on sign content. The lead consultant was Rick Engineering, offering a comprehensive wayfinding program that provided unified directional signs for residents and visitors, and reinforced community marketing and branding. Mr. Starbuck stated the program could be implemented in phases with various costs for particular elements of the program, and noted a supplemental staff memo (filed) displayed the current signage design and With the aid of an overhead presentation (filed), John Bosio, with MERJE Design - the graphic design firm working with Rick Engineering, displayed that a wayfinding program provided navigation, but was also a marketing tool to bring awareness, promote areas within a location, and build a community brand. The program goal was to encourage users to discover the community, reduce excess signage, build consistency in signage, and carry that consistency by integrating design with online information resources. He provided examples of wayfinding programs. He noted the program was not just design and placement of signs, but also included system inventory and maintenance over time, funding, and addressing different travel systems for vehicular, parking, and pedestrian needs, as well different modular systems of dynamic message panels and linking Martin Flores, representing Rick Engineering, displayed route simulation videos (filed) of two routes displaying a visualization of the wayfinding signage as planned for implementation in Elk Grove. He noted the long travel distances required confirmation to users of the system, that factors of speed and street width affected the program and signage requirements, and the street level environment held elements that required design to maintain consistency of placement and visibility of signs in the program. Mr. Flores noted that conformance with sign standards made the program eligible for state Mr. Bosio described overall sign size, noting sign standards to accommodate copy print requirements for an Elk Grove program would see several signs at six to seven feet off the ground to the bottom of the sign, with the top of the signs near 12 feet. In areas where travel speed was reduced, smaller sized print and panels could be utilized for color scheme. mobile devices to additional information resources. and federal grant funding opportunities. those particular areas, such as Old Town Elk Grove. Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27,2013 Page 9of12 PUBLIC COMMENT: Lynn Wheat noted sign clutter was mentioned as an issue in the City, and she requested clarification for the amount of signage added what signage would be removed. She found that the examples shown of other jurisdictions were of concentrated city centers and not comparable with the spread out suburbia of Elk Grove. Ms. Wheat did not believe a signage program as described was needed at this time, and she did not support the signage proposed under the program for the Elk Anthony Cooper believed a wayfinding signage program was outdated, and numerous individuals utilized personal mobile devices for navigation and information needs. Michael Monasky opposed the wayfinding signage program, believing it was oriented only for automobile traffic. He advocated for prioritizing safe pedestrian travel routes, and agreed with comments that street signage was outdated in light of the availability of Vice Mayor Detrick supported the program. He noted mobile devices primarily aided in providing additional information on known quantities, whereas the wayfinding program was designed to raise initial awareness of amenities in the area. He valued signage in other communities when traveling, and saw value in enhancing the City's image and branding efforts. Mr. Detrick was in support of implementing the whole of the proposed program if it minimized use of the General Fund through gas tax revenue, and he believed local events would be positively promoted with the dynamic message signs. Council Member Hume supported the static sign portion of the program, noting wayfinding signage would benefit regional visitors as well. He questioned the need for the interior signage at the Elk Grove Auto Mall. He did not support implementing the dynamic message signs at this time, and suggested phasing the digital sign component Mayor Davis supported the program, citing the City Council goal to promote the City as ac cultural and tourism destination. He believed the community held more events and festivals than most cities. He observed temporary reader boards were already in use for many events, and this program was an opportunity to bring a cohesive appearance to City signage, and increase general marketing for local events. Mr. Davis believed signage remained a viable information source to direct drivers and visitors, and signs Council Member Cooper supported the program but questioned funding, voicing support Grove Auto Mall. information on mobile devices. after evaluating how the static sign program was received. were safer than looking at a mobile device when driving. to pursue grant options and potentially phasing the program. Council Member Trigg voiced support of the program. In reply to questions by the City Council staff responded with the following: Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27,2013 Page 10of12 The annual pavement overlay program was approximately $1.8 million for the current fiscal year, any funding for the signage program would be a reduction of a Public input during the outreach meetings raised the most concern about the Dynamic message signs were often shut down at night and subsequently did not operate 24 hours a day, in many instances in other jurisdictions such dynamic given year's pavement overlay program; dynamic message signs; message signs predominantly displayed traffic and safety alerts. Motion: M/S Hume/Cooper providing direction to phase implementation, starting with the 47 static signs, and to table discussion of the dynamic message signs to another Vice Mayor Detrick felt that if the comprenensive program was not phased for implementation at the outset, particular locations would require retrofitting of a prior Council Member Hume believed upgrading a static sign to a dynamic message sign Inr reply to Council Member Cooper, Assistant City Manager Rebecca Craig stated the average annual gas tax allocation received was just over $3 million, and program recommendations were made through the budget including identifying discretionary monies for special projects. Funding for this program would impact such discretionary monies for special projects, and prioritizing this project would be drawing down funds Substitute Motion: M/S Detrick/Davis providing direction to phase implementation of the full program as proposed (implementing the static signs in the first year and dynamic signs afterwards) over a two year period. The motion passed by the following vote: Agenda Item 10.4: Consider introduction of an ordinance amending Elk Grove date. installation, increasing overall program costs. would incur a relatively low cost. that could be allocated to ongoing maintenance demands. Ayes: 3; Noes: 2 (Cooper, Hume). Municipal Code Title 8 related to Animal Control RECOMMENDATION: Introduce and waive the full reading, by substitution of title only, an ordinance amending With the aid of an overhead presentation (filed), Maureen McCann, Animal Control Supervisor, provided an overview of the staff report and recommendation. Elk Grove Municipal Code Title 8 related to Animal Control. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. Inn reply to Council Member Cooper, Ms. McCann noted 98 vouchers had been issued through the community cat program to address feral cat colonies, and to date 15 cats had been neutered or spayed. Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February 27, 2013 Page 11of12 Motion: M/S Detrick/Hume to introduce and waive the full reading, by substitution of title only, Ordinance No. 4-2013 amending Elk Grove Municipal Code Title 8 related to Animal Control. The motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: 5; Noes: 0. Agenda Item 10.5: Consider resolution approving an updated Animal Control Fee Schedule to include changes and additions to Sections A (Cat and Dog License) and H (Miscellaneous) RECOMMENDATION: Adopt resolution approving an updated Animal Control Fee Schedule to include changes to Section A (Cat and Dog License) and H Miscellaneous). The verbal staff report was waived. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. Motion: M/S Hume/Trigg to adopt Resolution No. 2013-39 approving an updated Animal Control Fee Schedule to include changes to Section A (Cat and Dog License) and H Miscellaneous). The motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: 5; Noes: 0. ADJOURNMENT With no additional business to conduct, the February 27, 2013 regular City Council meeting was adjourned at 8:42 p.m. L JASON LINDGRENEITY CLERK ATTEST: 26 Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting, February2 27,2013 Page 12of12