CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING (IN-PERSON AND' VIDEO CONFERENCE) 6165 Spring Valley Road Monday, May 13, 2024 5:30p.m. MINUTES  CALLTO ORDER ANDI PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE  Aregular meeting oft the City Council oft the City of Hidden Hills was dulyl held via teleconference and in person on! Monday, May 13, 2024 at the hour of 5:30p.m. Mayor Eniko Gold called the meeting to order and presided  thereover. ROLLCALL Council:  Mayor Eniko Gold Mayor Pro Tem Larry G. Weber Council Member Joe Loggia Council Member Laura McCorkindale Council Member Adam Wasserman Interim City! Manager Marcella Marlowe Interim City Attorney Michael Jenkins City Engineer Dirk Lovett Administrative Analyst Aaron' Williams City Clerk Deana L. Gonzalez  Staff:  PUBLICCOMMENT  Resident Bret Katz expressed dissatisfaction with the recent changes to the meeting format, specifically the consolidation ofr multiple items under the consent calendar. He raised concerns that this newi format limits the public'sabilityi to comment oni individual! items, as consolidating everythingi into one calendar reduces thet time available for addressing each item. Mr. Katz criticized this approach for hindering resident participation and Resident Mathy' Wasserman expressed concerns about the recent shift to consolidating multiple City Council actions into the consent calendar. She argued that this change restricts transparency and limits community input, as residents are constrainedtoal briefspeaking time on numerous items combined intoasingle agenda. Ms. Wasserman highlighted issues such as insufficient disclosure about Covered 6, the timing of agenda documents, and a perceived disconnect between the Council's stated commitment to increased public  urgedt forare reconsideration of how public comments are handled inf future meetings.    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page2 2  participation and the actual format of the meetings. She urged the Council to reconsider this approach to  allow more time for discussion and community feedback on significant matters.  CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS  Tomorrow, Mayor Pro Tem' Weber will attend a conference as the City's representative to the California JPIA. The conference aimed at helping city council members become better council members. In the past, he had not known about this conference, sO he wanted to thank Interim City Manager Marlowe for informing him Mayor Gold announced that the City and Building and Safety Department will be closed and no inspections  aboutit.  done on Monday, May 27 in honor of! Memorial Day.  STAFF COMMENTS  Interim City Manager Marlowe addressed the concerns about the Consent Calendar, explaining that the consent process ist typically usedi fori items expected to be non-controversial or uncontroversial. She noted that Council Members have the option to vote 'no' on consent items or request that specific items be pulled for further discussion if needed. Marlowe emphasized that while the concept of consent is flexible, especially when opinions are already established, routine business matters can be included without strict adherence to rules based on monetary value or item type. She reassured Ms. Wasserman and the public that active  participation in the democratic process is encouraged and valued.  CONSENT CALENDAR  A. B. C. D. E. F.  Approval oft the City Council Minutes for February 12, 2024 and February 26, 2024  Approval oft the Register of Demands for May 13, 2024 Receive andl File the Disbursement List for March 2024 Receive and File the Financial/freasurer's Reporti for March 2024 Receive and Filet the Investment Statement for March 2024 Fiscal Years Ended. June 30, 2021, 2022, and 2023  Receive and Filet the Financial Statements and Independent. Auditor's Report for Measure' W Fundi for G. Approval of a Professional Services Agreement with Willdan Engineering to Provide Consulting Services foraTerm ofThree Years Related to Compliance with! Water Quality Regulations in an Annual  Amount Not-To-Exceed $99,500 REMOVED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION REMOVED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION  H. I. J. K. L.  Receive and File thel Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Report- March 2024 Receive and Filei the Los Angeles County! Fire Department Report March 2024  Receive and File the Las' Virgenes Malibu Council of Governments (LVMCOG) Report for April 16and M. Approval of al Five-Year City-County! Municipal Services Agreement with Los Angeles County Animal  April 24, 2024 Care and Control    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page 3  N. Termination of Agreement with Burke, Williams, and Sorenson to Provide Legal Services O. Approval of an Agreement with Dr. Jonathan Reichental to Provide Consulting Services to Assist with the Conceptual Planning and Development of Artificial Inteligence (AI) Library Discontinue the Use of Recycled Water for the Watering of the Spring Valley Arena and for Appointment of Director and Alternate to the Board lofDirectors ofthe California. Joint Powers  Related to the City'sl Library Project  Services  P. Q. R. S.  City Landscape Irrigation REMOVED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION Insurance. Authority (CJPIA)  Authorization to Proceed with Little Hollow Undergrounding Project  Resident Britt Aaronson raised several concerns during the meeting. She requested clarity on the findings of the consultant hired in December 2023a and how restricted LA County library funds will be usedi in Hidden Hills, including the timeline for their utilization. Ms. Aaronson also asked when LA County residents in Hidden Hills can expect access to their entitled library services and highlighted the cancellation of the MOU with the City of Calabasas in February 2023, urging transparency about this decision. Additionally, she expressed conçerns about the removal of posts from the Hidden Hills Community Page and comments from the mayor suggesting  that public privileges could be affected by not having private conversations. Council Member Loggia pulled Items 6H, 6l, and 6Qfor further discussion.  6H: Approval of al Professional Services Agreement with Network Television Time (NTT)to Provide Broadcasting and Engineering Support Services in an Amount Not-To-Exceed $107,000 and  Approve a Budget Adjustment of $5,000  Council Member Loggia asked Interim City Attorney Jenkins if amended language reflecting that all paid and current invoices have been paid and there are no outstanding balances. Mr. Jenkins concurred, and as there was no disagreement by the other Council Members, he will amend the agreement per Mr. Loggia's Upon MOTION by Council Member Loggia, seconded by Council Member McCorkindale and unanimously  suggestion.  carried on roll call vote, it was moved to approve item 6H of the Consent Calendar.  6l. Receive and File the City Engineering and Community Development Report for April 2024 Council Member Loggia stated that it looks like there may have been a discrepancy between whatwas decided by the Council and what's reflected in the engineer's report regarding the status of the undergrounding and fiber projects. Specifically, he believes the Council's decision was to pause all undergrounding efforts, excluding Little Hollow and Jed Smith, and to have those two projects investigated further before reporting  back. just want to ensure that the engineer's report accurately reflects this decision.    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page 4  Upon MOTION by Council Member Loggia, seconded by Council Member McCorkindale and unanimously  carried on roll call vote, it was moved to approve item 6H oft the Consent Calendar.  6Q. Approval of Budget for Purchase of Council Chambers Design Services, Furniture, and  Associated Costs.  Council Members expressed concerns about the expenditure amount of $215,000, questioning whether such asignificant expense should! be discussed moret thoroughlyrathert than! beingincluded in the consent calendar. Interim City Manager Marlowe provided background on the project, noting that in 2017, the City Council adopted a goal to consider upgrades to City Hall, including the Council chambers. This goal was reaffirmed in 2018, but delays due to escalating costs and COVID-19 affected progress. The current proposal includes moving forward with design and procurement of furniture, as designed by Camille in 2019. The total budget of $215,000 covers a professional services agreement with StudioMA, furniture, seating, minori improvements, Council Members raised questions about the potential impact on ADA compliance and whether the project could be managed as a single comprehensive remodel or in phases. Interim City Manager Marlowe clarified that the current proposal focuses solely on purchasing furniture and minor improvements, with significant remodeling and. ADA compliance not included in this budget. Thei intenti is to get a head start on the project Ms. Camille Mugdrechan-Armen, of StudioMA! is available for questions about the specifics oft the design and itso compatibility with existing andi future improvements. The Council must decide whether to proceed with the There are concerns regarding the City Council Chambers project, particularly about the $18,000 design services fee and its potential overlap with the 2019 design work. Council Members are wary of duplicating efforts andi incurring unnecessary costs. Questions have also arisen regarding discrepancies betweeni the new design images and the existing room layout, prompting a need for clarification on how the new designs will integrate with current and planned changes. Council Member McCorkindale emphasized the importance of reviewing past expenses to ensure transparency in comparing previous and current costs. The analogy of buying furniturel before designing al house, highlights concerns about the process being followed. The original designer is available to address these issues and clarify her scope of work, with the goal of ensuring that new design efforts align with previously established plans and that all expenditures arej justified. Ms. Mugdrechian-Armen provided an overview of the design process and the current phase of the project. She explained that their initial contract involved evaluating the City Hall and considering various improvements, including ADA compliance and potential changes to the entry. This phase was a schematic review aimed at providing the City Council with an understanding of the project's magnitude, starting as early as 2017, with more concrete work done in 2019. Duet to budget and timing constraints, the project was put on  and wiring.  while allowing flexibility to address any issues in future phases.  proposed budget or consider a more integrated approach.  hold.    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page! 5  Subsequent design development allowed for more detailed planning and enabled the city to obtain accurate contractor bids. Although the design remains relevant, the project was not advanced to construction documents at that time. The current contract focuses on specificelements, like the dais and integrated power The current $18,000 fee covers this first phase, which includes refining the design and preparing for future phases, without redoing any previous work. Camille emphasized that the design was created to be timeless and easily integrated into future updates. The fee also reflects discounts for previous work and the avoidance Resident Bret Katz expressed concerns about the progress and transparency of the library project, noting that it has been a year with minimal updates. He inquired about the accomplishments of the consulting and legal teams involved, mentioning that he has not seen any detailed information from these consultants. He also questioned the goals and definitions of Al library services, expressing uncertainty about what the project aims to achieve. Katz is interested in understanding how Al might be applied in this context, as he has seen its use in other areas like traffic management and public safety. He is concerned that poor vision and strategy could Katz also highlighted that many communities are already delivering services digitally and questioned what this project will do differently compared to existing solutions. Additionally, he mentioned the recent switch from Burke, Williams & Sorensen to Best Best & Krieger and asked if the new firm provided any usefui insights or services. He is interested in learning if there were any new developments or information gained from this transition. Lastly, Katz referenced a separate item about changes to city manager rules and noted that he will Resident Mathy Wasserman expressed frustration over the ongoing library project, particularly regarding the inclusion of consulting andl legal services under the consent agenda. She highlighted that library-related issues have been a frequent topic of discussion and expressed disappointment with previous consultants, specifically Rethinking Libraries, whose Zoom presentation was unsatistactory. Wasserman questioned the spending on the legal firm Burke Williams and wondered if restricted library funds are being used to avoid fulfilling library She acknowledged Jonathan Reichenthal's extensive experience in Al but found it perplexing that his expertise does not seem to include Al applications for libraries, based on her review of his publicly available information. Wasserman was critical of spending approximately $9,000 to $9,500 on a consultant without evidence of relevant work or publiçations in Al for libraries. While she understands Al's potential to enhance library services through efficiency and innovation, she questioned its application in their context, noting that the community has repeatedly expressed a desire for library services similar to those previously provided by Resident Mathy Wasserman raised concerns about legal and consulting expenses related to the interim city attorney and executive recruiting. She questionedi the! $29,000spent on interim city attorney fees and executive recruiting, expressing confusion over the lack of itemized billing details. Wasserman noted that her previous  systems, addressing issues such as exposed wiring.  of duplicative efforts.  lead to high costs with minimal results.  address that in a different context.  commitments, given the project's lack of progress since February of the previous year.  the City of Calabasas.    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page 6  experience on a board included detailed hourly billing from attorneys, which she is not seeing here. She sought clarification on whether these expenses are typical and why itemized bills are not provided. The responsei indicatedthata attorneybilling! is often considered privileged, showingonlysummaries: oft totals, while Alliance Resource Consulting was hired for executive recruiting services. It was suggested that Wasserman Council Member Loggia asked for clarification on why the city is binding itself to a retroactive agreement for the last five years when services have already been received without a formal agreement, The city attorney explained that this process is about cleaning up the record. The city has been paying for services without written agreements, which is not a good practice. By formalizing the agreements, the city can provide documentation for any audits and demonstrate that payments are based on a contractual arrangement. The city attorney assured that there are no concerns about potential liabilities for past payments or issues from vendors about unpaid amounts. The agreement is designed to address past practices and ensure future payments are properydocumented. .Ifnecessary, additional provisions can be added to address any concerns. Interim Cityl Manager Marlowe notedthati this is part ofabroadere efforttor rectify procedural andorganizational issues. The extensive review and documentation of past agreements have contributed to the length of the Resident Bret Katz raised conçerns about the current contract's terms and the cost of broadcasting services. He questioned where the requirement for two meetings per month is stated, given that the city has switched to one meeting per month. He also expressed confusion over the necessity of the broadcasting services, noting thatnot all community members can access the broadcasts, especiallythose using services like DirecTV. He suggested that since the city provides a functional website and uses Zoom, it may not be necessary to spend additional money on broadcasting. Katz emphasized the importance of understanding how many Interim City Attorney Jenkins noted that the indemnification provision was inadvertently omitted from a few lines in items H, 1,N, and. J when the final agreements were prepared or transmitted to the city. This issue has now been corrected, and the city has received the updated versions with the previously missing indemnity clauses included. These clauses define 'indemnity' and ensure that the indemnification covers the city, its officers, employees, and agents. Jenkins clarified that, when the Council approves the consent calendar tonight, they will be endorsing these amended versions with the corrected indemnification language, rather than the versions initially provided in their packets. The revisions are solely related to the indemnification clause, which stipulates the contractor's legal obligation to protect the city and its representatives from any Council Member Loggia directed his question to Interim City Attorney Jenkins and Interim City Manager Mariowe, asking whether it makes sense to approve disbursement lists for payments that have already been made. He suggested that it might be more appropriate to receive and file such lists since they have already been approved in the list of demands. Interim City Manager Marlowe agreed with Council Member Loggia's perspective but indicated that she would discuss the matter further with Mr. Jenkins. They plan to return next  could discuss her concerns further with the city for additional clarity.  çonsent calendar but are essential for proper governance.  people are actually using the broadcast service and whether it justifies the expenditure.  liability resulting from the contractor's negligence.  month with clarification on the correct procedure.    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page7  Council Member Loggia also expressed his appreciation for Accounting Specialist Hernandez's updates to the documents. He noted that while thet format of the documents has not been completely overhauled, it has been improved. Despite the documents being on the consent agenda, he reassured the public that he reads  each document thoroughly. NEW BUSINESS A.  Approval of an Unreasonable Hardship Appeal to Repair an Existing Shake Roof at 5511 Bonneville  Road (Egloff)  On April 4, 2024: staff observed ongoing repair and replacement of al large section of shake roof at the subject property. The Hidden Hills Municipal Code (HHMC) prohibits repairs to shake roofs in excess of 50 square feet. Itis required that the entire roof be replaced with Class A (fire resistant) material. Because the observed roof repair was ine excess of5 50s square feet (estimated at roughly! 500squaref feet), thel Building Inspector issued  ar notice of violation.  City of Hidden Hills Municipal Code (HHMC) Section 5-5G-3states:  "1.Ifaroof repair, addition or alteration exceeds 50 square feet of area oft the existing building or structure in any 12 month period, the entire roof covering shall be made to conform to the 2.Ifaroof repair, addition or alteration does not exceed 50 square feet of area of the existing building or structure and the existing building or structure has an ordinary roof covering consisting of wood shingles or wood shakes, the new roof covering may consist of any system of wood. shingles or shakes having a Class A rating complying with UBC Standard No. 15-2. 3. Ifu upon appeal to the City Council, the City Council determines the above exceptions create an unreasonable hardship for the applicant, the City Council may increase the allowed area up  roof covering material requirements of a new building or structure.  toa maximum of 500 square feet."  After receiving the notice of violation, the resident filed a hardship appeal to the City Council. This appeal states that recent storms have damaged their home andi that the applicant cannot affordi to replace the entire roof. Its should be noted that similar appeals were approved by the City Council on June 24, 2013 and August 10, 2020. The property is not located in the high fire hazard severity zone as mapped by the County of Los Angeles Firel Department. Other homes in the vicinity have Class A roofs, as required by thel HHMC. Ift the City Council can make thei finding that HHMC5 5-5G-3 creates an unreasonable hardship on the applicant, it should direct staff to issue al building permit to repair not to exceed 500: square feet of shake roof. Ifthe City Council cannot make the finding it should deny the appliçant's request. It would be staff's recommendation that the City Council make the finding that HHMC 5-5G-3 creates an unreasonable hardship on the applicant, and direct staff toi issue a building permit to repair not to exceed 500: square feet of shake roof.    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page 8 B.  Approval of Ordinance No. 391, Amending Section 1-8-10f Chapter 8 of Title 1 of the Hidden Hills Municipal Code, Relating to the City Manager Powers And Duties, Removal Procedures, Compensation, and Bond Requirements Thereof and Finding the Action Exempt from CEQA-First  Reading  Section 1-8-1 of the Hidden Hills Municipal Code, which governs the position of City Manager, is set for an update. The section currently contains provisions that are obsolete, inconsistent with current City practices, or inconsistent with best practices. It is recommended that the City Council consider adopting the ordinance attached to this report to update Section 1-8-1. The proposed ordinance makes several substantive changes,  including: 1. 2. 3. 4.  Amending Paragraph C: The ordinance aims to clarify the procedures for when the City Manager is temporarily or permanently absent or unable to perform their duties. Defining Absence Terms: The terms "temporary" and permanent" absence are now clearly Council Responsibility: In the case of a permanent absence, the responsibility to fill the City Hiring and Firing Authority: The ordinance stipulates that no person performing the duties of an absent City Manager may hire or fire an employee without the authorization of the City  defined to avoid çonfusion.  Manager position is explicitly placed with the City Council.  Council.  The proposed updates to Section 1-8-1 of the Hidden Hills Municipal Code aim tol bring the City Manager's position inl line with current practices and best practices. The ordinance includes several key amendments:  1.  Paragraph D: The removal procedure for a City Manager is updated to conform to modern practices and standard employment agreements for at-will employees. The ordinance removes the requirement that the City Manager's employment agreement be indefinite in Paragraph E: The requirement fora at fixed termf forthe City! Manager's employment is removed, providing the Council with flexibility to negotiate the timing of the removal of a Cityl Manager Paragraph F: The ordinance eliminates the requirement that City Manager compensation be established by "resolution or motion." Instead, compensation will be governed by an Surety Bond**: The requirement for the City Manager to post a surety bond is deleted.  duration.  2.  as part of an employment agreement.  3.  employment agreement.  4.    City Council Minutes Regular Meeting May 13, 2024 Page 9  5. 6.  **Paragraph H**: The authority of the City Manager over the hiring and removal of **Paragraph K**: It clarifies that Councilmembers may not give direction or orders to subordinate employees, reinforcing the city manager/city council form of government.  subordinate employees is clarified.  These changes are designedi to provide more flexibility and align the citysmanagement structure with modern employment standards. It is recommended that the City Council introduce Ordinance No. 391 for the first  reading. CLOSED SESSION  CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL:  A. B.  Anticipated Litigation; Initiation of Litigation Pursuant to Government Code Section  54956.9(d)(4): Number of Potential Cases: 1 Government Code Section 54957 (b)(1)  Public Employment Title: City Manager REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION  9.  10. ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting wasa    Eniko Gold, Mayor  ATTEST:( 1,  Deana L. Gonzalez, CMC. Citygerk