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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-16-1987 BudgetADJOURNED REGU~ NEET!N.G.........-..... June 16,. 19.87 An adjourned regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Dublin was held on Tuesday, June 16, 1987 in the West Room~;of the Shannon Community Center. The meeting was called to order at 6:23 p.m., by Mayor Linda Jeffery. ROLL CALL _ PRESENT: Councilmembers Moffatt, Snyder, Vonheeder and Mayor Jeffery. Councilmember Hegarty arrived at the meeting at 6:36 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Mayor led the Council, Staff and those present in the pledge of' alle- giance to the flag. CONSENT CALENDAR On motion of Cm. Snyder, seConded by Cm. Vonheeder, and by unanimous vote, (Cm. Hegarty not present for this item), the Council authorized the Mayor to send a letter to the California Transportation Commission to support the inclusion of funding for the Nimitz Freeway in the 1987 State Transportation Improvement Program. * * * * STUDY SESSION FOR BUDGET AND CIP City Manager Ambrose advised that a public hearing will be held on June 23, 1987 for adOption of the Budget and the Update to the Five-Year Capital Improvement Program. He explained the format of the study session at this meeting and gave a brief overview of both the Budget and the Capital Improvement Program. The total appropriations this year are approximately $18 million. The total capital expenditures equal approximately $16.8 million. The budget is financed with $12.4 million anticipated revenues and the remaining $4.3 million is from reserves other than the General Fund. By the end of 1987-88, reserves should be about $11.1 million. We expect fairly modest increases in revenues; about a 12% increase over this year. With regardlto new positions, we are proposing a net increase of 4 City employees and 4 Contract employee positions. Mayor Jeffery questioned if the bus bench ad permits were something recently approved. City Manager Ambrose advised that we have been receiving fees for quite sometime. Permits are issued to advertise on bus benches. We can terminate the agreement with 30 days notice. Mayor Jeffery indicated she did not particularly care for this type of advertising. * %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %*%* %* %* CM-6-182 Adjourned Regular Meeting June 16, 1987 City Manager Ambrose explained the unusual situation with regard to pilot tax. The Housing Authority does not pay property taxes, but State Law requires them to pay another tax. The annual revenue, is close to $40,000 per year. Under General Government, Mr. Ambrose presented the budgets for the City Council, City Manager/City Clerk, and Legal Services. Under General Government, Mr. Molina presented the budgets for Finance and Building Management. Mr. Molina indicated that the City is looking at an additional level of service to computerize financial records. Cm. Moffatt questioned how the training would work. Mr. MOlina advised that the major companies offer training on weekends once you have purchased their system. Cm. Hegarty questioned the low amount of $500 in the training item. Mr. Ambrose indicated that the Council should also look at the category travel and conferences in addition to training. Mr. Molina indicated that additional building space would be needed to accommodate a computer. Mayor Jeffery questioned if Staff would be looking for space in existing building. Mr. Ambrose advised that Staff has been talking with the landlord and it appears we can get the financial sYstems automated in the current building, and then use a phased approach for the rest of the applications, until we are in our new building. We are at a point that we really need to automate finance. Under General Government, Paul Rankin presented the budget for Insurance. Mr. Rankin advised that the City is now a part of the ABAG Plan Corporation. Cm. Moffatt questioned the amount of the City's coverage. Mr. Rankin advised that the City has a $25,000 deductible per claim and we have $5 million in liability coverage per occurrence. Under General Government, Mr. Ambrose indicated that we do not anticipate any expenses this year in the Elections Budget. Mr. Ambrose reported that the items included in the Non-Departmental Budget include items not specifically included in any one budget area. Also included are unanticipated expenses, and employee salary increases. Chief John Severini presented the Police Services Budget under Public Safety. Chief Severini indicated he agreed with Mr. Abmrose's budget message in that Dublin residents expect and deserve the best in services. The state of health of the Police Department is excellent. TheY have a 75% closure rate on personal crimes which is well above the state and national averages. The additional positions they request will be allocated to the'patrol force and an additional traffic officer. The existing workload exceeds the position by about 50%. If this budget is approved, the City will be spending approxi- mately $92.43 per capita for police services, as compared to national average of $109.21 per capita, and the pacific states average of $136.72 per capita. '*%*%*%*%,%*%*%,%*%*%*%*%*%,%*%*%*%*%*%,%,%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%,%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* CM-6-183 Adjourned Regular Meeting June 16, 1987 Cm. Hegarty questioned what population statistics the City uses and where they come from. Mr. Ambrose advised that the State Department of Finance provides the population data each year and as of January, 1987, we use 18,900; not including incarcerated individuals. Ms. Meeker, a Dublin resident stated she felt Dublin has a marvelous Police Department and she is very impressed. Under the Public Safety category, Phil Molina discussed the Crossing Guard Budget. Mr. Molina indicated that Alameda County will provide this services, as they have in the past. Cm. Moffatt questioned if the School District participated in any of the costs. Staff advised that the School District has not participated. Mr. Rankin presented the Animal Control Budget. In the past, the City had supplemented its base level of service with additional field service on an as-needed basis. During the past year, 520 hours of supplemental services were requested and the City received approximately 200 hours. Alameda County informed the City that it was having difficulty filling the part-time services-as-needed position and that the supplemental hours would be unavailable in 1987-88. The proposed budget provides for the base service level of .38 FTE Field Service Officer and a fraction of a Clerk to handle reporting duties. In addition to field service costs, the budget funds the City's share of the County Animal Shelter operations. Historically, this cost has been increasing as fewer agencies participate in the Santa Rita Shelter. Staff recommended that the City analyze other potential service providers in the upcoming year. Discussion ensued related to the Santa Rita Animal Shelter, and its projected closing date. Cm. Moffatt questioned if we could contract with the Humane Society to provide some of these services. Mr. Rankin advised that that organiZation is comprised mainly of volunteers, however, we are looking into the possibility of using them to conduct a licensing canvass. Under the Public Safety category, Lee Thompson presented the Traffic Signals & Street Lighting Budget. Mr. Thompson indicated that the costs for street lighting are paid by the Street Light Maintenance DiStrict, which will be in the $17-$18~per household range. An increase is expected with regard to traffic signals due to the increase in the number of signals. Under the Public Safety category, Paul Rankin presented the Disaster Preparedness Budget. Mr. Rankin advised that an amount had been budgeted for a portable cellular phone for use in the event of a disaster. Under the Transportation cagegory, Mr. Ambrose presented the Public Works Administration Budget~ Mr. Ambrose stated that this budget provides for the addition of a Public Works Director/City Engineer. Cm. Hegarty questioned if the $50,468 was primarily for a PW Director/City Engineer position. Mr. Ambrose explained that this figure represents about 9 months salary for the new position. *************************************************************************** CM-6-184 Adjourned Regular Meeting ~' June 16, 1987 The issue of liability insurance with contractor vs. City employee was discussed. Mr. Rankin advised that the City's insurance rates will probably not be substantially affected. Mr. Ambrose explained that we needed to have an objective in-house professional reviewing some of the traffic studies, and we need a lot of help with the capital projects program. Cm. Hegarty did not feel the timing was right to make this change and felt that this was just the first step in getting out of contract engineering services. Mr. Ambrose did not feel that this statement was necessarily true. He spends a lot of time performing Public Works Director duties; time which he no longer has. Someone is needed who can take a pro-active role on a day-to-day basis. There are many transportation issues to deal with. Cm. Hegarty felt that Santina & Thompson could provide more manpower. Mr. Ambrose reported also that it is very difficult for one contractor to supervise another contractor. Cm. Snyder felt that this situation was not a lot different than what happened last year in the Finance Department. It will take a substantial load off of the City Manager. Under the heading of Street Maintenance, Steve Loweree presented the Budgets for Street Sweeping, Street Tree Maintenance and Street Landscape Mainten- ance. Mr. Loweree indicated that changes are as a result of the Pavement Management System. We are now better able to gauge levels of service for striping and marking on a regular basis. With regard to street sweeping, curb miles have been established which have increased by 117 curb miles. The contract is renegotiated in November. The number of trees has also increased. The major category is tree trimming, which MCE sub-contracts out. As trees grow, we will need to water less. No change is anticipated in the tree removal service. Under the Transportation category, Phil Molina presented the Paratransit Service Budget. The City utilizes TDA funds as well as City General Funds to provide this service. Under the Health & Welfare category, Paul Rankin presented the Vector Control Budget. A couple of years ago, the City opted not to become a part of the assessment district. We receive service based on a request basis only. The proposed higher level budget represents what the City would receive if we were part of the district. For a total cost of $15,.500, this would allow a pro-active approach. Staff would bring back an agreement at a later date if the Council approves the higher level of service. It would be paid for out of the General Fund rather than residents being taxed. Staff does not hav= the expertise to respond to most of the requests. Cm. Moffatt questioned if this would take care of areas that are filled with trash, thereby attracting rats. *************************************************************************** CM-6-185 Adjourned Regular Meeting June 16, 1987 Mr. Rankin advised that surveys would be conducted to determine what areas need to be looked at. ~ Mr. Ambrose explained that the County must still look at the situation to determine whether or not they would be willing to provide the service. Cm. Snyder felt that perhaps we should consider reversing ourselves and becoming a part of the district.. Mr. Rankin advised that an election may be required to do this. Mr. Ambrose reported that it has only been within the last year that there seems to have been an increase in the number of problems. Mayor Jeffery felt it would be nice if we could combine Vector Control with the Animal Control Officer positions that we've been trying to get. Under'the Culture & Leisure Services category, the Library Service Budget was discussed. Ginnie Cooper and Rayme Meyer were present and advised the Council that residents heavily use and value their Library very much. The Sunday hours have been very successful. Three other cities have taken Dublin's lead and are paying for additional Library hours. Dublin is currently the only City to fund Sunday hours. The impact of the San Ramon Library was discussed. Ginnie Cooper indicated that they hoped it would slow down the rate of growth, as the parking lot and sitting room space get very crowded at times. Diane Lowart presented the Recreation Budget. They are requesting a higher service level for a Clerk Typist/Receptionist plus expansion of summer playground program to include 4 sites. Ten months for staff to cover the Senior Center is also included. The new Clerk Typist position will be able to take over some of the tasks being done by the recreation staff so they can pursue program development. With regard to Park Maintenance, Mr. Loweree indicated that the City is trying to establish a Class A level of service. RECESS , A short recess was called. Ail Councilmembers were present when the meeting was reconvened. Under the Community Development area, Mr..Tong explained the Planning Budget. Mr. Tong indicated that a 20% increase is anticipated in telephone calls and counter inquiries. We are on the up-side of the development curve. Additional clerical support and professional planning services are being recommended. Cm. Moffatt questioned if Staff anticipated that the level of work will taper off soon. Mr. Tong advised that it was expected that the workload will keep going up. *************************************************************************** CM-6-186 Adjourned Regular~Meeting June 16, 1987 Cm. Moffatt questioned whether the City could utilize temporary help. Mr. Tong advised that from a cost-effective standpoint, utilization of temporary personnel would not be recommended. Cm. Snyder questioned what a Planning Intern is. Mr. Tong indicated that this is a paid, part-time position, but we have been unable to hire anyone at our current salary level. We do, however, have an Intern coming onboard in the near future. Mr. Taugher presented the Building & Safety Budget and indicated that there is lots of building activity. Mr. Thompson presented the Engineering Budget. Cm. Moffatt felt the City Should take a careful look at whether the Public· Works Inspector reports to the contractor or the City. Mr. Ambrose felt that the City will always have the need for at least one inspector and we are currently spending about $100,000/year/inspector. Cm. Moffatt questioned whether the contractor could offer a lower rate for inspectors, or if the City could obtain inspectors from another source. Mr. Ambrose reported that the City can provide this position for about $50,000 per year, and obtaining inspectors from another source could possibly be an alternative to consider for as-needed inspection. Cm. Moffatt felt that unless we can guarantee a long-term position, he would feel uncomfortable with a contract employee, cm. Moffatt questioned if there would be a conflict with a City employee and a contract employee performing the same job. Mr. Ambrose advised that there is always the potential for conflicts, but it can work. Mr. Molina presented the Debt Service Budget. Mr. Ambrose advised that there are three organizations requesting money from the City. They are 1) the Tri-Valley Community Television Corporation; 2) the Diablo Valley Foundation for the Aging; and 3) the Tri-Valley Transpor- tation Committee. Community Television: Sheila Tole advised that Dublin's share of their $200,000 annual budget is $24,000. The budget proposed by their Board was to give the cities a fully funded operating program. For the past 11 years, they have been producing programs throughout the Valley. Eight programs are currently being produced. They will be adding a news type format one-half hour program. The 4 Cities will have a production center at their disposal. Their goal is to maximize the use of the public access channel. Cm. Hegarty reported that Dublin has never been involved before as a City and felt that the $200,000 version of their budget was probably the cadillac version. *************************************************************************** CM-6-187 Adjourned Regular Meeting June 16, 1987 Cm. Hegarty advised that the first budget developed was $118,000, then it went to $148,000, and finally up to $200,000. As a City Council, they are trustees of Dublin's money and it is up to this Council to determine what level they wish to fund community tv. Cm. Hegarty felt they are deserving of an adequate amount of money to get their program started and in following years, if they want to improve their programs, they can come back and request more money. Cm. Hegarty expressed concern regarding funding the full budget the first time around, especially since they have no track record to look back on. Cm. Moffatt questioned if they will be able to get into commercial production. Shiela Tole advised that this will have to be determined by the Board. Cm. Snyder questioned if the Dublin Civic Center space proposal was out. Cm. Hegarty felt that Dublin can't compete with the deal that has been offered, however, the current studio is a far cry from what Dublin is offering. Dublin went to a lot of time and expense to add the studio to its new facility and it's very unfortunate how things have turned out, Livermore has indicated they will be going for the Amador Valley School District's proposal. The amount of Dublin's contribution was discussed. Cm. Hegarty clarified that when Community Television Corporation submits a final capital budget, a $55,000 check can be cut immediately. With regard to personnel, Mr. Ambrose questioned how the positions are going to be filled, and how long they estimate it will take to fill these posi- tions. He questioned if the salary costs are for 12 full months. Sheila Tole indicated that the Board will hire an Executive Director and %hen that person will do the hiring of the other positions. She believed that Darla Stevens would most likely be appointed as the Executive Director. Cm. Vonheeder questioned who prepared the budget. Ms. Tole advised that she believed it was prepared by Darla Stevens, Charlotte Severin, Bob Scruggs and Roger Waller. Cm. Hegarty felt that we needed to cut the fat out of the budget and felt that a contribution of about $17,000 would accomplish this. Mr. Molina suggested paying 1/2 of the:amount agreed upon now, and the second 1/2 paid on July 1st with a request that they provide a listing of how the money was spent. Cm. Snyder felt it would be a good idea to look at an operating statement twice a year. He indicated he has a problem distinguishing the $55,000 for capital equipment from the operating budget. . %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %*%* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* %* CM-6-188 Adjourned Regular Meeting June 16, 1987 On motion of Cm. Hegarty, seconded by Cm. Vonheeder, and by unanimous vote, the Council agreed to give $19,800 to the Community Television Corporation to be made payable twice a year. In order to receive the second half, the Corporation must justify the first half. Capital items were removed from the $200,000 budget and Dublin's share was calculated on the balance. With regard to the Tri-Valley Transportation Plan, Mr. Ambrose indicated that this is the fourth major amendment to the entire valley general plan. $1,500 is being requested to perform a .computer study. They wish to have a Planning Commissioner appointed to the Committee. It was felt that the bottom line is that this is a study that the County ~must do as part of their General Plan review. Discussion was held with regard to the many transportation committees~now in effect and the consensus of the Council was to not commit this $1,500 at'the present time. With regard to the request from the Diablo Valley foundatiOn for the Aging, Dublin has been asked to contribute $1,133 to help fund a newsletter project. This is mainly a Contra Costa County funded project and Recreation Director Lowart felt the money would be better spent on senior programs here in Dublin. The Park & Recreation Commission considered the item at their last meeting and recommended that the Council not fund this item. Mr. Ambrose gave an overview of the CIP Update and all capital projects were identified. Mayor Jeffery felt the City should make it a point to advise our elected representatives of the effect that the tax increase has had on our undergrounding projects. Mr. Rankin advised that the LeagUe is forming a sub-committee to work with the PUC and the Feds and it is anticipated that some type of ruling will come down this summer. There was a 67% increase in the dollar amount of Dublin's project as a result of this legislation. With regard to the Senior Citizen Center, Ms. Lowart advised that this project is way behind schedule. The architect's estimate was just received. The architect identified 7 options, with a minimum shortfall of $33,575 and maximum of $93,970. When questioned what it would cost to bring the facility up to meet the State Safety Codes, it was felt that an additional $46,650 would accomplish this. Mayor Jeffery felt there are community groups that would be willing to donate their time for construction projects. On motion of Cm. Snyder, seconded by Cm. Hegarty, and by unanimous vote, the Council agreed to fund an additional $46,650 toward completion of the Senior Citizen Center. With regard to Streets, Mr. Ambrose indicated there would be a shortfall of about $1 million in the program. Mr. Ambrose adviSed that the City had met with BART and emphasized the fact that Dublin does not have funding for all of the Dublin Boulevard improvements. *************************************************************************** CM-6-189 Adjourned Regular Meeting June 16, 1987 Mayor Jeffery questioned which phase of the San Ramon Road project would include the soundwalls. Lee Thompson advised that the soundwalls will be put in as a separate project, not tied to the phasing. With regard to projects not included in the CIP, Mr. Ambrose reported that there are 14 projects identified, plus one more, which is cable tv service for Arroyo Vista. Ophelia Basgal is going to recommend that the Housing Authority fund this from their own sources. OTHER BUSINESS DSRSD Services Study Mr. Ambrose reported that the 3 Liaison Committees had met with regard to the DSRSD services issue today and a report would be placed on an upcoming agenda. It looks like we may be one step closer to agreement. Bureau of Prisons Mr. Ambrose reported that he had recently met with Jerry.Williford, the Regional Director of the Board of Prisons regarding the poor roadway access. If we are interested in their participation at looking at this as part of their environmental review process, Mr. Williford has expressed a willingness to try to get some discussion going. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 10:50 p.m. *************************************************************************** CM-6-190 Adjourned Regular Meeting June 16, 1987