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Home My WebLink About04/24/1995 - Adjourned Study SessionCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH ADJOURNED STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES PLACE: Council Chambers ROLL CALL U7, ¢ Q¢wwo�? wXM:C000 e- ¢ Q c7 WM > J W TIME: 2:00 P.M. DATE: APRIL 24, 1995 INDEX nt x x x x x ROIL CALL A t po x x 1. Report from City Manager with Update and City Council discussion of 1995 CITY COUNCIL GOALS FROM Goals STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP. (33) The City Manager noted that on January 6th and 7th, the City Council met to conduct a Strategic Planning Workshop for the 1995 Calendar year and during the Workshop, a number of high priority goals were developed which he has summarized in his report, together with the objective, options and the next step. He stated it was also the Council's desire to come back on a quarterly basis to assess where the City is at that point in time and to fine tune those goals if necessary. The City Manager answered questions raised by various Council Members regarding his report, and specific areas for operational and organizational improvements and cost savings through individual studies and analysis. • The City Manager pointed out for the benefit of those in the audience, that copies can be made available of the Summary Report of the City Council Workshop held in January. Council Member Watt indicated she was satisfied with the progress of the various issues mentioned in the City Manager's report, and she will look forward to the next update the Council will be receiving at the second meeting in July. Council Member O'Neil suggested that rather than meet in the Council Chambers at the next study session workshop in July, staff investigate an alternative site with a more informal setting which would be more conducive to interchange. Dolores Otting, 17 Hillsborough Drive, addressed the Council, and in response to her inquiry, the City Attorney stated that this study session is considered a regularly noticed, as well as regularly scheduled Council meeting, consistent with the provisions of the City Charter which requires two meetings per month with the exception of only one meeting in December pursuant to Council Policy. 2. Report from Finance Director with presentation by MIS WARNER GROUP REPRESENTATIVES ON (33) MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGIC PLAN. Dennis Danner, Finance Director, stated that as a result of the resignation of the City's Data Processing Manager approximately one year ago, Volume .49 - Page 146 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH MINUTES ROLL CALL U11 Q Q�WW0 w3g2000 } Cr N W U w >W °Z ~ April 24, 1995 INDEX it was felt it would be the appropriate time to take MIS a comprehensive look at the entire MIS function within the City. Therefore, on May 9, 1994, the City Council approved a Request for Proposal for a study such as the one ultimately approved, and awarded the bid to The Warner Group on August 14, 1994. The Warner Group has been working with the City since the award of bid to prepare the MIS Strategic Plan. They began their work in September and met with each City department to obtain a full understanding of the City's current MIS function and needs, and met with management staff on numerous occasions for updates of their progress. In December, 1994, their draft study was reviewed by the City Manager and Department Directors, and their scope of work was expanded to include the possibility of contracting out all or a portion of the MIS function for the City. The final report was received two weeks ago, and copies were forwarded to the Council for review. Randy King and Todd Walike of The Warner Group gave a slide presentation highlighting the key elements of the Management Information Systems • Strategic Plan which included the background of the project, the approach and methodology they used to complete the plan, the major findings, conclusions, recommendations and cost. During the above presentation at approximately 2:30 p.m., Council Members Cox and Edwards entered the meeting. Following the presentation, Mr. King and Mr. Walike answered questions of the Council regarding I) possible cost savings, 2) whether or not the City will recover all its expenditures implementing the recommendations, 3) providing Internet to the public, 4) outsourcing /privatization, 5) benefits of the existing system, 6) disaster recovery requirements, etc. The City Manager stated the next step will be to consolidate many of the current operations such as GIS into Administrative Services, including the telecommunications division. In addition, the 1995- 96 budget will include a request for a Management Information Systems Manager position as recommended in this study who will also • work under the . Administrative Services Department. Tom Hyans, President, Central Newport Beach Community Association, addressed the Council and stated that if the City implements a system such as that being recommended, he would Volume 49 - Page 147 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH MINUTES ROLL CALL M � ¢�� cm Wa0a:000 ' W 0 W 0 w >W J '� , Apri124, i 495 INDEX suggest that the employees who are actually • performing the work be the persons who communicate with other cities about their system rather than the department heads. He also discussed the sharing of information among a number of users of a MIS system and their different needs. 3. Oral report by Linda Congleton regarding update Economic on ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. Development Ken Delino, Assistant City Manager, introduced Linda Congleton of Linda Congleton and Associates, stating she is a retail specialist who has been hired by the City on a limited basis to identify the market forces and help make business districts more vibrant and prosperous. Ms. Congleton gave an overview of what has taken place in beach retail for the last five to six years, indicating "competition" has become the main issue; explosive growth in regional malls, as well as dining offerings, are now located closer to where the affluent reside, and as a result, most • consumers now shop and dine closer to home rather than driving the distance to the beach; most of this retail growth has occurred between 1985 and 1995, and therefore, it is becoming more difficult to become "unique" because of the regional malls; beach front areas up and down the coast are inexpensive recreational forms for young people who do not make or spend a lot of money, and as a result, "being on the water just doesn't cut it like the old days." What she hopes to do for the City is to look at its data and understand where the City is suffering the most; where are its strengths and weaknesses, and where are the retail voids; she will attempt to come up with the solutions, but she needs to look at the numbers first; she is also hopeful of making recommendations that are the least out of pocket cost to the City, but yet will provide the maximum benefit in terms of property and retail tax. Ms. Congleton pointed out that she has noticed while driving thoughout the City, that it has far too much retail than the immediate resident - market supports, and therefore, outsider consumers are • needed. She also stated that lack of parking is a deterrent, particularly among women because of proximity and safety. She emphasized that she is not a proponent of "spending lots of money on street fixtures and improvements prior to completing a market anaylsis." With respect to Volume 49 - Page 148 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH MINUTES ROLL CALL X W H 3 r (nq Wn w = X c°» w O w Z o April 24, 1995 INDEX • providing resident - serving businesses, she stated that land areas must be looked at that can economically accommodate the larger users so that residents do not have to go outside the City. The Assistant City Manager stated that part of Ms. Congleton's responsibility, in addition to reviewing the City's basis market data, will be to attend meetings within the community such as the various BID groups which will hopefully result in new zoning, new tenant mix, etc. The City Manager stated that at this point, the City is providing Ms. Congleton with the information she needs and before the staff proceeds to the next step, this issue will come back to the Council. 4. Report from Mayor John Hedges regarding Jt. Services discussion of JOINT SERVICES WITH THE CITY OF (33) COSTA MESA. The City Manager advised that he met last week with Allan Roeder, City Manager of Costa Mesa, to discuss the issues enumerated in the Mayor's • memorandum dated March 16, 1995, and summarized the results of that meeting in his report dated April 24, 1995. He noted that each of the programs listed have some benefits, but stated he would like direction from the City Council as to which issues they wish to explore or which programs they would like to leave as is. Council Member Glover expressed her opinion as to what issues she supported and those she did not wish to pursue. With regard to libraries, Mayor Hedges reported that it is apparent that Costa Mesa would prefer to discuss their options with a soon- to -be- formed JPA of current County library cities, and if at the conclusion of that discussion they wish to discuss services with other local cities, they will contact our City. He noted that approximately 46176 of Costa Mesa residents use Mariners library alone, and that this is an issue that is going to have to be dealt with at some point. Council Member Glover noted that annualy the • State reimburses the City for the "imbalance of library use by non - residents," and it is anticipated that the amount will be $300,000 this next fiscal year. Volume 49 - Page 149 ROLL CALL 0 .7 L J CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH MINUTES M 3 Q¢WW0dI W t~- 3 a: M Ld A 2 X U W Z O April 24, 1995 INS Council Member Watt indicated she would like to see some type of follow -up regarding the high use of Mariners library inasmuch as staff cuts are being recommended in the next budget and half of its users are from Costa Mesa. She also suggested that staff look into imposing some type of fee for non - residents use providing that fee would not interfere with the State's reimbursement. There being no further remarks, staff was directed to proceed as indicated in the City Manager's report. 5. Report from Mayor Pro Tern Jan Debay and Communi- Council Member Jean Watt concerning discussion Outreacl of CITY VISIONING AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Public PROGRAMS. Particil (33) The City Manager stated that at the City Council Strategic Planning Workshop retreat in January, Council Members Debay, Edwards and Watt expressed interest in a community outreach or public participation effort. With the assistance of staff, a variety of materials and articles were assembled and reviewed in preparation for a meeting held April 4th with City staff. As a result of this effort, Council Members Debay and Watt request the full City Council to approve further staff actions. Ken De(ino, Assistant City Manager, stated that at the April 4th meeting, a good portion of the discussion pertained to citizen outreach and public participation efforts in first defining who is the audience, what is the topic and when is the appropriate time to initiate a program. They also discussed both the citizenry at large and single issue groups. Two distinct requirements emerged from the discussion. The first requirement relates to specific projects or issues involving opponents and proponents. Public participation events in addition to public hearings would provide opportunities for give and take, and would be less formal and would allow more detailed input than a typical public hearing. Such events can be initiated by staff or the Council at any time and could include alternatives ranging from town meetings to focus groups to surveys or similar programs. This can be done on a case -by -case basis, and no action is required at this time. The second requirement is much more broad. When discussing topics for community outreach programs, staff realized that many global, national and regional factors affect local decision making. Volume 49 - Page 150 EX :y i/ ) ation CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH 13111ikUb 11 a1 ROLL CALL M a q¢WWOJ, W H ~°"'xoz 3g2U } ¢ w U w > C7 ~ W 0 April 24, 1995 INDEX Increased competition, corporate restructuring, the changing nature of work, demographic changes, spending patterns and a variety of other factors funnel into the City to affect decisions. To place local decision making in this global context, some sort of community -wide outreach or "visioning" program may be necessary. Such outreach techniques have become very sophisticated in the past twenty years and many communities have used them. Structure and format vary widely as do time frames and costs. Council Member Watt discussed highlights of a seminar she attended recently in Huntington Beach pertaining to "visioning," indicating she felt that in general, people do want to participate and get involved in community issues, and that outreach programs can become very beneficial to cities. Mayor Pro Tem Debay stated she felt some type of outreach program "brings the community in and a chance to share in some of the City's problems and hot issues." She expressed her concern as to how the community would be notified of these outreach meetings. Council Member Edwards stated he felt there is already a great deal of participation throughout the City and indicated he would support this item only on a ad -hoc basis of individual programs. Council Member O'Neil indicated he, too, would favor an ad -hoc type of an arrangement where major issues are discussed, but questioned whether the meetings would be well- attended and whether or not it is worth the staff's and City Council's time to pursue such a program. Council Member Glover stated she felt the staff does not have the time to devote to what is being proposed because of their current workload. Motion x Hearing no other remarks, motion was made by All Ayes Council Member Cox to proceed with the idea of Community Outreach, but only on an ad -hoc basis of individual programs. • Volume 49 - Page 151 ROLL CALL • 0 0 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH MINUTES vy Q X W F- 1- 3Mx000 r Cr M W S w > 0 H W z April 24, 1995 IND PUBLIC COMMENTS • Robert Kutzner (no address given) suggested two ways in which he felt the City could increase its revenue with no liability or maintenance costs: 1) Install vending machines in all City buildings, restrooms, bus stops, etc., and 2) Establish a temporary tattoo /pierced ear business which is very popular with the youth today. Study Session meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m., to closed session. The agenda for this meeting was posted on April 18, 1995, at 2:15 p.m., on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administration Building. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk ®Y✓RO - 10 a� ('qt/ FO RN�P Volume 49 - Page 152 W14