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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/03/1996 - Adjourned Regular Meeting40 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH City Council Minutes Adjourned Regular Meeting December 3, 1996 - 4:00 p.m. INDEX Present: O'Neil, Edwards, Debay, Cox, Glover Absent: Watt, Mayor Hedges Pledge of Allegiance - Council Member Cox. Invocation by Mayor Pro Tern Debay. Council Member Cox stated that it is hard to believe that his tenure on Council is over since it has almost become a ritual over the years. He emphasized that Newport Beach is a fine place to live and it has been a privilege to live and serve here. He indicated that his favorite issues have been transportation matters (Pelican Hills Road (now Newport Coast) and the San Joaquin toll road). He said he had a vision of what the toll road would look like ten years ago and noted that it is a thing of scenic beauty as it winds through the hills. He stated that the public is not aware of the quality of people that serve in government today and he has had the good fortune to work with outstanding staffs in Newport Beach for the past sixteen years. He said that the public staff members he has worked with are more efficient than in the private sector, not just in the City, but also with the Transportation Corridor Agency, the County Sanitation District, Southern California Association of Governments and the Air Quality Management District. He noted that he has also worked with some very outstanding elected officials that have given a lot of hours to the City and addressed their assignments with a great deal of dedication. He pointed out that he was involved in hiring City Manager Kevin Murphy, Executive Director of the TCA Bill Woollett and General Manager of the Orange County Sanitation District Don McIntyre and he is proud of the jobs they are doing. He said he is personally proud of the things he has accomplished and has done the best he could to contribute to the City and the Region. He announced that he is entering into a new life and along with that new life, he will have a new wife. He expressed his appreciation to everyone. Mayor Pro Tern Debay presented Council Member Cox with a City tile plaque and a crystal vase in recognition of his sixteen years of service to the City. Bill Woollett, Executive Director of Transportation Corridor Agency, expressed his appreciation to Council Member Cox on behalf of the TCA. He said that one of the qualities he likes best about Council Member Cox is that he never surprises you and he always supports your recommendations unless he advises you ahead of time that he won't. John Collins, Orange County Sanitation District, thanked Council Member Cox on behalf of the staff for his dedication to the District. He indicated that Council Member Cox helped reform and rededicate their organization through his quiet leadership style. He noted that the citizens don't realize the impact he has had on a regional basis. Larry Reinhart, Local Government Liaison for AQMD and representative for the SCAQMD, commented on Council Member Cox's vision for advanced transportation • technology, which will come to bear on Friday with the introduction of the first electric vehicles in the area. He noted that this was a vision that he had years ago. Richard Luehrs, President of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, speaking on behalf of the business community, thanked Council Member Cox for his steadfast support of free enterprise and less government for businesses that he has conveyed Volume 50 - Page 381 City of Newport Beach City Council Minutes December 3, 1996 through his vote. On behalf of the Chamber, he presented Council Member with a token of appreciation. Council Members Glover, O'Neil, Edwards, and Mayor Pro Tem Debay all expressed their gratitude and thanks to Council Member Cox for his years of service to the City and pointed out particular areas of his expertise and personal attributes that they would remember most about him. 1. Motion by Council Member Cox to adopt Resolution No. 96 -98 declaring the results of the General Municipal Election held on November 5, 1996. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: O'Neil, Edwards, Debay, Cox, Glover Noes: None Absent: Watt, Hedges Abstain: None 2. City Clerk Harkless called the newly elected/re- elected Council Members forward, administered the Oath of Office prescribed in the State Constitution to the elected officials, and delivered a Certificate of Election to each of them. 3. The newly elected/re- elected Council Members were seated at the Council table. 4. City Clerk Harkless placed all members of the Council on an equal basis to nominate and elect and asked for nominations for the Office of Mayor. Motion by Council Member O'Neil to nominate Mayor Pro Tem Debay as Mayor. Hearing no further nominations, the nominations were closed and the motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: O Neil, Edwards, Debay, Cox, Glover Noes: None Absent: Watt, Hedges Abstain: None 5. City Clerk Harkless announced that Jan Debay was elected as Mayor. 6. Mayor Debay took her proper place at the Council table. 7. Mayor Debay called for oral nominations for the election of Mayor Pro Tempore. Motion by Council Member Glover to nominate Council Member Edwards as Mayor Pro Tempore. Hearing no further nominations, the nominations were closed and the motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: O'Neil, Edwards, Cox, Glover, Mayor Debay Noes: None Absent: Watt, Hedges • Abstain: None S. City Clerk Harkless announced that Tom Edwards was elected as Mayor Pro Tempore. 9. With senior members having first preference, the Council decided on the Volume 50 - Page 382 INDEX Elections (39) City of Newport Beach City Council Minutes December 3, 1996 I�I1 seating arrangement and Mayor Debay presented the new City Council. 10. New Mayor's comments. Mayor Debay expressed her gratitude for the privilege of being re- elected to the Council. Referring to the election process, she thanked her neighbors in West Newport that encouraged her in the beginning to get started with the Association. She acknowledged the people she worked with while serving on the Environmental Quality Committee and the Planning Commission, as well as the people she met in the entire process. She expressed her gratitude to everyone for the confidence that they placed in her, said she feels the responsibility and is grateful for the people who didn't know her, but took the time and effort to research the candidates. Speaking through tears, she said that when they bought their duplex on Seashore in 1975, she did not see herself in this place. She explained that her tears are both of wonder and of complete amazement since she had no idea she would end up in this position. She thanked her family for their support, the people in the City, and most of all her Lord, that makes her life have purpose. She shared her vision for the City and for her term as Mayor. She said that she thinks a period of finding equilibrium in the City is needed after going through downsizing, the consolidation of departments, lay -offs, people taking on more than they have been accustomed to in the past, putting in long hours and taking criticism in the process, and yet performing to the top of their ability. She noted that the City has gone through a recession, a period of unrest and some dissatisfaction has surfaced in the City. Following a campaign that had a destructive attitude, she said she wants to can everyone together again for finding equilibrium and healing that kind of • outlook. She said she wants to challenge the Council and every citizen in the City to become calmer, to look for healing, to be objective on the issues and to come forward to the Council in an objective way and not in an accusatory, attacking way. She said she would like the Council to get credit for caring about the City and hopes the citizens realize that the Council Members are no different than them. Most of all, she asked for the desire to find goals that can be agreed on and that there be less division, less criticism, and less negativity. She said the Council needs to support each other and she will be looking for that kind of commitment in order to serve the individual districts and the City. She said she wants the Council to be listeners, problem solvers, and to be balanced in reaching decisions and non- political. Referring to a survey from UCI that indicates that 82% of the people in Orange County are feeling positive, she said she wants the City to move forward in this window of opportunity. She wants everyone to deal with the issues, forget personal agendas and any kind of vendettas or anything that would be divisive, and to deal with issues. She said that her vision, and Council's with the help of staff, is to make the City interesting to everybody that lives here. She said she wants every citizen to be peaked in their interest to care about what happens and to find out why things work like they do. She wants the Council to work in a program of outreach to the community and to go out to the residents in open dialogue. She noted that one of the biggest problems that Newport Beach faces is the State taking money away from the revenues and property taxes, which started in 1992, and resulted in budget shortfalls and made the City consider cutting back on services. She said that newly elected Assemblyman Campbell knows that local governments in California are in need of help and is willing to step forward in Sacramento and work on this. She said she would like every citizen in Newport Beach to think about writing a letter to Mr. Campbell and to consider working with the Council to get the money back that belongs in the City so the services the citizens expect can be provided, and her first assignment to the staff is to follow -up on that. She said she wants pride to Volume 50 - Page 383 City of Newport Beach City Council Minutes December 3, 1996 INDEX be built in the City, wants a desire to engineer an efficiently administered, successful and happy place for everyone in the City. She said she is willing to commit to this and she thinks each Council Member is willing to commit • to this as well. She said she knows every City employee is willing to commit to this, as well as every volunteer on the commissions and committees. However, she said, the other side of the equation is whether the citizens are ready to commit to this, and that is what she is asking for. She stated that she wants to come to agreement, overcome past disagreements, and build on a new foundation for a stronger and better Newport Beach. 11. Comments from newly elected/re- elected Council Members. Council Member Noyes stated that he is thrilled to be here, but feels very humbled, humbled by the people and the respect for the people that are seated on this Council already. He said he is humbled by the hard working staff that the City has. He thanked everyone who helped him get elected and said he wants them to know that they have forever changed the way that he feels towards them and the community. He also thanked everyone who showed so much patience with their jewelry projects during his campaign. He thanked his wife, Sheila, and his two daughters, Dana and Lisa, and said that their love and support makes all things possible. He also added to that list his new son -in -law, Brent Jacobsen, and Steve and Ronnie Bromberg, and said that they have taken up this challenge as if it were their own. He said that for all their support, the residents will get what he promised during the campaign, more access to what he hopes will be a more user friendly City government. First, he said he plans to accomplish this by the development of a newsletter from the City informing citizens about their City. In this process, he said the first step will be to ask staff to study the cost, the second step will be to ask the Council to authorize the expenditure, and third will be to send the newsletter out on a quarterly basis. Second, he will instruct staff to hold informative workshops for the leaders of the residents and business groups around the City, since they are the people that have taken responsibility for their individual communities and deserve all the help the Council can give them. He said the City will also benefit from this process by hearing about problems, solutions and ideas from the community. Third, hold town hall meetings to allow citizens to speak up, not just to the Council and staff, but to each other, since this is the format to work out problems and gather consensus. He announced that the residents will be holding a second meeting on Balboa Island in early February to work out some issues with residential standards and encroachments. He said he thinks a turning point has been reached in Newport Beach in recent years with budget problems and talk of being built -out, which makes many people want to be involved in the future of the community. He thanked the residents for their support and promised that he will work hard to do the best job that he can as their City Council representative. Council Member Thomson said that during the election process he learned a lot, was impressed with the people as he was walking the precincts and amazed at how much people knew. He said that in John Cox's district everyone knew him and trusted him, which is the greatest testimony a person can have. He thanked John for his help and said he wants to continue on in his footsteps to do a good job and do everything he can. He referred to a conversation with Council Member Glover when he was considering running for election where he stated that he wanted to have fun with this, and she replied "this is not fun." He said that she was right, but it all comes back to people doing what they do and trying to contribute to the community. He said his main emphasis will be to look at things with a big picture view, to look at what is good for the community and good for the people, and keeping it safe for the children. He said that while he was Volume 50 - Page 384 City of Newport Beach City Council Minutes December 3, 1996 growing up here, Newport Beach was perceived as and was a real safe place to live and he wants it to continue to be that way. He said he wants the Police and Fire personnel to all be happy and to feel like they are part of the community. He said one of the things that needs to be worked on is wrapping up the discussions with the Police Associations and get them happy and on the road to recovery, as the economy recovers and everyone has a better feeling about the financial interests in the City. He noted that 1% of the 8% tax collected from Fashion Island comes back to the City, so he encouraged everyone to shop in Newport Beach. He said the 1% comes back to run the City and provide the best Police and Fire services. As to term limits, he said he still thinks it is a pretty good idea because he feels everyone should be involved and encouraged the entire citizenry to get involved. He thanked his wife, Carol, for putting up with him and said that she was the toughest vote to get. He also thanked his mother and all the "701TS," the "Friends of Tom Thomson." He said he is looking forward to serving the citizens of Newport Beach. - None ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m. in honor and recognition of the outgoing Council Members who have served the City as follows: John Cox (1980 - 1996) and Jean Watt (1988 - 1996). Mayor Debay announced that a reception honoring the outgoing and incoming Council Members will be held at the Cannery immediately following the meeting. rrrs�o�. : : *xx�xxxese�e The agenda for the Adjourned Regular meeting was posted on November • 27, 1996 at 8:45 a.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administration Building. ayor City Clerks 0 Volume 50 - Page 385 INDEX