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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/23/2012 - Special Meeting21 Rommit, 1! City Council Minutes City Council Special Meeting - 2012 Planning Session Newport Beach Central Library - Friends Room 1000 Avocado Avenue Newport Beach, CA 92660 January 23, 2012 — 6:00 p.m. 1. WELCOME Roll Call by City Clerk Brown Present: Council Member Hill, Council Member Rosansky, Mayor Pro Tern Curry, Mayor Gardner, Council Member Selich, Council Member Daigle Council Member Henn arrived at 6:09 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance - Council Member Curry Call the Meeting to Order Mayor Gardner welcomed everyone in attendance. She noted the importance of the planning session, stated that staff will be coming back with details about timelines and specific projects at a future Council meeting, and pointed out that the City should be flexible with its goals. Comments from the Public on Non - agenda Items Jim Mosher discussed the Special Meeting Notice and expressed hope that next year's meeting will be televised. Frank Peters expressed hope that the City will improve bike safety. Karen Jacobi asked if Council will be discussing the reduction of driving lanes on Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard. Robert Hawkins received confirmation that public comments will be taken relative to the priorities set in 2010 and 2011 (Item 3). 2. REVIEW WORKSHOP AGENDA Jan Perkins, Meeting Facilitator, reviewed the planning session agenda. 3. REVIEW STATUS OF PRIORITIES SET IN 2010 AND 2011 City Manager Kiff utilized a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the 2010 fiscal sustainability goals (protect and enhance the City's quality of life; fiscal sustainability; effective management; economic sustainability; environmental sustainability; and community enhancement). He also reported on the 2011 generational planning goals (aviation; neighborhood revitalization; Volume 60 - Page 338 City of Newport Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 23, 2012 tidelands management; fiscal sustainability issues; and City Hall construction) 4. FISCAL OUTLOOK Finance Director McCraner stated that the City is midway through Fiscal Year 2012 and indicated that the City is on budget. She reported that the General Fund budget is about $150 million; the top three revenue sources for the City (property tax, sales tax, and Transient Occupancy Tax) are estimated to be $1.5 million over the revenue budget estimate; and that the departments have reduced their budgets by $8 million and.are reporting that they will meet the budget expenditure estimates, are trying to come in under budget, and may possibly come in with a $1 million savings. Mayor Pro Tem Curry encouraged the City to continue doing what it has been doing to keep Newport Beach fiscally sound. He stated that this is also an opportunity to look at other large projects, such as Sunset Ridge Park, Marina Park, dredging, the IT Strategic Plan, and the neighborhood revitalization projects, and find out how to fund all the projects without deviating from the City's strong fiscal stance. City Manager Kiff indicated that the City is cautiously optimistic for a gradual recovery in light of what is happening with the current economic trends. He stated that the key areas to watch for the City include pension issues, labor negotiations, and any State budget impacts. Robert Hawkins requested clarification about reducing fire hazards in Buck Gully (2010 Goal No. 6). Acting Fire Chief Restadius reported that a PowerPoint presentation will be used at tomorrow's Study Session to highlight the map and discuss the reasons for having a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). 5. PRIORITY EFFORTS FOR 2012 City Manager Kiff noted that he divided up the 2012 priorities into five categories: 1) construction projects, 2) agreements to be completed, 3) further decisions that need to be made, 4) internal and external actions, and 5) allowances for unforeseen projects. Construction Projects Current Projects: Maintaining streets, sidewalks, etc. Lower Bay Dredging Sunset Ridge Park Marina Park Civic Center and Park Project and the move Jamboree Road widening Some of the 2011 revitalization projects Potential Future Projects: Harbor and tidelands projects West Newport Beach Facilities review Update of the Facilities Financing Plan (FFP) Revitalization ideas /studies for Balboa Village and Lido Marina Village Agreements to be Completed JWA Settlement Agreement Extension Determination about the old City Hall site Volume 60 - Page 339 City of Newport Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 23, 2012 Oil facilities Labor agreements Further Decisions that Need to be Made Budget General Fund Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Review of reserve levels NBTV City Charter Group Residential Uses Internal and External Actions (Good to Great) Shared services City's Information Technology (IT) Residential Trash Collection Law Enforcement Fire Department Facility Management Other Issues Fire Rings Smoking ban in parks and by the beach Chickens Urban Forest and City Council Policy G -1 Any other items that cannot be predicted In response to ;Mayor Gardner's questions regarding the work of the Tidelands Management Committee and th Neighborhood Revitalization Committee, City Manager Kiff noted that the committees' suggestions will go before the City Council for consideration and prioritization. Further, he noted that more study needs to occur in Balboa Village and Lido Marina Village. Regarding her questions relative to the Semeniuk Slough, City Manager Kiff stated that half the area is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the other half is operated by the City, so it does not make sense to dredge the City's area until the Corps dredges. However, the City could budget for it if it was the desire of the City Council. Mayor Gardner requested that, when this comes back to Council, that the departments that would be involved with the projects be identified in order to assist with prioritizing the projects. Regarding the CIP, Council Member Daigle indicated that she hopes that Council will be more involved earlier in the process relative to which CIP projects will be moving forward. City Manager Kiff stated that he will be bringing a report back to Council on February 14 with a timeline or plan for all the 2012 priorities. Regarding reserves, Council Member Henn noted that the Finance Committee reviews reserve levels every year to ensure they comply with Council Policy F -2. City Manager Kiff indicated that there may be a desire by Council to amend the policy that governs reserve levels. Council Member Henn noted that three of the five projects identified by the revitalization groups have been completed and the other two should be completed in 2012. He reported that the revitalization groups indicated that they might want to look at other items after the five items are completed, but expressed concern about resources. He stated that potential additional projects include Mariner's Mile and the consideration of adding the area between 22nd Street to Balboa Village to the landscaping design. Council Member Rosansky believed Volume 60 - Page 340 City of Newport Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 23, 2012 that Old Newport Boulevard from Coast Highway to 15th Street should also be looked at by the revitalization group. In response to Council Member Henn's questions regarding next year's budget, City Manager Kiff stated that the City will continue the process of having a budget target and believed that the City can still accomplish the fiscal sustainability process by having a lower reduction target. He emphasized that the focus will be placed more on being efficient even if that includes sharing resources or outsourcing. Council Member Selich asked when Tidelands fees will be considered and believed that this effort needs more attention. He also recommended applying for the Department of Boating and Waterways Loans now for the Marina Park project since it could take a long time to receive the loan. City Manager Kiff stated that he considered this to be under the Tidelands Funding Plan, but is something that can be its own category. He added that he expects something to come before Council on this in February. Council Member Daigle asked for the status of the John Wayne Gulch project. City Manager Kiff stated that the project has not been budgeted, but the City could possibly look at applying for grant money. Council Member Daigle suggested also looking at the settlement fund. Council Member Hill divided the priorities into two categories: 1) the need to determine capital spending as the next step, and 2) prioritizing the next round of sites. Council Member Curry stated that the City also needs to consider the priority list as a whole and consider the revenue potential. He recommended looking at the Facilities Finance Plan, revenues, the possibility of using reserves if needed, and the timeline for the priorities. He pointed out that it will cost about $8 million to complete the IT Strategic Plan and that this needs to be made a priority for the City since it drives the efficiency for the entire organization. City Manager Kiff reported that the issue of prohibiting smoking in parks will be before Council tomorrow night, the chicken issue has not been calendared on an agenda yet, the fire ring issue will be going before the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission on February 7, and that urban forest issues and City Council Policy G -1 will go before Council later in 2012. Tom Billings believed that Marina Park should be a park even if there is no marina and that this park should be moved to the top of the priority list. He thanked Council for moving forward with the Lido Village revitalization efforts and for the City's continued commitment relative to group residential uses. City Manager Kiff emphasized that the entire City Council has assisted in the efforts to get the Marina Park project completed and reported that the project will be going before the Coastal Commission in April or May. Council Member Selich also noted that the project has been delayed because the State Lands Commission needed to agree on the new tidelands line. Dennis Baker asked for a discussion about signal synchronization and clarification about parking in West Corona del Mar. Mayor Gardner indicated that the Lido Marina Village and Balboa Village studies will give the foundation for City parking and help Corona del Mar's efforts. Public Works Director Badum provided the status of the signal synchronization program and the eight phases, noted that signal timing will initially be changed due to pedestrian use, and stated that City staff can monitor traffic flow from the traffic operation center at City Hall even during special events, change of season, etc. Dan Purcell discussed refuse services and suggested looking at the issue as a whole. He also suggested undergrounding the alleys to make the alleys more livable. He commented that there Volume 60 - Page 341 City of Newport Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 23, 2012 are no women on the Planning Commission Robert Hawkins noted that the Banning Ranch project was not included on the priority list, believed that Mariner's Mile should be the next study area for revitalization, requested clarification regarding reserves, and believed that the City should prioritize which shared services will be conducted and that the City should not be a vendor to other entities. He also believed that City Council Policy G -1 should be reviewed by the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission first. City Manager Kiff reported that Banning Ranch was not placed as a priority since it is an application that will be coming before the City Council. He pointed out that the City has 30 to 40 different types of reserve accounts, some of which are General Fund reserves, but it depends on the funding source. He added that the annual budget includes a section relative to reserves and confirmed that City Council Policy G -1 will go before the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission before it is brought before Council. Karen Jacobi requested clarification about the elimination of street parking along Pacific Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard, and expressed concern about making an entrance into the new City Hall from San Miguel. Mayor Gardner indicated that the biggest issue about parking in the commercial areas of Corona del Mar is how to improve it without impacting the residents. Regarding San Miguel, Public Works Director Badum reported that a third left -turn lane was added to improve traffic flow and indicated that the new Civic Center will only create a minimum traffic impact to the area. He believed that the pedestrian bridge will also assist with potential traffic issues. Tony Petros asked the City Council to be mindful of issues that might come before Council that might turn into a priority, such as the 19th Street Bridge and the end of the 55- Freeway issues. He noted that the City will receive a lot of value for the investments made into revitalizing the many areas. Jim Mosher noted that the new City Hall will hold a lot of staff members and believed that the City should make it a goal to not use as many outside consultants when staff is capable of handling the work. Laura Curran requested that the annual planning sessions be videotaped. She believed that a priority for the City should be to have safer streets and increase the number of signalized crosswalks. She expressed appreciation to the City For its continued commitment in dealing with integral facilities, and requested that Council move forward with the implementation and enforcement of the integral facilities ordinance on all integral facilities, including the facilities in Corona del Mar. 6. WRAP UP AND NEXT STEPS Council Member Daigle asked that the City have a discussion item that looks at Public Works' delivery system, its internal resources, private sector resources, and the productivity of each of the resources to see if there are opportunities to optimize the project delivery system. City Manager Kiff stated, that hopefully at the February 14 City Council meeting, he will be bringing back a work plan and draft timeline that would also include the priorities that were added as "possibilities." He indicated that there are a lot of priorities and that a dialogue may need to take place about what needs to be taken off the priorities list. Mayor Gardner thanked everyone for attending and encouraged attendance at the February 14 City Council meeting. Volume 60 - Page 342 City of Newport Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 23, 2012 The meeting adjourned at 7:33 p.m. The agenda for the Special Meeting was posted on January 19, 2012, at 4:35 p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administrative Building. n r/ I A, r City Clerk 111n - Recording Secretary Volume 60 - Page 343