HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/08/2013 - Study SessionCity Council Minutes
Study Session
October 8, 2013 — 5:00 p.m.
I. ROLL CALL - 8:00 p.m.
Present; Nancy Gardner, Tony Petros, Rush Hill, Keith Curry, Ed Selich, Mike Henn, Leslie Daigle
II. CURRENT BUSINESS
1. CLARIFICATION OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR -None
2. UPDATES TO THE MASTER FEE SCHEDULE AS IT RELATES TO FIRE FEES. [100 -20131
Deputy Finance Director Montano utilized a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the goals of the
proposed changes and consideration by Council on the final approval at the October 22, 2013 City
Council meeting. He noted that non -fire fees will be changed based on the Consumer .Price Index
(CPI) and that most fees will take effect after adoption, except for Planning and Development Fees
which become effective 60 days after adoption. He highlighted the summary of the proposed fee
schedule, alignment of revenues with direct and indirect costs for providing services to more
accurately reflect the cost of service. He addressed fee categories along with the proposed changes
and reported that there are no changes to emergency medical services due to pending regulatory
changes at the State and Federal level. He indicated that this will be reviewed by Council when the
regulatory changes take effect. Deputy Finance Director Montano discussed the fire fees' background,
methodology for establishing the fees, calculation examples, and proposed changes per fee category.
He noted that some fees have increased, some have decreased, some have no changes, and some have
been eliminated. Discussion ensued regarding a tiered fee schedule for Safety, Planning and
Development. Deputy Finance Director Montano reported on the categories and related fee changes.
He indicated that fees were eliminated because of redundancy and combination with other fees. He
provided examples for each category, the methodology used for calculations, and the resulting fee
change. Discussion ensued regarding the removal of expedite requests as an additional fee and
avoiding redundancy and duplicity related to personnel time for specific activities.
Deputy Finance Director Montano reported that the Finance Committee reviewed the proposed fee
schedule and that the proposed changes are inclusive of their recommendations.
In response to Council Member Petros' questions, Deputy Finance Director Montano reported that the
budget is reflective of the revenues obtained through fees for service and noted that the total budget
for the Fire Department is $37 million for 201312014. Revenue from fees for service for the fiscal year
ending in June 2013, was $1.3 million, equaling 3.7% of operating costs. He noted that all other Fire
Department operations are tax supported.
Mayor Pro Tom Hill requested that the October 22 2013 staff report include detailed line items with
corresponding amounts.
Jim Mosher discussed the difference between services paid through taxes and those paid through fees
for special services requested by residents. He referenced Exhibit A of the staff report and
commented on fees charged for fire services and/or ambulance services. He requested clarification of
Volume 61 - Page 305
City of Newport Beach
City Council Study Session
October 8, 2013
III.
basic services that are provided out of tax levies.
Victor Cao, representing the Building Industry Association (BIA), thanked Assistant Fire Chief Kitch
and staff. He expressed concerns regarding comparisons used in the analysis with the Orange County
Fire Authority (OCFA) and suggested using municipal fire departments instead. He indicated that
the BIA wants to ensure that the public is [not] receiving redundancy in the bureaucracy and [is
receiving] adequate services. Further, the BIA wants to focus on the customer service experience and
that their overarching message is they want to support more opportunity for economic freedom in
order to create jobs and housing. City Manager Kiff reported that Mr. Cao's presentation will be
made available to the public.
Jim Mosher noted that Council is about to enter into labor negotiations with 10 different bargaining groups.
He noted that the same matter was on several previous meeting agendas and believed that Council owes it
to the public to provide a clear explanation about the issues. Additionally, he discussed the City Attorney's
job performance review and believed that City Attorney Harp has a tendency to tell Council what it wants to
hear rather than what it should hear. He referenced an article in the Daily Pilot regarding a letter he sent
to the City Clerk questioning the propriety of two Council Members on the Finance Committee jointly
publishing a comment regarding the financial advantages of trash outsourcing, believing that the City
Attorney took it upon himself not to respond to his letter as it would have required a notice of public
meeting. He added that the Brown Act does not allow a majority to discuss their committee's issues except
at a noticed public meeting.
City Attorney Harp reported that Council will adjourn into Closed Session to discuss the items
listed under Closed Session in the regular agenda.
IV. ADJOURNMENT -Adjourned to Closed Session at 5:34 p.m.
The agenda for the Study Session was posted on October 3, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. on the City's
website, on the City Hall Electronic Bulletin Board located in the entrance of the City Council
Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive, and in the Meeting Agenda Binder located in the entrance
of the City Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive.
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City Clerk
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