Full Text
Agenda Item No. 5(A) EL CERRITO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, February 18, 2014 – 7:00 p.m. City Council Chambers Meeting Location El Cerrito City Hall 10890 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito Janet Abelson – Mayor Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Benassini Councilmember Mark Friedman Councilmember Jan Bridges Councilmember Greg Lyman ROLL CALL Councilmembers Benassini, Bridges, Friedman, Lyman and Mayor Abelson. 7:00 p.m. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL MEETING Mayor Abelson convened the City Council meeting at 7:03 p.m. 1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OR OBSERVATION OF MOMENT OF SILENCE was led by Councilmember Benassini. 2. COUNCIL / STAFF COMMUNICATIONS Mayor Pro Tem Benassini announced that the Recreation Department’s Dynamo Golf Scramble will be held at the Mira Vista Country Club on April 28. The event provides an opportunity to play golf at a beautiful club and raise funds for the David Hunter Memorial Scholarship Fund. The Fund is used by participants who enroll in the City’s recreational programs on a sliding scale payment basis. Mayor Abelson stated that she attended the Elks Lodge Police Officer of the Year dinner and award ceremony. El Cerrito Police Officer Matt Wong was honored. The event was well attended. The Celebration of Earth Day in El Cerrito this year has been expanded to Earth Season and will be marked by a number of events. The focus will be on the drought. A preliminary schedule of events includes the observance of Earth Hour, a special showing of the movie Chasing Ice, a home energy efficiency workshop, a residential solar workshop, celebration of Earth Day on April 26, a drought resistant home workshop, Bike to Work Day on May 8, a Hillside Nature Area Festival on May 17, Ohlone Greenway Celebration Day on May 31. Mayor Abelson also participated in the Chamber of Commerce’s installation of officers. The new president is Mark Figone. Nancy McCarthy is first vice-president and Marty Kalisky is second vice-president. The Secretary is Dwayne Dalman. On February 15 Mayor Abelson attended a tree planting ceremony sponsored by the Urban Forestry Council. Trees were ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 of 4 Version: 2/27/2014 planted in El Cerrito around Avila Street and also included other streets. Twenty sites were planted throughout the Bay Area with a goal of planting 1700 trees on that day. The El Cerrito Tree Committee and staff liaison, Stephen Preé also participated in the event. Mayor Abelson queried why trees were being planted during a drought and was informed that trees handle drought conditions very well and reduce carbon in the atmosphere. 3. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC Kiev Smith, El Cerrito, expressed concerns about cars racing down the street on Cypress Avenue. He is particularly concerned about people and children crossing the street as Cypress is near St. Peters Church and Stege Elementary School. Mr. Smith asked for speed bumps to be placed on the street. Fana Moeslein, El Cerrito, expressed concerns about heavy traffic on Ashbury Avenue, particularly near the High School, and also spoke about impacts from heavy traffic, garbage and pollution on her health and quality of life. Al Miller, El Cerrito, spoke about the New Priorities Campaign and asked the City Council to support a resolution in support of the New Priorities Campaign proposal which includes moving money from military spending to domestic priorities, education and the environment. Mr. Miller described actions that will occur in coordination with the April 14 Day of Global Action on Military Spending. 4. PRESENTATIONS Good to Great – Presentation by Scott Hanin, City Manager and Karen Pinkos, Assistant City Manager. Receive a presentation from City Manager Hanin and Assistant City Manager Pinkos regarding City staff’s analysis and discussion of the Good to Great series of books by Jim Collins. The series explored themes such as: how good is the enemy of great; organizations can achieve enduring greatness; the type of leadership required to achieve greatness; confronting the brutal facts; the hedgehog concept; creating a culture of discipline; and the role of technology. Action: Received presentation. 5. ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR – Item Nos. 5A through 5D Moved, seconded (Friedman/Lyman) and carried unanimously to adopt Consent Calendar Item Nos. 5B through 5D in one motion as indicated below. Consent Calendar Item No. 5A was withdrawn from the Consent Calendar at the request of Councilmember Bridges who was absent from the February 4, 2014 meeting. A. Minutes for Approval Approve the February 4, 2014 Regular City Council and Special Closed Session meeting minutes. Action: Moved, seconded (Friedman/Benassini; Ayes – Councilmembers Benassini, Friedman, Lyman and Mayor Abelson; Noes – None; Absent – None; Abstain – Councilmember Bridges) and carried to approve the minutes. B. Agreement with the Association of Bay Area Governments/San Francisco Estuary Partnership to Implement the San Pablo Avenue Green Stormwater Spine Project Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into an Agreement (Attachment 2) with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) / San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) to implement the San Pablo Avenue Green Stormwater Spine Project in El Cerrito on the east side of San Pablo Avenue north of Stockton Avenue. Exempt from CEQA. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 3 of 4 Version: 2/27/2014 Action: Adopted Resolution No. 2014–02. C. Sustainable Cities Planning Grant Application Adopt a resolution approving the filing of an application for grant funds for a Sustainable Communities Planning grant to do a targeted update to the 1999 General Plan under the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006. Exempt from CEQA. Action: Adopted Resolution No. 2014–03. D. Transactions and Use Tax Legislation Authorize Mayor Abelson to request support from Skinner in seeking legislation that would allow the City of El Cerrito the flexibility to consider a measure that would increase the current level of transactions and use taxes above the cumulative local limit of 2% (which includes the City, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and BART). Exempt from CEQA. Action: Approved recommendation. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS – None 7. POLICY MATTERS CITY COUNCIL ACTING AS THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY SUCCESSOR AGENCY A. Review and Authorization to Submit the Draft Recognized Obligations Payment Schedule 14-15A (July-December 2014), the Successor Agency’s Fiscal Year 2014-15 Administrative Budget, and a Repayment Schedule for Housing Loans Adopt a Successor Agency resolution reviewing and authorizing submittal of the draft Recognized Obligations Payment Schedule 14-15A covering the period July to December 2014, the Successor Agency’s Fiscal Year 2014-15 administrative budget, and a repayment schedule of obligations to the City’s Low Income Housing Asset Fund. Presenter: Lori Treviño, Senior Financial Analyst. Action: Moved, seconded (Friedman/Bridges) and carried unanimously to adopt Successor Agency Resolution No. 2014–01 as revised to change the reference to Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule 13-14A in the second enacting clause of the resolution to 14- 15A and include an updated and revised table contained in Exhibit C to the resolution. 8. COUNCIL LOCAL AND REGIONAL LIAISON ASSIGNMENT REPORTS Mayoral and City Council communications regarding local and regional liaison assignments and committee reports. Mayor Abelson reported that she was re-elected as Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s (CCTA) representative to the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC) and was also re-elected as WCCTAC’s chair. Mayor Abelson also reported that she and Councilmember Lyman attended the February Contra Costa Mayors Conference in San Pablo. The meeting featured a presentation by Tom Barnidge, columnist for the Contra Costa Times who explored twenty-three reasons why newspaper columnists are like elected officials. 9. ADJOURNED REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING at 8:38 p.m. SUPPLEMENTAL REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS Item No. 7 Review and Authorization to Submit the Draft Recognized Obligations Payment Schedule 14-15A (July-December 2014), the Successor Agency’s Fiscal Year 2014-15 Administrative Budget, and a Repayment Schedule for Housing Loans 1. Revised resolution and Exhibit C – Submitted by Lori Treviño, Senior Financial Analyst. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 4 of 4 Version: 2/27/2014 Other: 2. New Priorities Campaign – Submitted by Al Miller, El Cerrito.