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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/19/2019 1 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Thursday, September 19, 2019 Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California CALL TO ORDER (6:00 P.M.) Mayor Spreen called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. A. Roll Call Present: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson Absent: None Staff: City Manager Carl Cahill, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Planning Director Zach Dahl, Public Works Director/City Engineer Nichol Bowersox, Administrative Services Director Sarina Revillar, Principal Planner Steve Padovan, Community Services Supervisor Sarah Robustelli, Management Analyst Cody Einfalt, City Clerk Deborah Padovan B. Pledge of Allegiance 1. AGENDA REVIEW City Manager Carl Cahill introduced the new Planning Director Zach Dahl. There were no changes to the agenda. 2. PRESENTATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS A. Annual Presentation of the Los Altos Hills Community Relations Committee Roy Woolsey, Chair of the Los Altos Hills Community Relations Committee, presented the annual report of the committee. The Council thanked the committee for all their hard work. Councilmember Corrigan said she would support events that attract newcomers and volunteer opportunities. No action was taken. B. Westwind Community Barn Report by Victoria Dye Equestrian 2 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 Victoria Dye presented the annual report of Westwind Community Barn. The Council thanked Ms. Dye for her presentation. No action was taken. C. Northwest County Recycled Water Strategic Plan Presentation by the City of Palo Alto Samantha Engelage, P.E., City of Palo Alto, said that the city is evaluating ways to offer recycled water (non-potable use) in the future under the Northwest County Recycled Water Strategic Plan project. The Northwest County Recycled Water Strategic Plan is a collaborative project between the City of Palo Alto, the San ta Clara Valley Water District, and consultants that seek to identify the most appropriate ways and locations to expand the City of Palo Alto’s Recycled Water Program. The Council asked questions of Ms. Engelage and received her responses. No action was taken. Jerry De La Piedra, Santa Clara Valley Water District, stated that the District was in support of the Northwest County Recycled Water Strategic Plan project and would like to expand the partnerships moving forward. D. Presentation by Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Little League Peter Jewett, Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Little League, provided a presentation on the overview of the league and the field usage. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, expressed support for the LA/LAH Little League. No action was taken. E. Presentation by Silicon Valley Clean Energy on Reach Codes John Supp, Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), presented the concept of adopting building Reach Codes as part of the building code update. Reach Codes support cities in meeting climate goals and they encourage safer, healthier all - electric buildings within the building code. They also include installing EV chargers during building construction in line with local needs. Council discussion ensued. There was Council consensus for staff to continue researching Reach Codes in conjunction with the building code update. No action was taken. 3 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 Suzanne Emerson, San Carlos, said that we need to stop burning fossil fuels and stop installing natural gas water heaters in our homes to help combat climate change. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, said there is no verification that SVCE is carbon free as their power source is no different than PG&E. Steve Schmidt, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of SVCE and implementing Reach Codes. Kjell Karlsson, Los Altos Hills, said that pre-wiring is a no brainer and at an absolute minimum we should do that. F. Appointments to the Los Altos Hills Finance and Investment Committee City Clerk Deborah Padovan presented the applications for the Finance and Investment Committee. Medha Rishi, Los Altos Hills, introduced herself to the City Council and provided information on her background. Kjell Karlsson, Los Altos Hills, stressed how fantastic Ms. Rishi has been. He appreciated the opportunity to serve on the committee for the past eight years. The City Clerk distributed and then collected the ballots and stated that three individuals received the majority vote. The results were as follows: Councilmember Corrigan voted for: Sloss, Evans and Rishi Councilmember Tankha voted for: Sloss, Karlsson and Rishi Councilmember Tyson voted for: Sloss, Evans and Rishi Vice Mayor Wu voted for: Sloss, Karlsson and Rishi Mayor Spreen voted for: Sloss, Evans and Rishi MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Tyson moved to appoint Roddy Sloss, Cheryl Evans and Medha Rishi to the Finance and Investment Committee for a four-year term. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Tankha. Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None 4 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 ABSTAIN: None 3. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR Persons wishing to address the Council on any subject not on the agenda may do so now. Please complete a Speaker Card located on the back table of the Council Chambers and submit it to the City Clerk. Comments are limited to two (2) minutes per speaker. California law prohibits the Council from acting on items that do not appear on the agenda. Under a Resolution previously adopted by the Council, such items can be referred to staff for appropriate action, which may include placement on the next available agenda. Jitze Couperus, Chair of the Planning Commission, thanked the City Clerk for assisting with the Planning Commission meeting on September 5th and presented her with flowers in appreciation. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, spoke about GreenWaste and comparison rates from Contra Costa County. Eileen Gibbons, Los Altos Hills, spoke about the conduct of committee members. She resigned her associate membership on the Pathways Committee effective immediately. Les Earnest, Los Altos Hills, asked the Council to formalize the council liaison regulations. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Tankha moved to approve the CONSENT CALENDAR with the exception of item 4.E. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Corrigan. Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None A. Approval of City Council Special Meeting Minutes - August 21, 2019 B. Receive Quarterly Investment Portfolio Report - Quarter Ending June 30, 2019 (Staff: S. Revillar) 5 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 C. Resolution 57-19 Accepting Dedication of Right-of-Way Easement; Lands of Lam and Stepanov; 26896 Alejandro Drive (Staff: N. Bowersox) D. Resolution 58-19 Accepting Dedication of Right-of-Way Easement; Lands of DD Stonebrook Drive, LLC; 12355 Stonebrook Drive (Staff: N. Bowersox) The Council now considered Consent Calendar Item 4.E. E. Resolution 59-19 Approving the Cities Association Annual Membership Fees for 2019-2020 (Staff: C. Einfalt) Councilmember Corrigan stated that she pulled the item and said it is important for the Town to have a role in the Cities Association. Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Tyson moved to adopt Resolution 59-19 to pay the 2019-20 membership dues for the Cities Association and authorize the Mayor to send a letter requesting they revise the dues schedule. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Tankha. Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 5. ONGOING BUSINESS A. Update on Town Hall Facility Use Policy for Council Chambers and Town Hall Meeting Spaces (Staff: S. Robustelli) Community Services Supervisor Sarah Robustelli presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Vice Mayor Wu moved to approve the addition to the policy with the following revision: requesters charging a fee, shall work through the Parks and Recreation Department as a third party and participate in a revenue spilt. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Corrigan. 6 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Meeting went into Recess at 7:55 p.m. Meeting Reconvened to Open Session at 8:00 p.m. B. Consideration of a Resolution Approving a Parks and Recreation Improvement Project at Purissima Park Eligible for Proposition 68 Grant Funding (Staff: S. Robustelli) Community Services Supervisor Sarah Robustelli presented the staff report. Council asked questions of staff and received responses. Nina Sutaria, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, presented a report and suggested a project on behalf of the committee. Council discussion ensued. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, said P2 is an important field for Little League. Jay Sutaria, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of a community park. Carrie Shaked, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of a community park. Kyle McKinney, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of Little League and said the fields are a good place to learn life lessons. Sang Yoo, Los Altos Hills, expressed her support of the staff recommendation for the upgraded snack shack. Jack Troedson, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of the staff recommendation for Purissima Park. Ted Kao, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of Little League. Joseph Field, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of Little League. 7 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 David Osuch, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of Little League and the staff recommendation. Dennis Wilkinson, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of Little League and the staff recommendation. Robert Garner, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of the fields remaining with Little League as he has family history there. Bridget Morgan, Los Altos Hills, said that a community park at Purissima would not work for the residents who live on the south end of Town. Cliff Olson, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of Little League and the staff recommendations. Nina Sutaria, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of a community park. Kjell Karlsson, Los Altos Hills, acknowledged the work that staff has done, but said that Little League does not serve all the residents. Kathy Evans, Los Altos Hills, reminded the Council that Westwind Barn is now run by the Town, because the Town took it back for Town residents. Birgitta Indaco, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of the staff recommendation and said time is of the essence. Further Council discussion ensued. Councilmember Corrigan suggested forming a subcommittee made up from various shareholders to discuss a master park plan. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Corrigan moved to adopt Resolution 60-19 Approving a Parks and Recreation Improvement Project at Purissima Park eligible for Proposition 68 grant funding and simultaneously form a subcommittee to execute a Townwide evaluation of assets to determine where and how a community park might be constructed and what it might cost. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Wu. Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 8 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Consideration of a General Plan Amendment for Text Amendments to the Pathways Element, Municipal Code Amendments to Section 3-3.301, Section 9- 1.1112, and Article 6 of Chapter 2, Title 10 Related to the Pathway Fee and Pathway Fund and Adoption of Pathway Development Impact Fee; Town of Los Altos Hills; File #GPA19-0001 and MCA19-0002. CEQA Review: Categorical Exemption Per Section 15061(B)(3). (Staff: N. Bowersox/S. Padovan) Mayor Spreen opened the public hearing. There were no Ex Parte Communications. Public Works Director Nichol Bowersox presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Vice Mayor Wu moved to continue the meeting past 10 pm. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Corrigan. Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Sue Welch, Los Altos Hills, said a policy gives direction on how to make decisions. R.K. Anand, Los Altos Hills, said there is a benefit for pathways to be built concurrently with new construction. He requested the Council think about the process carefully. Karthik Kannan, Los Altos Hills, suggested making things more specific on what qualifies as a pathway and what does not. Bob Elson, Los Altos Hills, said the words of Policy 1.1 are important and it should be wordsmithed and made extremely tight. 9 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 Birgitta Indaco, Los Altos Hills, read into a record a letter from Carol Gottlieb requesting that the Planning Commission decision be upheld to not amend Policy 1.1. Teresa Baker, Los Altos Hills, said the Council should listen to the Planning Commission. Jim Waschura, Los Altos Hills, requested information about residents in the past who have paid a pathway fee or installed a pathway. Jitze Couperus, Los Altos Hills, said the Planning Commission suggested that this be sent back for further study. Nick Dunckel, Los Altos Hills, encouraged the Council to follow the Planning Commission's recommendations and reject the changes. Allan Epstein, Los Altos Hills, said the current fee methodology should be changed. Linda Swan, Los Altos Hills, said that any changes made should not preclude pathways being built. Kjell Karlsson, Los Altos Hills, said the fee methodology should be changed. Val Metcalfe, Los Altos Hills, proposed that the Pathways Committee, the Finance and Investment Committee, and staff review the numbers and come up with something realistic. Mayor Spreen closed the Public Hearing. Further Council discussion ensued. City Attorney Steve Mattas asked that the record reflect that the nexus analysis for the pathway fee is not strong, but it is not illegal. He strongly recommended that the Council adopt the Matrix study and the analysis as a basis. In general, the zoning ordinance needs to be consistent with the General Plan. In this case, the ordinance language and the Town’s past practice in terms of implementation are more narrow in application than the wording of the General Plan Policy 1.1. The Council may consider the recommended actions this evening but withhold any action at this time on Policy 1.1. (red text indicating edited wording on 10/17/19) MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Tyson moved to adopt Resolution 61-19 Amending The Pathways Element of General Plan as presented to the Council with the exception of the changes to Policy 1.1; Resolution 62-19 Adopting the Pathway Development Impact Fee in Accordance with the Mitigation Fee Act; Waive Reading and Introduce an Ordinance Amending Section 3-3.303, Section 9-1.1112, and Article 6 Of Chapter 2, Title 10 Of The Los Altos Hills 10 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 Municipal Code Concerning The Pathway Fee And Pathway Fund. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Corrigan. Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None The meeting went into Recess at 11:25 p.m. The meeting Reconvened to Open Session at 11:30 p.m. 7. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion of November and December City Council Meetings (Staff: D. Padovan) City Clerk Deborah Padovan presented the staff report. The Council reviewed the calendars and determined the meetings did not interfere with the holidays. No action was taken. B. Consideration of a Resolution Re-Establishing a Solid Waste Fund of $100,000 for Fiscal Year 2019-20 and Appropriate $100,000 to the Solid Waste Fund and Authorizing the City Manager to Reimburse GreenWaste Recovery from the Solid Waste Fund in Amount not to exceed $100,000 (Staff: C. Cahill) City Manager Carl Cahill presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, said he thought contract negotiating was done. Further Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Tyson moved to adopt Resolution 63-19 Establishing a solid waste fund in the amount of $100,000 and authorizing the City Manager to execute an addendum to the Franchise Agreement allowing for the reimbursement to GreenWaste from the solid waste fund in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for 50% customer subsidy program on 11 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 the cost of a second 96-gallon grey card service for residents in small truck only areas for FY 2019-20.. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Wu. Motion Carried 5 to 0: AYES: Mayor Spreen, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilmember Corrigan, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember Tyson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 8. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES, SUB-COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES A. Report by the Undergrounding Subcommittee (Councilmember Tyson) Councilmember Tyson presented the undergrounding subcommittee report. Allan Epstein, Los Altos Hills, commented that the only amount of money available is maybe $500K from current and borrowed 20A funds. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, thinks undergrounding utilities is a good idea. Barry Smith, Los Altos Hills, said he would love to see progress on the undergrounding of utilities. No action was taken. However, there was Council agreement that Councilmember Tyson should work with staff and may contact other cities to determine if the Town can purchase credits. B. Report from the Santa Clara County Cities Association Meeting and Request for Action on the RHNA Subregion Formation (Vice Mayor Wu) Vice Mayor Wu presented the request from the Cities Association. The Council directed that Vice Mayor Wu vote at the Cities Association for Option 3 as follows: Planning Collaborative: Embrace the goals of working as a region without forming the RHNA subregion and instead form a planning collaborative to further positive outcomes to the housing and homelessness challenges faced in Santa Clara County. Similar to 21 Elements, use the anticipate RHNA subregion funds designated in the MOU and RHNA Light Plan. Collaboration opportunities may include planning, 12 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes September 19, 2019 housing element, “Home for All”/ADUs effort, RV dwellers, homelessness, legislative guidance by consultants. 9. STAFF REPORTS A. City Manager - Informed the Council that he attend the APA Conference and said one of the presentations was from Scott Weiner on SB 50 and it is likely coming back to the legislature. B. City Attorney - No report. C. City Clerk - Reminded the Council that the volunteer dinner is scheduled for Friday, September 20, 2019. D. Planning Director - No report. E. Administrative Services Director - No report. F. Public Works Director - No report. 10. COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS There were no Council initiated items. 11. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 12:28 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Deborah Padovan Deborah Padovan City Clerk The minutes of the September 19, 2019 regular City Council meeting were approved as presented at the October 17, 2019 regular City Council meeting.