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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/20/20221 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 Via teleconference according to the Governor’s Executive Order N-29-20, Mayor Tyson called the City Council Regular Meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Present: Mayor George Tyson, Vice Mayor Linda Swan, Councilmember Stanley Q. Mok, Councilmember Lisa Schmidt, Councilmember Kavita Tankha Absent: None Staff: City Manager Peter Pirenjad, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Planning and Building Director Sofia Mangalam, Public Works Director Oscar Antillon, Administrative Services Director Sarina Revillar, Management Analyst II Cody Einfalt, City Clerk Deborah Padovan CALL TO ORDER (6:00 P.M.) A. Roll Call B. Pledge of Allegiance 1. AGENDA REVIEW There were no changes to the agenda. 2. PRESENTATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS A. Recognition of Science Fair Winners Sofia Shah and Keela Zambre Forrest Williams introduced the two STEM winners, Sofia Shaw and Keela Karishma. Keela Zambre, Los Altos Hills, told City Council she did a research project entitled Synthesis of Curcumin-Polyethylene Glycol-Valine Prodrug to improve bioavailability in Alzheimer’s disease treatments Sofia Shaw explained that her research project was on Predicting and Modeling a Dog’s Behavior Based on Data from the Perspective of the Dog. She thanked the Council for the recognition. The Council thanked the two students for their powerful projects and added their congratulations. No action was taken. Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 20, 2022 – 6:00 p.m. Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California 2 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 B. Presentation by the Pathways Committee Seeking City Council Guidance on Pathway Completion Rate Bob Elson, Chair of the Pathways Committee, presented the commitee’s request for the Council to supply guidance on getting the pathways built. We have 77 miles of paths - areas where people can walk. We have 5 miles of paths that needs some TLC and 36 miles that need to be installed per the Master Path Plan. He asked if the Council wants a completed pathway system and will they authorize the funds. Council discussion ensued. Council asked questions of Mr. Elson and received his responses. Public Comment Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, thanked Mr. Elson for his presentation. He is an avid user of the pathway system, and it is a huge asset for the community. He finds the 77 miles totally adequate and is not an advocate of spending a lot of money for new pathways. Bridget Morgan, Los Altos Hills, said she has been a member of the Pathways Committee since 2015. She pointed out that what might be adequate for Mr. Sandor might not be for someone living in an area with fewer pathways. DIRECTION: The City Council is in favor of moving ahead with the one-year plan. They are receptive to an accelerated schedule and will discuss this during the City Council Priority Setting Session scheduled for January 25, 2022. 3. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, congratulated City Manager Pirenjad on being appointed as City Manager and the Council for selecting him. He mentioned that as an avid walker he was amazed to see the work done by LAH Fiber. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to approve the Consent Calendar. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Mok. Councilmember Swan announced that she would recuse herself from Items 4.K, 4.L, and 4.M. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tyson, Swan*, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha * for Items 4.A-4.J and 4.N-4.O NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: Swan* *for Items 4.K, 4.L, and 4.M only 3 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 ABSENT: None A. Approval of Regular City Council Meeting Minutes – December 16, 2021 B. Approval of Special City Council Meeting Minutes – January 10, 2022 C. Review of Disbursements for December 1-31, 2021 $1,383,413.82 D. Motion to Re-Authorize Remote Teleconference Meetings of the Town of Los Altos Hills, Including the Planning Commission and Committees, due to the Imminent Risks to the Health and Safety of Attendees and Making Related Findings Pursuant to AB 361 (Staff: S. Mattas) E. Resolution 01- 22 Approving a Policy for the Town of Los Altos Hills Regarding Organic Waste Product Procurement (Staff: C. Einfalt) F. Resolution 02-22 Authorizing Application for, and Receipt of, the State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Service Hazard Mitigation Grant and Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (Staff: C. Einfalt) G. Resolution 03-22 of the City Council of the Town of Los Altos Hills Approving and Authorizing Execution of Amendment 2 between the Town of Los Altos Hills and Marsha Hovey, LLC (Staff: S. Revillar) H. Resolution 04-22 Accepting a Summary Vacation of Pathway Easement; Lands of Byrne, LLC; 27290 Byrne Park Lane (Staff: O. Antillon) I. Resolution 05-22 Accepting Dedication of Pathway Easement; Lands of Byrne, LLC; 27290 Byrne Park Lane (Staff: O. Antillon) J. Resolution 06-22 Accepting Dedication of Pathway Easement; Lands of Daniel E. Lenoski 2013 Revocable Trust; 27296 Byrne Park Lane (Staff: O. Antillon) K. Resolution 07-22 Accepting Dedication of a Pathway Easement; Lands of Pang; 13210 E. Sunset Drive (Staff: O. Antillon) (Swan Recuse) L. Resolution 08-22 Accepting Dedication of a Right-of-Way Easement; Lands of Pang; 13210 E. Sunset Drive (Staff: O. Antillon) (Swan Recuse) M. Resolution 09-22 Accepting Dedication of a Right-of-Way Easement; Lands of Williams; 13505 Burke Road (Staff: O. Antillon) (Swan Recuse) N. Resolution 10-22 Awarding the 2021/22 Sewer Capital Improvement Project to C2R Engineering in an amount not to exceed $380,830.00 (Staff: O. Antillon) 4 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 O. Notification of Fast Track Approval: Site Development Permit for a 6,192 square foot one-story residence with an attached 1,043 square foot, 4-car garage and an attached ADU at 12815 Deer Creek Lane; SD21-0048. Deadline to Appeal: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. 5. ONGOING BUSINESS A. Resolution 11-22 Amendment to the Establishing Standing Committees and Adopting General Special Rules Pertaining Thereto to Update to Sunset the Education Committee and add a Technology Committee (Staff: D. Padovan) City Clerk Deborah Padovan presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. Councilmember Mok suggested renaming the Community Relations Committee as the Community Relations and Education Committee. Vice Mayor Swan agreed with the proposed name change, saying that it’s important to stress that Los Altos Hills supports education. Councilmember Tankha agreed as well and added that the Education Committee is not being “sunsetted” but will be a very active part of the Community Relations and Education Committee. Public Comment Lew Jamison, Chair, Community Relations Committee, said that the committee has not had a chance to discuss the proposed action by the Council. He suggested postponing the acceptance of the resolution for a month to allow time to discuss at the committee level. Councilmember Tankha would like to postpone consolidation of the Education Committee for a month. Vice Mayor Swan agreed, saying this would allow the Community Relations Committee the opportunity to tell the Council if they are open to taking on the extra responsibilities of the Education Committee. Mayor Tyson did not want to wait to form the Technology Committee and suggested splitting this into two actions. Public Comment, continued Jim Waschura, Los Altos Hills, asked about the formation of the Technology Committee and how the committee members be appointed. 5 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 Mayor Tyson explained that the normal process for appointing members to a committee will be followed and liaisons will be appointed tonight. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Tankha moved to approve Resolution 11-22 Establishing Standing Committees and Adopting General Special Rules Pertaining Thereto by adding Technology Committee; and postpone the consolidation of the Education Committee until the February City Council meeting. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Swan. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None B. Resolution 12-22 Approving Town Hall Improvements of Furniture Purchase and Existing Space Reconfiguration and Design Build RFP for Town Hall Phase 2 (Staff: O. Antillon) City Manager Peter Pirnjad provided a background on the topic. Tonight’s discussion is meant to be about space and the reconfiguration of the existing town hall. No contracts are presented for approval. Nor is the floorplan. He clarified that Council is not being asked to approve Phase II at this time; it was included in the staff report for context only. Public Works Director Oscar Antillon presented the staff report. Public Comment Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, was in opposition to the project. He is confused and does not know what is proposed. Why do we need additional space since the population is not growing? Rajiv Bhateja, Los Altos Hills, believes that Phase II as conceived is dead on arrival. Residents can provide input on projects that need attention. There are so many different priorities. Allan Epstein, Los Altos Hills, thinks there has been a failure in the process. The Town did not follow the procedures in working with the current architcect. What are the goals and what are we trying to achieve? There is no common understanding on what the goal is. He would like to see the details for staff reconfiguration. Council needs to determine the objectives and goals and get community support. Jim Waschura, Los Altos Hills, said we are trying to undertake an assessment on 6 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 what kind of building needs to be built. Does a building need to be built? We are short three or four seats for employees right now and after reviewing the RHNA numbers, the number of staff has to increase substantially. He is in favor of having the staff review the current plans and get the best deal possible. Doing nothing for two years is not an option. Gary Patou, Los Altos Hills, was in opposition to the project. He said the footprint of the town hall site is small and the traffic is just manageable. He expressed concern about traffic at Fremont and Concepcion. He pointed out that there are nearly three times the staff now that there were when town hall was built. Bridget Morgan, Los Altos Hills, said a well-run town hall is driven by demand from the town residents. It seems very clear that if we want smooth running of the Town operations, we need more staff in the town hall complex. She was in favor of approving action to study what Phase II would look like. Further Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved instruct town staff to continue researching the addition to town hall to be built on the same area and to approximately the same standards we have been looking at. The motion was seconded by Mayor Tyson. MOTION FAILED 2-3: AYES: Tyson, Schmidt NOES: Swan, Mok, Tankha, ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Mayor Tyson moved to approve Resolution 12-22 Approving of Furniture Space and Reconfiguration The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Swan. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tyson, Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Introduction of an Ordinance (First Reading) to Amend Title 6 of the Los Altos Hills Municipal Code Establishing Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction 7 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 Regulations Consistent with Senate Bill 1383 Requirements (Staff: O. Antillon) - Motion to Waive Reading and Introduce the Ordinance Ex Parte Communications: None Director Antillon presented the staff report. Mayor Tyson opened the Public Hearing. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, said that Greenwaste was currently sorting our trash, and would like the town to fight this. Mayor Tyson closed the Public Hearing. Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to waive reading and introduce Ordinance 600 to Amend Title 6 of the Los Altos Hills Municipal Code Establishing Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction Regulations Consistent with Senate Bill 1383 Requirements. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Swan. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tyson, Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None 7. NEW BUSINESS A. Appointments to Committees and Outside Agencies (Staff: D. Padovan) The Council discussed council appointments for committees and outside agencies. Public Comment Heather Rose, Los Altos Hills, said that Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) funding would be helpful to continue the Fremont Road path to push forward with requesting funds to help with bicycle funds and state routes to school. Bob Elson, Los Altos Hills, talked about putting a pathway in on the south side of Fremont. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to approve committee assignments as presented [shown below]. The motion was seconded by 8 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 Councilmember Mok. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tyson, Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None B. Discussion and Possible Action to Form a Council Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Upcoming Sheriff’s Contract (Staff: P. Pirnejad) City Manager Pirnejad presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Mok moved to terminate the law enforcement ad hoc committee and form an ad hoc committee comprised of Vice Mayor Swan and Councilmember Mok to review and orchestrate the new sheriff’s contract. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Swan. 9 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tyson, Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None C. Resolution 13-22 Approving the Leasing of Town Electric Vehicles (Staff: O. Antillon) City Manager Pirnejad introduced the topic. Director Antillon presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. Public Comment Ananad Ranganathan, Los Altos Hills, said he recommends the electric vehicle. Batteries keep getting better and better. He recommended leasing for now as it is important to be green. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, asked if there was a real need for an electric vehicle. He proposed a compromise by buying a used or plug-in Prius. Allan Epstein, Los Altos Hills, said that the FIC did not discuss this matter as it wasn’t on the agenda. Anyone who submitted comments after the FIC meeting were their personal comments. Further council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to approve Resolution 13-22 Approving the Leasing of Town Electric Vehicles. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Mok. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tyson, Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None Break at 9:19 p.m Reconvened to open session at 9:25 p.m. 10 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 D. Resolution 14-22 Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into Amendment No. 4 with West Bay Sanitary District or Issuance of a Request for Proposals for a New Contract (Staff: O. Antillon) City Manager Pirenjad provided background on the topic. Director Antillon presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. Public Comment Allan Epstein, Los Altos Hills, he thinks we are too late in this decision-making process. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Vice Mayor Swan moved to approve Resolution 14-22 Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into Amendment No. 4 with West Bay Sanitary District or Issuance of a Request for Proposals for a New Contract. The motion was seconded by Mayor Tyson. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Tyson, Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None 8. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES, SUB-COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES A. Report by the Undergrounding Subcommittee (Mayor Tyson) Mayor Tyson said we have continued to press PG&E to apply resources to the project. No action was taken. B. Report by the Fire Taskforce Subcommittee (Councilmember Schmidt) Councilmember Schmidt had nothing to report. C. Status Reports from All Councilmembers on Subcommittee and Outside Agencies Activities There were no reports. 11 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 9. STAFF REPORTS A. City Manager City Manager Pirnejad reported that we are looking forward to the goal-setting session scheduled for January 25, 2022 and encouraged the community to stay and get involved in the discussion. B. City Attorney No report. C. City Clerk City Clerk Padovan reported that COVID testing will be held in the Council Chambers on January 27, 2022 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. D. Planning Director Planning Director Sofia Mangalam reported that there was a Joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting on January 19th where they received an informational presentation from the housing consultant. The first community event is scheduled for February 10th at 6 p.m. She encouraged community members to attend and share ideas and feedback. E. Administrative Services Director Administrative Services Director Sarina Revillar outlined what was scheduled to be on the February 2022 City Council agenda, including the mid-year financial update. F. Public Works Director Public Works Director Oscar Antillon reported that we are moving forward with the recruitment for Assistant Engineer. Management Analyst II Cody Einfalt provided an update on the status of the ALPR installation. 10. COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS – None. 11. CLOSED SESSION - ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING: 12 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2022 A. CLOSED SESSION: PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957) Title: City Attorney Public Comment Allan Epstein, Los Altos Hills, believes there should be opportunity for public comment on the Consent Calendar. He noted that there were two recent Brown Act violations where items not on the agenda were discussed at length, with negative results. He asked the City Attorney to interrupt discussions of this kind early so future violations do not occur. He spoke of two contracts that had been approved with troubling provisions and asked the City Attorney more carefully scrutinize contract language before contracts come to the Council for approval. Adjourned to Closed Session at 10:00 p.m. 12. ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION 13. ADJOURN REGULAR MEETING AND CLOSED SESSION There was no reportable action resulting from the Closed Session. The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Deborah L. Padovan Deborah Padovan City Clerk The minutes of the January 20, 2022, regular City Council meeting were approved as presented at the February 17, 2022, regular City Council meeting.