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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/02/1999 Minutes of a Regular Meeting December 2, 1999 Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Regular Meeting Thursday, December 2, 1999, 6:00 P.M. Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Dauber called the Regular Meeting of the-City Council to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Town Hall. Present: Mayor Dauber and Councilmembers Casey, Finn, Johnson and Siegel Absent: None Staff: City Manager Mark Miller, City Attorney Sandy Sloan, Planning Director Curtis Williams, Public Works Manager Jim Rasp and City Clerk Pat Dowd • Press: Leslie Martin, Los Altos Town Crier 2. APPOINTMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 3. PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT 4. CONSENT CALENDAR Items Removed: 4.1 (Casey and Dauber) and 4.5 (Finn) MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Siegel, seconded by Johnson and passed unanimously to approve the balance of the Consent Calendar, specifically: 4.2 Approved Warrants: $665,853.53 (10/28/99— 11/23/99) 4.3 Accepted grant of conservation easement, Lands of Loughmiller, 25309 La Loma Drive—Reso#70-99 4.4 Accepted grant of pathway easement, Lands of Yeh, 24055 Jabil Lane—Reso#71-99 • December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 1 4.6 Accepted grant of a conservation easement, Lands of Chase and Arnold, 12180 Kate Drive—Reso#72-99 4.7 Accepted grant of conservation easement, Lands of Dykes, 12200 Kate Drive— Reso #73-99 4.8 Accepted grant of conservation easement, Lands of Golukhov, 11195 Hooper Lane— Reso #74-99 4.9 Accepted irrevocable offer of dedication of right of way, Lands of Golukhov, 11195 Hooper Lane—Reso #75-99 Items Removed: 4.1 Approval of Minutes: November 4, 1999 (Regular Meeting) November 18, 1999 (Special Meeting) November 18, 1999 (Regular Meeting) MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Dauber, seconded by Johnson and passed unanimously to approve the minutes of the November 4, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting with the following corrections: page 4 add the following to the beginning of the page: "Dauber felt that it was unreasonable for a candidate to have to run for election twice in one year. Since • Council really did not know exactly when Councilmember Siegel would be leaving,they could just wait until he knew he would be leaving and appoint someone at that time; page 5, Item 6.3, add the following sentence after `Johnson stated that he did not believe the nexus was there and the appeal would be rejected by the Board.' —"However, he did think we should try."; page 6, Item 8.1.2, Michael Scott's comments should read" commented favorably on his experiences with the firm of Stoecker and Northway."; and the last sentence of Sharyn Brown's comments should read: "It was agreed that the committee should go ahead and plant as long as it was not in an area that would be disturbed since these decisions could take some time." MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Dauber, seconded by Johnson and passed unanimously to approve the minutes of the November 18, 1999 Special Meeting with the following corrections: page 3, fourth paragraph, first four sentences should read: "Casey questioned the process noting that nothing built on Finn's property was a violation of the Town's Codes. The Planning Director pointed out that building without a permit was a violation. Casey questioned staff regarding others who had done work on their property without permit who were able to apply for and get a permit after the fact. To her knowledge this was the process when the work done was not a code violation as in the Finn Site Development Permit application; page 3, fourth paragraph, sixth sentence should read: "In particular the finding that the placement of the schoolhouse would require minimal grading when in fact much grading was done." • December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 2 • MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Johnson, seconded by Dauber and passed unanimously to approve the minutes of the November 18, 1999 Regular Meeting with the following corrections: page 2, Item 5,third paragraph, first sentence should read: "Casey noted that when the design guidelines were written there was no Town-wide mailing requesting public input.", insert the following as the third sentence in that paragraph, "Siegel noted that the design guidelines were subject to public hearings by the City Council and the Planning Commission."; page 3, first paragraph, add the following as the next to last sentence: "Dauber pointed out that the lack of landscaping had been a problem in the past." 4.5 Approval of Investment Report for the Quarter ended 9/30/99 Finn noted that the Town invested its funds in the Local Agency Investment Fund (LAIF) and he was concerned that the Town was not receiving a reasonable interest rate. He recommended that the Town look into other investment opportunities for a better rate of return. Finn also suggested moving forward on this rather quickly since according to his calculations the Town was losing about$15,000 a month in interest. Jim Steiner, member of the Finance Committee,reported that they had looked into other investment options and had recently received information from the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco which they were reviewing. Mr. Steiner commented that one option was direct trading but that raised the issues of management and custodial responsibilities. He further noted that the committee was meeting in early January and could report on this issue to Council after that • meeting. PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To approve the investment report for the quarter ending 9/30/99 Dauber noted that Council used to receive quarterly financial reports and asked for a current status of the availability of these reports. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 6. NEW BUSINESS 6.1 Resolution authorizing agreement with Kelly and Christina Porter for historic Preservation of Morgan Manor, 12335 Stonebrook Court, Lands of Porter— Resolution# MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Johnson, seconded by Casey and passed unanimously to adopt Resolution#76-99 approving and authorizing execution of an agreement between the Town of Los Altos Hills and Kelly R. Porter and Christina M. Porter • December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 3 I • 7. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES, SUB-COMMITTEES,AND COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES 7.1 Recommendation from Town Hall Building Committee to hire a consultant for conceptual drawings and estimates The City Manager presented a summary report of the committees discussions and the recommendation that the Council accept the committee's recommendation to proceed with a site plan, floor plan and cost estimate for a Town Hall building and to authorize staff to solicit proposals for professional services to perform this work at a cost not to exceed$50,000. Casey and Finn stated that they wanted more information. Finn believed it was very important for the Council to consider how Town services will be provided in five to ten years before making a decision about a new Town Hall. He had understood that the committee would be looking at this aspect as a part of their recommendation. Casey concurred and also commented that she believed that due diligence was needed before authorizing such an expenditure. She believed this would be overstepping the bounds of fiscal responsibility. Dauber noted that there were safety issues involved and Council needed to deal with the problems. Johnson believed that space needs were only part of the problem. It was an unsafe building which was not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant and the employees were working in substandard accommodations. Siegel stated that it was important that Council arrive at consensus on what • they wanted to do about Town Hall. Whichever direction was taken was going to be costly and the Council as a whole should be prepared to explain and support these expenditures. Concerning the need for additional space, Casey asked for information about the lease with Purissima Hills Water District and when it expired. She noted that since the Town owned the building they used next to Town Hall, it could possibly be used for additional staff space. Kelly Porter, member of the Town Hall Building Committee,noted that, based the information they had received, repairing Town Hall did not appear to be the cost effective approach to take. He did comment though that he did not feel the committee had been given very clear direction from the Council as to exactly what options they wanted reviewed. Betsy Bertram, 11854 Page Mill Road, noted that this committee was made up of intelligent people who had recommended that, for a variety of reasons including safety concerns, Town Hall be replaced not rebuilt. She stated that in her opinion the building should be torn down. Dan Alexander, member of the Purissima Hills Water District Board, commented that he believed their lease had two years to go and the Town was required to give them a reasonable notice if the lease was not going to be renewed. • December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 4 PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To schedule a joint meeting of the City Council, the Town Hall iBuilding Committee and the Utility and Information Systems Committee for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 20th. In addition the City Manager was authorized to bring a futurist to this meeting if he could schedule such a presentation within his $5,000 expenditure approval limit. The City Manager was also authorized to spend up to $50,000 for repairs to Town Hall that needed immediate repair. 7.2 Report from Solid Waste Subcommittee Casey provided Council with a report on the distance charge summary for the Town. This report outlined the basic long driveway charge as well as the additional charges for more cans. Casey noted that if the Town eliminated the charge for extra cans, it would be a loss of approximately $14,000 per year. Council agreed that this additional charge should be corrected in the agreement and the City Attorney was directed to amend the present agreement with the Los Altos Garbage Company and bring it back for Council approval. On the subject of lids for the recycling bins, Casey reported that they cost more than the bins. If residents wanted them,they could purchase them from the garbage company. It was agreed that the Los Altos Garbage Company would notify residents in their mailings of the availability of the lids. Betsy Bertram, 11854 Page Mill Road,recited experiences she had had with the Los Altos Garbage Company and stated she did not think they were very cooperative. • MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Casey, seconded by Dauber and passed unanimously to direct the City Attorney to prepare an amendment to the agreement with the Los Altos Garbage Company for approval by the Council. 8. STAFF REPORTS 8.1 City Manager 8.1.1 Murietta Lane—Letter from Shari Emling The City Manager reported that he had met Mrs. Emling on Murietta to discuss her concerns about the repairs needed on their street. He noted that the asphalt was in good condition; some short term repairs will be done; and long range plans will be discussed in next year's budget. 8.2 City Attorney 8.2.1 Report on Inglin letter concerning easements Council agreed to continue this item to a future meeting at which the Inglins could be present to address their concerns. December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 5 8.3 City Clerk 8.3.1 Report on Council Correspondence 9. COUNCIL-INITIATED ITEMS 9.1 Page Mill Road Restriping (Mayor Dauber) Dauber reported that Caltrans plans to restripe Page Mill as planned but they will review it in the spring. She did note however that they were about to begin construction of the dedicated lane for people getting off 280 into Town. 9.2 Kennedy Application with the County (Mayor Dauber) Dauber noted that the Town did not appeal the County's approval of the Kennedy application. 9.3 Webpage (Councilmember Johnson) Johnson reported that the Town's new webpage was available. It had been set up in a more organized manner than the old page and also now included the parcel data base. 9.4 Holiday Party (Mayor Dauber) • Council agreed that the Town would again host a holiday parry for staff. It was decided it would be held on Thursday, December 16''and the City Manager was directed to authorize the luncheon expenditure. 10. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR 11. PUBLIC HEARINGS 11.1 Proposed Ordinance of the Town of Los Altos Hills amending Section 10-1.703 (Conditional Uses) of the Zoning Code to allow use of a single family residence for meetings of non-profit charitable organizations under limited conditions and upon approval of a conditional use permit, and negative declaration(FIRST READING) Frank Roberts, counsel for the Packard Trust and Foundation, stated that they concurred with the staff reports and recommendations and he was available to answer any questions Council might have. Betsy Bertram, 11854 Page Mill Road,believed that this ordinance was not in concurrence with the zoning of the Town. Although she supported the work the Packard Foundation did, she questioned the need for this change at this time. For years the Foundation has held meetings at the house and conducted Foundation business there. December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 6 Council discussed the Planning Commission's recommendation to modify this ordinance to apply to parcels of 25 acres or more rather than being limited to parcels of 50 acres or more. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Casey, seconded by Finn and passed unanimously to introduce an ordinance amending the Zoning Code to allow an additional conditional use in the R-A Zone with the provision that it applied to parcels of 25 acres or more. 11.2 Request for a conditional use permit to use existing residence for meetings of boards of non-profit organizations, subject to certain restrictions, including dedication of conservation and pathway easements, and negative declaration, Lands of Packard Trust, 26580 Taaffe Road Frank Roberts, counsel for the Packard Trust and Foundation, noted that they wanted to keep the property as it now was. They were hoping to keep the apricot orchard and were waiting for a favorable ruling on this from the IRS. He specifically stated that this was not going to be a conference center. The Foundation now had 100 employees and their building was located in Los Altos. The Packard Home would be used for small seminars and meetings. Barbara Wright, counsel for the Packard Foundation, stated, in response to an inquiry from Council,that the family did not want a plaque designating the orchard as a memorial orchard. She also noted that they did not plan on expanding the home. They would be making some changes to comply with ADA requirements, some internal changes and some repairs to the driveway. • PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To amend condition#3d to read: ". . . . .Packard Homesite Property, but for not more than three (3) consecutive days at a time, without prior approval of the City Manager." PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To amend the first sentence of condition#7 to read: "No outdoor sound amplification shall be allowed on the site without the approval of the City Manager." MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Casey, seconded by Finn and passed unanimously to approve the request for a conditional use permit to use existing residence for meetings of boards of non-profit organizations, subject to certain restrictions, including dedication of conservation and pathway easements, and negative declaration, Lands of Packard Trust, 26580 Taaffe Road, subject to the conditions of approval outlined in Attachment 1 of 12/2/99 staff report and as amended by Council and the findings outlined in Attachment 2. Siegel commented that he thought this was a significant last meeting of the Council for the millennium and it exemplified good direction for the future of the Town. At this meeting the Council had entered into an historic property designation agreement with the owners of the Morgan Manor and had preserved the open space on the Packard Lands. December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 7 12. ADJOURNMENT There being no further new or old business to discuss,the City Council Meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, .� Patricia Dowd City Clerk The minutes of the December 2, 1999 City Council Meeting were approved at the January 6, 2000 City Council Meeting. • December 2, 1999 Regular City Council Meeting 8