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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/16/2011 (2)Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 16, 2011 Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Summit called the City Council Regular Meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Town Hall. Present: Mayor Ginger Summit, Mayor Pro Tem Rich Larsen, Councilmember Jean Mordo, Councilmember John Radford, Councilmember Gary Waldeck Absent: None Staff: City Manager Carl Cahill, Planning Director Debbie Pedro, City Engineer/Public Works Director Richard Chiu, Finance Director Nick Pegueros, City Attorney Steve Mattas CLOSED SESSION CLOSED SESSION: EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957 Title: City Manager and City Attorney CLOSED SESSION• Conference with Legal Counsel — Anticipated Litigation Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(b) Significant Exposure to Litigation — One Case CLOSED SESSION• Conference with Legal Counsel — Existing Litigation Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(a) Moisson v. Preston Pipelines and Town of Los Altos Hills City Attorney Steve Mattas reported that Council provided direction to staff and took no reportable actions. 7:00 P.M. — RECONVENE PUBLIC SESSION APPOINTMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 1. Presentations of Commendation for Retiring City Clerk a. Co -Authored Resolution from Representative of Senator Joe Simitian and Assembly member Rich Gordon b. Resolution from the Office of Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 Mayor Summit presented Karen Jost with a resolution from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Tyler Haskell, representing Senator Joe Simitian's office, presented Ms. Jost with a resolution. Ms. Jost expressed appreciation for the resolutions and for the privilege of working for the Town of Los Altos Hills. She thanked the Council, Staff, and the Town's volunteers. 2. Appointments to Committees and Outside Agencies a. Palo Alto Unified School District (1) Mayor Summit advised that Councilmember Radford volunteered to represent Los Altos Hills in the capacity as a Council Liaison to the Palo Alto Unified School District. b. Community Relations Committee (2) MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Larsen and passed (Waldeck - recused) to appoint Barbara Waldeck to the Community Relations Committee. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Waldeck, seconded by Mordo and passed unanimously to appoint Barbara Cannon to the Community Relations Committee. The Council expressed appreciation to the members of the Community Relations Committee for a very successful picnic. c. Youth Commission (1) Mayor Summit invited Megan McKinney to introduce herself. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Larsen and passed unanimously to approve the appointment of Megan McKinney to the Youth Commission. 3. Recognition of Outgoing Los Altos Hills Youth Commission Leadership Allika Walvekar, Los Altos Hills Youth Commission Chair thanked the Council for its support. Audrey Waschura spoke about the fun she had planning events for the community and volunteering for other events. Courtney Chuang commented on the enjoyment she received being on the Youth Commission. Ms. Walvekar introduced Eric Nevalsky, next year's Co -Chair of the Youth Commission. Councilmember Waldeck commented on the number of youths that participated in the picnic and the contribution they provided to the Town. Mayor Summit presented certificates to the outgoing Los Altos Hills Youth Commission members. 2 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 AGENDA REVIEW Mayor Summit moved item 24 to follow item 14. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Mordo, seconded by Larsen and passed unanimously to approve the Consent Calendar, specifically: 4. Approval of Meeting Minutes: City Council Special Meeting — May 12, 2011 City Council Regular Meeting — May 19, 2011 5. Review of Disbursements: May 1, 2011 — May 31, 2011 $908,741.65 6. Approval of 2011-12 Budget Amendments (Staff. N. Pegueros) Reso# 28-11 7. Approval of Contract with Excursions Unlimited (Staff. N. Pedro) 8. Grant of Pathway Easement: Lands of Kearney, 27361 Moody Road (Staff: R. Chiu) Reso# 29-11 9. Approval of Final Map: Lands of Sissu, LP/Brockway (formerly Lands of Moeller), 11990 Page Mill Road, File #132 -06 -GD -IS -ND -TM (Staff: R. Chiu) Reso# 30-11 10. Approval of Natoma Road Sanitary Sewer Main Extension Reimbursement Agreement (Staff: R:Chiu) Reso# 31-11 11. Notification of Fast Track Approval: Lands of Yu, 12697 Roble Ladera Road; File #284- 10-ZP-SD-GD; A request for a Site Development Permit for a 4,963 square foot new two story residence (Maximum height: 27'). CEQA Review: Categorical Exemptions per Section 15303(a) (Staff: D. Pedro) PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR Gary Vondran, Say Hi Senior Support Group, spoke about the Beverly Foundation, a national organization that sponsors senior transportation programs. The Foundation has a Star Awards program and tabulates data from the various agencies; out of 281 agencies, they provided almost 5 million rides, with volunteer drivers, and have tracked very few incidents or accidents. Philippa Strahm spoke on the issue of senior transportation and the El Camino Hospital sponsored Road Runner Service which has many limits. The Say Hi Service provides a valuable service to seniors at no fee. Kathy Evans reminded the Council about the Barn to Barn Run, a fundraiser to pay for the sand that goes into the arena at Westwind Barn. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 PUBLIC HEARINGS 12. A Request to Construct an Identification Sign at the Intersection of Viscaino Road and Viscaino Place, 12879 Viscaino Road; Lands of Cannon (Applicant -Fremont Hills Country Club) File #233-10-ZP; (Staff: D. Pedro) Assistant Planner Nicole Horvitz introduced the item to the Council. The Town Code allows for the placement of identification signs on a property; however, the proposed sign for Fremont Hills Country Club is not located on the Club's property. The request is that the sign be placed on the Lands of Cannon; the property owner has provided consent for the sign to be located on his property. The 3' x 2' sign would be placed outside the public right-of-way. One neighbor sent objections via email because he felt it was unnecessary. The action requested of the Council is to approve the requested sign with recommended conditions and findings listed in the staff report. OPENED PUBLIC HEARING The manager of the Fremont Hills Country Club, Scott Domnie spoke about the former, unattractive sign. He added that funds will be spent to beautify everything around the area of the proposed sign. CLOSED PUBLIC HEARING MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Waldeck and passed unanimously to approve the requested sign at the intersection of Viscaino Road and Viscaino Place, subject to the conditions of approval and findings of approval. 13. Consideration of Proposed Operating and Capital Improvement Budget for the Fiscal Year 2011-12 (Staff: N. Pegueros) Reso# 32-11 Finance Director Nick Pegueros introduced the item to the Council. He provided an overview of the process used to build the budget including major changes. The Council and Finance and Investment Committee (FIC) met on May 12 to review the assumptions used to build the revenue and expense forecast and looked at a variety of capital programs for the next fiscal year. The FIC, at its June 2 meeting, voted unanimously to recommend approval of the budget. Council discussion ensued. Councilmember Mordo suggested that the Town, at a later date, look at alternatives to the services provided by the County and look at comparative bids. OPENED PUBLIC HEARING Mark Breier recommended that the Town consider allocating $10,000 for Los Altos Hills Families next year to continue its activities within the Town. Council discussion ensued. Council expressed appreciation for the good work of the Los Altos Hills Families but suggested changing the structure of the group, perhaps as a part of the Parks and Recreation Committee. Concern was expressed about giving Town money to a private group. 4 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 Mr. Breier did not believe that members of the Los Altos Hills Families wanted ties with the Park and Recreation Committee or the Community Relations Committee. Councilmember Radford recommended that the Los Altos Hills Families provide a reporting to the Parks and Recreation Committee including a forecast of the annual anticipated expenses for reimbursement. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Radford and passed unanimously to allocate $10,000 for the five events of the Los Altos Hills Families and direct the City Manager to work with staff on coordination with existing committees. Resident Jitze Couperus suggested that the Council consider the cost savings if the Council were to use a "tablet" to save costs on printing, ink, paper, and mailing. CLOSED PUBLIC HEARING MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Larsen and passed unanimously to adopt Resolution No. 32-11 that establishes the Town's 2011-12 Appropriations Limit; 2011-12 Appropriations; and the 2011-12 Compensation Plan. 14. Consideration of Appropriation for Citizens' Option for Public Safety Fund (COPS) (Staff: N. Pegueros) Reso# 33-11 Finance Director Nick Pegueros introduced the item to the Council. The item before the Council is to adopt the budget for the Citizens' Option for Public Safety (COPS) funded program. Staff anticipates that the State will eliminate funding for this program in 2011-12. The COPS funding has enabled the Town to hire a Public Safety Office and to provide equipment and supplies for the Emergency Operations Center. The request is for a $25,000 transfer from the General Fund. OPENED PUBLIC HEARING There were no comments from the public. CLOSED PUBLIC HEARING MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Larsen and passed unanimously to approve Resolution # 33-11 Adopting the Operating Budget for the Citizens' Option for Public Safety Fund for Fiscal Year 2011-12. COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS 24. Status Report on North County Library Authority Review of the Santa Clara County Library JPA and Consideration of Support for Option Analysis for the Los Altos Library to Withdraw from the County Library JPA (Councilmember, J. Mordo) Councilmember Mordo provided a brief explanation of the Santa Clara County Library JPA. Documents before the Council included a Requested Budget Summary and the formula share for the cities in the JPA. Factors involved include the Town not receiving its fair share, the City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 expensive system, and fees for library cards. The NCLA Board met on June 13 and passed three resolutions, which were before the Council for action. Council discussion ensued. Mordo recommended Council approve a motion to request that the JPA Board and staff consider extending the fee exemption to college students and volunteers. He also suggested looking at the City of Burlingame's cost structure for its own library. Barbara Mordo, Vogue Court, advised that the Council would be asked again in two years for additional funds for the JPA. She added she was Chair of Measure L for the NCLA and was concerned about what she heard at the June 13 meeting. She believed a study was the best way to get answers. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Mordo, seconded by Larsen and passed unanimously that the Council send a letter to the County JPA requesting that they modify their policy on the $80 fee to include college students as well as school students and volunteers. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Mordo, seconded by Radford and passed unanimously to notify the County that the Council approved a study to be conducted under the auspices of the NCLA to look at alternative services for the library and request cooperation from the County Controller in terms of getting all the data. COUNCIL RECESS 9:15 P.M. COUNCIL RECONVENED TO OPEN SESSION AT 9:20 P.M. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 15. Town Goals 2011 Personal and Public Safety for All Residents a. Increased Commitment of Resources to Traffic Safety Mayor Summit advised that her main goal was Personal and Public Safety for all residents; one commitment was to increase resources to traffic safety. The Town's Public Safety Officer has been handing out advice, friendly recommendations, warnings and tickets to bikers and vehicle drivers. Council discussed areas of concern with regard to bicyclists. b. Monitoring of Arastradero Corridor/C-1 Trail Mayor Summit advised that the Council authorized an additional study to check on the Page Mill/Arastradero corridor which is ongoing. She reported that the Stanford Path that goes around Page Mill pastures has been open for about a month and a good number of residents are using the path to walk their dogs or for exercise. c. Intersection Improvements, Page Mill Road and Buena Vista Drive Mayor Summit advised that progress has been made on the intersection; Palo Alto did some grading but residents felt more grading should have been done. The County will do some striping and improved signage. 6 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 City Engineer/Public Works Director Richard Chiu explained that he received information from the County that they completed their striping and signage improvements; he authorized the Town Consultant to visit the site and reevaluate the sight distance. He described the work that the City of Palo Alto did to the intersection. Erik Evans, Buena Vista Drive, thanked everyone who got the City of Palo Alto and the County to make improvements; however, he expressed disappointment that Palo Alto was not willing to take out any additional trees. He added that there was no change in the sight line which was the primary issue with the safety of the intersection. His suggestion was that the Traffic Consultant provide a diagram showing how the geometry of the sight lines were calculated Tim Williams, Moody Road, commented that drivers coming down the road drive at a good rate and the turn is very difficult. The signage helped but he did not believe all drivers paid attention to the signs. He encouraged more work to be done to improve the situation. Twyla Woods, Moody Road, spoke about the dangerous corner, the speed of cars and bicyclists coming down the hill, and the difficulty she has had making a left hand turn. Cheryl Evans, Buena Vista Drive, expressed concern that the liability of making the left hand turn has been put on the residents. More improvement is necessary. Clay Woods, Moody Road, concurred with the speakers about the dangerous situation making a left hand turn onto Moody. He believed part of the problem was the line of sight and speed was also a problem. Mayor Summit assured everyone that staff is working closely with the City of Palo Alto and has been in contact with Supervisor Liz Kniss. City Manager Cahill's understanding is that the embankment is very steep, and it might require an engineered solution in terms of money for retaining walls. His suggestion was to give Palo Alto the benefit of the doubt and staff will present objective facts to Palo Alto to get them to do more work. Director Chiu advised that the consultant had been authorized and he expected to receive a report within two weeks. Following review of the report, staff can determine the next steps to take. City Manager Cahill recommended that the Town receive the report from the consultant prior to lobbying the County for stop signs. Mayor Summit advised that a public joint meeting of the Traffic and Safety ad hoc Committee and Pathways Committee on Wednesday, June 29, specifically addressing the Fremont Road bike lane. A preliminary conceptual drawing was prepared and input was received from the neighborhood. Director Chiu reported that at the June 29 joint meeting, he will share the new conceptual plans for an off road bike path along Fremont Road, beginning at Edith and heading toward Town Hall. 7 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 Councilmember Mordo questioned when the Arastradero path will come before the Council. Mayor Summit advised that a traffic study would be done once the Page Mill pastures opened to see what would happen to parking and additional traffic. A study has been scheduled to see what was happening with the Arastradero corridor. Director Chiu advised that the traffic survey was done the previous Saturday, and results were expected within one week. Mayor Pro Tem Larsen asked how the no -parking signs on Altamont near the Arastradero Preserve were working. Director Chiu advised that he heard from the Sheriff that there have been improvements with the parking. Concern was expressed about the number of no -parking signs but the Council concurred that the signs were necessary at the current time. Mayor Pro Tem Larsen questioned the Council's thoughts about the rush hour traffic on I-280 and whether it was an issue from the Town's perspective. One suggestion was to extend the HOV lane further north for the afternoon traffic. Council recommended that Mayor Pro Tem Larsen discuss this issue with the VTA. 16. Introduction of Ordinance of the City Council of the Town of Los Altos Hills Authorizing an Amendment to the Contract Between the Town and the Board of Administration of California Public Employees Retirement System (Staff. N. Pegueros) Finance Director Nick Pegueros introduced the item to the Council, which is a continuation of the Council's direction to staff to implement a second tier pension plan. The Council, at its May 12, 2011, meeting adopted the Resolution of intent. The ordinance was introduced. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Waldeck and passed unanimously to waive reading and introduce a proposed ordinance to authorize an amendment to the contract between the Board of Administration of the California Public Employees' Retirement System and the Town Council of the Town of Los Altos Hills. NEW BUSINESS 17. Consideration of Proposed Draft Ordinance Amending Title 12, Chapter 1 "Parks, Preserves and Public Areas" by Adding Section 12-1.04 "Powered Model Vehicles Prohibited" (Staff. S. Garcia) City Manager Cahill reported the Council directed staff to prepare an ordinance amendment to prohibit model car racing in public lands where horses are. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Mordo, seconded by Radford and passed unanimously to waive reading and introduce an ordinance amending Title 12, Chapter 1 "Parks, Preserves and Public Areas" by adding Los Altos Hills Municipal Code Section 12-1.04 entitled "Powered Model Vehicles Prohibited." City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 18. Approve the Resolution Regulating Parking on Fremont Road between La Paloma and Concepcion Drive (Staff: S. Garcia) City Manager Cahill introduced the item to the Council and explained that the resolution allows the Town to regulate parking on Fremont Road between La Paloma Road and Concepcion Drive. No -parking signs would be added if parking became an issue. Council discussion ensued. Concern was raised about to many no -parking signs. City Attorney Steve Mattas advised that a category of vehicles could be specified, such as commercial vehicles. City Manager Cahill suggested that staff revise the resolution to specify commercial vehicles. Staff would like to work with the property owners regarding the parking of vehicles. 19. Consideration of City Council Summer Meeting Schedule (Staff. N. Pegueros) Councilmember Mordo advised that he would be out of the country in August; Councilmember Radford advised that he would unable to attend the meeting in September. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Motion by Radford, seconded by Mordo and passed unanimously to cancel the August City Council meeting. Council concurred to discuss the September meeting date at the July Council meeting. PLANNING DIRECTOR'S REPORT 20. Notification of Planning Commission Approval Lands of Ahy, Conditional Development Permit for a 788 Square foot First Floor Addition; 13500 Fremont Road: File #77-11-ZP-SD-CDP (Staff: D. Pedro) • Planning Commission Vote: 4-0 (Partridge absent) • Appeal Deadline: 5:00 pm, June 24, 2011 Planning Director Pedro introduced the item to the Council and explained that the Planning Commission approved the application on June 2, 2011. The lot is substandard; the proposed addition is 788 square feet which meets the Town's standards. 21. Status Update of Historical Resources Review: Lands of Yong, 13456 South Fork Lane; File #249-10-ZP-SD-GD (verbal report) (Staff: D. Pedro) Planning Director Pedro introduced the item to the Council. A hearing for a new residence was held on May 31, 2011; the hearing was continued because the Town received a letter from the National Trust for Historical Preservation stating that the property is not exempt from CEQA because the home was the prior residence of writer Wallace Stegner and could be considered a potential historical resource. Staff consulted with the City Attorney and is ready to contract with a historical preservation consultant to evaluate the property. Mr. Yong contacted staff and requested holding off on commissioning the study until his attorney is brought up to date. Staff is waiting for Mr. Yong's direction on whether to proceed with the project. 9 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES SUB -COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES 22. Mayor's Meeting with Committee Chairs (Mayor, G. Summit) Mayor Summit reported on her meeting with the Committee Chairs. She noted that one Chair prefers to start the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance; however, some rooms did not have flags. Staff has purchased several small flags for meetings rooms that do not have one. Mayor Summit pointed out that some committees are specific while others are blended. Chairs were asked to review their charters to see what they actually do and let her know what works and what does not work. Council discussion ensued. One suggestion was to reactivate the Emergency Preparedness Committee. The City Manager, as the head of that committee, will set up a meeting and prepare a productive agenda. Another suggestion was to have each Committee Chair attend a Council Meeting, on a rotational basis, to provide updates to the Council. 23. Update on Lehigh Quarry Ad Hoc Alliance (Councilmember, G. Waldeck) Planning Director Pedro provided an update to the Council on the joint public meeting held last Monday; approximately 60 people attended with many from Cupertino and Sunnyvale. Mayor Ron Packard was the moderator, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District provided a presentation and responded to questions that were asked. A consultant will do testing of the air quality. Councilmember Waldeck advised that the ad hoc Fence Committee met and reviewed comparison documentation from other towns. The Committee elected to look at samples of fencing to submit to Planning. The next meeting will be on July 29. STAFF REPORTS No reports were given. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned by the consensus of the City Council at 11:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ewww" �'uiavarz Deborah Padovan City Clerk The minutes of the June 16, 2011 regular City Council meeting were approved as presented at the July 21, 2011 City Council meeting. 10 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011 REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES SUB -COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES 22. Mayor's Meeting with Committee Chairs (Mayor, G. Summit) Mayor Summit reported on her meeting with the Committee Chairs. She noted that one Chair prefers to start the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance; however, some rooms did not have flags. Staff has purchased several small flags for meetings rooms that do not have one. Mayor Summit pointed out that some committees are specific while others are blended. Chairs were asked to review their charters to see what they actually do and let her know what works and what does not work. Council discussion ensued. One suggestion was to reactivate the Emergency Preparedness Committee. The City Manager, as the head of that committee, will set up a meeting and prepare a productive agenda. Another suggestion was to have each Committee Chair attend a Council Meeting, on a rotational basis, to provide updates to the Council. 23. Update on Lehigh Quarry Ad Hoc Alliance (Councilmember, G. Waldeck) Planning Director Pedro provided an update to the Council on the joint public meeting held last Monday; approximately 60 people attended with many from Cupertino and Sunnyvale. Mayor Ron Packard was the moderator, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District provided a presentation and responded to questions that were asked. A consultant will do testing of the air quality. Councilmember Waldeck advised that the ad hoc Fence Committee met and reviewed comparison documentation from other towns. The Committee elected to look at samples of fencing to submit to Planning. The next meeting will be on July 29. STAFF REPORTS No reports were given. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned by the consensus of the City Council at 11:07 p.m. Respectfully su miffed, Deborah Padovan City Clerk The minutes of the June 16, 2011 regular City Council meeting were approved as presented at the July 21, 2011 City Council meeting. 10 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2011