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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/9/2015,,,,, Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Monday, February 09, 2015 Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California A. Roll Call — All Councilmembers Present A. CLOSED SESSION: PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957) Unrepresented Employee: City Manager B. CLOSED SESSION: CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(2)) Linebarger Claims C. CLOSED SESSION: CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(2)) Significant Exposure to Litigation - One case D. CLOSED SESSION: CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(4) Initiation of Litigation - Two cases CALL TO ORDER (6:00 P.M.) A. Roll Call Present: Mayor Corrigan, Mayor Pro Tem Harpootlian, Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford, Councilmember Waldeck Absent: None Staff: City Manager Carl Cahill, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Planning Director Suzanne Avila, City Engineer/Public Works Director Richard Chiu, Administrative Services Director Yulia Carter, City Clerk Deborah Padovan B. Pledge of Allegiance City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION City Attorney Steve Mattas reported that the Council conducted all of the Closed Sessions and completed the performance evaluation of the City Manager. The only reportable action is by a 4 — 1 vote (Councilmember Larsen "no") the City Council authorized an extension of the tolling agreements for the Linebarger claims for a period of nine months. 1. AGENDA REVIEW Councilmember Waldeck requested that Item 6.1) be pulled from the consent calendar for discussion. 2. PRESENTATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS A. _Open Space Committee's Review of Byrne Preserve Stewardship Project 2014- 2015 (Presentation Time 10 Minutes) Roger Spreen, Chair of the Open Space Committee, introduced the topic and introduced Talia Kirschner from Acterra. Talia Kirschner, Acterra Stewardship Program, stated that their goals were to reduce invasive plants in Los Altos Hills, restore native biodiversity, and educate and engage the community. Council asked questions of Ms. Kirschner and received her responses. No action was taken. B. Annual Presentation by the History Committee (Presentation Time 6-8 Minutes) Carol Crites, Chair of the History Committee, provided an annual report on the activities of the committee. Council discussion ensued. No action was taken. C. Status Report on the Page Mill Corridor Study y Dawn Cameron Santa Clara County Transportation Planner (Presentation Time 15 Minutes) Dawn Cameron, Santa Clara County Transportation Planner, presented a status report on the Page Mill corridor. The Council asked questions of Ms. Cameron and received her responses. Ms. Cameron planned to return in March for another status update. 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 City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 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. Heidi Emberling, Board Member, Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Directors, introduced herself to the City Council and then introduced Dr. Max McGee. Dr. Max McGee, Ph.D., Superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District, introduced himself to the City Council and expressed the five goals the district is working towards. Councilmember Radford asked questions of Dr. McGee and received his response. Lynn Miller, Los Altos Hills, spoke about Comcast and public/private street issues. Eileen Gibbons, Los Altos Hills, spoke about the Pathways Committee annual report. Elle Van Houtte, Los Altos Town Crier, stated that this would be her last meeting as she is leaving the Town Crier and moving to Washington D.C. 4. ONGOING BUSINESS - None 5. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES, SUB -COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES A. Request by the Education Committee to Use Town Letterhead for Correspondence to the City of Palo Alto Regarding Improved Traffic Safety Along Los Altos Hills Routes to PAUSD Schools Heather Rose, Chair of the Los Altos Hills Education Committee, requested the use of Town letterhead to send a thank you note from the Town to the City of Palo Alto. Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Mayor Pro Tem Harpootlian moved to approve proposed letter. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Larsen. Motion Carried 5 - 0: AYES: Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford, Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Pro Tem HpMootlian, Mayor Corrigan NOES: None City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 6. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Radford moved to approve the CONSENT CALENDAR, with the exception of Item 6.D. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Larsen. Motion Carried 5 - 0: AYES: Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Pro Tem Harpootlian, Mayor Corrigan NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None A. Resolution 4-15 Approving and Appropriating Funds for the Historic Cupola Restoration Project (Staff. Y. Carter) B. Resolution 5-15 Accepting the 2014 Pavement Rehabilitation Project (Staff. R. Chiu) C. Resolution 6-15 Accepting the Los Altos Hills C-2 Trail Project (Staff. R. Chiu) The Council now considered Item 6.D. D. Resolution 7-15 Extending the GreenWaste Recovery Agreement for an Additional Three Year Period (Staff: C. Cahill) City Manager Carl Cahill presented the staff report. Council discussion ensued. Emily Finn, GreenWaste Recovery, clarified that the action tonight on the agenda is not about a rate increase. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Radford moved to approve Resolution 7-15 Extending the GreenWaste Recovery Agreement for one additional three-year period. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Waldeck. 4 City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 Motion Carried 5 - 0: AYES: Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford, Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Pro Tem Harpootlian, Mayor Corrigan NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 7. STAFF REPORTS A. City Manager No report. B. City Attorney - Status Report on Comcast Agreement City Attorney Steve Mattas provided a status update, including a suggested course of action on how the Council may wish to proceed on the Comcast matter. C. City Clerk No report. D. Planning Director Planning Director Suzanne Avila provided information on the process of Planning Commission appeals. E. Administrative Services Director No report. F. Public Works Director No report. 8. COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS A. Discussion of Committee Attendance, Size, Terms and Term Limits (Mayor Corri an Mayor Corrigan introduced the topic of committee attendance, size and term limits. Council discussion ensued. 5 City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 Eileen Gibbons, Los Altos Hills, said the committee attendance issue should be up to the chair. Councilmember Larsen stepped down from the dais and left the room. Heather Rose, Los Altos Hills, stated that as chair of the Education Committee, she is one of the few who has dismissed a member for recurring absences and allowing the chair to decide worked well in this one case. Ginger Summit, Los Altos Hills, expressed concerns that committees were categorized. She said that Town has a small staff and the reason we can get by is due to a group of dedicated volunteers who have spent years becoming familiar with the issues. Sue Welch, Los Altos Hills, displayed a printout from the Town's website which showed 44 vacancies on 14 committees. She expressed that it was a "bad idea to toss people off if they don't show up for three meetings a year." Weegie Caughlan, Los Altos Hills, felt that if a committee does not turn over in a reasonable manner, it stagnates and ideas get old and you "don't get a chance to bring in new blood." Nick Dunkel, Los Altos Hills, said that people become valuable after two years and the Pathways committee benefits from having a lot of members. Tim Warner, Los Altos Hills, stated that he is one that does not make all the meetings, largely due through to business travel. He agreed that the issue of attendance and Brown Act training should be addressed. Further Council discussion ensued. Councilmember Larsen returned to the dais. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Radford moved to; First, it is the expectations on the Council that all volunteers in committees will have taken the Brown Act training They have until July 1, 2015 to complete this requirement and if they haven't completed it, they will have to move to an associate membership until they do; Second, attendance is the responsibility of the chair and all committee members; beginning in 2015, the chair of each committee will work individually with members that they believe may be potentially impactingtheir committee by their absences and come up with a plan, including up to, deciding that they need to remove a member. The sole responsibility for oversight and execution will rest with the chair and with the committee members. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Larsen. Motion Carried 5 - 0: City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 AYES: Councilmember Larsen Councilmember Radford Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Pro Tem Harpootlian, Mayor Corrigan NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Direction: The City Clerk shall send out an email to committee members who have yet to complete their Brown Act training and alert them that they have four months to complete training. The chairs shall be included in the email so they are aware of committee members that need to take the training. Additionally, if committee members have complete their Brown Act training, but Town records show otherwise, they should provide proof of training in the form of a completion certificate. B. Discussion on Providing Staff with Direction to Prepare a General Plan Amendment to Goal 1, Policy 1.1 of the Pathway Element (Mayor Corrigan) Mayor Corrigan introduced potentially amending Goal 1, Policy 1.1 of the Pathway Element. Council discussion ensued. Nick Dunkel, Los Altos Hills, pointed out that Policy 1.1 is a policy supporting Goal 1, so it is a goal, not a prescription. Additionally, Goal 1 is a main guide that has led to the development of the pathways and it has worked well over a number of years. Ann Duwe, Los Altos Hills, pointed out there is a huge difference between a goal and a tool and urged the Council not to re -write the element. Scott Vanderlip, Los Altos Hills, said that this a goal and we want to set the goal high so residents can access a safe and convenient pathway. Ginger Summit, Los Altos Hills, explained that there are many different kinds of pathways in Town. Jolon Wagner, Los Altos Hills, said that Policy 1.1 was not intended to be literally read; it is a matter of intent, and the intent was that all of us want to enjoy this recreational element that is unusual and unique. Doug Morgan, Los Altos Hills, said that he supports the Mayor's suggestion that staff take another look at the element. City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 Linda Leaver, Los Altos Hills, understood the pathways rules were written in the developmental and pre -developmental stages of LAH when implementations of pathways were universally desirable. That is not necessarily the case any longer. Tim Warner, Los Altos Hills, said the Pathways Committee regularly takes into consideration different geographical elements. Alisa Bredo, Los Altos Hills, expressed that the pathways are extremely valuable especially to equestrians. Bridget Morgan, Los Altos Hills, pointed out that she attended more pathway committee meetings over the last four years than the average resident and believes her perspective is beyond her immediate neighborhood. She support pathways, but also supports the concept to seek more precise language in Policy 1.1. Eileen Gibbons, Los Altos Hills, stated that it might be worthwhile conducting a survey of opinions of residents to see whether the Town should be spending resources on this topic. Weegie Caughlan, Los Altos Hills, said that she is not speaking for the committee, but supports the recommendation of the Council to investigate Policy 1.1. Sue Welch, Los Altos Hills, said the policy is working well for both the pathways committee and planning staff. Dave Leaver, Los Altos Hills, said that the goal is poorly worded, and supported updating the wording. Denise Williams, Los Altos Hills, said that in 2008 the Pathways Committee reviewed the document and removed wordings that didn't make sense. Further Council discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Larsen moved to direct staff to prepare a General Plan Amendment to Goal 1, Policy 1.1 of the Pathway Element and corresponding language in the Zoning Ordinance. The motion was seconded by Mayor Corrigan. Motion Carried 5 - 0: AYES: Councilmember Larsen Councilmember Radford Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Pro Tem HaMootlian, Mayor Corrigan NOES: None ABSENT: None s City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 ABSTAIN: None Direction: At the next meeting, staff shall provide an estimate on the amount of staff time it would take to update Goal 1, Policy 1.l . C. Discussion on Voting for the Peninsula Division Executive Committee Vice President ,Mayor Corrigan) Mayor Corrigan presented the item. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Larsen moved to direct Mayor Corrigan to nominate for Jim Davis for the League of California Cities Peninsula Division Executive Committee Vice President. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Waldeck. Motion Carried 4-1: AYES: Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford, Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Corrigan NOES: Mayor Pro Tem Harpootlian ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None D. Request to Consider Rescheduling the April 2015 City Council Meeting (Councilmember Radford) Councilmember Radford requested that the April City Council meeting be cancelled and rescheduled to an alternate date. Council discussion ensued. Councilmember Radford withdrew his original request. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Mayor Corrigan moved to cancel the April 16 regular City Council and schedule a special City Council meeting on April 20 2015. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Radford. Motion Carried 5 - 0: AYES: Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford, Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Pro Tem HgMootlian, Mayor Corrigan City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Councilmember Larsen requested that an item be added to the agenda for the rescheduling of the March City Council meeting. He was made aware of the requested change after the agenda was posted. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Larsen moved to add an item to the agenda to discuss rescheduling the March City Council meeting. The motion was seconded by Mayor Corrisan. Motion Carried 5 - 0: AYES: Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford, Councilmember Waldeck, Manor Pro Tem HgMootlian, Mayor Corrigan NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Eileen Gibbons, Los Altos Hills, stated that is three months in a row that the regular meetings are being moved. The community at large actually thinks the Council is meeting on the third Thursday, the regular meeting date. Kjell Karlsson, Los Altos Hills, requested that the Council keep the meeting on its regular schedule. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Mayor Corrigan moved to cancel the March 19 regular City Council meeting and schedule a special meeting on March 26, 2015. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Larsen. Motion Carried 5 - 0: AYES: Councilmember Larsen, Councilmember Radford, Councilmember Waldeck, Mayor Pro Tem HgMootlian, Mayor Corrigan NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 10 City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015 9. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 9:36 p.m. Respectfully submitted, &&Lclplr'6� Deborah Padovan City Clerk The minutes of the February 9, 2015 special City Council meeting were approved as presented at the March 30, 2015 special City Council meeting. 11 City Council Special Meeting Minutes February 9, 2015