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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 1999-11-19 267 City Council Special Meeting November 19, 1999 760 Parkview Avenue Redding, CA 12 noon The meeting was called to order by Mayor Anderson with the following Council Members present: Cibula, Kight, McGeorge, Pohlmeyer and Anderson. Also present were City Manager Warren, City Attorney Wingate, Assistant City Manager Perry, Deputy City Manager Starman,Director of Public Works August,Director of Development Services Swanson, Director of Administrative Services Bachman, Director of Support Services Kersten, Director of Economic Development Mitchell, Police Chief Blankenship, Fire Chief Wagner, City Treasurer Clark,Electric Group Manager Russell,Assistant City Engineer Aasen,Planning Manager Hamilton,Human Resources Manager Johnson,Airports Manager Dinger,Recreation Superintendent Carpenter,Management Assistant to the City Manager Niemer,City Clerk Strohmayer and Assistant City Clerk Moscatello. CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES WORKSHOP B-130-070 & B-030-010 City Manager Warren explained that the purpose of this workshop is to enable City Council to prioritize the list of significant projects that are currently unfunded or under funded and direct staff to work on those projects during the next two years. Noting that many projects and tasks were completed during 1998-99,City Manager Warren reviewed the list of accomplishments. Mr. Warren referred to the list of 73 projects and tasks for fiscal years 1999-2001 on which staff is currently working and pointed out that the Turtle Bay Bridge project alone will require staff to attend at least 100 to 150 meetings. He conveyed that this list includes construction of a new animal shelter,City Hall demolition and comprises$68 to$108.8 million worth of capital improvements. Mr. Warren provided a partial list of significant projects that are currently unfunded or under funded. He reminded Council that funds and human resources are limited and explained that since 1995,there are five fewer employees in the non-safety area and three to five times the number of capital projects. Mr. Warren conveyed that Council Members were asked to prioritize this list and the top ranked projects were(1)a new on-ramp from Hilltop Drive/Dana Drive area; (2)a new Industrial Park near Redding Municipal Airport; (3) the Sports Complex, (4) the Municipal Plunge Swimming Pool Renovation (Plunge); (5) Civic Center landscaping and (6) a secondary access for the Convention Center. Mr. Warren then submitted a list of Council's project rankings delineated into the following four categories: Make Projects Happen, Work on Only if Grants Become Available; Will Not Work on at This Time and Address Projects at Budget Time and/or Through Impact Fee Committee. Council Member McGeorge asked if the Department of Justice(DOJ)is interested in building a new facility on Parkview Avenue or at the Airport Industrial Park. Mr. Warren stated that DOJ is considering the purchase of 1.4 acres in the Airport Industrial Park. Development Services Director Swanson added that DOJ plans to build a 17,000 square foot crime lab facility next year. 111 Council Member Cibula stated the importance of planning for open space and trails and pointed out that grants will be easier to obtain with a master plan in place. Noting the importance of trails and open space on quality of life,he expressed hope that money will also be available for implementation. Mr. Warren clarified that his recommendation is for staff to move ahead on the items under"Make Projects Happen;" and if grants become available for projects listed under"Work on Only if Grants Become Available," staff will ask Council to provide further direction and re-prioritization. 11/19/99 268 Mr. Warren said it is critical that staffs workload not be too heavily burdened to a point where the quality of projects suffer. Noting that Downtown Phase II will require City expenditures, acquisition of grants and other funding sources, Council Member Cibula stated that he does not want the fact that it is listed under "Work on Only if Grants Become Available" to be interpreted that downtown revitalization is not a high priority. Council Member Cibula stated that downtown revitalization could be a$30-35 million dollar and will probably require a bond issue as well as a significant amount of staff time. Council Member McGeorge said he is comfortable placing Downtown Phase Il under this category until the Downtown Specific Plan report has been received, and he pointed out that it can be moved later. Council Member Kight agreed that downtown revitalization is an important project,but it is necessary to know how much it will cost before decisions can be made. Council Member Pohlmeyer remarked that the list of.Project Rankings with City Manager's Input is a good beginning. He asked if a traffic component could be built into planning for open space and trails. Public Works Director August informed Council that an item will be placed on the next regular Council agenda recommending that a consultant be hired to update the current traffic model. Noting that the last traffic model was prepared in 1990, he explained that the update will include current growth patterns and incorporate the proposed general plan. Mr. August explained that the Street Master Plan should be complete in six months and a Bicycle Master Plan has been developed which is currently being implemented. He added that the City will be receiving approximately $1 million dollars in Transportation Enhancement funds over the next four years that may be used for pedestrian and bicycle elements, and staff will make a recommendation to Council in January how these funds may be spent. Mr. Warren conveyed that changes in State law relative to sales tax are being proposed to replace the point of sale tax with a per capita tax basis. He explained that one-half of the sales tax would be on a per capita basis which translates into a reduction of millions of dollars from the general fund. While he underscored the importance of planning,especially when applying for grants;he pointed out that funds may not be available to implement the projects. Mayor Anderson concurred with the Project Rankings list. Noting that $1 million has been designated for the downtown area, he did not anticipate additional funds for the downtown area coming from the City or the Market Street Redevelopment Project Area. He explained that additional funding sources from grants or sales tax are necessary,and he did not want to mislead the community into thinking funds are available. Council Member Cibula stated that the downtown area is a high priority and as soon as the Specific Plan is complete, Council should explore what options are available and implement them to the extent possible. City Manager Warren stated that because very few grants are available for Downtown, the other viable funding source is a bond issue. He cautioned that such a venture would be a monumental undertaking. In response to Council Member Kight's question about the South Railroad Business Park,Economic Development Director Mitchell stated that the City can apply for and is likely to receive a$1 million grant from the Economic Development Association to build an industrial park with a rail spur on 100+ acres of City-owned land on Highway 273 south of town. Council Member Cibula recommended that the definition of the Library project be expanded to include improving the condition of the Library facility and ensuring its continued operation. Based on this definition, he requested that the Library project be addressed at budget time. Council Member Pohlmeyer pointed out that significant improvements have been made to the library, especially in terms of open hours. He was willing to address the matter of library "improvements" at budget time; however, for purposes of this list, New Library means the construction of a new 11/19/99 269 facility. In light of the significant cost, Council Member Pohlmeyer was not willing to address that issue at budget time. Council Member Kight said Council must first decide if the City wants to provide library service or let library service remain with the County. He pointed out that general fund monies are not available to construct a new library, and he agreed that it is not a budget issue at this time. Mayor Anderson stressed that since the Library is a County facility, Shasta County should be the lead agency. He explained that if the City loses a portion of its sales tax to Shasta County or the State, the City may have to cut back on its expenditures, and Shasta County may be in a better position to enhance their contribution. Stating that he ranks construction of the Sports Complex as a high priority, Mayor Anderson recommended that additional funds be applied to the Sports Complex. He pointed out that the City is considering purchasing additional lands and more funds may be required. Council Member McGeorge pointed out that the Sports Complex will bring in additional revenue to the City, and he supported finding additional funds for the purchase of additional property through the budget process. Council Member Cibula endorsed the concept of increasing expenditures for the Sports Complex as long as it did not take away funds from the Plunge. Mr. Warren conveyed that if the State Parks Bond Act is successfully passed in March, competitive grants will be available and the City will receive approximately $1 million in per capita funds; thus, the importance of Council establishing its priorities. Council Member Kight questioned whether Council's first priority is the Plunge or Phase II of the Sports Complex. He supported the construction of a first-rate Plunge facility, but questioned the funding sources should grants not become available. Council Member Cibula suggested revisiting the Plunge project after the State Parks Bond Measure vote. Mayor Anderson and Council Member Kight stated they cannot commit to the Plunge unless funds are available and there may be some shifting of priorities. Fran Jenkins, 2652 Sharon Street, questioned if the Plunge or the Sports Complex would produce more revenue for the City. She expressed hope that it does not become a matter of the Sports Complex versus the Plunge. Council Member Cibula clarified that Council is not discussing building versus not building the Sports Complex. The issue is moving ahead with Phase II enhancements to the Sports Complex sooner. He added that Council would like all of these projects to happen; however, Council wants to ensure that funding is in place and projects are feasible. MOTION: Made by Council Member Kight and seconded by Council Member McGeorge,to accept the Project Rankings List with City Manager's Input with the following amendments: (1) move Sports Complex Phase II projects to the"Make Projects Happen" section and(2)move New Library to "Address at Budget Time and/or Through the Impact Fee Committee." The Vote: Unanimous Ayes Steve Gaines,Best Western Inn, appealed to Council not to lose focus on the importance of building a new Convention Center. Recalling that plans for a private/public partnership for the construction of a Convention Center fell through, he asked Council to find alternative solutions. Mr. Gaines expressed concern about the vitality of the Hilltop Drive area and pointed out that the motel occupancy rate was under 62% last year. 11/19/99 270 Mayor Anderson stated that a new Convention Center is probably not feasible at this time, and it would be optimal if the motels would work together on this project. He conveyed that Council is open to ideas, but does not intend for staff to actively work on this project. Council Member Kight stated that Council is grateful to the community members who worked on the Convention Center project. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Anderson declared the meeting adjourned at 1:08 p.m. APPROVED: yor ATTEST: City Clerk 1 11/19/99