HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985 04-02 CC MINBook 65/Page 179
4/2/85
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA
APRIL 2, 1985
The regular meeting of the City Council of the City of National City was called to
order at 4:00 p.m. by Mayor Morgan.
ROLL CALL
Council members present: Cooper, Dalla, Van Deventer, Waters, Morgan. Absent:
None. Administrative officials present: Bolint, Campbell, Eiser, McCabe, Principal
Planner Olinghouse, Stafford.
SALUTE TO THE FLAG AND INVOCATION
The meeting was opened with salute to the flag led by City Manager McCabe,
followed with invocation by City Manager McCabe.
City Manager McCabe asked for a moment of silence in memory of the San Diego
Police Officer who was killed on duty; he was a National City resident; the funeral
will be tomorrow and the Police Dept. will represent the City.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Cooper, seconded by Dalla, the minutes of the regular meeting of
March 26, 1985 be approved with the following corrections: Page 174, Para. 1, Line
35, the vote should read "Motion carried by the following vote, to —wit: Ayes:
Cooper, Van Deventer, Waters, Morgan. Nays: Dalian; On Page 175, Para. 5,
"Ordinance No. 1851" should read "Ordinance No. 1850". Discussion. Carried by
unanimous vote.
APPOINTMENTS
The proposed appointments of Armando Casteneda to the Street Tree and Parkway
Committee and Kenneth Kidd to the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee, and the
proposed re —appointment of Cliff Bailey to the Traffic Safety Committee were
presented. Councilman Van Deventer said he would like to take the ballot and vote
for all committees/commissions at the same time. Vice Mayor Waters said the way
he understands the Mayor's appointments, Council interviews the people, make a list
of recommendations for the Mayor and he makes a selection from that list.
Discussion. Councilman Dalla said some of these people have applied for more than
one committee/com mission; if we deal with them right now, that would exclude them
from consideration for other positions; we should take them all at one time, and then
the Mayor can make his selection from Council's recom mendations. Further
discussion. Mayor Morgan said if Council knows people they would like to have
appointed, they should let him know and he will look it over and if he agrees he will
put it on the agenda. Further discussion. Moved by Morgan, these appointments be
put on next week's agenda. Motion died for lack of second. Further discussion.
Councilman Cooper suggested that the appointments be held over until completion of
the agenda.
PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
DONALD DOW NEY, 525 Harbison, was present and said he had received a letter
indicating trash pickup would be mandatory after May 1; he has very little trash and
he handles it himself; perhaps the rates could be reduced in certain cases. Mayor
Morgan said we are looking into a special reduced rate for senior citizens. City
Manager McCabe said staff is looking into that; it will be back to Council in 60
days. Mr. Downey continued, he hauls his trash to the Otay Land FIII once or twice
a year. Councilman Cooper said the only way we will clean up the City is for
everybody to take trash service or dispose of it properly; a lot of people let other
people pay for their trash, by putting it in dumpsters, etc. Mr. Cooper Inquired what
Mr. Downey does with his yard clippings. Mr. Downey replied he burns them in his
fireplace. Mr. Cooper said that is against the law. Vice Mayor Waters said he voted
against this and quoted from articles in two local newspapers regarding trash pickup.
Council has listened to a gentleman complain on two occasions about water running
down his street; it is only com mon courtesy to study the trash issue, which affects a
lot of people, for 60 days; that is why he voted against making It effective May 1.
Further discussion. Councilman Dalla said the Ordinance was adopted In 1984; there
was a public hearing in January, 1984; the hearing was closed and it was adopted
unanimously; the reason Council adopted this is because there are many people who
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do not have any kind of trash pickup and are not as diligent as Mr. Downey in
handling what they do have; we have very few ways to deal with this problem; if we
have an Ordinance that exempts a lot of people, It will only create problems; the
Ordinance was not adopted to penalize those people who do things right, but to solve
a problem. Mayor Morgan said we have laws to stop trash from blowing around; it's
no use penalizing someone who does the job properly. Councilman Cooper said we
have laws on the books, but not enough people to enforce them; the Code
Conformance Officer is doing his Job, but he's overloaded; the Mayor and Mr. Waters
voted for the Ordinance when it came into effect; now we're trying to put it in
force, and they won't vote for it; out of 1600 people in the community, Mr. Downey
is only the third person who has come to Council to speak against this Ordinance;
that's a pretty low percentage. Councilman VanDeventer said he would like to see
the Manager's office go to one of the Jr. Colleges during the summer, during next
year's budget, and perhaps hire some interns to do a survey on trash and junk cars
over the total area of the City; he would also like to have our staff put out to bids
for commercial sites, a trash enclosure; maybe someone could bid on a fixed price.
Mr. McCabe said he would look into this at budget time. Councilman Dalla said we
have laws in about 18 different places; this Ordinance was adopted in an effort to
have everything taken care of in one place; the laws the Mayor spoke of were not
working well, because we were not getting much accomplished. Further discussion.
Vice Mayor Waters presented checks to the following on behalf of American Legion
Post 255: $100 to Ruth Potter of Meals on Wheels; ;300 to Chief Hart for the
Police Dept.; ;300 to Chief Kimble for the Fire Dept. Mr. Waters said he also
presented a check for $100 to the Senior Citizens on behalf of Post 255.
The CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING on APPEAL of the PLANNING COMMISSION'S
CONDITIONS to CUP 1984-30 at 1204 32nd St., Applicant: Bay City Marine (Bay
City Marine obtained a CUP in August, 1982, to conduct small boat repair for a
period of one year on property located at 1204 W. 32nd St.; this permit was not
extended and became null and void on August 18, 1983; applicant is now requesting a
new CUP to allow the continued repair of small Navy boats at this same location on
a temporary basis; use involves 100,000 sq. ft. of Port District property located at
the SW corner of 32nd St. and Goesno Place; a maximum of eight boats will be
undergoing repair at any one time, with the number of employees varying from ten to
thirty; hours of operation will continue to be 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday; Bay City Marine currently has a lease agreement with the Port District for
the site on a month -to -month basis which can be terminated by either party; use of
the property for small boat repair is in conflict with the Port Plan which designates
this area for commercial recreation; at the Planning Commission hearing, the
Commission expressed concern about conditioning the approval of this application for
the installation of costly improvements when it is the intention for this use to be a
temporary arrangement only; the Planning Commission felt that the large expenditure
of money may encourage a prolonged use of this property; however, for health and
safety reasons, the Commission felt that the area being utilized for parking should be
surfaced to eliminate the constant tracking of sand onto the adjacent roadway and
rutting of the parking area, and that permanent toilet facilities be provided; applicant
has appealed two of the seventeen conditions imposed, requiring installation of
permanent toilet facilities and surfacing of the area used for off-street parking
[conditions 15 and 17 j; Director, Building & Safety has advised that permanent toilet
facilities for the subject premises are required by the Uniform Building and Plumbing
Code; a public sewerline is available in 32nd St.; the Engineering Dept. originally had
recommended that street improvements, including asphalt concrete paving 32' In
width, and curb and gutter be constructed along 32nd St. adjacent to this property; in
order to reduce the costs involved for improvements associated with the continued
temporary use of this property, staff recommended "temporary surfacing" in
accordance with the minimum allowed by the Land Use Code; perhaps the area
presently utilized for parking could be relocated onto a portion of the area presently
under lease by Bay City Marine, thereby eliminating the concern for surfacing; staff
concurs with the Planning Commission's approval subject to 17 conditions) was held at
this time. Principal Planner Olinghouse said staff concurs with the Planning
Commission's approval subject to the 17 conditions. IRVING REFKIN (Executive Vice
Pres., Bay City Marine), 4960 No. Harbor Dr., San Diego, was present and said they
are going to be leaving the Goesnoplace facility; Bay City Marine has taken
possession of two-thirds of the ITT bldg. on a five-year lease, four acres of building
on eleven acres of land; it will take them until about July or August to get the
building in condition to move in and permits will be applied for; they will be hiring
their staff in June and there will be 130 new jobs available to
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start with; they will be the first small business to do new construction in the area;
their first job will be constructing an ice —breaking tugboat for the Coast Guard; the
land the Planning Commission wants paved still belongs to the Port District and they
will not let Bay City Marine pave their land; as far as putting In a permanent toilet
facility and sewer —this is a temporary facility and what they presently have should
be sufficient for the time being; they are spending $1 million to come into National
City and intend to become an active part of the community. Discussion. Moved by
Van Deventer, seconded by Cooper, we hold this over and give them six months to
move into their new facility. Discussion. Councilman Dalla said in 1982 someone
from Bay City Marine came to Council asking for a C UP for one year. and Council
supported it; the permit expired and they continued to operate, doing things that
were objectionable (considering the recreation area next door) such as sandblasting;
this CUP application is to renew the one that was Issued in 1982 and expired; he is
happy they are going into the ITT Building. Further discussion. Councilman Dalia
said the CUP expired in 1983 and they are currently operating without benefit of
approval, and inquired if there would be a problem with extending the non —conforming
status for six months. City Attorney Eiser said any enforcement due to the fact
that the existing use permit is expired would be discretionary; Council's action would
be taken as a direction to staff not to take any enforcement action during that time;
an alternative way would be the original items appealed from are two conditions of
approval and there could be a motion done in such a way that those conditions be
postponed for six months with the expectation that at that point they won't be
important to the applicant because they will be in their new location. Further
discussion. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS
Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by Cooper, the Resolutions be presented by title
only. Carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,584, "RESOLUTION ACCEPTING COVENANT AND DEFERRAL OF
STREET IMPROVEMENT AT 913 — 30TH STREET (HOGAN)." Moved by Waters,
seconded by Dalla, Resolution No. 14,584 be adopted. Discussion. Moved by Cooper,
seconded by Van Deventer, the motion be amended to include the applicant agree in
writing to repair the sidewalk and put in a pedestrian ramp. Discussion. Motion and
amendment carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,585, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF ORDER TO
VACATE AND CLOSE THAT PORTION OF WILSON AVENUE LYING BETWEEN 12TH
STREET AND CIVIC CENTER DRIVE." City Attorney Eiser said this is the item the
Mayor had raised a question about last week; he did prepare a written response which
he distributed to Council, and he will be happy to answer any questions; there is an
additional finding that is added to the Resolution that appeared in the Council folder,
and that is the finding regarding the fact that the right—of—way to be vacated is not
necessary for a non —motorized transportation facility; that will appear In the
Resolution if this item is approved. Mayor Morgan said when the General Plan was
changed and we were going through there —we wanted to use that —it was a street
that we were closing; the public hearing that we had for General Plan was all in
there where the street would go through there and use that part of the street; there
are four guys here saying we don't need it, but the people, many of them, said that
they needed it. City Attorney Eiser said three findings are mentioned and listed in
the Resolution; one finding is that the closure is In conformity with the General Plan;
the second finding is that the right—of—way is not needed for present or future right—
of—way purposes; the third is the one he already mentioned about the non —motorized
transportation facilities; those three findings are required to be made by Council for
the closure. Mayor Morgan said the General Plan was set up and adopted; we would
use the end of that cul—de—sac for a cross street to go through and tie in onto 1-5;
that was the purpose of the General Plan to get a street through there where we
could get on 1-5; from right here, we could go through and get on 1-5 and go north
on 1-5 on the street and then use the end of the cul—de—sac to do that; we've
continued to use that for a street. Mr. Eiser replied, his review of the file indicates
there was an entry in the file, but the Planning Com mission made the finding that
the closure would be in conformity with the General Plan, and that is one of the
ultimate findings that the Council has to make as well; that Is Council's perogative
to make that finding or not to make that finding. Mayor Morgan said this Council
set that up for a General Plan that we would run 12th St. and tie it onto to 1-5;
after all these public hearings —the public and the Planning Commission and everybody
was set up for the General Plan; it came before the City Council and the City
Council said we're going to adopt this plan so that we can get 12th St. through to
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1-5, and they adopted it and that's the same street that we want to close tonight
that Council said we were going to run the street there to tie onto 1-5. Councilman
Dalla inquired if Mr. Eiser's memo to the Mayor made any findings that the
procedures that were followed by the Planning Commission or the City Council were
in any way improper, unethical or illegal. Mr. Eiser replied as fas as he can
determine, the procedures which were followed were legal and appropriate; there was
the hearing before the Planning Commission, the Notice of Intent to Vacate adopted
by the Council; as fas as he can tell, the notices were posted; there was a direction
in the Resolution of Intention to have the Engineer post those notices; everything
that he can see in the file indicates that the procedures were followed. Councilman
Dalla said this is the third attorney's opinion we have had on this street closing; all
three opinions have not found what the Mayor wants them to find in the way of
impropriety or anything being wrong; he hopes that after three opinions from two
different attorneys that the Mayor will finally accept the fact that this was done in
accordance with all the rules and requirements; as far as the General Plan goes, the
Mayor is very concerned about sticking to the General Plan and its importance; last
week we had an item on Sweetwater North developer, and on a very simple motion,
we waived all the requirements for the zoning, the Land Use Code and the General
Plan of the City —very quickly, without any public hearing, without anything; he didn't
hear the Mayor, last week, expressing the same concern about the inviolability of the
General Plan and now it's so critical or significant that the Mayor cannot deviate
from it; apparently he (Mayor) can deviate from it when he wants to, and when
things happen that he (Mayor) doesn't want to do, he cites the General Plan as a
reason; we had public hearings on this street; we had this place full of people; they
did not want the street closed; following that public hearing, Council took action not
to proceed with that general plan provision. Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by
Cooper, Resolution No. 14,585 be adopted. Councilman VanDeventer said he has a
list of 413 citizens on the West side in favor of Council's recommendations in the
past, supporting the closing of that street. Mayor Morgan said he went over to the
West side and talked to the people and explained what was going to take place; the
people were confused and did not understand they would get a decorated street; we
could run a divided street and landscape; those people deserve something nice. Mr.
Morgan inquired if Council could take a General Plan that has been adopted and
change it without telling the public. Mr. Eiser replied there are provisions specified
in the Government Code. Councilman VanDeventer said Council did follow those
provisions. Further discussion. Motion carried by the following vote, to —wit: Ayes:
Cooper, Dalla, VanDeventer, Waters. Nays: Morgan. Principal Planner Olinghouse
said the plan taking place in that area is consistent with the General Plan approved
by Council in 1983.
Resolution No. 14,586, "RESOLUTION DECLARING THE LINCOLN EQUIPMENT
COMPANY THE LOWEST RESPONSIBLE BIDDER AND AUTHORIZING THE
PURCHASING AGENT TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LINCOLN
EQUIPMENT COMPANY." Moved by Cooper, seconded by VanDeventer, Resolution
No. 14,586 be adopted. Discussion. Carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,587, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING INSTALLATION OF SPEED
LIMIT WARNING SIGNS ON VALLEY ROAD TO INCREASE ROAD SAFETY." Moved
by VanDeventer, seconded by Dalla, Resolution No. 14,587 be adopted. Carried by
unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,588, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF A CONTRACT
BETWEEN THE STOORZA COMPANY AND THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY FOR
PUBLIC RELATIONS WORK." Administrative Assistant Adams said proposals were
sent out to 16 different Public Relations firms; ten responses were received and the
top three were chosen for interviews; the committee unanimously chose the Stoorza
Co. BERNIE RHINERSON, Vice Pres., Public Affairs for Stoorza Co. was present and
said he looks forward to working with staff to help them develop an effective public
information program. Mr. Rhinerson gave a brief background of the Stoorza Co. and
answered Council's questions. Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by Cooper, Resolution
No. 14,588 be adopted. Discussion. Mayor Morgan said we need a public relations
firm like a pig needs a side—saddle. Vice Mayor Waters said we needed this fifteen
years ago; now the City is coming along very well; he was under the impression we
were going to hire a Public Relations Officer; he did not think we would be hiring
someone to come in and train the person we hired. Councilman Cooper said he is
happy to see this firm here; we do have a pretty good image right now, but it can
be improved; we are only hiring these people temporarily to assist Dave Adams so he
can be a better publicity director. Councilman Dalla said he was happy to see this
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firm here too; if anyone thinks our reputation and communications cannot be
improved, they are mistaken; In 1983 we approved the position of Public Relations
Director; at that time, he and Mr. Waters were opposed to the position; the position
was not filled; the following year, a motion was made to have the City Manager hire
an Administrative Assistant from the public relations budget and to appropriate
$15,000 from the Community Development Commission funds; he supported that
because the duties and responsibilities of that individual included public relations and
working with the Council and Manager to improve the com munications and handle
citizen complaints. Further discussion. Motion carried by the following vote, to —wit:
Ayes: Cooper, Dalla, Van Deventer. Nays: Waters, Morgan.
Resolution No. 14,589, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING INSTALLATION OF TRAFFIC
SAFETY SIGNS AND REMOVAL OF CROSSWALK." Moved by Van Deventer, seconded
by Dalla, Resolution No. 14,589 be adopted. Discussion on Item 3 of the Resolution
re the cobblestone crosswalk on 'D' Ave. Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by
Waters, the motion be amended to include the cobblestone crosswalk remain, but It
be sandblasted, striped, and the adjacent curbs be painted red. Carried by unanimous
vote.
Resolution No. 14,590, "RESOLUTION DECLARING UNIVERSITY FORD THE LOWEST
RESPONSIBLE BIDDER AND AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASING AGENT TO
EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH UNIVERSITY FORD." Moved by Waters, seconded
by Van Deventer, Resolution No. 14,590 be adopted. Discussion. Councilman Cooper
said he checked with several of the bidders that did not respond and their reason for
not responding was too little response time; one person told him they had only twelve
days to respond; he would like to see the policy changed to give these people more
time. Further discussion. Motion carried by the following vote, to —wit: Ayes:
Dalla, VanDeventer, Waters. Nays: Cooper, Morgan. Moved by Cooper, seconded by
Van Deventer, the next bid for City vehicles be made available to bidders thirty days
prior to the bid opening. Carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,591, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF CLAIMS,
AGREEMENTS, AND APPLICATIONS NECESSARY FOR THE RECEIPT OF TDA
ARTICLE 4.5 FUNDS FOR NATIONAL CITY WHEELS." Moved by Van Deventer,
seconded by Dalla, Resolution No. 14,591 be adopted. Carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,592, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ENGINEER TO
ENTER INTO AN ESCROW FOR ACQUISITION OF A PERMANENT EASEMENT AT
1315 EAST DIVISION STREET (ALLEN & YVONNE A. ACOSTA)." Moved by
VanDeventer, seconded by Cooper, Resolution No. 14,592 be adopted. Carried by
unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,593, "RESOLUTION ACCEPTING CONVEYANCE OF REAL
PROPERTY (FIG COURT, LOT 34, MAP 3153, APN 551-490-19)." Moved by
VanDeventer, seconded by Cooper, Resolution No. 14,593 be adopted. Carried by
unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,594, "RESOLUTION OF AWARD OF CONTRACT (MODIFICATION
OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS AT THREE LOCATIONS IN NATIONAL CITY —
SPECIFICATION NO. 958." Moved by Cooper, seconded by Van Deventer, Resolution
No. 14,594 be adopted. Discussion. Carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,595, "RESOLUTION OF AWARD OF CONTRACT (IMPROVEMENT
OF PAINT HANDLING FACILITY AT PUBLIC WORKS YARD, ENGINEERING
SPECIFICATION NO. 963)." Moved by Waters, seconded by Van Deventer, Resolution
No. 14,595 be adopted. Discussion. Carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution No. 14,596, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPROPRIATION AND
TRANSFER OF FUNDS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF PAINT HANDLING FACILITY
(PUBLIC WORKS YARD)." Moved by Waters, seconded by Van Deventer, Resolution
No. 14,596 be adopted. Discussion. Carried by unanimous vote.
NEW BUSINESS
The Finance Director's request for RATIFICATION of WARRANT REGISTER NO. 39,
dated March 26, 1985 in the amount of $211,766.94 (Warrants Nos. 87129 through
87185), and CERTIFICATION of PAYROLL for the period ending March 15, 1985, in
the amount of $277,029.63 was presented. Moved by Waters, seconded by
VanDeventer, the bills be paid and warrants drawn. Carried, by the following vote,
to —wit: Ayes: Cooper, Dalla, Van Deventer, Waters. Nays: Morgan.
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The Public Works Director's report on SEWER STOPPAGE POLICY (As a follow—up
item from the recent sewage backup into the Balentine residence on Prospect St.,
Council requested a report on current sewer backup policies; the report recommends:
A. No change in current policy; B. Put an article in the next available issue of the
City newsletter with respect to City policy; C. Develop a standard advice memo to
be given to residents who have had a sewer backup caused by a blockage In the
main; and D. Review the feasibility of streamlining claims procedure for sewer main
backup claims) was presented. Moved by Van Deventer, seconded by Cooper, in favor
of staffs recommendation. Councilman Cooper said we need to be able to respond to
these people where there is a City caused problem and inquired what the policy is on
this. Director, Public Work! Williams replied, if we know there Is a City main that
is plugged, we respond immediately by radio to correct the problem; when his people
go out, they are not authorized, nor does he want them to be authorized, to commit
the City to spend money; the only thing they can do is tell the people if they feel
they have a claim against the City, they can submit one; they have changed the
procedures and if the main is plugged up and the citizen Is blameless, they tell the
citizen that the City will pick up the tab on the cleanup of their house; this came
up with the house on Prospect because of the large dollar volume; the bill for that
was over $2,000; we've looked at the situation where either the citizen was going to
have to pay the money up front, or else the contractor who has done the work would
be unpaid; that was not fair to anybody; he worked with the City Manager's office to
get approval to commit the City to pay for that out of funds available in the sewer
account; as for the further work that might be done to correct the problem for the
citizen, his people should not be in a position to commit the City to spend any
money, because it will all be subject to adjustment. Councilman Cooper said the
only problem he has is that in the event that after 4:00 the Public Works crews have
gone home —on one occasion, the call was called in through the Police Dept. and the
girl on the switchboard was "snotty" and said call a plumber; he told her it was a
City problem —he was calling for a gentleman who lived in the neighborhood; he had
already called the Police Dept. and was told they could not call out a City crew
because he was supposed to call a plumber first; this policy needs to be changed.
Mr. Williams said quite often they get a call saying it is a City problem when it's
not. Mr. Cooper said in the case he is referring to, the people weren't even home;
when they came home, sewage was backing up into their bathtub and on the floor;
they shouldn't need to call a plumber in a situation like this when we had had this
same problem with this easement sewer for years; this gentleman explained this to
the girl on the switchboard and the girl said, "I'm sorry, the policy of the City is you
call a plumber first"; that policy needs to be changed. Mayor Morgan said in a case
like that, the City should respond immediately; the Ordinance doesn't say that; it says
you call a plumber three times and then the plumber calls the City; that's a long
time down the road when that happens; policy should be changed to where we go out
and check it; sometimes these people spend $200-500 for a plumber and find out the
problem is out in the street; the sewer crew are busy doing Public Works' work and
they don't have time to go around; plumbing should do plumbing work, but If they're
out cleaning ditches or drains —they can't do that. Vice Mayor Waters said the point
he has always objected to is why does the plumber have to be called three times;
any plumber that goes out there the first time and can't open up the line within the
grounds of the individual, he should be able to tell them if It Is the main or not; we
could cut down on time by changing the Ordinance to read the plumber should be
called once and if he determines the main line —if it's pouring out of the bathtub and
all over the floor, it's a good sign there's a block up In the main; he would like to
see the policy changed to where you call the plumber once and the plumber can
determine and proceed. Mr. Williams said if a person has a problem and the plumber
can't solve it, the plumber should call the City and they will respond im mediately;
the three calls is where the citizen has a problem, they call a plumber, and the
plumber solves the problem; then two or three months later they have another
problem, they call a plumber and the plumber solves the problem; the third time,
maybe there's something wrong with the main; they call us and we respond to see If
there are roots In the main or the main is displaced; Council has defined a continual
problem as three calls from a qualified plumber; then we do a courtesy call done
during regular working hours to see If there is a problem In the lateral that the City
should fix; if a plumber calls and says there Is a problem he can't fix, the City will
respond immediately. Councilman Dalla said everyone who has a problem is sure it's
in the City's line; for every nine people who call and insist it's the City's problem,
most of them turn out to be on their own property; it would be nice If we had a
sewer crew like the Fire Dept., waiting around for the alarm to go off to solve the
problems, but we don't have that luxury; we have to use the staff we have to the
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maximum extent we can; in the problem that brought this up, the line had been
cleaned on a regular maintenance basis three weeks before these people had a
problem; this was not an example of the sewer crew digging ditches and therefore,
not paying attention to their job; he can see where someone could have a root
problem and a plumber could take care of it; then three or four months later, they
could have the same problem again; it is conceivable that after three visits, It's not
the City's problem; Mr. Williams opened up his (Mr. Dallas) eyes to a lot of problems
and there is no magical way to solve all these problems; there are a lot of variables;
he would like to see us compile a list of qualified people that can do cleanup, that
we could include in this information we're going to prepare, and it be readily
available —we're not recommending anyone, but it may be some people we have used;
have we educated the plumbers to the City's procedures? Mr. Cooper said the
plumbers are not educated to that fact, but through the years, most of the cities
have come to the point where the homeowner will maintain the lateral all the way
into the main from the house; it will take a few more years to get the plumbers
educated; Mr. Williams' report is a good one; the policy calls for a licensed plumber;
under normal conditions, a licensed plumber will understand the problem; through the
years Mr. Williams has repaired many lines that have been found faulty; he does not
agree with one part of the report that says the citizen has to pay the plumber to
stay until the public works crew gets on the job; that could be very expensive if it
happens during the evening when the sewer crew is not normally on duty; a licensed
plumber can write out the problem for the sewer crew and leave. Councilman Dalla
said he agreed, and inquired if there was some reason this is necessary. Mr. Williams
said he is not sure, but he thinks in the past, people would call and say they had
called the plumber out and either they did not have a plumber, or perhaps it was not
a licensed plumber. Councilman VanDeventer said it could be amended to require
people to show a bill from a licensed plumber when the City arrives. Mr. Williams
replied the difficulty is after working hours, they are working with a police
dispatcher who has more important things to worry about than sewer problems, and is
not really knowledgeable about sewer problems. Police Chief Hart said police
personnel have no knowledge of these problems and don't know what questions to ask;
one option would be for the dispatcher to call the duty person and have them call
the person who is having the problem. Discussion. Moved by Waters, seconded by
VanDeventer, this be laid over for two weeks. Carried by unanimous vote.
The Purchasing Agent's request for AWARD OF BID GS 8485-11, TANDEM
VIBRATORY ROLLER (Public Works has need to purchase a Tandem Vibratory Roller
for use in the repairs and maintenance of the streets; funds were budgeted In FY 84-
85 for this purchase; bid information was mailed to seven suppliers; we received three
bids and two "No Bids"; the lowest responsive and responsible bid was from Clairmont
Equipment Co. at $25,122.00; staff recommends this bid be awarded to Clairmont
Equipment Co. in the amount of $25,122.00) was presented. Moved by VanDeventer,
seconded by Cooper, in favor of staff's recommendation. Discussion. Carried by
unanimous vote.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
The request of PONY BASEBALL, INC. for $250 for the City to purchase the inside
front cover of the SAN DIEGO COUNTY BASEBALL TOURNAMENT BOOKLET as
they did in 1984 was presented. Moved by Waters, seconded by VanDeventer, in
favor of this request. Carried by unanimous vote.
OTHER BUSINESS
The City Engineer's request for AUTHORIZATION to INCREASE SCOPE of DESIGN
for PERMANENT SLOPE BANK PROTECTION at 1000 block of Palm Ave.; additional
AE fee is $500 (The slope erosion problem in front of 1006 Palm Ave. began with a
street project completed some years ago to widen the traveled way of Palm Ave. to
a full 40' section; excavation for this widening project resulted in 25' cut banks at
slopes steeper than 1 to 1; in November, 1984, emergency construction to support an
undercut brow ditch was performed by Public Works; the cost of permanent slope
protection was estimated at that time to be $30,000; a subsequent report by Biggs
Engineering revealed that the only construction alternate In that price range would be
gunite slope protection at a cost of $21,240; other alternates studied included steel
soldier beams with timber lagging at $71,000 and conventional reinforced concrete
retaining walls at $93,000; other methods include concrete crib -lock, perma-crib
[wood ] and gabions; conferences with representatives of the latter construction
alternates indicate that the cost would range from $65,000 for crib -lock down to
$45,000 for gabions; the construction phase of this project will be placed on our list
of C.I.P. projects for FY 85-86; our original agreement with Biggs Engineering called
for a study of three alternate slope protection systems and preparation of plans and
Book 65/Page 186
4/2/85
specifications for the alternate that is finally chosen; it would be advantageous to
expand the scope of AE's service to include plans and specifications for the three
crib —type alternates in the bid documents; Biggs Engineering has agreed to perform
this extra service for an additional $500; funds are available in the original account;
staff recommends staff be authorized to increase scope of AE's services) was
presented. Moved by Dalla, seconded by VanDeventer, In favor of staff's
recommendation. Mayor Morgan said he cannot see calling in other engineers when
we have engineers to do this. City Manager McCabe said they brought in an outside
engineer because this was an emergency project and staff is working on our regular
operations. Mayor Morgan said we have been talking about thls for one or two years.
City Engineer Stafford said this happened in November. Discussion. Mr. Stafford
said he wanted this matter on the agenda so Council would be aware of the options
being considered; they are all the crib —lock type wall as opposed to a straight —up
concrete retaining wall; we will have a better result and a more economical result by
going to either concrete crib —lock or wood perma—crlb or the gabion type
construction; he intends to go out with three alternate bids on this. Councilman
Dalla said the reason there is a problem is because when the City widened this
street, they allowed the slopes to be 1 to 1: City Engineer Stafford said as far as
he can see, it is a City created problem; the development on the hill did not
aggravate the problem. Further discussion. Motion carried by the following vote, to —
wit: Ayes: Cooper, Dalla, VanDeventer, Morgan. Nays: Waters.
CITY MANAGER
City Manager McCabe reported that services for Thomas Riggs, the San Diego Police
Officer who was killed on duty will be tomorrow; we will fly the flag at half mast
at least through tomorrow. Councilman Cooper said since he was a National City
resident, the flags should be flown at half mast at least two days.
CITY ATTORNEY — No report.
OTHER STAFF
The City Clerk's report on OPENING OF SEALED BIDS for RESURFACING OF
VARIOUS STREETS IN NATIONAL CITY, Engineering Spec. No. 953 (Four bids were
received: Asphalt, Inc. — Alt. A — Additive 1 — $334,099.00; Alt. B — Base Bid —
$334,099.00; Erreca's Inc. — Alt. A — $935,720.25; Alt. B — $860,324.00; Daley Corp. —
Alt. A — $762,873.00; Alt. B — $671,832.06; Sim J. Harris Co. — Alt. A — $783,476.79;
Alt. B — $714,726.75; Engineer's Estimate — Alt. A — $786,992.00; Alt. B —
$779,958.00) was presented. Moved by Dalla, seconded by Cooper, this be filed.
Carried by unanimous vote.
MAYOR
Mayor Morgan reported he wrote to the Finance Director asking about paying Doris
Gonzalez the two weeks pay that was discussed and she has never received. Vice
Mayor Waters said we said we would pay It "if It was possible and legal"; they looked
into it and Interim City Attorney Tobin said we could not legally pay her.
Councilman Dalla said this employee was off for nine days during which the Mayor
authorized Finance to pay her; that would use up any time she had coming.
Mayor Morgan said he got a lot of letters while he was on vacition regarding the
1911 Act on 22nd and Prospect and inquired if anyone had answered those questions;
somebody should go out there and talk to those people. Councilman Dalla said we
had a public hearing and a good faith effort was made to answer all the questions.
CITY COUNCIL
Councilman VanDeventer spoke of filling curbs and referred it one more time to the
City Manager so it gets done.
Councilman VanDeventer asked that consideration be given to improving the following
streets: 16th St. from Highland to Palm; "A" Ave. between 22nd and 24th; and 22nd
St. from National City Blvd. to "B" Ave.; there are sewer mains in that area that
are having fallouts. Mayor Morgan said Public Works should make a study and bring
it back to Council with costs. Councilman VanDeventer said that study is out right
now.
Councilman Cooper said he is having a terrible time with cars parked too long in the
City and trying to enforce the Ordinance; we need to look into next year's budget
and consider getting another PSO or somebody to do something about marking these
cars; he turned in one on Stockman, and he is not chastising anyone because he
Book 65/Page 187
4/2/85
knows they are overloaded, but for almost a week they could not get up there.
Mayor Morgan said it seems that the police patrol regularly and when they see these
cars, they should mark them. City Manager McCabe said Council expressed that to
the Police Chief about three weeks ago; he has discussed this with Chief Hart who
said he would come back with a definite program.
APPOINTMENTS
Vice Mayor Waters said there are two candidates for the Advisory and Appeals Board:
James W. Bird and Ronaldo Lopez; Council should vote for one;
there are seven candidates for the Planning Commission: Rosalie Alvarado,
R. Mitchel Beauchamp, Anton Gerschler, George Hood, Nawana (Pat) Large, Ronaldo
Lopez, and Tim Moynahan; the only incumbent is Tim Moynahan; Council should vote
for two. There is one candidate for the Sister City Committee: Sally Patterson.
Discussion.
Ballots were distributed, voted and counted. Vice Mayor Waters announced that
James W. Bird was elected to the Advisory and Appeals Board; Tim Moynahan and
R. Mitchel Beauchamp were elected to the Planning Com mission; Sally Patterson was
elected to the Sister City Com mittee.
Vice Mayor Waters asked the City Cietk to read the vote on the Mayor's
appointments. The City Clerk reported Armando Castaneda and Albert Keen were
appointed to the Street Tree and Parkway Committee; Cliff Bailey was reappointed to
the Traffic Safety Committee; and Kenneth Kidd was 'appointed to the Senior Citizens
Advisory Committee. Moved by Van Deventer, seconded by Dalla, In favor of these
appointments. Carried by unanimous vote.
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Waters, seconded by Cooper, the meeting be adjourned to 7:00 p.m.,
April 9, 1985. Carried by unanimous vote. The meeting closed at 6:34 p.m.
1
CITY CLEK
/6
The foregoing minutes were approved at the regular meeting of April 1985.
Corrections No c•., ections
A OR
CITY OF NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA