Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985 10-01 CC MINBook 66/Page 81 10/1 /85 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA OCTOBER 1, 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 (late), VanDeventer, Waters, Morgan. Absent: None. Administrative officials present: Bolint, Campbell, Eiser, McCabe, Post, 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 the Rev. Ken Nichols, Southport Christian Church. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Councilman Cooper requested the following change be made to the September 17, 1985 minutes: Page 65, Para. 16, "There has been a lot printed lately" should read "There has been a lot of printed lately" (this page was eaten by the word processor.) Moved by Waters, seconded by VanDeventer, the minutes of the regular meeting of September 17, 1985 be approved with the correction and the minutes of the regular meeting of September 24, 1985 be approved. Carried by unanimous vote. PROCLAMATION Moved by Waters, seconded by Cooper, the Proclamation be read by title only. Carried by unanimous vote. The Mayor's proposed Proclamation "FIRE PREVENTION WEEK" — October 6-12, 1985 was presented. Mayor Morgan presented the Proclamation to Fire Chief Kimble, saying the Fire Dept. has done an outstanding job for the City. Chief Kimble said Fire Marshal Patricia Schiff coordinated the fire prevention program and she should be given a great deal of credit. PRESENTATIONS GARY BUTTERFIELD, Manager, Sweetwater Authority, was present and gave a brief report on major improvement projects. There was discussion and Mr. Butterfield answered Council's questions. Moved by Morgan, seconded by Cooper, staff write a letter to the Sweetwater Authority Board urging recreational uses of Sweetwater Dam. Discussion. Carried by unanimous vote. Mayor Morgan presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Gottschalk and Mr. Hiesler of Local 569, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for the donation of 22 smoke detectors and installation of same in senior citizens' residences. PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS AGNES WENGERT, 1127 "D" Ave., was present and inquired when the "No Parking" signs (for the purpose of allowing the street sweeper to clean) would be installed in her neighborhood. Public Works Director Williams said the signs have been received, but the posts have not; as soon as the posts come in, this project will be a top priority. Vice Mayor VanDeventer asked Mr. Williams to notify Mrs. Wengert when they are ready to install the signs. EDWIN BULLOCK, 1420 McKinley, was present and said he too would like signs installed on McKinley to allow the street sweeper to clean. Councilman Cooper said eventually the signs will be installed all over the City. Discussion. GEORGE WEBSTER, National City Chamber of Commerce, was present and reported October 19 is Clean Up Day, with free trash pickup; in the past the County has given us free dump passes; last January they adopted an ordinance allowing them to give the free dump passes once a year; this will cost Edco $1600 which they will pay this one time. Mr. Webster continued, the Salute to Navy Week is underway, and outlined the schedule. Mr. Webster thanked the Department Heads and employees who were involved in Heritage Week, especially Public Works and Parks & Recreation. Book 66/Page 82 10/1/85 ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS CONSENT RESOLUTIONS (Resolutions Nos. 14,754 through 14,758) Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by Dalla, the Resolutions be presented by title only. Carried by unanimous vote. Councilman Cooper requested Resolutions Nos. 14,756 and 14,757 be considered separately. Mayor Morgan requested Resolution No. 14,758 be considered separately. Moved by Waters, seconded by VanDeventer, the Consent Resolutions (except Resolutions Nos. 14,756, 14,757 and 14,758) be adopted. Carried by unanimous vote. Resolution No. 14,754, "RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE LETTER OF CREDIT PROCEDURES FOR RECEIVING AND DISBURSING FUNDS PROVIDED TO THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY PURSUANT TO THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF KIMBALL TOWERS (PROJECT NO. CA003HG401)." See Consent Resolutions above. Resolution No. 14,755, "RESOLUTION ACCEPTING WORK AND AUTHORIZING FILING OF NOTICE OF COMPLETION FOR RESURFACING OF VARIOUS STREET PROJECTS (ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION NO. 953)." See Consent Resolutions above. Resolution No. 14,756, "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING DONATION OF PORTABLE FENCE TO SWEETWATER HIGH SCHOOL." Discussion. Moved by Waters, seconded by VanDeventer, Resolution No. 14,756 be adopted. Carried by unanimous vote. Resolution No. 14,757, "RESOLUTION APPROVING A TENTATIVE MAP FOR THE DIVISION OF 0.689 ACRES INTO FIVE LOTS LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF GROVE STREET, SOUTH OF 14TH STREET (A.P.N. 557-390-28 — APPLICANT: AL BEAUCHAMP, JAMES PATTON — CASE FILE NO. S-1-85)." Moved by Waters, seconded by VanDeventer, Resolution No. 14,757 be adopted. Carried, by the following vote, to —wit: Ayes: VanDeventer, Waters, Morgan. Nays: Cooper, Dalla. Resolution No. 14,758, "RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING PLANNING DEPARTMENT FEES." Discussion. Moved by Cooper, seconded by VanDeventer, Resolution No. 14,758 be adopted. Discussion. Carried, by the following vote, to —wit: Ayes: Cooper, Dalla, VanDeventer, Morgan. Nays: Waters. NEW BUSINESS The Finance Director's request for RATIFICATION of WARRANT REGISTER NO. 13, dated September 24, 1985, in the amount of $459,522.05 (Warrants Nos. 89296 through 89379), and CERTIFICATION of PAYROLL for the period ending September 15, 1985, in the amount of $302,864.69 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, VanDeventer, Waters. Nays: Morgan. The application for OFF —SALE GENERAL LIQUOR LICENSE, TYPE 21, TRANSFER of Bajhat S. Jabro, SE Corner 8th St. and "K" Ave. (Building Dept. states no grounds for objection; the Police Dept. recommends this license be protested until such time as the applicant has obtained a CUP; there are residents in the im mediate area and an over —concentration of licenses already exists in the area; the Planning Dept. recommends this be protested until a CUP is obtained) was presented. Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by Waters, this license be protested until applicant obtains a CUP. Discussion. Carried by unanimous vote. The application for OFF —SALE GENERAL LIQUOR LICENSE, TYPE 21, PREMISE TRANSFER of ALPHA BETA COMPANY, 1035 Harbison (Police and Building & Safety Departments state no grounds for objection; on September 16, the Planning Commission voted to deny the CUP; applicant has the right to appeal the Planning Commission decision; this has not been done as yet; the Planning Dept. recommends this license be protested until such time as the matter is resolved) was presented. Moved by Waters, this be approved. Motion died for lack of second. Vice Mayor VanDeventer said there is a liquor store next door; the Planning Commission denied this application. Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by Dalla, this license be protested until a CUP is obtained. Discussion. Carried, by the following vote, to — wit: Ayes: Cooper, Dalla, VanDeventer, Waters. Nays: None. Abstaining: Morgan. Book 66/Page 83 10/1/85 The application for ON -SALE BEER AND WINE LICENSE, TYPE 41, of American Golf Corporation, dba LAS PALM AS GOLF COURSE, 1439 Sweetwater Rd. (The Building Dept. states no grounds for objection; the Police Dept. states no grounds for objection; however, it is recommended that the clubhouse and appurtenant buildings be required to have adequate burglar alarm systems and exterior lighting; previous structures at the golf course were frequently the target of burglaries and vandalism; it is also recommended that landscaping be placed in such a manner that it will not block the view of buildings or provide cover for persons near the buildings; the Planning Commission states no grounds for objection per Planning Commission Resolution No. 28-85) was presented. Moved by Waters, seconded by VanDeventer, this be approved subject to the stipulations of the Police Dept. Discussion. Carried by the following vote, to -wit: Ayes: Cooper, Dalla, VanDeventer, Waters. Nays: None. Abstaining: Morgan. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS A letter from the MAYOR of the CITY OF CARSON requesting the City of National City to SUPPORT LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES RESOLUTION NO. 71 (This Resolution will be presented at the business meeting of the League Conference in San Francisco on October 8th or 9th; Council should advise voting delegate to vote for, against, or abstain on this Resolution) was presented. Moved by Van Deventer, seconded by Cooper, in favor of this request. Carried by unanimous vote. A PETITION from Mario Cioe, REQUESTING A 1911 IMPROVEMENT ACT on the 20-foot wide alley between 18th St. and 22nd St. and The City Engineer's report on FEASIBILITY of PETITION, proposed district alley west of Wilson Ave., from 18th to 22nd Streets (With reference to the Streets and Highways Code, Div. 4, pt. 1, Section 2804, this project cannot proceed under the Special Assessment Investigation Limitation and Majority Protest Act of 1931 unless Council instigates the project; see Document No. 72867) were presented. Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by Waters, in favor of this request. Discussion. Vice Mayor Van Deventer said this is one that would qualify for the 50-50 program; we might be able to relieve those people in that area and still get the project through. Motion carried by unanimous vote. OTHER BUSINESS The request of PARADISE VALLEY HOSPITAL for USE OF BLEACHERS (Paradise Valley Hospital has requested use of City bleachers on December 15, 16 and 17, 1985 for their annual Nativity Program; this request was made last year as well) was presented; City labor fees would be approximately $300) was presented. Moved by VanDeventer, seconded by Waters, in favor of this request. Carried by unanimous vote. The recommendations of the STREET TREE AND PARKWAY COMMITTEE (The following street tree removals: 425 "L" Ave., Mrs. Petra Moralez, removal of a street tree because roots are breaking the sidewalk; no replacement due to the narrow parkway area; 604 "E" Ave., Gerald Nash, removal of two street trees which have invaded sewer lines causing sewage to come through the sidewalk and into the street; payment of $30 to be made for two replacements; 1415 E. 4th St., Philip Alcala, removal of street tree with roots breaking the sidewalk; payment of $15 to be made for replacement; 1431 E. 4th St., Stanmore Langford, removal of three street trees with roots breaking the sidewalk with replacement of two trees upon payment of $30) were presented. Moved by Waters, seconded by Cooper, in favor of the Street Tree and Parkway Committee's recommendations. Carried by unanimous vote. The City Engineer's report on the TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING of September 11, 1985 (See Document No. 72870) was presented. Moved by Waters, seconded by Cooper, this be approved. Mayor Morgan inquired relative to the post office, if there was any way we could move these mailboxes; people go in there to mail a letter and they are held up by the cars waiting for a parking space. City Engineer Stafford said the Traffic Safety Committee discussed several possibilities, but none of them seemed to please everybody; we offered to go into a study with some financial participation from the post office, but the post office indicated they did not have the money; there does not seem to be any economically feasible way. Councilman Cooper said if the Traffic Safety Committee can't do anything about it, it is up to the City; he would like somebody to do a study and see what can be i Book 66/Page 84 10/1 /85 done. Councilman Waters spoke against no parking being allowed in front of the Bay Theater every day they are open. City Attorney Eiser said unlike businesses, the theater has a relatively large number of people coming in a shorter period of time. Public Works Director Williams said the owner/manager of the Bay Theater pointed out that that area was already white —curbed; apparently some people did not recognize that and he wanted the signs there to emphasize the fact it is a passenger loading zone. Councilman Waters said he would vote to approve the minutes except Item 2 under New Business. Motion carried by unanimous vote (Councilman Waters voting against no parking at the Bay Theater.). Moved by Cooper, seconded by Morgan, we authorize staff to study the problem at the post office and come up with a solution. Carried by unanimous vote. CITY MANAGER City Manager McCabe said he had nothing specific to report, but the City Engineer and the Asst. to the City Manager/Personnel have reports (See Other Staff). CITY ATTORNEY City Attorney Eiser spoke of Mr. Bernard Davis, his parking citations and the red — curb problem, saying he and the City Engineer went out to the site; the curb had been painted red but was not authorized by the City; he advised Mr. Davis it appeared he could take some action; he advised Mr. Davis to bring copies of his citations and he could take action to have them dismissed; under no circumstances would Mr. Davis be reimbursed for the tickets he has already paid. City Attorney Eiser spoke of the Industrial Development Authority, saying limitations were placed on it; we are currently working with Bay City Marine on a $10 million bond; $2.8 million is all the State will authorize and we will have to get allocation transferred from the State or County; we will also have to file election before October 15. Mr. Eiser asked for authority to file with the Advisory Commission. Moved by Van Deventer, seconded by Dalla, the City Attorney be authorized to file with the Advisory Commission. Carried by unanimous vote. Mr. Eiser explained the Industrial Development Authority could have been set up under either the City or the CDC. Discussion re considering Bay City Marine within the Redevelopment area. Mr. Eiser said the IDA would not cost the taxpayers any money. OTHER STAFF City Engineer Stafford reported Dyno Construction has requested a detour for one day only (tomorrow) for westbound traffic on Civic Center Dr., between Wilson and Cleveland. Moved by Morgan, seconded by Cooper, in favor of this request. Discussion. Carried by unanimous vote. City Engineer Stafford reported he did not have time to pass out the information to everyone, but he does have the status of the right—of—way on Euclid; he can make a more formal presentation on October 15. Vice Mayor VanDeventer asked Mr. Stafford to come back with estimated costs of 1—P, 2—P and 12—P. Mr. Stafford said he would. City Engineer Stafford reported he received bids on the 9th & Edgerton drain, but has not had time to check out the low bidder; the low bid was $95,000. Councilman Waters inquired if it had been scaled down without Council's knowledge. Mr. Stafford replied it had not been; they allowed alternate materials. Mr. Waters said he would see Mr. Stafford in the morning. Asst. to the City Manager/Personnel Schulman reported he had met with representatives of the employee associations regarding the health insurance and has tried to summarize the recommendations of the three associations and the mid — managers' group in his memo of Septembert 27; he sent his summary to each group on Friday and he only received two comments; one individual said she was in agreement with his sum mary; he received a letter from Mr. Doyle (Attorney for NCMEA) requesting his (Mr. Doyle's) response be distributed to Council; Mr. Clark of the Epler Co. is present to answer questions; the Epler Co. has worked with the City for something like seven years; the Epler Co. represents various clients including the City of San Diego, Walker Scott and Sea World; he would like to emphasize that the recommendations included in his memo are not staff's recommendations, but are the recommendations of the employee associations; he has attempted to get another open enrollment period; the Finance Director had already started working on that; we have tentative approval from both Kaiser and Book 66/Page 85 10/1/85 Travelers; we have some cost figures for improvements to the Kaiser Plan. Vice Mayor Van Deventer said he has not had an opportunity to hear staff's input and would like to see this held over. Councilman Cooper said it would benefit the City and the employees if our contract with Travelers ran from July 1 to June 30, so that by April or May we would know what the contemplated increases would be; he cannot believe going into employee negotiations not knowing what the increase is going to be; that is foolish. Mr. Schulman said the contract year used to end May 1; this year Travelers informed us that they were changing their accounting system, and based on our experience up to that point, they were extending our contract with no increase at that time; it seemed to him there was no point in turning down something where we were getting additional time with no increase; he has no problem with going back to Travelers and changing the contract terms. FRANK CHENELLE, POA, was present and said the employees who were at the meeting prioritized their recommendations; Mr. Schulman put as number one, "the City Council should increase City contribution for Health and Dental Insurance"; this is not what happened; we were talking about the 36-51 % increase that we are faced with because of the poor way it is run right now; what we said was if that is the case, perhaps somewhere down the line the City could help us out; if we get a 5-7% raise each year and the insurance company takes 36-51 %, we're in the hole every year; Mr. Schulman's memo is misleading; if we were to prioritize our recommendations —we want to notify Travelers immediately that we want to go out to bid and we want to save the City money as well as ourselves; there are other people out there that want to take these contracts; PERS has some great insurance plans; our retired people cannot afford our current insurance programs; he would like to see at least one Council member at the meetings. Moved by Morgan, seconded by Cooper, we put the insurance out to bid. Discussion re the cost. Mr. Schulman said the Epler Co. has been on retainer with the City since 1977 or thereabouts. Discussion. Mayor Morgan told Mr. Schulman he would like to see the contract or the Resolution or whatever we have putting the Epler Co. on a retainer. BOB CLARK, Epler Co., said his company is an independent consultant and they don't take commissions from insurance companies; they have no vested interest in Travelers; over the years they have had a number of their clients with Travelers, and they have changed them all to other insurance carriers because of problems; the only client he has remaining with Travelers is the City of National City; the majority of insurance companies do not underwrite public entities; the City's claims experience has been unfavorable in the past four months; in his estimation, no one will bid any lower than Travelers. Mayor Morgan asked Finance Director Caloza for a report on what we have paid the Epler Co. since 1977. Further discussion. Councilman Dalia asked Mr. Clark for an estimate on putting the insurance out to bid. Mr. Schulman said the first phase, putting it out to bid, would run around $750; evaluation of the results would be about $3,000. TOM DOYLE, attorney for NCMEA, was present and said it is important to put the insurance out to bid with input from the employee organizations; the recommendations stated in his letter more accurately reflect what the employee representatives talked about than the recommendations stated in Mr. Schulman's letter; insurance rates have taken off and right now, some of the employees will be paying about $100 more each month out of their pocket for health insurance; that would be devastating; we propose to end the contract on July 1 which could lower the 36%; when the insurance goes out to bid, we would like to consider PERS insurance; they have a base of about 250,000 people statewide; last year their rate increase was about 8%, and it was about 8% again this year; PERS has about 20 different plans that cover San Diego County and each individual employee picks the plan that best suits him/her; retirees can get insurance at a decent price. Further discussion. Moved by Cooper, seconded by Morgan, the motion be amended to put the insurance out to bid with input from the employee associations and the cost of going to bid not exceed $750 and the cost of evaluation not to exceed $3,000. Motion and amendment carried by unanimous vote. Discussion. Councilman Waters requested that Mr. Schulman notify Council when the employees request the insurance be put out to bid. MAYOR Mayor Morgan spoke of a developing problem; there are four automobile dealers who want to come to the City; In 1966 we got $10 million from the Federal Government to develop the Mile of Cars; it will take money to develop new space; Council needs to get busy and enlarge the Mile of Cars, starting at 22nd St. and going to Plaza Blvd. Vice Mayor Van Deventer suggested we form a committee to study this; he thinks we can solve the problem and maybe move forward. Mayor Morgan asked Vice Mayor VanDeventer to work with him on this problem. Book 66/Page 86 10/1 /85 Discussion re keeping Council advised vs the businessman's need for secrecy on the securing of new automobile dealerships. CITY COUNCIL Councilman Cooper said about a month ago he spoke about Rose Gesser who lives at 1420 McKinley; she now has her handicapped plate from the DMV and he would like to instruct staff to give her a handicapped parking space. Councilman Dalla said all she needs to do is go to the Engineering Dept. and fill out her application. Vice Mayor Van Deventer said a few weeks ago, we got approval on the amount of funds that could be used for Euclid Ave. between 13th & 16th Streets; it is roughly $900,000; it seems that we are going to be able to use funds from the gas tax to construct that highway; he recieved a letter from the School District re Ira Harbison School channel; we should notify the school that once we receive the gas tax monies, we will be moving forward on that ditch. City Manager McCabe said this should be on the agenda October 15. Councilman Waters commended Mr. Arthur on the operation of National City Transit; ridership is up to 620,000, a 44% increase in two years. Councilman Dalla commended Mr. Stafford and Mr. Williams; at the last Council meeting it was recommended a second westbound lane be added to Plaza Blvd., between Olive and Harbison; that lane was opened on Friday. Councilman Dalla said Council's decision on the matter of Maria Navarro will be made on October 15; this item has generated a great deal of interest; he understands Council has the discretion to deliberate in open or closed session. Moved by Dalla, seconded by Cooper, we do this in open session. Carried by unanimous vote. Councilman Dalla said this will not be a hearing; Council will deliberate the transcript and the testimony that was provided; it will not be an opportunity for people to get up and offer additional testimony. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Morgan, seconded by Van Deventer, the meeting be adjourned to 4:00 p.m., October 15, 1985. Carried by unanimous vote. The meeting closed at 6:02 p.m. / t CITY CLE 1'4--2 („. The foregoing minutes were approved at the regular meeting of October 15, 1985. Corrections No corre tions A CITY OF NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA