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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012/02/13 - Minutes - Special JointFebruary 13, 2012 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL AND CUCAMONGA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT SPECIAL JOINT MEETING MINUTES A. CALL TO ORDER A special meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council and the Cucamonga Valley Water District was held on Monday, February 13, 2012, in the Tri Communities Room at City Hall located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Mayor L. Dennis Michael called the meeting of the City Council to order at 5:30 p.m. President Kathleen J. Tiegs called the meeting of the Water District Board of Directors to order at 5:30 p.m. Present were Councilmembers: Bill Alexander, Chuck Buquet and Diane Williams. Mayor L. Dennis Michael was also present. Mayor Pro Tem Sam Spagnolo was absent. Present were Directors Randall James Reed, James Curatalo, Jr. and Henry "Hank Stoy. Vice President Oscar Gonzalez and President Kathleen J. Tiegs were also present. Also present were: John Gillison, City Manager; Martin Zvirbulis, General Manager/CEO; Linda Daniels, Assistant City Manager; Todd Corbin, Assistant General Manager; Trang Huynh, Building and Safety Official; Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra, Assistant General Manager for External Affairs; Bill Wittkopf, Public Works Services Director; John Bosler, Director of Operations and Engineering Services; Fire Chief Mike Bell; Carrie Corder, Director of Financial and Administrative Services; Police Chief Mike Newcombe; Jennifer Nakamura, Associate Planner; Operations Lieutenant Steve Smith; Executive Assistants Beth Barry, Cindy Cisneros, and Bonnie Tazza; and Debra L. McKay, Assistant City Clerk/Records Manager. 6. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS Jerie Lee spoke about the increase in the water rates and asked that assistance be given to senior homeowners. She suggested that the Cucamonga Valley Water District bills be sent monthly rather than every two months. AI Florez agreed that the water bills were high, noting that he has experienced a 14% increase on his water bill. C. ITEM S) OF BUSINESS C1. Discussion of Cucamonga Canyon (City of Rancho Cucamonga) City of Rancho Cucamonga City Council and the Cucamonga Valley Water District Special Joint Meeting Minutes February 13, 2012 -Page 1 of 5 Fire Chief Bell and Police Chief Newcombe introduced the discussion, presenting photographs of Cucamonga Canyon and diagrams of the proposed signage. Also distributed was a memorandum regarding Cucamonga Canyon. Operations Lieutenant Steve Smith presented the staff report, noting that Cucamonga Canyon will be the topic of an upcoming March 12, 2012 City Council community meeting. Lieutenant Smith indicated that the primary concern of the Police Department is to protect the quality of life of the residents near the canyon entrance. Currently, there are concerns about pollution, vandalism, theft and trespass. Lieutenant Smith provided statistical data to the City Council and the Board, which consisted of the Police call history for the area. In order to address these concerns, he presented information on the placement of No Trespass and Advisory signs at various locations near the entrance to Cucamonga Canyon. In response to Council Member Buquet, Lieutenant Smith confirmed that Skyline was historically used as the access point to the canyon. In response to Council Member Alexander, Lieutenant Smith indicated that whatever action is taken would likely result in positive and negative actions. He noted that the Police Department will be flexible in their actions in this area. The main focus is to motivate people to use the legal access to Cucamonga Canyon and not to trespass onto private property. Mayor Michael inquired if the neighbors supported this proposal. In response, Lieutenant Smith noted that not all of the neighbors agree with the access point but pointed out that this route is the only legal way to get to the canyon. Council Member Williams inquired if there would be any indication along the canyon that hikers are in the right place. In response, City Manager Gillison stated that the Fire Service is experiencing the same funding difficulties as other entities and does not intend to place markers on their property. Also, he noted that more people will visit the area if more improvements are made, thus compounding the problem. Lieutenant Smith noted that the legitimate Internet sites contain very specific and accurate information on how to access the canyon. In addition to the normal channels, Mayor Michael suggested using social media to communicate to the public the right way to access the canyon. In response to Director Curatalo, discussion was held regarding the Police Department's legal standing on Federal land, private property, Water District property, etc. Lieutenant Smith noted to Council Member Williams that residents should contact the Police Department for emergencies. As some of the area is on Federal land, Lieutenant Smith noted that he would look into a way to coordinate this better with the Forest Service. Discussion was held. Mayor Michael suggested that a representative from the Water District attend the community meeting at Stork Elementary School on March 12, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss this matter further with the residents. C2. Update on Actions Taken Regarding Redevelopment Dissolution (City of Rancho Cucamonga) Linda Daniels, Assistant City Manager, presented the staff report. She indicated that as of February 1, 2012, California's redevelopment agencies were permanently disbanded. The City Council has formally decided to be a successor agency and will be considering on Wednesday whether to be a successor agency for housing. Regarding housing, she noted that a funding source is critical and indicated that the California State Senate passed S.B. 654 which preserves the remaining balances in the redevelopment agencies' Low and Moderate Income Housing Funds. The Senate Bill will now be sent to the California State Assembly. City of Rancho Cucamonga City Council and the Cucamonga Valley Water District Special Joint Meeting Minutes February 13, 2012 -Page 2 of 5 Mrs. Daniels indicated that it is hard to wind down the redevelopment agencies in the State without some sort of rational plan. At this time, there are several critical areas of concern, including retaining the funding for housing projects and being able to use bond proceeds for various infrastructure projects. Also, she noted that the City Council will be making two appointments to an Oversight Board. In response to Director Stoy, Mrs. Daniels provided an overview of how bond proceeds will be paid. Also discussed with Director Reed was handling of agency assets. Discussion was held. Council Member Buquet noted that the City is fortunate that so many great projects were completed during the life of the Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency. C3. Update and Forecast on Water Rates (CVWD). Forecast for imported, regional sewage, and recycled water rates Carrie Corder, Director of Financial and Administrative Services, made a PowerPoint presentation. She noted that the Water District's has a tiered rate structure, with the current rates in place until 2014. The Council and the Board were informed about historical rates charged by CVWD and other entities; the average customer bi-monthly bill and how the rates charged by CVWD compared with surrounding agencies. In response to Council Member Buquet, Ms. Corder indicated that the $119.45 was the average bi- monthlywater bill and that $152.23 was the average water and sewer bill. Ms. Corder addressed Mayor Michael's question regarding switching to a monthly bill. She indicated that this would double CVWD's postage and printing costs. This move would likely result in either raising the rates or cutting expenses in another area. However, Ms. Corder noted that CVWD would like to complete the automatic meter reading system in the future, noting that a monthly bill system might make sense when that occurs. Also, it was noted that CVW D has several bill-paying options available to customers. In response to Council Member Alexander, Ms. Corder noted that CVWD can not offer a subsidy to seniors without violating Proposition 218 regulations. Martin Zvirbulis, General Manager/CEO, discussed CVWD's investments in the community and its diversification of water sources. In response to Council Member Buquet, Ms. Corder outlined the tier structure and indicated that the larger the meter, the greater quantity of water. Mayor Michael inquired about future rate increases. Ms. Corder noted on average a rate increase of approximately 4.3% over the next three years. She did not have the specific number for City property and indicated that she would provide the number at a later date. Director Curatalo commented that the Board reviews the water rates very carefully and indicated that a rate stabilization fund is also used to manage any rate increases. Council Member Buquet suggested a water conservation pilot program be done with the City. Discussion was held. C4. Update on City's Development Code regarding water efficiency standards (City of Rancho Cucamonga) Jennifer Nakamura, Associate Planner, made a PowerPoint presentation. She addressed the City's adoption of a region-wide model landscape Ordinance. Ordinance No. 823 creates a new Water Efficient Landscape Chapter to the Development Code. City of Rancho Cucamonga City Council and the Cucamonga Valley Water District Special Joint Meeting Minutes February 13, 2012 -Page 3 of 5 Ms. Nakamura addressed the scientific approach to water use. Residential developments use this approach to develop a water budget and a maximum allowed water use. All landscape plans must calculate the estimated annual water use. The water use must stay within the developed water budget. Ms. Nakamura indicated that there have been several projects in which the Water Effcient Landscapes requirements have been applied. Due to the economy, she noted that projects are slow to come into fruition; however, there is one project under construction on Church Street. Lastly, Ms. Nakamura addressed the update of the Development Code, noting that these Water Efficient Landscape requirements would be incorporated into the Code. She also addressed various partnerships that have been implemented with CVWD. In response to Council Member Alexander, Ms. Nakamura confirmed that these Water Efficient Landscape requirements are being applied to residential developments. She noted; however, that this doesn't guarantee that someone would not go over their budgeted amount. Mayor Michael indicated that this model was developed regionally by the Landscape Alliance and noted that surrounding cities are also using this tool. There was discussion regarding partnerships between CVWD and the City. Director Stoy noted that the Frontier Project was a good example of alternative landscaping. In response to President Tiegs, discussion was held regarding the use of permeable concrete. Ms. Nakamura noted that this has not been promoted in the City as there are durability concerns. Director Reed suggested that requiring a sprinkler timer with rain sensors could be done in order to conserve water. Discussion was held. Council Member Williams suggested an incentive program, rather than a mandate, in order to achieve conservation. C5. Update on Recycled Water Infrastructure Development and Water Softener Ordinance (CVWD) John Bosler, Director of Operations and Engineering Services made a PowerPoint presentation. He discussed the existing infrastructure, noting that the 28 recycled water services use an estimated 45,000,000 gallons of water each year. Mr. Bosler presented a proposal to add 8 services to the recycled water system, saving an estimated 40,500,000 gallons of water. Mr. Bosler noted the need to apply for grant funding to add future services to the system. In response to Council Member Buquet, Mr. Bosler noted that the use of recycled water saves approximately 25% of the cost. Martin Zvirbulis, General Manager/CEO, noted that assistance in acquiring this funding would be beneficial. Discussion was held regarding joining efforts when traveling to Washington, DC. Mr. Bosler discussed the proposed water softener Ordinance. This Ordinance would ban self- regenerating water softeners. This action is intended to be an educational one as there would not be penalties. Existing water softeners would be grandfathered-in. Mr. Bosler addressed the proposal for the City's Building Department to collect the permits with CVWD being available for training, public outreach and rebates. Discussion was held. In response to Council Member Buquet, Mr. Bosler indicated that this regulation directly applies to commercial and industrial users, noting that residential use is the last component. Mayor Michael inquired on what steps could be taken to discourage retailers from selling self- regenerating water softeners. Discussion was held. City of Rancho Cucamonga City Council and the Cucamonga Valley Water District Special Joint Meeting Minutes February 13, 2012 -Page 4 of 5 Mayor Michael and President Tiegs thanked the participants of the meeting for their comments and welcomed additional meetings in the future. D. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m. Resp ctfully submitted, ~ ~~ Debra L. McKay, MMC Assistant City Clerk/Records Manager Approved: March 7, 2012 City of Rancho Cucamonga City Council and the Cucamonga Valley Water District Special Joint Meeting Minutes February 13, 2012 -Page 5 of 5