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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997/08/07 - Agenda Packet - Special AGENDA CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT Special Meeting )A~G/3 August 7, 1997 - 5:30 p.m. Tri Communities Room I. Pledge of Allegiance. 2. Roll Call: Gutierrez . . B. ITEM OF DISCUSSION 1. DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED BUDGETS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997/98 C. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC This is the time and place for the general public to address the City Council State law prohibits the Council from addressing any issue not previously included on the agenda. The Council may receive testimony and set the matter for a subsequent meeting. Comments are to be limited to five minutes per individual. D. ADJOURNMENT I, Debra J. Adams, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Cucamonga, hereby certify that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on August 4, 1997, seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting per Government Code 94954.2 at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Memorandum City Manager's Office To: Mayor and Members o the ity Council From: Jack Lam, Cit~ Date: August 7, 19 Subject: Response To Budget Questions The following are responses to questions that were raised during the first budget workshop: · Park Fund Priorities: Etiwanda Creek lights (2 fields): $200,000. Skate Park $100,500 (Phase I $65,000 + Phase II $35,000. The Council gave staff direction regarding the priorities for the use of the $270,000 of park funds. Both the Etiwanda Creek lights and the Skate Park were priorities. Combined costs for both are estimated to be $300,500. Available funds are not enough to complete both projects, especially when the requisite 10% project contingency is added to the estimates bringing the total estimated costs to $330,000. Should Council stay with these two projects as priorities, Staff recommends that in priority, the Etiwanda Creek lights be first priority then Skate Park second. Strategically, the Etiwanda Creek lights are to be completed first with any remaining funds added to the Skate Park project so that Phase I of Skate Park be constructed. Phase II would be added upon any available future funding through park funds or additional fund raising. · Grove and Foothill area "clean-up": This portion of Foothill Boulevard was specifically excluded from the original redevelopment plan because of the known controversies, complexities, and costs about right-of-way, re-alignment, and access issues in the area that would have jeopardized the formation of the redevelopment plan. The City has always recognized that this area can use major improvements. It was envisioned that the more achievable portions of the Boulevard be done first and that such future improvements in these other 1 areas of Foothill Boulevard would trigger greater support for any initiatives in this area in the future. Projected costs for improvements necessary to construct the median island in this stretch of Foothill Boulevard are estimated to be at least $ 13,000,000. These costs do not include the costs of any property acquisitions and right-of- way take that may be necessary for needed street widening. The estimated $ 13,000,000 costs do include intersection improvements, traffic signal construction and modification, street realignments, street widening, railroad underpass and widening, storm drain construction and the widening of Cucamonga Creek Bridge. The City annually includes this project in the request for STIP funding as a "long shot" for State funding. The other portions of Foothill Boulevard are estimated to be $1.5 million (excluding the Cal Trans contribution) and are divided into three phases which would take care of 3/4 of the remaining stretch of Foothill Boulevard. In the meantime, with Council Direction, the staff can elevate the activity of code enforcement in the "Grove" stretch of Foothill to include condemnation. · We should do more in animal licensing: The City does not do animal licensing. Animal control is contracted with the County at a very attractive price. While we are not aware of how diligent they are in collecting licenses, one would think that there is a built in incentive for the County because they keep all revenues collected. We are aware from discussions with pet owners from time to time that the County does canvass in the community. How extensively, we don't know. In prior analyses, it has been shown that the potential revenue in the City for animal licenses does not compensate for the full expense of animal control even if we do it ourselves. So long as the County maintains such a positive contract, Rancho Cucamonga should benefit from this arrangement. Staff recommends that if the Council wishes to help increase animal licensing in the city, owners can be made aware through the Grapevine and R.C. TV where they can go to license their pets. We can focus information for the community on the importance of and benefits of animal licensing. · Rail To Trails: Staff can contact SANBAG and work through that organization to see about the long term use of the RR rights-of-way. · Office Furniture for City Ha!l: The fumiture in the budget is replacement fumiture for the upstairs portion of the southwest comer of the building. All furniture was stripped from this area a number of years ago and the furniture has been used as replacement furniture in a number of sites including the police department. The only remaining "surplus" furniture are cubicle desks and partitions which we use as replacements or cubicle modification from time to time as needed. This area of the City Hall has a growing use as a training area and the acquisition of more appropriate permanent furniture would enhance the use of this area. The remaining two offices in this comer of the building would be converted into additional conference rooms and the open area would have tables and chairs designed to suit the training environment for larger sessions. The proper outfitting of this area would be a convenient and more effective use of this space as all conference and meeting areas are receiving high use. · Library Agreement "buyout": This relates to the 10 year agreement with the County that requires a $100,000 per year payment to the County for five years, then a $50,000 a year payment to the County over another 5 years. We are in the third year of this 10 year agreement with two $100,000 payments remaining before dropping to $50,000 a year. The agreement expires in the year 2004. The "buyout" was the concept of utilizing a present value lump sum payment utilizing a prior bond defeasement of $400,000 to "buy out" the County agreement. The lump sum agreement would provide more immediate payment to the County while relieving the City of annual payments. However, when the County was approached two years ago, it was rejected. Council accepted Staff s recommended at the time that if the County rejected the proposal, the defeasement money would be utilized annually to "shore up" (transition) the Library budget until the payment requirement drops to $50,000 and when revenues at the library would increase to make up for the other $50,000. That strategic plan has been in place and the Library budget remains stable. Since $200,000 of the original $400,000 defeaseance funds have been utilized, and since the entire original amount was not attractive enough for the County to accept, it is even less likely that the County would accept a present value "buy out." Unless the City utilizes additional reserve funds for a much larger lump sum payment to the County, negotiations would be fruitless. Furthermore, unless the County agrees to a present value arrangement, which it had rejected in the past, it would be more beneficial to continue annual payments with "cheaper" dollars. If the Council wishes otherwise, Council can authorize Staff to begin negotiations with additional reserve funds. · The Summary Budget: The Summary Budget contains a summation of each department' s budget and facts and figures mirror the main budget document. The Summary Budget is the end result of past requests by the City Council for a document that is much briefer so that one need not go to the main document just to get the "big picture." This effort has been well received in the past by Council and public. Should the present Council not wish to have a summary budget, the staff can discontinue this practice in future budgets. Should the Council want more presentation from Department Heads, staff can recommend that with future budget presentations, Department Heads can provide an overview of their departments. We would block out a three hour period of time so that each department head can be allowed 15 minutes to present their budgets and answer questions. · Revise Fire District RDA Agreement: The priority when the original agreement was made was to provide increment for needed capital funding of facilities and equipment. Staff was asked to examine the idea of modifying the agreement to transfer any "net" Fire Fund increment back to the District budget. Analysis of the Fire Fund revenues reveals that increment has dropped due to property reassessments by the County. This has caused the need to rely on project fund balances to meet capital expenditures. Any modification to the agreement to "channel back" funds would mean that the District budget must be subjected to budget cuts because the Fire Fund currently pays for debt service, augmentation replacement, and capital replacement. The recommended $200,000 additional capital replacement also helps to further relieve the Fire District General Fund. At thepresent time, the idea of modi~ing the original agreement is ~scally not doable. It should also be noted that any future dips in assessments can adversely affect the Fund. Furthermore, when the appropriate threshholds are met, the Agency Board and City Council must be aware that any modification to channel any additional "net" Fire Fund revenues back to the District would reduce the 4 bonding capacity of the Agency's Fire Fund. The Fire Fund contains a very tight funding for the Maintenance Facility. Remaining unmet capital needs include the training facility and at least the Etiwanda Station. · Stadium Manager: In discussing the Sports Park and the Epicenter, certain misconceptions need to be addressed. The Sports Park was originated as an idea to develop a recreation facility that would transfer the adult sports programs from the other city parks so that youth sports might be expanded in those parks. The logic was that the youth sports should be close to the residential neighborhoods and the adults could drive to a new location that would not be hindered by time, light, or noise issues. In effect, the construction of the Sports Park allowed for more playing facilities for youth sports at more easily accessed locations. In fact, because of the lack of 90 foot little league venues, one little league group utilizes a 90 foot base field at the Sports Park. When the sports fields were designed, the idea of adding a Stadium to one of the fields was promoted to provide a maj or entertainment venue that heretofore had not been present in this valley. Professional baseball added such an attraction as well as influenced other economic development in the City. It also enhanced the City' s positive image and reputation nationally. As designed, the entire sports park was placed in an enterprise fund so that maintenance and operations could be efficiently shared and revenues generated at the Park would help pay its M & O. In fact, there is no other stadium complex, stand alone or in a sports park setting that approaches the positive M & O revenue/expenditure relationship that is in Rancho Cucamonga. The annual contribution from the General Fund for FY 1996-97 is projected to be $267,320. This Sports Park including the Epicenter operates in a very positive way. There is no park in the City that is as well supported financially from fee revenues as Sports Park. Had the Stadium not been built, the site would have had two additional softball fields which would have added an additional maintenance expense. At the last budget session, a suggestion was made to separate the Stadium operations under a new "Stadium Manager." It would seriously effect efficiencies to separate the operations given how services are structured. The flexibility and cost effectiveness is currently outstanding. (See Community Development Director memorandum). All recreation programs are managed by the Community Services Department and special events are managed as well. These sports programs are outstanding and special events are handled well and both Community Development and Community Services maintain effective event meetings to address each booking of the facility. To separate these staffs and place them under another supervisor would be counter- productive and inefficient. If the intent is to not disrupt the programs that are managed well but to spend more time proactively promoting more concert events and other entertainment activities at the Sports Complex, then it is an Events Manager that should be looked for. The City has not hired any individual to perform this specific task, but has added these duties to existing staff. It is recognized that any such position would be able to concentrate more effort in promoting more activities. Having said that, there must be some recognition of what exactly can be expected from such an action. This position would require appropriate compensation plus support and budget for promotions. This is the same consideration that other stadiums are faced with. Aside from several concerts put on at the Epicenter, there has been a lack of concert promoters willing to produce concerts. The production of concerts requires working capital to put up the necessary guarantees and other expenses required to put on such an event. The financial success of any one individual concert can be affected by a variety of factors, some of which are not controllable. Even dedicated concert venues will have some productions that are very profitable and those that are not. The goal at these venues is to be profitable at the end of the season regardless of the outcomes of any individual concert. Those entertainment venues operated by cities are viewed as a cultural resource and as such, it's goal is to provide entertainment as a service just as any other service in the community. Past reviews of such performing arts and concert facilities reveal a significant financial commitment from the jurisdiction. The City has always tried to find ways to maximize revenues from this community asset. The City has continued to rent the facility for any number of activities. Activities range from professional baseball, adult league play, tournaments, filming, special events, graduations, recreation programs, etc. The City can always do more to promote greater revenues. However, if it is to 6 be production of entertainment, there must be a recognized policy about whether it is a policy of providing an entertainment service with as much revenue offset as possible or whether it is an entrepreneurial venture with guarantees of profit. The distinction is important to make. The former is doable while the latter has serious constraints especially if the expectation is to never have any net expenditure of funds to produce the entertainment. This risk factor would be present even if there was a special position specializing in this task. Last year's budget contained a position of Events Coordinator that would perform many of the promotions and would directly manage the special event coordination. This position was not recruited for because of some sentiment and doubts expressed about whether a baseball stadium should be used for anything other than baseball and sports. This lingering doubt and lack of firm policy direction has led staff to not recruit for the position and it is not in the current budget proposal. Recently, after informal discussions with Council members about doing community entertainment coupled with opportunities for fund raising for sports groups, direction was given to begin looking at these programs as a service to the community like park events and other community events. This is done with the recognition that there could be a modest cost for these community programs like any other community service event for the enjoyment of the community and to generate more use of the facility. Should City Council desire a more aggressive program of entertainment, Council should provide clear policy direction accompanied by realistic expectations of the outcome as well as a clear match of budget to produce the desired outcome. A community entertainment service is a different program than a strict profit venture which carries along with it all the risk factors of any business. · Utility Tax Cap Reduction: The Cap would be reduced $1,600. CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA MEMORANDUM DATE: June 5, 1997 TO: Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager FROM: Rick Gomez, Community Development Director s e~ SUBJECT: FOOTHILL BOULEVARD MEDIANS FROM VINEYARD AVENUE TO HAVEN AVENUE Caltrans plans to install the median between Hellman Avenue and Archibald Avenue in fiscal year 1997/98. The City will contribute funds for the actual landscaping of the medians and for a portion of a traffic signal and street improvements at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Malachite Avenue. Staff has reviewed the remaining reaches to determine the cost of a fully landscaped median. Since this is a State highway, it has been our experience that many design features need to be addressed and construction costs generally run on the high side. Our proposal does not consider median construction through the bridge over Deer Creek Channel since considerable widening of the bridge must occur to the south and right-of-way will be required. This also eliminates medians west of the bridge since a long lane transition is required because of the high speeds on Foothill Boulevard. Knowing this, our proposal is to design and construct a fully landscaped median from Vineyard Avenue to Haven Avenue, except that reach Caltrans is constructing, and except that reach from and including Deer Creek Channel bridge to east of Hermosa Avenue (Kinder Care). The estimated cost for this work is 1.5 million dollars. Since the cost is of this magnitude, a three-year plan is presented beginning in FY 1997/98 (see attached Exhibit "A"). This plan has three phases, including the phase Caltrans is constructing in FY 1997/98. Revenues from various accounts were projected and are adequate to fund this three-year plan if the economy maintains its current upswing. If the plan is implemented, it is recommended $300,000 be used from the Beautification Fund, $500,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund and $610,000 from RDA. Since construction costs are much less at the westerly end of Foothill Boulevard, the plan is laid out with construction commencing from west to east. RDA potential funding was discussed with Linda Daniels, and she looked favorably upon committing funds with reservations, depending on future bond sales and other factors. JACK LAM FOOTHILL BLVD. MEDIANS FROM VINEYARD AVE. TO HAVEN AVE. June 5, 1997 Page 2 There is approximately $90,000 in outstanding liens on properties along Foothill Boulevard, and if these were collected, the funding sources would drop accordingly. However, them will be additional costs to collect these liens. If you have any questions, please call me. RG:WJO:MO:sd Attachment cc: Linda Daniels CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA MEMORANDUM DATE: August 5, 1997 TO: Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager · FROM: Rick Gomez, Community Develo nt Director / ~/-------'~ BY: William J. O'Neil, City Engine~~ ~ SUBJECT: FOOTHILL BOULEVARD FROM GROVE AVENUE TO VINEYARD AVENUE Before any beauti~cation projects (i.e. landscaped medians and parkways) can be constructed in this area, several roadway improvements should first occur. These improvements include the Grove Avenue intersection improvements and traffic signal modification, the Red Hill Country Club Drive realignment and traffic signal construction, the San Bernardino Road intersection realignment and traffic signal modification, addressing the railroad underpass and widening, the construction of the Bear Gulch storm drain, and the widening of Cucamonga Creek Bridge. All these improvements include the widening of Foothill Boulevard to six lanes, its ultimate width. The cost for a fully widened Foothill Boulevard from Grove Avenue to Vineyard Avenue is estimated to be $13 million. In January of 1997 this project was submitted as a candidate project for the State Transportation Improvement Program. If funds are not available through State financing, the City could construct it in phases as follows: Phase I - Grove Avenue to San Bernardino Road This phase would widen Foothill Boulevard to six lanes, construct a landscaped median and parkway, upgrade the Grove Avenue intersection, realign Red Hill Country Club Drive approximately 600 feet east of its current intersection with Foothill Boulevard and construct traffic signal and realignment of the San Bernardino Road/Foothill Boulevard intersection. The Bear Gulch storm drain should also be constructed at this time. Construction in this reach will entail fight-of-way acquisition. Even ifa design exemption is granted from Caltrans to reduce the required eight feet shoulders to five feet, the new curb will be within six feet of existing buildings (Magic Lamp and Vince's Restaurants). If the eight feet is required, Vince's Restaurant would probably have to be purchased at an estimated cost of $2 million. Widening at the Grove Avenue intersection will require removal of parking spaces at the Red Hill Cafe. There will be some impact along the north side of Foothill Boulevard adjacent to the Sycamore Restaurant. Estimated cost for this area between Grove Avenue and San Bemardino Road is $4 million. This cost does not include the additional $2 million for a possible acquisition of Vince's Restaurant. 7 JACK LAM FOOTHILL BLVD FROM GROVE AVE. TO VINEYARD AVE. August 5, 1997 Page 2 Phase II - San Bernardino Road to Vineyard Avenue This phase would also widen Foothill Boulevard to six lanes, construct the railroad underpass and widen the Cucamonga Creek Bridge, and construct a landscaped median and parkway. Right-of-way would be required, however there would not be much impact on existing businesses since necessary acquisition should be minimal. Estimated cost for the reach between San Bernardino Road and Vineyard Avenue is $9 million. Unless Federal or State funding becomes available, it is unlikely that City road funding could finance a project of this magnitude. A business improvement assessment district is a possibility for both areas. RG:WJP:sd Attachment 0 Q- 0 u.~ 0 n t.~ Z o ~ { N KER AVE 0 ~,.=~ CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA MEMORANDUM DATE: August 4, 1997 T~. Mayor and Members of the City Council Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager ~ FROM: Duane A. Baker, Assistant to the City M SUBJEff: HISTORY AND RELATIONSHIP OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA AND COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL For over ten years, we have contracted with San Bernardino County to provide animal control services. Until last year, the nature of that relationship has always been the same. The City has allowed the County to license dogs and collect all fees and fines related to animal control. These revenues stay with the County to offset the cost of providing the animal control service. In addition to these fees, the City also paid the County a sum of $62,700 annually to cover the rest of the operations costs. In exchange the County provided animal control services which included responding to resident calls and picking up stray or dangerous animals. Also, the County provided license canvassing where they go door to door looking for unlicensed dogs. Included in this basic service was the use of the County animal shelter in Devore. Beginning in 1989, the City started exploring alternatives to this arrangement. At the direction of the City Council at that time, staff was directed to begin work on a City Animal Shelter. The policy direction was to also initiate a City run animal control program. Between the time that design and construction started and finally finished, the recession hit the economy and the revenues began to slip as well as state raids on local revenues began in earnest. When the shelter was finally completed in 1993, the City was in no position to start an animal control program of its own that was estimated to cost approximately $650,000. Maintaining existing programs was the priority and we were not in a position to begin a new one. In 1995, staff identified a way that the shelter could be opened without a negative impact to the general fund. However, the dollars that would become available would not be enough to allow us to fund a City run program, it could allow us to open the City shelter under contract to another agency. As part of the budget proposal for fiscal year 1995/96 the city council reviewed the suggested funding plan and directed staff to present a plan to open the shelter in the fiscal year 1996/97. With this direction we set about getting proposals from agencies to run the shelter. We offered the opportunity to the Pomona Valley Humane Society and the County. The County was the only agency that came back with a responsive proposal and it was decided that their proposal would be presented to the City Council. With the County's proposal to run the shelter costing $180,700, we included the operation of the animal shelter in the fiscal year 1996/97 budget proposal. It is important to note at this point that the County has two separate contracts relating to animal services. One is the existing animal control contract for $62,700 and the second is the contract to operate the animal shelter for $180,700. In addition, the County is still allowed to collect all fees and licenses, which amount to about $150,000. A City run program would cost much more than the $62,700 and $180,700 contracts and the $150,000 in license fees combined. Thus this arrangement with the CITY/COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL RELATIONSHIP August 4, 1997 Page 2 County has enabled us to open our facility within our budget, and has allowed the County to keep their fee schedule and contract costs stable with no increases. With the approval of the fiscal year 1996/97 budget, work began on opening the shelter under contract with County staff. The animal shelter opened in September, 1996 and is quite successful. The contract as it stands now provides for the shelter to be open to the public five days a week. Public reaction to the shelter has been very favorable and adoption rates are higher than they were at the County shelter in Devore and higher than those of surrounding shelters. To date, the program has been a success. /dab attachments CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA MEMORANDUM DATE: April 25, 1995 ~.. Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager FROM: Duane A. Baker, Assistant to the City Mana SUBJECT: ANIMAL SHELTER OPTIONS We have looked at a wide range of options for possible use of the Animal Shelter. In looking at these options, it was felt that the most desirable outcome would be to open the shelter for its intended purpose of serving the animal control needs of the City. However, our examination was not limited to this as we also considered options of leasing the facility to a private party such as a veterinarian. Private Operation In the early stages of our research, we had to rule out leasing the shelter to a private party. This is due to the fact that tax exempt bonds sold by the RDA had restrictions on the percentage of funded projects that could be used by a private entity. As you are aware, our lease arrangement with the Quakes uses up the the percentage of the financed project that can be leased for a private purpose. Joint Public Use With the private sector option eliminated the focus moves to operating the shelter under public use. In this category was the possibility of pooling the resources of a number of cities to run the shelter, like a JPA. This avenue is not a promising one because the obvious partners are not interested or in a position to help assume this responsibility. Ontario is facing another deficit budget this year and are also facing a $140,000 increase to their animal control contract. When I spoke with them, Ontario was not interested in pursuing a JPA that would increase their costs and involve them directly in the animal control business. Fontana, also, was not in a financial position to take o n additional costs. Upland currently has a shelter and a program with w h i c h they are satisfied. Contract The remaining options are to contract with another agency or provide t h e service ourselves. In looking at the option of contracting out shelter operations, we asked two agencies to prepare proposals: the Pomona Valley Humane Society (PVHS) and the County. The PVHS, while very interested i n providing service to us, did not provide any numbers with their proposal. Attached for your reference is a copy of the letter that I received from the ANIMAL SHELTER OPTIONS April 25, 1995 Page 2 PVHS which relies on the fact that they would offset the cost for their program with a development and fundraising effort in the community. While PVHS has an excellent reputation with the other cities that they serve, it is impossible, as I told them, to evaluate them as a service provider at this time. The other proposal that we received was from the County. This proposal outlines the cost to operate the shelter with 5, 6 and 7 days of operation. Outlined below are the costs outlined by the County. In addition, I have also listed all additional costs to arrive at a total figure. 7 days/wk 6 days/wk 5 days/wk Shelter Operations 276,000 231,600 165,100 Animal Ctrl. Operations 62,700 62,700 62,700 City Janitorial & Maint. 25,504 22,148 18,975 Utilities 48,000 46,000 44,000 Total Annual Cost: 412,204 362,448 290,775 Capital Costs 32,000 32,000 32,000 Currently, the City budgets $75,000 for animal control services and we are paying a certain amount for utilities at the shelter now. If you subtract these current costs from the figures above, you arrive at the additional funds needed annually to operate the shelter. For a 7 day operation the additional amount is $330,004; for a 6 day operation the additional amount is $280,248; and for a 5 day operation the amount is $208,575. The County currently provides 7 day service at their shelter in Devore. While we did not receive a dollar amount from the PVHS for their service, it would probably be a bit more costly than the County's proposal. The City of Ontario has a contract with PVHS which costs them $200,000 annually and is about to be increased by another $140,000 although some of the increase will be offset by higher fees. If PVHS were to contract with us, the cost of the program would be higher than the amount charged to Ontario because of the additional costs associated with staffing and operating our shelter. Ontario currently uses the PVHS shelter in Pomona. City Operation Providing the service ourselves is also a costly option. The annual costs to operate the shelter and provide animal control services are estimated a t $501,720 for a 7 day operation. This amount is after deducting an estimated $150,000 from license fees and revenue to offset operating costs. Conclusion Currently, the least costly alternative to opening our shelter is to contract with the County of San Bernardino. This has two main benefits to the community. The first benefit is that residents can use a local shelter without having to drive to Devore. the second benefit is that animal control response times and coverage of the City will be improved as officers will not be "down" as long because they won't have to drive to Devore. However, the minimum ANIMAL SHELTER OPTIONS April 25, 1995 Page 3 amount necessary to open the shelter would be over $200,000. During a period when we are trying to balance our budget, pay for increased labor costs and reduce the utility tax I am not sure we can support an additional $200,000 i n costs to the General Fund this year. This is the best information we have at this time. I believe that the City Council should not commit to a contract with either provider at this time. /dab cc: Bob Dominguez, Administrative Services Director Jerry Fulwood, Deputy City Manager CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA MEMORANDUM DATE: February 29, 1996 TO. Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager SUBJECT: ARTICLE ON FUNDING FOR ANIMAL SHELTER Today's article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin discussed the animal shelter and 800 MHz radio funds that will become available to fund a contract to operate the shelter. As you will recall, last year during our budget process we discussed possibilities for the animal shelter and at that time identified these funds and their use to operate the shelter. The article in today's paper was unclear on a couple of points. First it seems from the article that the City would hire staff to run the shelter when it would really be an expansion of our contract with San Bernardino County. Second, the article makes it seem that these funds are an unexpected windfall. These funds were identified last year and we were directed to include in this year's budget a plan to open the shelter with those funds. The budget process is begun and this item will be presented to you along with the rest of the budget in the coming months. Please let me know if you have any questions in the meantime. JL/dab CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA STAFF REPORT DATE: August 21, 1996 TO:. Mayor and Members of the City Council Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager FROM: Duane A. Baker, Assistant to the City Manager SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF AMENDED CONTRACT FOR ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES W1TH THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the amended contract with San Bernardino County for animal control services. This contract is essentially identical to the current contract which was approved in 1990. The contract has some minor language changes in relation to liability, as recommended by the City Attorney. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS The City currently contracts with San Bernardino County for animal control services. The current contract was signed in 1990 and is for $62,700 annually. The new contract amount does not change and the language is essentially identical to the current contract. The only changes to the contract's language are some minor adjustments regarding liability. These changes were requested by our City Attorney and were included in the new contract by the County. As the current contract has been meeting the needs of the community at a cost that is lower than for any other surrounding community, staff recommends adoption of the amended contract. Duane A. Baker Assistant to the City Manager /dab CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA STAFF REPORT DATE: August 21, 1996 Mayor and Members of the City Council Jack Lain, AICP, City Manager FROM: Duane A. Baker, Assistant to the City Manager SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF CONTRACT FOR ANIMAL SHELTER SERVICES WITH THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the contract with San Bernardino County for animal shelter services. This contract is the result of City Council action when the FY 96/97 budget was approved. The contract will provide for the operation of the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter by the County of San Bernardino. The contract amount is not to exceed $180,700 and will be funded from account 01-4162- 6028. These funds were made available when the debt service for part of the 800 MHz radio system was paid off. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS When the 1996/97 budget was approved by the City Council, staff was directed to enter into a contract with San Bernardino County to operate our animal shelter, which was built in 1993. The contract being approved tonight is the result of that action. This contract will open the animal shelter for five days a week from Tuesday through Saturday. It will also provide for coordination of City volunteers with the County operation. When our shelter is open, residents will no longer have to drive to Devore to find a lost pet. Also, animal control officers will be able to spend more time patrolling the streets and responding to calls for service and less time transporting animals to the shelter. In addition to the improved service and convenience for our residents, this contract will allow our shelter to open without increasing the General Fund budget. This is accomplished as the result of some fortunate timing. For the past five years, the City has been paying for its portion of a new radio communications system. The largest part of those payments were completed last year. This made those funds available for opening the animal shelter without the need for additional revenue sources. This contract follows the City Council's direction and provides for a very cost effective way to improve services to our residents by opening our animal shelter. R~' 7C Submitted / b uane A. Baker Assistant to the City Manager CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA STAFF REPORT DATE: November 6, 1996 T~. Mayor and Members of the City Council Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager FROM: Duane A. Baker, Assistant to the City Manager SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ANIMAL CARE FACILITY The first month of operation for the Animal Care Facility has been a success. The month has seen tremendous community support as well as media support. Opening on September 24, 1996, the Animal Care Facility has taken in 171 dogs and 210 cats to date. Of these animals, 78 dogs and 47 cats have either been adopted out to new homes or reunited with their owners. This is an adoption/return rate of 32.8%. Our goal is 100% and we will make great strides towards that goal with the help of the community, dedicated staff and volunteers. Part of the facility's success is due to people knowing of its existence. Prior to and since opening, the Animal Care Facility has been the beneficiary of articles in the San Bernardino Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. An article also appeared in the last issue of the Grapevine and will be followed up by articles in the upcoming Grapevine. These articles have been about the facility's location, phone number, hours and volunteer opportunities. These written notices have also been followed by announcements on our PEG channel, RCTV-3. You might have seen one of these announcements which includes the picture of one of the puppies available for adoption. This publicity has been very helpful. To date, over 600 individuals have visited the facility and over 750 people have called to ask about animals and adoptions. I believe these numbers will increase as more people come into contact with facility through activities at the Epicenter or Adult Sports Complex. The location of the facility in such a public place is a definite benefit as it will increase awareness and adoptions. Other forms of outreach include a web page and appearances at community events. Thanks to our volunteers, the Animal Care Facility was able to gain a great deal of exposure at the Grape Harvest Festival. Volunteers brought a puppy to the booth at the Festival and answered questions as well as raised awareness about the Animal Care Facility, pet adoptions and humane education issues. This Was the first of many community events to come. When the web page is completed, it will feature pictures of pets for adoption as well as volunteer opportunities. It will be just one more way for residents to get information on adopting a pet. ANIMAL CARE FACILITY UPDATE November 6, 1996 Page 2 As with other City operations, the paid staff is able to provide a basic level of service and the extra services that make the program superior are made possible by volunteers. The volunteers at the Animal Care Facility will provide services such as pet grooming, basic pet training, adoption counseling, and exercise for the animals. During the first month of operation, we have a had a few volunteers assisting us with animal grooming. However, the potential is much greater. We have on file the names of 30 other individuals who are ready to assist with their time and talent and this is just the beginning. The contract staff has used this first month to get their procedures worked out and to get used to the new facility. Now that they have their feet wet, they are prepared to begin orientation and training for the majority of volunteers. These orientations will be held on a regular basis and will help insure that the volunteer experience is a positive one for the volunteer and a beneficial one for the City and the animals. The first orientation is scheduled for the end of November 1996. Since opening, the Animal Care Facility has enjoyed success and support from the community and volunteers. This is just the beginning for this facility as the continued energy and support from the community propel it forward to even better service to our residents and the animals they love. Duane A. Baker Assistant to the City Manager /dab CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA MEMORANDUM DATE: July 30, 1997 TO: Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager FROM: Suzanne Ota, Community Services Manager SUBJECT: Senior Citizen Van Transportation On July 29, 1997, I met with Al Neuman President of the RC/Ontario Service Club to discuss the possibility of this service club providing van transportation for senior citizens to and from the Senior Center. I indicated to him that we were looking into the possibility of finding a surplus City van for this purpose. The van we're looking at would seat 7 passengers and the driver. The senior transportation program we discussed is as follows: 1. The hours of service would be between 9 am to 3 pm, Mondays through Fridays to bring senior citizens to the Senior Center for Nutrition meals from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. This would entail 2 trips in the morning and 2 trips in the afternoons. AI stated he would use between 7 to 10 volunteer drivers to cover this service. 2. We would need dispatch services to take reservations for the transportation service. We'd probably want to set this up at the Senior Center and take reservations at least 24 hours in advance. A1 said he'd have 2 to 3 volunteers for this. 3. The Service Club would provide a $1 million public liability and automobile insurance coverage for the van and their volunteer drivers and would maintain the vehicle. 4. We agreed that there should be an agreement for this program, and the agreement would stipulate that the City is donating that van for the primary purpose of providing senior citizen transportation during the times required by the City. If the service club is unable to provide this service, the van is to be returned to the City. A1 stated that the RC/Ontario Service Club has 149 members and 14 retired members. I told A1 I'd discuss our meeting with you and get back to him. He said that if we wish to proceed with the program, he would want to take the agreement to his Board for review and approval. Their next Board meeting is Wednesday, August 13, 1997. Joe O'Neil and I spoke to Susan Stark about this matter. She indicated that the vehicle replacement fund was targeted for specific future vehicle replacements. Joe and I suggested that perhaps in future year budgets we could extend the replacement time and/or increase the vehicle replacement amounts to cover this van replacement for FY 1997-98. Respectfull ' , ta Comtrnunity Services Mananger cc: Jerry Fulwood, Deputy City Manager Susan Stark, Finance Officer Rick Gomez, Community Development Director Joe O'Neil, City Engineer