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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005/04/26 - Minutes - Spec (Hayden Law) April 26, 2005 CiTY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Special Meeting A. CALL TO ORDER A special meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council was held on Tuesday, April 26, 2005, in the Council Chambers of the Civic Center located 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Mayor Williams J. Alexander called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. Present were Councilmembers: Rex Gutierrez, L. Dennis Michael, Sam Spagnolo, Diane Williams (arrived at 1:56 p.m.) and Mayor William J. Alexander. Aisc present were: Jack Lam, City Manager; Pamela Easter, Deputy City Manager; James Markman, City Attorney; Chief Peter Bryan, Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District, Captain Pete Ortiz, Police Department; Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst Ill; Kimberly Thomas, Management Analyst III; Kathy Scott, Deputy City Clerk; and Debra J. Adams, City Clerk. [ B. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS II No communication was made from the public. [ C. ITEM(S) OF BUSINESS 1] C1. PRESENTATION BY TAIMIE BRYANT RE THE HAYDEN LAW Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst III, reported to the Council that Taimie Bryant, a law professor at UCLA Law School, has been involved in the writing of the Hayden Law and would be informing the Council about that. Taimie Bryant reported she started working on this project because of a request from Senator Tom Hayden. She informed the Council of the process they went through to study and develop this. Mayor Alexander felt animal shelter staff should be familiar with what is in the Hayden Law. Ms. Bryant agreed but stated this is very complex because there are many cross-references pertaining to this in order to get all of the information. She stated she is working to make this easier for people to find out about it. Mayor Alexander inquired what reasonable vet care was. Ms. BrYant stated reasonable is providing care to the animal so the owner can reclaim it. She felt the Hayden Law set the benchmark for the operation of animal shelters. Special City Council Meeting Minutes April 26, 2005 Page 2 Councilmember Williams arrived at 1:56 p.m. Councilmember Gutierrez inquired about the care a vet would provide. Ms. Bryant felt there should be a job description in order to develop policies for the appropriate vet care. ACTION: Report received and filed. C2. DISCUSSION OF ANIMAL RELATED ISSUES - MICROCHIPPING AND VETERINARIAN SERVICE,c, A staff report was presented by Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst III on microchipping. Mayor Alexander opened the item for public comment. Addressing the City Council were: Nicole Myerchin commented on the microchipping in the City of Upland stating there is no registration fee. She felt $9.70 total would be more accurate cost for the microchipping of animals. She felt possibly charging non-residents $15.00 was another option to consider. She felt the AVID program was a good thing, but to give Rancho Cucamonga residents a break on the cost. She continued to comment on several incidents that have occurred at the.animal shelter, which she did not feel should have happened with quarantined animals. Ms. Bryant felt there is a misunderstanding of what care for the animals means. Councilmember Michael felt some of the problems at the shelter have been because the contract is not clearly defined. He felt some of the problems Ms. Myerchin is pointing out should be talked about at another meeting. Ms. Bryant felt the question is what is reasonable care and felt possibly there is a question on the interpretation of the law. She felt the contract should identify what the care level should be. Mayor Alexander suggested these types of issues come back at a future meeting. Ms. Myerchin stated that was fine as long as this can be discussed further. Councilmember Spagnolo inquired of Ms. Myerchin if she has shared this information with the County. Ms. Myerchin stated she has and that she has also shared it with the City Manager's office. Ms. Bryant stated she is willing to help the City come u~ with a contract for animal services. Ms. Myerchin stated she appreciated the attendance of Ms. Bryant and would like to discuss some of the care issues at the shelter at a future meeting. John Lyons, Etiwanda, felt Ms. Bryant's presentation was excellent and stated he did not think Senator Tom Hayden was a hero. Dan Avera, County Public Health, stated the contract with the City was approved in 1998 and felt it should be looked at again. He stated he would like to know what the City Council's policies are. Councilmember Gutierrez asked if the County abides by the Hayden Law as part of their policy. Special City Council Meeting Minutes April 26, 2005 Page 3 Mr. Avera stated it is state law and that whatever he would commit to would have to be approved by the Board o1 Supervisors. Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst III, stated Upland has someone that donates the chips for the dogs and that is why their cost is less for Upland residents. She stated a Rancho Cucamonga resident that goes to Upland would have to pay $35.00, and that our City is only proposing $15.00. MOTION: Moved by Michael, seconded by Williams to approve staff's recommendation to microchip cats and dogs and to allocate the funds from fund balance in the amount of $5,000 in order to match HOPE's share for the microchipping. Motion carried unanimously 5-0. A recess was taken at 3:05 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 3:18 p.m. with all Councilmembers present. A staff report was presented by Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst III on veterinarian services. Councilmember Spagnolo felt we need to get into some level of vet care, but not until we know about the needs by studying this more. Councilmember Michael stated he agreed with Councilmember Spagnolo about getting into this gradually and would like to see what the County can offer for veterinarian services. Mayor Alexander stated he felt both the City and the County are responsible for the lack of veterinarian services. He felt the vet services should be enhanced to meet the standards of the Hayden Law at a minimum. He felt this should come back for further consideration. Councilmember Williams felt something creative should be done for veterinarian care for the present time. Mayor Alexander opened the meeting for public comment. Addressing the City Council were: Nicole Myerchin stated she had Dr. Robert Mason come to the shelter and tour the facility. She felt a contract veterinarian should be hired. Councilmember Williams asked what the trap, neuter and return program was. Ms. Myerchin stated Tompkins County does not kill any animals. She stated what she suggests is that the animal is neutered and then returned to its owner instead of being killed. Councilmember Gutierrez asked when Nathan Winograd's study would be completed. Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst III, stated it would start in June. Councilmember Michael felt the city should make inquiries of local vets and Cai Poly to see if there are people that can help in coordinating this with the County's contract. Councilmember Williams stated she agreed, but felt someone needed to be available to identify if an animal is sick on site. Mayor Alexander stated he would like to involve a local veterinarian in this. Special City Council Meeting Minutes April 26, 2005 Page 4 Pamela Easter, Deputy City Manager, stated if the County provided vet services it would be par[ time only and not be available to make assessments when needed. Councilmember Gutierrez felt we should see how much money we have and then negotiate a contract. Councilmember Williams asked if we have talked to our local vets and see what quality care would be. MOTION: Moved by Alexander, seconded by Gutierrez for staff to work with Nicole Myerchin to establish a service level over the next four months to bring it back as soon as possible. Motion carried unanimously 5-0. C3. DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION Councilmember Spagnolo stated most of our important work done in the City has been done through our Commissions, i.e., the Library Board, Park and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission, including from the past, the Public Safety Commission. He stated he would like to see the Public Safety Commission re-established because of the new challenges the City faces. He stated the 210 Freeway, the Mall and the growth in the community bring new challenges to the City. Mayor Alexander stated he knows the previous Public Safety Commission took a lot of staff time, but that public safety is a priority of the City. Councilmember Spagnolo stated the animal control issue is a public safety issue and could have been handled by the Public Safety Commission. Mayor Alexander stated he wanted to make sure the streets and roadways are maintained. He felt something in the form of a Public Safety commission is advisable and that it would not have to stay in existence forever. Councilmember Spagnolo agreed. Councilmember Williams asked what would the role be of the City Council. Councilmember Spagnolo stated the same as it as when the previous commission was in existence. Mayor Alexander stated the Public Safety Commission in the past did a lot of good towards things we are currently enjoying. He stated Clyde Boyd had some very good ideas in the past, even though at the time it was very controversial. Councilmember Spagnolo stated the reason the City formed the Public Safety Commission in the past was emergency response program, the Emergency Operations Center, and traffic issues. Councilmember Williams felt it was the City's responsibility to li~ten to the residents that have concerns. She felt town hall meetings should be held all over the City once a month where people can sit with the Council around a table to discuss their concerns. She stated she would like to be the one to meet with the people instead of passing this off to a commission. She felt it was her responsibility to the people to be involved in this. She felt town hall sessions would be a great way to meet constituents. Councilmember Gutierrez asked why the Public Safety Commission disbanded and felt it was Dennis Stout that disbanded it. Mayor Alexander stated it was Dennis Stout that started it and disbanded it. Special City Couneil Meeting Minutes April 26, 2005 Page .5 Councilmember Gutierrez felt this commission would be very political and bold. He did not know how staff can handle another commission until it replenishes those that have been lost. He felt the town hall meetings would be very informative for the Council. He felt with all the issues involving public safety, these matters should be discussed with the whole Council. He stated he is concerned about the current fire department response time. Councilmember Michael stated he appreciates what Councilmember Spagnolo has asked for. He stated in May 1993 the City Council eliminated the Environmental Management and the Public Safety Commissions. He stated at that time, the Public Safety Commission was costing the City $340,000 to run it. He felt a lot of things were done because of the Public Safety Commission, but would have been done anyway even without it. He felt the money it cost to run the Public Safety Commission in the past could be better used now on actual services. He stated he had staff do a surveyto see what cities have Public Safety Commissions, and that Hesperia is the only City that does. He felt the City Council has a responsibility for service levels, and that if there is a sensitive issue to be discussed that a task force be developed to work on it as was done for the Route 30 Freeway. He stated it was one of the goals of the City Council to do a comprehensive review of public safety. Mayor Alexander stated he questions the cost of $340,000 from the past to run the Public Safety Commission. He felt the Commission did a lot of good work. He did not feel the whole City Council should have to deal with all public safety issues and mentioned how hard it is to get everyone together. He stated he does not care what other cities do as far as public safety because he wants Rancho Cucamonga to be the safest City around. Mayor Alexander opened the meeting for public comment. Addressing the City Council were: John Lyons stated he used to go to the Public Safety Commission meetings and felt they got a lot accomplished. He did not feel it was the same forum at the City Council meetings as was done at the Public Safety Commission meetings. He felt the Public Safety Commission was very informative. He stated wages and benefits were never discussed. He felt limits could be put on staff time for the Public Safety Commission as far as when they meet and length of the meetings. Bill McCliman asked why it cost $340,000 to run the Public Safety Commission. Councilmember Michael stated it was part of a staff report and the cost to run every commission in the City was included in that report. He stated this was staff time used which took away from other things. Mr. MeCliman stated he did not feel it would cost the City any more money to run the Commission. He talked about the response times for the fire department. He stated crime is up. He felt there should be a commission to look at things properly. He stated just because there is a Public Safety Commission does not mean the City Council ignores their responsibility. He stated the Public Safety Commission could make recommendations to the full Council about various things. He stated he would like to see the Commission be comprised of five people. Nicole Myerchin stated felt the Public Safety Commission would be a group that would make suggestions to the City Council and that she supported this. Councilmember Gutierrez wanted to make sure the City discusses response times at the next meeting. He felt it would take longer to get to the bottom of the response time issue by running it through a Public Safety Commission. He felt the Council would come to a solution quicker. Councilmember Spagnolo felt it is good to look at other communities to see what works for them, but felt ultimately it is the responsibility of the Council to do what is the best thing for this community. Special City Council Meeting Minutes April 26, 2005 Page 6 MOTION: Moved by Spagnolo, seconded by Alexander to re-establish a Public Safety Commission for the purpose of addressing important safety issues facing our community, including but not limited to police and fire services, traffic safety and disaster preparedness. He stated the Commission would be comprised of seven members, all residents of Rancho Cucamonga. He stated one member would be professional police, one member would be professional fire, and one member with professional paramedic. He stated there would be four members from the general public, each member representing a quadrant of this community- one from the northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast. He stated all members would be serving two-year terms in accordance with our current practices for filling Commission seats. Councilmember Williams felt she would like to discuss these issues directly with the people. She stated she liked the idea of community meetings every month or every other month. She stated she cannot support this. Councilmember Michael stated we compare to other cities to compare benchmarks. He stated he felt the staff needs to focus putting personnel on the streets. He did not feel the Commission was critical at this time. Motion fails 2-3 (Gutierrez, Michael, Williams voted no). I D. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Moved by Spagnolo, seconded by Williams to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 4:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted, City Clerk Approved: June 1, 1005