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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013/11/06 - Agenda Packet - Special ,s,c,, . r_., ;.....:,,,,r; "0 a of .. cH ___ ______., . IN 0 66 ik V AGENDA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING Wednesday, November 6, 2013 4- 3:30 p.m. City Hall 4- Tri-Communities Room 10500 Civic Center Drive 4 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 A. CALL TO ORDER: Al. Pledge of Allegiance A2. Roll Call: Mayor Michael Mayor Pro Tern Spagnolo Council Members Alexander, Steinorth and Williams B. COMMUNICATION FROM THE PUBLIC: This is the time and place for the general public to address the City Council on any item listed on the agenda. 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 or less, as deemed necessary by the Mayor, depending upon the number of individuals desiring to speak. All communications are to be addressed directly to the Mayor and not to the members of the audience. This is a professional business meeting and courtesy and decorum are expected. Please refrain from any debate between audience and speaker, making loud noises, or engaging in any activity which might be disruptive to the decorum of the meeting. C. ITEMS OF DISCUSSION: C1. DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE CITY'S WEST-SIDE LANDSCAPING AND STREET LIGHTING DISTRICTS D. ADJOURNMENT I, Debra L. McNay, Records Manager/Assistant City Clerk, of the City of Rancho Cucamonga, hereby certify that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on October 31, 2013, per Government Code 54954.2 at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. P1 STAFF REPORT t ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES GROUP 1417 RANCHO Date: November 6, 2013 CUCAMONGA To: Mayor and Members of the City Council John R. Gillison, City Manager From: Lori Sassoon, Deputy City Manager/Administrative Services Subject: DISCUSSION REGARDING WEST-SIDE PARKS AND STREET LIGHTING MAINTENANCE DISTRICTS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS During the month of September, the City Council held two workshop discussions to review a proposed plan to replace several of the City's financially-distressed parks and street lighting assessment districts with eight new community-based districts. The Council directed staff to begin an extensive community engagement effort regarding the issues and options, culminating in a telephone survey in early 2014. The results of the survey work will be used to gauge the community's perspective on these issues, and with that information, help the Council determine whether or not to proceed with Prop 218 mail ballot processes to seek approval for the new districts. At the last workshop on September 17, a number of questions were raised regarding the proposed survey methodology and options. At the workshop on November 6, our survey firm representative will be in attendance to give an overview presentation and answer the Council's questions regarding the survey, its proposed structure, and options for consideration. In addition, several members of the Council expressed interest in an alternative rate structure that would build in funds for additional one-time capital investments that would be made in these districts if the new districts are approved. Staff has explored the possibility of this alternative scenario that would be structured as follows: 1. A capital improvement list would be created for each district. The list could include any number of projects, including new or additional parkway landscaping, facility refurbishment, ballfield and lighting upgrades, replacement of park amenities, drought tolerant landscaping, and so forth. The specific uses of funds do not need to be identified at this time. 2. Upon property owner approval of a new district, the district could obtain a temporary advance to fund these capital projects. The advance would be structured as an inter-fund loan from other City monies. State law provides for the use of temporary advances in assessment districts, and their repayment through annual assessments, upon the adoption of a resolution specifying the uses of the funds and terms of repayment. 3. The repayment of this temporary advance is made as part of the newly-approved assessment rates. When the advance is completely repaid, that annual debt service expense is removed from the District budget, and rates would adjust downward accordingly at that time. Attachment A shows a comparison between the single-family Zone 1 rates as originally proposed, and alternative rates that build in this capital funding. The capital funding amounts are based on deferred maintenance and improvement projects identified by staff, but again, they could be used for any known improvements in these areas; no projects were proposed in the South Rancho and Gentry P2 November 6, 2013 zones, which are primarily commercial/industrial in nature. The rates in the alternative option assume an interest rate of 3% and repayment over 15 years for the temporary advance. We look forward to discussing this important issue and getting further direction from the City Council. A map of the proposed districts and an FAQ on the project are attached for your reference during the discussion. 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W ," ` z WU' 1 0 ° Q °may uewlleH Q N Y 0 0......e.0 Ay uewlleH I I I L • = W v' 0 tii t H Z Y Q w W_D Q O`= 4.Z m O'a N Ayp.leAsul IS uepawea' I I J I = 0 �..-, mow�// •- I 'v.) ' -�---J--•� 5- '- A 0 A le - -- i L---- II cc :j11I a ,L �, { m m I:Ii i,:Ir ;II,:,111' II, t I :iiiiiiii1 P5 Frequently Asked Questions about Neighborhood Parks and Street Lighting _ RANCHO Q: What is the issue? ,RANCHO A: Local parks, street lighting, greenery, trails help maintain the safety and character of our neighborhoods, schools, parks, and commercial areas – keeping them vibrant, beautiful and desirable places to live and do business. Unfortunately many of Rancho Cucamonga's community maintenance districts that support these neighborhood benefits no longer have sufficient funds to adequately maintain local street lighting. parks, and landscaping. Q: How are local parks and trails What areas of the City are affected? impacted? !! 4 t A: Rancho Cucamonga is a family-friendly community,with hundreds of children I NIP and families enjoying local neighborhood NERfTAOEPARKZONE — — parks. Additional funding is needed to �� ' 1 I • ensure that park bathrooms are clean, BERYL PARIK ZONE .-■ playgrounds are safe, park lighting is ANo maintained, and other park facilities can HURONEAR �• �K continue to be enjoyed for years to come. ■ �AND Our miles of trails are used for recreation ■' away from speeding cars. Whether used • • as equestrian trails or to provide our kids �,. `�{ ; �1 AIM ayr 0 with safe paths to school, we need to : • ensure they are maintained for safety. 7 , I Q: What are neighborhood street lighting safety needs? A: Street lighting assists in keeping the City's neighborhood streets safe. Additional funds are needed to continue to repair and replace damaged street lights and maintain them to ensure safe, walkable neighborhoods and deter crime. Well-lit neighborhood streets allow drivers to better see traffic signs, pedestrians and bicyclists at night–avoiding serious injuries. Properly maintained street lighting also helps police officers and firefighters easily locate a resident's home in an emergency. Q: Are there local business needs? A: Maintaining the safety and character of local neighborhoods and commercial districts is critical to supporting and retaining local businesses and encouraging new businesses to locate here. Our city supports a diverse business community with neighborhood-serving retail, corporate offices, and industrial facilities whose property assessments fund essential street lighting and commercial corridor landscaping to maintain a welcoming, safe environment for customers and employees. Q: What can be done? A: The assessments paid by property owners to maintain local parks, street lighting,trails, and greenery along neighborhood thoroughfares have not changed since 1993 and are no longer sufficient to address the needs. Additionally, we must ensure that unique neighborhood priorities are addressed and that each property owner is paying a fair rate, while clearly understanding the services they are receiving for their assessment dollars. The City will be gathering input from homeowners and local businesses on their priorities for parks and street lights in their area. We are developing a plan to ensure that every property owner assessment goes directly to support services only for their local area and its specific needs. The P6 City Council looks forward to getting feedback on this updated system to simplify and streamline community maintenance districts to provide greater equity and transparency and to effectively address the lack of funding for parks and street lighting needs. Q. How is fiscal accountability and oversight being addressed? A: All revenues from these local maintenance districts must be deposited into a separate fund that, by law, can only be spent to maintain or improve the local area's parks, trails, greenery, and street lighting. All funds must stay in Rancho Cucamonga and can't be taken by Sacramento. Annual independent audits will be published for public review, and a Citizens' Oversight Committee will monitor expenditures and ensure all funds are spent as promised. Q: How would additional funds maintain local parks and street lighting? A: Additional funds would continue to maintain and improve local parks and street lights by: • Removing graffiti from park buildings, street lights and along trails • Maintaining parks, playground equipment and cleaning park restrooms • Fixing broken sprinklers in parks and along trails • Cleaning up trash • Maintaining street lights for safety • Repairing and replacing damaged or burnt-out street lights • Keeping street lights on • Maintaining landscaping along busy thoroughfares Q: How can my neighborhood benefit specifically? A: Impacted neighborhoods have been organized into eight community areas that have similar parks and lighting needs. Key neighborhood needs include: Heritage Park: Continuing to keep this beautiful park well-maintained and well-lit; ensuring recreation facilities like the equestrian center, ball fields, picnic shelters, and park playgrounds are well cared for; preserving neighborhood greenery and "open-space" way of life Beryl Park: Keeping park sports fields, tennis courts, playgrounds, and restrooms clean and well- maintained; keeping trails well-maintained; and maintaining neighborhood green belts and lighting Hermosa and Church Street Parks: Keep neighborhoods well-lit and safe; maintain neighborhood parks for sports and recreation programs; ensure commercial corridor greenery is well-maintained Lions Park and Red Hill: Keeping roads on The Hill well-lit and safe; ensuring Red Hill Park's sports fields, facilities and beautiful landscaping is kept clean and well-maintained; maintaining Lions Park and its tennis courts; maintaining street lighting in neighborhoods for safety Bear Gulch Park: Ensuring park and facilities are clean, graffiti free and well-maintained and that surrounding neighborhood streets are well-lit for safety Old Town/Golden Oak Park: Ensuring parks remain clean, graffiti free and well-maintained neighborhood gathering spaces and that surrounding neighborhoods are well-lit for safety South Rancho Business Zone: Maintaining essential street lighting for safety for apartment buildings, local businesses and industrial properties Gentry Business Zone: Maintaining essential street lighting for safety of homeowners adjacent to industrial areas and to protect local business properties. Q: How can I find out more information? A: For information about these issues, please visit www.cityofrc.us/districts or contact Dean Rodia, Parks & Landscape Maintenance Superintendent at (909) 477-2730. Updated 10/3/13