Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991/02/26 - Minutes - Joing (School Districts) February 26, 1991 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Joint Meeting Between the City Council and the School Districts A. C~T.'r, TO ORDER A joint meeting of the City Council of the City of Rancho Cucamonga and the Etiwanda School District, Alta Loma School District, Cucamonga School District, Central School, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, and Chaffey College was held on Tuesday, February 26, 1991 in the Tri-Communities Conference Room of the Civic Center, located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem William J. Alexander. Present were Councilmembers: Mayor Pro Tem William J. Alexander, Charles J. Buquet II, Diane Williams, Pamela J. Wright, and Mayor Dennis L. Stout (arrived 8:20 p.m.). Also present were: Jack Lam, City Manager; Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manager; Rick Gomez, Community Development Director; Brad Buller, City Planner; Otto Kroutil, Deputy City Planner; Larry Henderson, Principal Planner; Alan Warren, Associate Planner; Joe O'Neil, City Engineer; Joe Schultz, Community Services Director; and Jan Sutton, Deputy City Clerk. Present from Etiwanda School District were Boardmembers: Cecilia Solorio, Dave Long, Andy Solorzano, Marry Pruitt, and Superintendent Carl Lightfoot. Present from Alta Loma School District were Boardmembers: Bob Tangeman, Walt Collins, Sandy Oerly, Patti Geye and Superintendent Ray Montgomery. Present from Cucamonga School District were Boardmembers: Lori Barrios, Luis Gonzalez, and Phillip Tenpenny. Present from Central School District was Boardmember: Debbie Baker; Superintendent Sonja Yates, and Assistant Superintendent Ingrid Vogel. Present from Chaffey Joint Union High School District was Boardmember: Kathy Kinley. Present from Chaffey College were Boardmembers: Jim Barton, Isabel Scully, Paul Treadway, and Paul Gomez; Don Berz, Executive Vice President; Dennis Chuning, Vice President of Business; Jim Anderson, Vice President Planning and Development; Steve Menzel, Vice President Human Resources; and Jerry Young, President. City Council/School District Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 2 Mayor Pro Tem Alexander stated they were here tonight to discuss items of mutual interest between the City and the School Districts, and welcomed the Boardmembers who were in attendance. JOINT ITEMS OF DISCUSSION B1. ETIWANDA SCHOOL DISTRICT - Sidewalk on South Side of Victoria Between Etiwanda and East Avenues. (1405-03 SCHOOLS) (1110-10 SIDWLK PI) Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, stated they wanted to address the problem that with their bus loading areas on Victoria Avenue, when the students from Etiwanda High School are going to and from the school, there are no sidewalks for the students to walk on and it was not uncommon for them to walk down the street in groups and block traffic. He felt it created a problem both for traffic and for their School District. He stated the City has improved a portion of the south side of Victoria Avenue with sidewalks, and they would like to find out if they fall in the category to qualify for redevelopment funds for the improvements because the School District could not afford to put in the improvements themselves. He stated he wanted to have this done before a student was injured, and felt it would help keep the students off the street, not only from the intermediate school, but also from the High School. He stated that even though this is creating a problem for their school buses accessing the school, they were primarily concerned with the safety of the students. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander asked if the property in question was owned by the school. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, stated it was not. He stated the City had improved the north side of Victoria, and they wanted to find out what it would take to have the south side improved. They wanted to know since this was an older section of town, was it in the redevelopment area. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated that section was not in the City's redevelopment area so they would not be eligible for funds from that source. He stated the School District receives funds yearly from the Agency, and they could use those funds for whatever purpose they desire. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, stated the School District would not be financially able to handle the project of putting in a half mile of curb and gutter. Councilmember Wright stated she thought the 'improvements on the north side of Victoria had been done through an Assessment District. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated there were negotiations involved in the construction of the north side, and the portion that was done on the south side was installed because of a development that went in and paid for it. City Council/School Districts Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 3 Councilmember Wright stated that usually the street improvements are put in by the developer when a project was being developed, or through some type of Assessment District, and that they do not have a fund available for installing street improvements. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, asked what funds were used for the street improvements on the north side of Victoria. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated they would have to look that up, but he knew they were not redevelopment funds. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander felt this issue could not be solved that night. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, stated they did not expect it to be resolved immediately, but they wanted to bring it to the attention of the Council to see what could be done. He felt this issue also affected the Chaffey Joint Union High School District for the students that attended Etiwanda High School. Councilmember Wright stated possibly this could be studied by the Public Safety Commission in conjunction with the City Manager's office, and they could work with the School District on trying to find some way of addressing this problem. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, stated that would be satisfactory. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander asked when were the payments made to the Districts by the Redevelopment Agency. Carl Lightfoot, Superintendent ESD, stated usually they were sent in July or August. Councilmember Buquet felt they had a start on it here, and felt it was imperative that while they were having the Public Safety Commission review the situation, they work out the details of how it can be accomplished. Me felt the logistics needed to be worked out, such as a funding source, right-of-way acquisition, etc. He felt the Districts also needed to work collectively on changing the way the state funds improvements. He also stated another thing to remember was that even if they can get the sidewalk installed, it did not guarantee that the students would use it. Councilmember Wright felt they needed to recognize this was a problem that needed to be dealt with, but that this was not the proper forum for dealing with it, and that perhaps the Public Safety Commission would be able to address it better. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, stated he just wanted to be sure that this issue was considered a priority for the safety of the students. Patti Geye, Boardmember ALSD, stated all Districts have safety problems at one time or another, and asked what process should they go through to have them addressed. City Council/School District Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 4 Councilmember Wright felt that most problems could be handled through the superintendent and the City Manager. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander stated that when a problem was recognized, they could also approach the Public Safety Commission. Luis Gonzalez, Boardmember Cucamonga SD, stated that if in the future the City sees a problem such as this, could they require the developer to take care of it. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander stated that is done with the property that the developer is actually working on. Councilmember Buquet stated they can only require the developer to install improvements within a certain range of the development. Lori Barrios, Boardmember Cucamonga SD, also referred to the problem of the closed development at Hellman Avenue and Sixth Street, that since Hellman Avenue floods whenever it rains, they have no place to stop the buses for the children from that tract on those occasions. They would like to see addressed the requirement of bus turnarounds in new developments so that children could be dropped off inside the developments instead of on busy streets. Councilmember Wright stated in that particular development it was designed for fire trucks to access, and that criteria is required on all new development, so there would be room for the school buses. Lori Barrios, Boardmember Cucamonga SD, stated as mentioned by Alta Loma School District, they need a process of addressing problems with safety issues or with developers. Councilmember Wright stated they should have the superintendent contact the City Manager's office to find out what the circumstances are. She stated that any new streets, or redeveloped streets, are required to be large enough to have fire trucks turn around or have dual access, so school buses should be able to go through if the association allows them access to locked areas. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated that each School District is provided with a Monthly Status Report which reports on all the new development projects in the City, so when they see a project being developed in their area, they could call the City and speak with the appropriate people, and then could possibly have changes incorporated in the Design Review stage that would be of benefit for the students and school before that development was built and could not be changed. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, asked if there was some way to have as a requirement of approval that the developers have to come to the School Districts to see if a project will meet the transportation needs of a District. Councilmember Wright felt that was a good subject because they experienced a problem when Terra Vista was planned, and that type of process would have helped to alleviate certain traffic problems they encountered after the development was built. City Council/School Districts Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 5 Jack Lam, City Manager, stated that every time a tract comes through Design Review, because of a cooperative agreement they have, the School Districts are asked to assist with the Environmental Impact Report, etc., so that would be a good time for the Districts to make comments. Discussion followed regarding the sign-offs from the Districts that developers need before they are allowed to pull their building permits and how that might help this problem. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander felt the Districts were asking to be involved earlier in the design process. Councilmember Buquet stated he has been told by the Building Industry Association that Rancho Cucamonga has one of the longest approval and permitting procedures of any surrounding community, and felt the Districts needed to monitor the proposed projects so that they could get with the developers in the early stages. He felt they needed to enhance communications, and suggested that when the Monthly Status Reports are sent to each DiStrict, the City request that a copy be sent to each Boardmember so that everyone stays aware of what is being developed in the City. , , , , , B2. ETIWANDA SCHOOL DISTRICT - Commitment to Control Growth in Districts That Have No Capacity (1405-03 SCHOOLS) (0203-05 GROW MGNT) (2) Andy Solorzano, Boardmember ESD, stated the reason they had requested this item was to have a reaffirmation from the City on what was the commitment of the Council to the Districts, theirs in particular, because most of the projected growth in the City would be in their area. He stated they project within the next fifteen years they will need at least two more middle schools, and possibly nine to eleven elementary schools, barring going to year-round schools in the Rancho Cucamonga portion of their District. He asked if they have exhausted their funding from the state, bond issues and Mello-Roos Districts, what would be the City's commitment to them. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander felt the Council was dedicated to the education of the children, and of mutually dealing with problems, such as the joint use of certain facilities which benefit the students and the community. He stated that as has been mentioned earlier, prior to a development being built, there is a deposit made to the District which would assist the District. Councilmember Wright stated when she sees a proposed development coming through, she looks to see if the school sign-off letter is in the package, because she wants to be sure the needs of the District will be met when a project is approved. She stated that because state law has changed and they cannot deny construction, she wanted to be sure they used what methods were available to them to ensure adequate school capacity for new developments. City Council/School District Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 6 Councilmember Buquet stated when the fees were originally determined, they were not intended to be equivalent to the cost of a new facility. He stated it was developed as an attempt to provide interim classroom space since the state will not fund the construction of a new school until it already has reached capacity. He stated another problem is that the City is also facing financial impacts and will be looking at some serious cut-backs on some of their programs and planned projects, so the City was currently reviewing their long-term financial planning. Another thing is the County's Growth Management Task Force is looking at the fee structure on a County level, and then recommending the cities fall in line with re-evaluating the fee structure. He felt maybe they needed to take a preliminary look at the fee structure and try to come up with some type of agreement to cover future needs. Carl Lightfoot, Superintendent ESD, asked if the Council has considered passing a Mello-Roos City-wide for all redevelopment, which according to the District's counsel, the City has the right to do. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated in practice they have that for all Districts now. Carl Lightfoot, Superintendent ESD, stated it was not required of a developer right now when they come in for approval of a project to set-up a Mello-Roos District. He stated the City will let it be voted upon currently, but their District's legal counsel has advised that County Boards and City Councils have the legal right to require a Mello-Roos levy for any new development irregardless of size. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated at the time the City and Districts revised their procedure with the approval letter process, when the Environmental Impact Report is sent to the Districts and the Districts have specific problems, then the City has the ability to deal with that situation in a financially responsible way, one of which would be a Mello-Roos unless something different is negotiated. Brad Bullet, City Planner, stated the City does not have the authority to deny a project due to its impact on the schools. Carl Lightfoot, Superintendent ESD, stated according to their legal counsel that was incorrect. Brad Buller, City Planner, stated they have verified it is correct with their legal counsel. Councilmember Buquet stated he would not like to get into a discussion of opposing opinions from their respective legal counsels. Carl Lightfoot, Superintendent ESD, stated they kept discussing what the state would do for them, but the state has abrogated its responsibility to furnish capital to build schools. City Council/School Districts Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 7 Councilmember Buquet stated that is the basic underlying problem, that if the state was doing what it was supposed to, it would take care of a lot of these issues. He stated the City or the County were not the answers to the state failing to do its job. He stated that if there were differing legal opinions on whether the City could deny a project, he suggested they get an opinion from the Attorney General. Carl Lightfoot, Superintendent ESD, wanted to clarify that for the District to offer a Letter of Certificate to a developer, they should suggest either a Mello- Roos or an alternate means of mitigating the impact on the District. Brad Buller, City Planner, stated the conditions the City applies to a project require either the formation of a Mello-Roos or an alternative agreed to with the School District, and that the latter is usually chosen, and spoke about their legal requirements. Jack Lam, City Manager, went over how the City works with the developers on the school Certification Letters. Carl Lightfoot, Superintendent ESD, asked what if the School District were to push for a Mello-Roos District. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated they could do so until someone decides to sue over it. Sonja Yates, Superintendent Central SD, stated there was a new court decision on January 25, 1991 regarding the legality of this and felt that should be looked at. Dave Long, Boardmember ESD, stated they really appreciated what the City has done for them, and they just wanted to verify that they would still have the City's support as much as possible when growth impacts the City and District. Councilmember Buquet suggested they look towards long-term financial planning because he had certain reservations towards using a Mello-Roos. He stated currently they can be layered one on top of another, and there are indications the legislature might try to limit the amount of Mello-Roos assessments used in an area, and he expected to see it eliminated or its use severely restricted in the next few years. He felt possibly the City and School Districts could work together on long-term financial planning, and then could collectively come up with some innovative approaches. He felt this could benefit both the City and the Districts if they put some time into it to develop a good plan. , , , , · , B3. DISCUSSION OF ITEMS OF MUTUAL INTEREST (1405-03 SCHOOLS) Lori Barrios, Boardmember Cucamonga SD, spoke about the City's support of the D.A.R.E. and CHOICES programs, and stated they have an elementary school that is within Ontario's city limits, but that services students from Rancho Cucamonga. She stated that school does not offer a CHOICES program like the rest of their (3) City Council/School District Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 8 District does and felt this would have an impact when the students come back into Rancho Cucamonga to attend middle school. She stated she would like to explore ways of getting CHOICES offered at that school in Ontario. Councilmember Buquet stated he has spoken with Boardmember Barrios before about this, and they are pursuing this but have run into a few problems, such as different law enforcement jurisdictions and different municipal jurisdictions. Lori Barrios, Boardmember Cucamonga SD, felt dealing with another law enforcement agency should not be a problem because the District gives permission on who can enter the schools. She stated the person who conducts the CHOICES programworks out of the Probation Department, and that should eliminate the law enforcement jurisdiction issue. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander asked if it would be possible to have the Rancho Cucamonga officers contact the Ontario officers to work this out. Councilmember Buquet stated there are a lot bureaucratic approvals that have to be overcome to allow cross jurisdictional personnel. He stated they are in the process of having the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department coordinate with the Ontario Police Department on getting this program implemented. He assured them that the problem is being worked on and asked that they try to be patient. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated the CHOICES program has been very successful, and because of that success it has created a lot of interest in other school districts outside of Rancho Cucamonga, so they have suggested the County provide a CHOICES program and CHOICES officers to run the program, instead of relying just on volunteers that would be limited in their time. Then possibly it could be handled on a County-wide basis, instead of just a City-wide basis. Councilmember Wright stated that the CHOICES program is funded by matching funds from Cucamonga School District, and those matching funds are part of what allows CHOICES to go on. She felt this could be a consideration also, not just the issue of crossing city limit lines. There was discussion on possible budget cuts for funding of the D.A.R.E. and CHOICES programs, but the Council stated they will consider the importance of these programs before taking that type of action. Sonja Yates, Superintendent Central SD, thanked the Council for their support of Measure Z, and presented information on a joint use agreement in regards to Coyote Canyon Park. Councilmember Buquet stated that when you have a joint use agreement for a park facility, you have to ensure the residents will also have use of the shared facility since they are paying for the upkeep. He stated they might have a problem if the school needs to use a large portion of the park during the majority of hours year-round. City Council/School Districts Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 9 Mayor Stout arrived at 8:20 p.m. Sonja Yates, Superintendent Central SD, stated what they were told when negotiating this was that the District would provide indoor facilities in exchange for that use so that it would be mutually beneficial. Staff had indicated that would be a significant trade-off. Councilmember Buquet stated he was involved when they first discussed the joint use concept between the City and the Districts, and the primary concern was finding mutual recreational access, and that centered around the access to school facilities. Sonja Yates, Superintendent Central SD, stated that in their District they have several joint use agreements, at Bear Gulch School, at Cucamonga Jr. High, so they felt they have been cooperative in that regard with the City, and would hope to have a favorable response from the City to their interim need at this facility while awaiting the building of the permanent schools. Councilmember Alexander felt that something could be worked out, since the use of parks is not that great during school hours, but he would be concerned if they planned to fence off areas which the general public could not access. Sonja Yates, Superintendent Central SD, stated they were not considering any fencing, but that they would need the right to remove anyone who posed a threat to the students using the park facilities. Councilmember Wright felt the City needed to look at it in a way different from how they have looked at joint use agreements in the past. She stated she would like Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, and the School District to go back and review this and then bring it back to the Council. Councilmember Buquet felt they needed to be careful because this was handled through an action of the Park and Recreation Commission, and basically it is going to be reversed by the City Council. He stated they needed to have a noticed process of input from a lot of sources, and then to collectively come to a decision. He stated he was for the joint use concept, but they needed to realize there are a lot of impacts beyond the issue of the students needing space. Phillip Tenpenny, Boardmember Cucamonga SD, stated there have been several other projects that have been considered for joint use, and asked if the Council had an idea at what stage some of these projects are at. Councilmember Buquet stated they have a lot of things they would like to accomplish, but they have a problem with funding now, and several of these projects will need to be on hold. Lori Barrios, Boardmember Cucamonga SD, asked how will they be setting a priority on these projects. City Council/School District Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 10 Councilmember Buquet stated staff would conduct a needs assessment as far as the recreation element in an area. He stated there has been a long term plan targeting certain areas for additional recreation uses. He stated they are potentially looking at cutting back on the City's recreation plans which have been under consideration for some time due to monetary constraints, so they are open to suggestions. Jack Lam, City Manager, explained the procedure on bringing something to the Council after being heard by the Park and Recreation Commission, and stated they would have staff review this and bring it to the City Council for consideration. Jerry Young, President Chaffey College, passed out a publication from the Chancellor's office to the Council which dealt with the topic of partnerships, and stated they have grown 50% in the last five years, with approximately 20,000 people attending classes and programs there. He stated they appreciated the cooperation and joint planning efforts they have had from the City. He stated one of the problems they are currently faced with is the issue of compliance of AQMD standards, and they will be seriously looking at how to deal with people who use alternative methods of getting to the campus. Mayor Stout stated he knew there would be some difficulty from time to time when dealing with joint use issues, but felt that most cities would not even try to work together with the School Districts to solve these problems. He felt the people in this community were motivated in providing the best for the young population. Kathy Kinley, Chaffey Joint Union HSD, stated they would be breaking ground for Rancho Cucamonga High School on Thursday, and that Paul Ward, formally principal at Alta Loma High School, will be involved in the planning process over the next year, and hoped that they could use this opportunity to plan for issues up front. Bob Tangeman, Boardmember ALSD, introduced their new Superintendent Ray Montgomery. Andy Solorzano, ESD, stated he would like to see these meetings held more than once every year and a half to two years. Councilmember Buquet stated their original intention had been to meet once a year but they found they were unable to keep up with that schedule. He felt that in the interim though, there should be quarterly meetings between the administrators and City staff to address any concerns the Districts might have. , , , , , Mayor Stout called a recess of the Council at 8:50 p.m., and the School Boards adjourned. The meeting reconvened at 9:07 p.m. with all members of the Council present. , , , , , City Council/School Districts Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 11 C. CITY COUNCIL ITEM OF DISCUSSION C1. MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT HOUSING) (Continued from February 20, 1991~ (0203-04 Mayor Stout stated that at the February 20, 1991 Council meeting staff was asked to modify the resolution submitted. He stated the resolution presented tonight reflected those modifications. Council concurred they like the modifications made to the resolution. Councilmember Wright stated she would have preferred to go back to 75% single- family dwellings/25% multi-family dwellings, but since that wasn't feasible, she would go with the revised resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 91-060 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIFORNIA, DECLARING ITS INTENTION TO AMEND THE GENERAL PLAN, DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS, SPECIFIC AND COMMUNITY PLANS CITY-WIDE TO REDUCE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MULTIPLE FAMILY DESIGNATED VACANT LAND WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND TO MODIFY THE CITY'S DEVELOPMENT, DESIGN, AND PROPERTYMAINTENANCE STANDARDS TO PROMOTE THE LONG TERN QUALITY OF EXISTING AND FUTURE HOUSING PROJECT MOTION: Moved by Stout, seconded by Buquet to approve Resolution No. 91-060. Motion carried unanimously, 5-0. , , , , · D. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC No communications were made by the public. · , , , , E · ADJOtrRNMENT The Council recessed at 9:10 p.m. to Executive Session to discuss negotiations regarding the Sports Park located at the north side of Arrow Route, west side of Rochester Avenue. The Council reconvened at 9:30 p.~. (4) City Council/School District Joint Meeting Minutes February 26, 1991 Page 12 MOTION: Moved by Wright, seconded by Alexander to adjourn. unanimously, 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Motion carried Respectfully submitted, J~a Sutton Deputy City Clerk Approved: March 20, 1991