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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009/06/04 - Minutes - Special June 4, 2009 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MINUTES FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING A. CALL TO ORDER A special meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council, Redevelopment Agency and Fire Protection District was held on Thursday, June 4, 2009, in the Tri-Communities Room at the Civic Center located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Mayor/Chairman/President Donald J. Kurth called the meeting to order at 5:08 p.m. Present were Council mem bers/Agencymembers/Boardmembers: Rex Gutierrez, Sam Spagnolo, Diane Williams, Mayor Pro TemNice Chairman/Vice President L. Dennis Michael and Mayor/Chairman/President Donald J. Kurth. Also present were: Jack Lam, City Manager/Executive Director; Pamela Easter, Assistant City Manager; Linda D. Daniels, Redevelopment Director; John Gillison, Deputy City Manager/Administrative Services; Tamara Layne, Finance Director; James Troyer, Planning Director; Mark Steuer, Director Engineering Services/City Engineer; Kevin McArdle, Community Services Director; Trang Huynh, Building and Safety Official; Robert Karatsu, Library Director; Chief Joe Cusimano, Rancho Cucamonga Police Department; Chief Peter Bryan, Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District; Joe Pulcinella, Animal Services Director; Jim Frost, City Treasurer and Debra L. McNay, Assistant City Clerk/Records Manager. B. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS No communication was made from the public. C. ITEMS FOR. DISCUSSION C1. DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED BUDGETS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009/10 A staff report was presented by Jack Lam, Executive Director. In response to Mayor Kurth, the use of reserves was discussed. It was expected that approximately $1.3 million in reserves would be needed for Fiscal Year 2008/09. For Fiscal Year 2009/10, the budget proposes the use of $900,000 in reserves; however, the actual number may be less than that due to the volunteer retirement incentive program and a pending decision by County employees to defer raises. Mr. Lam noted the possible seizure of City revenue by the State of California. If this occurs, he indicated that the budget would need to be revisited. In response to Councilmember Williams, Mr. Lam stated that the membership fees to LAFCO and SANBAG were included in the Non-Departmental Overhead section of the budget. John Gillison, Deputy City Manager/Administrative Services indicated that actual numbers are used if they are available; otherwise, the dues amount is projected. Special City Council/Redevelopment Agency/Fire Protection District Meeting June 4, 2009 Page 2 of 3 In response to Mayor Pro Tem Michael, the City Manager confirmed that all travel and meeting budgets have been significantly reduced, including the City Council's travel and meeting budget. Discussion was held regarding Proposition 1A and the State seizure of City revenues. Mr. Lam stated that the next year is projected to be the worst year for the economy. In response to Mayor Pro Tem Michael, Mr. Lam affirmed that quarterly updates would be given to the City Council. Discussion was held regarding the judicious use of reserves during these unsettled economic times. In response to Councilmember Gutierrez, Mr. Lam noted the need to operate in the black when at all possible. He believed that the City Council is using the reserves wisely. In response to Councilmember Gutierrez, Mr. Lam indicated that PERS pays the retirement cost for former employees. The City's obligations are shown in the Personnel Overhead section as"normal cost". In conclusion, Mr. Lam stated that the budgets will be considered for adoption at a later date and welcomed any questions between now and the budget hearing. Mayor Kurth appreciated all of the measures which had been taken to balance the budget and thanked everyone for their support during this process. C2. APPROVAL OF CORRECTIONS TO AMENDED FISCAL YEAR 2008/09 APPROPRIATIONS A staff report was presented by Tamara Layne, Finance Director. MOTION: Moved by Williams, seconded by Michael to approve the corrections to the Fiscal Year 2008/09 appropriations. Motion carried unanimously. C3. DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED REVISION OF FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT INSPECTION AND PERMIT FEES A staff report was presented by Peter Bryan, Fire Chief. At the conclusion of the report, Mr. Bryan indicated that a public hearing has been scheduled for June 15, 2009 to consider the fees outlined in the report. In response to Mayor Kurth, Mr. Bryan noted that these fees were not compared with surrounding cities. The fees listed reflect the actual cost to do the work. In response to Councilmember Gutierrez, Mr. Bryan provided definitions for the different shop sizes, based on the number of machines in the shop. It was noted that there are approximately 60 types of high risk businesses in the City. Mr. Bryan stated that the Department has been providing full risk assessments for about 1 '/2 years. In response to Mayor Kurth, Mr. Bryan stated that there were 124 fee line items, 54 fees have been reduced, no fees have been increased and several new sub-categories have been added. Chief Bryan indicated to Mayor Pro Tem Michael that churches would need a permit but that there would be no fee for this service. In response to Mayor Kurth, Mr. Bryan stated that the proposed fee reductions would not impact the level of service provided. It was noted that a cost of living increase (CPI increase) was not proposed in the Resolution, as this artificial increase in the fees might not reflect the actual cost to provide the service. John Gillison, Deputy City Manager/Administrative Services indicated the need to review the fees every 2-3 years to ensure that they are accurate. In response to Councilmember Spagnolo, Mr. Bryan addressed the Department's use of shift personnel in the past to do some inspections. The City Manager noted that the Department fell way behind in inspections. Currently, all high risk businesses are being inspected and have been inspected during the last 1 % years. Special City Council/Redevelopment Agency/Fire Protection District Meeting June 4, 2009 Page 3 of 3 In response to Councilmember Gutierrez, Mr. Bryan stated that inspections are currently being done by non- safety technical personnel. He expected that approximately$400,000 would be generated from this program. Councilmember Gutierrez indicated the importance of businesses being safe. However, he was concerned with how these fees would impact businesses already dealing with the current economic crisis. Discussion was held. Councilmember Williams noted the need to ensure safety in the City's public buildings. Mayor Pro Tem Michael noted that one of the actions would ensure the Fire Chief's ability to lower fees and hoped that at some point, the entire list would come back so that the City Council could make the adjustment(s). E. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Debra L. McNay, MMC Assistant City Clerk/Records Manager Approved: June 17, 2009— Regular Meeting