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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012/06/14 - Minutes - Special June 14, 2012 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING A. CALL TO ORDER A special meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council and Fire Protection District was held on Thursday, June 14, 2012, in the Tri-Communities Room at the Civic Center located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Mayor/President L. Dennis Michael called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Present were Council Members/Board Members: Bill Alexander, Chuck Buquet, Diane Williams, Mayor Pro Tem/Vice President Sam Spagnolo and Mayor/President L. Dennis Michael. Also present were: John Gillison, City Manager; Linda Daniels, Assistant City Manager; Lori Sassoon, Deputy City Manager/Administrative Services; Tamara Layne, Finance Director; Jeff Bloom, Interim Planning Director; Mark Steuer, Director of Engineering Services; Nettie Nielson, Community Services Director; Trang Huynh, Building and Safety Services Director; Chris Paxton, Human Resources Director; Chief Mike Bell, Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District; Veronica Fincher, 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 'OF DISCUSSION C1. DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED BUDGETS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012/13 John Gillison, City Manager noted that a presentation on the proposed Fiscal Year 2012/13 budgets was presented at the last workshop and that supplemental information has been developed and distributed to the City Council along with an updated budget message and City Council goals. He recommended approval of the budgets. In response to Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo, Mr. Gillison indicated that some of the goals would be set aside due to the elimination of Redevelopment. He stated to Council Member Williams that the total amount of time and money that has been spent on these projects had not been calculated but noted that it was substantial. In response to Mayor Michael, Mr. Gillison confirmed that the budgets were available to the public and that the budget message will be posted online once it is adopted. Council Member Alexander thanked staff for their responses to his questions, noting that for the most part he was satisfied with the responses. However, he expressed a concern with the cost to provide the number of deputies who are present at City Council meetings. Also, Council Member Alexander did not support changing the title of the current Fire Investigator(s) to Captain Specialist(s) especially in light of the furlough days, lay offs and lack of pay increases that the workforce has experienced in this tough economy. Proposed Budgets for Fiscal Year 2012/13 Fire Protection District, City Council Minutes June 14, 2012- Page 1 of 2 Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo addressed the latter concern, noting that other Departments do not have 3 man engine companies. He spoke about the District's desire to be innovative in meeting its mission and to look at better ways to serve the community. Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo indicated that he had spoken with the Fire Chief regarding obtaining a better level of service and noted that the proposed title change accomplishes this goal. Council Member Buquet concurred, noting that the leadership has stayed focused on its mission. It's never easy to accomplish a superior level of service and Council Member Buquet had thought that all of the Council was in agreement with this service level enhancement. He noted that this is similar to the RC2GO and the library's play and learn islands. This is a substantial budget with substantial impacts. Council Member Williams addressed the proposed title change and noted that she was impressed with the concept. This change will use Departmental resources more efficiently. She noted that the budget message was very well written and really gives a good grasp of the challenges affecting the City and the District. Mayor Michael noted that the City and Fire District have two different budgets. The City lost 4.2 million dollars by the elimination of Redevelopment and yet was able to balance its budget with no use of reserves. He noted the sacrifices being made in the organization and thanked the employees for their hard work. Regarding the Fire District, Mayor Michael noted that it has seen an increase in revenue and a lot of this increase has been placed in the reserve. He spoke about the establishment of the paramedic program many years ago, in which many employees volunteered to be trained without a pay increase. Regarding the proposed title change, Mayor Michael noted that this concept will result in more fire engines being released to respond to other incidents. The affected employees will be tested and if they fail the test, will not be promoted. Mayor Michael stressed the importance of properly classifying employees. In conclusion, he spoke about the goal to maintain core services and the negative impact that the State of California is having on municipalities all over the state. Mayor Michael noted that a trailer bill to the State budget was just discovered, which proposes to affect the pass-through agreements. No one has any information about the contents of this bill, which potentially will affect the Fire District. Mayor Michael noted that this shameful action occurs frequently in Sacramento. Council Member Buquet concurred with this concern, noting that the State is systematically dismantling its own infrastructure. Mayor Michael noted that the City Council would be considering the budgets for adoption on June 21, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. In response to Mayor Michael, Mr. Gillison confirmed that the matter would be revisited if necessary as it related to the State's budget actions. E. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Debra L. McNay, MMC Assistant City Clerk/Records Manager Approved: Proposed Budgets for Fiscal Year 2012/13 Fire Protection District, City Council Minutes June 14, 2012- Page 2 of 2