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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin 1976-10-26 185 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UKIAH OCTOBER 26, 1976 - PAGE 1 The City Council convened in work session at 7 : 00 p.m. and in regular session at 8 : 08 p.m. with Councilmen Feibusch, Brannon, Simpson, and Wood present. DISCUSSION OF PARKING ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS Mayor Wood explained the purpose of this session is to exchange ideas between the Council and those in the audience interested in subject matter; that no action will be taken during this session, but will be a regular agenda item as soon as it can be heard after 8 : 00 p.m. Mr. Nelmes Smith, Chairman of the Parking Advisory Commission spoke and reviewed in detail each of the recommendations of the -P.arking- Advisory Commission which are set forth as follows : Council had been pro- vided 4it1Z Lhz estimated cost au-id additioi,al revenue anLiciparea from the 9 reca menda- 1) That prices for on street meters remain the. same. tions 2) That the Bromley lot fee be set at 10� per hour with unlimited time parking at that fee. Commissioners Oakes & Worster opposed this proposal. 3) The lot on West Stephenson adjacent to the telephone company have a 10� per hour fee and unlimited parking. Commissioner Oakes and Worst-er again were in the opposition. 4) - That on street parking limits be extended to a 2 hour limit. This recommendation achieved the unanimous support of the Commission. 5) Commissioner Feibusch moved, Commissioner Worster seconded, that the lot at East Standley known as the Watson Lot to have no changes in either fees or parking times . Motion passed 4 to 3 with Commissioners Oakes, Nix and Smith in opposition. Commissioner Nix said that he strenously opposed leaving the fees alone . lie y stated that in his opinion the. District could not afford to do it and that the fees should be at least 5� per hour . 6) Commissioner Nix moved, seconded by Commissioner Feibusch to maintain fees and hours at the North School lot at the same level as they currently are. The motion passed .6 to 1 with Commissioner. 0akes in opposition. 7) Commissioner Nix moved and Commissioner Feibusch seconded to leave 24 minute--meters in front of the Post Office and City Hall and to convert all others to two hour meters . Motion passed unanimously . 8) Commissioner Nix moved, seconded by Commissioner Hansen to remove the two hour time zone postings on South Oak Street along the Yokayo School property and on Clay adjacent to the school where-- ever possible. The motion passed unanimously. 9) Commissioner Worster moved, seconded by Commissioner Feibusch to recommend to the City Council the McCarty lease be cancelled for the purpose of expanding the Watson lot. The Commission • further recommended that the budget be amended to make possible the necessary improvements . The following additional information was given the Council as opinions of the Parking Advisory Commission and opinions of some of the down- town merchants. Those who spoke were Leonard Nix, Paula Worster, Mrs. Wipf, Esther' s Shop and Lee Enemark, Book Revue. 1. Financing for the Parking District has increased; income has remained the same. At the time the Parking District was estab- lished, property owners were promised the tax would be decreased; the tax has remained at 27�. 20 Reason for adoption of recommendations is to increase parking meter income. 3. The Commission has limited its recommendations to finance the proposal with cash on hand. If operated in the same manner for another year there would be no surplus. 4. Change in the pattern of parking will help solve the parking problem. The ultimate goal is to make the parking lots in the downtown core more available to the shoppers by encouraging the ' 186 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UKIAH OCTOBER 26, 1976 - PAGE 2 all day parkers to use lots farther from the downtown. core. 5. Enforcement is an important part of the plan to enforce rules adopted. The proposal prohibits anyone from parking at an on street meter longer than two hours at a time. 6. The Commission has determined that interest from Parking District funds has gone into the General Fund. Commission asked for justification of this procedure. 7. New Parking District could be formed if traffic and business moves further on East Perkins. 8. At such time that surplus monies became available in the Parking District fund, an additional lot could be purchased or second story made to an existing lot, and improvements could be made to existing lots . 9. Commission has not ignored long range plans. The immediate plans were limited by the amount of bash on hand. 10. Studies made on the time involved in making a purchase when the customer knows exactly what he wants to' purchase reveals that 20 minutes per transaction is required. 11. If the employers and public entities would see that their employees did not park in the core to town and "feed the meters all day" this problem could be alleviated. 12. The problem is the all day parker on the streets and insufficiency of parking facilities during peak periods . This proposal would not keep the county employees from parking all day on the street- What is needed is more transient parking and the on-street parking to be remain as is. .Mayor Wood asked what specifically the Parking District would do with increased revenue, if available, and whether or not such a narrow view could be taken without Council view of plans for the whole downtown area. He stated further that if business continues to move out East Perkins, the Watson Lot could become the most popular lot. Councilman Feibusch stated this proposal is not to raise additional revenue - if the expenses were balanced against revenues it can be seen that the District is in the hole. The intent is to increase the Bromley Lot fee and encourage people to go to the Watson Lot on East Perkins. Councilman Simpson expressed the opinion that more thought could be given to leaving the 1� fee on the meters . Councilman Brannon spoke to the proposal to convert the 24 minute meters to two hours. In his opinion, these meters would remain useful as a convenience for quick stops to the buyers, not shoppers. THE WORK SESSION CONCLUDED AT THIS TIME AND COUNCIL MOVED DIRECTLY INTO REGULAR SESSION AT 8 : 08 P.M. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilman Simpson gave the invocation and Councilman Feibusch led in the Pledge of Allegiance. MAYOR WOOD ANNOUNCED THAT THE PARKING ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE PLACED AT V 2a ON THE AGENDA PAYROLL WARRANTS On a motion by Councilman Feibusch, seconded by Councilman Simpson it was carried by the following roll call vote to approve Payroll Warrants #7884 to #8045 inclusive for the period of September 26 , 1976, to October 2, 1976 , inclusive in the total amount of $72, 837. 20. AYES: Councilmen Feibusch, Brannon, Simpson, Mayor Wood NOES: None ABSENT: None 187 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UKIAI1 OCTOBER 26, 1976 - PAGE 3 GENERAL WARRANTS Councilman Brannon made a motion, seconded by Councilman Simpson to approve General Warrants #4447 to #4601 inclusive in the total amount of $315, 274. 69 . Councilman Brannon inquired about the following warrants : _. 1) Page 2. $52. 00 warrant for laboratory services to Brelje & Race Laboratories 2) Page 3. $211. 02 for septic tank service to Bob Garzini 3) Why a difference in dollar amount billed for wokk at golf course. City Engineer made explanation for each expenditure Councilman Feibusch inquired about the following warrants: 1) Page 1. $861. 58 for service fee to American Public Power Association 2) Page 4 . $35. 00 for journal subscription to Los Angeles Daily Journal The following roll call vote approved the general warrants : AYES: Councilmen Feibusch, Brannon, Simpson, Mayor Wood NOES: None ABSENT: None APPROVAL OF MINUTES On a motion by Councilman Simpson, seconded by Councilman Brannon it . was unanimously carried to approve the Minutes of the meeting of October 6, 1976 as submitted by the Clerk. PUBLIC HEARING - APPEAL OF USE PERMIT ' NO. 77-1 FILED BY JAMES A. KELLEY A written communication from applicant requested that the hearing .. __ be cancelled. Mayor Wood asked if there were anyone in the audience who would like to speak on subject matter. No one spoke. It was pointed out that the use permit - issued by the Planning Commission with conditions placed thereon are approved. RECREATION & PARKS RECOMMENDATION TO PURCHASE RESTROOMS TABLED Subject proposal is for the City to purchase the restrooms and the County to move and install them. Subsequent to Commission action, these has developed a question about the County being willing to participate until after the future of the Little League field is settled. City Manager raised the question of the availability of funds. On a motion by Councilman Simpson, seconded by Councilman Feibusch it was unanimously carried to table the recommendation to purchase restrooms until brought back at a later date. APPROVAL OF PARKING ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS The following actions taken. by the Council refers to Recommendations 1 through 9 set forth on Page 1 of the minutes as discussed in the Work Session prior to the regular session: On a motion_ by Councilman Feibusch, seconded by Councilman Brannon it was carried by a majority voice vote to adopt Recommendation No. 1 and 4 as presented by the Parking Advisory Commission. Mayor Wood opposed. Councilman Brannon emphasized the importance of a strictly enforced parking limit. Councilman Feibusch made a motion, seconded by Mayor."-flood to adopt Recommendation Nos. 2 and 3 as presented by *the Parking Advisory Commission. Councilman Brannon expressed the need for all day parkers to utilize , these lots and indicated the possibility of a greater inducement to parking on the street. Assurance is needed that appropriate measures are taken to police the meters. Councilman Feibusch stated that during the budget session the payroll was increased to have strict 188 MINU`T'ES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UKIAII OCTOBER 26, 1976 - PAGE 4 enforcement. This is the only assurance we have. Mayor Wood stated there is a need to advertise what we are doing. Councilman Brannon suggested that parking fees could be posted at all lots. It was pointed out that there is a need for an effective date to allow time to advise the public. All signs have to be changed so time is needed to phase out. It was determined this would be an internal decision to do as a coordinated effort. The motion carried by a 3 to 1 vote. Mayor Wood opposed. On a motion by Mayor Wood, seconded by Councilman Simpson it was unanimously carried to adopt Recommendation Nos . 5 and 6 as recommended by the Parking Advisory Commission. Councilman Feibusch made a motion, seconded by Councilman Brannon to adopt Recommendation No. 8 as recommended by the Parking Advisory Commission. Councilman Simpson stressed the importance of keeping the parked cars a reasonable distance from the bus ramp. It was also pointed out that this would direct an increased volume of traffic into the area. Councilman Feibusch amended his motion to exclude the change proposed along -the Yokayo School property on Clay Street. Councilman Brannon seconded the amended motion. Motion carried unanimously. On a motion by Councilman Brannon, seconded by Councilman Feibusch it was carried by a majority voice vote to adopt Recommendation No . 9 as recommended by the Parking Advisory Commission - and the addition to the Watson lot to be a seal coat- surface. Mayor Wood opposed. On a motion by Councilman Brannon, seconded by Councilman Feibusch it was carried by a majority voice vote to adopt Recommendation No . as recommended by theParking Advisory Commission. Mayor Wood opposed. ideas Mayor Wood stated that some excellent/have been presented. These may prove to be the solution, however, he is not convinced this is the appropriate time. It could be a "band-aid" measure for the downtown. It is time to start looking at the whole problem. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION-SUPPORT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION CENTER Subject correspondence from the County Superintendent of Schools requested Council support in the construction of a Technical Education Center. This is a $950, 000 project proposed to be constructed on a portion of the high school site and would be in addition to the facility they now have. Councilman Brannon made a motion, seconded by Councilman Simpson to adopt a resolution supporting the Technical Education Center. The letter lacked specifics requested by Council The following roll call vote resulted in defeat of subject motion. AYES: Councilmen Brannon and Simpson NOES: Councilman )Feibusch and Mayor Wood. REQUEST FOR TRAINING SUBSIDY APPROVED City Manager requested assistance in connection with formal education pursuant to Chapter IX, Section 4 (a) of the Personnel Policies of the City .of Ukiah for: Dennis Marcheschi - $31 . 54 Hattie Tillotson -- $13. 73 Alice Yarbrough - $13 . 73 On a motion by Councilman Feibusch, seconded by Councilman-Simpson it was unanimously carried to approve the request for training subsidy as recommended by the City Manager. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UKIAH OCTOBER 26, 1976 - PAGE 5 APPROVAL TO NEGOTIATE FOR CONTRACT FOR CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES SEWERAGE SYSTEM STUDIES Three firms have responded to the invitation to submit proposals for subject work. Director of Public Works recommended the proposal presented by Kennedy Engineers. On a motion by Councilman Feibusch, seconded by Councilman Simpson it was unanimously carried to negotiate with Kennedy Engineers for the engineering work on subject project to perform the required work. REQUEST FROM COMMUNITY CENTER/FARMERS MARKET/RURAL INSTITUTE FOR ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT FOR A PUBLIC WORKS ACT APPLICATION The following persons were present in the audience to speak on subject matter: Barry Vogel Judy McCloskey, Office Appropriate Technology, Sacramento Marie McGarity Dorshin McGinnis . . Mike Shupero Susan Bell Ron Norman Judy McCloskey explained the office she represents was set up by the Governor in May of this year. A $350, 000 public works grant is available to build the proposed facility on public land. The State wants to make this a model project. The request to the Council was for the -City to supply the land, - (approximately 3 acres) if the State supplies the money to build the facility. The proposal envisions several buildings, all to be located on the same site. It is not envisioned to be in com- petition with other businesses in the area but rather a supplement to these firms. It was also pointed out that land which is centrally located is necessary for development of the plan. Each facility will bear the share of maintenance cost. Council asked questions as to the size of site needed, whether or not there is enough produce to justify a cannery, whether or not the State may have property that might be available for this purpose, whether funding is only for the building or for the operation. It was pointed out that a portion of the Fairgrounds property may be available. City property cited for consideration were the Ranney Collector property, the old sewage treatment plant property, and airport property. Each was ruled out except the airport property. The group was not interested in this parcel. Councilman Simpson made a motion, seconded by Councilman Feibusch to give a vote of confidence in support of the concept of the project proposed by the Community Center/Farmers Market/Rural Institute. Council was asked if. the group acquired private .land would the City accept it. Subsequent to this question Council was asked to give the project financial assistance in purchasing the property. There was concern expressed as to the availability of City funds and a concern shown if direct city support is given and the liklihood of setting a precedent. Councilman Brannon stated he did not feel confident with allocation of City funds toward the project. He stated further that he is not opposed to the principle but is of the opinion that if this venture is self-sustaining and will pro- duce a profit, those interested in the project should put their name on the line. The motion to support the concept of the project carried by a 3 to 1 vote. Councilman Brannon opposed. Subject matter will be an agenda item for the November 3rd meeting. ej AJ MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UKIAH OCTOBER 26, 1976 - PAGE 6 COUNCILMAN FEIBUSCH asked the status of the Vas-King lease. C/Attorney stated he is uneasy about the proposal and intends. to discuss the .matter with the owner. COUNCILMAN SIMPSON stated he was glad to see the remarks concerning the Safety Committee and to see activity of the committee. Concerning the League meeting in San Diego, Councilman Simpson states' the speakers were outstanding. The session on encouragement to emplc.­a.' to do a better job was interesting and talking with people from other cities was beneficial. MAYOR WOOD reported that the resolution passed on the new headquarters for the League of California Cities . The lease ran out for the old building and there is no commercial space up for lease at this time. A $2700 statement for our assessment will be forth coming. Mayor Wood stated it has been determined that Findings of Fact on variances and use permits are a requirement. City Attorney stated this has been done in each case. The Mayor asked if we have made the findings on Council level. . Mayor .Wood stated a consent calendar is an appropriate procedure for handling routine matters on the agenda and requested the mechanics of the procedure to be on the next agenda. Mayor Wood requested an amendment to Section 6 of the resolution setting forth -the procedural rules for Council meetings. It has been necessary to take an increased. number of unagendaed items and this procedure is not fair to the citizens who would like to speak against- the matter. Mayor Wood requested a report from the City Attorney on Council liability insurance. Mayor Wood appointed the Council as a *committee as a whole on policies and standards to meet the third Wednesday of each month at 7: 00 p.m. Council will consider the electric system appraisal on this meeting on November 17th. Mayor Wood asked if the old General Hospital facility would meet our needs. for a community cultural center. Mayor Wood reminded the Council of the appreciation dinner Friday October 29th at the Lake Mendocino Clubhouse for Lorraine Pearson. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Wood adjourned the meeting at 10: 16 .m. ;fid r ATTEST: -_-- loe City Clerk __