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2006 06 21 CC Minutes LA QUINT A CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 21, 2006 A special meeting of the La Quinta City Council was called to order at the hour of 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Adolph. PRESENT: ABSENT: Council Members Henderson, Kirk, Osborne, Sniff, Mayor Adolph None PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Adolph led the audience in the Pledge to the Flag. PUBLIC COMMENT - None CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA - Confirmed BUSINESS SESSION 1 . CONSIDERATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2006/2007 PRELIMINARY BUDGET. City Manager Genovese presented the staff report, and Finance Director Falconer reviewed the Executive Summary. He reported the recommended City authorized positions is an increase from 94 positions to 97 positions. He outlined the General Fund Revenue increase for this year over last year's budget totals $ 5, 108,1 51. He pointed out the major factors responsible for the increase was sales tax and interest income. Mr. Falconer then outlined the Expenditures for the General Fund has increased as a result of some significant planned expenditures such as the Cal State San Bernardino second year funding, an appropriation for the City's 25th Anniversary events, increased personnel costs for the proposed new positions and others. He advised Council that the total of all of the budgets including the City, Redevelopment Agency and the Finance Authority will be $11 8 million this year. He announced the preliminary budget is currently balanced and contains a surplus of $542,000. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 2 June 21, 2006 This year's Capital Improvement Projects anticipated budget for 2006/2007 will total $11.6 million and will include as major projects design of a four- lane all-weather bridge over the canal at Adams Street; design for a second golf course at Silver Rock Resort; and construction of a four-lane bridge on Avenue 52 just beyond the roundabout at Avenue 52 and Jefferson Street. City Council Questions Council Member Henderson added that the design and construction of the Museum is also included as a major project in this year's budget. Council Member Kirk asked for an explanation of the decrease in the costs in Fire Services. Battalion Chief Dorian Cooley explained, in the past the County took all of the annual expenses for the various fire stations and divided it equally among all of the fire stations in the County. He said this year the cost allocation is based on the actual costs and on a per-call basis. He said a very busy station in a large city will create a higher need for services and a higher cost than a station such as those located in La Ouinta who has a lower cost for electricity since the stations are in the liD area rather than having to pay Edison costs. The decrease in costs to the City of La Ouinta this year will be $123,520. Mayor Adolph questioned if the demand for medical response has increased this past year. Chief Cooley responded there is about 77 to 78% for that service and it is about the same as past years. He said the response time has been greatly improved since the City placed medics on all of the Engines, with response times of five to seven minutes. Council Member Henderson asked about community involvement at the station in North La Ouinta. He said they have people stopping by and do tours for the schools as well. Council Member Osborne asked about the interaction of the new Emergency Coordinator in the Building and Safety Department. Chief Cooley said it was a very good move on the City's part to have an employee dedicated to emergency management and said the Fire Department and the CDF coordinate with all the cities in the valley to implement the SIMS program. Council Member Kirk asked about the new positions contained in the budget and asked if the salaries and benefits are budgeted for the entire year. Mr. Falconer responded the positions are budgeted for the full year and at the top step. City Manager Genovese explained this is good budgeting City Council Minutes Special Meeting 3 June 21, 2006 practice because it gives a true picture of the annual costs. To only budget for a portion of the year the first year a new position is approved doesn't give an accurate comparison the following year. Council Member Kirk asked if the City's projected 97 employees is a fairly standard number of employees for a city of 35 to 50 thousand people. Mr. Genovese responded that it actually is "rather lean," a credit to the full time city staff who are very efficient. He also advised that the actual number of employees working at present is about 1 20 because of the number of contract employees the city hires. Council Member Kirk also inquired about the 16% City debt service. Mr. Falconer replied that the majority of the debt is redevelopment agency debt. He outlined the way in which redevelopment works is the greater the debt an agency has for capital projects triggers a larger a portion of funding the agency receives from the State. Council Member Henderson asked how the City estimates the projected sales tax. Mr. Falconer said this projection is done by a consultant, HdL, who does the projections based on existing sales tax base plus any new retail establishments coming on-line during the budget year. Council Member Sniff requested consideration of an increase in the compensation for the City Council. He asked that that be $100 per month to begin July 1, 2006. Council Member Osborne complimented the City Manager and Finance Director on putting together another excellent budget and presentation. He asked about the Police Department budget. Police Chief Walt Meyer responded regarding the increased number of personnel that the request for more patrol hours to the contract will result in one additional deputy on day shift and one additional deputy on the swing shift every day. Chief Meyer responded that his division is still behind in the hiring process due to a previous hiring freeze the County placed on the Sheriff's Department. He also commented on the Citizens on Patrol Program which will be dedicated on Tuesday June 27th stating the new vehicle is now equipped and there are six fully-trained volunteers ready to begin. Mayor Adolph asked how long it takes to hire a new deputy. He outlined the process and stated out of 100 applicants, only 2% will be able to complete all the training processes. He also touched on the addition of a new helicopter the County is putting into service exclusively for the Coachella Valley. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 4 June 21, 2006 Mayor Adolph asked about the costs for police services for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He asked if the $50,000 in the budget for that purpose, is still valid. Chief Meyer stated they will look at that line item and make sure the need for services in La Quinta is accurate. Council Member Henderson asked about the problem with responding to false alarms. Chief Meyer responded it is a very big problem and creates a moral dilemma for the department as to when to respond and when not, especially if dealing with a home or business that has had a large number of false alarms. She also asked about the one sworn position for the commercial areas. He explained the deputy who will fill the position of Commercial District Deputy will be dedicated to the City's commercial areas on Highway 111 and in the Village. He said this deputy will address all of the crime prevention work as well as all of the reporting. Lastly, he said it is his goal to have this officer in place by the holiday season. Council Member Osborne asked about the increase in contract services and asked what the increase represents. Mr. Falconer outlined a large portion is in Marketing Services. Council Member Osborne asked about the increase in the Community Development Department. Community Development Director Evans responded this is largely due to the annexation issues the City will be facing in the future. Mr. Genovese outlined for the City Council the surplus contained in the Preliminary Budget is $543,000 and there are a number of community services requests for grants. He pointed out a request from the Employees Association for a salary survey is expected to result in an approximate impact on the 2006/2007 budget in the range of $200,000 to $400,000. Mr. Genovese also pointed out there is a $10,000 request from the Riverside Chapter of the American Red Cross which has been distributed but not included in the staff report. Funding Requests · CSUSB Lifelong Learning Center - Leticia Quesada spoke in favor of a request by the Learning Center for use of the Library to hold classes for the' senior students on Wednesdays and Thursdays during the mornings. She said many of the La Quinta residents are participating in the program at present in Palm Desert. The request is for $5,040 (as calculated by staff) to subsidize the City's rental for the use of the library multipurpose room. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 5 June 21, 2006 Lynn Louden, 54-349 Inverness Way, asked the Council to support this request. He said he has been a student in this program and feels it is an excellent way to help seniors remain mentally active and motivated. Lynn Centario, 77-878 Little Eagle Court, stated she has very much enjoyed the classes and would really welcome having the classes held here in La Quinta. . Coachella Valley Economic Partnership Rick Daniels representing the CV Economic Partnership, addressed the Council regarding the dues renewal for the 2006/2007 annual dues. He explained the annual budget contains a line item for $6,000 for the dues but there has been an increase to $10,000 per year. In response to Council Member Henderson he replied the staff of CVEP is an organization with only three positions. He said the increase was not to grow staff but to grow programs. Council Member Henderson asked about the problem of finding qualified work force for new businesses. Mr. Daniels answered that they are working with the school district to introduce programs for preparing students with gaining skill sets for career training. Two- thirds of the students are presently not going on to college and they need these career technical training programs. . Community Blood Bank Council Member Henderson stated she received a phone message that the representative of the Blood Bank was unable to attend. The request was for funding in the amount of $2,000. . Desert Springs Publishing Victoria Bailey spoke in support of a donation to produce 800 copies of a book about the City for its 25th Anniversary entitled "Look at Us in Only 25 Years". She outlined how books of this sort which she has published for lndio and the California Resort Cities are distributed. Council Member Sniff asked why she is recommending a soft cover book. Ms. Bailey said it was to arrive at a good price point. He asked if there will be advertisements included in the book. Ms. Bailey stated she will be selling some full page ads to assist in the cost of the book. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 6 June 21, 2006 · La Quinta Arts Foundation Christi Salamone, Executive Director of the Arts Foundation outlined the request for an additional $25,000 since this year will also mark the 25th Anniversary of the Arts Festival. They are interested in an expanded slate of activities to commemorate the occasion, such as another community concert in conjuncture with the poster unveiling. She said their budgeting is also taking place and they hope to have the celebratory activities begin in the Fall and continue until the Spring. Council Member Henderson asked the cost the Festival pays for the use of the Civic Center Campus. Ms. Salamone replied they have paid $20,400 each year for the last two years. · La Quinta Historical Museum Louise Neeley explained about the request for a total of $13,500, to support a continuation of their very successful educational group tours, and they are hoping to produce a map outlining the location of all of the museums in the Coachella Valley. She said they are also doing 11 oral histories this year. She stated this request includes the operating expenses for the museum, which the City has been paying, and which are allocated in the preliminary budget. · La Quinta Playhouse Mayor Adolph stepped down for this consideration due to the perception of a conflict of interest since his wife is deeply involved on the Board of Directors of the Playhouse. Jo Anne Reeves, 78-185 Cortez Lane, Indian Wells, addressed the request for $50,000 for the upcoming year to continue with the very successful season they enjoyed in 2005-2006. She outlined the children's program they have initiated and stated they hoped the City will continue with the $50,000 annual donation they made last year. Council Member Osborne asked where the Playhouse would be housed this year. Ms. Reeves responded they have explored some sites with the City Manager and Assistant City Manager and they are requesting a spot at the edge of SilverRock. She said they are asking for the location at Avenue 54 at the Mountain. She said they've looked at a number of locations and plan to use a "Sprung" structure. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 7 June 21, 2006 Council Member Henderson asked what the current size of the membership is. Ms. Reeves said there are 65 members who make contributions over and above their admissions. Council Member Kirk asked if she envisions this request to be on-going every year. She responded "yes", and stated that it is typical of local community theater groups to have on-going sponsorship from their community. . SafeHouse of the Desert Robert Cox, 78-285 Crestview Terrace, spoke to the Council on behalf of the Board of Directors of Operation SafeHouse of the Desert in their request for $50,000. He pointed out that during the past year Operation SafeHouse served 97 homeless young people from La Quinta. He explained that approximately 300 youth in La Quinta were runaways or throwaways in 2005 who went unreported or uncared for. He explained the program is to put youngsters in counseling immediately and they can stay at SafeHouse for two weeks. The goal is to reunite them with their families or in some cases arrange for other suitable placements. In response to Council Member Kirk he said this is a capital project and many of the other cities in the Valley have stepped forward to donate to build this facility in the Coachella Valley. Council Member Henderson asked about the funding that pays for the staffing of the facility. Mr. Cox replied they try to plan ahead and apply for certain grants that are available for this type of program and contributions from the local community. In response to Council Member Sniff, Mr. Cox responded the facility will have 20 beds and historically they have serviced 600 young people during a given year. He also replied that they don't have medical staff at SafeHouse and if medical attention is needed they transport the young person to an emergency facility. . Tour de Palm Springs There was no representative present to address this funding request. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 8 June 21, 2006 · Palm Springs Women in Film and Television Denise DuBarry Hay, President of the Board of Directors, spoke regarding their goal to attract the film and television industry to the Coach ell a Valley. She said a vital film industry in a community can boost tourism up to 54 %. She pointed out the great success the City of Santa Barbara has had in attracting film companies. She said Women in Film and Television has built a website and they are hoping to produce a directory of locations including photos and listings of all local crew, talent, and production resources. She explained the request is for a line-item of $15,000 to $40,000 in the budget to attract film companies. They would also like the city to purchase a $3,000 banner ad on their website to display La Quinta's landmark features. · The Prestige at PGA West There was no spokesperson for this request. · The Riverside County Chapter of the American Red Cross Scott Kiner, Chairman of the Board of the Riverside County Chapter of the Red Cross, presented the request of the American Red Cross for a grant of $10,000 for the Chapter's disaster services. He said the Riverside County budget for the Chapter is $2.5 Million that is totally based on community donations. He said the Chapter is constantly trying to educate the public with regard to being prepared for emergencies. In response to Council Member Henderson, Mr. Kiner responded he does expect this to be an annual request. He explained the local chapters contribute 12% of their annual budgets to support the national organization in an inverted type of funding program. The local chapters do not receive any funding from the national organization or the federal government and are totally dependant on community based funding. RECESS: Mayor Adolph declared a brief recess at 8:14 p.m. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 9 June 21, 2006 City Council Comments and Consideration Mayor Adolph called the meeting back to order at 8:21 p.m. He stated he would consider the requests for budget consideration one at a time. Council Member Henderson suggested that serious consideration be given to the staff report on page 4, Personnel dealing with the possibility of an unbudgeted cost for estimated salary increases in January, 2007. Mayor Adolph commented that the Council needs to start with the $542,000 budget surplus and deduct that amount before they begin with the other requested allocations. Council Member Sniff requested the $200,000 to $400,000 figure be given a more specific amount. Mr. Genovese said the reality is the $200,000 figure is a non-conservative number and $400,000 is conservative. He advised this would not become effective until January, 2007, per the MOU and if the amount necessary exceeded what was set aside it would need to come out of reserves or possibly a mid-year adjustment, should the revenues come in higher at that time. Council Member Henderson suggested the Council consider the middle of the range given at $300,000. Council Member Kirk also said there is the $50,000 for the Bob Hope Classic that is in the budget that might not be expended in its entirety. Council Member Henderson suggested the request from the Palm Springs Women in Film and TV is for a set aside line item which is at this time unallocated. She felt if the $50,000 is left in the Bob Hope Classic for Police Services and/or, if a film or television program did come in to La Quinta, those funds could be expended toward Police Services for either event. The Council agreed by consensus, to base their deliberations on $243,000 being available for the proposed funding requests. The following requests were agreed upon by unanimous consensus of the City Council with Council Member Osborne abstaining on the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership and Mayor Adolph abstaining on the La Quinta Playhouse discussions and actions: City Council Minutes Special Meeting 10 June 21, 2006 Agency Request Granted 1 . CSUSB Lifelong Learning Center 2. Coachella Valley Economic Partnership 3. Community Blood Bank 4. Desert Springs Publishing 5. La Quinta Arts Foundation 6. La Quinta Historical Museum 7. La Quinta Playhouse 8. SafeHouse of the Desert 9. Tour de Palm Springs 10. Women in Film & Television Palm Springs 11. Prestige at PGA West 12. American Red Cross (To Riverside Chapter only) $ 5,040 $ 4,000 $ 2,000 $25,000 * $25,000 $ 6,000 * * $50,000 $25,000 * * * $1 0,000 $ 3,000 $ 4,000 $10,000 * - Staff will look into a separate grant to allow for the rental fees for the Campus. * * - With the stipulation that the Playhouse is located in La Quinta, and with a strong policy recommendation that it be located in the Village. * * * - This amount to be deposited in, and funded from, the set aside funds in the Police budget for various community events. It was requested by Council Member Sniff that a City Council salary increase of $100 per month be included in the budget to be effective July 1, 2006. The Council unanimously concurred with this request. MOTION: It wa~ moved and seconded by Council Members Sniff/Kirk to approve the 2006/2007 Fiscal Year Preliminary Budget as amended at the June 21, 2006 City Council meeting and direct staff to incorporate the changes approved by the City Council for adoption of the Final Budget on July 18, 2006. The motion was unanimously carried. City Manager Genovese advised that the Five-year Allocation Plan which is included as a part of the forecast for the budget adoption will be included at the time the Final Budget is presented on July 18th. City Council Minutes Special Meeting 11 June 21, 2006 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, it was moved by Council Members Sniff/Osborne to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, tJr- -0.~ JUNE S. GREEK, City Clerk City of La Quinta, California