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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 06-17-96 - Adjourned w CDC . 0 1 MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL /COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING JUNE 17, 1996 The City Council /Community Development Commission of the City of Downey held an Adjourned Regular Meeting at 3:30 p.m., June 17, 1996, in the Council Chamber of the Downey City Hall, Mayor /Chairman Gary P. McCaughan presiding. PRESENT: Council Members /Commissioners: Gary P. McCaughan, M.D. Mayor /Chairman Joyce L. Lawrence Mayor Pro - Tem/Vice- Chairman Diane P. Boggs Robert S. Brazelton ABSENT: Barbara J. Riley (Excused) ALSO PRESENT: Gerald M. Caton, City Manager/Executive Director Joyce Doyle, Deputy City Clerk/Assistant Secretary Lee Powell, Assistant City Manager Gregory Caldwell, Police Chief Ron Irwin, Fire Chief Jim Jarrett, Director of Community Services Art Rangel, Director of Economic & Community Development/ Assistant Executive Director Richard Redmayne, Director of Public Works Lowell Williams, Director of Finance Robert Brace, City Engineer John Finch, Police Captain Bob Gallagher, Building Official Victoria Jenkins, City Librarian Greg Mayfield, Water /Sanitation Superintendent Jason Mikaelian, Economic Development Associate Mike Miller, Police Captain Rick Nathan, Police Captain Kevin O'Connor, Theater Manager Mark Sauter, Battalion Chief Dave Simmons, Battalion Chief Rich Tuttle, D.A.R.E. Corporal Ed Velasco, Housing Manager Ron Yoshiki, Asst. Director of Community Dev. /City Planner Kathy Simmons, Administrative Assistant Steven Yee, Economic Development Coordinator Shirley Conte, Executive Secretary City Council /Comm. Dev. Minutes (adj.) 6/17/96 -1- STUDY SESSION - CITY OF DOWNEY PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 1996 -97 Mr. Caton summarized the proposed City of Downey budget for 1996 -97 totaling $70,321,672, which includes an operating budget of $54,784,718 and a capital budget of $15,536,954. He advised the budget has increased seven percent from last year and includes the downtown parking structure and Police Department building modification. Mr. Caton explained the City receives funds from sources that must be used for specific purposes with one area of unrestricted funds, the general fund, which totals $36,884,000 this year, and advised that 67 percent of the general fund budget goes for police and fire services. The City is balancing the --- budget this year with one time revenue from the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) and requested that Council approve the use of $1.1 million to balance the budget. He then noted some exciting developments occurring in the City, such as the Downey Community /Senior Center and Gymnasium project, the Krikorian Theater project, Internet access to the general public at the City Library along with changes to the check -in and check -out counter area, and a remodeling project at the Police Department. The City is continuing to work with Rockwell International/NASA regarding the underutilized areas of the NASA/Rockwell site that would generate additional revenues for the City. He named new businesses that will help the City's revenue picture next year, such as the Sears store replacing the Broadway Department store and the Home Depot store, which includes an Office Max in the same complex. It is hoped that Calsan's Materials Recovery Facility will get underway this year. Lastly, through hard effort on Council's part and Mr. Powell's part, there was a change in State law dealing with lease vehicles, which is a major sales tax revenue for the City. Mr. Caton mentioned certain items have been cut and there have been requests the City has not been able to honor, such as one for the City to purchase some new Christmas decorations. He advised this is not included in the budget. Mr. Powell narrated slides graphically demonstrating various aspects of the City's Budget and the different funds it is comprised of. He advised the general fund is 52% of the budget, the largest part of which goes to the Police and Fire Departments. He explained the revenue categories for the general fund budget, sales tax revenue (28 %), property taxes (16 %), utility users taxes (14 %), miscellaneous taxes (9 %) and noted these four areas are almost two thirds of the budget in terms of revenue. Mayor /Chairman McCaughan requested the slides presented by each department be put on paper so that Council could have copies. Fire Chief Ron Irwin narrated a slide presentation of the Fire Department Budget describing the functions and goals of the Department's six program areas and noted accomplishments achieved during the 1995 -96 budget. The department will be changing their uniforms this year and will have a new patch. The EMS Educator Position created in last year's budget will be continued this year. He commented on new programs contained in the budget and noted there are currently three people in paramedic school. Total staffing of the Fire Department at this time is 85 employees with 35 auxiliary personnel. Police Chief Caldwell, with the aid of slides, discussed the Police Department Budget. He described some of the department's programs and equipment, noting the various divisions of City Council /Comm. Dev. Minutes (adj.) 6/17/96 -2- ; 3 the department, the number of personnel involved and advised they are concentrating hiring efforts on females and other minority applicants. He explained the Department's upgrade plan, funded through asset forfeiture, and responded to questions regarding hiring procedures, review of personnel costs and instituting personnel training programs. The meeting recessed at 5:10 p.m. and reconvened at 5:18 p.m. with Council Members/ - Commissioners Boggs, Lawrence, Brazelton, McCaughan present; Council Member/ - Commissioner Riley absent. Mr. Redmayne briefly discussed the budget for the Public Works Department advising the department is comprised of administration and three divisions with 24 budget areas. He called on members of staff to narrate slide programs describing their various program areas, including functions, goals, and objectives. Kathy Simmons described waste management and recycling; Carol Rowland described the Keep Downey Beautiful program; Bob Brace described the four sections of the Engineering Division (Traffic Engineering, Office Engineering, Real Estate Section, Capital Improvement Section) and their functions; Greg Mayfield described the water and sanitation department's functions, and goals; and Shirley Bennett described the Physical Services Department and noted a major reorganization is proposed for next year to reduce costs. Council Member /Commissioner Boggs commented on the poor condition of Firestone Boulevard when the State turned it over to the City and stated she hoped it would not deteriorate much more before the City upgraded it. Mr. Brace responded the City would be doing the first and worst section towards the east of Firestone later this year. When asked about installing new railroad crossings on Old River School Road and Firestone, Mr. Redmayne explained the target date is August 22nd. It will take approximately one week to do the project. Discussion was held regarding reduction of personnel in Public Works. It was noted that while the number of employees has decreased, it is due to retirement and employees leaving. Mr. Rangel summarized the Community Development Department budget, which increased by 1.6 percent. This department consists of Economic Development, Planning, Building and Housing and their goal is to be more customer friendly. He advised building � � � y g activity has increased with more activity expected in the next fiscal year. He called on division managers to narrate slide presentations of the various functions of the department. Steven Yee focused on Economic Development and the the quality projects currently under way in the City, noting these key projects have increased the number of business inquiries to the City. He also commented on staff's development of an interactive multi -media information kiosk which, when completed, will be located at the Energy Resource Center. Ron Yoshiki stressed the Plannin g Division emphasis in three areas, such as coming attractions, consumer services and the City's future. He highlighted some of the coming attractions in the City, developments of which have generated approximately a 20% increase in City Council /Comm. Dev. Minutes (adj.) 6/17/96 -3- Y counter activity. The plan for the City's future is to promote and maintain single family dwellings, which are the backbone of our community. Bob Gallagher explained and described functions of the Building Division and indicated that while permit issuance hit a low spot in 1995 it has shown a strong increase this year. Ed Velasco noted the Housing Division is responsible for administering the Federal CDBG and Home Grants and noted over $3.2 million is anticipated from these sources. He briefly explained the 17 programs and projects recommended in the proposed budget. Mr. Rangel mentioned his involvement in the BRAID program and noted he will spend more time on regional issues benefitting both Downey and the Southeast L.A. County region. Mr. Jim Jarrett reviewed the Recreation & Community Services Department Budget, which is composed of four major divisions: Recreation, Administration, Theater and Social Services, and is involved with many other functions such as transit operations and the Golf Course. He narrated slides depicting the various programs in the Department. Effective July 1st Recreation staff will take over responsibility for all building setups, which was previously handled b y the Public Works Department. Mr. Jarrett mentioned the many activities and uses of the Downey Theater and noted a new youth and family program proposed for this year to provide an educational enrichment opportunity. He mentioned the various senior citizen programs and noted the excitement about the new senior center. Mr. Jarrett mentioned plans to redevelop the Library check -in and check -out counter to make it more user friendly and noted it presently does not meet handicap requirements. Friends of the Downey City Library will match funds contributed by the City, which is about $50,000. Staff has the capability to access the Internet and it is hoped to expand this service to the public. Mr. Jarrett explained the Golf Course has far exceeded expectations and he commented on the tree trimming that was done and installation of a fertilization system. He read a statement from an evaluation done by the United States Golf Association regarding the excellent condition of the greens at the Golf Course. Mr. Jarrett advised $40,000 has been included in the Golf Course budget to conduct a complete assessment of the banquet facilities. Deputy City Clerk Joyce Doyle narrated a slide program depicting the City Clerk's Office and advised this year's budget shows one increase in the area of the Downey Municipal Election for the election of three Council Members and two Charter measures, as well as mailing the full text of the Charter to registered voter households in the City. She briefly explained some of the duties performed by the three employees in the office, along with the services provided to staff and the citizens of Downey. Lowell Williams reported on the General Government Budget, which includes budgets for the City Council, the City Attorney, the City Manager's office, Personnel Division, and Finance. He noted a breakdown of the Finance section includes the Finance Department, Parking Tickets, Purchasing, Data Processing, and mentioned two additional programs of the air City COuncil /Comm. Dev. Minutes (adj.) 6/17/96 -4- L U i 0 quality ualit and liability insurance program. He narrated a slide presentation of the various areas, noting the personnel involved along with their functions. Mr. Caton commended everyone for their participation and input and assured the Council that he, Lowell Williams and Lee Powell have g one over every single line item and attempted as much as possible to cut down the costs. Council Member /Commissioner Lawrence requested that the departments list all positions that are charged to more than one account, list them on one page and note what they are. She also requested the return of four hours to the Library budget that were cut several years ago and advised she was informed by staff the cost for this would be $55,266. She suggested g fundin g could come from the Proposition A funds sold to Santa Fe Springs. She also referred to funds for the cultural arts groups stating she would like to return to the process the City had several years ago of providing opportunities for these groups to bid for grants through the Communi ty Services Division. She asked that at least $20,000 be put into this pot. Council Member Lawrence also i iquired about budgeting for overtime for the Holiday Lane Parade and Street Faire, which has been done the past several years, noting these are community activities and this is one way in which the City can help. Council Member /Commissioner Boggs requested a breakdown of the actual amount of tax funds that have been lost to the State. She stated the utility users tax is needed to run the City and the State now has a surplus but is not doing anything about returning any of this money back to the Cities. She stated the utility users tax was reinstated during a down time and she would not like to see it become a permanent tax. Council Member /Commissioner Brazelton commented that the budget as presented is balanced and includes the PERS rebate of over a million dollars. He asked how this gap will be filled next year and Mr. Caton responded it will be filled principally through sales tax revenues derived from new developments in the City such as the new Sears store, Home Depot, an increase from automobile dealerships, and the Materials Recovery Facility. He pointed out there is nothing in the budget for Police and Fire increases. Council Member /Commissioner Brazelton noted the Golf Course reserve is anticipated to increase and asked what the restrictions were on using this money towards community services. Mr. Caton replied that once the senior center and gymnasium are built additional funds will be needed and staff has been looking towards the Golf Course funds to help with this endeavor. Referring to Council Member /Commissioner Lawrence's questions regarding funds budgeted for the Street Faire and Parade, Mr. Powell noted there are funds in the Police Department Budget, but he would have to check on whether funds are included for Public Works Maintenance. Mayor /Chairman McCaughan discussed his recommendation for a Neighborhood Preservation Manager noting that some neighborhoods are deteriorating and the Council has taken small steps to correct this which have been very effective. He stated one thing lacking is a one -time expenditure to implement a basic policy and plan on how to take care of needy City Council /Comm. Dev. Minutes (adj.) 6/17/96 -5- neighborhoods in the community and he suggested giving direction to the City Manager to attempt to find a solution for some of the things mentioned. Discussion was held regarding the proposed location for the Transit Yard. Mayor /Chairman McCaughan asked Council for their consideration of $55,000 to get the Neighborhood Preservation Officer started. Council Member /Commissioner Boggs explained her first priority is for more hours at the Library. She hoped that the Neighborhood Preservation Officer could be delegated to present --- staff, stating that proactive code enforcement has not been used to its potential. Council Member /Commissioner Brazelton concurred with prioritizing the Library hours and stating possibly existing staff could do some proactive work on neighborhood preservation. Council Member /Commissioner Lawrence indicated the Council can study this matter between now and the public hearing and noted her first priority was the Library. She then thanked all staff members for their budget presentations. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None ADJOURNMENT: 7:30 p.m. The meeting was adjourned to 6:30 p.m., June 25, 1996, in the Council Chamber of the Downey City Hall. 1 4 _ i a 4 Joyce E. Doyle, Deputy City Clerk/ Gary P. McCaughan, Maor /chairman Assistant Secretary h: \cclerk \sconte \adj6 -17 City Council /Comm. Dev. Minutes (adj.) 6/17/96 -6- •