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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 03-28-17 Regular MeetingMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY REGULAR MEETING MARCH 28, 2017 The City Council of the City of Downey held a Regular City Council Meeting on March 28, 2017, at 6:32 p.m., in the Council Chamber of the Downey City Hall, 11111 Brookshire Avenue, Downey, California, Mayor Vasquez presiding. PRESENT: Council Members Fernando Vasquez Mayor Sean Ashton Mayor Pro Tern Blanca Pacheco Council Member Rick Rodriguez Council Member (arrived 7:06 pm) Alex Saab Council Member (excused) ALSO PRESENT: Gilbert Livas, City Manager Yvette M. Abich Garcia, City Attorney Adria M. Jimenez, MMC, City Clerk John Oskoui, Assistant City Manager Shannon DeLong, Assistant to the City Manager Carl Charles, Chief of Police Jay ibey, Assistant Fire Chief Mohammad Mostahkami, Public Works Director Pamela Passow, Parks & Recreation Director Aldo Schindler, Community Development Director Anil Gandhy, Finance Director Alicia Duarte, CMC, Deputy City Clerk The Invocation was delivered by Rev. Pastor Lisa Marie Ives, Leaders After God's Heart Ministries, Inc. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Aaron Sorranto, 5th Grade Class President, Carpenter Elementary. COUNCIL MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS, REQUESTS FOR r CONFERENCE/MEETING Council Member Pacheco welcomed the audience to the meeting. She recognized Public Works Director Mostahkami and staff for assisting a resident with a fallen tree during the storm. She reported attending the G.O.O.D Annual Luncheon, the Young Latina's Empowerment Conference which was also attended by Downey and Warren High School students, and, Assembly Member Garcia's Women of the Year Luncheon where she was the Master of Ceremonies. She mentioned Liliana Hernandez, eighth grade student, was recognized as Downey's Woman of the Year. She announced: Downey Rose Float Association Meet the Contestants event; ARC Walk; Apollo and Golden Park ribbon cuttings for the outdoor fitness equipment; Downey PTA Color- a -thon; and, Brunch with the Bunny. Mayor Pro Tern Ashton reported attending the SCAG Legislative Tour in Sacramento. Major issues discussed at the tour were transportation, housing and cap and trade funding. Other items discussed were the Governor's Transportation Plan and Senate Bill 1 proposed by Senator Beall which would provide $3.9 million annually to Downey for local street improvements. He attended the Keep Downey Beautiful Clean Up. He requested Public Works contact railway entities and ask them to monitor their railway areas for trash. He announced the Columbia Memorial Space Center — Southern California Rehabilitation Services STEM Festival and encouraged the audience to participate in the ARC Walk. City Council Minutes Regular Meeting — March 28, 2017 1 Mayor Vasquez attended the Special 1 -5 Consortium Cities Policy Board "meeting and reported construction of the 1 -5 freeway. It is 41% complete and the Florence overpass bridge construction is on schedule. He reported attending the L.A. County Sanitation District meeting and said they discussed upgrades to the Sanitation District in the amount of $1,500,000. He requested contracts for these upgrades be given to local, small and minority businesses rather than outside corporations. He announced the upcoming Financial Literacy Campaign for students at Downey High School He commented regarding changes to the American HealthCare Act. He announced he is currently working with other cities on an initiative to address homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse throughout the region. He announced the ARC Walk and ribbon cutting event at The Commons. 1. Mayor Vasquez presented the Mayor's Healthy Heart Award to Dr. Jonathan Perley 2. Mayor Vasquez presented a Certificate of Appointment to Hellen Carcamo, Public Works Committee, District 4. 3. Mayor Vasquez, with the assistance of Shannon DeLong, Assistant to the City Manager, presented a Certificate of Appointment to Mimi Yusem, Library Advisory Board, District 3. 4. Mayor Vasquez, with the assistance of Monica Ortiz, presented a Proclamation in Recognition of Student Government Day 2017, to the Downey Youth Commission. Council Member Rodriguez arrived at the Council Meeting at 7:06 p.m. 5. Mayor Vasquez presented a Proclamation to Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) regarding Local Aerospace Days. 6. Paul Novak, AIP, provided a presentation to the City Council by LAFCO =Local Agency Formation Commission of Los Angeles County, regarding the Downey Cemetery District. Council Member Rodriguez asked if the cities of Paramount, Bellflower and South Gate have any financial or maintenance responsibilities over the Downey Cemetery. Mr. Novak stated they do not have any responsibilities and the City of Downey has assumed all roles per the contract in place. Council Member Rodriguez asked if any funding will be received for the services being provided by Downey. City Manager Livas stated the City receives about $8,000 month from the Cemetery District and explained the funding is only for Downey. Mayor Pro Tem Ashton asked if only residents who fall within the Cemetery District pay an assessment through their property taxes. Mr. Novak clarified this is not an additional tax assessment. One percent of their normal property tax is designated for the Cemetery District and divided amongst various agencies. Mayor Vasquez asked if residents of north Downey will have and increase to their property taxes should the Cemetery District expand. Mr. Novak explained residents will pay the same amount. Mayor Vasquez asked about the deferred maintenance on the Cemetery "District. Mr. Novak stated City staff would have more knowledge of what the deferred maintenance is. Mayor Vasquez asked staff to research what the cost would be to properly maintain the cemetery. City Manager Livas said staff will research the cost control maintenance for this item. City Council Minutes Regular Meeting — March 28, 2017 2 Mayor Vasquez announced he would reopen Council Member Announcements; Requests for Future Agenda Items; Conference /Meeting Reports to allow Council Member Rodriguez to comment. Council Member Rodriguez reported attending the City of Whittier Council Meeting this evening to present a certificate of condolence from the Downey City Council in honor of fallen Officer Boyer. He reminded the audience about the upcoming Volunteer Meeting and encouraged all non - profit organizations and churches to attend. Mayor Vasquez announced the City of Santa Fe Springs is also interested in joining the efforts to combat the coyote problem in the area. Council Member Rodriguez stated he has met with the Cities of Torrance and Whittier, and will be meeting with the Culver City to discuss efforts to address this problem and develop a robust coyote watch program. Mayor Vasquez asked Assistant City Manager Oskoui to contact the City of Santa Fe Springs regarding Downey's efforts in combating the coyote problem. City Manager Livas said Fish and Game will be invited to speak at a Gateway COG meeting. PUBLIC HEARING 1. SERVICE CHANGES TO THE DOWNEYLINK FIXED ROUTE TRANSIT SERVICE: CONDUCTED A PUBLIC HEARING AND APPROVE SERVICE CHANGES TO THE DOWNEYLINK FIXED ROUTE TRANSIT SERVICE: Parks & Recreation. Mayor Vasquez opened the Public Hearing at 7:38 p.m. City Clerk Jimenez affirmed receipt of the Proof of Publication. It was moved by Mayor Pro Tern Ashton, seconded by Council Member Rodriguez and so ordered by the Mayor to receive and file. City Clerk Jimenez noted she received correspondence from Flor Garcia opposing the service changes to the DowneyLink Fixed Route Transit Service. The staff report was provided by Pamela Passow, Director of Parks and Recreation. The City Council approved Amendment No. 6 with MV Transportation, Inc. to continue providing service through December 2017. The Amendment included service changes to the DowneyLink Fixed Route Service by reducing buses during the lowest volume of service. The reductions proposed to more accurately meet demand and have a cost savings of about $39,000 to the City. The service changes will not have an impact to the General Fund. Currently, the Fixed Route is paid with Prop A and C funds. The service changes would take place between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and all bus stops will remain the same. The Northwest and Northeast routes would be combined for one North Route, and the Southwest and Southeast routes would be combined for one South Route, during these hours. Tripper buses will be used to accommodate schools with minimum day schedules. Prior to the Public Hearing staff held two public meetings regarding the service changes and a total of 16 people participated. The new routes were presented to those in attendance and questions were answered by City staff and MV Transportation. The service changes are scheduled to begin May 2017 for a trial period of four months. If the service changes are successful they will be continued. If unsuccessful, staff will return with more options. Staff is scheduled to issue a Request for Proposals in October 2017 based on the results of the Pilot Program. It is anticipated a new Fixed Route Contract will be awarded by November 2017. Mayor Vasquez asked Assistant City Manager Oskoui to provide background information regarding the difference between Prop A and Prop C funds. Assistant City Manager Oskoui explained a couple years ago the City began augmenting Prop A funds from other resources such as Prop C and Measure R in order to continue the level of service for both transit services mainly the Fixed Route Service. Based on a comprehensive study conducted it was recommended to explore options. One option was to delete the service provided between the non -peak hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The City is currently spending about $3 million for transit service operations and receives about $1.3 million from Prop A funds but has to supplement the additional funding from other sources including Prop C. Other cities are using Prop C funds to fix streets. The City is currently setting aside fixing streets in order to supplement Prop A but this is no longer sustainable. City Council Minutes Regular Meeting — March 28, 2017 3 City Manager Livas stated this issue is not about funding but making sure the funding matches the demand. Mayor Vasquez opened this item for public comment at 7:49 pm. Armando Herman, resident, commented against the service changes to the DowneyLink Fixed Route Transit Service. Ignacio Gonzales, Southern California Resource Services, requested Council consider expanding paratransit services to residents of the Southern California Resource Services Center. Lucio Mares, resident, commented against the service changes to the DowneyLink Fixed Route Transit Service. Art Gonzalez, resident, commented against the service changes to the DowneyLink Fixed Route Transit Service. Francisco Zelaya, resident, commented against the service changes to the DowneyLink Fixed Route Transit Service. Susana Zavaia, resident, commented regarding having stops in front of every schooi and adjusting the schedules and stops. Having no one else come forward, Mayor Vasquez closed public comment at 8:10 pm, Mayor Vasquez asked Assistant City Manager Oskoui to elaborate on how Dial -A -Ride provides services to the disabled and senior community. Mr. Oskoui stated the purpose of Dial -A -Ride is to serve the disabled and senior community members curb to curb. He stated the Dial -A -Ride service is not being impacted by the service changes being proposed to the DowneyLink. He clarified the DowneyLink Fixed Route Transit_ Service would not be eliminated between the hours of 9 :00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., but the routes are being modified between those hours. Council Member Pacheco asked what is the percentage of riders who use the Dial -A -Ride service. Assistant City Manager Oskoui said he does not have that information at this time but will provide it to her. Mayor Pro Tern Ashton stated this issue was discussed in the past and recalls that during the 9:00 a.m. to 2 :00 p.m. non -peak hours the ridership of the DowneyLink was minimal, approximately two passengers, for certain routes. He mentioned the service change is temporary and he is in support of a four month trial period. Mayor Vasquez said he recalls receiving information in the past about the cost per ridership being high. He commented regarding the City's responsibility to be cost efficient. He asked staff what the cost per rider was for the transit service. City Manager Livas said the consultant researched other cities and Downey was ranked as one of the cities having a high cost per ridership. City Manager Livas clarified the transit service is not being eliminated but being modified. He explained the $1.3 million subsidy can be used in other areas such as access ramps for the disabled and other improvements. He said this is about how to use funding in the most efficient way possible, and not about eliminating services to the riders or the disabled. City Council Minutes Regular Meeting — March 28, 2017 4 City Clerk Jimenez announced there was a revision on pages two and three of the agenda memo attachment. Copies of the revisions were provided to each Council Member as well as the public. It was moved by Mayor Pro Tern Ashton, seconded by Council Member Rodriguez and approved unanimously with Council Member Saab excused to approve the recommended service changes to the DowneyLink Fixed Route Transit Service. ►o► _ r • Armando Herman, resident, commented regarding a court docket and the City's infrastructure: Virginia Yoshiyama, Friend of the Downey City Library, invited Council to become members of the Friends of the City Library. Ignacio Gonzalez, Southern California Resource Services, invited the City Council to the STEM event for students with disabilities at the Columbia Memorial Space Center. He commented regarding technology used by students who have vision impairments. Lucio Mares, resident, asked questions regarding the service changes to the DowneyLink. Carlos Renobar, resident, commented regarding protection of immigrants in the community. City Attorney Abich Garcia requested Item No. 4 be removed from the Consent Calendar and be continued to the next City Council Meeting. Council Member Rodriguez abstained from Item Nos. 9 and 10. Mayor Vasquez asked if there was anyone present who would like to comment on Consent Calendar items. Armando Herman, resident, commented on Item Nos. 9 and 10, and, Item No 13, regarding damages to the City Library. Having no one else come forward, Mayor Vasquez closed public comment. It was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Ashton; seconded by Council Member Pacheco and carried unanimously, with Council Member Saab excused, to approve the remainder of the Consent Calendar. City Council Minutes Regular Meeting — March 28, 2017 5 5.- APPROVED MINUTES: Regular Meetings of January 24, 2017 and February 28, 2017; Special Meeting of February 9, 2017: City Clerk. 6. WARRANTS ISSUED: Warrant Nos. 311796- 312172; Payroll Wire Nos. 30003582 and 30003588- 30003591; Manual Wire Nos. 1533 -1539, in the total amount of $3,381,634.27: Finance. r ` •' • ' :i l i • i • 6. AUTHORIZED OF AFFILIATION OF OF •` AND THE CITY OF DOWNEY FOR PARAMEDI TRAINEES: Fire. )I 7. APPROVED AGREEMENT WITH AEGIS ITS, INC. FOR AND FLASHING BEACON • ' r THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE THE AND, AUTHORIZED THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ANY AMENDMENTS: Public 11. APPROVED AMENDMENT NO. I TO THE LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH SHELTON FOOD AND BEVERAGE, INC. FOR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATION AT RIO HONDO CLUBHOUSE: - - a ItIlffell" 10 [elm IF&AU11, • • •> • 0 14q • • ri •" l i •': • • • ' 'l i i • l f r• ii' • m p s City Council Minutes Regular Meeting — March 28, 2017 6 ADOPTED - • • • 17-7705, A RESOLUTION OF • OF OF DOWNEY DECLARING THE DAMAGE TO CITY LIBRARY RESULTING FROM ACCIDENT ON • IMMEDIATE REPAIRS DUE • ITS URGENT NATURE AND AUTHORIZING PAYMENT FOR REQUIRED REPAIRS: Public Works. i WAIVED ADMISSION •: COLUMBIA MEMORIAL DURING YURI'S NIGHT KIDS ON ri OF OF Administration. 17. APPROVED THE HOSTING OF A THEATRICAL PRODUCTION, DEFYING GRAVITY, AT THE COLUMBIA MEMORIAL SPACE CENTER: Administration. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS: None. STAFF MEMBER COMMENTS: None. r • City Council Minutes Regular Meeting — March 28, 2017 7