HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/31/03 B A K E R S F I E L D
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
MEMORANDUM
December 31, 2003
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager
SUBJECT: General Information
1. With the continuation of the holiday season there was no State budget news this week. We
continue to work on a contingency plan and await receipt of the first check from the Governor's
action, as well as waiting to see if there are challenges to his restoration of the VLF backfill.
The County has asked us to participate in a press conference on Monday, January 5th to urge
the Legislature to approve the Governor's appropriation of funds. It will be held at 10:00 a.m.
by the Liberty Bell at the County building. Mayor Hall and Ron Fraze were asked to speak on
behalf of the City, and their comments will be positively focused on thanking the Governor and
requesting that the Legislature act immediately to legally support the appropriation.
2. With the retirement of Gene Bogart, I have named Florn Core as the acting head of the Water
Resources Department. We will list the Water Resources Manager position locally through the
normal procedures to get a certified list of three.
3. The weather on Christmas day caused some flooding problems in various areas of the city, per
the enclosed report from Public Works. We appreciate all those City employees who cut short
their holiday to come into work under emergency circumstances to get the flooding under
control.
4. The Department of Veterans Affairs sent the enclosed letter requesting us to provide
suggestions for a suitable location for a new national Veterans' cemetery in Bakersfield. We
can discuss any ideas you may have; at 200 to 250 net acres, it would need to be a fairly large
site.
5. The rehabilitation project on the Carrier Canal culverts is moving along. The contractor is
completing the final high-strength concrete operation on the Truxtun Avenue culvert near
Gosford Road. The concrete operation at the other three culvert crossings is complete. They
should be complete with the Truxtun structure on Monday or Tuesday next week. Granite
Construction will then come in and restore the canal slopes, remove the ramps, and do a final
clean up.
6. The cost of health insurance premiums increased 13.9 per cent this year, according to a
national survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Per the attached summary of the
results, it was the largest jump since 1990. It has become a necessity for organizations, both
public and private, to increase employee contributions for health care plans.
AT:rs
cc: Department Heads
Para McCarthy, City Clerk
Trudy Slater, Administrative Analyst
12/30/2003 17:27 FAX 661 868 3190 CAO ~]001/002
December 30, 2003 CONTACT: Allan Krauter
(661) 868-3155
NEWS MEDIA ADV SORY
WHO: Supervisor Pete Parra
Bakersfield Mayor Harv..ey Hall ,
Sheriff Mack Wimbish '
Bakersfield Fire Chief Ron Fraze
Wasco. Mayor Danny Espitia
District Attorney Ed Jagels
County Supervisors, City Council Me bers
WHAT: News Conference urging quick legislative action to approve Vehicle
LiCense Fee backfill
WHEN: Monday, January 5, 2004
10;00 a,m,
WHERE: Liberty Bell monument in front of Kern! COunty Courthouse
1415 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield
WHY: Cities and counties depend heavily o~ vehicle license fee revenues to
help pay for law enforcement, fire protection, roads and parks, animal
control, and many other critical services.
When VLF is reduced by two-thirds, S~te law guarantees that local
government will receive State revenues to make up for the loss. Both
the Governor and the Legislature have. pledged repeatedly that local
services will be protected. Governor Schwarzenegger has announced
his intent to make payments to cities dnd counties from the State
General Fund, but many legislators co{ntend he does not have this
authority,
/
With the 2004 legislative session beginning on January 5, cities and
counties are calling for immediate acti,on by the Legislature in order to
avoid disastrous layoffs and service cutbacks.
News conference participants will call on the Legislature to immediately
approve the VLF backfill to cities and ,:ounties and will outline the critical
importance of this revenue to local se~i~ice~
~'~-~VED: 12/30/03 4:35PM; ->CITY OF BAKERSFIELD; #51; PAGE 2
12/30/2003 17:27 FAX 661 868 3190 CAO ~002/002
CouNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
MEMO UM
Scott E. Jone~
Cou~[7 Administrative Officer.
TO: Members, Board of Supervisors DATE: December 30, 2003
FROM: /~'~ott Jones, '
~/County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: JANUARY $ NEWS CONFERENCE ON VLF BACKFILL
As requested, the County Administrative Office has scheduled a January 5 news conference at 10:00 a.m.
at the Liberty Bell in front of the Courthouse on Truxtun Avenue[to renew om' request that the Legislature
approve the vehicle license fee backfill for cities and counties.
We have invited all city elected officials, public safety officers, and administrators in Kern County to join
us at the January $ morning news conference. Speaking at .the '30-rninute event will be Board of
Supervisors Chairman Pete Parra, Bakersfield Mayor Harvey I-~.l, Sheriff Mack Wimbish, Bakersfield
Fire Chief Ron Fraze, Wasco Mayor Danny Espitia, and District fttomey Ed/Iagels.
Our message will be that Governor Schwarzenegger's action ordering VLF backfill payments l-las
encouraged California counties and cities, but we are calling on the Legislature to approve the backffli"in
order to remove the cloud that hangs over this vital funding source for local services. At the news
conference, speakers will emphasize the devastating impact if ~he Legislature reneges on its pledge to
protect local services from the loss of VIP revenues. For example, the City of Waseo depends upon VLF
payments for 41% of its general fund. The County would incurlan annual loss of more than $51 million
in the remaining six months of the fiscal year if we do not receiv~ full replacement of V/_F revenues. We
cannot afford to continue spending money that we do not have and are not yet assured of receiving.
Allan Krauter of the County Administrative Office is coordinating the news conference. If you have
questions, he can be reached at (661) 868-3155 or via e-mail at alck'.: auter~co.kern.ca.us.
cc' The Honorable Danny Espitia, Mayor of Wasco
Edward )'agels, District Attorney
Mack Wimbish, Sheriff
Ron Fraze, Bakersfield Fire Chief
The Honorable Harvey Hall, Mayor of Bakersfield
A K E R $ F I E L
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
December 29, 2003
TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager
FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director ~
SUBJECT: STORM MAINTENANCE REPORT-
Thursday, December 25, 2003
On Christmas Day, Thursday, 12/25/03, Mike Connor came out at 9:00 a.m., and started calling
out employees at 10:00 a.m. Leafs were clogging part-circle culverts on Truxtun Avenue, west
of "H" Street and in the Westchester area between "F" and Elm Streets, Truxtun Avenue and
24th. Street. This is an older area and it has many part-circle culverts. We have been doing a
survey of the area in order to see which part-circle culverts can be eliminated by installing cross-
gutters. By 11:00 a.m. on 12/25/03, we were receiving calls from the public regarding flooded
streets.
South "F" Street, south of Talisman. Three blocks were under water, with water going above
the curb and almost into residence's garages. This has been a problem area for many years.
The Kristina sump which is located two blocks west of So. "F" was full. It is a small sump and
fills up very quickly. We called out Water Resources employees for help and they started
pumping out the sump. They had to pump the sump until 3:30 a.m. Friday morning to clear the
street.
The intersection at Deanna Way and Lantados Street was completely flooded. This area drains
into the Green Belt south located on the east side of Monitor, south of Deanna Way. Once the
water in this sump gets to the same level as the Street (Deanna Way) the street will remain
flooded. Our two vacuum trucks pumped out the water from the intersection until 4:00 a.m.
Friday morning.
The north side of Benton Street & Wilson Road, by Benton Park, was flooded. The end of the
storm pipe inside the drainage basin, which is inside the park, was full of debris. Mike had to
break the top of the pipe in order to allow some water to come through. The vacuum trucks still
had to pull water off the street.
The southeast corner of "K" Street and 21st had to be cleared by the vacuum trucks.
Glenmont and Devon known as "Landfair area" was flooded for a while until the overflow at the
Landfair area near the Sundale Golf Course pump station was closed.
There were several other areas around the City that were flooded. However, the storm drains
and pump stations were operating properly. There was too much water coming into the storm
system. The storm system was handling all it could.
Our two City-owned vacuum trucks operated until 4:00 a.m. Friday morning, 12/26/03, pulling
water off flooded areas.
. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
UNDER SECRETARY FOR MEMORIALAFFAIRS
WASHINGTON DC 20420
RECEIVED
DEC 2 4 2003'
Mr. Alan Tandy
City Manager of Bakersfield
1510 Truxtun Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Dear Mr. Tandy:
I am pleased to inform you that the President signed, on Veterans' Day 2003,
Public Law 108-109 that provides for the establishment of a new national cemetery in
the Bakersfield area of California. This area was identified as an area of greatest need
for a veterans' cemetery in a recent demographic study of veteran population.
Development of thisnew national cemetery Will provide more veterans with access to
a burial option within 75 miles of their residence. In addition to Bakersfield, the Public
Law also directs establishment of new national cemeteries to serve the Birmingham,
Alabama; Jacksonville, Florida; Sarasota County, Florida; Southeastern Pennsylvania,
and Columbia/Greenville, South Carolina areas.
The National Cemetery Administration will begin the process in 2004 to identify
suitable land in the Bakersfield area that may be evaluated for a future national
cemetery site. We would appreciate any suggestions or assistance that your office
may be able to provide toward identifying sites for our consideration. A new national
cemetery will require a minimum of 200 - 250 net acres in order to provide for current
and future interment needs of area veterans.
Enclosed are several documents that identify the geographic area in which the
cemetery is to be located and define .the criteria we use to evaluate the suitability of
potential sites for cemetery development. Should further information be desired,
please have you're a member of your staff contact Mr. Robert Holbrook, Director,
Office of Construction Management, National Cemetery Administration, at
(202) 565-4804.
Thank you for your consideration. I welcome your support as the Department of
Veterans Affairs begins the process of developing a new national cemetery to meet
the needs of California veterans.
Sincerely,
Enclosures
Office of Construction Management
National Cemetery Administration
Department of Veterans 'Affairs
Basic Considerations
National Cemetery Site Selection
Proximity - The site should be located as close as possible to the densest veteran population in the
area under consideration. Not only actual distance, but travel time to the site is considered.
· Size - Sufficient acreage must be available to provide gravesites for at least a 40-year projection.
Interment rates and acreage requirements are projected based upon veteran population within a 75-
mile radius of a projected site.
· Shape - Uniform boundaries, undivided by roads or easements, with generally square or rectangular
shapes are desired. Irregularly shaped sites are more difficult to access and less efficient to design and
develop.
· Accessibility - The site should be readily accessible via highways and major public roadways.
Close proximity to highway interchanges and public ~ansportation is desirable. Road quality of
access highways is also considered.
· Utilities & Water - Availability of public utilities (electricity, water, sewer, gas) are important.
However, on-site septic systems and on-site potable water wells or ponds are acceptable. An adequate
water supply for irrigation is of pfimary importance.
· Surrounding Land Use - Sites adjacent to visually objectionable, loud noise, high traffic, or other
nuisance elements should be avoided..Both current and projected adjacent land use is considered.
· Soils - Should be of a quality that will provide adequate topsoil for growing turf; should have
adequate stability for constructing roads and buildings; should be well drained; and should be free of
shallow depth groundwater. There should be no sub-surface obstructions or hazardous waste present.
· Topography - cOmparatively level to rolling terrain is desirable for areas to be developed..-~" "'
grade of burial areas should be in the 2 to 15 percent range. There should be sufficient slope to enable
proper drainage of the site. Ravines, wetlands, and sinkholes cannot be developed.
· Aesthetics - Existing site amenities such as pleasant views and quality vegetative cover are
favorable.
· Restrictions to,Development- The presence of man-made elements such as
cultural/histofic/archaeological elements, utility easements, fights-of-way, or mineral fights can
'hamper or legally prevent development. Presence of endangered species, historic artifacts, and/or
wetland areas limit or preclude cemetery development.
Skyrocketing Health
2003 State E-Government Rankings
insur.ance PremiUms i (Previous Year's Ranking in Parentheses)
Continue to Tax x Rank State Points Out of 100
/ I. (24) Massachusetts 46.3
2. (6) Texas 43.0
Employers, Employees ~ 3.(12) Indiana 42.4
"' 4. (I) Tennessee 41.4
5. (3) California 41. I
T l'ealth insurance premiums ~ 6.(19) Michigan 40.6
.-,'~'"'! increased 13.9 percent in 2003, a · 7. (5) Pennsylvania 40.5
8. (I I) NewYork 40.5
j~ ,[ larger increase than last year and the 9. (I 3) Florida 40.3
largest since 1990, according to the 2003 10. (44) Kentucky 40.0
I I. (I 6) Illinois 39.7
Employer Health Benefits Survey released in 12. (22) Missouri 39.7 .!
September by the Kaiser Family Foundation and [ 3. (2) New Jersey 39.6
the Health Research and Educational Trust. 14. (9) South Dakota 39.5
15. (32) Arizona 39. I
This marks the third year in a row of double- 16. (7) Washington 38.6 .-:
digit increases in health insurance premiums. 17. (I 0) Utah 38. I
[ 8. (27) Maryland 38. I
While employers are not dropping coverage, 19. (15) Virginia 38. I
most are passing the higher costs to employees. 20. (17) North Carolina 38.0
Over the last three years, the average premium 21. (23) Kansas 38.0
22. (4) Connecticut 37.9
that employees pay for family coverage has 23. (14) New Hampshire 37.6
i:~.creased almost 50 percent, from $1,619 to 24. (41) Delaware 37.4
$2,412. The typical family health insurance policy 25. (34) Maine 37.4
e 26. (21) Ohio 37.4
now averages $9,068, with employers paying ·
27. (37) Minnesota 36.8
73 percent and employees 27 percent. ~ 28. (43) Louisiana 36.6
· 29. (20) North Dakota 36.4
The survey was conducted between January 30. (39) Idaho 35.9
and May of 2003 and included 2,808 randomly 31. (38) Georgia 35.8
32. (8) Nevada 35.7
~e!ected public and private firms ranging in size 33. (35) Rhode Island 35.3
from three to more than 300,000. 34. (I 8) Oregon 34.9
35. (28) Iowa 34.6
Nearly four in five workers face a deductible before health care 36. (46) Wisconsin 34.2
expenses are covered under their plans. For PPOs- the most corn- 37. (30) Arkansas 34.0
mort type of plan-~-in-network deductibles average $275 for single 38. (29) Oklahoma 33.2
39. (47) Colorado 33. I
coverage. Those working for smaller firms have even higher 40. (50) Wyoming 33.0
· ':eductibles, averaging $419. PPO deductibles for out-of-network 41. (36) WestVirginia 32.7
sen'ices average $561, up 20 percent from last year. 42. (26) South Carolina 32.7
43. (25) Montana 32.7
Despite continued increases in premiums, employers appear 44. (42) Vermont 32.3
reluctant to drop health insurance for their employees. Only 10 45. (45) Hawaii 32.1
46. (49) Alabama 31.9
percent indicated that they will reduce eligibility, and only 16 per- 47. (48) Mississippi 31.5
cent said they will drop coverage altogether. However, many 48. (40) Nebraska 31.3
49. (33) New Mexico 30.3
~'mployers say they will increase employee contributions and cost-
sharing in the future. 50. (33) Alaska 30.3
Source: Taubman Center for Publ{c Policy, Brown University
The 2003 Employer Health Benefits Survey is available online at (V'~it www. imidepolilics.org/ego',a'O3m.pdD :,..
www. kff.org. I
· Government Finance Review J December2003 · :~,~:'~-, ~', Government Finance Review 9