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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/27/2012 OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER April 27, 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager AT SUBJECT: General Information Miscellaneous News • A few weeks ago we passed along the latest sales tax information for the fourth quarter of 2011. The figures showed a 2 percent increase over the fourth quarter in 2010 – this has not changed. We have received a more detailed look by industry into the figures. Notable increases were seen in heavy industrial equipment/machinery, service stations and new car sales. Oil and gas services and equipment showed below average results, as compared to the same quarter last year. A memo from Finance Director Nelson Smith is enclosed. • Congratulations are in order for Ahron Hakimi, who was recently appointed to the Executive Director position at Kern COG. Mr. Hakimi previously headed the CalTrans office in Bakersfield and has been a valuable contributor to the TRIP program. We look forward to continuing our amicable relationship with Mr. Hakimi as he takes on his new role! • A somewhat bizarre scene unfolded at the first (we think) meeting of the Fresno Oversight Board meeting this week. Four of the seven members called the meeting, saying they were a quorum – however three members had not been appointed at the time of the meeting. The chief disputes are determining which entity represents the largest special district and the lack of mayoral appointments. At one point in the meeting, a Fresno City Attorney presented each member with a copy of a lawsuit, alleging the meeting was illegal and invalid. We have enclosed an article which attempts to recap the meeting. Our positive experience here is a rather stark contrast. High Speed Rail News  The City of Taft joined many other jurisdictions in opposing the high speed rail project as the City Council adopted a resolution last week “confirming its complete and unwavering opposition” to the project, as it is currently proposed. The resolution echoes many other cities which have opposed the project on grounds of the cost, lack of funding and impact to cities without discussion of mitigation. A copy of the resolution is attached. Honorable Mayor and City Council General Information April 27, 2012 Page 2 Event List There are multiple upcoming events scheduled at City facilities:  National Softball Association (NSA) 18 & Under Youth Fast Pitch Softball Tournament April 28th – 29th Mesa Marin Sports Complex Admission: $4.00 Adults/ $2.00 Students 12 & up/ Free - Under 12 yrs  TNA Impact Wrestling World Tour May 5th at 7:30 p.m. Rabobank Arena Tickets: $20-$50 Council Referrals  Councilmember Benham: o Trash At 1801 18th Street  Councilmember Salas: o Audible Signals at California and Chester Reports For your information, we enclose the following information:  The Streets Division work schedule for the week of April 30th; AT:rs:ch cc: Department Heads Roberta Gafford, City Clerk By George Hostetter - The Fresno Bee Monday, Apr. 23, 2012 | 09:19 PM The Fresno Oversight Board got two pieces of bad news when it met Monday for the first time. Board members were told they don't exist. Then they got sued -- by their own legal advocate. In a two-hour meeting that made the chicken-or-egg question look easy, the volunteer board charged with dissolving the Fresno Redevelopment Agency made a valiant attempt to get its administrative act together. At stake is setting up a process to determine the fate of an estimated $155 million of taxpayer money that could end up in local development projects, school classrooms, public safety coffers or all of the above. As part of a budget-fixing plan, the Legislature passed a law last year that killed redevelopment agencies. In Fresno, City Hall is doing the grunt work of unwinding the RDA's legal commitments. The oversight board's function is found in its name -- make sure City Hall does things right. But the board had never met. Late last week, four board members signed a notice calling for a special meeting Monday. The four said they were a quorum of the seven-member board and the time had come to act. Twenty people showed up at the Sarah McCardle Room at the downtown library. About half were lawyers. That was a big reason why most of the meeting consisted of arcane debate on whether the meeting was really a meeting, board members were really board members and board action was really legitimate action. Just as exhaustion was setting in, city of Fresno lawyer Doug Sloan stunned the board by swiftly handing each member a copy of a thick lawsuit alleging everything that had transpired was illegal and void. The lawsuit, to be heard in Sacramento County Superior Court this week, asks a judge to stop the board from doing anything of substance until next week. "We're being served!" said board member Jeff Reid, a lawyer himself and once a Fresno city manager. He looked at Sloan's delivery, then added, "We're being sued -- by our own lawyer!" It was an apt finish to an event that surely ranks as one of the most unusual in local politics. Only five of the seven board members have been appointed. Everyone is waiting for Mayor Ashley - Localhttp://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/23/v-print/2811398/chaotic-fresno-o... 1 of 2 4/26/2012 4:12 PM Swearengin to pick her two. The big dispute is whether one member is to be selected by the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District or the county's Library District. The former wants district General Manager Bob Van Wyk. The latter wants county Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Debbie Poochigian. Both showed up Monday. Board member Doug Vagim for weeks had a vision for how this first meeting would unfold. Vagim wanted to get a quorum that would select a chair, vice-chair and clerk. The board would pick a legal firm for advice. Meeting times and sites would be determined. A short, sweet, simple beginning to the people's business, Vagim said. Instead, Monday's meeting went in circles. It began with everyone pledging their allegiance to a wall without a flag. Fresno City Council Member Larry Westerlund, who sat in the front row, told the board to go home because it had failed to comply with a multitude of legal requirements. This was before anyone on the board had banged the gavel. Vagim and Reid gave the green light to the swearing-in ceremony. Van Wyk and Poochigian both raised their hands and repeated the oath. Fresno City Attorney James Sanchez took a seat next to Vagim. State law requires his office to be the board's legal adviser in the beginning. Sanchez repeated Westerlund's warning -- the board doesn't have a legitimate quorum. Board and audience members chewed on whether the Flood Control District or the Library District is biggest based on tax revenue. Each side said the state Department of Finance supports its claim. Then everyone realized that they'd been talking individually to the same Sacramento bureaucrat, who apparently told callers what they wanted to hear. A handful of votes were taken. Vagim was elected chairman. Each time, Poochigian and Van Wyk cast a vote. Vagim admitted he didn't know whether the record should reflect 5-0 votes or 4-0 votes or 4-0-1 votes. At Westerlund's suggestion, the board agreed to meet next Monday at City Hall. That's when Sloan, with his boss Sanchez looking on, began distributing copies of the lawsuit. - Localhttp://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/23/v-print/2811398/chaotic-fresno-o... 2 of 2 4/26/2012 4:12 PM C:\Users\chuot\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\VVR90GV2\_308_TRASH_AT_1801_18TH_STREET1.docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: April 26, 2012 SUBJECT: TRASH AT 1801 18TH STREET Referral No. 308 Staff monitored this location and did not find the refuse bin to be overflowing. Staff in some cases may recommend an increase in service however it is not warranted in this instance. While the trash containers were not overflowing, staff did note debris in the alley obviously left by transients who frequent the area. A volunteer group cleaned up the alley as part of the City’s Great American Clean-Up on April 14, 2012. Staff will continue to monitor the area. COUNCILMEMBER BENHAM REQUESTED THAT STAFF ADDRESS AN ISSUE RAISED BY KATHLEEN FAULKNER, ATTORNEY, REGARDING HER PUBLIC STATEMENT THAT THE GARBAGE IS OVERFLOWING NEAR HER OFFICE AT 1801 18TH STREET, AND THAT THE CITY DOES NOT PICK IT UP AS OFTEN AS THEY SHOULD. C:\Users\chuot\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\VVR90GV2\_309_AUDIBLE_SIGNALS2.docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: April 27, 2012 SUBJECT: AUDIBLE SIGNALS AT CALIFORNIA AND CHESTER Referral No. 309 General Services Staff installed audible signal devices for the pedestrian walk/don’t walk movements at the intersection of California and Chester Avenues on Friday, April 20, 2012. COUNCILMEMBER SALAS REQUESTED THAT THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT PROVIDE AN UPDATE REGARDING THE STATUS OF THE INSTALLATION OF AUDIBLE SIGNALS IN THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS AT THE INTERSECTION OF CALIFORNIA AND CHESTER AVENUES. Week of April 30_2012_Work Schedule Page 1 of 2 STREETS DIVISION – WORK SCHEDULE Week of April 30, 2012 – May 4, 2012 Resurfacing/Reconstructing streets in the following areas: Reconstructing streets in the area south of Planz Rd and west of Wible Rd (weather permitting) Grind & Resurface Monitor St between Panama Ln & Fairview (weather permitting) Grind & Resurface MLK Blv from Brundage Ln north to Railroad Tracks (weather permitting) Grind & Resurface MLK Blv from Brundage Ln south to Fwy 58 (weather permitting) Grind & Resurface E. Truxtun between Beale & Williams (weather permitting) (CDBG funded area) Resurface streets in the area south of Flower and east of Robinson prior to street resurfacing Sealing streets in the area between Stine Rd & Wible Rd north of Ming Ave (weather permitting) Miscellaneous Streets Division projects: Video inspection of City owned Sewer & Storm lines to evaluate condition of pipes (CDBG funded area) Installing & Repairing curb, gutter & sidewalks in the area east of Oleander & south of Palm St. Grading for roadway and installing curb & gutter on Trailer Mart access road Concrete work prior to finishing reconstructing of Freemont south of Wilson (weather permitting) THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Week of April 30_2012_Work Schedule Page 2 of 2 STREETS SWEEPING SCHEDULE Monday, April 30, 2012 All sweepers are assigned to sweeping streets that are not on a set sweeping schedule. Tuesday, May 1, 2012 Between California Ave. & Brundage Ln. – Oak St. & Union Ave. Between Renfro Rd. & Jenkins Rd. – Stockdale Hwy. & Kern River Boundary. Wednesday, May 2, 2012 Between Panorama Dr. & Bernard St. -- Union Ave. & Loma Linda Dr. Between River Blvd. & E. Columbus St. – Panorama Dr. & Columbus St. Between College Ave. & Azalea Ave. – Mountain Dr. & Raval St. Between Ming Ave. & White Ln. – Allen Rd. & Buena Vista Rd. Thursday, May 3, 2012 City areas between Kentucky St. & Quincy St. – Owens St. & Virginia St. Between Union Ave. & Washington St. – E. Truxtun Ave. & Brundage Ln. Between Progress Rd. & Old River Rd. – Panama Ln. & Pacheco Rd. (alignment) City areas between Progress Rd. & Old River Rd. – Meadow Falls Dr. & Rose Creek Dr. Friday, May 4, 2012 Between Buena Vista Rd. & Allen Rd. – Harris Rd. & Panama Ln. Between Buena Vista Rd. & Mountain Vista Dr. – Panama Ln. & Birkshire Rd. Between 178 Hwy. & Paladino Dr. – W. Columbus St. & Morning Dr. City areas between Sterling Rd. & Morning Dr. – 178 Hwy. & College Ave. Between Valley St. & Lene Pl. -- !78 Hwy & Hickory Dr. Between 178 Hwy. & Reynard Rd. – Kern Canyon Rd. & McKenna St. Between Stockdale Hwy. & Joseph Dr. – McDonald Wy. & N. Stine Rd. NOTE: If raining, there will be no street sweeping service and all street cleaning personnel will be assigned to cleaning plugged drains and part circle culverts.