City of Mountain View, CA City Council Meetings, 11 Feb 2020

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: 2-11-2020: City Council Meeting

Description

Council Chambers, 500 Castro St., Mountain View, CA 94041

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 11, 2020

A

Sure I councilmember Ramirez is absent. All other council members are present. Thank you. Thank.

B

You we will go to our study session item 3.1, which is a neighborhood traffic management program and TMP, as it's often known, and we have our presenters, Lorenzo Lopez city traffic, engineer and Edie Arango newly promoted assistant public works director city engineer. Welcome.

C

B

C

B

Is city traffic engineer.

D

Welcome. Thank you.

E

Good evening, mayor and honorable mayor members of council, my name is Lorenzo Lopez and I'm. The city traffic engineer, I'm joined by a Durango, who is the assistant public works director and city engineer. Tonight's presentation is about the neighborhood traffic management program, also known as the an TMP a little background on why we are here. One of counsels goals was for staff to review the N TMP overall staff believes the program currently works well, but we feel there's room for improvement and we have identified a few areas that could potentially be revised.

E

We are looking for feedback from from you on potential changes which I will get to shortly.

E

Regarding the effectiveness of improvements, staff has found that once the improvements have been installed, they have been very effective in reducing speeds.

E

As I mentioned, n TMP improvements have been very effective in reducing speeds and some examples of the effectiveness are shown on the screen. The 85th percentile speeds dropped from 32 to 24 on jardín Drive 33 to 22 on Plymouth stream and 42 23 on easy street.

E

In order to get those types of results, these seven steps of the N TMP as described in more detail in the study session, memo are followed. A petition is received to start the N TMP process, which is followed by data collection to determine if the speeds on the street exceed the program thresholds. If so, staff holds a neighborhood meeting to discuss potential traffic calming devices which are then sent via a postcard survey to the established voting area.

E

If the proposed devices are approved by the neighborhood, they then go to the approval process and are installed speed. Data is later collected to determine the effectiveness of the improvements.

E

We do recognize the process can sometimes be lengthy, and staff has heard concerns about the amount of time it takes from the time of the petition is received to the time improvements are installed, as explained in the staff report. Each step requires a certain amount of time to complete in staffs view, a lot of that time involves valuable community input and consensus building, which is one of the foundations of the program's success.

E

When reviewing the an TMP for any potential changes. There are a lot of parameters that can be revised. The following are some potential changes proposed by staff.

E

For step 1, the current requirement is only a minimum of 10% of the residents or property owners on the street in question.

E

Staff recommends changing the signature requirement to a minimum of 5 signatures or a minimum of 10% of the residents or property owners on the street in question. Whichever is higher for.

E

Step three staff proposes modifying the n TMP guidelines to add electronic speed feedback signs to the list of traffic calming devices and to also allow staff to authorize additional traffic. Calming measures as new techniques or devices are developed.

E

For step four, currently there is no minimum required percent of postcard ballots to be returned. Staff recommends requiring a minimum of thirty. Five percent of the postcard ballots be returned along with a minimum of sixty seven percent approval of those return postcards.

E

Staff rec recommends modifying the n TMP guidelines to revise step 5, to make it optional a staffs discretion and judgment about whether it is necessary to take a recommendation to CTC or even to Council.

E

And a general question to you: Council or you are there any other revisions to the process or guidelines that you would like to develop.

E

Based on council direction, tonight staff will revise the guidelines are returned to Council for adoption of revisions to the NT MP. If any. That concludes the presentation and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Great.

B

Thank you very much. As this is a study session, we will open this up to a public comment. First, so are there any members of the public wishing to speak on this item and if so, if you could, please come to the podium and fill out a blue card and either before or after you speak, and is it just it's just the two of you or I think we can go three minutes.

F

It will star on this slide: anyways hi, I'm, Albert, Jane's, longtime resident of Mountain View. It's funny that we're talking about this tonight, because, just by coincidence this morning, I was woken up by this really loud car, going down our street and play the video here. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the sound to work on this. It's quite dramatic but you'll just see the video anyways it'll.

G

F

Mean it's one of those cars where you can hear it coming from a long way off, and it just got louder and louder and just whizzed by just for comparison. You know a regular car came by later.

F

You couldn't even hear it so I.

G

F

To figure out how fast this car was going, so I took frames from the video and it's a little hard cuz a long exposure bike catch the headlight here and the headlight here use Google Maps to figure out I figured out the site wise the distance between these two points, where I figure the car was and the estimative is going 39 miles an hour which is pretty fast on this street. This is a narrow street. You know, I, don't think they'll stay going more than 25 on this.

F

It's one of those kind of streets, this guy's going almost 40 and so clearly there's a could be a problem also, but you don't know you can barely see, there's a little bend in the road right here too. So the long straight stretch a slight Bend and then there's a stop sign. Well then, actually, there's no stop sign here either. So it's potentially a dangerous situation. If somebody has to step out in a crosswalk here.

F

So I was thinking about this MTB MP program and I, read the staff report and it I understand that actually we're talking about mostly speed on this meeting, rather than traffic diversion and so I kind of, don't understand why so much petitioning and buying from the neighbors is required. If it's a safety and law enforcement issue, I could understand.

F

That's true if it's just a traffic diversion you'll cut through traffic people have an option like do you want cars going through or nod, you know, nobody's breaking the law they're just driving through, but this is clearly a law enforcement problem in definitely a safety problem. So I understand why you have to rely on the neighbors to bring that up. I mean you may have a neighbor, bring it up to you, but then I think the city has a responsibility to determine whether it's really a safety issue.

F

I mean it is they should do something about. Just like you put in stop signs double, yellow lines: traffic lights. It shouldn't be up to a vote to the neighbors to decide whether or not to keep the cars going. You know from 40 miles an hour, so that's my opinion. Thank you.

F

B

B

H

My name is salesman's Montaigne residents, so my street did a petition. You know over ten years ago, so it's not in your history, and you know that was not a problem to get the signatures and, and things like this, because people won't, you know slower traffic in the streets, because residents streets our streets where kids bike and walk to schools in some of our streets, kids, kids play in the streets, we have basketball hoops that I'll set up. Sometimes you know that's also where kids actually learn how to ride their bikes.

H

That's where my son's are not to ride his bike. So we all want like straw things, but my street was denied because we didn't match the speed criteria and verse. Quitter criteria is really what what you should be addressing here. It is set up as taking the posted speed limit as gospel, but 25 miles an hour in itself is already too fast in a residential street.

H

You know we set it up at 15 miles an hour on your school's Portland decided to put it at 20 miles an hour throughout the city in all residential areas, and it's not just for the 25 verse, particular area. If you look at it, you know it's. Only a 15% of the drivers drive above 25 plus 500 plus 7. If it's not with score so pretty much, most of the traffic can be at 30 or 32 miles an hour and that we think it's okay. There is nothing to do so.

H

I think you need to address this. You know I would suggest you pass something where you set the speed limit, but splitting it in residential areas at 20 miles an hour as a starting point. But if you don't want to do this at least use 20 miles an hour as your target speed when you do with your speed criteria.

H

So, instead of looking at 25 plus 5, look at 20 plus 5 to do this or or even lower, because the changes you recommend will need to can can make it easier to to put petitions, but they gonna power fail at this particular area and I was pointed out its it shouldn't even take a petition for this to have slower speeds in Oroville streets in in residential areas. Everybody is for this. Thank you. Thank.

B

You any other members of the public wishing to speak well, if that I will close public comment and bring it back to Council a question council, member or matichek.

B

I

In response to mr. genes is comments in question: how did this come about that we require this, and why don't we just go out and do this without a resident doing a petition.

J

Traffic calming measures are potentially controversial, not everybody wants to live on a street, for instance with speed humps, and so when we put the program together, we thought that consensus building was important and we've found that to be true, so we don't necessarily recommend going out and imposing traffic calming measures unilaterally. There are some things we do unilaterally as a city we come and we fund, we installed that this is one that we think the consensus building is important.

J

I

Thanks and I do want to when we get to that point, suggest another change to this process, and so I was wondering if you could describe for everyone, so we're all on the same page and how it is determined. What items go on the postcard and what the question is that is asked.

I

I went to the Sylvan Avenue n TMP neighborhood meeting, and it was done differently at that meeting or as a result of that meeting than previously, it was done so I'm kind of wondering where we are now in terms of what goes on the postcard. The people vote on sure. So.

E

Typically, at the neighborhood meeting, staff presents all the tools in the toolbox, so chokers speed hubs. Whatever devices are listed in the appendix of the of the guidelines.

E

Some of these items, the residents asked there's a lot of back-and-forth questioning from the residents and, as you saw and some of them, they asked for staffs advice. They say you know, which one do you think is the most effective, which one doesn't make sense in some cases and we'll provide them with that feedback, but really we're trying to present all the options and let them decide what goes on the postcard. So the the residents decide what goes on the postcard and we sent it out for a vote.

E

What happened with Sylvan was there were four options, and typically we it's an all-or-nothing, but because those four options residents felt there was a chance that if one got shot down which speed hums did then everything gets shot down. So what they wanted to do was kind of have an Alec heart approach, so we discussed among staff and we agreed.

E

We would do it that way and what happened was three of the four items did pass with the 67% majority, but the speed humps did not, and that's that's a good example of really it was split. 50 around 50 percent wanted them. 50 percent did not it.

I

Does absolutely so have we thought about using that approach going forward with other areas that might want an ndmp? Yes, yes,.

E

Because I think that gives them the option to pick the ones that they do want. It's it's really a yes or no on that item versus yes to all of these or no yeah.

I

I was concerned that when it's all or nothing, you might get nothing and.

E

I

Listing them individually and having the ability to vote individually, I thought was really important.

I

Let's see I think that's all my questions. So when we're ready for comments I have some thanks.

B

Councillor McAllister is.

C

There only a speed limit. Is there a criteria that the state says you can you know people want many things, but you have to go by state regulations. Yes,.

E

To establish speed limits, yes, so there we have to do a radar survey or engineering and traffic survey, which requires either police officers or traffic staff that are certified, go out and collect speed and basically an unmarked vehicle. So nobody knows that it that's what you're doing and then you perform the study and determine whatever what the 85th percentile is from the speeds that you collect and then the the 85th percentile is used to determine what speed limit you can set for that for that roadway.

E

So, for example, if it comes in at 32 miles per hour, we round to the nearest 5 mile per hour increment, so that would go to 30 if there are reasons like a curve or visibility concerns that we feel we can lower an additional 5. We're allowed to do that. So we have done that in some cases where it came in around 32 and we've reduced it down 25 miles per hour. So.

C

People is that sometimes how some of the things failed, because it doesn't meet the statutory requirements or you know people want certain things to speed, but because the statutory says used so the statute says you gotta have to do a certain speed. Well, the.

E

Threshold in the program is actually, coincidentally, the same as that 32 mile per hour threshold.

G

E

There's no real connection between the two. We we established the speeds in order for the police to radar to rate our survey and incite people for speeding. That's what the engineering and traffic surveys is intended for. The traffic calming policy at which was established years ago took into account what other cities were doing and what their thresholds were, and they used that, along with cities across the country, not just locally to to establish the thresholds. So that's how that was done, so we could always.

C

Set the speed limit lower, but we couldn't, we can't enforce it with a radar, though correct, correct, okay,.

E

C

Other question I had is on the appendix they had all these the ways to reduce the speed and so forth, and there was cost associated with those. So the original report was made in 2002. Has the cost been updated since 2008? No okay, so we got 18 year old costs is there's something that you need direction from us to do, or is that something that you guys would just do on your own or just take the cost? Out of this particular study.

E

We could do both. We can either update the cost or remove it. It's we could go either way on that, like that.

C

Okay and my other question the postcards a lot of times we hear people say they don't get a postcard and we know it had their band. Then this is whatever for development or a neighbor changes. Him had the city, and this is a bigger question for the city. Had we ever thought of increasing the size of the postcard so and making it a tad large color or some of them? So it's more noticeable and people saying oh well, I didn't get my little postcard. That's something.

E

We could easily do if I see.

C

I'm saying so, there.

E

Have been cases where people did not receive the card and I would send him a PDF for them to sign it, and we mail back to me. I've received phone calls for that and their vote counts even if it's by email, okay, Thank, You, councilmember,.

B

K

Questions are related to councilmember McCallister's questions. There is the question when answered: there clarified it a little for me, but I'm, not completely clear still. It seems like we're talking that the members of the public brought up things that are related to the neighborhood traffic management program, but not specifically within it.

K

If I understand right, so there's the program that we read about with traffic calming measures and then there's also setting speeds and enforcement, and so that leaves me wondering so I'm not completely clear after the last set of questions what freedom we have to reduce the speeds and then I'm also wondering when public works interfaces with the neighborhoods. Do you talk at all about how much do you also talk about the related issues of speeds and enforcement at that time?

K

E

Typically, we we would if they want to address the speeding we offer this this program, but we also offer for Police Department to do some enforcement to do some targeted enforcement at certain times, because you know there that an officer can sit there all day and and not see anything and then as soon as they leave something happens. So what we have asked the residents we have engage with them asking. Is there a certain time period that you're seeing this occur?

E

And then we get that window of time and we can pass that on to to the police officers to to do some enforcement, so we do engage with the public if it is more than the program that they want to talk about. We definitely have a good working relationship with the police department, so.

K

It is brought up as a separate but related issue. Yes, thank you. Any.

B

Other questions from Council members, you good, yes, customers, thank.

L

You very it's a to just to just to clarify the the threshold that we set to determine whether a street is eligible for traffic. Homing is a policy decision. We can decide whether it's 32 miles per hour or three 331 right and there may be a best practice. But if that's something that we want to review, then we have the discretion to do that. Correct great. Thank you all.

B

Right, no I don't see any other questions, so we can go into the questions for Council.

B

E

The full question.

G

Is on the last page of.

E

The council report, if you want this, is a little summarized version of them. Oh yes,.

B

Is this trying to see if I could try to do? Can we try to do this as a straw vote on each item and then, if you have comments on any of them afterwards, we can entertain comments. So you try that so question when the petition question minimum of five signatures or a minimum of 10%, our council members who support that change.

B

B

Step three: the neighborhood meeting question: adding new measures as they come online council members supporting that great post card survey requiring a minimum of 35 percent return, postcards with a minimum of 67 percent approval and extra large postcards with big font as I get older and have trouble. Reading myself counselor vs. support that requirement.

B

M

Talking about changing the postcard size just for this right, not a global change.

G

M

Would require cost estimates. I would hope. Yes for.

B

This survey because they have to fill it out and turn it in correct, so I think that was unanimous, great and then the approval it goes to either CTC or actually giving staff the discretion to take it to CTC or decide on you staffs own accord. Is that this? That's the change so we're giving staff that that latitude unless.

E

We feel that it's probably gonna be controversial. We would then decide to take it to councilor CTC another.

J

Factor if it meets a financial threshold that council has to approve the expenditure, we don't have discretion over that. Okay, that happened on Sylvan is why I bring it up. So there are some things we don't have discretion on, but.

C

B

Question then, can.

C

Ctc asks for something to come to it sure.

E

Yeah I don't see why not? Okay, instead.

N

C

The decision, if we get enough public input to say hey, maybe CTC, should take a first wing in it yeah. That's that's.

E

A good idea if, if as we're going through the process, CTC- and maybe that's some some some of the outreach we can provide saying if you feel this should go to CTC or some sort of communication that they think it should be taken to that next level. Then we can definitely do that. Okay, I, like that's the flexibility that we're looking for cuz. There may be some slam dunks that we just.

G

E

Let's just go, install and skip that step, get it get it in sooner than later, would you.

N

Give us any kind of criterias or I mean how you're gonna decide that criteria. We can. We create.

E

Some memo, sir.

N

So that we have been understanding.

C

So there's no confusion of we can go to the Albert, say: hey Albert, bring it to CTC or, and he might say yeah so, okay sure thank you so.

B

Then um will this.

G

B

Come back to us as a agenda at regular agenda item, so at that time, could you maybe create the criteria for us to review at that point? Could it come back as a consent.

C

Calendar item. Yes, it.

B

B

I'm, sorry, oh really, okay, show of hands on question five about giving staff some discretion. Then that's yeah, I'm, sorry, question 4, step 5 and that's unanimous any other revisions. Councillor matichek yeah.

I

I saw it in a council questions, a question about budget and I really feel like I. Don't want budget to ever be an issue in implementing any measures, and so the answer did come back to say you could bring it to council. So I guess I'd like us to be certain or be clear that that's what we want if we all want that I certainly would say. Yes, if there's not enough budget, let us know so that we can see if we can allocate more budget to it.

B

I

Would say that if we have exhausted the budget for implementation of n TMP programs, staff would come back to Council and let them know and request additional budget good.

C

What do you want to run out or.

I

C

Say hangry that we reached a threshold of a minimum asked for some more instead of all of sudden. Would that be that's fine, yeah.

I

B

Those who support a budget augmentation request great unanimous and then the.

I

Other is I, I just want to make sure we're clear on what would be on the postcard and make sure everybody has a chance to weigh in on that so I kind of, like staff, is the experts on this topic, and so at those meetings, I, appreciated staff, saying here's what we recommend and I'm not quite sure how to do this, maybe what's on the postcard, is what staff recommends individually, so people can vote on him individually as well as anything else the neighborhood might want to vote on.

I

Even if staff didn't recommend it, or would that not be good like what do we do now? If the neighborhood wants something that staff doesn't recommend.

E

Typically, at the neighborhood meeting, there's a lot of discussion about what the neighborhood does want and whatever they don't want it's kind of thrown aside and we focus on the elements that they do want. So when we do the postcard survey, we can revise it to identify what we identified at the neighborhood meeting, but it would be more of an ala, carte approach like the Sylvan project versus the previous projects that were all all-or-nothing approach.

E

So I think what I worry about, adding a bunch of extra items on there, because I feel like they, they probably wouldn't get approved, anyways or the likelihood of them getting approved. What would be a wouldn't wouldn't happen? What we focus on at the meeting is really what I would want to put on the postcard I guess.

I

um Two questions: so what? If the neighborhood wants something on the postcard that staff does not recommend? What do we do? Oh, we would.

E

What, in that case, we would put it on because that's what the neighborhood wants. Okay, the way.

I

E

It we're we're the facilitator, we're giving them the tools and then they're discussing and getting feedback from staff, and then they decide at the neighborhood meeting. Okay, these are the things we want. I I, don't see that really happening too much where there's something that staff is just not gonna put on that, wouldn't we wouldn't put on the postcard okay, so.

I

I was not suggesting that everything go in the postcard. I was thinking that staff maybe had three or four things that they would recommend, and maybe the neighborhood had one more or didn't support some of the ones staff did because I feel, like staff, has got the expertise. That may be an item that staff recommended the name that the neighborhood didn't necessarily bring up should be on the postcard.

I

But if you're saying you know, I understand the rationale to say: if the neighborhood didn't bring it up and doesn't really support it then yeah, you wouldn't put it on the postcard.

I

Okay, but I guess I just want everyone to have a chance to weigh in on that. From now on, these items will be listed individually. So it's no longer all-or-nothing.

B

K

I, like the direction you're going in and I had a related issue, which is when I read the staff report. There were a number of a number of devices in the traffic management device inventory like curbside trees, roundabouts, necked, intersections ones that were greener, but which staff responded. Sometimes we're not the top. Most effective of you know a speed hump might be more effective in slowing traffic down. At the same time, the public may, the neighborhood may prefer to have the others instead of the humps or may prefer to have both of them.

K

Maybe the two interacting would be better, so the sort of menu of options and that way of presenting it on your part is possibly complimentary, and you know maybe they go better together or something seems to be getting at what my concern was when I read the staff report that we wouldn't just always go for one, but allow neighborhoods to look at the various options they haven't seen, which, which together might produce the best result for their neighborhood. So I like where you're going.

B

Do you honest well, let me finish with the comments and then we can come back to that, so it counts. Not I. Ramirez I have.

L

A different set of comments or another recommendation, so finish this one all right.

B

So this is to itemize the different strategies right so on the.

I

Postcard that goes out to the residents in the defined area, rather than the all-or-nothing approach that had been used in the past. Each measure is listed separately and you can vote on each measure separately and what would go on there? It's it would sort of depend on what the neighborhood's, looking at, with some guidance and an explanation of all the various options. I remember you did that at Sylvan at the very beginning, here's all.

G

I

Things that are possible and then there was discussion about what did the neighborhood want, but that's a small set that attends that meeting, and so that's why it goes out to the entire area right. Okay,.

B

So those who agree with I'm gonna say.

G

B

H

B

N

C

I also read in the council question, or it wasn't as a report, but staff puts in the things that are most effective and probably goes from the most effective. The next did that the death. So if we are giving this smorgasbord approach to people, I think we could get some confusion is that it they say well, we're recommending humps and they're saying no. We don't want them, even though it's the most effective then are you saying?

C

Well, then we'll go with items two or three, and then what happens if well, you're right, let's go back to the other one. Then they have to wait a year. So I have just concerned that I don't mind them listening. Are you listening them, but this the cost I know Costas shouldn't be an impediment, but the fact that you're going to do something and all sudden you've given people choices. That is there any chance that it would be an overkill on a particular.

C

You know what we want this, that that and we're gonna wait a minute. All you need. Is this so I'm a little concerned if they vote all their stuff, then his staff have the discretion to say: okay, here's what we would have final say and recommendation I'm listening to look at Lisa to say: you're I'm gonna try to get your thought process on well, I.

I

Feel, like we kind of talked about that and I was suggesting that what was on the postcard was staffs recommendation in. Maybe if there was something else the neighborhood wanted, but I guess at the silver one. If that's a typical one, I don't feel like the neighborhoods were trying to do overkill. I think they were trying to figure out what would be the most effective and they asked a lot of questions. Weren't you there, yeah I was yeah.

C

I

You were there and I think it turned out. Okay, they didn't ask for a lot and then speed. Humps did not make the cut yeah.

C

I

I guess you know, I've only been to a couple of those meetings. Did you ever feel like in the past at other meetings, there was a potential for overkill and you needed to provide more guidance, no.

E

We I think our job is to guide them to it, based on their questions. What we think is most effective if they do, if, if we suggest something they just flat-out, don't want it, we don't include it on the postcard. So it's we only include on the postcard what what they agree to at the meeting, and so as far as your question I haven't seen that happen. There's there's been times where it actually shrunk down from the original list.

E

We've had a list of four four items, let's say, and it shrunk down to just two or one because, as the discussion went on the neighbors said well, I, don't really want that. That's not gonna do anything but I don't want that in front of my house or you know, that's a big thing: I, don't want it in front of my house and the noise. So sometimes it goes the other direction and it actually lists shrinks versus increasing yeah I. Think.

J

In the rare circumstance, if that did happen, that could be one of those cases we bring to CTC for a little more vetting and a little policy discussion and- and you know, maybe get it down to something we don't think is overkill.

J

B

So, on this item of itemizing the different strategies as support that yeah unanimous again.

L

Councilman Ramirez, thank you. Mary have one that might be a little more controversial, so I I do think. We should review the speed criteria for for a couple of reasons. We know based on the staff analysis, that that's really that that's the the step at which most requests for traffic calming fail and I think that's that my one experience with what the with the program- that's that's where that's, where our attempt failed and I'm aware of another city that has a that that set that threshold with a specific you know, purpose unrelated to safety.

L

The the threshold is one mile per hour higher than mid hours, and it has the effect of dramatically reducing the number of streets that are eligible for traffic calming that was done during the recession, because of financial constraints and I would be curious to know if we were to reduce hours from 32 to 31 miles per hour, 85th percentile how many additional streets would become eligible or how many requests would be successful, and you know, there's I know, there's a fine balance between just between improving traffic safety and appeasing neighborhoods.

L

But you know if, if there is a discernible impact on traffic safety by you know, by rendering these streets eligible for traffic calming I, think I think it may be worthwhile in the end. So so doing the analysis of how many requests would have been successful. If the threshold had been slightly lower I'm, not suggesting we bring it down to 26 or 27, but if it were 31, for instance, would that mean that those requests would have been successful? And if there's, maybe some some analysis or narrative that could be provided on?

L

You know it is. You know, 31 miles per hour, 85th percentile, that much more safe than 32 miles per hour that had no longer warrants traffic calming.

B

Mr. filler did you I think Eden.

J

Lorenz are reviewing some data over there. They may actually have an answer to the question, so we.

O

We, the spreadsheet that was included with report identified over the last few years, all the locations and the results from that. We took it one step further or the last day to evaluate what the actual 85th percentile was. So you give us a minute. We can just kind of look at that if we reduce it to 31 miles per hour as a 84th percentile, we can give you a number of based on that. What that would have meant for the last set of requests that were received right.

B

So um we'll come back to your item line counselor McAllister. Did you have another item.

C

So there was when we're talking about dollars and timing of a particular event. Back in 2015 we had a fatality on El Monte and the neighborhood sort of came along and said: hey, you know we got to do something, etc, etc.

C

It was a neighborhood type of event, but the neighborhood wanted the traffic coming to go in there and it took four years to get that to go forward like that. So with that be related to this a little bit or is it a totally different animal, even though community wanted? You know it was on a major street versus a neighborhood street and it took us four years to get to that calming event and so forth. So who would like to tackle that.

J

That incident was handled outside of the NT MP program. What we saw that, as was more of an intersection design issue than a speeding issue, and so we went through a process of evaluating intersection improvements. We had several public meetings over it. There was some discussion about removing a crosswalk or not that generated quite a bit of conversation and controversy. I think we went to CTC a couple of times on that project, so that went through quite a process to decide exactly what to do. We wound up with the lighted crosswalk.

J

We wound up with eliminating a left turn conflict by eliminating one of the legs of the intersection, so it was really more complicated than a typical n TMP process. Out of that, though, we also heard concern about speeding and we view El Monte as different than your typical n TMP Street, it's bounded by Springer and El Camino, and it's wide and so what we and- and it wasn't obvious what to do I mean you know, just go out an El Monte and put in speed homes.

J

So we actually funded a separate project, that's underway now to evaluate options at that intersection or at that that corridor from Springer up to El Camino. This is really a different animal than most year MT MPs. It did take a while. There was a lot of process. We had to go through a formal design, a bidding process and so on. So there are a lot of reasons that took quite a while yeah.

N

C

I know that, but is there any Avenue other than I mean a lot of that was brought up by the community in that neighborhood? Absolutely so. Is there any type of a procedure or device that if that's happened, something similar to that on a major street that the community will reach out and we'll just do the same process that we sort of did on ell money that that is.

J

A process that happens, there's a there's, there's an incident or or an observation by a resident. They bring it up generally getting a project like that into the capital improvement program and then getting assigned to a project manager getting a design getting it bid. It just takes a while one of the things we've done to streamline that the last couple of years. We have some placeholder funding in the CIP. There are either annuals or semiannual x' for intersection improvements.

J

Where we can go out, we don't have to wait, get it in the CIP cycle and fund it and so on. We actually have some pots of money. We can go out and do spot improvements. Obviously, if they're, if they're large dollar amounts beyond that annual budget, then we'd have to go through the normal CIP process. But that was an effort to streamline it so that, if, if somebody did come in, we did see it as something that should be taken care of. It should be taken care of quickly.

J

We already have reserve pot of money for it. Okay,.

C

So you sort of answer. My next question is: what did we learn from that incident and you said yeah it's one of the things we learned and how quickly did that streamlining will affect from four years down to don't really have a number.

J

It's it's very situational honestly, whatever issues right now is enough traffic staffing to manage the projects, but that's that's different than the capital budgeting issue. Independent contractor.

C

B

Do you have numbers yes, so.

O

Just sort of some background there were again the spreadsheet that was in the report identified 38 locations since 2011 ten qualified and where improvements were installed. So that means 28 did not qualify. If we had reduced a threshold for the 84th percentile down to 31, have the 28 that didn't qualify for or would have qualified.

B

Consumers did any any further comments on that. um Well,.

L

I would still be interested in in at least exploring that possibility. That makes possible some some additional traffic humming and having a better appreciation for the difference between 32 and 31. I think would be helpful. You know if, in my mind, the paramount concern is Traffic Safety and if there's, if there's a material concern about traffic safety, you know if it's 31 miles per.

P

G

L

Percentile then, it may still be worth pursuing traffic calming the other.

L

The other thing that comes to mind is we make a distinction between residential streets and residential streets in the school zone and I wonder if it may be helpful to explore in you know, making a distinction between great sort of conventional residential streets and those streets that are adjacent to other pedestrian generators, so like a park or community center or something if maybe our reduced threshold would make sense in those circumstances, because we can reasonably anticipate, you know additional pedestrian traffic to get to that park or or other you know, public facility, so that those would be the two things I'd be interested in exploring yes,.

B

E

Way we can handle those type of things are outside of an EMP. We can do intersection improvements, as as Mike had mentioned. Crosswalk improvements. Sylvan was a good example where we did several lighted crosswalks to get to the park and we didn't light every crosswalk on seven, but the ones that were focused near the parts near the generator. So we can handle some of those type of things outside of an TMP.

B

Do you have a requester you like to do well.

L

I mean mister, would there be interested in exploring reducing the threshold I guess.

B

But when, if council would like to have staff look at this further, could you bring it back again when you bring the entire item.

G

B

Was that satisfactory, right, I guess.

E

We would just want to know how do you want us to look? We need some direction on what you want to standardize if.

J

I could just weigh in with the impacts of changing the threshold.

J

Basically, what it's going to mean is more streets are gonna qualify, and that means probably more streets are gonna. Get these traffic calming measures you can see on in this particular data set four more streets would have qualified for for the program. I, don't know that we're gonna come back with anything that is definitive on.

J

You know, 31 verses, 32 other than you know. Some percentage are going to be higher, so what I don't want.

Q

To do is disappoint.

J

You with the level of analysis, we're capable of doing you know it's, it's gonna be some version of more, are gonna qualify and some fraction of those are gonna, survive through the process and get the UM get the improvements installed. Are you looking.

B

For a different number, so 31 versus 30 versus yeah.

L

Some the challenge I face is the number feels arbitrary right and I I. Don't I, don't know what a good number would be and it it maybe if I don't know, if there's a way to determine what what a fair number would be, but I I assume that staff landed on 32 miles per hour for for some specific reason, and if it's just it, you know it ties in to the enforcement threshold very well.

L

You know that's I, guess as good a reason as any, but if we're looking at, if part of the intention of modifying the program is to make additional requests for traffic only successful, this is probably the key barrier, and so it it would be worth evaluating. If we don't want to evaluate at that's fine, but you know the other modifications that we make probably won't significantly increase the number of traffic homing requests that that ultimately are implemented. Well, we can certainly.

J

Come back with is that key question a number on the threshold. We can provide the data from that data set on how many more would have qualified, with, as we would lower the threshold and then it's a very simple question about one parameter of the program. You know, if that's, if that serves your your desire and counsel's wish, then we could do that I'd be comfortable, comfortable.

L

With that council.

B

Members who would like that information and.

L

B

Of course, okay, so my question is.

C

How, okay was it's that the only criteria was a miles? Was there any other criteria? That would say this particular street didn't qualify? Was it the one mile an hour in.

E

In this case, yes, but for the for.

C

Yes, I mean I, get.

B

To council in there um I.

I

Won't ask that question. That's okay, never mind. Okay,.

B

So um those interested in getting this information about the different speed thresholds hands up please and.

M

If they could just include there's anything we're not thinking of other than yes more will qualify. Is there any other sort of secondary second-order impacts and I'm, not think you know they'll be helpful to know if you think of anything well, think of that.

J

M

B

That was unanimous, so anything else on this item no Steph good all right. Thank you very much. That concludes our study session. We will start the regular session at 6:30, so we have a few minutes before that. Thank you.

B

Thank you and before I start, the next item I just want to remind the members of the public. If you wish to speak on an item and you'd like to consolidate your time with five or more members in the public in attendance, if you can complete the speaker cards and give them to the city clerk right, we can give you up to ten minutes. If those members choose not to speak so I just wanted to mention that before we start so you have some time to organize.

B

If you'd like to do that, and we will now move to our presentation- and this evening we have a proclamation recognizing gate pass on their 100th anniversary gate path. Is our operator hello, welcome, aggghhhhh, a path is our operator of our childcare center at Langsdorf, Park and so I will come down and read the proclamation and if you'd like to come up and receive it.

B

Yes, thank you, so I'm gonna go ahead and read the proclamation, whereas gay path, a non-profit, established in 1920, to improve the health and welfare of children with developmental disabilities in San, Mateo County is celebrating its milestone, 100th anniversary in 2020 and whereas over the years, gay path has developed a large portfolio of services that today supports individuals with special needs and developmental disabilities of all ages, from infants to seniors and whereas gay path with 300 dedicated staff members provides direct services at 13 locations in both Santa Clara and San Mateo counties and whereas 8 path.

B

Now one of the largest nonprofit serving the disabled community on the peninsula impacts more than 15,000 families, caregivers and individuals. Each year with its programs and where's gate.

B

Past services include developmental screenings for children, early intervention and pediatric therapy, inclusive preschool social and recreational opportunities for youth, employment, training and placement, as well as community integration and independent living skills for adults, and whereas a path is proud to celebrate, 100 years of creating a world where people of all abilities are accepted, respected and included in all aspects of our society from the classroom to the workplace and is committed to ensuring inclusive opportunities are available to the disabled population for decades.

B

To come now, therefore, I Margaret novikova, mayor of the city of Mountain View, along with my colleagues on the City Council, do hereby congratulate eight paths on its celebration of 100 years of serving the community and for its work to empower people with special needs and developmental disabilities to achieve their full potential through innovative inclusive programs and community partnerships signed and sealed this 11th day of February 2020.

B

Congratulations and thank you for your service. There are community, but we're grateful to have you here.

R

Q

Evening, city, council members, my name is Pierre Morasca I've lived at 1585 studios about you does a short jaunt down here for about a record five years now. But that means it's been an incredible crazy journey. Wow, but no see as I am the ambassador of abilities, United in game path. I feel somewhat like a superhero, because I woke up to my favorite wearable superhero mr. Tony Stark, okay, I can't man so I feel like Iron Man. You are.

R

A superhero Perrin hello, my.

D

Name is Tai, I am adult participant, it abilities, United, it slash gay path and I am also on our children's development committee. Thank.

R

You, gentlemen, appreciate you being up here with me. As the mayor mentioned, we were celebrating a hundred years, I started as an intern, that's supposed to be a joke. 100 years ago there you go anyway, we have revenues about 22 million, which puts us in the top 2% of nonprofits in the United States, so believe it or not we're one of the larger ones out there, 22 million. As the proclamation noted, we have 13 locations in both counties and 300 dedicated staff reaching about twelve hundred and fifty people every single day.

R

We provide a life span of services. We start with the early intervention and early assessments. We do free screenings across all of San San, Mateo County, and then that goes into a several therapeutic services. We provide from early intervention physical therapy, occupational therapy speech, and then we operate three inclusive preschools.

R

After that, we have adult service programs which include employment, independent living support, day programs, community access programs, and then we also are working on a new program to help integrate high school programs into adulthood, developing a curriculum that is helping to lead to the next stage of life, which independence, acceptance and inclusion in the community. So we're very proud of all of that. Our mission, vision and values- it really is three words- accept respect, include very simple statement, but a very big heart and a very big mission of what we're hoping to achieve.

R

I think we've made a lot of progress and we think Mountain View has certainly been a wonderful partner for us and being able to bring inclusion in the preschool over a ring store.

R

We also summer sponsor the summer movie nights for Mountain View families. We have hundreds of children receiving therapy and family support services, so we've been a provider of Family Support Services for nearly 30 years. It is a very complicated web of support for the families that we serve and we have a Resource Center. That is there to help them navigate the complex system. We have community access groups and local business partners helping further our mission here in beautiful Mountain View.

R

Next is the list of a lot of our community partners. I hope, there's a lot of logos here that you recognize they're helping make employment a reality for the folks. We serve before joining gay path and beliefs, unita that we're going to take in about 30 years of Electronic, Arts and Electronic Arts was a very early employer and inclusive campus and I think once you've seen the power of an inclusive setting. It makes the community that much better.

R

Everybody has something to gain from it, and so certainly we want to acknowledge all of these employers and many more they'll help further our mission of Independence some things that we continue to look forward. Community support its client in workforce housing, so workforce for our staffs and also, as per mentioned. He lives in the independence center, as does ty right down the street on El Camino, Real, employment opportunities, volunteer opportunities, access to facilities for programs, improve state and federal funding, I hate to say this, but California is 50th out of all 50 states.

R

In per capita funding for our community, which is pretty sad, voter accessibility and improved transportation options are critically important and those are things that we can all do to help improve the access to our community at-large for the folks that we serve. Last but not least, on May 14th for a hundred celebration, we have Henry Winkler and dr. Temple Grandin mean to our event at the Marriott Airport Hotel.

R

If you'd like I'll, take your credit cards and process, your tickets now should be another fun evening and with that I just want to thank mayor and the City Council and the city of Mountain View for all of your support. /. Thank you for being up here. Ty. Thank you for joining me. So with that again appreciate the proclamation, the recognition of our work in the community. Thank you. Thank you. Thank.

B

You so much and congratulations. Thank you.

B

Moving on now to item four, the consent calendar, these items will be approved by one motion. Unless any member of the council wishes to remove an item for discussion. The reading of the full text of resolutions will be waived unless it council member requests. Otherwise, would any member of the Council like to pull an item, and would there might be some announcements, I believe hon these items, councillor Clark so.

M

I I'm reek using myself from item 4.3 to do a real property ownership interest located in close proximity to the project site. Thank you.

B

And hence my McAllister I too am.

C

Recusing myself from this item due to my leasehold and business entity, interest located in close proximity to this project site, but I also wanted to make a comment on the minutes from last week. Also so.

B

Would you like to well.

C

It's the minutes. It's not a consent. Calendar.

B

C

It's it's the minutes point.

B

For point one four point: five: is it comments or correction comments points all right, so I'll go ahead and what full 4.1 any other items to be pulled by council members?

B

If not, are there any members of the public wishing to speak on an item on consent calendar, if not I'll, close public comment? Why don't we go ahead and vote on the balance of the consent, calendar so all items other than 4.1?

B

Actually, why don't we go ahead and if it's just a comment, could we do 4.1? If you can make your comments, councillor McAllister on 4.1 yeah, so.

C

I'd like to make the comments on the janitorial service request for proposals the last week, I I wasn't here so I really can't say too much about the voting, but I had a couple of observations that were concerning to me and the two were one.

C

We I've been doing the council for eight years and been a businessman for 40 years and to go with an RFP that you have no idea what the dollar amounts going to be is concerning. To me, I mean I. Think in some regard, you're setting a precedent that you know when staffs a staff does not recommend requiring that Dan'l toriel service contract be a signatory to the NC MCA due to the potential budget impacts and obligations.

C

The City obligating the city to an agreement resulting from negotiations that the city is not a party to you, guys made decisions and we're live with it. But I think we need to be very cautious about obligating City funds on a contract and I did my for sa my four years. I've never entered into a contract that I didn't know where it was going to come out.

C

So that was concerning to me- and the second part of this thing was that the staff report was presenting Labor's position and telling the city this is what you're going to have in an RFP and I.

C

Don't think that's appropriate I think staff laid out a good project and you know a good consensus, but when a third party says this is what you need to do for an RFP I think that's crossing the line, and we should be very cautious about how third parties come to us and try to advocate for their position and that I think Stafford courts need to continue to be independent and and focused on what's best for the city. So those are my comments on that particular item. Thank you. Thank You.

B

Councilmember Ramirez, thank you. I move.

L

To approve the consent calendar, including adopt resolution authorizing the city manager to execute program, supplement agreement, number F 0 to 5 to the administering agency state agreement of for federal aid projects; agreement number Oh, 4-5 1 to 4 f15, with the state of California, acting by and through its Department of Transportation for intersection traffic signal system, major replacements and upgrades shoreline, Boulevard and villa street project, 16 27, to be read in title only further reading way.

L

B

You any other discussion on this item. We have a motion by councilmember Romero, second by councilmember McAllister. Let's vote.

B

Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. We are moving on to oral communications from the public. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the council on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are allowed to speak on any topic for up to three minutes during that this section. If there appears to be a large number of speakers, speaking time may be reduced to no less than one and a half minutes. State law prohibits counsel from acting on non-agenda items. Are there any members of the public wishing to speak on a non-agenda item?

B

Could fake it raise your hands? Please? Is it one two three four five six all right I will set the time for two minutes and if you can fill out a blue card before or after I appreciate it, and please come up to the podium, welcome.

G

S

Jackie Kashian, thankfully still a resident of Mountain View, despite almost losing that opportunity. I am here to speak about measure D as I'm sure you all know measure. Do you creating so very strong feelings on both sides.

S

We understand the City Council's efforts to create a new measure or modify the existing measure in an attempt to make it more fair to both sides. I speak for myself and many others when I say I, just don't think we've gotten there. Yet when it was tied to the CPI, the maximum rent increase stayed under 4%.

S

Now the minimum increase will be 4% in addition, now that the landlords are allowed to pass certain costs through without having to get approval from the Rental Housing Committee, those effective we've estimated those effective rent increases, could approach 10% and given the economy and the number of people in a city like this, who are struggling just to maintain a roof over their heads that it's just wrong, I mean we just cannot do that to the citizens of Mountain View. The other part of it, which is something I want to address, is the funding now.

S

Obviously, California apartments Association has a very strong vested interest in this, as do a lot of parties in this city, but they have poured a huge amount of money into this campaign, even though many of them, although they have business interests in this city, do not actually live in Mountain View. They won't be affected by this in some of the ways that the rest of us will and I am concerned, that the amount of money that they have funneled into the campaign will just overwhelm the efforts of anybody who disagrees with them and I.

S

Don't think this is how we should be running politics in our city. It should be the citizens who are making these decisions, not special interests. Thank you, Thank You. Next.

B

Speaker welcome.

T

Good evening my name is Lisa Guevara I am a longtime Mountain View resident since 1995 and I have lived at 440, Moffat Boulevard number 35 I, currently work in tech, although I haven't always and I do not believe that measure D is representative of both my interests and the interests of the mobile home community. I appreciate, and would thank you if you would rethink your support. Thank you.

T

B

You next speaker, please I.

U

Honourable city council, thank you for this time. I also support no and measure D I also just came from the rental stabilization meeting at the community center.

U

We talked about a lot of things, hopefully that you, as our elected officials, can please listen to that. Hopefully get a committee going to help seniors and veterans like myself and other people that try to keep some kind of affordable housing in the Bay Area we keep at. We keep complaining about the homelessness in the city. You guys made a band on mobile homes or motor homes, not parking certain places. You know you're slowly, trying to push people out. I grew up here in Mountain View, all my life I went to school here.

U

Graduated high school here I went to elementary school here. Everything and I gee I'd, like to stay here my daughter had just walked out, also was raised in Mountain View, so I just hope you, you know, use your conscience. You know think about the people. You know we all pledge of allegiance right to the flag flying here, and one of it says justice for all think about that word. Justice for all, thank you, Thank.

B

You next speaker welcome up.

V

Hi my name's Tim McKenzie I, live on ranked Starr fav I'm, also here to say that I'm against measure, D and I wanted to also bring up the the funding campaign, there's less than a handful of groups that in a month or two or able to bring to gather more money than I, make in two years working a full-time job as a scientist and it's sort of it's just an example of the erosion of our democracy that has been happening since citizens united and we shouldn't be having special interest groups funneling in money to try to overturn what people in in the city want have been knocking on doors.

V

Talking to my neighbors about measure D and some people actually thought that the mailer that was sent out by the California Apartment Association was official communications from the City Council, which is a really troubling development. To me. I just wanted to make that known and I against T against the special interest money. That's coming in trying to change what people are thinking because they have more money than we do. Thank you. Thank you. Next.

B

Speaker welcome up I.

W

Am Megan Fraley, Mountain, View resident clinical psychologist and very active community member um just a couple things one I wanted to say thank you to all of you for the unanimous vote in support of the janitorial RFP that will really guarantee that we're not paying poverty wages with public money. So thank you for kind of taking a stand here in Mountain View on continued progress and human dignity.

W

In that vein, I think one thing: every single person in this room, I would imagine agrees on is that rent is too high and our community is becoming less and less accessible to people, and it are the diversity. Racial economic diversity is on on the decrease.

W

You know we all have different kind of perspectives and ideologies in terms of how to solve the housing crisis. So that's just a given and to put that aside. I would just want to speak to a request for city council to kind of stand with the community and and take a stand with the community against the influx of special interest money. There's a lot of people in the community that are kind of coming together.

W

That believe in no one D and we're up against for those of us who have that stance, all opinions are welcome, but for those of us who think no on D we're facing I can't remember, but it might be up to half a million dollars just an incredible amount of special interest money. That's not Mountain View residents and some of what we see on the fires are half-truths, the tenants work kind of anyway.

W

So what I would request is that we kind of take a stand against disinformation and this era, where that is the number one threat to democracy. So thank you again for taking a stand on the janitorial, RFP and human dignity and diversity. In that view, thank you. Thank.

B

You thanks speaker, welcome.

X

Hi, my name is Michael.

G

X

Been a resident of Mountain View for 32 years in October, the staff put together a presentation to discuss things that could be done about the housing crisis in Mountain, View and I. Think that was a positive step measure. D is a step backwards.

X

It is, in fact, a an increase in risk, plus, whatever landlords can tack on to and tack on to that, I think we need to consider the fact that the majority of people and Mountain View are renters and rent is too high in Mountain View, as well as it rest of the Bay Area wages do not keep up with inflation, they do not keep up with rent increases, and eventually people will be kicked out of the area by virtue of the fact that they can't afford to live here anymore.

X

So I think the council should strongly consider the proposals that are put together by staff in October, rather than going through with measure deem also I. Think you should consider the fact that many who here, who read our immigrants and can't participate in this process housing is a necessity, is not something that that we can do it out. We all need housing, and we say housing is a human right.

B

Thank you, Thanks speaker, welcome.

Y

Yep so uh I guess when I was a kid I used to watch The History Channel a lot and they used to call it the Hitler Channel, because it was all about Hitler, all the time or and I used to think. Oh look, you know, might your old self used to think? Oh look, the United States, so good, we're all about good were the best and oh those crazy people. They are bad. They use power to do bad things.

Y

We use power to do good things and I used to think that and I guess you know with Bush and with you know, all the other stuff. That's going on right now. I've obviously learned that that's not always the case, but I always used to think that local government was too small to actually try to hurt people to use their power to hurt people. And then honestly, you know for those of you who don't know him from Bell. So then I actually learned that that isn't also the case, but then I thought in Mountainview.

Y

Certainly, our local elected officials use their power to help us, and so I'm just wondering like what is the reason that people amass power? Why do they seek it? Why do they want it? I would hope that they would do it to help others to really help others that, when they're on a certain elevated position, if you will that they will use that opportunity to help and communicate what the truth of the matter is and to actually look out for people and so I'm.

Y

Very, very disheartened, when there is lies of omission and half-truths that are being perpetuated in order to convince people to vote against their own interests.

Y

Just like, why I think some people just genuinely believe it and I think it's worse when you know it's wrong, do it anyway? Thank.

B

You any other members of the public wishing to speak, if not I will close oral communications and move on to item six. We have no public hearing so we'll go to item seven new business 7.1 fiscal year, 2019 20 mid-year budget status report and a recommended mid-year adjustments for fiscal year, 2020 and 2021 preliminary general operating fund forecasts, as well as fiscal year, 2019 20 performance workload measures and we have the presentation by mr. Jesse Takahashi our finance and administrative services. Director welcome.

B

Z

You very much good evening, mayor McCole, Gaye and council members tonight we'll be covering the mid-year budget status report for fiscal 1920 and before I do get into that. I just want to acknowledge and thank my staff. Who's worked very hard on not only putting together this report and a lot of the numbers and information, but also on the budget and process in general, so they're with us tonight. Should there be any questions at the outset or at the end of this presentation.

Z

So what I'd like to do is go into just an overview. The outline of what we'll be covering tonight and hopefully we'll be getting through most of this fairly quickly, we'll cover the status itself for this fiscal year. We'll cover some of the recommended adjustments that we're asking Council to consider tonight and then we'll also get into a look at the fiscal 2021 preliminary general operating fund forecasts and then go over some of the remaining steps of the budget process and then have time for question and answer.

Z

So the first chart here is a summary of our revenues for the general operating fund. They're broken down into several categories, as you can see, the largest to the left, property tax sales, tax, other local taxes, use of money, property, other revenues and her fund revenues and transfers total estimated revenues for the fiscal years. It revised revenues are 149 million dollars at the mid-year, which is close to our adjusted budget. So that's pretty much on track in the aggregate.

Z

With respect to the some of the components, the largest portion property taxes are estimated at just under 55 million. That is running about 4% below budget, although it is higher than prior. Your actuals residential and commercial property values do remain strong, although we are seeing some signs of slowing growth of late moving on to sales.

Z

Tax sales tax are estimated at twenty two point: seven million or about five point: seven percent higher than budget, but really flat with the prior year after adjusting for Corrections that were made by the CDT FA or the state agency that allocates the sales taxes to the city.

Z

This is a trend that we have been watching for the last several years and essentially is one where sales taxes effectively have been slowing down and flat or even in slight decline. So this is something that we are continuing to monitor ongoing.

Z

The other category of local taxes, which includes transient occupancy tax business license utility taxes are estimated eighteen and a half million dollars a little bit over one percent under budget and again indicative of us a broader downturn that we're seeing in both Tod and utility users tax revenues. The increase over the prior is actually due to the increase from the prior years, actually due to the or your business license tax that we expect will yield about six million dollars over the next several years in additional revenues.

Z

But this is being phased in over a three-year period. So we're gonna see like a one-third increase each year until we get to the full amount and that money use of money and property is estimated at twenty three million dollars, which is in line with budget and the remaining categories. There are no significant variances to report.

Z

Looking at the expenditures for the general operating fund, total expenditures are estimated at one hundred and thirty five million dollars, which is net of assume budget savings of 2.3 million dollars, and that's something that we've been doing for some time now.

Z

We understand a lot of transition and vacancies, and so we've built in that amount of savings into our estimates. The budget is currently trending about 2.9 percent under adjusted budget or roughly four million dollars. So that's a good thing. Personnel cost represents the majority of those total salaries and benefits and there's a lot of projected savings due to vacancies and employee turnover, services and supplies are on on track with the adopted budget or what the adopted budget yes and our fifteen percent below the adjusted budget.

Z

The remaining categories are on track with budget and almost all the departments are trending below budget individually at the mid-year, with an aggregate, the adopted or positive. The aggregate, positive variance is about four million dollars.

Z

The next slide is really the combination of what our general operating fund made year summary looks like including revenues expenditures and the bottom line, one hundred forty nine million dollars in revenues, expenditures being four million dollars below adjusted budget and after recommended contributions, including unfunded pension and retiree health and other reserves that we have provided for. There's a positive operating balance of 4.2 million dollars for there that we estimate at the end of the fiscal year so again positive positive news to report.

Z

So that's the general operating fund summary is where we are and we'll move on to other major funds, and so in the other major funds we have. The first is our development services fund. We have noted that activity has been slowing down a bit relative to prior years.

Z

Revenues are estimated at 17 little over 17 million, which is a little bit over six and a half percent lower than budget operating expenditures are estimated at seventeen and a half million, which is about 26 million dollars lower than adjusted budget, and that significant difference is primarily due to salary savings resulting from various vacancies in transition, as well as other operating savings.

Z

There's a projected ending balance at seventeen million dollars and for this fund those balances needed to provide support for multi-year projects or in which fees have been already paid upfront, as well as to maintain operations. Should there be another economic slowdown which we are anticipating in the in the near future. Cost of services study is also underway, which we expect to be completed later this fiscal year.

Z

The next major fund is the shoreline Golf Links and restaurant, and so this is our Michael's restaurant, as well as the golf course that we have at out the shoreline revenues and expenditures for this fund are running below budget. Both we expect to have an operating balance of about $27,000 close to break-even by the end of the fiscal and it there's.

Z

There's an we estimate that there won't be a transfer to the general operating fund this year we had budgeted about a $275,000 transfer, but it appears that there will likely not be that made this year. The last major fund is the shoreline community and it's operating revenues which are made up generally property taxes are estimated at 48 million dollars running about five percent lower than budget, and this was due to lower unsecured assessed values, as well as due to lower praise value on two large properties.

Z

This past year than what we had anticipated expenditures for the shoreline community are estimated at 30 million dollars, 1.7 million dollars lower than than budget, and the current fiscal year includes approximately eighty eight eighty, eight million dollars in capital improvement projects, and these are primarily funded by long-term debt proceeds from debt that we issued last year. The estimated balance for this is eight point. Seven million dollars with reserves is twenty-one million dollars and we'll move on to our enterprise funds. So we have three enterprise funds: water, wastewater, solid waste.

Z

These water revenues are trending at thirty, eight million dollars or thirty eight million dollars about one percent higher than the budget. Water usage is up from the Pryor's, which is a good thing which it helps improve the financial condition of the fund, but still way below the 2013 drought baseline.

Z

The expenditure side are estimated thirty three million dollars, which is about 12 and a half million dollars below the budget, and would point out that there is a minimum water purchase requirement that the city has which approximately 2.3 million dollars for this and that amount is, is included in the in the water funds budget going to the wastewater fun wastewater revenues are estimated at just under twenty five million dollars, and these are on track with budget.

Z

The expenditures are, at eighteen point, 1 million running about little for almost four and a half million dollars below budget, partly due to a credit that was received.

Z

We are related to the treatment plant expenses as well as operating savings, and then our last Enterprise Fund, solid waste fund city revenues are estimated at sixteen point: seven million dollars at the mid-year a little bit under five and a half million dollars higher than budgeted expenditures at just under fifteen million dollars, which is seven and a half percent lower than the budget, and that, again being due to operating savings in which were somewhat offset by hire smart station costs that come out of an annual reconciliation that is at is done.

Z

So that represents a summary of our utilities, and that leads us to our next slide, which is recommended meteor adjustments that are proposed, and these there's a number of those, the first being the position. Seven positions that are related to sustainability spending plan that was approved by the council back in October of 2019.

Z

Seven positions are being recommended tonight again for, for the mid-year three additional positions will be brought forward with the operating budget. For for the fiscal twenty one budget, we also have a 1.0 mechanic equipment mechanic, that's being proposed, as well as reclassification of a communications. Operations Supervisor position to emergency communications manager and salary range adjustment for the Public Safety Support Services Manager position.

Z

We also have a recommendation for increasing steps for public safety, dispatcher positions and as well, finally, a salary plant update which would incorporate all of these items, assuming that they are approved by my council.

Z

So, moving on to the preliminary general operating fund forecast, if there's no questions at this time for next year, some of the assumptions that are built into the forecast- we just summarized here for some of the major revenue sources, so property taxes, of course, is our largest revenue source. We are actually forecasting a relatively small change at 1.3 percent, we're seeing that property values, while they're still growing, are not quite as strong as we've seen in the past.

Z

However, if we look from what we're estimating for this fiscal year, it still represents about a 5.7 percent increase so, but still is down from prior years. So this is based on existing the existing tax base, as well as continued new developments that are in the pipeline sales tax, where we see a 3% increase so thus far from the FY 2008.

Z

However, we will be seeing a 3% decrease, reflecting the recent weakness from the source over the past few years. So again, that trend has been or a little bit more negative than of late and so yeah, and that's that's something that we're watching other local taxes is a little bit higher at a 9% expected increase and that primarily, is due to the restructure business, license tax that I mentioned, which became effective this january and which is expected to bring in approximately four million dollars next year.

Z

These were who's our well well that four million dollars will come into the general fund. The majority of that almost 90% actually will be transferred out to other funds for transportation and housing and we'll see that a little bit, an expenditure side, use of money and property we're expecting a 5% increase, primarily related to escalation clauses in our lease agreements and in summary, total revenues are expected to increase about four million dollars. Four point: two million or two point nine percent next year.

Z

So we will move on to the expenditure side and some of the expected percentage changes their salary and benefits that we're, including will provide for minimum wage increases that are effective. This last month increases in retirement contributions and healthcare changes and I would just point out that it does not include any changes or impacts for requested from the major adjustments here tonight, as well as any new staffing requests or any of the salary benefit adjustments that would be coming forth from the upcoming labor negotiation.

Z

So we didn't put any of that in so that's just a reminder note to be aware of services and supplies being projected at about for a little over 4% capital, outlay equipment and replacement as well at a similar rate. These actually are reflecting somewhat of a lower average than our annual replacement percentages are given our history, but this year we will probably have a slightly lower than average need for a replacement of equipment compared to prior years and then in our inner fund expenditures.

Z

Transfers number twenty seven point: three pretty high, primarily again that is related to about 3.7 million dollars that are going to be transferred out of those business, license tax revenues out to the transportation reserve and to the housing reserve. So that's why that looks relatively high for this year or for next year, and then we had a new item for debt service. We expect to issue about twelve million dollars in seal peas, certificates of participation, long-term debt related to the help street development, and so we are building in about a million dollars for debt service.

Z

Again, just to sum next year we anticipate about a 4% increase or five and a half million dollars in general operating fund expenses, expenditures.

Z

And this is a summary of what that forecast looks like so we have revenues of honor and fifty two and a half million one hundred forty-one million of expenditures, including the contrary, contributions transfers to other reserves. That would leave a balance of nine point: seven million dollars projected for for next year and again I just just reiterate, and that does exclude items that are being requested for next year or any positions. The major adjustments, the impacts from the recent decision on the janitorial services.

Z

So those all those items are not built into that nine point: seven million dollar balance, yet the forecast will be updated when we come back. Staff comes back with the narrative budget report in April, along with the city managers, wreckin, recommendations for allocating any operating balances, and then, after all, that this is what is remaining in terms of the process for the budget. We will have a couple of CIP study sessions actually prior to that will be meeting and department meetings with the city manager.

Z

Oh we'll be later this month in February, then we'll have CIP study sessions in March and April. We'll have the narrative budget report in April and finally, we'll have a public hearing for the proposed budget, as well as hearings for utility rates, if that's needed, and then also finally, hopefully to adopt the budget and capital improvement project program on June 23rd. So that's D help the end of the process and those are our remaining steps.

Z

Lastly, we have just a couple of slides that summarize the recommendations for free counsel and they're actually in two slides, and that concludes my presentation, and this is the time if we have comments direction or questions that staff is here to be happy to answer.

Z

B

You, oh, we have some questions from Council members, councilmember Clark it just.

M

Had one the 2020 2021 preliminary revenue forecasts, I was just surprised to see sales tax at three percent. Given its recent history, do you just have data from early 2020, suggesting it's gonna grow versus shrink like it of course, of course, state again.

Z

The sales tax number or the percentage, no three.

M

Percent I was just surprised because I think in the prior prior year we predicted it would fall, but yeah.

Z

And the the sales tax amount and that was may have been compared to the adopted budget so depending upon which budget that we are looking at and she was, it was slide. 9.

M

It's not that important I was just curious about the assumptions behind it. We can I can if you want, but it's less actual.

Z

Yeah and in that.

G

Z

Because we're comparing in the city adopted or to the adjusted and of the that correction I had referenced that affected our previous adopted budget, because we didn't know at that time that they were making those late payment. And so oh I, see I, understood consistency.

M

That's what we.

Z

Are using, but when we actually look at the actual, so if you adjust and try to remove the effects of that I see those late payments of timing, the trend is that has been nice lad. So it's not really going to be a three percent and actually I'll last Suzy, if he, if that that is, is correct. But it's a timing issue of in terms of that three percent and it was based on our adopted budget for fiscal.

M

B

Summer, McAllister yeah so.

C

In this report there was a couple things that were in bold print and that related to the janitorial service, well, that'd be coming back to the council before you start doing any more of your forecasting of budgeting items that particular contract well,.

Z

That there is a process, that's gonna, go out for an RFP and so- and we actually have our public works director here. That could certainly help address that, but the timing is such that it may be difficult to get new information before that contract is awarded all right.

AA

That's correct on Cameron public works director, our RFP timeline has is receiving proposals back around July and it'll probably be September before we negotiate a contract and have an idea what it's going to cost so.

C

Then, for budgetary purposes you just we provided.

AA

An estimate of what we think it could cost and and have provided that as part of our annual budget request to account for what we estimate it will cost if it would cost significantly more than that or the results are significantly different. We would have to come back to council to the appropriation okay.

C

Thank you as I was reading through here it seemed a little bit foretelling, because I kept reading decline in unsecured asset value, gof forecasting, revenue growing, but at a slower rate, revenue under budget sales, tax revenue has either declined or seen little growth indicating a possible economic, slow turn slow down. Development actually is slowing, showing signs of slowing in the current fiscal year. So these are, if you read the tea, leaves it doesn't sound like we're going to. We need a buckle up our felts here and, let's be a little more conservative.

C

So is that an approach that you're taking throughout this budgetary process with this particular one that you are gonna, be more conservative than normal? So.

Z

Yeah very good question and I should note that over the last couple of years several years we've been sort of on the lookout for the change in the economic winds.

Z

We have been seeing signs that there are things locally in our city that are that are giving way to concern for possible slowdown, even though there's sort of mixed signals right now out there, and so this budget for fiscal 21 as well as for 22. We have been a little bit more conservative in our estimates and projections, giving an assumption that there would be a slowdown, not necessarily a recession, but some kind of a slowdown.

Z

So that's part of what we're building into the next couple of years budget estimates we do anticipate that will come out of it say near three and beyond, but for the first couple years: fiscal 21, fiscal 22. We are being a little bit more conservative in what we're projecting. For that very reason. Have we.

C

Then, since labor and salaries are one of our highest cost or budget item, are we looking at tightening up our hiring? Has that started yet when you go out to the department head, say: hey, be cautious and really are you hire now well.

Z

I think we've actually been been cautious. At least you know as long as I've been here I know. Well, first of all, we have a lot of vacancies and we've had a hard time, actually hiring staffing, and so you know that's been kind of taking care of some of the budgetary. You know savings that we've been having.

Z

We just can't find people, but there's also a workload issue that has to be dealt with, and so there are quite a few requests in the budget for this year and that those requests are yet to be sort of analyzed and brought forward as far as recommendations.

Z

But that's definitely is something that I think staff, the city manager and the transition is, is looking at and is very mindful of what potentially is worth coming and how sustainable can we we go, but at the same time, trying to balance out the need for additional staffing based on you know, workload with what we can afford fiscally so going along.

C

On that idea of vacancies of employees, I've always noticed that it's sort of a holder place because you never. We never have full employment here and it's so we're always under budget because of the vacancies that goes up and goes down and I. Guess you got in your report, you sort of says it's a tough guest of where we're going at that.

C

So has there been any trying to get a little better, an analytical approach to saying well with what our true vacancy of jobs is going to be, and so that will give a true picture of the budget. Then.

Z

Well, we work with the city, manager's office and HR and trying to maintain you know where we are position wise, but it is I, think it difficult. It's a moving target we've seen a lot of retirements over the last handful of years and I. Think that's going to continue so I, don't think we've you know found the the answer in terms of here's how we come up with you know what our exact rate is, because you know their various positions.

Z

We do know over time based on. You know those folks that have long tenure that are retiring. That is, where they're being replaced with newer folks, which is coming in at lower salaries, which actually, in some of the projections, the salary projections are actually a little lower than you might otherwise expect, and that's one of the reasons is because a lot of the folks are retiring and replacing with newer staff as well. As you know, the retirement that the CalPERS benefit to so there's sort of this offset of costs.

Z

You know, as people are leaving yet new people in so that you know we might have some savings there, but you know in terms of the actual number of positions and the type of positions I, think it's it's been a little difficult and I don't know if we have any any any other staff here. That would like to sort of address how we're monitoring the that's.

C

Okay, I think yeah pretty good. My last question: this is on the water. So this two point three pennant penalty that you were talking about. You said that's in the in this on page 17 somewhere, because I mean how can it be a penalty because we know we're gonna be charged for X amount of water, we use it, we don't use it we're still being charged.

C

So how can it be at Finley if you know, and that so answer that and then the next question is: why isn't it everybody, just that dollar amount, that we know mm-hmm and.

M

C

It up and say everybody pays for it. Instead of all of a sudden, it's a penalty coming out of reserve, so I think.

Z

I will defer this to our assistant, finance director Susie and see if she can take a good stab at that first. So you.

A

Don't have to call it a penalty, we do have a minimum water purchase I'm. So at the end of the fiscal year after we've been billed for water usage, if we didn't meet that minimum water purchase requirement, that's that's what we call the penalty because we'll get a bill for that difference. They don't build.

C

Us up front saying: no, because they don't.

A

Know how much we're gonna use so so.

C

You're they're billing us just in case the only billets to what we use and then they put the extra on, but do we ever exceed our minimum? We have in.

A

The past, but we haven't probably in the last I, want to say at least five years in his okay. More than that at least five years.

C

Yeah, okay, but we didn't get.

A

We didn't get penalized for the drought yeah, they.

C

A

The penalty for the drought so.

C

Is the two point three and your numbers here? Yes, it is and what a line item would I always budget.

A

The full amount and estimate the full amount. Where would that.

C

When you say full amount, so if you.

A

Go to page 17 expenditures at the 33 million, its included in that 33 million. Okay,.

G

C

You you're welcome.

B

Any other questions from Council members I have one it's related to slide 11 and then page 34 on the staff report having to do with the reserve funds and I'm, not sure, if I'm reading this correctly, but is the recommendation for 2020 2021 to not transfer funds into the GNO, F and general fund reserve and capital improvement reserve fund. Or is it pending all of the reconciliation of all the other items and then related to that with the Transportation Fund.

B

There is a 4.4 million projection, includes 3.3 million chance to the transportation reserve, and will that be reflected on that line item here or am I reading this differently? Okay, actually.

Z

A

First, on slide, 11 the the transfers- those are, what was we, the the two million 1 million for transportation and 1 million for Cal's per helpers? That was what was reflected in the forecast for this for 2020 in the current year budget.

A

So so, when we don't carry those transfers over your a year, they they change from your hair and.

B

A

That's what is reflected in the forecast for fiscal year 2021 in the current fiscal year budget, so for.

B

Instance, with CalPERS we were doing 4 million, but the Sears recommendation will be 1 million. That's not.

A

A recommendation it's it's! We carry over what's in the forecast for that year. Ok, so.

G

B

Could you can change it I'd.

A

B

To that, if we have funds available, yes got it and then that so then ok, it's! The second question: is the transportation reserve well that three so.

A

The transportation reserve isn't shown anywhere in in this. It will. When you get the budget document or narrative budget report, it will be shown in the reserve section in the balance right great and then.

B

You'll have a recommendation for the general fund reserve.

B

P

B

You have it off the top of your head, no with us, or is it 20% now that we have in there it's a range at.

A

Between 20 and 25 percent- and it will have to be supplemented because I think it's some of it's been used this year. Okay, so we might.

B

Be under 20, okay, thank you. Uh-Huh.

W

B

Other questions, if not I, will open this for public comment. Any members of the public wishing to speak on this item. Please come forward that seeing no one I'll close public comment and bring it back to Council for further discussion and an emotion.

B

Yes, council, member McAlister.

C

Not money far no public comment and no other questions from the council. I will make a motion. So let me get to that page. Where would you recommend that we'd be reading this from you.

P

C

It's very simple, then,.

C

Just the read you could.

P

Since there is one resolution, I recommend you can shorten items one through five to the staff recommendation and then read the title of the resolution, which is required for item six. Okay, I.

C

Make a motion that we accept staff recommendation and make a motion to include the following: adopt a resolution authorizing the city manager or designee to amend the classification and salary plans for regular and hourly employees for fiscal year, 2019 20 to be read entitled only for the reading waive attachment to to the council report, and so what about? Is that all well keep it short? Thank you killed.

B

Smelly McAllister for making that motion, and we have a second by councilmember Ramirez, any other comment discussion on this item summer McAllister did you.

C

Have one coming? No! That's all coming so going back to the the city of Mount, View has had a reputation for being fiduciary fish, fiscally prudent and everything that we do in conservative and again this latest thing.

P

C

The janitorial, as it shows up in here, is it's an unknown unknown. Quantity and I need to be very cautious about doing items that we really makes a stray away from our heritage of how we do our financial budgeting and we do usually with knowledge, data and history, and this is could be unintended consequences that we're not expecting to see with this particular deviation from our norm.

C

So I just want to make sure that people, when you saw the report that it was highlighted- and it was highlighted, a couple of times that how important it is to make sure we have our financial house in order, and we always know where things are going. Thank.

B

You any other discussion on this item. I just want to thank staff for the reports and I do agree that we as a city have been fiscally responsible for quite a long time now, at least even before the my time and I ain't note that it it may look like we are adding we're, adding quite a few positions, but these have already been budgeted and most of them are limited period items so I. We we knew this was coming, and so we had we've already planned for it.

B

But I will agree that moving forward as councillor McAlister recognized, there may be some slowdowns ahead, and so we need to continue to be mindful, but I trust that staff will keep us on track on that. So with that, I will call the question.

B

And motion carries 7-0. Thank you very much. All right. Moving along to item eight council staff committee reports. Are there any council affairs with any reports, councilmember Hicks well,.

K

I did substitute for the vice mayor at at the a bag General Assembly, where a lot of people in attendance and we discussed the regional housing, needs allocation process and new legislation coming up, and we voted to approve amendments to the budget, including regional, early action planning grants to help as the arena allocation in the legislation makes us plan more. So that's one one announcement I have, and the other is that I have postcards for the upcoming Green Streets for sustainable communities. Symposium on March, 12th and I will you're all invited.

K

It's symposium that we hope to include council members. Public works folks, people working in parks and recs community development, a number of different professions that that would be faced with the changing nature of our streets, both for sustainability and for people's use and transportation. So I will you each you're all invited you can all take a postcard and pass it on and maybe leave a pile in case. Anybody from the general public wants to come great.

B

Thank You councilmember, McAllister yeah I, tended.

C

A VTA meeting last Thursday the board meeting, and it was interesting to note that our city is so far ahead of other cities when it comes to sustainability and environmental action plans. That VTA does not have one, and so the VTA decided to declare a emergent, a climate emergency crisis and start implementing and looking into developing a environmental action plan. So for our size we are exceedingly beyond their capabilities. That sometimes amazes me and another interesting note with VTA that they came out with a report on highway 237 this.

C

This is the new express lane this.

C

This is VTA's approach to traffic congestion and in the report it says, that's making a lot of money, but it also states that during the peak travel times, congestion on the to general purpose lanes has slowed by five minutes from getting point A to point B, which is sort of Connor productive of the point of the express lane is to move more cars, so there is what's happening as those who can afford go quickly and the rest pay the price of sitting in traffic, and so that might be considered one of those unintended consequences.

C

But I've anytime, you take a three lane highway and you take one lane out. You better expect some kind of congestion and everybody says no, it's going to be great, but if you look at all the other Express lanes, there are five and six lanes, and so there was a capacity to move over. So I am keep you informed about some of the other things, but you know we're talking. A lot of people on the VTA board are always constantly talking about equity, justice and here's.

C

An example of you know the the Lexus Lane mentality and they say: oh, that's, fine, we're collecting money, but it's interesting so I'll keep you in tuned of all the exciting thing happening in vp8, Thank, You.

B

Counsel vice mayor great, thank you so.

AB

I just have two items: I wanted to share one. The council, Youth Services Committee, met today and discussed one of our council goals, which is the after-school program. So more is gonna, be coming back to the full council at a later date, and then we are, as a committee are going to start inviting the different school districts to our cyc meeting. It's a practice that used to happen in the past and see what he is looking to continue that in the future. So I just wanted to.

AB

Let you all know that, and then this Thursday, the city is hosting a census, multicultural event at our community center from 6:30 to 8:30, there's only 50 more days left until the census, which is really important. So we can get all that critical funding, so we can do all the different programs, as we you know, as I reflect that we were talking about the budget and so just wanted to make sure everyone knew about it, we'll be hosting it along with the county. Thank you thank.

B

You and since we are not meeting next Tuesday I just wanted to announce that I had a great first meetup with Mack session last week, and my next one will be on Sunday February 23rd at the clock tower coffee shop from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. so I had a nice group of folks. The first time hope to sees others there.

B

This next time and I just also wanted to mention that during public comment there were speakers on the city, council initiated ballot measure D, and there are some inaccuracies and some of the comments, and so I just wanted to refer folks to our website. There's a link to from the Mountain View gov website on information regarding the measure. So please take a look at that and with that, if there's nothing else, we open this very closed session report, no close that report tonight. Okay, thank you.

P

B

We stand adjourned at 7:40 is that right, 743 and the next 7:42 and the next council city council meeting will be held on Tuesday February 25th 2020 at 5:30. In the plaza conference room good evening.