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07/09/1987CITY OF GRAND TERRACE COUNCIL MINUTES r REGULAR MEETING - JULY 09, 1987 A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Grand Terrace was called to order in the Council Chambers, Grand Terrace Civic Center, 22795 Barton Road, Grand Terrace, California, on July 09, 1987, at 5:35 p.m. PRESENT: Byron Matteson, Mayor Barbara Pfennighausen, Mayor Pro Tem Dennis L. Evans, Councilman Susan Crawford, Councilwoman Hugh J. Grant, Councilman Thomas J. Schwab, City Manager/Finance Director Randy Anstine, Assistant City Manager/Community Services Director Loretta Thompson, City Clerk Ivan Hopkins, City Attorney Joe Kicak, City Engineer David Sawyer, Planning Director ABSENT: NONE The meeting was opened with an invocation by Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilman Evans. ITEMS TO DELETE Mayor Matteson asked if there were any items to be deleted from the agenda. The City Manager stated there were no items to delete. CONSENT CALENDAR Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen requested that Item E -- Approve and authorize expenditures in the amount of $4,400.00 for installation of stop signs in various locations within the City -- be removed from the Consent Calendar for discussion. CC-87-142 Motion by Mayor Matteson, second by Councilwoman Crawford, ALL AYES, that the following Consent Calendar items be approved. Item A - Approve Check Register Nos. (1) 063087 (2) 070987 Item B - Ratify July 09, 1987 CRA action Item C - Waive full reading of ordinances and resolution on agenda Item D - Approve June 25, 1987 minutes Item F - Authorize appropriation in the amount of $2,700 from the unappropriated General Fund Balance for the volunteer recognition award banquet. Item G - Approve appropriation in the amount of $605.00 from the General Fund Balance for the acquisition and installation of a security system for the Civic Center. Item H - Adopt a resolution of the City Council of the City of Grand Terrace, CA, establishing the fiscal year 1987-88 appropriations limit pursuant to Article XIII-B of the State Constitution as required by California Government Code Section 7910. Item I - Approve and authorize release of maintenance bonds for Tract 9483; maintenance bonds for Tract 9772; performance and labor and material bonds for Tract 9772 and 9772-2; maintenance bonds for Tract 9772-2; performance and labor and material bonds for Tract 9773-1; and performance and labor and material bonds for Tract 9773-2. Item J - Adopt a resolution of the City Council of the City of Grand Terrace, CA, establishing a policy of non-discrimination in accordance with regulations published in the United States Federal Register and the intent of the City. Item E Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen stated a citizen requested that Item E be withdrawn from the Consent Calendar for discussion. She requested the discussion on this item be held in abeyance until the citizen arrives. Council concurred with this request. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Mayor Matteson asked if anyone from the audience wished to make a presentation at this time? No one wished to make a presentation. Committee Report Mayor Matteson asked if anyone wished to present a Committee Report. No Committee Reports were presented at this time. [I] Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 2 City Managers Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen commended the City Manager on the Monthly Status monthly status reports he is providing. These reports update Reports Council on events taking place. This information was not provided previously. Mayor Matteson concurred with these comments. Mrs. Harry Jay Mayor Matteson advised that Grand Terrace lost a long time residents - Mrs. Harry Jay. Mrs. Jay died of cancer on July 8, 1987. Mayor Matteson extended condolence to Mrs. Jay's family on behalf of the City. Workshop Mayor Matteson asked if Council wished to hold a workshop on the proposed amendments to the General Plan and the Zoning Ordinance prior to the July 30, 1987 Council meeting. The City Manager noted there is going to be a public hearing on July 30, 1987 and Council might find it beneficial to have a workshop to review the proposed amendments before the public hearing. Councilwoman Crawford stated she felt a workshop was a good idea. The City Manager commented that, if Council wishes to have a workshop, a date will have to be set. He suggested Council may consider holding the workshop during the week of July 27, 1987 prior to July 30, 1987 so that the time frame initially established for the General Plan revisions can be maintained. Mayor Matteson indicated he plans to study the issue in depth and whether a workshop is held or not made no difference to him. Councilman Evans questioned if the area under consideration was west of the freeway. The Director of Planning stated the changing of land designation on both the General Plan and the Zoning Map deals with areas west of the freeway. However, there are proposed changes in the text of the General Plan that relate to residential densities and will change the makeup of the residential zones. These changes will affect all the residential zones in the City. Councilman Evans asked if the public hearing will cover anything more than what was discussed at the Planning Commission meetings. The Director of Planning advised only those issues will be addressed. Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 3 • Councilman Evans noted his schedule will not allow him to attend such a workshop and, since he attended the Planning Commission meetings of July 6 and 7th, he did not feel he would benefit from a workshop. Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen concurred with Councilman Evans' comments. 0 Mayor Matteson suggested that, if anyone needs clarification on the proposed amendments to the General Plan or the Zoning Ordinance, they should contact the Director of Planning. Chamber of Mr. Tom Picarellie presented the Chamber of Commerce report. Commerce He advised the Chamber of Commerce is launching a vigorous Shop Tom Picarellie Grand Terrace Campaign. In next month's Newsletter, two pages of discount coupons from local businesses will be featured. Mr. Picarellie noted Terrace Days is scheduled in October. The Council, clubs, viewing audience, and committees are invited to participate in the Chili Cook -off, parade and other events. Anyone wishing to enter booths were advised to contact the Chamber Office. Stan Hargrave Item 2(E) -- Approve and authorize expenditures in the amount 12048 Canary Ct. of $4,400.00 for installation of stop signs in various locations within the City. Mr. Hargrave noted that, after reading the staff report, he felt that perhaps too many stop signs were being proposed. Studies show that too many stops signs can cause more accidents than may be averted. Mr. Hargrave suggested stop signs may provide a false sense of security in the minds of pedestrians. Mr. Hargrave stated his second point was the City is in the first month of the fiscal budget. While these stop signs may be appropriate from a financial standpoint, he felt it would be more appropriate to wait until the end of the fiscal year and, If the money is available then, install the stop signs. Councilman Grant asked if the four thousand four hundred ($4,400.00) dollars for the stop sign would be allocated from the current fiscal year budget. The City Manger indicated that, if Council had identified stop signs as an issue prior to the budget hearings, the funds for the signs likely would have been included in the FY 1987/88 budget. Now, funds for the signs will be taken from the unappropriated fund balance in the General Fund. There is about four hundred thousand ($400,000.00) dollars in this account to be allocated as Council wishes. Councilman Grant indicated he feels the expenditure for stop signs would have been approved during the budget hearings as it is a legitimate and rather routine expenditure for a municipality. The stop signs appear to be proposed for secondary streets coming into primary thoroughfares. There did not appear to be intersections designated for stop signs where Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 4 the signs were not justified. Councilman Grant stated that, with regards to youngsters being lulled into a false sense of security because of a profusion of stop signs, he feels children are raised to watch for traffic. Councilman Grant indicated he supports staff's recommendation. Mayor Matteson concurred with Councilman Grant. The City Manager advised staff is recommending the installation of these stop signs for consistency and liability exposure. The Council has two options. One, to be consistent, all the stop signs could be removed from residential streets entering a collector street because they are not technically required. However, he did not believe Council would want to remove any stop signs. Two, install a stop sign at Nandina and Preston only as requested and, should any accidents occur in a similar intersection, be prepared to explain why stop signs were not installed at all intersections that have the same warrants. To avoid this possibility, staff recommends that stop signs be installed at all the intersections where residential streets enter collector streets. CC-87-144 Motion by Mayor Matteson, second by Councilman Grant, that Council approve and authorize expenditures in the amount of $4,400.00 for the installation of stop signs in various locations within the City. Councilman Evans asked what problems the City has experienced to justify the placement of all these stop signs. The City Manager advised there has been one accident which is currently being litigated. There have not been a large number of problems. The request to look at one intersection made it necessary to review all the intersections. Councilman Evans asked where that traffic accident occurred. The City Manager stated it occurred in a residential zone in an unprotected intersection. The Community Services Director noted he believed the accident occurred west of Mt. Vernon Avenue on DeBerry Street. It was a vehicle vs bicycle accident. Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen indicated that accident occurred on Van Buren and Willet. Councilman Evans inquired as to the cause of the accident. The Community Services Director stated the vehicle pulled out of Willet onto Van Buren and struck the bicycle as the bicyclist was passing through the intersection. It was a case of "failure to yield". Councilman Evans noted that, from what he has heard so far, the only reason Council is considering the installation of these signs is that Council like to install signs. Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 5 N He referred to the City Engineer's staff report in which the City Engineer noted that good traffic engineering practices do not require the installation of stop signs at "T" intersections and, basically, the placement of these signs is being considered because of a request for a stop sign at Preston and Nandina and it is being recommended that these signs be installed to be consistent. Councilman Evans referred to the California Vehicle Code which deals with yielding at "T" intersections. Without a stop sign, all traffic approaching a "T" intersection on a through street has the right-of-way. The drivers approaching that intersection would take precautions for their own safety. Councilman Evans indicated, if the installation of these stop signs could be justified, he could support the recommendation. He could not support the installation of stop signs simply to install signs. Councilman Grant stated most drivers are familiar with the law as it relates to yielding at "T" intersections. In his opinion, that was not the point. He did not believe staff was suggesting the installation of stop signs simply for consistency. Councilman Grant stated that when a driver sees a stop sign, he/she is more inclined to stop and yield than if a stop sign is not present. Councilman Grant did not believe installing these stops signs was a waste of the taxpayers' money. Councilman Grant stated he felt money should be spent to attempt to avoid injuries and death. Councilman Evans noted that, based on the staff report, staff is recommending the installation of these stop signs for consistency. This seems to be the only justification, at this time, for the installation of the stop signs. Councilman Evans indicated he would have no problem supporting the installation of stop signs if they can be justified for safety practices but not simply for consistency. Councilwoman Crawford stated she believed staff indicated the consistency factor is required because of the liability factor. She further noted the reason she requested the stop sign at the intersection of Nandina and Preston is very personal. She has had some near misses while driving down Preston with drivers pulling out from Nandina. When vehicles pull out in front of a vehicle being driven by an inexperienced driver, it gets pretty scary. Motion CC-87-144 carried with Councilman Evans and Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen voting NOE. Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 6 City Council Meeting held on July 9, 1987 Please note that Motion Numbers CC-87-143 & CC-87-145 were inadvertently skipped, therefore, you will not find the above mentioned Motion Numbers. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Mr. Keeney's The City Clerk stated that there appears to be some Appeal inconsistency between the motion on the floor regarding Mr. Keeney's appeal and the interpretation of the motion prior to the vote being called. She suggested Council may wish to clarify their position on this matter. Councilman Evans advised that, originally, his position was that Council take no action regarding Mr. Keeney's appeal pending the General Plan update. As he was under the impression the motion was not seconded, he went to his second position which was that Council uphold the Planning Commission's decision. Councilman Evans stated he would like to have the decision on record. Councilman Evans noted he is even more in support of the Planning Commissions decision in light of the information presented at the July 6, 1987 Planning Commission meeting. At that time, the General Plan consultant was questioned directly on this particular project. The consultant stated, very emphatically, that a recreational vehicle park would not be a compatible use in a C-2 zone, at least at that particular location. Mayor Matteson asked the City Attorney how Council can deal with this situation. The City Attorney advised Council should pass a motion to sustain the Planning Commission's decision and, as part of that motion, rescind motion CC-87-140. CC-87-146 Motion by Councilman Evans, second by Councilman Grant, ALL AYES, that Council rescind motion CC-87-140 and that the Planning Commission's decision be upheld. NEW BUSINESS Item 6-A Approve the hiring of an additional Clerk Typist and Clerk -Typist appropriate $26,700.00 from the Unappropriated General Fund Position Balance with $12,250.00 applied to the 180 Fund and the remaining $14,450.00 applied to the 370 Fund. The Community Services Director noted that, during the budget sessions, Council asked staff to look into the feasibility of increasing or expediting projects and/or staff within the Community Services Department. This analysis has been completed and submitted to Council for review. Staff is requesting Councils' approval of a Clerk Typist position for the Community Services and Planning Departments. CC-87-147 Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen, second by Councilman Grant, that Council approve the hiring of an additional Clerk Typist and that twenty six thousand seven hundred ($26,700.00) dollars be appropriated from the unappropriated General Fund Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 7 Balance with twelve thousand two hundred fifty ($12,250.00) dollars being applied to the 180 Fund and the remaining fourteen thousand four hundred fifty ($14,450.00) dollars applied to the 370 Fund. Mayor Matteson asked the City Manager if this employee was required. The City Manager stated he felt the position would definitely improve the flow of work for both the Community Services and the Planning Departments. He indicated he feels this employee is necessary. Councilman Grant stated he felt authorizing the hiring of this employee was long overdue. Motion CC-87-147 carried ALL AYES. Item 6(B) Consider the City's participation in joint action for proper collection of municipal fines. The City Manager advised the cities in San Bernardino County have joined together to exercise a joint suit against the County to force the County to give the municipalities, basically, what belongs to them. Currently, if court fines are referred to probation for either monthly payments or collection, the money is lost to the cities. The cities feel that, if the citation is written within their jurisdiction by police officers they contract with or their own police forces, they should be entitled to the proceeds of those fines. The cities have worked with the County to solve the problem administratively. The County appears reluctant to take action to correct the problem. As a last resort, the cities within the County of San Bernardino are getting together to implement a lawsuit to ensure the County fairly distributes the revenues from fines to the cities in the County. The total amount of the lawsuit is estimated to be fifty thousand ($50,000.00) dollars. The cost of the lawsuit will be shared on a per capita basis. The cost to the City of Grand Terrace is going to be six hundred fifty ($650.00) dollars. The City Manager noted the city's fine revenues over the past few years have dropped from about five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars a year to about eighteen hundred ($1,800.00) dollars a year. This revenue continues to diminish as the system continues to divert more of the fines away from the City. It is an investment that the City will get back more than once. CC-87-148 Motion by Mayor Matteson, second by Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen, that Council authorize the City of Grand Terrace to execute a joint exercise of powers agreement by and among the cities of the County of San Bernardino for the purpose of entering into a lawsuit to force proper collection of payment of court fines and that six hundred fifty ($650.00) dollars be appropriated from the General Fund Unappropriated Fund Balance to fund the lawsuit. I Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 8 Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen stated that one of the citizens of Grand Terrace, Eugene Tidwell, spent almost a year going through the cardboard boxes of citations at the Court House trying to make the City's case. She did not think it did a bit of good. Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen indicated she is pleased to see the County being put on the spot, legally, in this regard. Councilman Grant concurred with Mayor Pro Tem Pfennighausen. He indicated the bottleneck appears to be in the Probation Department. He could never understand why the Probation Department was responsible for the collection of fines. Motion CC-87-148 carried ALL AYES. The City Council meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. until the next regular City Council meeting which will be held Thursday, July 30, 1987 at 5:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted: City Cl—e—rk APPROVED: t M r Council Minutes - 7/09/87 Page 9