Cities Index.
Agenda packet, regular meeting

Belmont City Council
September 26, 2023

Document
Agenda packet, regular meeting
Meeting
September 26, 2023
Body
Belmont City Council
Pages
6
Original file
11.5 MB
Text extracted from the city's file for reading and search. Open the original on d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net. That file is the official record.

CITY OF BELMONT

CITY COUNCIL AND BELMONT FIRE

PROTECTION DISTRICT BOARD OF

DIRECTORS
www.belmont.gov

1. ROLL CALL

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

3. REPORT FROM CLOSED SESSION

4. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
A. County Child Care Report

CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
7:00 PM
City Council Chambers
City Hall, One Twin Pines Lane, Belmont, California
Amended Agenda
The meeting will be broadcast live to Belmont residents on Comcast Cable Channel 27, streamed live via the City’s website at www.Belmont.gov. The public may also attend the meeting in the Chambers and address the Council from the Chambers.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

To maximize time for live public comment, we encourage members of the public to provide comments by joining the Committee meeting via Zoom : For web, visit https://belmont-gov.zoom.us/ select “Join” and enter Meeting ID: 95745673035. Use the Raise Hand feature to request to speak. You may rename your profile if you wish to remain anonymous.

For dial- in comments, call *67 1-(669) 900-6833 (your phone number will appear on the live broadcast if *67 is not dialed prior to the phone number), enter Meeting ID: 95745673035, and press *9 to request to speak. All public comments are subject to a 3-minute time limit unless otherwise determined by the Committee Chair.

If you wish to submit written public comment, you may send an email to [email protected] before the council considers the item. Please indicate the agenda item topic or agenda item number you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line. Any public comment regarding agenda items that are received from the publication of the agenda through the meeting date will be made part of the meeting record but will not be read during the Council meeting.
1 B. National Night Out Recap

5. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA

6. COUNCILMEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

7. CONSENT BUSINESS
A. Monthly Financial Reports - June and July 2023
B. Response to Grand Jury Report on Bike Safety in San Mateo County C. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consulting Contract Amendment D. Parks Division Reorganization, Revised Job Descriptions and Salary Schedule This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the Body on any City matter not on the agenda. The period for public comment at this point in the agenda is limited to 15 minutes, with a maximum of 3 minutes per speaker. Speakers who requested but did not receive an opportunity to speak during this comment period will be given an opportunity to address the Body later in the meeting. State law prohibits the Body from acting on non-agenda items.

Consent business items are considered to be routine in nature and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a member or staf request specific items to be removed for separate action.

The City Attorney will read the title of ordinances to be adopted.

Recommendation: Motion to Approve Monthly Financial Reports Attachment(s):

Monthly Financial Reports - June 2023
Monthly Financial Reports - July 2023
Recommendation: Approve the City of Belmont’s response letter to the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Report dated July 10, 2023 entitled Bike Safety in San Mateo County Attachment(s):

Staff Report
Grand Jury Report - July 2023
Grand Jury Report City of Belmont Response Letter
Recommendation: Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amendment to the service agreement with The Z Bridge LLC for diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting for an additional $30,000 and a total not-to-exceed of $72,000 Attachment(s):

Staff Report
Resolution
Consultant Proposal
Recommendation: Adopt a resolution approving the creation of new job classification, Parks and Facilities Supervisor and the revision of Parks Manager, Senior Parks Maintenance Worker, and Parks Maintenance Worker I/II position descriptions to include “facilities” and revising the City’s Master Employee Pay Schedule, to include Parks and Facilities Supervisor, in accordance with California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) regulations
Attachment(s):

Staff Report
Resolution
2 E. Creation of New Classification, Senior Permit Technician; Addition of Teacher’s Aide Job Description; and Revision of the Master Pay Schedule F. Revised Master Employee Pay Schedule
G. Replacement of Public Safety Portable Radios

8. PUBLIC HEARINGS

9. GENERAL BUSINESS
A. 2023-2031 Housing Element Update
B. General Plan Safety Element Update Project
Recommendation: Adopt a resolution approving the creation of new job classification, Senior Permit Technician; addition of a Teacher’s Aide position job description; and revising the City’s Master Employee Pay Schedule to include Senior Permit Technician, in accordance with California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) regulations Attachment(s):

Staff Report
Resolution
Resolution
Recommendation: Adopt a resolution approving a revision to the City’s Master Employee Pay Schedule in accordance with California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) regulations
Attachment(s):

Staff Report
Resolution
Recommendation: Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract for the acquisition of public safety portable radios and associated equipment for a total amount not to exceed $162,854.36
Attachment(s):

Staff Report
Resolution
General Business items are considered separately, typically in the order listed. The chair will call for public comment on each item when the body considers the item.

Recommendation: Receive an update on the status of the City’s response to comments from the State Department of Housing and Community Development and provide direction on additional proposed programs to affirmatively further fair housing Attachment(s):

Staff Report
HCD Second Comment Letter
Summary of Responses to HCD Second Comment Letter
Recommendation: Accept report. No other action required at this time.

Attachment(s):

Staff Report Safety Element
Attachment A - State Law Affecting Safety Element
Attachment B - CSC
3 C. SB 1383 Resolution Approval of Local Assistance Grant and Update

10. BRIEF VERBAL REPORTS FROM MEMBERS AND STAFF

11. MATTERS OF INTEREST/CLARIFICATION

12. ADJOURNMENT
Attachment C - Touch Points
Recommendation: Adopt a resolution authorizing an application for the SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant for up to $75,000 and receive an update on compliance with CalRecycle SB 1383 regulations
Attachment(s):

Staff Report
Resolution
A. Verbal report from Councilmembers on Intergovernmental (IGR) and Subcommittee Assignments
B. Verbal report from City Manager
Items in this category are for discussion and direction to staf only. However, Council/Board may take final action on an item if there is no need for additional staf analysis.

If you need assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (650) 595-7413. Notification in advance of the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

Meeting information can also be accessed via the internet at:www.belmont.gov. All staf reports will be posted to the web in advance of the meeting, and any writings or documents provided to a majority of the City Council/District Board or Commission regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection in the City Clerk's Of ice, One Twin Pines Lane, during normal business hours and at the Council Chambers at City Hall, Second Floor, during the meeting. 4 FISCAL YEAR 2023
MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT - JUNE 30, 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

PERFORMANCE AT
A GLANCE REPORT • General Fund balance increased
compared to prior YTD

FUND RECAP AT A GLANCE
REPORT
Notable Fund Balance Increase compared to prior YTD:
•General Fund
•Belmont Fire Protection District
•Afforable Housing Successor
•Street Improvements
• Sewer Collection System
• Sewer Treatment
• Measure I
Notable Fund Balance Decrease compared to prior YTD:
• Facilities Management

CASH DISBURSEMENTS &

PURCHASE ORDER

ACTIVITY REPORT

BUDGET VARIANCE
REPORT
• Management Discussion & Analysis
• Tax Trends
This report contains financial information which has not been reviewed or audited by an independent auditor, does not reflect the application of generally accepted accounting principles in all instances and is subject to future revision. This report has not been prepared with a view to informing an investment decision in any of the City’s bonds, notes or other obligations. Any projections, plans or other forward‐looking statements included in this report are subject to a variety of uncertainties that could cause any actual plans or results to differ materially from any such statement. The information herein is not intended to be used by investors or potential investors in considering the purchase or sale of the City’s bonds, notes or other obligations and investors and potential investors should rely only on information filed by the City on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access System for municipal securities disclosures and website, maintained on the World Wide Web at https://emma.msrb.org/ These financial reports are designed to provide a general overview of the City of Belmont’s interim finances. Questions concerning any information provided in these reports should be addressed to [email protected] or for additional information regarding the City’s financial activities, including past award winning audited financial statements, transparency efforts and best practices please visit the City at www.belmont.gov. 5 City of Belmont
Performance at a Glance
Results for the Period Ended June 30, 2023
(000's)
6/30/2013 $6,200 Audited
6/30/2014 $8,204 Audited
6/30/2015 $9,049 Audited
6/30/2016 $9,177 Audited
6/30/2017 $11,128 Audited
6/30/2018 $11,325 Audited
6/30/2019 $14,846 Audited
6/30/2020 $13,637 Audited
6/30/2021 $13,398 Audited
6/30/2022 $18,013 Audited
6/30/2023 $26,586 Unaudited
* excludes Measure I
\0
Fund Balance ‐ YTD Fund Deficits
As shown on the Fund Recap at a Glance (page 3) the Recreation Fund and Street Maintenance deficits were eliminated with the transfer from the General Fund as part of year‐end closing activities. Facilities Management Fund deficit is projected to be eliminated with a transfer from the General Fund in FY 2023‐24 as reflected in the adopted budget.

The General Fund balance is $26.6 million, a $8.6 million increase compared to amount at the prior fiscal year end. The increase compared to the 6/30/22 balance was primarily due to the receipt of the second and last tranche of one‐time $3.2 million in ARPA Federal Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, a $1.5 million VLF reimbursement due to the shortfall from two years prior, transient occupancy tax recovering from the prior year, and increase in property taxes revenue due to the final dissolution of the Belmont Successor Agency.

General Fund
General Fund Balance Trends*
$0
$2
$4
$6
$8
$10
$12
$14
$16
$18
$20
$22
$24
$26
$28
General Fund Balance Trend
(in millions)
June June
$0 $20 $40 $60 $80 $100 $120
Budget
Expenditures
Actual
Expenditures
Budget
Revenues
Actual
Revenues
All Funds Revenues & Expenditures
YTD Comparison (in millions)
46%
44%
4%
4% 2%
Capital Improvement Plan
Streets Sewer
Technology Recreational Facilities
Parks & Open Space
2 6
Audited Unaudited PY YTD
Fund Fund Balance YTD YTD PY YTD YTD YTD PY YTD Fund Balance Fund Balance Fund Name 06/30/22 Budget Actual (Under) % Actual Budget Actual Under % Actual 06/30/23 06/30/22 (1) (2) Over (3) (Over) (1)+(2)‐(3)

GENERAL FUND
101 General $18,013 $34,740 $34,469 ($270) 99% $28,196 $28,411 $25,897 $2,514 91% $23,581 $ 26,586 18,013 102 Measure I 2,938 2,270 2,432 162 107% 2,283 8,223 1,274 6,949 15% 3,095 4,096 2,938

SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS
205 Recreation (0) 3,902 3,729 (173) 96% 2,843 3,438 3,145 293 91% 2,864 583 (0)206 Library Maintenance & Operation 836 304 330 25 108% 305 720 351 370 49% 432 815 836 207 Athletic Field Maintenance 376 91 149 59 165% 97 270 159 111 59% 99 366 376 208 City Tree 297 10 24 14 230% 10 73 37 36 51% 39 284 297 209 Senior Services Donation 90 4 2 (2) 58% 4 0 0 0 N/A 0 93 90210 Development Services 1,084 5,528 5,973 446 108% 5,432 6,178 5,520 657 89% 4,764 1,537 1,084 212 General Plan Maintenance 1,305 501 602 100 120% 575 1,821 315 1,505 17% 8 1,591 1,305223 Belmont Fire Protection District 16,217 16,243 16,199 (45) 100% 12,451 12,326 12,218 108 99% 11,637 20,198 16,217 225 Police Grants and Donations 33 0 1 1 1370% 0 5 3 2 69% 2 30 33 227 Supplemental Law Enforcement ‐ 188 186 (2) 99% 240 179 179 0 100% 240 7 0 231 Street Maintenance ‐ 2,410 2,232 (178) 93% 1,290 2,514 2,232 282 89% 2,002 0 0232 RMRA Street Project ‐ 605 628 23 104% 781 770 23 747 3% 1,105 606 0233 Measure W 1,457 883 622 (261) 70% 1,208 651 0 651 0% 0 2,079 1,457234 Street Improvements 905 2,036 2,210 174 109% 1,987 3,081 1,012 2,069 33% 3,243 2,103 905237 Traffic Impact 200 814 12 (803) 1% 200 115 0 115 0% 0 212 200239 Public Art 396 2 9 7 440% 396 0 0 0 N/A 0 405 396 275 Affordable Housing Successor 6,468 3,291 3,250 (41) 99% 4,141 496 420 76 85% 1,361 9,298 6,468277 Inclusionary Housing 2,452 3 119 116 3979% 67 0 0 0 N/A 0 2,572 2,452 Total Special Revenue 32,117 36,815 36,276 (539) 99% 32,028 32,636 25,614 7,022 78% 27,797 42,779 32,117

CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS
308 General Facilities 725 37 16 (21) 43% 2 371 7 364 2% 104 734 725 310 Infrastructure 2,810 1,442 746 (695) 52% 1,468 2,733 1,161 1,573 42% 961 2,396 2,810 312 Comcast PEG Program 396 1 9 8 1678% 33 120 0 120 0% 0 404 396 341 Planned Park 1,989 1,400 451 (949) 32% 2,500 750 740 11 99% 868 1,701 1,989342 Park Impact 327 284 486 202 171% 1,558 1,332 171 1,160 13% 2,628 642 327 343 Open Space 164 9 14 5 163% 21 176 81 94 46% 63 97 164 704 Special Assessment Districts 308 0 7 6 1538% 1 0 0 0 N/A 0 315 308 Total Capital Projects 6,719 3,172 1,729 (1,443) 55% 5,583 5,482 2,160 3,322 39% 4,624 6,289 6,719

DEBT SERVICE & OTHER FUNDS
406 Library Bond Debt Service 270 674 696 22 103% 674 685 681 4 99% 671 285 270 501‐505 Sewer Collection System 25,616 15,781 16,391 610 104% 16,315 16,993 9,807 7,186 58% 10,733 32,200 25,615 507 Sewer Treatment 25,992 3,153 3,307 155 105% 3,129 4,274 1,162 3,112 27% 1,438 28,137 25,992 525 Storm Drainage Enterprise 2,588 2,204 1,303 (901) 59% 1,193 2,926 1,718 1,208 59% 2,190 2,173 2,588 530 Solid Waste Management 1,766 548 636 89 116% 687 556 534 23 96% 502 1,868 1,767 570 Worker's Compensation 1,537 698 857 159 123% 756 732 632 100 86% 556 1,762 1,537571 Liability Insurance 3,386 703 797 95 113% 604 1,067 497 570 47% 592 3,686 3,387572 Self Funded Vision ‐ 3 2 (1) 52% 11 5 2 3 32% 11 0 0573 Fleet & Equipment Management 7,438 4,454 4,594 140 103% 5,109 4,895 3,639 1,256 74% 3,501 8,393 7,439 574 Facilities Management 0 2,210 1,805 (405) 82% 2,074 2,554 2,408 146 94% 2,115 (603) 0 575 Benefit Prefunding 1,082 1,473 1,406 (68) 95% 1,374 1,432 1,253 179 88% 1,689 1,235 1,081775 Successor Agency Trust Fund1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4,037 0 0 N/A 607 0 0 Total Debt & Other 69,676 31,901 31,793 (108) 100% 35,961 36,118 22,332 13,787 62% 24,605 79,138 69,676Total All Funds $129,464 $108,898 $106,700 ($2,198) 98% $104,051 $110,871 $77,277 $33,594 70% $83,703 $158,887 $129,464Fund Types:

Variance
City of Belmont
Fund Recap at a Glance
Results for the Period Ended June 30, 2023
(000's)
General Fund ‐ Used to account for and report all financial resources not accounted for and reported in another fund.

Special Revenue Funds ‐ Used to account for and report the proceeds of specific revenue sources that are restricted or committed to expenditure for specific purposes other than debt service or capital projects.

Capital Projects Funds ‐ Used to account for and report financial resources that are restricted, committed, or assigned to expenditure for capital outlays, including the acquisition or construction of capital facilities and other capital Debt Service & Other Funds ‐ Includes funds used to account for and report financial resources that are restricted, committed, or assigned to expenditure for principal and interest; funds used to finance and account for special activities and services performed by a designated department for other departments in the City on a cost reimbursement basis; and funds to account for operations financed and operated in a manner similar to a private business enterprise with the intent that the cost of providing goods and services is primarily financed through user charges; and funds used to account for assets held by the City as an agent.

Variance
Revenues Expenditures
7 3
City of Belmont
Budget Variance Report
General Fund / All Other Funds
Results for the Period Ended June 30, 2023
(000's)
General Fund All Other Funds
Year to Date (YTD) Annual PY YTD Year to Date (YTD) Annual PY YTD Budget Actual Variance % Budget Actual Budget Actual Variance % Budget Actual

REVENUES
Taxes $23,839 $23,164 ($675) 97% a $23,839 $18,699 $20,465 $20,960 $494 102% $20,465 $21,144 Licenses and permits 1,174                          1,262                    88 108% 1,174                          1,068              1,858             2,288                430 123% 1,858                          2,344 Intergovernmental 3,549                          3,685                  136 104% 3,549                          3,494              4,829             3,779           (1,050) 78% b             4,829             3,394 Charge for services 4,494                          4,469                   (25) 99% 4,494                          4,155            36,252           35,144           (1,108) 97% c           36,252           38,343 Fines and forfeits 165                                139                   (26) 84% 165                                 ‐ 156                                       1                     1 N/A                  ‐ ‐ 1,157             1,427                  269 123% 1,157                             255                 709             2,487             1,778 351% 709                                  44 Miscellaneous 362                                324                   (38) 89% 362                                368                 198                664                466 336% 198                                440 Other financing sources                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                               2,910             2,952                  42 101% 2,910                          4,067 Operating transfers in                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                               6,938             3,956           (2,982) 57% d             6,938             6,077 Total Revenues 34,740                    34,469                (270) 99% 34,740                    28,196           74,159          72,231           (1,928) 97% 74,159                    75,854

EXPENDITURES
General government 7,098                          5,735             (1,363) 81% 7,098 5,638 8,302                           6,070           (2,232) 73% 8,302 6,390 Public safety 14,678                      14,657                   (21) 100% 14,678 13,922 12,501                       12,392               (110) 99% 12,501 11,880 Streets and utilities                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                             37,803           19,135         (18,668) 51% 37,803                      22,019 Culture and recreation 2,214                          2,036                 (178) 92% 2,214 1,950 8,219                           6,630           (1,589) 81% 8,219 6,183 Urban redevelopment                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                 ‐              6,528             4,585           (1,943) 70% 6,528              4,487 Debt service                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                               6,589             3,991           (2,597) 61% 6,589                          4,243 Operating transfer out 4,420                          3,468                 (952) 78% 4,420 2,072 2,518                              487           (2,030) 19% 2,518 4,919 Total Expenditures 28,411                    25,897             (2,514) 91% 28,411                    23,581           82,460          53,291         (29,169) 65% 82,460                    60,121 $6,329 $8,573 ($2,785) $6,329 $4,615 ($8,301) $18,940 ($31,097) ($8,301) $15,733 Management Discussion and Analysis
(Items with unfavorable budget variance more than $0.1 million) General Fund
Revenues
Other Funds
Revenues
c)  Charges for Services ‐ Some in‐lieu/impact fees were budgeted for and were not materialized. **  July TOT revenues received were for June activities and accrued to the previous FY. July revenues will be received in August.

EXCESS OF REVENUES OVER
(UNDER) EXPENDITURES
Trends
Use of money and property
d)  Operating Transfers In – Budgeted operating transfers are recorded at the end of the fiscal year based on actual results. b)  Intergovernmental  ‐ Grant revenue will be received and reported in a future reporting period.

a)  Taxes  ‐ Property Tax in‐lieu of VLF actual receipt came in lower than forecast. ‐$650
‐$450
‐$250
‐$50
$150
$350
$550
$750
$950
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Thousands
Sales Taxes & TOT ‐ Monthly Comparison
Sales Taxes FY 22 Sales Taxes FY 23 TOT FY 22 TOT FY 23 $0 $2,000
$4,000
$6,000
$8,000
$10,000
$12,000
FY 13 FY 14 FY 15 FY 16 FY 17 FY 18 FY 19 FY 20 FY 21 FY 22 Thousands
Major General Fund Taxes ‐ 10‐year Trends
Prop Tax Sales Taxes TOT
4 8
City of Belmont
Disbursements & Purchase Order Activity Report
Results for the Period Ended June 30, 2023
Vendor Description Date No. Amount
ADP PAYROLL 06/02/2023 TAXES 6/2/23 DAJ000008245 94,097.63 ADP PAYROLL 06/16/2023 TAXES 6/16/23 DAJ000008249 97,677.86 ADP PAYROLL 06/30/2023 TAXES 6/30/23 DAJ000008253 103,739.65 CALPERS HEALTH PREMIUM‐JULY 6/6/23 DAJ000008289 159,049.73 CALPERS COB CONTRIBUTION PPE 5/13/23 6/12/23 DAJ000008295 115,610.17 CALPERS COB CONTRIBUTION PPE 5/27/23 6/28/23 DAJ000008311 115,914.61 CITY OF BELMONT EMPLOYEES PAYROLL 06/02/2023 6/2/23 DAJ000008246 413,759.18 CITY OF BELMONT EMPLOYEES PAYROLL 06/16/2023 6/16/23 DAJ000008250 419,031.94 CITY OF BELMONT EMPLOYEES PAYROLL 06/30/2023 6/30/23 DAJ000008254 449,608.44 GOOD CITY COMPANY PLANNING SERVICES FOR APRIL 23 6/9/23 EFT00032114 53,234.66 GOOD CITY COMPANY PLANNING SERVICES FOR MAY 23 6/30/23 EFT00032332 134,158.54 MNS ENGINEERS INC HILLER STREET UPGRADE PROJECT 6/2/23 EFT00032069 53,112.05 SILICON VALLEY CLEAN WATER JULY CONTRIBUTIONS 6/9/23 EFT00032102 303,637.00 SILICON VALLEY CLEAN WATER STORMWATER DIRECT COSTS 6/23/23 EFT00032206 244,518.90 TOWNE FORD SALES PARKS & RECREATION TRANSIT VAN 6/16/23 EFT00032190 68,605.24 TOWNE FORD SALES BRAKE PADS STOCK 6/30/23 EFT00032354 108,110.36 Total Disbursements in Excess of $50,000 2,933,865.96 $ Total Count                              16
Vendor Description Date No. Amount
DUKE'S ROOT CONTROL, INC. ROOT FOAMING ‐ VARIOUS SITES 6/15/23 23 00059 64,799.15 PAVEMENT ENGINEERING INC DAVEY GLEN ADA UPGRADE 6/15/23 23 00061 121,797.50 SELWAY CONSTRUCTION HILL STREET & EL CAMINO REAL PROJECT 6/30/23 23 00064 122,348.50 Total Purchase Orders Issued in Excess of $50,000 308,945.15 $ Total Count                                 3
Disbursements Amounts Equal to $50,000 and Above
Purchase Order Amounts Equal to $50,000 and Above
5 9
Beginning Balance Ending Balance
May 31, 2023 Receipts Disbursements June 30, 2023
City of Belmont $ 113,744,845.69 $ 7,188,308.05 $ (4,932,329.93) $ 116,000,823.81 Belmont Fire Protection District 19,473,096.45 1,903,784.43 (317,958.26) 21,058,922.62 Total $ 9,092,092.48 133,217,942.14 $ (5,250,288.19) $ 137,059,746.43 $ -
Deposit Investments Pool Total
City of Belmont & Belmont Fire Protection District $ 1,730,522.11 $ 135,329,224.32 $ 137,059,746.43 -
Respectfully Submitted,
s/b Grace Castaneda
Grace Castaneda
City Treasurer
I certify that this report accurately reflects all investments of City of Belmont and Belmont Fire Protection District, and is in conformance with the adopted Investment Policy mandated by Government Code 53646. Furthermore, I certify to the best of my knowledge, sufficient investment liquidity and anticipated revenues are available to meet the Agency's budgeted expenditure requirement for the next six months.

CITY OF BELMONT

TREASURER'S REPORT
June-23
Balance Summary
Agency Receipts and Disbursements Summary
treasurer report 06-2023_v0823

Page 1 of 2 ends

10 Investment Type Issuer
Maturity
Date Par Amount Current Market Value Interest Total
Investment
Period Rate
Pricing
Source Manager
Deposit
General Account Wells Fargo $ 1,730,522.11 $ 1,730,522.11 Bank Bank Investments:

L.A.I.F.-POOL State of California Daily 128,042,076.85 126,099,486.35 337,924.38 90 days 3.167% LAIF LAIF L.A.I.F.-BONDS State of California Daily 7,287,147.47 7,176,590.50 19,232.00 90 days 3.167% LAIF LAIF Total $ 137,059,746.43 $ 135,006,598.97 $ 357,156.38
s/b Grace Castaneda
S/B John Violet
Investment Detail

CITY OF BELMONT

TREASURER'S REPORT
June-23
Jun-22 Jul-22 Aug-22 Sep-22 Oct-22 Nov-22 Dec-22 Jan-23 Feb-23 Mar-23 Apr-23 May-23 Jun-23 L.A.I.F.-POOL 101,582,365 96,162,851 96,412,851 94,372,851 94,252,429 95,052,429 114,502,429 114,810,359 117,310,359 117,310,359 127,892,077 124,692,077 128,042,077 L.A.I.F.-BONDS 9,084,596 9,103,562 9,103,562 8,770,562 8,581,303 8,581,303 8,581,303 7,384,268 7,384,268 7,384,268 7,435,147 7,287,147 7,287,147 INTEREST RATE 0.861% 1.090% 1.276% 1.513% 1.772% 2.007% 2.173% 2.425% 2.624% 2.624% 2.870% 2.993% 3.167%

0.00%

0.50%

1.00%

1.50%

2.00%

2.50%

3.00%

3.50%
$0
$20,000,000
$40,000,000
$60,000,000
$80,000,000
$100,000,000
$120,000,000
$140,000,000
City of Belmont Investment Portfolio Trends

Page 2 of 2 ends

FISCAL YEAR 2023
MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT - JULY 31, 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

PERFORMANCE AT
A GLANCE REPORT • General Fund balance increased
compared to prior YTD

FUND RECAP AT A GLANCE
REPORT
Notable Fund Balance Increase compared to prior YTD:
•General Fund
•Measure I
•Development Services
•Afforable Housing Successor
• Sewer Collection System
• Sewer Treatment
Notable Fund Balance Decrease compared to prior YTD:
• Planned Park

CASH DISBURSEMENTS &

PURCHASE ORDER

ACTIVITY REPORT

BUDGET VARIANCE
REPORT
• Management Discussion & Analysis
• Tax Trends
This report contains financial information which has not been reviewed or audited by an independent auditor, does not reflect the application of generally accepted accounting principles in all instances and is subject to future revision. This report has not been prepared with a view to informing an investment decision in any of the City’s bonds, notes or other obligations. Any projections, plans or other forward‐looking statements included in this report are subject to a variety of uncertainties that could cause any actual plans or results to differ materially from any such statement. The information herein is not intended to be used by investors or potential investors in considering the purchase or sale of the City’s bonds, notes or other obligations and investors and potential investors should rely only on information filed by the City on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access System for municipal securities disclosures and website, maintained on the World Wide Web at https://emma.msrb.org/ These financial reports are designed to provide a general overview of the City of Belmont’s interim finances. Questions concerning any information provided in these reports should be addressed to [email protected] or for additional information regarding the City’s financial activities, including past award winning audited financial statements, transparency efforts and best practices please visit the City at www.belmont.gov. 12 City of Belmont
Performance at a Glance
Results for the Period Ended July 31, 2023
(000's)
6/30/2014 $8,204 Audited
6/30/2015 $9,049 Audited
6/30/2016 $9,177 Audited
6/30/2017 $11,128 Audited
6/30/2018 $11,325 Audited
6/30/2019 $14,846 Audited
6/30/2020 $13,637 Audited
6/30/2021 $13,398 Audited
6/30/2022 $18,013 Audited
6/30/2023 $26,586 Unaudited
7/31/2023 $25,799 Unaudited
* excludes Measure I
\0
Fund Balance ‐ YTD Fund Deficits
As shown on the Fund Recap at a Glance (page 3) Supplemental Law Enforcement, Street Maintenance, Capital Improvement Projects, Library Bond Debt Service and Facilities Management Fund have deficits and are expected to be elminated in a future period.

Through the first month of FY 2023‐24, the General Fund balance is $25.8 million, a $0.8 million decrease compared to amount at the prior fiscal year end.

General Fund
General Fund Balance Trends*
$0
$2
$4
$6
$8
$10
$12
$14
$16
$18
$20
$22
$24
$26
$28
General Fund Balance Trend
(in millions)
June July
$0 $20
Budget
Expenditures
Actual
Expenditures
Budget
Revenues
Actual
Revenues
All Funds Revenues & Expenditures
YTD Comparison (in millions)
33%
58%
1%5% 3%
Capital Improvement Plan
Streets Sewer
Technology Recreational Facilities
Parks & Open Space
2 13
Unaudited Unaudited PY YTD
Fund Fund Balance YTD YTD PY YTD YTD YTD PY YTD Fund Balance Fund Balance Fund Name 06/30/23 Budget Actual (Under) % Actual Budget Actual Under % Actual 07/01/23 07/01/22 (1) (2) Over (3) (Over) (1)+(2)‐(3)

GENERAL FUND
101 General $26,586 $2,464 $1,002 ($1,463) 41% $4,246 $2,524 $1,788 $735 71% $1,712 $ 25,799 20,374 102 Measure I 4,096 192 (185) (378) ‐96% (185) 49 0 49 0% 39 3,911 2,738

SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS
205 Recreation 583 281 55 (226) 20% 47 307 383 (76) 125% 297 255 (250) 206 Library Maintenance & Operation 815 26 0 (26) 0% 0 62 30 33 48% 20 785 815 207 Athletic Field Maintenance 366 10 11 1 109% 22 21 (4) 25 ‐20% 2 381 395 208 City Tree 284 1 4 2 279% 0 7 4 4 50% 3 284 295209 Senior Services Donation 93 0 0 (0) 0% 0 0 0 0 N/A 0 93 90 210 Development Services 1,537 437 1,090 653 249% 536 542 363 180 67% 357 2,265 1,264212 General Plan Maintenance 1,591 44 26 (18) 59% 276 94 13 80 14% 8 1,604 1,573223 Belmont Fire Protection District 20,198 1,436 903 (533) 63% 385 1,070 3,983 (2,914) 372% 22 17,118 16,580 225 Police Grants and Donations 30 0 0 (0) 0% 0 0 0 0 0% 0 30 33 227 Supplemental Law Enforcement 7 15 0 (15) 0% 0 11 9 2 82% 13 (2) (13) 231 Street Maintenance 0 325 22 (303) 7% 33 217 241 (24) 111% 220 (219) (209) 232 RMRA Street Project 606 58 0 (58) 0% 0 68 0 68 0% 2 606 (2) 233 Measure W 2,079 32 (33) (65) ‐103% (32) 79 0 79 0% 0 2,046 1,075 234 Street Improvements 2,103 104 0 (104) 0% 131 109 6 103 6% 13 2,097 1,374 237 Traffic Impact 212 136 0 (136) 0% 0 0 0 0 N/A 0 212 200 239 Public Art 405 26 0 (26) 0% 0 0 0 0 N/A 0 405 396
275 Affordable Housing Successor 9,298 40 7 (34) 16% 6 323 12 311 4% 3 9,292 6,471 277 Inclusionary Housing 2,572 50 0 (50) 0% 0 0 0 0 N/A 0 2,572 2,452 Total Special Revenue 42,779 3,022 2,085 (938) 69% 1,403 2,911 5,040 (2,129) 173% 960 39,823 32,539

CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS
308 General Facilities 734 1 0 (1) 0% 0 31 1 31 2% 0 734 725 310 Infrastructure 2,396 4 0 (4) 0% 0 40 0 40 0% 3 2,396 2,809 312 Comcast PEG Program 404 1 0 (1) 0% 0 0 0 0 N/A 0 404 396 341 Planned Park 1,701 3 0 (3) 0% 406 59 0 58 1% (5) 1,701 2,401 342 Park Impact 642 226 0 (226) 0% 0 40 0 40 0% 0 642 327 343 Open Space 97 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 1 (1) N/A (11) 96 175
399 Capital Improvement Projects ‐ 1,738 0 (1,738) 0% 0 1,716 78 1,638 5% 0 (78) 0 704 Special Assessment Districts 315 0 0 (0) 0% 0 0 0 0 N/A 0 315 309 Total Capital Projects 6,289 1,973 0 (1,973) 0% 406 1,887 80 1,806 4% (13) 6,208 7,141

DEBT SERVICE & OTHER FUNDS
406 Library Bond Debt Service 285 56 0 (56) 0% 0 57 526 (470) 928% 523 (241) (253) 501‐505 Sewer Collection System 32,200 1,664 141 (1,523) 8% 331 1,475 765 709 52% 509 31,576 25,437 507 Sewer Treatment 28,137 269 0 (269) 0% 0 342 (458) 799 ‐134% (248) 28,595 26,240 525 Storm Drainage Enterprise 2,173 112 7 (105) 6% 67 183 128 55 70% 127 2,052 2,523 530 Solid Waste Management 1,868 53 0 (53) 0% 0 47 38 9 81% 42 1,830 1,725 570 Worker's Compensation 1,762 74 83 9 112% 69 61 664 (603) 1089% 614 1,181 992571 Liability Insurance 3,686 71 (444) (514) ‐628% (1,720) 94 540 (446) 576% 454 2,703 1,213 572 Self Funded Vision ‐ 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 (4) 4 N/A (13) 4 13573 Fleet & Equipment Management 8,393 389 378 (10) 97% 370 387 340 47 88% 439 8,432 7,369574 Facilities Management (603) 289 234 (54) 81% 144 217 387 (170) 178% 301 (755) (158) 575 Benefit Prefunding 1,235 124 109 (15) 88% 116 113 122 (9) 108% 404 1,222 793 Total Debt & Other 79,138 3,099 508 (2,591) 16% (624) 2,975 3,048 (74) 102% 3,152 76,598 65,895Total All Funds $158,887 $10,752 $3,410 ($7,342) 32% $5,246 $10,345 $9,957 $388 96% $5,849 $152,339 $128,687 Fund Types:

General Fund ‐ Used to account for and report all financial resources not accounted for and reported in another fund.

Special Revenue Funds ‐ Used to account for and report the proceeds of specific revenue sources that are restricted or committed to expenditure for specific purposes other than debt service or capital projects.

Capital Projects Funds ‐ Used to account for and report financial resources that are restricted, committed, or assigned to expenditure for capital outlays, including the acquisition or construction of capital facilities and other capital assets.

Debt Service & Other Funds ‐ Includes funds used to account for and report financial resources that are restricted, committed, or assigned to expenditure for principal and interest; funds used to finance and account for special activities and services performed by a designated department for other departments in the City on a cost reimbursement basis; and funds to account for operations financed and operated in a manner similar to a private business enterprise with the intent that the cost of providing goods and services is primarily financed through user charges; and funds used to account for assets held by the City as an agent.

Variance
Revenues Expenditures
Variance
City of Belmont
Fund Recap at a Glance
Results for the Period Ended July 31, 2023
(000's)
3 14
City of Belmont
Budget Variance Report
General Fund / All Other Funds
Results for the Period Ended July 31, 2023
(000's)
General Fund All Other Funds
Year to Date (YTD) Annual PY YTD Year to Date (YTD) Annual PY YTD Budget Actual Variance % Budget Actual Budget Actual Variance % Budget Actual

REVENUES
Taxes $1,831 ($403) ($2,234) ‐22% a $21,971 ($305) $1,789 ($218) ($2,007) ‐12% a $21,471 ($217) Licenses and permits 99                                       1                   (98) 1% 1,188                               49                 172                158                 (14) 92% 2,065                             367 Intergovernmental 28                                    17                   (11) 61% 336                             3,246                 812                     5               (807) 1% b             9,742                  15 Charge for services 362                                291                   (71) 80% 4,347                             268              3,744             1,262           (2,482) 34% c           44,928             1,790 Fines and forfeits 13                                     (4)                    ‐ (17) 31% 160                                      ‐ 1                   ‐                  ‐                  N/A                  ‐ ‐ 101             1,100                  999 1089% 1,212                             987                 180             1,038                858 577% 2,165                             528 Miscellaneous 30                   ‐                                    (30)                 ‐ 357                                    28                162                134 579% 337                           (1,482) Other financing sources                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                   ‐                  ‐                  N/A                  ‐ ‐ Operating transfers in                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                                ‐ 1,562                            (1,562) d            ‐ 18,743 Total Revenues 2,464                          1,002             (1,462) 41% 29,572                       4,246              8,287             2,408           (5,879) 29% 99,450                       1,001

EXPENDITURES
General government 615                                442                 (173) 72% 7,384 439 609                              1,661             1,052 273% e 7,303 1,903 Public safety 1,312                          1,172                 (140) 89% 15,738 1,132 1,076                           3,992             2,916 371% f 12,917 35 Streets and utilities                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                               2,892                995           (1,897) 34% 34,708                           938 Culture and recreation 213                                174                   (39) 82% 2,560 142 723                                 831                108 115% g 8,673 621 Urban redevelopment                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                 ‐                 792                268               (524) 34% 9,509              240 Debt service                  ‐ ‐                  ‐                    N/A                  ‐ ‐                                  551                423               (128) 77% 6,614                             399 Operating transfer out 383                 ‐                                  (383) 4,600 1,179               ‐                            (1,179) 14,143 Total Expenditures 2,523                          1,788                (735) 71% 30,282                       1,713              7,823             8,170                347 104% 93,867                       4,136 ($59) ($786) ($2,197) ($710) $2,533 $464 ($5,762) ($5,532) $5,583 ($3,135) Management Discussion and Analysis
(Items with unfavorable budget variance more than $0.1 million) General Fund
Revenues
Other Funds
Revenues
Other Funds
Expenditures
b)  Intergovernmental  ‐ The revenue will be received and reported in a future reporting period. a)  Taxes  ‐ The budget variance is primarily due to the timing of semi‐annual property tax receipts received in December and April. In addition, the majority of Sales Tax and Transisent Occupancy Taxes (TOT) received in July are related to June activities, which are subject to an accounting adjustment.

Use of money and property

EXCESS OF REVENUES OVER
(UNDER) EXPENDITURES
Trends
**  July Sales Tax & TOT revenues received were for June activities and accrued to the previous FY. July revenues will be received in August. d)  Operating Transfers In – Budgeted operating transfers are recorded at the end of the fiscal year based on actual results.

e)  General Government ‐ The annual insurance premium and OPEB contributions were paid in July. f)  Public Safety ‐ First quarter payments of $1.7M to BSCFD and $2.3M to San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department were made in July. g)  Culture and recreation  ‐ The annual insurance premiums were paid in July. c)  Charges for Services ‐ The Sewer User Fee (Collection & Treatment) is included as part of the City's Property Tax bill to be received semi‐annually, typically in December and April. ‐$650
‐$450
‐$250
‐$50
$150
$350
$550
$750
$950
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Thousands
Sales Taxes & TOT ‐ Monthly Comparison
Sales Taxes FY 23 Sales Taxes FY 24 TOT FY 23 TOT FY 24 $0 $2,000
$4,000
$6,000
$8,000
$10,000
$12,000
$14,000
FY 14 FY 15 FY 16 FY 17 FY 18 FY 19 FY 20 FY 21 FY 22 FY 23 Thousands
Major General Fund Taxes ‐ 10‐year Trends
Prop Tax Sales Taxes TOT
4 15
City of Belmont
Disbursements & Purchase Order Activity Report
Results for the Period Ended July 31, 2023
Vendor Description Date No. Amount
ADP PAYROLL TAXES 07/14/2023 7/14/23 DAJ000008320 101,075.75 ADP PAYROLL TAXES 07/28/2023 7/28/23 DAJ000008324 118,618.90 BELMONT SAN CARLOS FIRE DEPT FY 23‐24 PERS LEGACY COSTS & Q1 CONTRIBUTION 7/7/23 EFT00032384 1,655,753.90 BNY MELLON 2004A SPECIAL TAX BONDS (LIBRARY PROJECT) DEBT SERVICE 7/25/23 DAJ000008369 525,977.74 BNY MELON 2016 SEWER REFUNDING BONDS DEBT SERVICE 7/21/23 DAJ000008366 644,539.85 BNY MELON 2016 SEWER REVENUE BONDS DEBT SERVICE 7/21/23 DAJ000008367 368,409.87 CALPERS COB CONTRIBUTIONS PPE 6/10/23 7/10/23 DAJ000008352 118,162.42 CALPERS COB ADP PAYMENTS 7/11/23 DAJ000008354 299,575.00 CALPERS JULY HEALTH PREMIUM 7/11/23 DAJ000008382 173,489.03 CALPERS COB CONTIRBUTION PPE 06/24/23 7/21/23 DAJ000008365 118,468.85 CALPERS COB UAL PAYMENTS 7/25/23 DAJ000008371 3,140,065.00 CCAG FY 23‐24 ANNUAL MEMBER ASSESSMENT 7/21/23 1203916 89,891.00 CITY OF BELMONT EMPLOYEES PAYROLL 07/14/2023 7/13/23 DAJ000008318 448,316.61 CITY OF BELMONT EMPLOYEES PAYROLL 07/28/2023 7/27/23 DAJ000008322 493,652.99 DUKE'S ROOT CONTROL, INC. ROOT FOAMING ‐ VARIOUS SITES 7/13/23 EFT00032427 64,120.60 EYEP SOLUTIONS FORTINET RENEWAL 7/28/23 EFT00032614 97,809.72 GOOD CITY COMPANY PLANNING SERVICES 7/21/23 EFT00032461 107,559.59 GRANICUS, INC. GRANICUS SOFTWARE SUBSCRIPTION 7/21/23 EFT00032497 63,177.22 INTERSTATE GRADING AND RALSTON AVE. PAVEMENT PROJECT 7/28/23 EFT00032631 346,550.50 MISSION SQUARE DEF COMP ACCT#302442 7/5/23 DAJ000008347 58,865.73 MISSION SQUARE DEF COMP ACCT#302442 7/31/23 DAJ000008379 98,063.89 PAVEMENT ENGINEERING INC DAVEY GLEN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 7/28/23 EFT00032618 204,238.75 PG&E NATURAL GAS & ELECTRICITY ‐ VARIOUS SITES 7/3/23 DAJ000008343 59,839.13 PRISM FY 23‐24 PRIMARY WORKERS' COMP INSURANCE PREMIUM 7/7/23 EFT00032386 1,149,802.00 SAN MATEO CONSOLIDATED FIRE DEPARTMENT FY 23‐24 Q1 CONTRIBUTION 7/13/23 EFT00032436 2,292,477.25 SILICON VALLEY CLEAN WATER AUGUST CONTRIBUTION 7/7/23 EFT00032381 303,637.00 SILICON VALLEY CLEAN WATER JULY CONTRIBUTION 7/21/23 EFT00032446 303,292.00 WOOD RODGERS INC MEASURE I STORM PROJECT & STORM WATER ANALYSIS 7/21/23 EFT00032460 55,062.50 Total Disbursements in Excess of $50,000 13,500,492.79 $ Total Count                              28
Vendor Description Date No. Amount
DUKE'S ROOT CONTROL, INC. ROOT FOAMING ‐ VARIOUS SITES 6/15/23 23 00059 64,799.15 PAVEMENT ENGINEERING INC DAVEY GLEN ADA UPGRADE 6/15/23 23 00061 121,797.50 SELWAY CONSTRUCTION HILL STREET & EL CAMINO REAL PROJECT 6/30/23 23 00064 122,348.50 Total Purchase Orders Issued in Excess of $50,000 308,945.15 $ Total Count                                 3
Disbursements Amounts Equal to $50,000 and Above
Purchase Order Amounts Equal to $50,000 and Above
5 16
Beginning Balance Ending Balance
June 30, 2023 Receipts Disbursements July 31, 2023
City of Belmont $ 116,000,823.81 $ 4,213,257.51 $ (11,431,877.91) $ 108,782,203.41 Belmont Fire Protection District 21,058,922.62 42,298.94 (3,983,082.86) 17,118,138.70 Total $ 4,255,556.45 137,059,746.43 $ (15,414,960.77) $ 125,900,342.11 $ -
Deposit Investments Pool Total
City of Belmont & Belmont Fire Protection District $ 3,515,925.52 $ 122,384,416.59 $ 125,900,342.11 -
Respectfully Submitted,
s/b Grace Castaneda
Grace Castaneda
City Treasurer
I certify that this report accurately reflects all investments of City of Belmont and Belmont Fire Protection District, and is in conformance with the adopted Investment Policy mandated by Government Code 53646. Furthermore, I certify to the best of my knowledge, sufficient investment liquidity and anticipated revenues are available to meet the Agency's budgeted expenditure requirement for the next six months.

CITY OF BELMONT

TREASURER'S REPORT
July-23
Balance Summary
Agency Receipts and Disbursements Summary
treasurer report 07-2023_updated

Page 1 of 2 ends

17 Investment Type Issuer
Maturity
Date Par Amount Current Market Value Interest Total
Investment
Period Rate
Pricing
Source Manager
Deposit
General Account Wells Fargo $ 3,515,925.52 $ 3,515,925.52 Bank Bank Investments:

L.A.I.F.-POOL State of California Daily 115,474,494.77 113,722,573.36 318,036.00 90 days 3.305% LAIF LAIF L.A.I.F.-BONDS State of California Daily 6,909,921.82 6,805,087.93 19,031.08 90 days 3.305% LAIF LAIF Total $ 125,900,342.11 $ 124,043,586.81 $ 337,067.08
s/b Grace Castaneda
S/B John Violet
Investment Detail

CITY OF BELMONT

TREASURER'S REPORT
July-23
Jul-22 Aug-22 Sep-22 Oct-22 Nov-22 Dec-22 Jan-23 Feb-23 Mar-23 Apr-23 May-23 Jun-23 Jul-23 L.A.I.F.-POOL 96,162,851 96,412,851 94,372,851 94,252,429 95,052,429 114,502,429 114,810,359 117,310,359 117,310,359 127,892,077 124,692,077 128,042,077 115,474,495 L.A.I.F.-BONDS 9,103,562 9,103,562 8,770,562 8,581,303 8,581,303 8,581,303 7,384,268 7,384,268 7,384,268 7,435,147 7,287,147 7,287,147 6,909,922 INTEREST RATE 1.090% 1.276% 1.513% 1.772% 2.007% 2.173% 2.425% 2.624% 2.831% 2.870% 2.993% 3.167% 3.305%

0.00%

0.50%

1.00%

1.50%

2.00%

2.50%

3.00%

3.50%
$0
$20,000,000
$40,000,000
$60,000,000
$80,000,000
$100,000,000
$120,000,000
$140,000,000
City of Belmont Investment Portfolio Trends

Page 2 of 2 ends
Page 1 of 3 ends

Bicycle Safety Grand Jury Response - Staff Report

STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Matt Hoang, Associate Civil Engineer, (650)637-2998, [email protected] Agenda Title: Response to Grand Jury Report on Bike Safety in San Mateo County Agenda Action: Motion
Recommendation
Approve the City of Belmont’s response letter to the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Report dated July 10, 2023 entitled Bike Safety in San Mateo County.

Strategic Focus Area
Infrastructure and Mobility
Background
On July 10, 2023, a Grand Jury Report was issued regarding bike safety within San Mateo County (SMC) – see Attachment A. The report identifies the need for making bicycling safer in the County as the demand by County residents has increased for bicycle trips, and for new solutions to provide safer bicycle facilities.

The Grand Jury Report analyzes current conditions and plans of San Mateo County and its municipal constituents and evaluates areas for improvement to meet rising bicycle safety demands.

The Grand Jury Report evaluated conditions in each city, including in the City of Belmont (City) and notes the challenges encountered to provide further improvements to bike safety:
“Until quite recently, the City has been completely focused on ensuring that the community is comfortable for single family dwellings. However, areas close to El Camino Real are more commercial and have denser housing. The community now has both recreational and commuting bicyclists using the roads. While Belmont does have a bicycle master plan and holds an annual bike safety program for children and teenagers, more needs to be done. The City needs to obtain funding from external Federal, State and County sources to do more.” (San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Report, 2023, page 9)
The Grand Jury Report includes nine findings and seven recommendations. The City of Belmont is required to submit comments on the findings and recommendations pertaining to the matters over which it has some decision-making authority within 90 days. Response letters must be approved by the governing body of each jurisdiction at a public meeting. Belmont’s response to the report is due to the Grand Jury no later than October 9, 2023.

Analysis
Staff has reviewed the findings and recommendations and has prepared responses for Council review and 19

Page 2 of 3 ends

Bicycle Safety Grand Jury Response - Staff Report
approval which is attached to this report (see Attachment B). In summary, staff agrees with certain Grand Jury findings and recommendations, although in some cases data is lacking to confirm or refute assertions.

Although, a few of the findings and recommendations are already currently being met, and others the City likely cannot implement to due to unrealistic target dates, operational or legal constraints.

The Grand Jury Findings include the following:

F1. Bicycle policy and the approach to ensuring/improving bicycle safety is not consistent across San Mateo County due, at least in part, to:
a. Topography
b. Urban vs. suburban environments
c. Types of bicyclists (commuter, recreational)
d. Varying levels of enforcement of bicycle laws
e. Differing knowledge of bicycle laws and safe practices.

F2. Bicycle ridership as an alternative means of transportation (e.g., commuting to work, school, or transit hubs, running errands) is not increasing due, at least in part, to perceived safety issues.

F3. Bicycle accidents and incidents (such as near misses) are underreported, if reported at all.

F4. Only bicycle accidents or incidents that trigger a 911 call are consistently logged in the State (SWITRS) database and law enforcement agencies do not log bicycle accident data consistently.

F5. The amount of enforcement of laws, as they pertain to bicyclists and how motorists and bicyclists interact, is inconsistent due to other priorities (e.g., criminal enforcement and general automobile traffic) and the requirement that a citation can generally only be written if the violation is witnessed by an officer.

F6. There is no official metric in San Mateo County and its cities to evaluate how safe it is to ride a bicycle.

F7. Bicycle safety education, for the bicyclist, pedestrians and motorists, is not consistently offered across San Mateo County.

F8. Communication between various entities with responsibility for bicycle safety, including Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs), Law Enforcement, City Transportation Planning, and Public Works departments, is not formalized, resulting in inefficiencies, and missed opportunities (e.g., funding for improvements, shared bike safety education, or improving signage).

F9. City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans or Active Transportation Plans, have not been adopted/created by all SMC cities.

The Grand Jury Recommendations are as follows:
20

Page 3 of 3 ends

Bicycle Safety Grand Jury Response - Staff Report
R1. By December 2023, all law enforcement agencies and the County Sheriff should submit bicycle related data to SWITRS monthly, and regularly post and update their websites with all reported bicycle accident data.

R2. By December 2023, all law enforcement agencies should begin sending warning letters to motorists for violations of the 3 ft. law.

R3. By June 3, 2024, all law enforcement agencies should provide a means for citizens to report bicycle-related incidents that are not currently reported to law enforcement, similar to the SMC Sheriff’s Department Online Crime Reporting portal.

R4. By June 3, 2024 each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should offer a bike safety education program for riders and motorists about the laws and safety facts related to bicycles on the road.

R5. By June 3, 2024, each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should update or generate a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (or Active Transportation Plan) if their current plan is older than five years; consistent with the 2021 C/CAG San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.

R6. By June 3, 2024, each city, town, and the county should apply (or reapply) online to generate the Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card.

R7. By February 1, 2024, the County should meet with cities within the County that are willing to participate, to consider establishing a regional effort that integrates the cities’ bicycle plans and to discuss how the cities and County could work together to apply for grant opportunities as a region.

Alternatives

1. Refer to staff for additional information.

2. The City of Belmont is required to respond to the Grand Jury Report no later than October 9, 2023.

Attachments
A. Grand Jury Report – July 2023
B. Grand Jury Report City of Belmont Response Letter
Fiscal Impact
☒ No Fiscal Impact
☐ Funding Source Confirmed:

Source: Purpose: Public Outreach:

Staff Statutory/Contractual Requirement Posting of Agenda 21 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report.

Bike Safety in San Mateo County
Making Bicycling Safer in the County
Release Date: July 10, 2023
2022-23 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury
22 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]

23 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
“Biking is one of the few activities that checks all the boxes at once — it’s active, practical, social, sustainable, stress-relieving, fun, and is a great family activity. Biking has the unique ability to elevate the mundane — it turns errands into adventures. More people on bikes keeps our streets safer, our air cleaner and our communities better connected.” Sonia Elkes, 2021 Bike Champion of the Year for San Mateo County Bay Area Bike to Work Website “I often drive up Alpine Road near the Stanford golf course and I believe I would have a head-on crash with oncoming cars if I left a 3-foot margin between my car and the thoughtless bikers who ride out partially in the road. What is the best advice for that situation?” Comment on Bicyclists Can Now Report 3’ Rule Violations Online in The Almanac 5/12/2023. “On the afternoon of Monday, April 10, bicyclist Lester Legarda was fatally struck by a driver on Cañada Road, a rural route popular among walkers, equestrians, and bicyclists. Details of the crash scene suggest that the collision speed was high. One solution to prevent future tragedies along Cañada is tantalizingly simple — reduce the 50-mph speed limit. Sure, drivers will likely continue to exceed the speed limit. But just like the paint on the road that defines where drivers are supposed to drive, posted speed limits set expectations for acceptable driver behavior.” Reduce the speed limit on Canada Road San Mateo Daily Journal 04/20/23. 24 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Bike Safety in San Mateo County: Making Bicycling Safer in the County ISSUE
As bicycle riding has become an ever more meaningful form of transportation, especially with the popularization of eBikes, the demand by County residents for safe micro-mobility solutions has soared. Are San Mateo County and its municipalities positioned to respond to safety concerns and meet those demands?

SUMMARY
Whether for commuting or recreational purposes, residents in every jurisdiction of San Mateo County (SMC), as well as from the surrounding Bay Area counties, use bicycles. Because bicycles are widely available, for some the only mode of getting to and from work and jobs, and ridden in every jurisdiction, bicycle safety has become an increasingly important issue for SMC and its cities and towns. Without greater focus on bike safety, the number of riders will remain low, because people will avoid bicycling when they don’t feel safe. The benefits of increasing bicycle riding are important to all residents of San Mateo County: reducing motor vehicles, healthy lifestyle and an inexpensive form of transportation. Accordingly, San Mateo County, and its cities and towns have a responsibility to make it safe for drivers and pedestrians, as well as bicyclists.

Due to differences in terrain, population density, and existing infrastructure, the 20 different municipalities and the unincorporated portions of the County have differing bicycle safety needs and requirements. Some cities are very hilly, making commuting to work, school, or transit stations nearly impossible. Others are more urban and accommodate many more commuting bicyclists. The County also has some areas that are primarily recreational biking destinations and areas that accommodate both commuting bicyclists and recreational bicyclists. As a result, each community also assigns a different level of importance to bicycle safety relative to other issues, such as crime, motor vehicle safety and public works improvement projects. And education and enforcement about bicycle laws varies from one jurisdiction to another.

Despite the differences among the jurisdictions, there are several commonalities. One is that cities and law enforcement do not consistently maintain records about bicycle near misses, accidents, or complaints; data is neither broadly available nor consistently maintained. Another commonality is that government entities focused on bicycling and/or improving bicycle safety do not communicate and collaborate with each other often enough, if at all. This makes it difficult to get accurate information on the number and severity of incidents and gauge how safe it is to bicycle in San Mateo County. Without data, and communication among the municipalities, San Mateo County and its cities and towns lose out on available state and local funding to improve bicycle safety through physical improvement projects.
25 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
To improve bicycle safety and thereby increase ridership, San Mateo County and its cities and towns need to:

1. Create effective ways to educate bicycle riders and motorists about bicycle rules of the road to enhance predictability.

2. Develop consistent communications among government organizations responsible for bike safety (e.g., between law enforcement and public works).

3. Conduct enforcement details in each jurisdiction to ensure enforcement leads to education.

4. Collect accurate data about accidents and incidents that is crucial to supporting and justifying grant applications and funding from State and local agencies for physical improvements to infrastructure for bicyclists (e.g., connectivity of bicycle routes from one city to another), needed signage, and other engineering improvements.

BACKGROUND
Why is bike safety an important topic?
Statistically, the safer a person feels riding a bike, the more likely they will use it as regular transportation; both as a commuter and a recreational user.

Fifty-three percent of Americans worry about being hit by a motor vehicle when riding a bicycle; 47% say they would be more likely to ride a bike if pathways were physically separated from motor vehicles.1
However, bicycle accident statistics, though better than in 1998, averaged 231 fatalities and injuries over the last ten years. The average was 203 fatalities the last three years, but the drop includes the pandemic shutdown and more people working from home. The source of the recent data is the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS2) database, managed by the California Highway Patrol. All law enforcement agencies are required to submit accident data to the database on a regular basis.

A 2002-2003 SMC Civil Grand Jury titled, Bike Safety in San Mateo County3, questioned whether San Mateo County and the cities adequately consider and support safe bicycle travel? At that time, it was estimated that 46% of Americans bicycle for pleasure and 300,000 County residents bicycle at least occasionally. Commuting by bicycle was less than 1% in the County.

That year’s Grand Jury found that bicycle infrastructure for safe travel needed improvement, but funding was an issue. It also found that communication and planning between the county and

1 People for Bikes: https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/building-for-tomorrow 2 https://iswitrs.chp.ca.gov/Reports/jsp/logout.do
3 https://www.sanmateocourt.org/court_divisions/grand_jury/2002reports.php?page=02SMC-Bicycle.html 26 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
the cities on bicycle projects and safety could be improved. And that throughout SMC, bicycle safety was not a high priority. The primary recommendation of the report was the county, and all cities should develop a long-term strategic bicycle and safety plan.

A few things have changed since then.

Over the years, the focus of cities and the county on improving bike and pedestrian forms of transportation has increased:
● Bicycle maps and routes are now generally available online. ● The City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG) updated their San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in 20114and 20215. ● California enacted Assembly Bill 1358, California Complete Streets Act of 20086, requiring all cities and counties to include complete streets policies as part of any substantial revision to the circulation element of their general plans; and cities and the County have adopted these complete streets policies, noting these policies in their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, or Active Transportation Plans. ● SMC and most of its municipalities have created and consistently upgraded their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans.
● Unincorporated San Mateo County has created an Active Transportation Plan7(Active Transportation is a term often used to cover walking, bicycling, and other motorized devices as a primary mode of transportation).
● C/CAG, Unincorporated SMC and some cities have created Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committees to address active transportation improvements, safety issues, and other citizen related requests.

Meanwhile, the number of bicyclists in San Mateo County has not increased since 2002, according to the California Household Travel Survey, which is regularly used for data on the number of bicyclists in a community, but is restricted to commuting.

The 2002 and 2012 surveys showed only 1% of SMC’s population rides bicycles as a form of transportation. Looking at the various municipalities’ Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, and the surveys and counts discussed in the plans, bicycle commute ridership still hovers at approximately 1% within SMC.

4 https://ccag.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CBPP_Main-Report__Sept2011_FINAL.pdf 5 https://ccag.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/6_A1_San-Mateo-County-Comprehensive-Bicycle-andPedestrian-Plan-Update-Final-Plan.pdf 6 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_1351-1400/ab_1358_bill_20080930_chaptered.pdf 7 https://www.smcsustainability.org/livable-communities/active-transportation/unincorporated-smc-activetransportation-plan/ 27 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
It is important to note that the number of people in SMC using bicycles in lieu of a car has not increased in 20 years. This is in contrast to the estimated number of recreational bicyclists (46%) in SMC, who also use streets and bicycle paths and expect a safe ride8.

However, even with roadway and signage improvements over the past 20 years, there is much San Mateo cities and the county can do to improve bicycle safety.

DISCUSSION
The merits of bicycle riding may seem self-evident, but a wide range of research reveals often surprising benefits to local economies, personal health, the environment, traffic congestion, and pedestrian safety that are unique to bicycle friendly communities.

Health Benefits
Bicycle riding contributes to both physical and mental health. Regular exercise such as cycling can help prevent heart issues9such as stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, and may also help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.10 Riding a bicycle is good for cognitive health and emotional well-being and can ease feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety.11 All in all, bicycling for only 30 minutes a day reduces a person’s chances of diabetes, dementia, depression, colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, anxiety and high blood pressure by 40 percent or more.12
The World Health Organization has found that “If every adult EU citizen walked or cycled for 15 extra minutes per day, we’d have 100,000 fewer people dying prematurely, each year.”13 Environmental Benefits
Among the most obvious benefits of cycling is its benign effects on the environment. A solo driver in an average car releases about 1.1 pounds of CO2 per mile.14 A standard compact to midsize car that travels 12,000 miles will emit 11,000 pounds of CO2.15 The average car produces about 1.3 billion cubic yards of polluted air over the course of its lifespan plus worn

8 https://ccag.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/6_A1_San-Mateo-County-Comprehensive-Bicycle-andPedestrian-Plan-Update-Final-Plan.pdf 9 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercise-and-the-heart 10 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4942105/ 11https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minding-the-body/201505/bicycling-can-sharpen-your-thinking-and-improve-yourmood 12 https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/assets/page_documents/EIMFactSheet_2014.pdf 13 https://ecf.com/news-and-events/news/walking-and-cycling-reduce-congestion 14 https://www.sharetheroad.ca/what-are-the-environmental-traffic-congestion-benefits-of-cycling--s16223 15 https://www.treehugger.com/cars-are-causing-air-pollution-we-breathe-new-study-finds-4856825 28 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
tire particles, brake wear, and the emissions from other materials in the car also contribute to air pollution.16 Recent research in Europe found that traveling by bicycle instead of by car once a day decreases your transportation carbon footprint by 67%.17 Traffic
As active transportation choices like walking and bicycling gain attention and popularity, researchers are beginning to investigate the role these travel modes can play in reducing traffic congestion.18 Studies show that measures taken to promote bicycling and walking have a positive effect on congestion.

Research in Washington, DC identified a causal effect of the presence of a bike-share station on traffic congestion. The result is a 2-to-3% reduction in traffic congestion that can be attributed to the bike-share station within the sample.19
Economic Benefits
Among the more surprising findings is the positive economic impact from an increase in bicycle usage but studies show that the bicycle-related economy creates jobs, economic activity, and cost savings.20
Bicycle trails and facilities have a positive, statistically significant impact on home values; a 2006 study in Minneapolis found that the median home values rose $510 for every quarter mile they were located closer to an off-street bikeway.21
Indianapolis’ Cultural Trail, an 8-mile network of separated bike and pedestrian lanes, has reinvigorated a number of struggling business districts and sparked a whopping $1 billion in increased property values.22
And in an era when streets and sidewalks across the county are in various states of disrepair, bicycle projects can significantly reduce the cost of maintaining and expanding our transportation systems.23 Even protected bicycle lanes are “dirt cheap to build compared to road projects,” says Gabe Klein, a partner at Fontinalis, a venture capitalist firm founded by Ford

16 https://www.scholaradvisor.com/essay-examples-for-college/bicycle-helps-reduce-air-pollution/ 17 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920921000687 18 https://kawarthanow.com/2019/01/17/reduce-traffic-congestion-bikes-can-do-that 19 https://www.resources.org/archives/commentary-does-bicycle-infrastructure-reduce-traffic-congestion/ 20 https://railyards.com/blog/7-benefits-of-bike-friendly-communities 21 https://smartcity.press/bicycle-infrastructure-in-smart-city/ 22 https://indyculturaltrail.org/2015/07/23/economic-impact-figures-released/ 23https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/info-2016/why-bicycling-infrastructure-is-good-for-people-whodont-ride-bikes.html 29 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford. Cities everywhere need to be more efficient about the money they spend to move people. "We need to get more use from the streets we already have.” Research indicates that investments in cycling infrastructure generate more jobs per dollar spent than investments in road-only infrastructure; cycling projects create a total of 11.4 local jobs for each $1 million spent while road-only projects create 9.6 jobs per $1 million.24 Bicycle friendly communities are important to millennial job seekers and functional bicycle infrastructures help companies attract talent. “States and cities are competing for the most mobile generation ever and so the job creators and the innovators are really pushing for these amenities.”25
Safety
The most comprehensive study of bicycle and road safety to date finds that building safe facilities for cyclists is one of the biggest factors in road safety for everyone. Bicycling infrastructure -- specifically, separated and protected bike lanes -- leads to fewer fatalities and better road-safety outcomes for all road users.26
Davis, CA was the first city to gain “platinum” status by the League of American Bicyclists and is often referred to as the “bicycle capital of America.” From 1996 to 2007, Davis only had nine fatal road crashes. Despite having the largest percentage of bike commuters in the United States, none of these accidents involved a bicyclist. With a fatal crash rate of less than 1.5 per 100,000 residents, far fewer people are killed on Davis’ roads than in the U.S. as a whole, which averaged

14.5 fatalities per 100,000 residents.

Portland, OR, another platinum bicycling city, saw a nearly 50% decrease in road fatalities as it increased its bicycle mode share from 1.2% in 1990 to 5.8% in 2000. Bike friendly communities are safer for all road users, no matter what type of transportation is being used.

Social Benefits
Finally, bicycle riding as an alternative to car travel is associated with a number of social benefits, including increased social interaction, social networks, and social capital.27 A bicycle rider has a completely different relationship with their environment than those who are cocooned in their cars.

When communities invest in bicycle infrastructure, everyone benefits. Overall, bicycle commuters are healthier and bicycle-friendly streets are safer for everyone on the road. Bicycle

24 https://www.sharetheroad.ca/what-are-the-environmental-traffic-congestion-benefits-of-cycling--s16223 25 https://railyards.com/blog/7-benefits-of-bike-friendly-communities 26 https://www.cnu.org/sites/default/files/marshallw_cnu18.pdf 27 https://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/benefits-of-biking-walking/ 30 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
friendly communities reap economic benefits including more retail activity and increased home values. The evidence is clear: bicycling brings big benefits to communities who embrace it.

Status Today
Twenty years after the first San Mateo Grand Jury report, significant gaps remain in jurisdictions’ approach to bicycle safety:
● San Mateo County and its municipalities’ characteristics make it difficult to create a consistent approach to bicycle safety.
● The use of bicycle safety education as a tool to increase safety for bicyclists and motorists is underutilized Countywide.
● Communication and coordinated planning across city lines is the exception, rather than the norm. Reporting of bicycle-related incidents is inconsistent throughout the county. ● Enforcement of bicycle laws, for motorists and bicyclists, is inconsistent and not prioritized.

Bicycle Safety in San Mateo County Cities
Each city and town in San Mateo County is unique and has a different relationship with bicycle use and safety. These variations include:
● Topography
● Objectives and priorities re bicycles and ridership
● Safety Perception
● Infrastructure
● Impact of eBikes
● Role of enforcement in bicycle safety.

For example:

Woodside and Portola Valley: Woodside and Portola Valley are hill communities with narrow roads. Woodside has a very active Circulation Committee which keeps a close eye on large bicycling events in the community and Portola Valley is focused on managing bicyclists on the weekend. But in both cases, the communities concentrate on ensuring quality of life for residents. They both see mostly recreational bicyclists.

Woodside has invested as much as $1 million to ensure a “safe route to school” for the children. However, the communities don’t make a strong effort to track riders or accidents. In both communities the Sheriff’s Office, which is their policing arm, enforces rules at some problem locations, but not regularly.

Hillsborough: Hillsborough is a relatively insular community by nature of its location and topography. It has no commercial districts and is, to a large degree, rather hilly. The view on bicyclists is very much a neighborhood view: meaning the expectation is that if 31 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
there are problems with bicyclists they are brought up by members of the neighborhoods.

The primary focus on any kind of organized bicycling safety activity is efforts to teach children bicycle safety and safe routes to school at the beginning of the school year.

Belmont: Until quite recently, the City has been completely focused on ensuring that the community is comfortable for single family dwellings. However, areas close to El Camino Real are more commercial and have denser housing. The community now has both recreational and commuting bicyclists using the roads. While Belmont does have a bicycle master plan and holds an annual bike safety program for children and teenagers, more needs to be done. The City needs to obtain funding from external Federal, State and County sources to do more.

Half Moon Bay: Possibly more than any other community in San Mateo County, Half Moon Bay has a sophisticated, complex relationship with bicyclists. On the one hand, Half Moon Bay attracts many visitors -- both vacationers and visitors from other Bay Area communities; and on the other hand, it has a robust population of residents who use their bicycles to get to work, school, and stores. Moreover, while Half Moon Bay has many surface streets, it is dominated by Highways 1 and 92 which have many challenging safety issues. As a result, the community has a bicycle master plan that focuses on bicycle safety and traffic planning. Despite this very proactive approach, the City deals with sometimes devastating safety issues. However, it appears that concern for bicycle safety is shared by many of the participants in the community.

San Mateo: The City of San Mateo updated its bicycle master plan in 2020. As a result, the City has focused on a variety of contemporaneous issues. These include working to develop a roadway network which could accommodate both bicycles and other types of active transportation. The City believes that it still skews toward recreational bicycling but is finding that more people want to use bicycles as a way of getting around. The master plan covers some education issues such as safe routes to school and safe bicycling for seniors. The plan does not talk about safety per se but addresses it from the vantage point of education. Though the City is focused on these matters it still recognizes that there's more education to be done about the rules of the road for bicyclists.

Unincorporated San Mateo County: Large areas of San Mateo County are small towns, private land, and open space, bisected, primarily, by two lane roads and highways. To address bicycle safety in these areas, the county created the Unincorporated San Mateo County Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. Though there is no explicit Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, they do contribute to the SMC Active Transportation plan. The Committee makes recommendations regarding bicycle and pedestrian related grants, but expressed frustration with money not being shared equitably. Additionally, the Committee inputs bicyclist’s feedback. They are concerned with the number of incidents between motorists and bicyclists that are not addressed by law enforcement. The Committee has been working with the County Sheriff to address the problem. 32 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
These are just a few examples of San Mateo County and its municipalities' approach to bicycle safety. But because the communities are so diverse, thinking about bicycle safety needs to be broad-minded.

Bicycle Safety Education in SMC: Not just for cyclists
Since bicycle safety is crucial to encouraging bicycle usage, it follows that bicycle safety education is an essential component of the bicycle safety equation.

According to the US Department of Transportation: “Educating people about safe bicycling and walking, enforcing laws that make it easier and safer for people to bicycle and walk, and encouraging people to bicycle and walk, may help increase walking and bicycling activity, especially when combined with infrastructure improvements.”28 Moreover, as noted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Bicycle Safety web page, “A large percentage of crashes can be avoided if motorists and cyclists follow the rules of the road and watch out for each other.”29
In San Mateo County, much of the focus on bicycle safety and bicycle safety education is focused on ensuring safe routes to schools for children. Several communities, as detailed below, have much more comprehensive approaches to bicycle safety education in their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans. Here are some examples:
● Burlingame (Excerpt from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan) Policy 11: Educate people walking, bicycling, and driving, and the general public about roadway safety and the benefits of bicycling and walking.

11.1: Support the continuation and expansion of bicycle safety education programs such as those taught by Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and the San Mateo County Office of Education.

Policy 12: Encourage Burlingame public schools to participate in the Safe Routes to School program organized by the San Mateo County Office of Education. ● Brisbane’s Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan examples:
“Policy 4.A.5: Provide support for programs that educate drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians about their rights and responsibilities, as well as traffic education and safety programs for adults and youth.”
“Programs support bicycling and walking by providing encouragement to those considering bicycling and walking, education for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians

28 https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_focus/docs/fhwasa17050.pdf 29 https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/bicycle-safety
33 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
about safe and appropriate sharing of streets and roads, and enforcement of traffic laws that help ensure the safety of vulnerable road users.”
● County Sheriff:

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s office publishes a pamphlet, Bicycle Safety30, on the California Vehicle Code sections related to bicycle safety. One City, Woodside, references this document, which could be used by all cities, schools and police departments to improve bicycle safety education. However, the document is not available on the SMC Sheriff website.
● City of San Mateo:

San Mateo has some support for bicycle use and safety on its City website. The pages are listed in the table below.

EXISTING
Support Program Description Webpage
Bicycle Webpage There is brief text about bike
routes and using a bike with
public transport on the City’s
webpage
http://www/cityofsanmateo.org/
2125/Parking-andTransportation
Bicycle Education
Events
The city’s Public Works
Department hosts an annual
bike rodeo
http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/
3736/Bike-Rodeo
Moving to Excellent Bike Safety Education in all SMC Cities Overall, the approach to bicycle safety education in SMC communities is inconsistent. Several of the master plans recognize that bicycle safety education is about teaching motorists and cyclists of all ages about the guidelines for bicycle safety. Other communities either don’t focus much on education or are focused exclusively on “Safe Routes to School”.

Nonetheless, there are a handful of programs identified in the table below that creatively address bicycle safety, which San Mateo County and its municipalities should consider adopting.

30 https://www.woodsidetown.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community/page/33495/bicycle_safety.pdf 34 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
35 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]

RECOMMENDED FOR ALL SMC CITIES
Support Program Description Webpage
Establish child and
adult education
programs
Identify and implement
education programs for
children and adults that build
bicyclists’ confidence, done
in coordination with the Parks
and Recreation Department,
Police or Local Schools.
https://www.portlandoregon.go
v/transportation/article/565224
http://www/cityofsanmateo.org/
2125/Parking-andTransportation
Establish Safe
Routes to School
Funding
Establish a stable funding
source for Safe Routes to
School programming
https://www.metro.net/projects/
sr_ts/fund-your-program
Implement and
promote
demonstration
projects
Implement short-term, highvisibility bicycle
demonstration or ‘pop-up’
projects to serve as models
that can be applied throughout
the city. Market bicycle
safety.
https://transportation.bellevuew
a.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server
_4779004/File/Transportation/P
ublications/PBII_Demo%20Bik
eway%20Brochure_20180205.
pdf
Provide safety
education program
for users of all
modes
Provide safety education
programs or communications
campaigns for people driving,
bicycling, walking, and using
micro mobility devices that
encourage safe travel
behaviors.
http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/
Create a robust
bicycling webpage
Develop and maintain a
content rich mobility
webpage(s) on the
County/City website and
communicate how to reach
city destinations by bike, on
foot or on micro-mobility
devices. Include information
on these transportation
options.
https://www.metro.net/riding/g
o-bike
http://www/cityofsanmateo.org/
2125/Parking-andTransportation
36 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plans and Advisory Committees: Planning Across the County The 2002 SMC Grand Jury Report recommended that all municipalities create Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans. As a best practice, the municipalities were encouraged to form Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees.

To date, almost all San Mateo County jurisdictions or cities have Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, or Active Transportation Plans. Most, if not all of these plans, align with recommendations from the 2011 C/CAG’s San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The 2021 update of C/CAG’s plan enhances and adds to the 2011 C/CAG San Mateo County plan, but most of the cities and towns have not updated their plans to be consistent with the 2021 plan. (See Appendix D for a complete list of San Mateo County’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plans.)
The cities’ bicycle and pedestrian master plans help each city by identifying strategies to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. The plans recommend improvements for roadway connectivity for bicyclists and pedestrians, within each city as well as with neighboring cities.

Numerous plans reference the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) as organizations that have certified instructors for bicycle safety education. At least several of the plans also discuss the LAB Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card to which five SMC cities and San Mateo County belong. The plans list potential State and Federal funding for projects that improve safety and roadway connectivity and make clear the importance of annually evaluating and tracking progress against objectives.

However, in SMC, County committees and municipalities do not always work together to generate consistent plans that meet C/CAG’s goal for a Countywide bicycle backbone. Though C/CAG does have an advisory committee which includes representatives from municipalities, it does not have control over what individual municipalities decide to do regarding grant applications, infrastructure projects for better bicycle and pedestrian safety and education initiatives. If the municipalities endeavored to work together to prioritize projects and programs that are consistent with C/CAG’s priorities, it would benefit all of San Mateo County, especially with respect to providing north-south connectivity between municipalities.

Metrics: If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

One important measure of bicycle safety is arriving safely at a destination. This is usually reflected in the negative; that is, the number of fatalities and injuries during a calendar year versus the number of successful bicycle trips.
37 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
In San Mateo County, the cities and county rely heavily on data supplied to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to state the number of fatalities and injuries. The CHP then maintains a database, SWITRS (California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System), which is accessible to the public. And, UC Berkeley maintains a website, TIMS31 (Transportation Injury Mapping System), which can further refine the raw data from SWITRS.

However, relying on this data to evaluate Bicycle Safety is problematic.

Law enforcement agencies in the County submit their bicycle accident data to SWITRS based on incidents that result in fatality or injury. However, there are bicycle accidents resulting in injury which don’t make it into SWITRS because law enforcement is not called. Some examples are bicyclists being forced off the road by motor vehicles, collision near misses and, of course, bicyclist error. Consequently, the actual number of bicycle accidents is underreported and, more importantly, the list of accident locations is not complete. Cyclists that have an incident that does not involve either the police or the fire department do not have a consistent means to log their experience. That data goes unreported. And this goes both ways; there is no means for a motorist to complain about bicycle riders’ unsafe behavior.

Countywide there is no uniform metric to measure Bicycle Safety. Without such a measure, it’s impossible to assess progress while building infrastructure, enforcing laws, and educating everyone in safety principles.

An obvious metric is bicycle accidents as recorded by SWTRS and online reports, but there is another metric which evaluates the complex equation that results in safe bicycling: Bicycle Friendly America Certification32.

The League of American Cyclists is a national organization dedicated to creating “safer roads, stronger communities and a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.” This is a grassroots organization dedicated since 1880 to protecting the right to safe and enjoyable bicycling. A valuable achievement of this organization is establishing the Bicycle Friendly America (BFA) certification for cities and counties. This consists of a very detailed application33 that a city or county official fills out to get a comprehensive rating of bicycle safety. BFA defines bicycle safety using 5 E’s:
● Equity and Accessibility: A bicycle-friendly America for everyone ● Engineering: Creating safe and creative places to ride and park ● Education: Giving people of all ages and abilities the skills and confidence to ride ● Encouragement: Creating a strong bike culture that welcomes and celebrates bicycling

31https://tims.berkeley.edu/summary.php?showArea=city&expandTables=false&injury=3&yearRange=3&showMap =crashes
32 https://bikeleague.org/bfa/
33 https://bicyclefriendly.secure-platform.com/a/organizations/main/home 38 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
● Evaluation and Planning: Planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option [Note that Enforcement, a common element in the 5 E’s of safety, is not included in the BFA definition.]
The application covers the BFA 5 E’s and investigates what it calls the 10 building blocks of a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC). Finally, the rating includes steps to reaching the next level of excellence. Oakland in 2022, for example, received a GOLD rating Report Card34 having been BRONZE in 2010 and SILVER in 2014. The following cities and SMC have received the following ratings:
● Menlo Park35: GOLD: 2017
● Redwood City36: BRONZE: 2016
● San Carlos37: BRONZE: 2016
● San Mateo38: BRONZE: 2016
● South San Francisco39: BRONZE: 2018
● San Mateo County40: BRONZE: 2016
The BFC Report Card is a valuable metric that all cities and the County should make use of. If SMC cities develop the information necessary to answer objective and comprehensive questions about bicycle safety, each jurisdiction would have a consistent metric that can be used to measure bicycle safety progress across the County.

Law Enforcement and Bicycle Safety
Laws regarding the operation of bicycles are in the California Vehicle Code (CVC), but in general, bicycles are governed by the same rules of the road as motor vehicles.

SMC law enforcement organizations are concerned that there is currently no way for them to track bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicle accidents, from near misses to actual contact, that did not require police involvement. And, even if an incident or infraction is reported, an officer may or may not go out to speak with the complainant.

Other than the initial report, there is no single repository in SMC to store and retrieve information regarding bicycle-related citations or enforcement of bicycle law so it can be used in the future.

34 https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Fall_2022_ReportCard_Oakland_CA.pdf 35 https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Fall_2017_ReportCard_Menlo_Park_CA.pdf 36 https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Spring_2016_ReportCard_Redwood_City_CA.pdf 37 https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Fall_2016_ReportCard_San_Carlos_CA.pdf 38 https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Fall_2016_ReportCard_San_Mateo_CA.pdf 39https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Fall_2018_ReportCard_South_San_Francisco_CA.p df
40https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Spring_2016_ReportCard_San_Mateo_County_CA.p df
39 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
And perhaps most importantly, the enforcement of laws, regarding motorists and bicyclists, is inconsistent due to competing priorities and the requirement that a citation requires an incident be witnessed by an officer.

Conflicting Priorities
Law enforcement prioritizes assets based on the needs of the community, as well as their operating budget, when it comes to providing services. While public and political prioritization of bicycle safety issues may come up from time to time, calls for service are always prioritized.

This results in minimal officer resources dedicated to bicycle safety.

Police forces will:
● Focus resources or staff on bicycle safety, if there is an uptick in accidents at a particular location, citizen requests/calls, or requests from a jurisdiction’s public works or traffic departments to focus on certain locations; or
● Provide teams to schools and special events for bicycle safety education ● Much less often, assign their police officers to bicycle safety duty exclusively (some police departments do have officers that patrol on bicycles).

In addition, law enforcement agencies do not always enforce eBike laws, but this is mostly due to the popularity of eBikes being ahead of law enforcement policies.

Because of these conflicting priorities, and limited staff, enforcement of bicycle laws pertaining to motorists as well as bicyclists appears to be underreported.

Policing Bicycles and eBikes
Law enforcement departments in the county are very aware of the importance of bicycle safety.

Common sense says people generally want the streets to be safe for motor vehicles which translates to most officer resources going to motor vehicle enforcement.

It’s possible that safer bicycle riding could lead to fewer cars and free up police resources for more pressing issues.

The New 3’ Law for Motorists and Bicycles
In January 2023, California amended the California Vehicle Code (CVC). The new law (AB. 1909) requires all motorists to give a bicyclist three feet of clearance when passing on the lefthand side of the bicyclist or (depending on the width of the road) reduce speed appropriately, when passing. (See CVC: 21750 (b) (c) (d)). This is particularly crucial on narrow two-lane roads where there are many reports of bicyclists being forced off the road or hit by motor vehicles.

Hampering the situation is the requirement that a citation can only be written if the incident is witnessed by the officer. With the advent of helmet-worn cameras, cyclists have attempted to 40 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
record these incidents with the hope that the recording can be used as “visual evidence”. But this evidence, post incident, cannot be used to issue a citation.

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department recently announced it will allow the public to submit these incidents on the Sheriff’s website.41 These reports have since resulted in the department sending a violation letter to the offending motorist; this is not a citation. However, only incidents that occur in unincorporated San Mateo County, Woodside, Portola Valley, San Carlos, Half Moon Bay, and Millbrae can use this online resource.

Citations vs. Reprimands for Education Purposes:

It is at the officer’s discretion, when addressing a law infraction, to issue a citation or give a reprimand. One advantage of a reprimand is that it creates an opportunity to educate. With officers focusing on education, these brief encounters, cumulatively, can do a lot to improve bicycle safety, for bicyclists and motorists. But only if these reprimand stops are recorded officially can an accurate picture of bicycle safety be established.

FINDINGS
F1. Bicycle policy and the approach to ensuring/improving bicycle safety is not consistent across San Mateo County due, at least in part, to:
a. Topography
b. Urban vs. suburban environments
c. Types of bicyclists (commuter, recreational)
d. Varying levels of enforcement of bicycle laws
e. Differing knowledge of bicycle laws and safe practices.

F2. Bicycle ridership as an alternative means of transportation (e.g., commuting to work, school, or transit hubs, running errands) is not increasing due, at least in part, to perceived safety issues.

F3. Bicycle accidents and incidents (such as near misses) are underreported, if reported at all.

F4. Only bicycle accidents or incidents that trigger a 911 call are consistently logged in the State (SWITRS) database and law enforcement agencies do not log bicycle accident data consistently.

F5. The amount of enforcement of laws, as they pertain to bicyclists and how motorists and bicyclists interact, is inconsistent due to other priorities (e.g., criminal enforcement and general automobile traffic) and the requirement that a citation can generally only be written if the violation is witnessed by an officer.

F6. There is no official metric in San Mateo County and its cities to evaluate how safe it is to ride a bicycle.

41https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2023/05/12/bicyclists-can-now-report-3-foot-rule-violations-online-in-sanmateo-county 41 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
F7. Bicycle safety education, for the bicyclist, pedestrians and motorists, is not consistently offered across San Mateo County.

F8. Communication between various entities with responsibility for bicycle safety, including Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs), Law Enforcement, City Transportation Planning, and Public Works departments, is not formalized, resulting in inefficiencies, and missed opportunities (e.g., funding for improvements, shared bike safety education, or improving signage).

F9. City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans or Active Transportation Plans, have not been adopted/created by all SMC cities.

RECOMMENDATIONS
R1. By December 2023, all law enforcement agencies and the County Sheriff should submit bicycle related data to SWITRS monthly, and regularly post and update their websites with all reported bicycle accident data.

R2. By December 2023, all law enforcement agencies should begin sending warning letters to motorists for violations of the 3 ft. law.

R3. By June 3, 2024, all law enforcement agencies should provide a means for citizens to report bicycle-related incidents that are not currently reported to law enforcement, similar to the SMC Sheriff’s Department Online Crime Reporting portal.

R4. By June 3, 2024 each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should offer a bike safety education program for riders and motorists about the laws and safety facts related to bicycles on the road.

R5. By June 3, 2024, each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should update or generate a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (or Active Transportation Plan) if their current plan is older than five years; consistent with the 2021 C/CAG San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.

R6. By June 3, 2024, each city, town, and the county should apply (or reapply) online to generate the Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card.

R7. By February 1, 2024, the County should meet with cities within the County that are willing to participate, to consider establishing a regional effort that integrates the cities’ bicycle plans and to discuss how the cities and County could work together to apply for grant opportunities as a region.

REQUIRED RESPONSES
42 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Pursuant to Penal Code Section 933.05, the Civil Grand Jury requests responses from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, County Sheriff and all 20 cities and towns’ governing bodies for each Finding and Recommendation.

The governing bodies should be aware that their comments or responses must be conducted subject to the Brown Act's notice, agenda, and open meeting requirements.

RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS
California Penal Code Section 933.05, provides (emphasis added):
(a) For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 933, as to each grand jury finding, the responding person or entity shall report one of the following:
(1) The respondent agrees with the finding.
(2) The respondent disagrees wholly or partially with the finding; in which case the response shall specify the portion of the finding that is disputed and shall include an explanation of the reasons, therefore.
(b) For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 933, as to each grand jury recommendation, the responding person or entity shall report one of the following actions:
(1) The recommendation has been implemented, with a summary regarding the implemented action.
(2) The recommendation has not been implemented, but will be implemented in the future, with a timeframe for implementation.
(3) The recommendation requires further analysis, with an explanation and the scope and parameters of an analysis or study, and a timeframe for the matter to be prepared for discussion by the officer or head of the agency or department being investigated or reviewed, including the governing body of the public agency when applicable. This timeframe shall not exceed six months from the date of publication of the grand jury report.
(4) The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable, with an explanation, therefore.
43 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]

METHODOLOGY
The Grand Jury used a variety of tools to obtain information regarding bicycle riding and safety in San Mateo County:
● Documents: The Bike and Pedestrian Master Plans that cities use to explain approaches to planning, prioritizing projects, and re-engineering their communities to make riding and walking easier and safer. These documents came with a variety of titles:
o Bike and Pedestrian Master Plans
o Active Transportation Plans
o Micro-Mobility Plans
o Transportation Plans
● Internet: Almost all the historical and current information (including the availability of documents) regarding bicycle safety came from internet searches. Information from those searches was verified.
● Survey: The Grand Jury sent a survey in December 2022 using Google Forms to understand whether the cities believe eBikes were an issue in their communities. The results helped in defining the broader issue of bicycle safety. o The survey questions and results are in Appendix A.
o Participants: The survey was sent to all the cities in SMC and, specifically, the City Managers. Many chose to have the chief of police of their city fill out the survey. Two cities did not respond to the survey.
● Interviews: The survey helped the Grand Jury develop a list of individuals for interviews. The questions for the interview came as a result of the investigation’s pivot to the state of bicycle safety in San Mateo County as a general topic. o Participants:
▪ Cities: Belmont, Daly City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Pacifica, Portola Valley, San Mateo, Woodside
▪ Unincorporated San Mateo County
▪ Police Departments: Burlingame, Foster City, Hillsborough, Redwood City, South San Francisco
▪ Sheriff of SMC
▪ BPACs: CCAG, Unincorporated SMC
▪ CyclistVideoEvidence.com: Craig Davis
44 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]

GLOSSARY
3 ft. Rule – Motorists must yield at least 3 feet between their vehicle and a bicyclist on all roadways. This rule was amended by State legislation through Assembly Bill 1909, approved by the Governor in 2022, and commencing January 2024. Additionally, this bill requires a vehicle that is passing or overtaking a vehicle to move over to an adjacent lane of traffic, as specified, if one is available, before passing or overtaking the bicycle.

Active Transportation - A means of getting around that is powered by human energy, primarily walking and bicycling.

BFA – Bike Friendly America. A program sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists to evaluate communities with respect to their support for bicycling. As of December 2022, 501 communities are certified.

BFC – Bike Friendly Community. A Bike Friendly Awards Report Card that is given to a community that applies for a ranking (i.e., Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum).

BPAC – Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
CATSIP – California Active Transportation Safety Information Pages. An online resource for improving pedestrian and bicycle safety in California. This site is administered by UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC)42. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety43, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

C/CAG – City County Association of Governments of San Mateo County Bicycle Roadways
● Bike paths (Class I): also termed shared-use or multi-use paths, are paved rights-of-way for exclusive use by bicyclists, pedestrians and those using non-motorized modes of travel. They are physically separated from vehicular traffic and can be constructed in roadway rights-of-way or exclusive rights-of-way. Bike paths provide critical connections in the city where roadways are absent or are not conducive to bicycle travel. ● Bike lanes (Class II): are defined by pavement striping and signage used to allocate a portion of a roadway for exclusive or preferential bicycle travel. Bike lanes are one-way facilities on either side of a roadway. Whenever possible, bike lanes should be enhanced with treatments that improve safety and connectivity by addressing site-specific issues, such as additional warning or wayfinding signage.
● Bike routes (Class III): provide shared use with motor vehicle traffic within the same travel lane. Designated by signs, bike routes provide continuity to other bike facilities or

42 http://safetrec.berkeley.edu/
43 http://www.ots.ca.gov/
45 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
designate preferred routes through corridors with high demand. Whenever possible, bike routes should be enhanced with treatments that improve safety and connectivity, such as the use of "Sharrows" or shared lane markings to delineate the road as a shared-use facility.
● Cycle tracks (Class IV): Also referred to as protected bikeways, are exclusive bike facilities that combine the user experience of a separated path with the on-street infrastructure of a conventional bike lane. A cycle track is physically separated from motor traffic and distinct from the sidewalk. The separation may be in the form of posts, parked cars or a combination of both.
eBike – motorized bicycle that comes in three different classes:
● Class I: Bicycle equipped with a motor that aids only when pedaling and ceases when 20 mph is reached.
● Class II: Same capability as a Class 1 eBike with a throttle-actuated motor. No pedaling required when operated with the throttle.
● Class III: Bicycle equipped with a motor that aids only when pedaling and ceases when 28 mph is reached.

GJ – Grand Jury
MTC – Metropolitan Transportation Commission is the transportation planning, financing, and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

SHARROW – Sharrows are pavement markings that have been installed on city streets to provide guidance for both bicyclists and vehicles on roadways when sharing the road.

SMC ATP: San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan is a comprehensive framework to guide the development of active transportation projects and programs for walking, bicycling, and other forms of human powered movement for people of all ages and abilities throughout unincorporated County communities.

SWITRS – California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.

TIMS – Transportation Injury Mapping System developed by the Safe Transportation Research & Education Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

TR-INST Form – Notice to Appear form used by law enforcement for law infractions. 46 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
APPENDIX A: Bicycle Safety Best Practices
Bicycle Education Best Practices
There are two excellent examples of California communities that are investing in Bike Safety education: Davis and San Diego.

San Diego Bike Coalition:

This is an excellent reference tool to see all the kinds of bicycle safety education that can be offered and the resources that can be used to teach those courses. Again, the classes range from those for a variety of ages of bicyclists, basic bicycling, bicycle friendly motorist safety, and others.
https://sdbikecoalition.org/our-work/education/
Davis, California:

The City of Davis, CA, which is one of the leading bicycle communities in the US, has several pages of information about bike safety education on its website. https://www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/public-works-engineering-and-transportation/bikepedestrian-program Two Cities Committed to Bicycling: Portland, Oregon and Davis, California Portland and Davis have become famous for their commitment to supporting bicycling, not only as recreational, but also as a true commuter alternative to motor vehicles and public transportation. Both have received the Platinum rating for a Bicycle Friendly Community from The League of American Bicyclists, while being quite different communities.

Portland is a large city of 622,000 residents with similar topography to the linked San Mateo County cities along El Camino Real: hilly and flat lands, urban centers, urban neighborhoods, suburbia, and major freeways. Portland advertises itself as “Bicycle Friendly” and claimed the highest percentage of bike commuters in US large cities in 2019 at 6% (Portland does annual bike ride census counts). Portland started investing in bicycle infrastructure with the acceptance of the 1973 Portland Bike Plan and the formation of a Bicycle Advisory Committee within the City Transportation Department. Since then, it has created:
● 385 miles of bikeways
● 36 miles of protected bike lanes
● A pedestrian and bicycle only bridge over the Willamette River and protected bike lanes on other bridges
● Intersections with bicycle specific traffic signals
47 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
● Bicycle boxes44 at intersections to raise the visibility for motorists turning right ● A Safe Routes for Schools serving 100 schools
● 6500 bike racks to meet increased demand for safe stow of bicycles ● 3 bicycle plans over 40 years that establish policy, goals and a bikeway network ● $60 M spent to 2008 on bicycle infrastructure (one mile of installed freeway costs $60M) Portland’s safety record is very good for a large city: 4.3% of all traffic injury accidents from 2015-2019 are bicycle related. In comparison, San Francisco’s number is 14% for the same period. Portland also does better than San Mateo County (8%) and a representative city, Redwood City (10%).

Davis in California is a small city between San Francisco and Sacramento with a population of 66,800. It has earned a nationwide reputation for supporting bicycles in its community (there is a bicycle on the city logo). The topography of Davis could not be flatter and more conducive to bicycle riding. The current statistics indicate that 20% of Davis’s population commutes on bicycles. In 1967, Davis was the first community in the US to develop dedicated bicycle lanes (a total of 4!). The origins of this project were a couple that had visited the Netherlands, often cited as the most bicycle friendly nation in the world. They were so impressed with the bicycle infrastructure that they started a grassroots movement in Davis to promote safe bicycle riding.

The group had to overcome CA law that did not support bike lanes on city streets, but once the law was revised, Davis proceeded to create bicycle infrastructure throughout the City:
● 63 miles of pathways
● 102 miles of bike lanes
● 75% of roads have a posted speed limit of 25 mph
● Of the 169 miles in the road network, 140 miles of roads are posted at 25 mph or less., 21 miles of roads are posted at between 25 mph and 35 mph, and 8 miles of roads posted over 35 mph
● 1 mile of bicycle boulevards
● 1 mile of cycle track
● 4 miles of buffered bike lanes
● 4,300 bike racks within the City and over 2,000 bike racks downtown ● 25 grade separated crossings. Four overpasses and 21 underpass crossings. Gradeseparated crossings are used to move people on bikes and pedestrians over and under barriers like railroad tracks, busy roads, and the freeway.

44 https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/intersection-treatments/bike-boxes/ 48 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Davis’s bicycle accidents with injury (and fatalities) are high for a city of its size. However, the number of total accidents with injury is also very low compared to cities of comparable size. For example: in 2019 there were 60 bicycle accidents with injury and 221 total vehicle injury accidents resulting in 27% of all vehicular accidents involving a bicycle. Redwood City’s number is 4.8%, but their number of bicycle commuters is less than 1%. If you look at the percentage of accidents with respect to the biking population for 2019, Davis’s percentage is .4% and Redwood City’s percentage is 2.4%. Davis’s safety statistics are very good, given the number of bicycle riders.

Both Portland and Davis are renowned environments for bicycle riders because they committed early to bicycle infrastructure and consistently improved it over the years. The city government and the school systems actively support bicycle education. Both cities conduct counts to determine bicycle use. They are both advocates of the Vision Zero policy to reduce accidents and fatalities. They use the Bicycle Friendly Community evaluation process to assess their progress towards their bicycle plans and goals.

Disclosure: Portland, beginning in 2020, noted a decline in bicycle commuter percentages.

Thinking it was an aberration of the pandemic shutdown, it continued to do annual bike counts.

As of 2022, its percentage had gone down to 3.1%. The current theory of why there has been a decline is assumed to be the increase of work from home. Regardless, Portland continues to make improvements to its bicycle infrastructure and safety. 49 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
APPENDIX B: San Mateo County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan List Jurisdiction Year Name of Report Link to Report
Atherton Jul 2014 Town of Atherton Bicycle
and Pedestrian Master Plan
https://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/Docume
ntCenter/View/1381/AthertonBPMP_Proposed-Final-July2014?bidId= Belmont Nov 2016 City of Belmont
Comprehensive Pedestrian &
Bicycle Plan
https://www.belmont.gov/home/show
publisheddocument/14951/636179086
799900000
Brisbane Feb 2017 Brisbane Pedestrian and
Bicycle Master Plan
https://www.brisbaneca.org/sites/defa
ult/files/fileattachments/public_works/
page/149/bikepedmasterplanappendic
es.pdf
Burlingame Dec 2020 City of Burlingame Bicycle
and Pedestrian Master Plan
https://www.burlingame.org/business
_detail_T54_R154.php
Colma Feb 2021 Colma El Camino Real
Bicycle and Pedestrian
Improvement Plan
https://www.colma.ca.gov/documents/
ecr-improvement-plan/
50 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Jurisdiction Year Name of Report Link to Report
Daly City Feb 2020 Walk Bike Daly City; City of
Daly City Pedestrian and
Bicycle Master Plan 2020
https://dalycity.org/1106/Daly-CityPedestrian-and-Bicycle-MasterEast Palo Alto Oct 2017 2017 East Palo Alto Bicycle Transportation Plan
https://www.cityofepa.org/sites/defaul
t/files/fileattachments/planning/page/2
801/reso_4905_adopting_2017_bicycl
e_transportation_plan.pdf
Half Moon Bay Sep 2019 City of Half Moon Bay
Bicycle and Pedestrian
Master Plan
https://www.half-moonbay.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/224 3/Bicycle-and-Pedestrian-MasterPlan-Final?bidId=
Menlo Park Nov 2020 City of Menlo Park
Transportation Master Plan
https://beta.menlopark.org/Governme
nt/Departments/PublicWorks/TransportationDivision/Bicycling Millbrae 2021/2022 City of Millbrae Active
Transportation Plan
https://www.ci.millbrae.ca.us/home/sh
owpublisheddocument/25807/637787
902014030000
51 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Jurisdiction Year Name of Report Link to Report
Pacifica Feb 2020 City of Pacifica Bicycle &
Pedestrian Master Plan
https://www.cityofpacifica.org/depart
ments/publicworks/engineering/bicycle-pedestrianmaster-plan Redwood City July 2018 Redwood City Moves, A
Comprehensive Assessment
of Transportation with
Redwood City
San Bruno Jul 2016 City of San Bruno Walk 'n
Bike Plan
https://sanbruno.ca.gov/DocumentCen
ter/View/1733/Adopted-San-BrunoWalk-n-Bike-Plan-PDF
San Carlos Jun 2020 City of San Carlos Bicycle
and Pedestrian Master Plan
Final
https://www.cityofsancarlos.org/home
/showpublisheddocument/8139/63815
5282314370000
San Mateo Apr 2020 San Mateo Bicycle Master
Plan April 2020 Final
https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/Docu
mentCenter/View/85445/2020-BikeMaster-Plan_Final_Updated62021?bidId= 52 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Jurisdiction Year Name of Report Link to Report
South San
Francisco
Mar 2022 Active South City: South San
Francisco's Bicycle and
Pedestrian Master Plan Draft
https://activesouthcity.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/03/SSFActiveSouthCity_PublicDraft_31Mar ch2022_plan_only.pdf
San Mateo
County
2021 2021 C/CAG San Mateo
County Comprehensive
Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
https://ccag.ca.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2021/06/San-MateoCounty-Comprehensive-Bicycle-andPedestrian-Plan-Update-FinalPlan.pdf 53 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
APPENDIX C: Survey Questions and Results
This is a summary of the responses:

1. Cities and law enforcement do not track bicycle and eBike accident statistics separately; in fact, most respondents did not track eBike specific data at all (94%).

2. Complaints on Class I Bicycle Roadways include speeding and not yielding to pedestrians.

3. Complaints on Class II and III Bicycle Roadways include speeding, improper signaling, mixed use of bikes/eBikes and violation of the 3 ft. Rule.

4. Of 361 citations issued, only 11 were specifically for eBikes. It is impossible to know if there were more eBikes in violation as there is no requirement to ID the type of bicycle when filling out the form.

5. Class 3 eBikes are more powerful machines and have specific laws regarding usage. Only 50% of the respondents were enforcing the Class 3 eBike laws.

6. Complaints and incidents regarding bicycles (from riders or others) come mostly through police reports, but also from input to City Halls, Redwood City’s “app”, city planning, parks and recreation.

7. 1/3 respondents said there has been an increase in complaints regarding bicycles in the last three years (speeding, underage use, reckless behavior, vehicular code).

8. 2/3 of respondents said there had not been an increase in complaints regarding eBikes and 25% said they didn’t know.

9. Civilian bicycle complaints are generally not available to the public (over 50% of respondents).

10. 44% of respondents said they don’t provide bicycle safety education.

11. Enforcement of bicycle-related law is done where appropriate, with discretionary authority. Effort is made to educate at the time of the infraction. Additional enforcement is budget driven.

12. Future planning for the regulation of bicycles and eBikes varies greatly in the responses (see Question II-16 in Appendix A).

List of responses to questions (on the next page):
54 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Number of bicycle accidents in 2022? 212
Number of bicycle accidents in 2020 to the end of 2021? 307 55 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
56 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
How many Bicycle citations were issued in the last year? 361 How many eBike Citations were issued in the last year? 0 [Comments: this information is not tracked]
If you are enforcing bicycle/eBike law, how is it accomplished? ● Nothing too specific. Enforcement during routine patrol if violations are witnessed. The PD has done a few details and targeted patrols in our downtown area specifically looking for bicycle violations (riding on sidewalks, helmet violations, reckless behavior, etc.). 57 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
● The Police Department enforces all laws as appropriate and with necessary and legal discretionary authority.
● Education and Enforcement
● All officers are trained to enforce Vehicle Code and Municipal Code law on bicycles and eBikes.
● On view and by complaint.
● On view and calls for service which result in Education or Enforcement. ● Traffic enforcement resulting in citations and/or verbal warnings/ education to the public. ● Through proactive patrols, directed enforcement and calls for service. ● Most bicycle stops are made for violations occurring on roadways, not on trails or sidewalks. Most bike stops result in education and not citations as evidenced by our low citation numbers.
● Primarily through education and warnings.
● We have not enforced the Bicycle/eBike law because we have not received any comments to date that have triggered the Police Department to enforce. ● By Sheriff patrol.
● We can’t enforce much because of limitations in light of funding and staffing needs 58 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
59 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
60 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
Does your city/town have any future plans regarding the regulation of bicycles and eBikes? ● Not at this time.
● Yes. Additional and improved bike lanes.
● Policies in the newly adopted General Plan supporting alternative modes of transportation, including bikes.
● Awaiting the results of the County-wide eBike pilot to determine best practices to implement.
● Not at this time.
● Not at this time. There have not been complaints/concerns regarding eBikes. ● Not at this time.
● Not that I am aware of.
● No, unless we start receiving complaints.
● Yes, The City of South San Francisco's Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. ● No
● As the Town begins to understand various micro-mobility issues going forward, eBikes being part of that growth pattern, we will plan to prepare plans and outreach material to help educate the bike populations on eBike protocols and safety. ● With the growing development, more bike facilities are being provided for the general public. Public outreach and programs to help educate both current/new users are currently being implemented citywide. Buildout of Bike & Pedestrian master plan is underway.

Alameda de Las Pulgas and Ralston 4 designs are underway. Creation of a transportation master plan is also underway. Parks & Recreation Department is developing a Master Plan that also includes implementation of eBikes policies on open space trails. ● Yes
● Nothing specific regulatory changes planned at this time. ● City is currently drafting ordinance language to address the increasing number of electric mobility devices that are present on trails and paths. Many conversations have occurred at 61 This is an advanced copy of a Grand Jury report that will be publicly released on July 10, 2023. Penal Code section 933.05 (f) prohibits any officer, agency, department, or governing body of a public agency from disclosing any contents of the report prior to the public release of this report. [Type here]
BPAC and council (among other committees and commissions) and will continue in 2024.
62 One Twin Pines Lane
Belmont, CA 94002
Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Honorable Nancy L. Fineman
Judge of the Superior Court
c/o Bianca Fasuescu
Hall of Justice
400 County Center; 2nd Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063-1655
Subject: Response of the City of Belmont to the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Report Findings and Recommendations of Bike Safety in San Mateo County dated July 10, 2023.

Honorable Judge Fineman:

The City of Belmont appreciates the opportunity to review and provide comments on the above referenced Grand Jury Report filed on July 10, 2023. The City of Belmont's response to both the findings and recommendations are outlined below.

Response to Grand Jury Findings
Finding 1: Bicycle policy and the approach to ensuring/improving bicycle safety is not consistent across San Mateo County due, at least in part, to:
a. Topography
b. Urban vs. suburban environments
c. Types of bicyclists (commuter, recreational)
d. Varying levels of enforcement of bicycle laws
e. Differing knowledge of bicycle laws and safe practices.

Response: The City agrees with the Grand Jury Finding F1 that bicycle policy and the approach to ensuring/improving bicycle safety is not consistent across San Mateo County due, at least in part, to: (a) Topography, (b) Urban vs. Suburban environments, (c) Types of bicyclists (commuter, recreational), (d) Varying levels of enforcement of bicycle laws, and (e) differing knowledge of bicycle laws and safe practices.

Finding 2: Bicycle ridership as an alternative means of transportation (commuting to work, school, or transit hubs, running errands) is not increasing due, at least in part, to perceived safety issues.

Response: The City partially agrees with the Grand Jury Finding F2 that bicycle ridership is not increasing due to, at least in part, perceived safety issues. Although perceptions of safety may affect bicycle ridership, there are other variables that contribute to low increases in bicycle ridership.

Bicycle riding is difficult physical work, distances and topography may be too great for many to choose a bicycle over transit or driving, the need to make multiple trips at a time, the need to carry goods, groceries, children, etc. are all examples of non-safety related impediments to 63 www.belmont.gov
bicycling. More data and survey are necessary to identify all the variables affecting ridership rather than solely the perception of safety.

Finding 3: Bicycle accidents and incidents (such as near misses) are underreported, if reported at all.

Response: The City agrees with the Grand Jury Finding F3 that there are potential for underreporting of bicycle accidents and incidents (such as near misses) as with all other modes of mobility such as pedestrian or vehicular incidents.

Finding 4: Only bicycle accidents or incidents that trigger a 911 call are consistently logged in the State (SWITRS) database and law enforcement agencies do not log bicycle accident data consistently.

Response: The City partially agrees with the Grand Jury Finding F4 that only bicycle accidents or incidents that trigger a 911 call are consistently logged in the State (SWITRS) database. Belmont cannot reasonably speak to the level to which other law enforcement agencies log bicycle accidents or whether they do so consistently.

Finding 5: The amount of enforcement of laws, as they pertain to bicyclists and how motorists and bicyclists interact, is inconsistent due to other priorities (e.g., criminal enforcement and general automobile traffic) and the requirement that a citation can generally only be written if the violation is witnessed by an officer.

Response: The City partially agrees with the Grand Jury Finding F5 that the amount of enforcement of laws, as they pertain to bicyclists and how motorists and bicyclists interact, is inconsistent due to other priorities (e.g., criminal enforcement and general automobile traffic) and the requirement that a citation can generally only be written if the violation is witnessed by an officer, as those factors also play in how cities may need to prioritize all calls for service.

Finding 6: There is no official metric in San Mateo County and its cities to evaluate how safe it is to ride a bicycle.

Response: The City agrees with the Grand Jury Finding F6 that there is no official metric in San Mateo County and its cities to evaluate how safe it is to ride a bicycle.

Finding 7: Bicycle safety education, for the bicyclist, pedestrians and motorists, is not consistently offered across San Mateo County.

Response: The City cannot speak on behalf of all agencies across San Mateo County. However, the City does not agree, as it pertains to the City of Belmont, with the Grand Jury Finding F7 that bicycle safety education, for the bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists, is not consistently offered across San Mateo County. Belmont bicycle safety programs are well-attended, continue to be provided annually to help educate the general public and the surrounding communities citywide. The 2022 Bicycle Safety event held at the Barrett Community Center was put on by 3 city departments and had participation from Belmont residents, residents of surrounding cities and the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition.
64 www.belmont.gov
Finding 8: Communication between various entities with responsibility for bicycle safety, including Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs), Law Enforcement, City Transportation Planning, and Public Works departments, is not formalized, resulting in inefficiencies, and missed opportunities (e.g., funding for improvements, shared bike safety education, or improving signage).

Response: The City partially agrees with the Grand Jury Finding F8 that communication between various entities with responsibility for bicycle safety, including Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs), Law Enforcement, City Transportation Planning, and Public Works departments, is not formalized, resulting in inefficiencies, and missed opportunities (e.g., funding for improvements, shared bike safety education, or improving signage).

Communication between entities and departments are continual and consistent within Belmont. Additionally, through existing committees such as the San Mateo City and County Engineers Association, the C/CAG Technical Advisory Committee, etc., funding opportunities, grant availability, grant workshops, and opportunities for partnerships and collaboration are regularly explored and implemented.

Finding 9: City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans or Active Transportation Plans, have not been adopted/created by all SMC cities.

Response: The City cannot speak on behalf of all agencies across San Mateo County. However, the City does not agree with the Grand Jury Finding F9 that City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans or Active Transportation Plans, have not been adopted/created by all SMC Cities. The City has an established and adopted a Comprehensive Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan for city specific needs.

C/CAG has led a pedestrian and bicycle safety study which assessed corridor safety and makes recommendations for improvements on the corridors most in need.

Response to Grand Jury Recommendations
Recommendation 1: By December 2023, all law enforcement agencies and the County Sheriff should submit bicycle related data to SWITRS monthly, and regularly post and update their websites with all reported bicycle accident data.

Response: The City partially disagrees with the Grand Jury Recommendation R1. The Belmont Police Department already reports all accident data to SWITRS more frequently than monthly as reports are submitted to SWITRS when complete. The Belmont Police Department will, however, update its statistics to include bicycle accident data quarterly on the Belmont PD website by no later than December 2023.

Recommendation 2: By December 2023, all law enforcement agencies should begin sending warning letters to motorists for violations of the 3 ft. law.

Response: The City disagrees with the Grand Jury Recommendation R2 that by December 2023, all law enforcement agencies should begin sending warning letters to motorists for violations of the 65 www.belmont.gov
3 ft. law. The Belmont Police Department cannot send warning letters for any traffic violation not witnessed by an officer.

Recommendation 3: By June 3, 2024, all law enforcement agencies should provide a means for citizens to report bicycle-related incidents that are not currently reported to law enforcement, similar to the SMC sheriff’s Department Online Crime Reporting portal.

Response: The City neither agrees nor disagrees with the Grand Jury Recommendation R3. The Belmont Police Department already has an online reporting system, traditional reporting, and other means such as 311.

Recommendation 4: By June 3, 2024, each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should offer a bike safety education program for riders and motorists about the laws and safety facts related to bicycles on the road.

Response: The City partially agrees with the Grand Jury Recommendation R4 that by June 3, 2024, each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should offer a bike safety education program for riders and motorists about the laws and safety facts related to bicycles on the road. The City currently meets the requirements of this recommendation by providing an annual bike safety program to educate the general public and surrounding communities citywide, however, not all cities will have the resources or expertise required to do so.

Recommendation 5: By June 3, 2024, each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should update or generate a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (or Active Transportation Plan) if their current plan is older than five years; consistent with the 2021 C/CAG San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.

Response: The City disagrees with the Grand Jury Recommendation R5 that by June 3, 2024, each city, town, and unincorporated SMC should update or generate a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (or Active Transportation Plan) if their current plan is older than five years. The City will work towards updating the City of Belmont Comprehensive Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan to be consistent with current plans and regulations, most likely within its upcoming Transportation Master Plan effort. However, the deadline to complete the updates is not realistic, would be an unfunded mandate. A comprehensive process would require adequate time forsecuring of funding, grants, consultant procurement, data collection and analysis, and community engagement and public outreach.

Recommendation 6: By June 3, 2024, each city, town, and the county should apply (or reapply) online to generate the Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card.

Response: The City partially agrees with the Grand Jury Recommendation R6 that by June 3, 2024, each city, town, and the county should apply (or reapply) online to generate the Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card, staff resources permitting. Not all cities will be eligible for the designation, nor will all cities have staff resources available to invest in the report card effort. 66 www.belmont.gov
Recommendation 7: By February 1, 2024, the County should meet with cities within the County that are willing to participate, to consider establishing a regional effort that integrates the cities’ bicycle plans and to discuss how the cities and County could work together to apply for grant opportunities as a region.

Response: The City partially agrees with the Grand Jury Recommendation R7 that by February 1, 2024, the County should meet with cities within the County that are willing to participate, to consider establishing a regional effort that integrates the cities’ bicycle plans and to discuss how the cities and County could work together to apply for grant opportunities as a region.

The San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan 2021 was led by C/CAG, as the regional transportation planning agency. So, in effect, part of this recommendation has already been met since the 2021 C/CAG plan rolls up city bicycle plans into an integrated document. Having the C/CAG TAC dedicate a meeting to bike planning, coordination and grant opportunities for multimodal improvements by February 2024, is an attainable goal.

This response was approved by the Belmont City Council at a public meeting on September 26, 2023.

Sincerely,
Afshin Oskoui
City Manager
67

Page 1 of 3 ends

DEI Contract Amendment - Staff Report

STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Brigitte Shearer, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, [email protected]; Karen Clark, Management Analyst, [email protected]
Agenda Title: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consulting Contract Amendment Agenda Action: Resolution
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amendment to the service agreement with The Z Bridge LLC for diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting for an additional $30,000 and a total not-to-exceed of $72,000.

Strategic Focus Area
Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability
Background
Belmont has a history of protecting the civil rights, safety, and dignity of its community members, with a Vision Statement expressing “We value and celebrate a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, safety, equality and dignity for all individuals in Belmont.” From 2017 to 2020, the Council reaffirmed this several times, via resolution, Council memo, and establishment of an Ad Hoc Public Safety Committee.

In 2021, the City created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer position and appointed Brigitte Shearer to the post. Shearer was then tasked with spearheading an assessment of internal and external DEI conditions and opportunities. To this end, in August 2022, the City entered into an agreement with The Z Bridge (Consultant) for diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting services.

To-date, internal DEI activities have included the following. • Establishing committees to provide input. A Steering Committee was formed to oversee the DEI initiative and a Working Committee composed of various City staff was formed to explore/implement improvements.
• Conducting a survey. The Steering Committee developed/administered an organizational culture and DEI-awareness survey, which indicated opportunities for improvement in employee engagement and DEI training.
• Delivering trainings. Trainings catered to the City’s Senior Management Team, the Working Committee, and other City staff have been conducted.
• Conducting stakeholder interviews. Interviewees included City leadership, City Council, Human Resources, and City staff.
• Identifying goals and objectives. The Working Committee identified the following opportunities. 68

Page 2 of 3 ends

DEI Contract Amendment - Staff Report
o Review policies and procedures
 Review telework policy and incorporate DEI consideration  Install computer at City Hall to facilitate online applications  Review and update the interview process using diverse panels o Improve communications and engagement among staff and with the community  Identify ways to improve communication and engagement among City Staff  Host informal events to encourage interdepartmental collaboration  Create a City staff event checklist to ensure DEI components are considered  Partner with local organizations/community groups to provide culturally focused events
To-date, DEI concepts have been integrated into City operations and services in the following ways. • General Citywide Communications and Engagement
o City website can be translated into 12 different languages o Multimedia exposure
o Community DEI discussions including:
 May 2023 with Carlmont High School students
 August 2023 “Belmont Talks” community presentation
• Parks and Recreation Department
o Additional support for children with different abilities at signature events o Inclusion Camp, including specialized staff training
o Addition of universal design playground swings
o Offering Camp SOAR scholarships
o “Belmont Talks” monthly speaker series (offered in-person and virtually for greater participation)
o Senior Tech program at the library and Twin Pines Senior and Community Center o Parks Recreation and Open Space (PROS) plan
o Movies in the Parks at new locations
• Police Department
o C.A.R.E Program (Crisis Assessment Response and Education) o T.R.A.C Program (Tracking and Recovery of Adults and Children) o Specialized staff training for mental health awareness and approaches • Cultural Events
o Pride Month event (since 2019)
o Lunar New Year event (since 2022)
o Martin Luther King Poetry Contest (since 2023)
o Poet Laureate activities (e.g., foster teen writing workshops, monthly poetry events on Zoom for greater participation, multicultural poetry events) o Support/promote Belmont Library’s cultural events
o Belmont Historian's position created to help highlight City’s diverse history 69

Page 3 of 3 ends

DEI Contract Amendment - Staff Report
Analysis
Based on the results of the first round of consulting, The Z Bridge (Consultant) and City staff concur on the necessity of the following work, which extends beyond the scope of the existing agreement. • Educational training. A series of training sessions with the staff and the community to create awareness and alignment of stakeholders while sharing tools that support objective decisionmaking, affecting processes, policies, and people. • Working Sessions: Alignment, Integration, and Implementation. Planning meetings, session facilitation, coaching, and consulting to ensure (a) the project is properly developed to meet Belmont’s needs and (b) the tasks and goals are clear, implemented, and monitored.

To complete this work, detailed further in Attachment B, staff recommends that the Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amendment to the Consultant agreement for an additional $30,000 and a total not-to-exceed of $72,000.

Funding for this work was incorporated into the adopted Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget.

Alternatives

1. Take no action.

2. Refer to staff for more information.

Attachments
A. Resolution
B. Consultant Proposal
Fiscal Impact
☐ No Fiscal Impact
☒ Funding Source Confirmed:

Funding for DEI efforts was incorporated into the FY 2023-24 City Manager Office’s operating budget (account 101-1-111- 8351).

Source: Purpose: Public Outreach:

Staff Council Vision/Priority Posting of Agenda

70

Page 1 of 2 ends

RESOLUTION NO. 2023 –

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELMONT ADOPT A

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND

EXECUTE AN AMENDMENT TO THE SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE Z

BRIDGE LLC FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION CONSULTING FOR AN ADDITIONAL $30,000 AND A TOTAL NOT-TO-EXCEED OF $72,000.

WHEREAS, Belmont has a history of protecting the civil rights, safety, and dignity of its community members, with a Vision Statement expressing “We value and celebrate a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, safety, equality and dignity for all individuals in Belmont;” and,
WHEREAS, From 2017 to 2020, the Council reaffirmed this several times: via resolution, Council memo, and establishment of an Ad Hoc Public Safety Committee; and, WHEREAS, In 2021, the City created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer position and appointed Brigitte Shearer to the post, tasking her with spearheading an assessment of internal and external DEI conditions and opportunities; and, WHEREAS, In August 2022, the City entered into a service agreement with The Z Bridge (Consultant) for diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting services; and, WHEREAS, Consultant and City staff now deem additional work necessary to continue to advance this initiative; and,
WHEREAS, Consultant has provided a scope of work and fees for these services, attached as Exhibit A; and,
WHEREAS, Funding for this work was incorporated into the adopted Fiscal Year 2023- 24 Budget.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Belmont resolves as follows:

SECTION 1. The City Manager is authorized to negotiate and execute an amendment to the service agreement with The Z Bridge LLC for diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting for an additional $30,000 and a total not-to-exceed of $72,000. * * *
71

Page 2 of 2 ends

ADOPTED September 26, 2023 by the City of Belmont City Council by the following vote:

Ayes:

Noes:

Absent:

Abstain:

ATTEST:

City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

City Attorney
72 Cover letter
August 16, 2023
Dear Brigitte,
After a successful first cycle of the DEI initiative at the City of Belmont, I am excited and grateful to continue partnering with you to advance and promote DEI. Here is the updated proposal for the second cycle based on our recent conversations and observations. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

With gratitude,
Irma Zoepf
she/her/hers
Founder & Principal
Email: [email protected]
The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
73 Table of Content
Cover letter 1
Approach and Work Plan 3
Project Development and Deliverables 4
Preliminary fees estimate 7
Management approach and adaptability 8
Key challenges and resolutions 8
About the Z Bridge 9
The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
74 Approach and Work Plan
We will continue to approach work with the three primary levels: DEI steering committee, the DEI Working Committee, and other stakeholders.
● DEI steering committee: A small group of leaders to direct and guide the project. Ideally formed by two or three individuals, including Belmont’s DEI Officer. This group is small enough to make decisions efficiently while also bringing knowledge of the City and its direction.
● DEI committee (working group): A bigger group of participants (8 to 12 members) representing the City’s internal staff and other important stakeholders such as a Commissioner or a Council member. This group is the one who will be driving the strategy and development of the DEI project by setting up and aligning the framework, workplan, and directing the actions toward achieving the goals. ● City of Belmont’s staff, SMT, and key stakeholders, including Belmont’s residents: The extended City will participate in a focus group and we will invite them to provide feedback and suggestions throughout the engagement.

The project components for this cycle are:
● Educational Training: A series of training sessions to create awareness and alignment of stakeholders and to share tools that support objective decision-making, affecting processes, policies, and people.
● Working Sessions - Alignment, Integration & Implementation: To ensure that the project is properly developed to meet Belmont’s needs and that the tasks and goals are clear, implemented, and monitored. This component includes tasks such as planning meetings, facilitating sessions, coaching, and consulting.

The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
75 Project Development and Deliverables

1. Strategic Planning sessions

2. Working sessions

3. Facilitation sessions

4. Training / Workshops

5. Consulting / Coaching
Description and Deliverables Time and timeline
Strategic Planning sessions
To facilitate and confirm timelines, the best ways to engage and work productively with the extended team and with the different stakeholders. To decide who will participate, confirm logistics, and any clarification and agreement to guide the project better.

Who: DEI steering committee
Process: A planning/coordination session weekly or biweekly as needed.

Deliverables
● Strategic decision-making and actions with a timeline 25 hrs
August 2023- June
2024
Working sessions
We will guide the DEI Working Committee throughout the working sessions and share tools to design, develop, and iterate processes to advance DEI goals. Collectively we will articulate goals of personal, interpersonal, and the community.

Support the DEI Working Committee to create indicators of success and time bound milestones
Who: DEI Working Committee
At least 5 sessions, typically monthly
Deliverables
50 hrs
October - June 2024
The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
76 ● Invite new participants for this cycle
● Continue developing and completing existing DEI goals. ● Define new DEI goals for this cycle.
● Implement actions, including the DEI internal website ● Evaluation of the indicators of success
Facilitating sessions
To listen and gather feedback, ideas, and suggestions to strengthen the DEI initiative and the organizational culture.

Who: Key stakeholders such as SMT, council members, and the external community.

Four sessions, two with internal stakeholders and two with external stakeholders
Deliverables
● Summary of feedback
● Integrate feedback of these sessions to the DEI initiative 25 hrs
October - June 2024
Training sessions
Continue with the educational training sessions to strengthen participants’ understanding and alignment of the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion and their relationship to their work and roles.

The training/workshop topics can include the following topics:
● Fundamentals of DEI and understanding bias in decision making. This training will offer an understanding of key DEI concepts, including how bias presents itself in individuals, teams, the workplace, and the community and how it affects our decision-making.
● Inclusive leadership training. To better understand how leaders and managers influence their teams’ dynamics and how this translates into reaching goals. We will provide tools that enable leaders to make better decisions with a DEI lens.
● HR with the lens of DEI. This will focus on the importance of reviewing HR processes and policies to make sure they attract Total of six training
sessions
October - June 2024
The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
77 diverse perspectives, are fair and enable an inclusive environment.
● Building a support system. This topic centers on how we can contribute and support others to succeed, particularly those from underrepresented groups.

Note: There are other topics we could include in the training sessions.

Deliverables
● Two workshops with two sessions each, one for SMT and one for staff (total of 4 sessions)
● Two workshops for Council members
Consulting / Coaching
As needed throughout the engagement
The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
78 The number of hours for each phase and time of year are estimated. Actuals will depend on availability on both ends, the emergent and the world at large.

The Z Bridge is committed to equity and approaches financial transactions with care for all involved. Social enterprise activities allow much needed consulting and coaching services to be provided at a discount or donated to resource-strapped schools, small nonprofits, liberation collectives, and social startups.

For the scope of work detailed above, The Z Bridge requires the following fees:
$30,000, which can be billed in monthly payments.

Work outside of the scope or allotted budget will be billed at $250/hr.

Preliminary fees estimate
Strategic phase 25 hours
$4,000
Working 50 hours
$10,000
Facilitating sessions 25 hours
$5,000
Training sessions six sessions
$11,000
Total 140 hours
$30,000
The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
79 Management approach and adaptability
We operate with the affirmation that the people working on the front line and with the day to day tasks and challenges at the organization are the ones who know more and understand the situation better. With the support and guidance from us, the DEI committee and staff are the ones that come up with the best solutions to help them perform better and reach their goals.

Our approach is to bring everyone together during this project by enabling clear communication, education, and reflection, sharing opinions, and working together towards the collective goals. We understand that everyone has different experiences, ideas, and beliefs, and this is what makes a team richer and stronger. We create an environment where the participants feel respected and safe to share their thoughts and opinions. This type of environment is key to addressing sensitive topics such as diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion and to advancing the organization's efforts to bring everyone together.

Key challenges and resolutions
To succeed, we need to have the participation and buy-in of the people involved in each process or policy. It will require a commitment from each of the participants to work on this project and the accountability of their responsibilities to ensure we meet the timeline and goals.

The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
80 About the Z Bridge
At the Z Bridge, we understand that each organization is unique, and therefore we adjust and customize as needed with different approaches, techniques, and strategies. Our approach is not to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion as an end in itself but because investing in DEI leads to better results, increases profits, makes people happier and more engaged, and ultimately, makes an impact beyond the organizations.

We use a systematic problem-solving approach based on design thinking and lean methodology, which helps us to uncover powerful and practical solutions, bringing real and positive results that drive business strategy, operational excellence, innovation, and cultural change.

Our main services include
● Strategy and Development. 1) To support organizations with the development of the business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 2) To support organizations in the creation of a strategic plan to close the gap between where they are and the vision and goals they desire. 3) To support organizations with the implementation of the strategies and initiatives for diversity and inclusion. It includes organizational change management, communication, and people engagement.
● Assessments. To determine where organizations are in their DEAI journey and where they want to be. We focus on data analysis to determine the current state of the organization and identify where the gap is so we can determine the right approach. ● Education & Training. To provide knowledge, skills, and tools to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace that will lead to a more productive and effective culture. We offer different training products that are adaptable to your organizational needs and will help you to reach your goals.

The Z Bridge was founded in 2018 by Irma Zoepf after she realized that with her experience working with corporate and nonprofits, as well as her passion for creating equal opportunities for all to thrive, she could support organizations and leaders to achieve their mission by focusing on their people. Irma brings over 15+ years of experience in systems engineering, HR, change management, organizational culture, and driving diversity and inclusion initiatives. Her approach is to bring the efficiency and data-driven perspective from her engineering background to the soft side of the business, which is its people and culture, to reach better results.

The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
81 About Irma Zoepf
Irma is the founder of The Z bridge, a boutique firm specializing in organizational culture.

Focused on leadership development, diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies. Irma has over 20 years of experience designing and implementing methodologies with crossfunctional / multicultural teams to work better together. She partners with social impact organizations, including nonprofits and government agencies, to advance DEI and cultural awareness. Irma has a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering, and an MBA focused on Business Strategy from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain. She is an active community member in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Clients include:

Alta Housing
Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation
Acterra
Canopy
Arts Commission of San Mateo County
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits
Redwood City Library Foundation
Livermore Public Library
Stanford University - Office of Religious and Spiritual Life Snap Judgment
Upward Scholars
Thrive Alliance
Peninsula Family Service
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
Good Shepherd Grace Center San Francisco
The Z Bridge
www.thezbridge.com | +1-650-670-7144 | Redwood City, CA, USA EXHIBIT A-1
82

Page 1 of 3 ends

New Classification of Parks and Facilities Supervisor and Revisions to Parks Job Descriptions and Revision to the Master Pay Schedule Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Ann Ritzma, Interim Administrative Services Director, [email protected] Agenda Title: Parks Division Reorganization, Revised Job Descriptions and Salary Schedule Agenda Action: Resolution
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution approving the creation of new job classification, Parks and Facilities Supervisor and the revision of Parks Manager, Senior Parks Maintenance Worker, and Parks Maintenance Worker I/II position descriptions to include “facilities” and revising the City’s Master Employee Pay Schedule, to include Parks and Facilities Supervisor, in accordance with California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) regulations.

Strategic Focus Area
Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability
Background
In June 2023, at the request of the Parks and Recreation Director, Human Resources reviewed recommendations to reorganize the Parks Division to better reflect work scope and workload, create a path for broader professional development, plan for succession and cross training and deliver high quality service to internal and community stakeholders. The recommended reorganization does not increase staffing.

Over the past few years, as City facilities age, weather events have had a significant impact on both parks and facilities, with facility repair and maintenance becoming more critical and complex. The need for a stronger emphasis on facility maintenance at all levels of the Division has increased.

Streamlining the structure within the Parks Division and adding “Facilities” in each title and essential job function, will more equitably and appropriately reflect the increased focus on facility maintenance duties and responsibilities for all employees in the Division. The current and recommended job titles and structure for the Division are:

Current Recommended
Parks Maintenance Worker I/II (AFSCME) Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker I/II (AFSCME) Sr Parks Maintenance Worker (AFSCME) Sr Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker (AFSCME) Sr Parks Maintenance Worker (Facilities )(AFSCME) Parks and Facilities Supervisor (MMCEA) Parks Manager (MMCEA) Parks and Facilities Manager (MMCEA) The recommended structure recognizes the work that employees currently perform in a variety of areas in both parks and facilities. With cross training, all employees will be more proficient in facility maintenance matters avoiding the reliance solely on one individual’s institutional knowledge and skill. It also builds a broader internal pool of skilled candidates who will be eligible for promotional opportunities. 83

Page 2 of 3 ends

New Classification of Parks and Facilities Supervisor and Revisions to Parks Job Descriptions and Revision to the Master Pay Schedule The Parks and Recreation Department anticipates significant new projects in the future that include parks, facilities, open space, grants, and energy efficiency programs. The recommended division structure allows the Parks and Facilities Manager to delegate some the administrative and operational tasks to the Parks and Facilities Supervisor.

The new job description and revised job descriptions have been provided to the labor units. The two units support the job classification changes, new job description and the restructure of the Parks Division.

With this item, staff seeks approval the creation of new job classification, Parks and Facilities Supervisor and the revision of Parks Manager, Senior Parks Maintenance Worker, and Parks Maintenance Worker I/II position descriptions to include “facilities” and revising the City’s Master Employee Pay Schedule, to include Parks and Facilities Supervisor, and approval of a revision to the Master Employee Pay Schedule to include said new positions.

The Master Pay Schedule was adopted by Council Resolution 2018-04 on March 13, 2018, and revised on February 23, 2021, September 27, 2022, November 9, 2023, May 23, 2023, and June 13, 2023, via Council Resolutions 2019-019, 2022-093, 2022-109 and 2023-045, respectively.

Analysis
As proposed, the new job classification of Parks and Facilities Supervisor would be a management position in the Mid-Management Confidential Employees Association. The position would report to the Parks and Facilities Manager and supervise the Senior Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker.

The revisions to the job descriptions for Parks and Facilities Manager, Senior Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker and Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker I/II include the addition of “facilities” to the title and essential duties.

With a current vacancy in the division due to retirement and the potential for internal promotions, the funds for the new classification should be cost -neutral.

Staff recommends the approval of the proposed classification of Parks and Facilities Supervisor and revisions to Parks and Facilities Manager, Senior Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker and Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker I/II; and the approval of a revised Master Pay Schedule to include Parks and Facilities Supervisor, effective September 26, 2023, as follows:

Parks and Facilities Supervisor – Proposed Salary Range/Month Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6
$8,181.36 $8,590.46 $9,019.95 $ 9,470.99 $9,944.52 $10,441.72 Alternatives

1. Take no action

2. Approve classification of Parks and Facilities Supervisor and revisions to Parks and Facilities 84

Page 3 of 3 ends

New Classification of Parks and Facilities Supervisor and Revisions to Parks Job Descriptions and Revision to the Master Pay Schedule Manager, Senior Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker and Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker I/II; and approve a revised Master Pay Schedule to include Parks and Facilities Supervisor, effective September 26, 2023.

Attachments
A. Resolution - Proposed Parks and Facilities Supervisor Position Description, Proposed Revisions the Parks and Facilities Manager, Senior Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker and Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker I/II Position Descriptions Fiscal Impact
☐ No Fiscal Impact
☒ Funding Source Confirmed:

Creation of the new job classifications does not have a fiscal impact; funding for current approved positions have been incorporated into the FY 2023-24 budget. With vacancies in the division and potential internal promotions, funding for the new classification can be absorbed in the current fiscal year and will be incorporated into next year’s budget development process.

Source: Purpose: Public Outreach:

Staff Discretionary Action Posting of Agenda
85

Page 1 of 2 ends

RESOLUTION NO. 2023 –

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELMONT CREATING THE NEW CLASSIFICATION, PARKS AND FACILITIES SUPERVISOR; REVISING

THE JOB CLASSIFICATIONS OF PARKS MANAGER, SENIOR PARKS

MAINTENANCE WORKER AND PARKS MAINTENANCE WORKER I/II AND REVISING THE CITY’S MASTER PAY SCHEDULE
WHEREAS, at the request of the Parks and Recreation Director, an analysis of the organizational structure and duties and responsibilities of the Parks Division of the Parks and Recreation Department was reviewed by the Human Resources Division; and, WHEREAS, over the past three years there have been significant changes to the needs for facility maintenance at all levels of the division; and, WHEREAS, the Parks and Recreation Director and the City Manager concur that restructuring the Parks Division to create a stronger emphasis on facility maintenance and provide efficiencies in operations, training and succession planning and a new job classification, Parks and Facilities Supervisor, should be created in the Parks and Facilities job classification series; and
WHEREAS, the City’s master employee pay schedule was adopted in March 2018 via Resolution 2018-014; and,
WHEREAS, the City’s master employee pay schedule was revised in February 2021, September 2022, and November 2023 via Council Resolutions 2019-019, 2022-093, 2022-109, and 2023-045 respectively.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Belmont resolves as follows:

1. The new classification description for Parks and Facilities Supervisor and revisions to the Parks and Facilities Manager, Senior Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker and Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker I/II ; and

2. The Revised Master Employee Pay Schedule adding the salary range for Parks and Facilities Supervisor
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6
$8,181.36 $8,590.46 $9,019.95 $ 9,470.99 $9,944.52 $10,441.72 are approved and adopted
* * *
ADOPTED September 26, 2023 by the City of Belmont City Council by the following vote:
86

Page 2 of 2 ends

Ayes:

Noes:

Absent:

Abstain:

ATTEST:

City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

City Attorney
87 Parks and Facilities Manager
Class specifications are intended to present a descriptivelist of the range of duties performed byemployeesin the class.

Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the fob.

DEFINITION
To direct, manage, supervise and oversee City park maintenance operations and activities within the Parks and Recreation Department and maintenance of City facilities and other facilities by agreement. Coordinates assigned activities with other divisions and departments, outside agencies and the general public. Provides highly responsible and complex staff support to the Parks and Recreation Director.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
Receives general direction from the Parks and Recreation Director. Exercises direct supervision over all Parks and facility maintenance staff.

ESSENTIAL AND MARGINAL FUNCTION STATEMENTS - Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, thefollowing:

Essential Functions:

1. Direct, manage and supervise the organization, staffing, outside vendor contracting and operational activities for the City's parks, City facility, and athletic field maintenance, cleaning, and waste management programs.

2. Manage and participate in the development and implementation of goals, objectives, policies and priorities; recommend and implement resulting policies and procedures.

3. Identify opportunities for improving service delivery methods and procedures; identify resource needs; review with appropriate management staff; implement improvements.

4. Plan, direct, coordinate and review the work plan for assigned parks and facility maintenance services and activities and division staff, assign work activities and projects; monitor work flow; review and evaluate work products, methods and procedures;meet with staff to identify and resolve problems.

5. Plan, manage and coordinate the daily maintenance operations of the City's parks, buildings, facilities and landscaping including school turfs and street right-of-ways, oversee the trimming and maintenance of City trees.

6. Plan, implement, schedule and oversee the maintenance of City lawns, trails, shrubs, trees, playgrounds, open space, rights of way, athletic fields, median strips and flower beds, restrooms, irrigation systems, and all related structures in parks and parking areas.

7. Plan, implement, schedule and oversee the maintenance of City buildings and all related interior and exterior systems and equipment
88 8. Perform safety inspections of equipment in buildings, school athletic fields and parks including tennis courts, sand areas and playground equipment.

9. Oversee the application of pesticides and fertilizer in City parks.

10. Plan, coordinate, supervise and implement landscaping activities for City grounds; interpret landscaping plans to evaluate the progress of landscaping work.

11. Coordinate with the Recreation Division to ensure that athletic fields are properly prepared for local leagues and recreation programs..

12. Make recommendations regarding capital and equipment improvement needs for parks and city building maintenance operations; purchase equipment. Assist in coordination and management of grant applications and capital improvement projects related to parks and facility maintenance

13. Performon-site supervision and oversee park, playground and building construction and repair projects as needed.

14. Select, train, motivate and evaluate parks and facility maintenance staff; provide or coordinate staff training; work with employees to correct deficiencies; implement discipline and termination procedures.

15. Oversee City Tree Permitting program; coordinate and manage city arborist contract or in house arborist duties.

16. Manage and participate in the development and administration of the assigned Parks and Facilities Divisions budgets; manage Capital Improvement Projects (CIP); forecast funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials and supplies; monitor and approve expenditures; apply for and manage grants; oversee vendor contracts; recommend budget adjustments as necessary.

17. Provide highly responsible and complex staff support to the Parks and Recreation Director, participate on a variety of committees; prepare and present staff reports and other correspondence as appropriate and necessary.

18. Coordinate parks and facilities maintenance activities with those of other divisions, departments, the general public and outside agencies and organizations.

19. Attend and participate in professional group meetings, stay abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of parks and facilities maintenance.

Marginal Functions:

1. May be required to perform parks or facilities maintenance duties including gardening, landscaping and related parks maintenance and the repair or maintenance of facilities.

2. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required. 89 QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:

Operational characteristics, services and activities of parks, building and landscaping maintenance programs. Modern and complex principles and practices of City parks and facilities/building maintenance.

Methods and techniques of parks landscaping and irrigation.

Rules and regulations governing pesticide preparation and application.

Methods and techniques of inspecting park recreational equipment including tennis courts and playgrounds.

Principles and practices of parks and facility construction and repair maintenance.

Principles of budget preparation and control.

Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation.

Principles of occupational hazards and standard safety practices.

Modern computers and work related software applications including e-mail, word processing,spreadsheet and other parks and facilities maintenance based programs.

Pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations.

Abilityto:

Manage, supervise, direct and coordinate the work of Parks and Facilities maintenance staff and vendors.

Select, supervise, train and evaluate staff.

Select and manage contractors. Interpret and explain City policies and proceduresrelated to Parks maintenance staff.

Plan, implement, schedule and oversee the maintenance of City lawns, trails and open space, paths,shrubs, trees, athletic fields, median strips and flower bedsin parks and parking areas. Plan, implement, schedule and oversee the maintenance of City facilities/buildings, playgrounds and irrigation systems in City parks.

Inspect grounds, athletic fields, equipment and buildings to ensure compliance with City standards. Coordinate with other Citystaff to complete projects or fulfill responsibilities. Prepare clear and concise reports.

Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work. Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities.

Demonstrate basic proficiency in computers and work related software programs including e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets and parks or facility maintenance based applications.

EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING GUIDELINES
Anycombination of experience and training that would likely providetherequired knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:

Six (6) years of responsible park and building maintenance or groundskeeping experience including two years of administrative and/or lead supervisory experience.
90 Education and Training:

High School Diploma or equivalent supplemented with course work in supervision, management, construction, maintenance or related field. Associate degree desired.

License and/or Certificates:

Possession of, or abilityto obtain, an appropriate, a valid California driver's license. Possession of, or ability to obtain, a Qualified Applicator's Certificate (QAC) within 1 year of hire.

WORKING CONDITIONS
Environmental Conditions:

Office and field environment; travel from site to site, exposure to noise, dust, grease, smoke, fumes, gases, potentially hazardous chemicals, inclement weather conditions.

Physical Conditions:

Essential and marginal functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for walking, standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time, heavy, moderate or light lifting and carrying, operating motorized equipment and vehicles; midrange to distant visual acuity for inspecting equipment; near visual acuity for using computer.

Revised: xxxxx
MMCEA Bargaining Group
FLSA: Exempt
91 Parks and Facilities Supervisor
Class specifications are only intended to present a descriptive summary of the range of duties and responsibilities associated with the specified positions. Therefore, specifications may not include all duties performed by individuals within a classification.

DEFINITION
To provide supervisory direction, to manage, organize and direct assigned employees and equipment as required in the Parks and Facilities Division. Exercises independent judgment, discretion, and demonstrates strong ethical, professional and serviceoriented leadership. Assuresregulatory compliance and economy in all applicable programs. Correctly applies City policy and utilizes good interpersonal skills. Assists in the administration of parks and facilities division operating budgets, participates in parks and facilities maintenance and repair activities and other work as required. May act for the Parks and Facilities Manager in his/her absence.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This multi-position, working supervisor classification performs work in several functional areas and is distinguished by its core responsibility for supervising employees, programs and activities within the Parks and Facilities Division.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Receives direction from the Parks and Facilities Manager.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Exercises directsupervision overstaff.

ESSENTIAL AND IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS
Essential and other important functions mayinclude but are not limited to thefollow:
• Schedules, assigns, coordinates, inspects and oversees the work of all employees of assigned section. • Determines the need for maintenance work and repairs. • Administers programs and processes and makes decisions in accordance with established rules and regulations, policies and procedures and guidelines; participates in the development of department/division rules, policies and procedures, goals and objectives, and priorities.
• Investigates complaints and recommends corrective actions, develops notification letters and other public information materials.
• Supervises, trains and instructs subordinates.
• Evaluates employees under his/her direction and makes recommendations in personnel matters regarding hiring or disciplinary matters; manages and approves timesheets, including overtime. • Organizes personnel and equipment for various projects. • Approves orders of materials and supplies by other staff associated with program area. • Assists in the preparation of the division budget; prepares cost estimates for maintenance and repair activities. • Insures crew members are working in a safe and efficient manner and assists in implementing applicable training programs. • May be required to perform various skilled and/or semi-skilled maintenance tasks including the operation of heavy equipment. • Responsible for maintaining accurate daily work records and following up on complaints received by citizens. • May perform any task listed under the duties of the Senior Parks and Facility Maintenance Worker; and serves in an on- call status during specified times to handle emergencies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Each position in this classification has general and unique duties. Knowledge of the principles, practices, methods, tools, 92 materials and equipment used for each position is required. Knowledge common to all positions includes:

Knowledge of:
• Applicable federal,state, and local laws, codes and regulations. • Materials, methods, practices and equipment used in park and facility maintenance and repair activities. • Occupational hazard elimination and standard safety precautions necessary in the workplace. • Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation. • Principles and practices of budgeting and project management. • Principles and practices of human resources and personnel management. • Effective methods of record keeping and inventory control. • Effective leadership, organization and management principles and practices. • Mathematical and related techniques used to estimate material needs and their costs. • City software systems.

Ability to:
• Estimate personnel and time requirements.
• Understand and follow written and oral directions.
• Establish clear goals and objectives.
• Analyze and prepare sound recommendations for the solution of difficult problems. • Acquire a thorough knowledge of applicable City, departmental and divisional policies and procedures. • Troubleshoot problems and determine materials and suppliesrequired for maintenance, repair, and other projects. • Supervise, train and evaluate personnel.
• Prepare and maintain accurate records and reports.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. • Perform heavy physical labor.
• Operate a variety of tools and light to heavy equipment safely and proficiently. • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with subordinates, other employees and the general public. • Provide courteous and efficient service to the public and City employees. • Organize own work,set priorities, meet critical deadlines, and follow-up on assignments with minimum direction. • Use standard computer software to prepare correspondence, reports and spreadsheets. • Drive a variety of vehicles safely.
• Maintain a good attendance record, arrive to work on time and be punctual for meetings/appointments. • Maintain regular and dependable attendance necessary to work with staff equipment/tools and punctuality necessary to attend meetings and appointments.
• Function independently and make decisions based on sound judgment within established guidelines.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Anycombination equivalent to experience and education thatcould likely provide theknowledge, skills and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way would be:

Experience:

Four (4)years of increasingly responsible experience in parks and facilities maintenance, at least two of which must have been in a lead or first-line supervisory capacity.

Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent supplemented with course work in supervision, management, construction, maintenance or related field. Associate degree desired.

LICENSES OR CERTIFICATES
Licenses:

Possession of a valid California Class “B” driver’s license with appropriate endorsements and continue to meet the 93 requirements for renewal.

Certificates:

Additional industry-specific certifications may be required depending on area of assignment.

Ability to obtain QAC within one year of appointment

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Requires the maintenance of physical conditioning necessary to operate motorized equipment and vehicles. Incumbent is often required to actively engage in physical labor and on occasion may be required to lift in excess of 100 pounds and routinely lift and move objects up to 25 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Incumbent will be required to work in both an office environment and outdoors including working in inclement weather and emergency situations. Incumbent is subject to call out during evenings and on weekends. Incumbent may work in an environment where they are exposed to working with machinery, chemicals, uneven surfaces, noise, vibration, confined spaces, hazardous traffic situations and sewage.

Revised: xxxxx
MMCEA Bargaining Group
FLSA: Exempt
94 B-123
Senior Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker
Class specifications areintended to present a descriptive list of therange of duties performed by employees in theclass.

Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

DEFINITION
To plan, organize, direct and participate in the work of a crew performing semi-skilled and skilled duties in the maintenance, repair and construction of City parks, buildings and landscaped areas; to ensure adherence to established policies and procedures; and to perform a variety of technical tasks relative to assigned areas of responsibility.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This is the advanced journey level class in the Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker series. Positions at this level are distinguished from other classes within the series by the level of responsibility assumed and the complexity of duties assigned. Employees perform the most difficult and responsible types of duties assigned to classes within this series including providing lead supervision over Parks and Facilities Maintenance Workers. Employees at this level are required to be fully trained in all procedures related to assigned area of responsibility.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
Receives direction from the Parks and Facilities Supervisor.

Exercises technical and functional supervision over lower-level parks and facilities maintenance staff.

ESSENTIAL AND MARGINAL FUNCTION STATEMENTS - Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Essential Functions:

1. Lead, plan, train and review the work of staff responsible for the daily maintenance, repair and construction of the City's parks, buildings and landscaping including school turf areas and street right-of-ways.

2. Plan, direct and participate in the maintenance of City lawns, trails, shrubs, trees, athletic fields, median strips and flower beds in parks and parking lot areas; lay out and line athletic fields for a variety of events.

3. Train assigned employees in their areas of work including parks and facility maintenance and repair methods, procedures and techniques.

4. Oversee the use, care, operation, and maintenance of parks and facility maintenance equipment including but not limited to mowers, edgers, tractors, tillers, renovators, backhoes, blowers, sprayers, jack hammers and power tools.

5. Verify the work of assigned employees for accuracy, proper work methods, techniques and compliance with applicable standards and specifications.

6. Maintain landscaped areas in City parks; mow turf and lawn areas; prune and trim trees and shrubs; rake leaves and clear debris from walks, fields, courts and other park areas; design, install and repair all types of irrigation systems.

7. Lead and participate in picking up trash and removing litter from all City parks and grounds. 95 B-124

8. Perform weed and pest control functions; oversee and participate in applying fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides as needed.

9. Inspect equipment in buildings, school grounds and parks including tennis courts, sand areas and playground equipment.

10. Perform custodial duties including moving furniture and setting up buildings for conferences and meetings.

10. Ensure adherence to safe work practices and procedures.

11. Repair, construct and perform maintenance on City buildings and facilities.

Marginal Functions:

1. Respond to public inquiries in a courteous manner; provide information within the area of assignment; resolve complaints in an efficient and timely manner.

2. Estimate time, materials and equipment required for jobs assigned; requisition materials as required.

3. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
• Operations, services and activities of a City parks and facilities maintenance program.
• Principles of lead supervision and training.
• Methods and techniques of parks and facility maintenance construction and repair.
• Operational characteristics of parks and facility maintenance vehicles, equipment and tools. Methods and techniques of landscaping. • Methods and techniques of irrigation system design, installation, maintenance and repair. • Methods and techniques of herbicide and pesticide application. • Occupational hazards and standard safety practices.
• Pertinent Federal, State and local codes, laws and regulations.

Ability to:
• Lead, organize and review the work of staff.
• Independently perform the most difficult skilled construction, maintenance and repair of parks and related City facilities and equipment.
• Interpret, explain and enforce department policies and procedures. • Operate a variety of parks maintenance vehicles, equipment and tools in a safe and effective manner. Conduct safety inspections of parks, including equipment and facilities. • Design, install, maintain and repair irrigation systems. • Apply herbicide, pesticide and fertilizer as needed.
• Ensure safety at parks maintenance and construction work sites. • Safely perform heavy manual labor.
• Work independently in the absence of supervision.
• Understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Communicate dearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work. 96 B-125
• Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities.

Experience and Training Guidelines
Anycombination ofexperience and training that would likely providetherequired knowledge and abilitiesis qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:

Three years of increasingly responsible parks and facility maintenance experience.

Training:

Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade.

License or Certificate
Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid driver's license.

WORKING CONDITIONS
Environmental Conditions:

Field environment; travel from site to site; exposure to noise, dust, grease, potentially hazardous chemicals; inclement weather conditions; work around heavy construction equipment; work at heights on scaffolding and ladders; work on slippery or uneven surfaces.

Physical Conditions:

Essential and marginal functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for walking or standing for prolonged periods of time; heavy, moderate or light lifting and carrying; pulling, pushing, reaching, kneeling, repeated bending; operating motorized equipment and vehicles; mid-range to distant visual acuity for inspecting parks and related facilities.
97

Page 1 of 2 ends

New Classification and Master Pay Schedule Revision Senior Permit Technician and addition of Teacher’s Aide job description Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Ann Ritzma, Interim Administrative Services Director, [email protected] Agenda Title: Creation of New Classification, Senior Permit Technician; Addition of Teacher’s Aide Job Description; and Revision of the Master Pay Schedule Agenda Action: Resolution
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution approving the creation of new job classification, Senior Permit Technician; addition of a Teacher’s Aide position job description; and revising the City’s Master Employee Pay Schedule to include Senior Permit Technician, in accordance with California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) regulations.

Strategic Focus Area
Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability
Background
In May 2023, at the request of the Community Development Director, a thorough review of the duties and responsibilities of the Permit Technician were conducted. Staff were interviewed, a position description questionnaire was completed, and job audit was conducted. Over the past three years, the permitting function has seen a significant shift to online permitting, recordkeeping, and increased public information services. Based on the review, a new classification of Senior Permit Technician is being recommended.

The new classification recognizes the breadth of knowledge and experience required to manage the permit tracking software and the City’s procedures related to permit tracking and routing and calculating fees.

With this item, staff seeks approval of the position description Senior Permit Technician, and approval of a revision to the Master Employee Pay Schedule to include said new positions.

The Master Pay Schedule was adopted by Council Resolution 2018-04 on March 13, 2018, and revised on February 23, 2021, September 27, 2022, November 9, 2023, May 23, 2023, and June 13, 2023, via Council Resolutions 2019-019, 2022-093, 2022-109 and 2023-045, respectively.

Analysis
As proposed, the Senior Permit Technician is distinguished from the Permit Technician job classification by the additional responsibility for the permit tracking software and fee calculation as well as a broader depth of experience and knowledge. The new classification ensures that there is opportunity for career development as a permit technician.

The Teacher’s Aide position has been in the City’s Master Pay Schedule but there is no record of an approved job description. The Teacher’s Aide job classification works with children in the Belmont Community Learning Center.
98

Page 2 of 2 ends

New Classification and Master Pay Schedule Revision Senior Permit Technician and addition of Teacher’s Aide job description Staff recommends the approval of the proposed classification/job descriptions of Senior Permit Technician and Teacher’s Aide; and the approval of a revised Master Pay Schedule to include Senior Permit Technician, effective September 17, 2023, as follows:

Senior Permit Technician – Proposed Salary Range/Month
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
$7,762.70 $8,150.84 $8,558.38 $8,986.30 $9,435.62
Alternatives

1. Take no action

2. Approve one or the other classification; and approve the revised Master Pay Schedule if approving the Senior Permit Technician, effective September 17, 2023 Attachments
A. Resolution-Proposed Senior Permit Technician Position Description B. Resolution-Proposed Teacher Aide Position Description Fiscal Impact
☐ No Fiscal Impact
☒ Funding Source Confirmed:

Creation of the new job classification and job descriptions does not have a fiscal impact; funding for approved positions have been incorporated into the FY 2023-24 budget.

Source: Purpose: Public Outreach:

Staff Discretionary Action Posting of Agenda
99

Page 1 of 2 ends

RESOLUTION NO. 2023 –

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELMONT CREATING THE NEW CLASSIFICATION, SENIOR PERMIT TECHNICIAN; AND REVISING THE CITY’S MASTER PAY SCHEDULE
WHEREAS, at the request of the Community Development Department, a job analysis of the duties and responsibilities of the Permit Technician in the Community Development Department were reviewed by the Human Resources Division; and, WHEREAS, over the past three years there have been significant changes to the permitting function with a shift to online services, recordkeeping and public information; and, WHEREAS, the Community Development Director and the City Manager concur that functions have changed and a new job classification, Senior Permit Technician, should be created in the Permit Technician job classification series; and WHEREAS, the City’s master employee pay schedule was adopted in March 2018 via Resolution 2018-014; and,
WHEREAS, the City’s master employee pay schedule was revised in February 2021, September 2022, and November 2023 via Council Resolutions 2019-019, 2022-093, 2022-109, and 2023-045 respectively.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Belmont resolves as follows:

1. The classification description for Senior Permit Technician; and

2. The Revised Master Employee Pay Schedule adding the salary range for Senior Permit Technician
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
$7,762.70 $8,150.84 $8,558.38 $8,986.30 $9,435.62
are approved and adopted
* * *
ADOPTED September 26, 2023 by the City of Belmont City Council by the following vote:

Ayes:

Noes:

Absent:

Abstain:
100

Page 2 of 2 ends

ATTEST:

City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

City Attorney
101
1 Senior Permit Technician

DEFINITION
Under general direction, performs advanced paraprofessional and technical work for permit applications, building inspection, codes, code enforcement, inspection procedures, and permit process; checks plans for completeness; calculates permit fees; processes and issues over-the counter building permits; performs related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This is an advanced journey-level position in which incumbent should have a higher level of knowledge and experience than a journey-level Permit Technician. This position works with minimal supervision and requires the exercise of independent judgement. Incumbent is expected to have full knowledge of permit tracking software and of City procedures related to permit tracking and routing and calculating fees. Incumbents with well-developed office skills and technical work, to perform the day-to-day counter and phone responsibilities of providing development, code enforcement, and building information to contractors, design professionals, and the public. • Full knowledge of the permit tracking software and City procedures related to permit tracking and routing and calculating fees.
• Technical review of various building and other related permit applications and materials. • Responsible for larger projects/development improving the efficiency process for plan review, permit routing, inspection scheduling, special instructions, complaints, and code violations. • Assist in resolving complex and difficult problems and complaints regarding permit and plan submittals and processing, illegal construction, code violations and inspections. • Assist in code enforcement with information on parcels while in the field. • Assist with the development of fee schedules and valuation methodology. • Support and manage permit tracking software including troubleshooting, training, data entry, and report generation.

Audit system information for accuracy.
• Assist with business license issues and development of division budget information.

QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
• Basic building and zoning codes and regulations.
• Construction terminology; processes.
• Procedures associated with construction permits.
• Policies and procedures of fees assessment.
• Standard office practices and procedures, including record management practices. • Business math.
• Computer applications related to the work, including data entry, retrieval, and standard report generation. • Principles and techniques of effective customer service.

Ability to:
• Learn and perform specialized development support and building permit work. • Understand general information presented on construction plans and specifications. • Read, understand apply, and explain laws, City ordinances, regulations, and procedures. 102
2 • Analyze and resolve specific application, plan review, and permit questions and issues. • Maintain records neatly and accurately.
• Interact competently and courteously with the public. • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work. • Communicate effectively in writing, orally, and with others to assimilate, understand, and convey information, in a manner consistent with job functions.
• Effectively deal with difficult people with firmness and tact. • Acquire a thorough knowledge of applicable City policies and department procedures and apply that knowledge.

Understand and comply with federal, state, local, City, departmental, and divisional rules, and regulations. • Represent the City and the department effectively in contacts with representatives of other agencies, City departments, and the public.
• Take a proactive approach to customer service issues. • Make process improvement changes to streamline procedures. • Maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive information. • Provide technical training and mentoring to departmental staff. • Ability to calculate and assess fees.
• Ability to research data, compile statistical information, and prepare reports for staff, management, public inquiries, state, and federal offices.

Experience and Education/TrainingGuidelines:

Experience:

Three years of experience in planning, building, contracting, public works, or a related field.

Training:

Equivalent to graduation from high school, supplemented by college-level courses in construction or building technology, blueprint reading and drafting, building inspection, or a closely related field.

Licenses and Certifications:

Possession of an International Code Council (ICC) Permit Technician Certificate.

WORKING CONDITIONS- PHYSICAL. MENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL:

The ability to:sit and stand for long periods of time; to kneel and squat to retrieve materials; to liftsupply materials weighing up to 10-pounds; to maintain cooperative working relationships with all those contacted in the course of work. To be able to read requirements and to hear and understand people at the counter and on the telephone.

CITY OF BELMONT ADOPTED CC:

AFSCME BARGAINING GROUP
FLSA: NON-EXEMPT
103

Page 1 of 1 ends

RESOLUTION NO. 2023 –

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELMONT

APPROVING THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR TEACHERS AIDE
WHEREAS, the Human Resources Division completed an audit of all job classifications ; and,
WHEREAS, the Teacher’s Aide position has been in the City’s Master Pay Schedule but there is no record of an approved job description; and, WHEREAS, the Teacher’s Aide job classification works with children in the Belmont Community Learning Center and the City has employees in this classification.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Belmont resolves as follows:

1. The classification description for Teachers Aide is approved and adopted * * *
ADOPTED September 26, 2023 by the City of Belmont City Council by the following vote:

Ayes:

Noes:

Absent:

Abstain:

ATTEST:

City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

City Attorney
104
Teacher’s Aide

DEFINITION
The Teacher’s Aide provides a safe and creative environment for participants; establishes positive relationships with children, parents, and staff; assists the teacher in duties performed to implement the program; actively participates in activities & trips; and general housekeeping.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Receives direction from assigned Recreation Program Coordinator, Recreation Supervisor, or Teacher.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTION STATEMENTS - Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Works directly with the Preschool Teacher to provide preschool programs for children. • Supervises and leads children, maintaining staff/child ratio. • Organizes and prepares activities for children.
• Addresses behavior concerns in the classroom when necessary. • Greets patrons and participants and answers inquiries regarding programs. • Assists in organization, set-up, and clean-up of facility. • Cleans and disinfects frequently touched surfaces and materials throughout the program. • Organizes, prioritizes and follows up on assignments. • Maintains various forms, logs, and reports.
• Attends meetings and training sessions.
• Performs first aid and responds to emergencies; reports incidents and accidents. • Adheres to Department of Public Health guidelines.
• Other duties, as directed by Recreation Supervisor and Teacher

QUALIFICATIONS
Ability to:
• Act as a role model by displaying positive and courteous behaviors that children will admire and want to emulate. • Encourage the development of creativity.
• Provide a happy learning and growing experience that promotes a healthy self-concept. • Maintain awareness of children’s needs
• Communicate effectively, tactfully, and positively, both verbally and in writing • Be a strong team player and work both independently and as part of a team. • Establish and maintain effective working relationships utilizing strong interpersonal skills. • Handle conflict, issues, and concerns with children and parents utilizing strong customer service skills. • Demonstrate a strong work ethic, be proactive, and learn quickly. 105
• Make sound decisions within established guidelines and be a creative problem solver. • Observe safety principles and work in a safe manner.
• Organize and prioritize a variety of tasks in an effective and timely manner, for self and others. • Work outdoors in various weather conditions, including inclement weather. • Work flexible hours, including nights.
• Occasionally lift, drag, and push files, paper, and equipment weighing 25 pounds or more Experience and Training Guidelines
Anycombination ofexperience and training that would likely providetherequired knowledge and abilities is qualifying.

A typical way to obtain theknowledge and abilities would he:

Experience:

A minimum of one year or season experience working with preschool age children preferred.

Training:

Satisfactory completion of high school or the equivalent.

Certification:

None required. Must successfully complete American Red Cross Standard First Aid and CPR/AED training at time of hire, if not already certified.

Other:

Must be able to clear TB test and fingerprint check.

CITY OF BELMONT ADOPTED CC:

Unrepresented Per Diem Position
106

Page 1 of 2 ends

Revised Master Pay Schedule Staff ReportStaff Report -Revised Master Employee Pay Schedule - September 2023

STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Laura Kirby, Human Resources Management Analyst, [email protected] Agenda Title: Revised Master Employee Pay Schedule
Agenda Action: Resolution
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution approving a revision to the City’s Master Employee Pay Schedule in accordance with California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) regulations.

Strategic Focus Area
Not Applicable
Background
CalPERS regulations, stipulated in the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 2, Section 570.5, require the City compile and maintain a publicly available pay schedule which has been approved by the City Council. The schedule must encompass all established positions, along with their corresponding compensation rates, effective dates, time base, and revision history. The last Master Employee Pay Schedule was adopted on June 27, 2023, via Resolution 2023-058. The proposed schedule brought forth reflects new classifications established and approved by City Council subsequent to the version approved in June.

Analysis
Staff recommends the pay schedule be revised to include the following job classification and monthly pay rates, when approved by the City Council to be effective September 26, 2023:

Senior Permit Technician – Salary Range/Month
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
$7,762.70 $8,150.84 $8,558.38 $8,986.30 $9,435.62
Parks and Facilities Supervisor – Salary Range/Month
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6
$8,181.36 $8,590.46 $9,019.95 $ 9,470.99 $9,944.52 $10,441.72 Alternatives

1. Provide Staff with Alternative Direction to the proposed Master Salary Schedule in whole or in part.

2. Take No Action
107

Page 2 of 2 ends

Staff Report -Revised Master Employee Pay Schedule - September 2023 Attachments
A. Resolution
Exhibit A. City Master Pay Schedule
Fiscal Impact
☐ No Fiscal Impact
☒ Funding Source Confirmed:

The revised salary schedule itself has no funding implications.

These modifications do allow for future compensation
adjustments. Changes from this item that impact the budget will be brought forward in future agenda items, if necessary.

Source: Purpose: Public Outreach:

Staff Statutory/Contractual Requirement Posting of Agenda 108

Page 1 of 1 ends

RESOLUTION NO. 2023 –

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELMONT ADOPTING THE CITY’S REVISED MASTER PAY SCHEDULE IN ACCORDANCE WITH

CALFORNIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM REGULATIONS WHEREAS, the last revision to the master pay schedule was approved by City Council on June 27, 2023 via Resolution No. 2023-058; and,
WHEREAS, California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) regulations specified in California Code of Regulations Section 570.5, require pay schedules be approved and adopted by the City Council in a public meeting; and, WHEREAS, payrates previously approved by City Council by way of resolution necessitate updates to the publicly available pay schedule to meet CalPERS regulations.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Belmont resolves as follows:

SECTION 1. Revised Master Pay Schedule attached hereto in Exhibit A is approved and adopted.
* * *
ADOPTED September 26, 2023 by the City of Belmont City Council by the following vote:

Ayes:

ATTEST:

City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

City Attorney
109
City of Belmont Master Pay Schedule ‐ Calendar Year 2023 Adopted September 26, 2023
Position Effective Date Labor Group Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Accountant I 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 6,919.27 $ 7,265.30 $ 7,628.53 $ 8,009.96 $ 8,410.45 $ 8,830.99 Accountant II 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 7,633.26 $ 8,014.92 $ 8,415.68 $ 8,836.47 $ 9,278.29 $ 9,742.19 Accountant III 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,833.13 $ 9,274.78 $ 9,738.54 $ 10,225.45 $ 10,736.71 $ 11,273.57 Accounting/Budget Manager 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 10,384.09 $ 10,903.29 $ 11,448.45 $ 12,020.88 $ 12,621.93 $ 13,253.02 Accounting Services Supervisor 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,151.90 $ 8,559.51 $ 8,987.48 $ 9,436.83 $ 9,908.67 $ 10,404.15Accounting Technician I 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 5,542.11 $ 5,819.21 $ 6,110.17 $ 6,415.68 $ 6,736.46 Accounting Technician II 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,096.47 $ 6,401.30 $ 6,721.36 $ 7,057.43 $ 7,410.30 Accounting Technician Ill 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,846.73 $ 7,189.06 $ 7,548.52 $ 7,925.94 $ 8,322.24 Administrative Assistant 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 5,898.26 $ 6,193.18 $ 6,502.84 $ 6,827.98 $ 7,169.38 $ 7,527.84 Administrative Services Director 1/24/2023 Unrep $ 15,617.00 $ 19,522.00Assistant City Manager 1/1/2022 Unrep 17,402.00 $ $ 21,752.00Assistant Civil Engineer 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,155.47 $ 8,563.21 $ 8,991.39 $ 9,440.96 $ 9,913.00 $ 10,408.65Assistant Planner 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 7,252.33 $ 7,614.94 $ 7,995.68 $ 8,395.49 $ 8,815.23 $ 9,256.00 Assistant PW Director/City Engineer 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 13,852.46 $ 14,545.07 $ 15,272.32 $ 16,035.94 $ 16,837.74 $ 17,679.62 Associate Civil Engineer 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 9,263.33 $ 9,726.50 $ 10,212.84 $ 10,723.47 $ 11,259.64 $ 11,822.61 Associate Planner 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,171.00 $ 8,579.58 $ 9,008.54 $ 9,458.95 $ 9,931.91 $ 10,428.53 Building Inspector I 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 7,869.28 $ 8,262.74 $ 8,675.88 $ 9,109.67 $ 9,565.16 Building Inspector II 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 8,347.13 $ 8,764.49 $ 9,202.71 $ 9,662.85 $ 10,145.99 City Attorney 10/1/2023 Unrep $ 24,288.24
City Clerk/Communictions Coordinator 1/1/2023 Unrep $ 9,576.19 $ 10,055.16 $ 10,557.75 $ 11,085.63 $ 11,639.92 $ 12,221.92 City Manager 9/1/2023 Unrep $ 25,717.98
Chief Building Official 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 11,324.86 $ 11,891.11 $ 12,485.67 $ 13,109.95 $ 13,765.44 $ 14,453.71 Code Enforcement Officer 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 7,394.32 $ 7,764.03 $ 8,152.24 $ 8,559.85 $ 8,987.84 Community Development Director 1/1/2022 Unrep 15,617.00 $ $ 19,522.00Community Engagement Specialist 1/1/2023 Unrep $ 8,374.33 $ 8,793.52 $ 9,232.67 $ 9,693.89 $ 10,179.26 $ 10,687.75 Community Service Officer 1/1/2023 BPOA $ 5,237.67 $ 5,499.55 $ 5,774.54 $ 6,063.26 $ 6,366.42 $ 6,684.74 Construction Inspector 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 8,741.22 $ 9,178.28 $ 9,637.20 $ 10,119.06 $ 10,625.01 Deputy Community Development Director 7/1/2023 Unrep $ 13,804.00 $ 14,494.00 $ 15,219.00 $ 15,980.00 $ 16,778.00 $ 17,617.00 Deputy City Clerk 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 6,231.28 $ 6,542.82 $ 6,869.96 $ 7,213.48 $ 7,574.15 $ 7,952.87 Deputy Finance Director 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 12,224.87 $ 12,836.08 $ 13,477.90 $ 14,151.81 $ 14,859.39 $ 15,602.36 Electrician 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 7,131.57 $ 7,488.15 $ 7,862.55 $ 8,255.68 $ 8,668.47 Engineering Technician 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 7,076.74 $ 7,430.58 $ 7,802.11 $ 8,192.21 $ 8,601.82 Monthly Pay Rates
1 110
City of Belmont Master Pay Schedule ‐ Calendar Year 2023 Adopted September 26, 2023
Position Effective Date Labor Group Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Equipment Operator 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,269.76 $ 6,583.25 $ 6,912.41 $ 7,258.03 $ 7,620.93 Executive Assistant To City Manager 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 6,863.57 $ 7,206.78 $ 7,567.11 $ 7,945.48 $ 8,342.73 $ 8,759.88 Finance Director 1/1/2022 Unrep 15,617.00 $ $ 19,522.00GIS Coordinator I 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 7,476.49 $ 7,850.31 $ 8,242.86 $ 8,654.95 $ 9,087.71 $ 9,542.12 GIS Coordinator II 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,583.07 $ 9,012.21 $ 9,462.82 $ 9,935.97 $ 10,432.77 $ 10,954.38 GIS Coordinator III 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 10,072.44 $ 10,576.05 $ 11,104.86 $ 11,660.13 $ 12,243.13 $ 12,855.31 Head Teacher 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 4,626.89 $ 4,858.23 $ 5,101.14 $ 5,356.20 $ 5,624.01Housing and Economic Development Manager 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 10,384.09 $ 10,903.29 $ 11,448.45 $ 12,020.88 $ 12,621.93 $ 13,253.02 Housing Specialist 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,171.00 $ 8,579.58 $ 9,008.54 $ 9,458.95 $ 9,931.91 $ 10,428.51 IT Business System Analyst 6/13/2023 Unrep 11,080.61 $ $ 11,634.64 $ 12,216.37 $ 12,827.19 $ 13,468.55 $ 14,141.98 Information Technology Manager 6/13/2023 Unrep 12,320.00 $ $ 12,936.00 $ 13,582.80 $ 14,261.94 $ 14,975.04 $ 15,723.79 Lead Police Dispatcher 1/1/2023 BPOA 8,092.49 $ $ 8,495.20 $ 8,922.15 $ 9,368.73 $ 9,836.06 $ 10,237.87 Maintenance Worker I 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 5,184.11 $ 5,443.31 $ 5,715.48 $ 6,001.25 $ 6,301.31 Maintenance Worker II 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 5,738.48 $ 6,025.40 $ 6,326.67 $ 6,643.00 $ 6,975.15 Management Analyst II 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,483.28 $ 8,907.45 $ 9,352.84 $ 9,820.48 $ 10,311.47 $ 10,827.04 Management Anaylst I 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 7,788.75 $ 8,178.21 $ 8,587.08 $ 9,016.44 $ 9,467.29 $ 9,940.65 Mechanic 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,357.77 $ 6,675.66 $ 7,009.44 $ 7,359.91 $ 7,727.91 Office Assistant I 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 4,919.92 $ 5,165.92 $ 5,424.21 $ 5,695.42 $ 5,980.20 Office Assistant II 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 5,465.65 $ 5,738.94 $ 6,025.88 $ 6,327.18 $ 6,643.54 Parks & Recreation Director 1/1/2022 Unrep 15,584.00 $ $ 19,480.00 Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker I 5 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 5,184.11 $ 5,443.31 $ 5,715.48 $ 6,001.25 $ 6,301.31 Parks and Facilities Maintenance Worker II 5 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 5,738.48 $ 6,025.40 $ 6,326.67 $ 6,643.00 $ 6,975.15Parks and Facilities Manager 5 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 10,167.75 $ 10,676.16 $ 11,209.99 $ 11,770.46 $ 12,358.99 $ 12,976.95 Parks and Facilities Supervisor 9/26/2023 MMCEA $ 8,181.36 $ 8,590.46 $ 9,019.95 $ 9,470.99 $ 9,944.52 $ 10,441.72 Payroll Manager 1/24/2023 Unrep $ 8,659.93 $ 9,092.92 $ 9,547.59 $ 10,024.95 $ 10,526.19 $ 11,052.52 Permit Technician 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,705.71 $ 7,041.00 $ 7,393.05 $ 7,762.70 $ 8,150.84 Planning Technician 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,705.71 $ 7,041.00 $ 7,393.05 $ 7,762.70 $ 8,150.84 Police Captain 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 14,132.78 $ 14,839.41 $ 15,581.34 $ 16,360.41 $ 17,178.47 $ 18,037.39 Police Chief 1/1/2022 Unrep 17,402.00 $ $ 21,752.00Police Corporal Advanced POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 9,605.28 $ $ 10,085.55 $ 10,589.82 $ 11,119.32 $ 11,675.28 $ 12,259.04 Police Corporal Basic POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 8,713.30 $ $ 9,148.96 $ 9,606.41 $ 10,086.73 $ 10,591.07 $11,120.62 Monthly Pay Rates
2 111
City of Belmont Master Pay Schedule ‐ Calendar Year 2023 Adopted September 26, 2023
Position Effective Date Labor Group Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Police Corporal Intermediate POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 9,147.18 $ $ 9,604.53 $ 10,084.76 $ 10,589.00 $ 11,118.45 $11,674.37 Police Dispatcher 1/1/2023 BPOA 7,161.27 $ $ 7,519.33 $ 7,895.30 $ 8,290.06 $ 8,704.57 $9,139. 80 Police Lieutenant 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 12,746.30 $ 13,383.64 $ 14,052.83 $ 14,755.45 $ 15,493.20 $ 16,267.87 Police Officer Advanced POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 9,147.18 $ $ 9,604.53 $ 10,084.76 $ 10,589.00 $ 11,118.45 $ 11,674.37 Police Officer Basic POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 8,297.88 $ $ 8,712.78 $ 9,148.42 $ 9,605.84 $ 10,086.13 $ 10,590.43 Police Officer Intermediate POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 8,713.30 $ $ 9,148.96 $ 9,606.41 $ 10,086.73 $ 10,591.07 $ 11,120.62 Police Officer Recruit 1/1/2023 BPOA 6,610.84 $Police Records Specialist I 1/1/2023 BPOA 5,305.75 $ $ 5,571.04 $ 5,849.59 $ 6,142.07 $ 6,449.17 $ 6,771.63 Police Records Specialist II 1/1/2023 BPOA 5,571.16 $ $ 5,849.71 $ 6,142.20 $ 6,449.31 $ 6,771.78 $ 7,110.37 Police Sergeant Advanced POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 10,770.75 $ $ 11,309.28 $ 11,874.75 $ 12,468.49 $ 13,091.91 $ 13,746.51 Police Sergeant Intermediate POST 1/1/2023 BPOA 10,256.10 $ $ 10,768.91 $ 11,307.34 $ 11,872.72 $ 12,466.35 $ 13,089.67 Principal Planner 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 11,546.43 $ 12,123.78 $ 12,729.97 $ 13,366.43 $ 14,034.78 $ 14,736.49 Public Works Director 1/1/2022 Unrep 16,456.00 $ $ 20,570.00Public Works Field Supervisor 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 8,181.36 $ 8,590.46 $ 9,019.95 $ 9,470.99 $ 9,944.52 $ 10,441.72 Public Works Services Manager 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 11,293.78 $ 11,858.46 $ 12,451.40 $ 13,073.94 $ 13,727.66 $ 14,414.02 PW Lead Maintenance 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,583.01 $ 6,912.16 $ 7,257.77 $ 7,620.65 $ 8,001.69 Recreation Manager 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 9,338.47 $ 9,805.38 $ 10,295.67 $ 10,810.44 $ 11,350.98 $ 11,918.53 Recreation Program Coordinator 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 5,898.28 $ 6,193.18 $ 6,502.84 $ 6,827.98 $ 7,169.36 $ 7,527.84 Recreation Specialist II (Hourly) 1/1/2023 AFSCME $ 22.29 $ 23.41 $ 24.58 $ 25.81 $ 27.10 Recreation Supervisor 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 7,801.69 $ 8,191.80 $ 8,601.41 $ 9,031.46 $ 9,483.01 $ 9,957.17 Senior Civil Engineer 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 11,392.29 $ 11,961.88 $ 12,559.94 $ 13,187.95 $ 13,847.33 $ 14,539.72 Senior Mechanic 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,753.34 $ 7,091.00 $ 7,445.55 $ 7,817.83 $ 8,208.72 Senior Permit Technician 9/17/2023 AFSCME $ 7,762.70 $ 8,150.84 $ 8,558.38 $ 8,986.30 $ 9,435.62 Senior Planner 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 9,307.37 $ 9,772.77 $ 10,261.42 $ 10,774.43 $ 11,313.20 $ 11,878.84 Sr Parks and Facilties Maintenance Worker 5 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 6,583.01 $ 6,912.16 $ 7,257.77 $ 7,620.65 $ 8,001.69 Street Sweeper Operator 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 5,996.85 $ 6,296.70 $ 6,611.53 $ 6,942.11 $ 7,289.21 Teacher 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 4,023.44 $ 4,224.61 $ 4,435.84 $ 4,657.63 $ 4,890.51 Teacher's Aide (Hourly) 7/1/2023 AFSCME $ 20.32 $ 21.33 $ 22.40 $ 23.52 $ 24.70 Technology Specialist I 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 7,365.06 $ 7,733.30 $ 8,120.00 $ 8,525.93 $ 8,952.25 $ 9,399.87 Technology Specialist II 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 9,132.91 $ 9,589.58 $ 10,069.01 $ 10,572.48 $ 11,101.12 $ 11,656.15 Technology Specialist III 1/8/2023 MMCEA $ 10,073.28 $ 10,576.96 $ 11,105.81 $ 11,661.09 $ 12,244.13 $ 12,856.34 Monthly Pay Rates
3 112
City of Belmont Master Pay Schedule ‐ Calendar Year 2023 Adopted September 26, 2023Unrepresented Per Diem Positions Position Effective Date Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Accounting Technician I 1 7/1/2023 $ 31.97 $ 33.57 $ 35.25 $ 37.01 $ 38.86 Accounting Technician II 1 7/1/2023 $ 35.17 $ 36.93 $ 38.78 $ 40.72 $ 42.75Accounting Technician III 1 7/1/2023 $ 39.50 $ 41.48 $ 43.55 $ 45.73 $ 48.01Administrative Assistant 1 1/8/2023 $ 34.03 $ 35.73 $ 37.52 $ 39.39 $ 41.36 $ 43.43 Associate Civil Engineer 1 1/8/2023 $ 53.44 $ 56.11 $ 58.92 $ 61.87 $ 64.96 $ 68.21Building Attendant I* 1/1/2023 $ 17.59 $ 18.47 $ 19.39 $ 20.36 $ 21.38 Building Attendant II* 1/1/2023 $ 19.35 $ 20.31 $ 21.33 $ 22.40 $ 23.52 Dispatcher, Per Diem 3 1/1/2023 $ 46.69 $ 49.01 $ 51.47 $ 54.05 $ 56.75 $ 59.58 Electrician 1 7/1/2023 $ 41.14 $ 43.20 $ 45.36 $ 47.63 $ 50.01 Head Teacher 1 7/1/2023 $ 26.69 $ 28.03 $ 29.43 $ 30.90 $ 32.45Intern 1/1/2023 $ 16.75 $ 17.59 $ 18.47 $ 19.39 $ 20.36 Lifeguard I 1/1/2023 $ 18.30 $ 19.22 $ 20.18 $ 21.19 $ 22.24 Lifeguard II 1/1/2023 $ 19.26 $ 20.23 $ 21.24 $ 22.30 $ 23.41 Maintenance Worker I 1 7/1/2023 $ 29.91 $ 31.40 $ 32.97 $ 34.62 $ 36.35 Nutrition Site Coordinator 1/1/2023 $ 22.29 $ 23.41 $ 24.58 $ 25.81 $ 27.10 Office Assistant I 1 7/1/2023 $ 28.38 $ 29.80 $ 31.29 $ 32.86 $ 34.50 Office Assistant II 1 7/1/2023 $ 31.53 $ 33.11 $ 34.76 $ 36.50 $ 38.33Planning Technician 1 7/1/2023 $ 38.69 $ 40.62 $ 42.65 $ 44.78 $ 47.02Police Officer (Advanced POST), Per Diem 2 1/1/2023 50.26 $ $ 52.77 $ 55.41 $ 58.18 $ 61.09 $ 64.14 Police Officer (Basic POST), Per Diem2 1/1/2023 45.59 $ $ 47.87 $ 50.27 $ 52.78 $ 55.42 $ 58.19Police Officer (Inter POST), Per Diem 2 1/1/2023 47.88 $ $ 50.27 $ 52.78 $ 55.42 $ 58.19 $ 61.10Police Records Specialist I, Per Diem 1 1/1/2023 30.61 $ $ 32.14 $ 33.75 $ 35.44 $ 37.21 $ 39.07Police Records Specialist II, Per Diem 1 1/1/2023 32.14 $ $ 33.75 $ 35.44 $ 37.21 $ 39.07 $ 41.02Recreation Leader 4 1/1/2023 $ 16.75 $ 17.59 $ 18.47 $ 19.39 $ 20.36 Recreation Program Coordinator 1 1/8/2023 $ 34.03 $ 35.73 $ 37.52 $ 39.39 $ 41.36 $ 43.43 Recreation Specialist I 4 1/1/2023 $ 20.27 $ 21.28 $ 22.34 $ 23.46 $ 24.64 Recreation Specialist II4 1/1/2023 $ 22.29 $ 23.41 $ 24.58 $ 25.81 $ 27.10 Hourly Pay Rates
4 113
City of Belmont Master Pay Schedule ‐ Calendar Year 2023 Adopted September 26, 2023Unrepresented Per Diem Positions Position Effective Date Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Senior Lifeguard 1/1/2023 $ 21.19 $ 22.25 $ 23.36 $ 24.53 $ 25.76 Senior Rec Leader 1/1/2023 $ 18.43 $ 19.35 $ 20.31 $ 21.33 $ 22.40 Street Sweeper Operator 1 7/1/2023 $ 34.60 $ 36.33 $ 38.14 $ 40.05 $ 42.05 Teacher 1 7/1/2023 $ 23.21 $ 24.37 $ 25.59 $ 26.87 $ 28.21Teacher's Aide 1 7/1/2023 $ 20.32 $ 21.33 $ 22.40 $ 23.52 $ 24.70 Technology Specialist I 1 1/8/2023 $ 42.49 $ 44.62 $ 46.85 $ 49.19 $ 51.65 $ 54.23 Technology Specialist II 1 1/8/2023 $ 52.69 $ 55.32 $ 58.09 $ 61.00 $ 64.04 $ 67.25Technology Specialist III 1 1/8/2023 $ 58.12 $ 61.02 $ 64.07 $ 67.28 $ 70.64 $ 74.17Van Driver 1/1/2023 $ 20.27 $ 21.28 $ 22.34 $ 23.46 $ 24.64 Notes
Unrepresented per diem : A position having a workweek of fewer hours than the workweek established for full‐time positions in the class. * Building Attendants I and II are eligilbe to receive a weekend differential of $1.00 per hour for work performed on Saturdays and Sundays. 1Hourly pay rates derived by multiplying full‐time equivalent monthly rate by 12 (months in year) and dividing by 2080 (hours in work year)2Hourly pay rates derived by multiplying full‐time equivalent monthly rate by 12 (months in year) and dividing by 2184 (hours in work year)3 Hourly pay rates derived by multiplying full‐time Lead Police Dispatcher by 12 (months in year) and dividng by 2080 (hours in work year)4 Tied to Belmont minimum wage as follows:

Recreation Leader ‐ Adjusted to Minimum Wage
Building Attendant I*‐ 5% Above Above Recreation Ldr
Building Attendant II*‐ 10% Above Building Attendant I
Lifeguard I ‐ 5% Below Lifeguard II
Lifeguard II ‐ 15% Above Rec Leader
Nutrition Site Coordinator ‐ Tied to Recreation Specialist II Recreation Specialist I ‐ 10% Above Sr. Rec Leader
Recreation Specialist II ‐ 10% Above Rec Spec I
Sr Rec Leader ‐ 10% Above Rec Leader
Sr. Lifeguard ‐ 10% Above Lifeguard II
Van Driver ‐ Tie to Recreation Specialist I
5 "Facilities" added to position title
Hourly Pay Rates
5 114
City of Belmont Master Pay Schedule ‐ Calendar Year 2023 Adopted September 26, 2023Revision History
Resolution 2018‐04 ‐ Initial Adoption March 13,2018
Resolution 2019‐019 ‐ Revised Adoption February 23,2021 Resolution 2022‐093 Revised Adoption September 27,2022
Resolution 2022‐109 Revised Adoption November 8, 2022
Resolution 2023 ‐ 058 Revised Adoption June 27, 2023
6 115

Page 1 of 3 ends

Portable Radio Replacement - Staff Report

STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Clyde Hussey, Police Lieutenant, [email protected] Agenda Title: Replacement of Public Safety Portable Radios Agenda Action: Resolution
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract for the acquisition of public safety portable radios and associated equipment for a total amount not to exceed $162,854.36.

Strategic Focus Area
Public Safety
Background
The City of Belmont Police Department maintains a radio system that is critical to providing public safety to the community. The radio system consists of dispatch center consoles, base station equipment at City Hall and two remote sites, mobile radios in police vehicles and portable radios assigned to each field unit.

Like any technology, the radio system and components require maintenance, updates and eventual replacement as equipment ages, operational and legal requirements change, and technology evolves.

Historically, the radio equipment in use by the police department has been updated or replaced in a piecemeal fashion. Base station equipment at City Hall was replaced when the Police Department moved in 2005 and mobile radios in patrol vehicles are typically replaced when a new vehicle is purchased. The remote base station equipment has not been replaced in decades and most portable radios in use by field units are over 20 years old. This purchase will provide for the replacement of all portable radios used by field units.

Analysis
Nearly all the portable radios in use by field units are Kenwood TK-390 models which have been in service for over 20 years. A handful of Kenwood TK-350 radios are in excess of 25 years old. The transmission quality of these radios has significantly degraded and many of them have failed and been taken out of service. A cache of radios received from a defunct agency has allowed us to keep an adequate number of radios in service to this point. The age of these radios renders them obsolete and unable to be repaired when they fail. Additionally, the batteries for these radios are also at the end of their service life and it is not fiscally responsible to purchase new batteries for such outdated equipment. In 2018, the department purchased 10 newer radios to replace a portion of units in use, though these newer radios utilize older technology which is incompatible with today’s newer radio systems.

The Belmont Police Department currently operates two channels in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio 116

Page 2 of 3 ends

Portable Radio Replacement - Staff Report
band. Most other law enforcement agencies in San Mateo County also operate on frequencies in the UHF band which allows for robust communications capabilities across the county. Changing requirements from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about frequency allotment, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) mandate to protect sensitive information and competing legislation proposals have left many agencies considering their options for future radio systems.

Over the past several years, the Belmont Police Department has been involved in more regional mutual aid operations than ever before. The ability to communicate with other agencies, regionally, is critical to officer and community safety. Currently, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office operates on a trunked 700MHz radio system which we are unable to communicate on. Regional radio systems in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara and other Bay Area counties also operate in the 700/800MHz band. These newer, trunked radio systems require radios with specific technology and programming in order to allow communication. In order to maintain compatibility with our existing conventional radio system and allow for interoperability with mutual aid agencies, we require multi-band capable radios.

Purchasing multi-band radios for our sworn staff will not only improve the radio reliability locally, but also provide our agency the ability to communicate regionally with our public safety partners during mutual aid and large-scale disaster events.

The department has evaluated portable radio technology that meets the needs of increased radio reliability as well as interoperability. There are limited manufacturers that provide multi-band radios designed for the rugged use in public safety environments. In order to maintain compatibility with existing equipment, Kenwood Viking products were selected. Kenwood products have proven both reliable and cost-effective.

Staff proposes to use a co-operative purchasing agreement through the National Association of State Purchasing Officers (NASPO). Contracting agencies such as NASPO provide procurement services to government entities across the country. Organizations such as NASPO offer a multitude of cooperatively contracted products, equipment and service opportunities and, through their member states, have the legislative authority to solicit, evaluate, and award contracts through a competitive solicitation process, saving users time and money. These co-operative purchasing contracts satisfy the City’s competitive bid requirements, and the City has successfully used these in the past to procure equipment.

The Kenwood Viking products proposed are listed on NASPO ValuePoint Master Agreement 00318 managed by the State of Washington. The State of California has a participating addendum (7-22-70-49- 14) to this agreement. The California addendum specifically allows its use by California state agencies and local governments for the period of January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2026.

Metro Mobile Communications is the only authorized Kenwood Viking dealer in San Mateo County and has provided NASPO pricing. Metro Mobile Communications, located in the City of Belmont, has been a vendor for many years who has provided outstanding support to the department. In addition to providing local service and support as well as NASPO pricing, Metro Mobile Communications has quoted an additional ten percent discount on the Kenwood Viking products.

Approval of the resolution will authorize the procurement of 30 new multi-band radios for sworn officers as well as 3 single band radios for non-sworn staff along with associated batteries, chargers, and 117

Page 3 of 3 ends

Portable Radio Replacement - Staff Report
accessories for a total amount not to exceed $162,854.36. Funds for the replacement of these radios is available in account 573-1-302-9040 – Fleet & Equipment\IT Capital Alternatives

1. Take No Action

2. Refer back to staff for more information
Attachments
A. Resolution
Fiscal Impact
☐ No Fiscal Impact
☒ Funding Source Confirmed: FY 2023-24 budget – 573-1-302-9040 Source: Purpose: Public Outreach:

Staff Discretionary Action Posting of Agenda

118

Page 1 of 1 ends

RESOLUTION NO. 2023 –

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELMONT

AIUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF PUBLIC SAFETY PORTABLE RADIOS WHEREAS, the City of Belmont Police Department maintains a radio system that is critical to providing public safety to the community; and, WHEREAS, the radio system includes portable radios assigned to each field unit which, require maintenance, updates and eventual replacement as equipment ages, operational and legal requirements change and technology evolves; and, WHEREAS, nearly all the portable radios in use by field units are Kenwood TK-390 models which have been in service for over 20 years. The transmission quality of these radios has significantly degraded and many of them have failed and been taken out of service. The age of these radios render them obsolete and unable to be repaired when they do fail.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Belmont resolves as follows:

SECTION 1. The City Manager is authorized to enter into an agreement purchasing Kenwood portable radios, chargers and related accessories from Metro Mobile Communications for an amount not to exceed $162,854.36
* * *
ADOPTED [Click to enter a date.] by the City of Belmont City Council by the following vote:

Ayes:

Noes:

Absent:

Abstain:

ATTEST:

City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

City Attorney
119

Page 1 of 4 ends

Response to HCD on 2023-2031 Housing Element Update - Staff Report

STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Azalea Renfield, Housing Manager & Economic Development, [email protected]; Kathy Kleinbaum, Assistant City Manager, [email protected]
Agenda Title: 2023-2031 Housing Element Update
Agenda Action: Discussion & Direction
Recommendation
Receive an update on the status of the City’s response to comments from the State Department of Housing and Community Development and provide direction on additional proposed programs to affirmatively further fair housing.

Strategic Focus Area
Economic Development and Housing
Background
Since 1969, the State of California has required that all local governments (cities and counties) adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. As such, State law requires California’s local governments to adopt a Housing Element as part of their General Plan, to demonstrate how the local government will meet state-mandated housing planning requirements.

Housing Elements must be updated on a regular schedule and are subject to specific regulatory requirements and processes established by the State Housing Element Law (Government Code Sections 65580-65589.11). Belmont’s Housing Element was last updated/adopted in 2015 as part of the Housing Element Law’s 5th Housing Element planning cycle, covering the period of January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2022. The 6th Housing Element planning cycle covers January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2030. The State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) must review and certify that each jurisdiction’s Housing Element meets all the requirements of State law.

The City of Belmont began the process of updating its Housing Element in 2021. After a robust community outreach process, Belmont submitted a draft 2023-2031 Housing Element to HCD on August 24, 2022.

HCD then completed a 90-day review and provided a detailed comment letter to the City on November 22, 2022. After addressing the comments from HCD, the City Council adopted the Housing Element on January 30, 2023; it was then resubmitted it to HCD on February 2, 2023. On April 3, 2023, the City received a second comment letter from HCD requesting additional changes to the document (included as Attachment 1 to this report).
120

Page 2 of 4 ends

Response to HCD on 2023-2031 Housing Element Update - Staff Report The majority of Bay Area jurisdictions are still working with HCD to respond to comments on their respective Housing Elements. In addition, most cities have received two or more rounds of comments from HCD and many of the comments have been similar in nature. In San Mateo County, only two jurisdictions have achieved certification for their 2023-2031 Housing Elements to date : Redwood City and Brisbane.

Analysis
Since the second comment letter was received from HCD in April, staff have been working on the additional edits while continuing to coordinate with other County jurisdictions through the 21 Elements regional collaborative to ensure consistency in addressing similar comments.

The majority of HCD’s comments on Belmont’s adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element required more detailed information and analysis to support the findings and recommendations as opposed to requiring substantive changes to the City’s approach. There were no changes or additions to the sites identified in the Sites Inventory; however, staff were asked to provide additional detail and analysis on why sites were selected and their likelihood to redevelop with housing during the 8-year planning period. In addition, other than changes to the implementation schedule, there were no significant changes to the proposed programs apart from HCD requesting additional programs to affirmatively further fair housing. In response, staff developed two potential programs for Council consideration, as discussed later in this report.

Summary of Changes
A high-level summary of changes to the 2023-231 Housing Element is provided below. In addition, the City’s response to individual comments from HCD is provided in Attachment 2: Belmont’s Response Matrix to HCD Second Comment Letter.
• Appendix A: Needs Analysis. The demographic analysis was expanded to include more information analyzing the population and resources available for various household types based on income levels, household size, age, disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness. • Appendix B: Constraints Analysis. Staff significantly expanded upon the information and analysis provided relating to the existing infrastructure’s capacity for new development; the application of current zoning standards; and the development review process, fees, and timeline. • Appendix C: Housing Resources. This appendix had the most significant revisions. Staff added a new sub-Appendix providing a detailed analysis and map for each site included in the Sites Inventory. Additional detail was included in the main body regarding the criteria used for site selection and justification for the development potential of the sites. Staff also updated the status of pipeline projects based on how projects have progressed since the last submittal to HCD, illustrating Belmont’s continued commitment to housing development. • Appendix D: City of Belmont Fair Housing Assessment. The analysis included in this appendix was expanded to provide a more focused evaluation of the distribution of the population by race, special needs, income, and other protected classes. In addition, more information was provided on survey results demonstrating the continued existence of housing discrimination within the City.

The appendix also included more discussion of available resources and programs to affirmatively 121

Page 3 of 4 ends

Response to HCD on 2023-2031 Housing Element Update - Staff Report further fair housing.
• Appendix E: Goals, Policies, and Programs. Staff updated this section to provide more detailed information on the City’s implementation of the programs from the prior Housing Element cycle.

In addition, staff provided updated information on the planned implementation and timeline for new programs and policy action items.
• Appendix F: Public Participation. This appendix was updated to include the public meetings that have occurred leading up to and since the January adoption of the Housing Element. Additional discussion was also included on community outreach strategies used to engage special needs populations.

New Programs for Council Consideration
In their comment letter, HCD indicated the need for additional actions to affirmatively further fair housing opportunities to enhance housing mobility and encourage the development of more affordable housing throughout the City. In response, staff identified the following two programs for possible inclusion in the 2023-2031 Housing Element.
1) Creating a financial incentive program using City housing funds to support Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) construction restricted to lower-income households.

As part of the Housing Element adopted in January, the City committed to continued participation in a Countywide effort to promote production of ADUs, including enhanced distribution of resources and information for property owners, utilization of pre-approved ADU design drawings, and participating in developing a regional incentive program to encourage development of ADUs that are restricted to lower income households. This proposed program would expand upon those current efforts and commit the City to developing a local financial incentive for ADUs restricted to lower income households. Details on how much would be offered, the target income-level, and the length of the affordability restriction would be determined during program development. 2) Allowing single-family homes to be converted to two units by right, within their existing building envelope.

State law currently allows for single-family parcels to add ADUs as attached or detached units.

However, the City’s Zoning Code places restrictions on the maximum size of the ADUs permitted.

This program would allow a homeowner to subdivide a single-family home into two units but would not restrict the size of those units, provided they are built within the footprint of the existing home. This would allow a property owner to subdivide their home into two evenly-sized units, as opposed to having a primary unit and a smaller secondary unit. This program aims to provide additional missing middle housing opportunities in existing single-family neighborhoods throughout the City.

Enhancing the ability of homeowners to develop ADUs was a consistent theme that emerged during the 2023-2031 Housing Element community outreach process. Both proposed programs strive to remove existing barriers to ADU production, while demonstrating the City’s commitment to affirmatively furthering fair housing by allowing for greater physical distribution of affordable housing and increasing 122

Page 4 of 4 ends

Response to HCD on 2023-2031 Housing Element Update - Staff Report availability of affordable units in traditional single-family residential areas.

Next Steps
Staff requests Council direction on the inclusion of these two programs in the amended 2023-2031 Housing Element. Staff recommends including both programs to provide assurance to HCD that the City is taking a robust approach to addressing this identified gap.

Next, staff will finalize revisions and post the revised 2023-2031 Housing Element for public comment for seven (7) days on the City’s website (www.belmont.gov/housingelement) prior to sending it to HCD for review. Staff anticipate having the revised draft available for public review during the first week of October.

If, after this third-round of review, HCD determines that these revisions meet their threshold for certification, staff will bring the Housing Element back to the Planning Commission and City Council for adoption of the amendments.

Alternatives

1. Select only one of the two proposed programs for inclusion in the revised Housing Element Attachments

1. HCD Second Comment Letter

2. Summary of Responses to HCD Second Comment Letter
Fiscal Impact
☒ No Fiscal Impact
Adoption of the Housing Element 2023-2031, and subsequent responses to HCD, does not have any direct financial
implications for the City. Implementation of the goals, policies and programs identified in the Housing Element will require significant staff resources during the next eight-year planning period, which will be considered by the City Council during each annual budget review process.
☐ Funding Source Confirmed:

Source: Purpose: Public Outreach:

Staff Statutory/Contractual Requirement Posting of Agenda 123
STATE OF CALIFORNIA - BUSINESS, CONSUMER SERVICES AND HOUSING AGENCY GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

DIVISION OF HOUSING POLICY DEVELOPMENT
2020 W. El Camino Avenue, Suite 500
Sacramento, CA 95833
(916) 263-2911 / FAX (916) 263-7453
www.hcd.ca.gov
April 3, 2023
Afshin Oskoui, City Manager
City of Belmont
1 Twin Pines Lane
Belmont, CA, 94002
Dear Afshin Oskoui:

RE: City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle (2023-2031) Adopted Housing Element Thank you for submitting the City of Belmont’s (City) housing element that was adopted January 30, 2023 and received for review on February 2, 2023. Pursuant to Government Code section 65585, subdivision (h), the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is reporting the results of its review. In addition, HCD considered comments from David Kellog pursuant to Government Code section 65585, subdivision (c).

The adopted housing element addresses many statutory requirements described in HCD’s November 22, 2022 review; however, additional revisions are necessary to substantially comply with State Housing Element Law (Article 10.6 of the Gov. Code), see enclosed Appendix. The element will meet the statutory requirements of State Housing Element Law once it has been revised and re-adopted to comply with the above requirements.

For your information, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1398 (Chapter 358, Statutes of 2021), if a local government fails to adopt a compliant housing element within 120 days of the statutory deadline (January 31, 2023), then any rezoning to make prior identified sites available or accommodate the regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) shall be completed no later than one year from the statutory deadline pursuant to Government Code sections 65583, subdivision (c)(1) and 65583.2, subdivision (c). Otherwise, the local government’s housing element will no longer comply with State Housing Element Law, and HCD may revoke its finding of substantial compliance pursuant to Government Code section 65585, subdivision (i). Please be aware, if the City fails to adopt a compliant housing element within one year from the statutory deadline, the element cannot be found in substantial compliance until these rezones are completed.

Public participation in the development, adoption and implementation of the housing element is essential to effective housing planning. During the housing element revision process, the City must continue to engage the community, including organizations that 124
Afshin Oskoui, City Manager

Page 2 ends

represent lower-income and special needs households, by making information regularly available while considering and incorporating comments where appropriate. Please be aware, any revisions to the element must be posted on the local government’s website and to email a link to all individuals and organizations that have previously requested notices relating to the local government’s housing element at least seven days before submitting to HCD.

Several federal, state, and regional funding programs consider housing element compliance as an eligibility or ranking criteria. For example, the CalTrans Senate Bill (SB) 1 Sustainable Communities grant; the Strategic Growth Council and HCD’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities programs; and HCD’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation consider housing element compliance and/or annual reporting requirements pursuant to Government Code section 65400. With a compliant housing element, the City will meet housing element requirements for these and other funding sources.

For your information, some general plan element updates are triggered by housing element adoption. HCD reminds the City to consider timing provisions and welcomes the opportunity to provide assistance. For information, please see the Technical Advisories issued by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research at:
https://www.opr.ca.gov/planning/general-plan/guidelines.html.

HCD is committed to assisting the City in addressing all statutory requirements of State Housing Element Law. If you have any questions or need additional technical assistance, please contact Molivann Phlong, of our staff, at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Paul McDougall
Senior Program Manager
Enclosure
125
City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle Adopted Housing Element Page 1 April 3, 2023

APPENDIX

CITY OF BELMONT
The following changes are necessary to bring the City’s housing element into compliance with Article 10.6 of the Government Code. Accompanying each recommended change, we cite the supporting section of the Government Code.

Housing element technical assistance information is available on HCD’s website at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/housing-elements. Among other resources, the housing element section contains HCD’s latest technical assistance tool, Building Blocks for Effective Housing Elements (Building Blocks), available at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/housing-elements/buildingblocks and includes the Government Code addressing State Housing Element Law and other resources.

A. Housing Needs, Resources, and Constraints

1. Affirmatively further[ing] fair housing in accordance with Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 8899.50) of Division 1 of Title 2…shall include an assessment of fair housing in the jurisdiction (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(10)(A)) Enforcement and Outreach: While the element was revised to state the City relies on assistance with fair housing enforcement, it must describe the City’s process to refer fair housing cases and complaints.

Integration and Segregation: While the element stated that historical and current land use patterns are a factor in segregation of race within the City, it should identify meaningful actions to address identified issues. In addition, the element must include a regional analysis (comparing the City to the broader region) on persons with disabilities.

Disparities in Access to Opportunity: While the element was revised to include general information on the environment, it should describe what contributes to the one low scoring area within the City. In addition, the element must analyze the two areas of lower employment scores and evaluate this information for patterns and trends and describe access to jobs for protected classes.

Disproportionate Housing Needs Including Displacement: The element must still analyze geographic concentrations of overcrowding and substandard housing within the City as well as provide a regional analysis comparing the City to the surrounding region.

The element must include the City’s homeless data and analyze existing trends and policies in the City that exclude homeless populations or force homeless populations onto surrounding areas.

2. Include an analysis of population and employment trends and documentation of projections and a quantification of the locality's existing and projected needs for all 126
City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle Adopted Housing Element Page 2 April 3, 2023
income levels, including extremely low-income households. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(1).)
Extremely Low-Income (ELI) Households: While the element quantifies the total number of ELI households, it must also quantify the number of projected ELI households and analyze their housing needs. The analysis of ELI housing needs should also quantify tenure and rates of overpayment.

3. Include an analysis and documentation of household characteristics, including level of payment compared to ability to pay, housing characteristics, including overcrowding, and housing stock condition. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(2).) Housing Stock Condition: This finding was not addressed, please see HCD’s prior review for additional information.

4. An inventory of land suitable and available for residential development, including vacant sites and sites having realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period to meet the locality’s housing need for a designated income level, and an analysis of the relationship of zoning and public facilities and services to these sites. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(3).)
Progress in Meeting the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA): While the element was revised to demonstrate affordability of the new units built since June 30, 2022, it must also discuss the status, any barriers to development, and other relevant factors to demonstrate their availability in the planning period.

Realistic Capacity: The element includes density bonus assumptions in the calculations of projects exceeding 100 dwelling units per acre but should clearly address how often density bonuses are utilized and account for that frequency in realistic capacity assumptions. In addition, the element must provide additional support for densities of projects on sites smaller than half an acre and densities on small sites being that two of the project examples had densities significantly lower than the assumed density of 59 dwelling units per acre. The element must also analyze the likelihood that the identified units will be developed as noted in the inventory in zones that allow nonresidential uses (e.g., mixed-use). This analysis should consider the likelihood of nonresidential development in mixed-use and commercial areas, performance standards, and development trends supporting residential development. Lastly, the element includes one site with units designated toward lower income in a zone with a maximum of seven dwelling units per acre, the element must describe and analyze feasibility of developing lower income units at those densities.

City-Owned Sites: The element did not address this finding, please see HCD’s prior review for additional information.

Small Sites: While the majority of small sites included in the inventory are assumed to be consolidated, the element must include project examples of lot consolidation that 127
City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle Adopted Housing Element Page 3 April 3, 2023
were successfully developed during the prior planning period for an equivalent number of units affordable to lower-income households as projected for the site. If lots are expected to be consolidated, the analysis could describe the City’s role or track record in facilitating past lot consolidation, common ownership, policies, or incentives offered or proposed to encourage and facilitate lot consolidation or other conditions rendering parcels suitable and ready for lot consolidation.

Suitability of Nonvacant Sites: While the element describes existing uses of each site listed, it should also demonstrate the potential for redevelopment of nonvacant sites.

For example, the element lists sites by various redevelopment characteristics but could support the viability of those characteristics based on recent development examples.

The element should also evaluate market conditions, any existing leases or other contracts; and consider factors such as the extent to which existing uses may impede additional residential development.

In addition, for your information, the element relies on nonvacant sites to accommodate 50 percent or more of the housing needs for lower-income households, which triggers requirements to make findings based on substantial evidence that the existing use is not an impediment and will likely discontinue in the planning period. While the resolution of adoption includes findings, any changes to the analysis should be reflected in future readoption of the element, if necessary.

Environmental Constraints: The element indicates that the two City-owned parcels contained underground storage tanks (USTs) subject to environmental remediation and removal. While the element indicates the City is providing financial resources towards development of these sites and site remediation, it should indicate whether this remediation and development can be completed within the planning period. The element should also include a program relating to the remediation and disposition of these sites.

Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types:
• Emergency Shelters: While the element includes a general program to analyze emergency shelter development standards, it should list and analyze the current development standards including the bed capacity being limited to 16 beds. The program should include specific commitments to remove constraints other than complying with AB 139 parking requirements.
• Transitional and Supportive Housing: While the element states the City is compliant with transitional and supportive housing requirements, Tables 4 and 5 demonstrate that the uses are not allowed in all zones that allow multifamily. In addition, Program Policy H.1.8’s timing describes implementing reuse housing sites, which is unrelated to program actions for transitional and supportive housing. Transitional housing and supportive housing must be permitted as a residential use in all zones allowing residential uses and only subject to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. The element must clearly 128
City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle Adopted Housing Element Page 4 April 3, 2023
demonstrate compliance with these requirements or add or revise programs to comply with the statutory requirements.

5. An analysis of potential and actual governmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels, including the types of housing identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), and for persons with disabilities as identified in the analysis pursuant to paragraph (7), including land use controls, building codes and their enforcement, site improvements, fees and other exactions required of developers, and local processing and permit procedures... (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(5).)
Land Use Controls: While the element states Program Policy H.1.20 will address this finding, it is generalized and does not include specific actions to address land use controls. While the element states the two-story limit in the R-3 zone is not a constraint due to a limited number of parcels within that zone, it must provide support to demonstrate the height limit is not a constraint or add a program to address the constraint. In addition, the element should analyze minimum setbacks for mixed-use developments when next to residential zones. The element should also analyze the conditional use permit (CUP) requirement for housing on the ground floor level in the Corridor Mixed-Use District particularly for 100 percent affordable housing and whether one hundred percent commercial or residential developments are allowed in mixed-use zones. The element should add or modify programs to address or remove identified constraints.

Local Processing and Permit Procedures: The element still must describe and analyze the City’s permit processing and approval procedures by zone and housing type (e.g., multifamily rental housing, mobilehomes, housing for agricultural employees, supportive housing). The element should also describe and analyze whether the neighborhood outreach requirements are a constraint or add a program as appropriate.

Local Ordinances: While the element describes the City’s density bonus ordinance, it states it was adopted in 2014. The element should clarify whether the density bonus ordinance is in compliance with current State Density Bonus Law or add a program to update the ordinance as needed.

Codes and Enforcement: While the element was revised to state that the City amended the building code, it should describe and analyze the local amendments for impacts on housing supply and affordability.

B. Housing Programs

1. Include a program which sets forth a schedule of actions during the planning period, each with a timeline for implementation, which may recognize that certain programs are ongoing, such that there will be beneficial impacts of the programs within the planning period, that the local government is undertaking or intends to undertake to implement 129
City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle Adopted Housing Element Page 5 April 3, 2023
the policies and achieve the goals and objectives of the Housing Element... (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c).)
To address the program requirements of Government Code section 65583, subdivision (c)(1-6), and to facilitate implementation, programs should include: (1) a description of the City’s specific role in implementation; (2) definitive implementation timelines; (3) objectives, quantified where appropriate; and (4) identification of responsible agencies and officials. Programs to be revised include the following:
• Program Policy H.1.2 (Use Public Funding for Low/Moderate Income Housing): The program should be revised to describe potential ways the inclusionary requirement will be modified in action C.
• Program Policy H.1.4 (Housing Funds Investment Strategy): While the program was revised to commit to implement the identified actions, timing should be earlier in the planning period.
• Program Policy H.2.3 (Target Rehabilitation Funding to Special Needs Groups): The program should be revised to include proactive outreach throughout the planning period. In addition, the program should be implemented earlier in the planning period.
• Program Policy H.2.4 (Require Replacement Units): The timing of the program should be implemented earlier in the planning period.

2. Identify actions that will be taken to make sites available during the planning period with appropriate zoning and development standards and with services and facilities to accommodate that portion of the city’s or county’s share of the regional housing need for each income level that could not be accommodated on sites identified in the inventory completed pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) without rezoning, and to comply with the requirements of Government Code section 65584.09. Sites shall be identified as needed to facilitate and encourage the development of a variety of types of housing for all income levels, including multifamily rental housing, factory-built housing, mobilehomes, housing for agricultural employees, supportive housing, single-room occupancy units, emergency shelters, and transitional housing. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(1).)
As noted in Finding A4, the element does not include a complete site analysis; therefore, the adequacy of sites and zoning were not established. Based on the results of a complete sites inventory and analysis, the City may need to add or revise programs to address a shortfall of sites or zoning available to encourage a variety of housing types.

In addition, while the element includes Policy H2.4 (Require Replacement Units), it must commit to a replacement housing program for units affordable to lower-income households (Gov. Code, § 65583.2, subd. (g)(3)) for nonvacant sites with existing, vacated, or demolished residential uses and occupied by, or subject to an affordability requirement for, lower-income households within the last five years there must be. The 130
City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle Adopted Housing Element Page 6 April 3, 2023
replacement housing program has the same requirements as set forth in Government Code section 65915, subdivision (c)(3). Absent a replacement housing program, these sites are not adequate sites to accommodate lower-income households.

3. Address and, where appropriate and legally possible, remove governmental and nongovernmental constraints to the maintenance, improvement, and development of housing, including housing for all income levels and housing for persons with disabilities. The program shall remove constraints to, and provide reasonable accommodations for housing designed for, intended for occupancy by, or with supportive services for, persons with disabilities. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(3).) As noted in Finding A5, the element requires a complete analysis of potential governmental constraints. Depending upon the results of that analysis, the City may need to revise or add programs and address and remove or mitigate any identified constraints. In addition, the element should be revised as follows:

Parking: While the element includes Policy H1.18 (Parking Requirements) to revise parking standards, the timing of implementation should be earlier in the planning period.

Policy Program H.1.1 (Monitor RHNA): While this program was revised to monitor sites intended to accommodate housing for lower-income households, the program must monitor units for all income levels.

4. Promote and affirmatively further fair housing opportunities and promote housing throughout the community or communities for all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, familial status, or disability, and other characteristics... (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(5).)
As noted in Finding A1, the element requires a complete affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) analysis. Depending upon the results of that analysis, the City may need to revise or add programs. Goals and actions must significantly seek to overcome contributing factors to fair housing issues. The element must include metrics, milestones, and geographic targets for evaluating progress on programs, actions, and fair housing results. In addition, the element must tie the fair housing action plan to the AFFH program. Given that most of the City is considered a higher resource community, the element could focus on programs that enhance housing mobility and encourage development of more housing choices and affordable housing throughout the City.

Programs should be based on identified contributing factors, be significant and meaningful. The element must add, and revise programs based on a complete analysis and listing and prioritization of contributing factors to fair housing issues. Actions must have specific commitment, metrics, milestones, and geographic targets and, as appropriate, must address housing mobility enhancement, new housing choices and affordability in higher opportunity areas, place-based strategies for community revitalization, and displacement protection.
131
City of Belmont’s 6th Cycle Adopted Housing Element Page 7 April 3, 2023

5. Develop a plan that incentivizes and promotes the creation of accessory dwelling units that can be offered at affordable rent... (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(7).) Program Policy H.1.3 (Incentivize Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Development): While the program was revised to include compliance with HCD’s ADU review letter, it should include specific timing of when the ordinance will be revised after receiving the compliance letter (e.g., within six months).

C. Quantified Objectives
Establish the number of housing units, by income level, that can be constructed, rehabilitated, and conserved over a five-year time frame. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (b)(1 & 2).)
The element must include quantified objectives to establish an estimate of housing units by income category that can be constructed, rehabilitated, and conserved over the planning period. While the element includes these objectives for new construction and minimal objectives for rehabilitation, it must also include quantified objectives estimating the number of housing units by income category that can be conserved over the planning period. 132
Section Item # HCD Second Comment Letter Location of Changes Housing Needs,
Resources and
Constraints ‐‐ AFFH
A.1 Enforcement and Outreach: While the element was revised to state the City relies on assistance with fair housing enforcement, it must describe the City’s process to refer fair housing cases and complaints.

Appendix D, beginning on page 9. See specific language
on page 11. The narrative clarifies that the City refers residents to the County fair housing provider, Project
Sentinel.

Integration and Segregation: While the element stated that historical and current land use patterns are a factor in segregation of race within the City, it should identify meaningful actions to address identified issues. In addition, the element must include a regional analysis (comparing the City to the broader region) on persons with disabilities.

Appendix D, for additional narrative persons with a
disability, beginning on page 40. Two additional
Programs have been added to address mobility
concerns: Policy H.1.3, incentivizing the development of ADUs for lower income households; and H.1.11, to allow
for the conversion of single family units into duplexes in high opportunity areas.

Disparities in Access to Opportunity: While the element was revised to include general information on the environment, it should describe what contributes to the one low scoring area within the City. In addition, the element must analyze the two areas of lower employment scores and evaluate this information for patterns and trends and describe access to jobs for protected classes.

Appendix D, page 38 for a discussion of the
environmental score; and page 36 for employment. The
low environmental score occurs in one tract next to
Highway 101; only one opportunity site is located there are it would allow only a single family residence. With respect to the employment scores, these are located
where lower income households reside. However, the
City has mostly high and highest opportunity areas, so
access to employment is available.

Disproportionate Housing Needs Including Displacement: The element must still analyze geographic concentrations of overcrowding and substandard housing within the City as well as provide a regional analysis comparing the City to the surrounding region. The element must include the City’s homeless data and analyze existing trends and policies in the City that exclude homeless populations or force homeless populations onto surrounding areas.

Appendix D, beginning on page 45 for overcrowding and
substandard housing; and beginning on page 47 for
homelessness.  Although there are areas with
overcrowding and substandard housing, compared to
the County as a whole the consultant found no
concerns. Additional information on the homeless
population and resources available to them is included
in the needs assessment, Appendix A.

Housing Needs,
Resources and
Constraints ‐‐ Other
A.2 Extremely Low‐Income (ELI) Households: While the element quantifies the total number of ELI households, it must also quantify the number of projected ELI households and analyze their housing needs. The analysis of ELI housing needs should also quantify tenure and rates of overpayment.

Appendix A, projections on page 10; additional narrative beginning on page 22.

A.3 Housing Stock Condition: This finding was not addressed, please see HCD’s prior review for additional information.

Appendix A, page 36. This information was previously
missed by the prior reviewer and has be re‐highlighted
for ease of review.

Inventory A.4 Progress in Meeting the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA): While the element was revised to demonstrate affordability of the new units built since June 30, 2022, it must also discuss the status, any barriers to development, and other relevant factors to demonstrate their availability in the planning period.

See Appendix C, page 22. The documentation shows the
pipeline projects, which are either already built or will be completed within the 8‐year period.
133
Section Item # HCD Second Comment Letter Location of Changes Realistic Capacity: The element includes density bonus assumptions in the calculations of projects exceeding 100 dwelling units per acre but should clearly address how often density bonuses are utilized and account for that frequency in realistic capacity assumptions. In addition, the element must provide additional support for densities of projects on sites smaller than half an acre and densities on small sites being that two of the project examples had densities significantly lower than the assumed density of 59 dwelling units per acre. The element must also analyze the likelihood that the identified units will be developed as noted in the inventory in zones that allow nonresidential uses (e.g., mixed‐use). This analysis should consider the likelihood of nonresidential development in mixed‐use and commercial areas, performance standards, and development trends supporting residential development. Lastly, the element includes one site with units designated toward lower income in a zone with a maximum of seven dwelling units per acre, the element must describe and analyze feasibility of developing lower income units at those densities.

Appendix C, beginning on page 16. The narrative has
been expanded to demonstrate sites' viability against
objective criteria to justify inclusion in the inventory.

More detail has also been provided to show how, with
the removal of the density metric in the downtown,
developers are developing much denser developments
than ever before.

City‐Owned Sites: The element did not address this finding, please see HCD’s prior review for additional information.

See both executive summary 2.4.12, as well as Appendix
C, section 4.3.10 on page 3. Significant detail has been added on the three City‐owned sites; all three sites are vacant and subject to reuse as LMI housing.

Small Sites: While the majority of small sites included in the inventory are assumed to be consolidated, the element must include project examples of lot consolidation that were successfully developed during the prior planning period for an equivalent number of units affordable to lower‐income households as projected for the site. If lots are expected to be consolidated, the analysis could describe the City’s role or track record in facilitating past lot consolidation, common ownership, policies, or incentives offered or proposed to encourage and facilitate lot consolidation or other conditions rendering parcels suitable and ready for lot consolidation.

See Appendix C, section 4.2.4, beginning on page 17.

The documentation now provides detailed narrative on
the track record of lot consolidation in Belmont, and
demonstrates that lot consolidation is not an
impediment to development.

Suitability of Nonvacant Sites: While the element describes existing uses of each site listed, it should also demonstrate the potential for redevelopment of nonvacant sites.

For example, the element lists sites by various redevelopment characteristics but could support the viability of those characteristics based on recent development examples.

The element should also evaluate market conditions, any existing leases or other contracts; and consider factors such as the extent to which existing uses may impede additional residential development.

See executive summary section 2.4.14, as well as
Appendix C Section 4.5, on page 28 et seq. The City has developed individual sites fact sheets to demonstrate
each meets the established objective criteria for
inclusion in the inventory.

In addition, for your information, the element relies on nonvacant sites to accommodate 50 percent or more of the housing needs for lower‐income households, which triggers requirements to make findings based on substantial evidence that the existing use is not an impediment and will likely discontinue in the planning period. While the resolution of adoption includes findings, any changes to the analysis should be reflected in future re‐ adoption of the element, if necessary.

Appendix C.1. identifies non‐vacant pipeline housing
development project sites that have been, or will be,
developed with affordable units and # of units, and
shows existing site conditions. Please refer to individual site analysis at the end of the Appendix C.

Environmental Constraints: The element indicates that the two City‐owned parcels contained underground storage tanks (USTs) subject to environmental remediation and removal. While the element indicates the City is providing financial resources towards development of these sites and site remediation, it should indicate whether this remediation and development can be completed within the planning period. The element should also include a program relating to the remediation and disposition of these sites.

Appendix C, page 20 revises the analysis, as one of the two tanks has already been remediated. In addition, the City is donating land for the other development as well as a loan for development, with the site being
developed within the 8‐year period.

Zoning for a Variety
of Housing Types
Emergency Shelters: While the element includes a general program to analyze emergency shelter development standards, it should list and analyze the current development standards including the bed capacity being limited to 16 beds. The program should include specific commitments to remove constraints other than complying with AB 139 parking requirements.

Appendix B, beginning on page 21. The Appendix
reviews the existing development standards for
emergency shelters, compares them with the new State
laws, and provides a program to address the found
constraints.
134
Section Item # HCD Second Comment Letter Location of Changes Transitional and Supportive Housing : While the element states the City is compliant with transitional and supportive housing requirements, Tables 4 and 5 demonstrate that the uses are not allowed in all zones that allow multifamily. In addition, Program Policy H.1.8’s timing describes implementing reuse housing sites, which is unrelated to program actions for transitional and supportive housing. Transitional housing and supportive housing must be permitted as a residential use in all zones allowing residential uses and only subject to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. The element must clearly demonstrate compliance with these requirements or add or revise programs to comply with the statutory requirements.

See program 1.17 to address this constraint.

Transitional housing and supportive housing must be
permitted as a residential use in all zones allowing
residential uses and only subject to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same
type in the same zone. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd.
(c)(3).) The City will modify code amendments to ensure ongoing compliance with this law.

Constraints 5 Land Use Controls: While the element states Program Policy H.1.20 will address this finding, it is generalized and does not include specific actions to address land use controls. While the element states the two‐story limit in the R‐3 zone is not a constraint due to a limited number of parcels within that zone, it must provide support to demonstrate the height limit is not a constraint or add a program to address the constraint. In addition, the element should analyze minimum setbacks for mixed‐use developments when next to residential zones. The element should also analyze the conditional use permit (CUP) requirement for housing on the ground floor level in the Corridor Mixed‐Use District particularly for 100 percent affordable housing and whether one hundred percent commercial or residential developments are allowed in mixed‐use zones. The element should add or modify programs to address or remove identified constraints.

See Appendix B, especially section 1.2.10. beginning on page 27. In addition, section 1.2.3 (page 20) discusses that no CUP is required, and 1.2.33 provides detail on
mixed use developments and the CUP process.

Local Processing and Permit Procedures: The element still must describe and analyze the City’s permit processing and approval procedures by zone and housing type (e.g., multifamily rental housing, mobile homes, housing for agricultural employees, supportive housing). The element should also describe and analyze whether the neighborhood outreach requirements are a constraint or add a program as appropriate.

Appendix B,  on page 41 in Section 1.2.27 discusses the Development Review process and clarifies that it is
uniform across housing types and zones (with the
exception of ADUs). Section 1.2.28  addresses how
objective design standards prevent the neighborhood
outreach process from becoming an impediment.

Local Ordinances: While the element describes the City’s density bonus ordinance, it states it was adopted in 2014. The element should clarify whether the density bonus ordinance is in compliance with current State Density Bonus Law or add a program to update the ordinance as needed.

Appendix B, beginning on page 17 discusses status of
the ordinance with a commitment to update it in 2024
(program H1‐5). Although it was initially adopted in
2014, it undergoes regular updates to ensure ongoing
compliance.

Codes and Enforcement: While the element was revised to state that the City amended the building code, it should describe and analyze the local amendments for impacts on housing supply and affordability.

Appendix B, page 39 includes analysis of the City's
adoption of the REACH requirements, allowing only
electricity in new homes rather than natural gas, finding this requirement not to be a constraint.

Programs B.1 Program Policy H.1.2 (Use Public Funding for Low/Moderate Income Housing) : The program should be revised to describe potential ways the inclusionary requirement will be modified in action C.

This action has been revised as requested.

Program Policy H.1.4 (Housing Funds Investment Strategy) : While the program was revised to commit to implement the identified actions, timing should be earlier in the planning period.

This action has been revised as requested.

Program Policy H.2.3 (Target Rehabilitation Funding to Special Needs Groups) : The program should be revised to include proactive outreach throughout the planning period. In addition, the program should be implemented earlier in the planning period.

This action has been revised as requested.
135
Section Item # HCD Second Comment Letter Location of Changes B.2 Program Policy H.2.4 (Require Replacement Units) : The timing of the program should be implemented earlier in the planning period.

Also: In addition, while the element includes Policy H2.4 (Require Replacement Units), it must commit to a replacement housing program for units affordable to lower‐income households (Gov. Code, § 65583.2, subd. (g)(3)) for nonvacant sites with existing, vacated, or demolished residential uses and occupied by, or subject to an affordability requirement for, lower‐income households within the last five years there must be. The replacement housing program has the same requirements as set forth in Government Code section 65915, subdivision (c)(3). Absent a replacement housing program, these sites are not adequate sites to accommodate lower‐income households.

This action has been revised as requested.

B.3 Parking: While the element includes Policy H1.18 (Parking Requirements) to revise parking standards, the timing of implementation should be earlier in the planning period.

This action has been revised as requested.

Policy Program H.1.1 (Monitor RHNA): While this program was revised to monitor sites intended to accommodate housing for lower‐income households, the program must monitor units for all income levels.

This action has been revised as requested.

B.4 As noted in Finding A1, the element requires a complete affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) analysis. Depending upon the results of that analysis, the City may need to revise or add programs. Goals and actions must significantly seek to overcome contributing factors to fair housing issues. The element must include metrics, milestones, and geographic targets for evaluating progress on programs, actions, and fair housing results. In addition, the element must tie the fair housing action plan to the AFFH program. Given that most of the City is considered a higher resource community, the element could focus on programs that enhance housing mobility and encourage development of more housing choices and affordable housing throughout the City.

Programs should be based on identified contributing factors, be significant and meaningful. The element must add, and revise programs based on a complete analysis and listing and prioritization of contributing factors to fair housing issues. Actions must have specific commitment, metrics, milestones, and geographic targets and, as appropriate, must address housing mobility enhancement, new housing choices and affordability in higher opportunity areas, place‐based strategies for community revitalization, and displacement protection.

Appendix E was to amended to add 2  programs to
address AFFH in high resource areas including a financial incentive program for ADUs restricted to low‐income
households (Policy H.1.3) and allowing the conversation of single‐family homes to 2‐unit properties by right
(Policy H.1.11). Additional metrics and milestones were added to all programs.

B.5 Program Policy H.1.3 (Incentivize Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Development): While the program was revised to include compliance with HCD’s ADU review letter, it should include specific timing of when the ordinance will be revised after receiving the compliance letter (e.g., within six months).

This action has been revised as requested.

Quantified Objectives C The element must include quantified objectives to establish an estimate of housing units by income category that can be constructed, rehabilitated, and conserved over the planning period. While the element includes these objectives for new construction and minimal objectives for rehabilitation, it must also include quantified objectives estimating the number of housing units by income category that can be conserved over the planning period.

This action has been revised as requested.
136

Page 1 of 5 ends

Safety Element Update Status Report

STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: September 26, 2023
Agency: City of Belmont
Staff Contact: Damon DiDonato, Community Development Department, (650) 637-2908; [email protected]
Agenda Title: General Plan Safety Element Update Project – Status Report Agenda Action: For Information Only
Recommendation
Accept report. No other action required at this time.

Strategic Focus Area
Public Safety
Background
November 2017 – Belmont City Council adopted the City’s 2035 General Plan, which is a policy document that guides long range development of the City. The General Plan provides analysis, goals and policies related to various categories referred to as “elements.” The City’s adopted General Plan 2035 addressed all of the required elements under California law, which include: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, safety, and noise.
2019-2020 – Changes in state law occurred that require an update to the Safety Element of the General Plan. These changes increased the complexity of Safety Elements by requiring more sophisticated mapping, and an expanded community outreach based on higher levels of public interest in climate change and hazard planning (see Attachment A).

A Safety Element identifies potential natural and human-caused hazards that could affect residents, businesses, and services in the community. The purpose of the Safety Element is to establish a framework that identifies and anticipates these hazards and prepares the community to minimize risks and harm resulting from these hazards. A Safety Element includes the following main components:

1. Updated background information and mapping on hazardous conditions and evacuation concerns;

2. A vulnerability assessment that considers how climate change may affect natural hazards in the community, and the effects on populations and assets;

3. Amendments to goals, policies, objectives, and implementation measures, especially as they relate to climate change resiliency; and,

4. Alignment of programs from other County planning documents and State resources. 2021-2023 – In late 2021, the cities, towns, and County of San Mateo that collaborate and share on housing-related initiatives through the 21 Elements Project expressed interest in collaborating on an update of their respective safety elements.
137

Page 2 of 5 ends
← All documents from this meeting