Minutes of the Blythe City Council Meeting
March 12, 2024
The March 12, 2024, meeting of the Blythe City Council was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers by Mayor DeConinck. Also in attendance were Vice Mayor Rodriguez and Council Members Reynolds, Halby, and Burton. Staff in attendance included: Interim City Manager and City Clerk Crecelius, City Attorney Roberto, Finance Director and City Treasurer Elms, Chief Building Official Brown and Police Lieutenant Walnoha.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor DeConinck.
The Invocation was led by Councilman Burton.
REPORT FROM CLOSED SESSION:
City Attorney Roberto stated there was no reportable action.
PRESENTATION:
Recognition of Outgoing Councilman Dale Reynolds. Mayor DeConinck presented Councilman Reynolds with a plaque recognizing his service on the Blythe City Council from December 2015 to March 2024.
Lieutenant Walnoha presented Councilman Reynolds with a plaque recognizing his 16 years of service to the Blythe Police Department as a Citizen on Patrol.
Shelly Soto presented Councilman Reynolds with a plaque on behalf of the Board of Directors recognizing his service to the Blythe Police Activities Leage, PAL.
Councilman Reynolds thanked everyone for the recognition. Sometimes in life you have to make hard decisions. Blythe has been my home, and you have been my family. This past January was the closure of something I have been working on for two years so it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to my home. It has been my pleasure to serve.
CONSENT CALENDAR: Items on the Consent Calendar are considered routine and will be enacted with one motion of the Council. If any item requires individual consideration, it will be removed from the consent calendar and acted upon separately.
2. Posting of the Agenda.
The summary of agenda items were posted on the bulletin boards on the outside of the public entrance to the Council Chamber and near the inside entrance of the Council Chamber on Friday, March 8, 2024.
3. Approval of the Warrant Register.
Recommendation: Approve 3/12/24, warrants numbered 10545 through 10566 and 77813 through 77865 in the amount of $1,059,712.81; 3/12/24, Utility Billing Refund warrants numbered 77867 through 77880 in the amount of $1,499.06 and 3/12/24, warrants numbered 10567 through 10571 and 77881 through 77914 in the amount of $410,093.57.
4. Approval of the Payroll Register.
Recommendation: Approve 3/12/24, warrants numbered 54243 through 54263 and Direct Deposit warrants numbered 58029 through 58098 in the amount of $298,855.86; 3/12/24, warrant numbered 54264 and Direct Deposit warrant numbered 58099 in the amount of $14,237.57; 3/12/24, warrants numbered 54265 through 54266 in the amount of $13,449.69; 3/12/24, warrants numbered 54267 through 54268 in the amount of $10,509.18; 3/12/24, warrants numbered 54269 through 54287 and Direct Deposit warrants numbered 58100 through 58167 in the amount of $313,079.32; 3/12/24, warrants numbered 54288 through 54290 in the amount of $1,893.34 and 3/12/24, warrants numbered 54219 through 54304 and Direct Deposit warrants numbered 58168 through 58264 in the amount of $82,839.97.
5. Minutes of the February 13, 2024, City Council Meeting.
Recommendation: Approve the Minutes of the February 13, 2024, Meeting.
6. City of Blythe Permits Issued for the Month of January 2024.
Recommendation: Receive and File the monthly report.
7. City of Blythe Fire Department Monthly Activity Report for February 2024.
Recommendation: Receive and file the monthly report.
8. City of Blythe Police Department Monthly Activity Report for February 2024.
Recommendation: Receive and file the monthly report.
9. Quality of Life Program Activity Report for February 2024.
Recommendation: Receive and file the monthly report.
10. Request to Waive the Temporary Use Permit Fee for Peace from Chaos’ PfC Mental Health Awareness March and Rally.
Recommendation: Waive the Temporary Use Permit Fee of $241.00 for the PfC Mental Health Awareness and Rally on March 23, 2024.
11. Amendment Number One to the Mid-Management MOU.
Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 2024-008:
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-008. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA,
APPROVING AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITY OF BLYTHE AND THE EMPLOYEES REPRESENTED BY THE MID-MANAGEMENT UNIT.
Public Comment. Angela Colangeli with Peace from Chaos thanked Council for waiving the TUP fee for their event. She invited everyone to attend the PfC Mental Health Awareness March and Rally.
Councilman Halby said I may have a conflict as they will be using my property, at no charge, for this event. It was determined there was no financial conflict of interest for Councilman Halby to vote on the PfC TUP request.
Councilman Reynolds moved approval of the Consent Calendar. The motion was seconded by Councilman Burton with a unanimous aye vote.
CONTINUED BUSINESS:
Save Chuck. Interim City Manager Crecelius provided an update on the City’s efforts to “Save Chuck” and the rescheduling of the trip to Sacramento to March 18th-20th.The partnership with Professor Eason and Brown University students has continued. There is a new class of students who will present to the Council on March 21st. That following Thursday at 6pm Kosmont Companies will present their Economic Overview. This was the study commissioned by Riverside County.
No public comment. The item was received and filed.
NEW BUSINESS:
Fiscal Year 2023/24 Budget Amendment and Mid-Year Financial Report. Finance Director Elms stated there is a correction in my staff report, it references December 2024 and should be December 2023. The City’s annual budget is a financial plan based on information available at the time. Like any plan, it may change based on conditions. The Mid-Year report is developed using six months of unaudited revenue and expenditure activity. The review is intended to update the Council on how revenues and expenditures are trending compared to initial projections and provides an opportunity for the City to make amendments to its projections to better align the budget to actuals. At midyear, the General Fund has reported 33% of projected revenue and expended 62% of its expenditure budget. It’s typical for the General Fund revenues to trend under 50% at mid-year due to the timing of receipts. The average at midyear is 30%. Based on current trends and information available, revenues are anticipated to end the year at approximately $15 million and within .5% of budgeted levels. Sales Tax, VLF, TOT, and Property Taxes are performing close to budget projections. Based on the midyear review, staff is recommending amendments to revenue estimates identified in Exhibit A. The amendments will account for grants awarded post budget adoption with a net of $65,000.
Operating expenditures are at or below the approved budget. As indicated in Exhibit A, staff is proposing amendments to appropriations in the General Fund with a net increase of $132,000.
No amendments are being proposed for the water or sewer utility funds. Exhibit A does provide for budget amendments to other funds with amendments to Measure A and Capital Streets projects being the most notable. It is recommended that the Council receive and file the mid-year report and adopt Resolution 2024-007, the first amendment to the City’s 2024 Operating and Capital Budget as referenced in Exhibit A.
Councilman Reynolds applauded the efforts taken to get us to where we are today. Thank you for keeping us on track. We have all worked towards improving this community. Kudos.
No public comment. Vice Mayor Rodriguez moved approval of Resolution No. 2024-007. The motion was seconded by Councilman Burton by a unanimous aye vote.
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-007. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023-2024.
New Water Reservoir at Palo Verde College Project. Interim City Manager Crecelius stated the City of Blythe’s Water Utility system is comprised of three systems, the City proper, Hidden Beaches and Mesa Ranch. The Mesa Ranch water system includes a 500,000-water reservoir located at Palo Verde College. The tank has met its useful life and must be replaced to maintain water utility operations. In 2021, The Holt Group prepared the project design documents for the replacement of the water reservoir and the project was put out to bid in January 2022. At the same time, and based on the Engineer’s Estimate, staff applied for the FY 2022 EDI Community Project Funding Grant in the amount of $500,000. In February 2022, bids were received for the project with the low bid being over $1 million dollars. Without adequate funding for the project, Council rejected the bids. Staff then submitted an Urgent Drinking Water Needs Grant to the State Water Resources Control Board for $500,000 to close the funding gap.
In late 2022, staff re-issued a Notice Inviting Bids for the Water Reservoir Project. At the bid opening on January 10, 2023, the City received bids from AZCA Drilling and Pump, Inc. in the amount of $978,400, Cora Constructors, Inc. in the amount of $1,110,450 and Canyon Springs in the amount of $1,280,706. After the bid opening, AZCA Drilling and Pump, Inc. was determined to be the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. However, as staff continued to work to obtain project funding, finalize grant agreements from both grant funding sources, obtain design approval from the State Water Resources Control Board, and finalize environmental documents, an agreement for the project was not awarded. As both the State and Federal grants have strict timelines for construction, and the previous bids received comply with the project requirements and were never rejected, staff recommends awarding the bid to AZCA Drilling and Pump, Inc.
This will save time on re-bidding the project for a third time. In December 2023, AZCA submitted a proposed change order in the amount of $97,600, noting that the original bids were valid for 120 days and that since the time of receipt of bids, both prevailing wage rates and materials prices have increased. The change order increases AZCA’s price to $1,076,000. With the price increase, AZCA remains the low bidder. Due to the considerable amount of time that has passed since the bid opening in January 2023 and the increases in prevailing wage rates and materials prices, staff believes the change order is reasonable. Staff also believes that allowing the change order due to such increases would not give AZCA an unfair advantage. There is a 12- week lead time on manufacturing the 500,000-gallon water reservoir. Once the tank is delivered, construction is expected to take another 4-6 weeks. With the City required to have the project completed by November 30, 2024 to receive reimbursement from the State grant funding, there is no time to re-bid the project, as it would take another 2-3 months to solicit new bids.
Therefore, it is recommended that Council award the agreement to AZCA as the lowest responsible bidder, approved Change Order No. 1, authorize the Interim City Manager to execute Agreement No. 2024-010 A in the amount of $1,076,000 with AZCA Drilling & Pump, Inc. once all bonds and contract documents have been approved as to form by the Interim City Manager and City Attorney, authorize an additional $108,000 for contingencies, project inspection and engineering services, establish a project budget not to exceed $1,184,000, and authorize the Interim City Manager to approve and execute changes orders and approve expenditures for engineering and project inspection services during construction within the approved project budget.
No public comment. Councilman Reynolds moved approval of staff’s recommendation. The motion was seconded by Councilman Burton with a unanimous aye vote.
Demolition and Abatement of 125 W. Murphy Street- Part 1 EVCS Power Relocation. Interim City Manager Crecelius stated the plan for many years has been to demolish the vacant building located at 125 W. Murphy Street to expand the parking lot at City Hall. In doing so, this would clean up the blighted structure and allow for more public parking for those with business in City Hall. There are two Electric Vehicle Charging stalls in the parking lot at City Hall. When they were installed, roughly 10 years ago the power was supplied from 125 W.
Murphy Street. Before the site can be demolished, the power supply will need to be relocated to City Hall. Once the power supply is relocated, subsequent bidding documents will be released for the demotion and abatement and parking lot expansion. In February, staff released a Notice Inviting Bids for the Demolition and Abatement at 125 W. Murphy Street Part 1 EVCS Power Relocation. Sealed bids were received until 2:00pm on March 5, 2024. One bid was received from Johnson Electric in the amount of $17,975.00. City staff reviewed the bid submitted by Johnson Electric and determined it was responsive and responsible. Johnson Electric has performed electrical work for the city for years. Their contractor’s license is current and in good standing with the State of California. Therefore, it is recommended Council authorize the Interim City Manager to execute Agreement No. 2024-012 A in the amount of $17,975.00 with Johnson Electric once all bonds and contract documents are approved as to form by the Interim City Manager and City Attorney, authorize an additional $2,000 for contingencies, establish a project budget not to exceed $19,975 and authorize the Interim City Manager to approve and execute change orders during construction within the approved project budget.
No public comment. Councilman Reynolds moved approval of staff’s recommendation. The motion was seconded by Councilman Burton with a unanimous aye vote.
Ordinance No. 929-24 Establishing a 72-hour Parking Limit. Lieutenant Walnoha stated our City streets are frequently used to store vehicles for extended periods of time. These vehicles raise public safety concerns such as obstruction of access to rights-of-way along with reduced sight, distance and visibility which have a detrimental effect on public health, safety, welfare, and quality of life within the city along with visual blight. California Vehicle Code 22651 subsection (k) outlines the circumstances in which a Peace Officer is authorized to remove a vehicle from a highway if it is left parked or left standing for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance authorizing removal. The Blythe Municipal Code does not currently have any restrictions regarding how long a vehicle may be parked on a City street. To address this, staff has proposed Ordinance No. 929-24, which prohibits parking, leaving standing or the storing of any vehicle on a highway, street, or alley for 72 or more consecutive hours. The Ordinance also states that the vehicle must be moved or relocated to a different location or parking stop at least ½ mile away and may not return to the same location or parking spot for at least 48 hours. If the vehicle is not moved or returns to the same location withing 48 hours, that vehicle will be subject to removal. When the Ordinance goes into effect, officers will place a warning notice on the vehicle upon initial contact advising the vehicle will be towed if not moved in accordance with the Ordinance. To preserve the safety and attractiveness of City streets, staff recommends Council introduce Ordinance No. 929-24.
Councilman Halby asked if this included recreational vehicles and trailers and city owned parking lots. It was reported it did include recreational vehicle and trailers, but not City owned parking lots. Councilman Halby asked for the parking lots to be included.
Council discussed various scenarios in which this Ordinance would or would not apply.
No public comment.
City Attorney Roberto stated should the Council wish to add City parking lots to the Ordinance, I suggest you include that in your motion. Move the Ordinance with the one change if that is what the Council decides.
Councilman Reynolds moved to introduce the Ordinance with the changes recommended by Council. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Rodriguez with a unanimous aye vote.
ORDINANCE NO. 929-24 - AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA, ADDING A NEW SECTION 10.08.070 (PARKING FOR MORE THAN 72 HOURS PROHIBITED; REMOVAL) TO CHAPTER 10.08 (PARKING REGULATIONS) OF TITLE 10 (VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC) OF THE BLYTHE
MUNICIPAL CODE AND FINDING THE ORDINANCE IS EXEMPT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW UNDER
THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) PURSUANT TO CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15061(B)(3) (COMMON SENSE EXEMPTION).
ORAL REPORTS:
Interim City Manager Crecelius invited everyone to the 66th Annual Community Outlook Conference.
Mayor DeConinck reported on the upcoming fair. The Auction is on Saturday followed by the Farm Olympics. Please come out and support the PAL Hamburger Booth during the fair.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
George Colangeli thanked Councilman Reynolds for his commitment to the City. Thank you for everything you have done for the City in different capacities. I am glad to be here after sixteen years and wish you the best of luck.
Jeff Getchell thanked Council Reynolds for his service. You wear your heart on your sleeve.
You’ve been fabulous for this community. I have one thing to say about you leaving Blythe and that is boo. I wish you luck in Stafford.
ADJOURN: The City Council meeting was adjourned at 6:40pm. ________________________________
Joseph DeConinck, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________
Mallory Crecelius, City Clerk