CITY OF DUARTE
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR JOINT MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL,
THE DUARTE HOUSING AUTHORITY, AND THE DUARTE COMMUNITY
FACILITIES FINANCING AUTHORITY
TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2024
6:00 PM - Closed Session
7:00 PM - Regular Session
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Truong called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
Councilmembers Present: Kang, Schulz, Garcia, Truong
Councilmembers Absent: Finlay, Lewis, Martin Del Campo
Staff Present: Brian Villalobos, City Manager
Kristen Petersen, Assistant City Manager / Director of
Administrative Services
Annette Juarez, City Clerk
2. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
Moved by Councilmember Kang, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Garcia, and carried by th ollowing vote of the Council to adopt the agenda
AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
3. PUBLIC COMMENT - CLOSED SESSION ITEMS
None.
4. CLOSED SESSION
The City Council recessed into closed session at 6:04 p.m. to discuss the following:
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL AND LABOR NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Sec. 54957.6.
EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION: SEIU Local 721 Management and Professional Employees and General Employee Units.
REGULAR SESSION
5. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Truong called the open session to order at 7:13 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
Councilmembers Present:
Councilmembers Absent:
Staff Present:
Kristen Petersen, Assistant City Manager / Director of
Craig Hensley, Director of Community Development
Larry Breceda, Director of Public Safety Services
4/9/2024 - PAGE 1
Manuel Enriquez, Director of Parks and Recreation
Jason Golding, Planning Division Manager
Annette Juarez, City Clerk
Andres Rangel, Assistant to the City Manager
Albert Nunez, Management Aide
Frances Jimenez, Deputy City Clerk
6. PLEDGE TO THE FLAG
The flag salute was led by Jason Golding.
7. CITY ATTORNEY CLOSED SESSION REPORT
City Attorney Phan announced that no reportable action was taken.
8. SPECIAL ITEMS
A. Community Development Update
Director of Community Development Hensley reported on the 7% increase of building permits and 66% increase of fees. He shared details about the recent projects on Central Ave., the installation of light poles on Evergreen St., the upcoming widening of the sidewalk project on Highland Ave., the curb ramp project funded by Caltrans on Buena Vista St. and Mountain Ave. and future improvements that will be made to the new Ford dealership.
In response to questions posed by Council, Director Hensley clarified the various categories of permits that made up the recent increase; and further explained the signal box upgrades that will be made and addressed the new ownership of the Ford dealership.
B. Parks and Recreation Update
Director of Parks and Recreation Enriquez highlighted recent past events: Cesar Chavez Day of Service, Annual Egg Fest, and the first ever Jump for Autism event; shared the rescheduled day of service on April 20; thanked part-time professionals, the CERT volunteers, the Public Safety department for their support and the Women's Club for their generous donation during the latest events. Enriquez also announced the upcoming Water Safety event on May 11 and the hosting of Evander Holyfield in partnership with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano at the Duarte Teen Center Boxing program on April 27.
The Council expressed excitement over the boxing program and its upcoming event; and thanked Director Enriquez and his team for their recent work.
9. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
Danna Gee, Duarte Library, announced upcoming library events. As a follow up to question osed by the City Council during the previous meeting, Joanna provided demographic informatio of the majority of hotspot users and clarified information regarding the Wi-Fi accessibility provided by the library.
City Clerk Juarez announced upcoming city events.
10. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
None
11. CONSENT CALENDAR
1. Motion to read all Resolutions and ordinances presented for consideration by Title only an vaive further reading. (CC/HA/FA)
B. Approval of absence(s) of City Councilmember(s) from the City Council meeting.
C. Approval of Minutes - March 26, 2024. (CC/HA/FA)
4/9/2024 - PAGE 2
D. Approval of Warrants - April 9, 2024. (CC/HA/FA)
E. Receive and file the Community Development Update.
F. Receive and file the Parks and Recreation Department Update.
G. Removed from Consent Calendar for Discussion
H. Removed from Consent Calendar for Discussion
I. Removed from Consent Calendar for Discussion
Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Garcia, seconded by Councilmember Schulz, and carried by the following vote of the Council to approve Items 7A-7F of the Consent Calendar.
AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
12. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR FOR DISCUSSION
G. Production Agreement with Pyro Spectaculars, Inc. for 2024 Independence Day Celebration Fireworks Show
Director Enriquez provided a summary of this year's event; explained the logistics of the stage positioning; and clarified the show availability based on the dropzone and fallout area.
Moved by Councilmember Kang, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Garcia, and carried by the following vote of the Council to authorize the City Manager to execute this production agreement with Pyro Spectaculars, Inc. in the amount of $27,500 to produce the fireworks display at the City's Independence Day Celebration on July 3, 2024.
AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
H. Landscape Design Contract with Site Design Studio
Director Hensley gave a summary of the project details and confirmed that the Council will be approached with a concept plan for their input on the future design and development.
Moved by Councilmember Kang, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Garcia, and carried by the following vote of the Council to authorize the City Manager to sign a Professional Services Agreement with Site Design Studio for Landscape Design Services and construction administration of the Highland Promenade in the amount of $61,300.
AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
I. Lease Extension for Public Safety Office at 1042 Huntington Drive City Manager Villalobos commended Director Hensley for his work negotiating the lease agreement; explained the lease extension is for ten years with the option to opt out after five years with a one-year notice, a one-time 12% increase during the sixth year and credits to make improvements to the site.
Director Hensley emphasized the rate is significantly better than arrangements in the past and explained the current financial amounts paid a year.
4/9/2024 - PAGE 3
Discussion ensued about looking for other possible locations for the Public Safety Office.
The Council directed staff to conduct a feasibility study on an alternative location for the Public Safety Office.
City Manager Villalobos suggested discussing possible locations during the upcoming CIP workshop.
Director Hensley emphasized the competitive rate the lease extension provides and the advantageous parking situation at the current location.
Moved by Councilmember Kang, seconded by Councilmember Schulz, and carried by the following vote of the Council to authorize the City Manager to sign a 10 year extension to the current lease for Public Safety in the Mountain Vista Plaza Shopping Center.
AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
13. PUBLIC HEARINGS
None.
14. BUSINESS ITEMS
A. Discussion Regarding the Public Utilities, Communications, and Technology Commission's Recommendation Concerning the "Report an Issue" Website Feature Management Aide Nunez provided an update on the "Report an Issue" website feature which was requested by Council; he discussed his research on the potentiality of creating an app; and reported the statistics of resident usage of the reporting form as well as the recently added features.
He also shared the years worth of data that supported the effective use of the website feature which, per the Public Utilities, Communications, and Technology Commission's recommendation should be continued to be used in lieu of a mobile app. Nunez shared his research on what would be required in terms of resources for a mobile app and provided a comparison between said app and the current format of the mobile version of the website.
Discussion was had regarding feasibility of viewing images and videos from the website on a mobile device.
The Council suggested being more proactive in terms of responding to residents comments and questions via social media.
The Council commended Nunez for his thorough research and hard work in the implementation of their suggestions.
Moved by Councilmember Schulz, seconded by Councilmember Kang, and carried by the following vote of the Council to concur with the Public Utilities, Communications, and Technology Commission's recommendation for City staff to continue using the "Report an Issue" website feature and not move forward with a request to City Council to fund a city mobile AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
Nunez thanked the departments for their support and cooperation in this project. 4/9/2024 - PAGE 4
B. Adoption of Resolution No. 24-02 regarding the proposed thresholds of significance for purposes of analyzing transportation impacts
Planning Manager Golding shared that the purpose of this resolution is to discuss what projects under a vehicles miles traveled threshold are allowed to be identified as either lower or major in impact using a toolkit to screen projects and in the long run saves time and money for project applicants. Golding introduced Consultant Fatemeh Ranaiefar from Fehr & Peers who is assisting with the SB 743 implementation.
Ranaiefar explained that areas that allow for various transportation methods means there is low to no VMT and areas where there is no transit access and individuals traveled by car means there is a high VMT. Areas with a low VMT can then be screened out, these metrics are being updated to follow a tour based model and includes the most recent population changes, trends and more.
In response to questions posed by Council, Ranaiefar addressed factors and metrics behind the high VMT areas in Duarte and explained the importance of updates to the Regional Travel Demand Model.
Moved by Councilmember Schulz, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Garcia and carried by the following vote of the Council to adopt Resolution 24-02, finding that the action is exempt fron CEQA and establishing the proposed thresholds of significance for purposes of analyzin AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
C. City of Duarte City Council Reimbursement Policy
City Attorney Phan shared that the policy update clarifies which expenditures can be reimbursed and defines a process for which requests can be made or reimbursements can occur. Specifications were made regarding the types of events that can be reimbursed, the addition of a 21 day in advance request, and the requirement to submit an expense reimbursement form within 30 days of the In response to comments made by Council, City Manager Villalobos assured that his office is available to assist in filling out reimbursement forms and process requests.
Conversation ensued regarding the specific situations that would allow for reimbursement of an event attendance.
Cilo a for it ilbo explind that he presos police la marvil defined and the update There was discussion regarding the benefits to updating the policy for Council to represent its residents and support other organizations that serve the community.
City Attorney Phan noted that a request can always be brought to Council for review if it does not fall under the updated policy. She further clarified that individual tickets would come out of the individual Councilmembers' funds, but if a table is sponsored on behalf of the City that would Moved by Courtin color solo, econd by ray cour rem Gain and cried by the AYES: KANG, SCHULZ, LEWIS, GARCIA, TRUONG
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: FINLAY, LEWIS, MARTIN DEL CAMPO
4/9/2024 - PAGE 5
15. CONTINUATION OF ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
16. ITEMS FROM CITY COUNCIL/HOUSING AUTHORITY/FINANCING
AUTHORITY MEMBERS AND MANAGER/EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR/REPORTS OF MEETINGS ATTENDED PER GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 53232.3
Councilmember Schulz shared that she attended the SGVCOG Homelessness committee meeting.
Councilmember Kang reported he has recently received resident complaints of food waste going into the green waste that has caused various issues; asked if staff can look into Burrtec providing biodegradable bags; and reported he attended the Mayor's Youth Council meeting.
Mayor Pro Tem Garcia thanked Director Hensley and Director Enriquez for their help working with a business in a recent situation; commended Director Enriquez for the Jump for Autism event; and shared that he attended the City of Azusa Mayor's Prayer Breakfast.
Mayor Truong reported he attended the San Gabriel Valley Economic Forecast Summit at City of Hope and congratulated the Senior Center and Parks and Recreation Department for a great firs game of the season of the Duarte 66ers Senior Softball team.
17. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:52 p.m., the City Council adjourned the meeting.
Vih mong
Vinh Truong, Mayor
Annette Juarez, City Clerk
4/9/2024 - PAGE 6