CITY OF FOSTER CITY/
ESTERO MUNICIPAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
SPECIAL MEETING OF MARCH 27, 2023
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER OF CITY COUNCIL/EMID BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The duly called and noticed special meeting of the City Council of the City of Foster City (City), sitting as said Council and as ex officio the Board of Directors of the Estero Municipal Improvement District (EMID) of March 27, 2023 was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor/President Froomin.
Mayor/President Jon Froomin teleconferenced from 1925 Belspring Court, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23464.
The meeting was held as a hybrid meeting.
ROLL CALL
The Communications Director/City Clerk/District Secretary called the roll:
PRESENT: Councilmembers/ex officio EMID Directors Sam Hindi, Stacy Jimenez, Art Kiesel, Patrick Sullivan, and Mayor/President Jon Froomin.
ABSENT: None.
STAFF PRESENT: Stefan Chatwin, City/District Manager, Benjamin Stock, City Attorney/District Legal Counsel; Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City Manager; Edmund Suen, Finance Director; Tracy Avelar, Police Chief; Derek Schweigart, Parks and Recreation Director; Julie Paping, Administrative Services Director; Ray Towne, Interim Public Works Director; Robert Marshall, Fire Marshal; Laura Galli, Engineering Manager; Yelena Cappello, Deputy City Clerk; ‘Andra Lorenz, Senior Management Analyst; Rob Lasky, IT Manager; Shuli Chen, Video Technician and Priscilla Schaus, Communications Director/City Clerk/District Secretary.
ACTION TO CENSURE OR REMOVE OR TAKE NO FORMAL ACTION RELATING TO PLANNING COMMISSIONER EVAN ADAMS. MINUTE ORDER 1909.
City Attorney Stock presented the staff report.
The following people addressed the City Council via email:
1. Shanker Kenkre;
2. Julie Tang;
3. George Zatulovsky;
4. Tamra Donovan;
5. Eva Hess;
6. Randy Pilgrim;
7. Atanacio Bayudan;
8. Karen A. Schwarz;
9. Marvis Lu;
10.Laura Zhu and JJ Zhang;
11.Jennifer;
12.Lan Jiang;
13.Param Desai;
14.Ken Abreu;
15.Tong Zhao;
16.Jinfeng Liu;
17.Wen Liu, 229 Puffin Court;
18.Anil Mehta;
19.Latha Menon;
20.Deepa Lakshminarayanan;
21.Cheng Huang;
22.Kriti Jolly;
23.Sai Nagarajan;
24.Nina Aggarwal;
25.Daipayan Deb;
26.Anthony Kong;
27.Amitabh Awasthi;
28.Arunapaluri;
29.Satish;
30.Anupama Singh;
31.Vinod Rai;
32.Neeraj Kashalkar;
33.Girish Thattil;
34.Jayanthi Savier;
35.Navinkumar Shetty;
36.Alok K;
37.Ritesh Biltheria;
38.Suprith Hr
39.Manohar Mandadi;
40.Rajendra Rajoria
41.Jacob D’Aquino;
42.Kandy O’Mara;
43.Randi A. Paynter;
44.Kam Singh;
45.Sri Sivani Charan;
46.Kathy Hutchinson;
47.Bhawana Saxena Bharadwaj;
48.Geeta and Subhash Bhatt;
49.Sanjay Singhania;
50.Docks Helms;
51.Cindy Wang;
52.Seema M;
53.Ashy;
54.Rajesh Kalra;
55.Seema Kalra;
56.Shekar Hariharan;
57.Chandan Mukherjee;
58.TJ Consunji;
59.Sangha Cedric Han; and
60.Tim.
The following people addressed the City Council in person:
1. Raj Tiwari;
2. Amitabh Awasthi;
3. Richa Awasthi;
4. Marcia Cohn-Lyle;
5. Ajay Godbole;
6. Don Carlson;
7. Satish Chandra Vonle;
8. Eva Hess;
9. Quaeed Motiwala;
10.Shiv Shukla;
11.Saroj Bala;
12.Venkatesh Prasad;
13.Vy Vo;
14.Nilofer Motiwala;
15.Larry Staley;
16.Steve Gunn;
17.Danny Gan;
18.Kathryn Churchill;
19.Bokai Xia; and
20.Evan Adams.
The following people addressed the City Council via teleconference:
1. Wayne Lee;
2. Jini Shans;
3. Seema Patel;
4. Deb;
5. Param Desai;
6. Shubhda Roy;
7. Himanshu S; and
8. SK.
Discussion ensued.
Motion by Councilmember Kiesel, seconded by Councilmember Jimenez, and carried unanimously by roll call vote, 5-0-0, Minute Order No. 1909 was adopted, to direct the City Attorney to return to City Council at the April 3 City Council meeting with a resolution for the Council to consider the removal of Evan Adams from the Planning Commission. * *Planning Commissioner Adams resigned following the March 27, 2023 meeting, and the resolution regarding the removal of Planning Commissioner Adams did not move forward due to the resignation.
RECESS. The Mayor/President recessed the meeting from 8:35 p.m. to 8:43 p.m.
STUDY SESSION
Mayor/President Froomin recessed the meeting into Study Session for the following:
1. Five-Year Capital Improvement Program – FY 2023-2024 to FY 2027-2028
2. Fifteen Year General Fund Capital Improvement Projects Program and Funding Plan for the Preparation of the City’s FY 2023-2024 Budget and Five-Year Financial Plan
3. Fifteen Year Water and Wastewater Funds Capital Improvement Projects Program and Funding Plan for the Preparation of the District’s FY 2023-24 Budget and Five- Year Financial Plan
4. Review of Projected Water Rates for FY 2023-2024 and Policy Direction for Rate Notification Under Proposition 218
5. Review of Projected Wastewater Rates for FY 2023-2024
6. Internal Service Funds Summary
7. Compensated Absences
8. Longevity Recognition Benefits Plan and Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) Benefits Plan Internal Service Funds
9. Equipment Replacement Fund and Internal Service Charges for FY 2023-2024
10. Vehicle Replacement Fund and Internal Service Fund Allocations for FY 2023- 2024
11. Building Maintenance Fund and Internal Service Charges for FY 2023-2024
12. Self-Insurance Fund
13. Information Technology Fund
Motion by Councilmember/Director Hindi, seconded by Vice Mayor/Vice President Sullivan, and carried unanimously by roll call vote, 5-0-0, Minute Order No. 1910 was adopted as follows:
1. Proceed with including the proposed Five-Year Capital Improvement Program – FY 2023-2024 to FY 2027-2028 in the FY 2023-2024 budget;
2. Proceed with the Long-Term Capital Improvement Projects Program and Funding Plan - City Capital Investment Fund - FY 2023-2024 to FY 2037-2038 as presented;
3. Proceed with the Long-Term Capital Improvement Projects Program and Funding Plan - Water and Wastewater Enterprise Funds - FY 2023-2024 to FY 2037-2038 as presented;
4. Proceed with the water rate adoption that reflect increases of 6.0% for fixed charges and 4.3% for variable charges for residential, irrigation and fire line customers.
Proceed with distribution of Proposition 218 notice based on the Board of Directors’ direction regarding water rates;
5. Proceed with the rolling 5-year wastewater rate increases, updating the previously approved and noticed maximum increase from 10% to 3% for FY 2023-2024, and including an increase of 2.0% for FY 2024-2025. Proceed with including an information-only reminder about Wastewater Rates in the Proposition 218 notice for the Water Rate public hearing;
6. In recognition of the higher General Fund Transfers Out to the City CIP Fund from $3.5 million in FY 2022-23 to $6 million in FY 2023-24, proceed with 1) reducing the FY 23-24 VRF replacement charge to the General Fund by $374,598 as there is adequate VRF Fund Balance to absorb the adjustment and 2) providing a “holiday” for the FY 23-24 ERF replacement charges of $439,194 to the General Fund as there is adequate ERF Fund Balance to absorb the adjustment;
7. Proceed with preparing the Compensated Absences Fund based on the recommendations and allocations contained in the staff report and proceed with evaluating IRC Section 115 irrevocable trust options;
8. Proceed with preparing the Longevity Recognition Benefits Plan and Public Employees’ Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) Benefits Plan based on the recommendations and allocations contained in the staff report and proceed with evaluating IRC Section 115 irrevocable trust options;
9. Proceed with preparing the Equipment Replacement Fund budget based on the recommendations and allocations contained in the staff report;
10.Proceed with preparing the Vehicle Replacement Fund budget based on the recommendations and allocations contained in the staff report;
11.Proceed with preparing the Building Maintenance Fund budget based on the recommendations and allocations contained in the staff report;
12.Proceed with preparing the Self Insurance Fund budget based on the recommendations and allocations contained in the staff report; and
13.Proceed with preparing the Information Technology Fund budget based on the recommendations and allocations contained in the staff report.
Meeting recessed into study session at 8:43 p.m. and reconvened at 10:12 p.m.
CLOSED SESSION
Mayor/President Froomin recessed the meeting into Closed Session for:
1. Conference with Labor Negotiators (Government Code Section 54957.6) Agency designated representative: Julie Paping and Stefan Chatwin Employee Organizations: POA, AFSCME, and Management Group; and
2. Report Out from Closed Session.
Meeting recessed into closed session at 10:12 p.m. and reconvened at 10:52 p.m.
City Attorney/District Legal Counsel Stock reported that no action was taken in Closed Session.
ADJOURNMENT
Hearing no objection from the City Council/EMID Board, Mayor/President Froomin adjourned the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 10:52 p.m.