AGENDA
GROVER BEACH CITY COUNCIL
GROVER BEACH CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBER
154 SOUTH EIGHTH STREET
GROVER BEACH, CALIFORNIA
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2025, 6:00 PM
Next Resolution No .25-01
Next Ordinance No. 25-01
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in a City meeting, please contact the City Clerk's Office (805-473-4567) at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to ensure that reasonable arrangements can be made to provide accessibility to the meeting.
CALL TO ORDER
CALL TO ORDER
FLAG SALUTE
ROLL CALL Council Members Kathy McCorry-Driscoll, Clint Weirick, Mayor Pro Tem Robert Robert, and Mayor Kassi Dee
CLOSED SESSION ANNOUNCEMENTS
AGENDA REVIEW
At this time the City Council will review the order of business to be conducted and receive requests for, or make announcements regarding, any change(s) in the order of the day. The Council should by motion adopt the agenda as presented or as revised.
CEREMONIAL CALENDAR
1. Proclamation for National Mentorship Month
2. 2024 City Employee of the Year and 30-Year Service Award Recipient
3. 2024 Police Department Officer of the Year, Employee of the Year, and Medal of Merit Recipient
PRESENTATIONS
None
Meetings can be viewed on Channel 20 and are live streamed on the City’s website via www.slospan.org. Members of the public who cannot attend the meeting in person may provide public comment during the meeting by calling (805) 321-6639 to provide public comment via phone (the phone line will open just prior to the start of the meeting at 6:00 PM) or written public comments can be submitted via email to [email protected] prior to the Council meeting. If submitting written comments in advance of the meeting, please note the agenda item.
Item 8 Amended: To correct the Omittance of
applicant Ron Arnoldsen
Agenda: Grover Beach City Council Meeting Page 2
Monday, January 13, 2025
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
During this time, the Council will allow up to 15 minutes for Public Communication with additional communication, if necessary, allowed after the Regular Business Items. Any member of the public may address the Council for a period not to exceed three minutes total on any item of interest within the jurisdiction of this Council. The Council will listen to all communications; however, in compliance with the Brown Act, the Council cannot act on items not on the agenda.
CONSENT AGENDA
The following routine items listed below are scheduled for consideration as a group. Recommendations for each item are noted in parentheses. Members of the audience may speak on any item(s) listed on the Consent Agenda. Any Council Member, the City Attorney, or the City Manager may request that an item be withdrawn from the Consent Agenda to allow for full discussion. Items withdrawn from the Consent Agenda will be heard after the rest of the Consent Agenda is approved.
4. Minutes of the City Council Meeting on Monday, December 9, 2024 – City Clerk Sims (Recommended Action: Approve the minutes as submitted or revised.)
VOICE VOTE
5. Resolution Authorizing Display of Specified Commemorative Flags – Assistant City Manager Eriksson
(Recommended Action: Adopt a resolution authorizing the display of commemorative flags on specified dates in 2025.)
ROLL CALL VOTE
6. Annual Approval of the City of Grover Beach Investment Policy – Finance Manager Flores
(Recommended Action: Review and approve the City of Grover Beach Investment Policy.)
ROLL CALL VOTE
7. Resolution to Accept the 2025 Traffic Records Improvement Project Grant Award – Commander Aceves
(Recommended Action: Adopt a Resolution approving the acceptance of 2025 Traffic Records Improvement Project Grant funds in the amount of $100,000 for FY 2024-25.)
ROLL CALL VOTE
PUBLIC HEARING
None
REGULAR BUSINESS
8. Appointment to Fill District 2 City Council Vacancy – City Manager Bronson and City Attorney Lomeli
(Recommended Action: Conduct interviews of applicants and make an appointment to fill an existing vacant City Council seat for the term ending in December 2026.)
ROLL CALL VOTE
9. 2025 City Council Assignments to Boards, Commissions and Committees – City Manager Bronson
(Recommended Action: Adopt the Resolution confirming certain Council assignments and authorize the City Clerk to update FPPC Form 806 for posting on the City’s website.)
ROLL CALL VOTE
Agenda: Grover Beach City Council Meeting Page 3
Monday, January 13, 2025
10. Brown Act Information and Training – City Attorney Lomeli (Recommended Action: Receive information and training on Brown Act requirements.)
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
Any member of the public may address the Council for a period not to exceed three minutes total on any item of interest within the jurisdiction of this Council. The Council will listen to all communications; however, in compliance with the Brown Act, the Council cannot act on items not on the agenda.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS
This item gives the Mayor and Council Members the opportunity to present reports to the other members regarding committees, commissions, boards, or special projects on which they may be participating.
Air Pollution Control District (APCD) ______________ (Alt: Robert Robert) South SLO County Sanitation District (SSLOCSD) _______________ (Alt: Clint Weirick) Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) Robert Robert (Alt: ______________ ) Five Cities Fire Joint Powers Authority ______________ (Alt: Clint Weirick) SLO Council of Governments / SLO Regional Transit Authority ______________ (Alt: __________) (SLOCOG / SLORTA)
South County Transit Committee ______________ (Alt: __________) Zone Three Advisory Committee ______________ (Alt: __________) California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA) Clint Weirick (Alt: ______________) Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC) Clint Weirick (Alt: ______________) SLO County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) Clint Weirick (Alt: Robert Robert) REACH ______________ (Alt: Robert Robert)
South County Chambers of Commerce ______________ (Alt: ___________) Visit SLO CAL Advisory Committee ______________ (Alt: Robert Robert)
COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
This item gives individual Council Members the opportunity to seek consensus for scheduling a specific item on a future agenda, authorizing staff time to provide background information and prepare a staff report for a future agenda, or to comment on Council business, City operations, projects or other items of community interest.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORTS AND COMMENTS
CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORTS AND COMMENTS
CLOSED SESSION
It is the intention of the City Council to meet in Closed Session concerning the following item:
A. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (d) of Government Code section 54956.9
One (1) Case.
Agenda: Grover Beach City Council Meeting Page 4
Monday, January 13, 2025
B. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – EXISTING LITIGATION
Name of Case: Grover H2O, Debra Peterson, and Brenda Auer v. City of Grover Beach, et al. San Luis Obispo Superior Court Case 24CV-0264. Government Code section 54956.9(d)(1).
ADJOURNMENT
* * * * *
Per Resolution No. 17-21, the public portion of City Council meetings will be scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. and conclude no later than 11:00 p.m. Any open session items remaining on the agenda at 11:00 p.m. that have not been discussed or considered by the City Council will be continued to an adjourned meeting of the City Council (scheduled before the next regular meeting). However, the City Council may choose to continue the meeting past 11:00 p.m. upon a proper motion and a 4/5ths vote in favor of such an action. * * * * *
Staff reports or other written materials relating to each item of business referred to on this agenda are available from the City website www.groverbeach.org and on file in the City Clerk’s Office. A public counter copy is available for public inspection and reproduction during normal business hours at City Hall, 154 South 8th Street, Grover Beach, CA. Related materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available in the City Clerk's Office during normal business hours. If you have questions regarding any agenda item, please contact the appropriate City Department. Any writings or documents regarding any item on this agenda, not exempt from public disclosure, provided to a majority of the City Council and distributed subsequent to distribution of the agenda packet will be made available for public inspection in the City Clerk’s Office during normal business hours.
* * * * *
Note: This agenda was prepared and posted pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. This agenda is subject to amendment up to 72 hours prior to the date and time set for the meeting. Please refer to the agenda posted at City Hall for any revisions or call the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 473-4567 for more information.
* * * * *
The agenda and staff reports are also available on the City’s website: www.groverbeach.org
CITY OF GROVER BEACH
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCT AND DECORUM AT COUNCIL MEETINGS (Pursuant to Resolution No. 07-44, adopted 04-16-07, revised 02-18-2020) The City Council and staff welcomes and encourages civic participation and debate on issues. The Council values the public’s opinion and in every Council meeting invite and encourages the public to address the Council on any matter of interest. The Council adopted these policies and procedures for appropriate conduct and decorum at Council meetings and establish guidance for public participation during Council meetings.
These policies will foster and provide greater clarity to preserve the intent of open government and maintain a positive environment for public input and City Council decision-making.
1.0 DECORUM AND ORDER – IN GENERAL
1.1 The presiding officer is responsible for the maintenance of order and decorum at all times.
1.2 The presiding officer shall determine all points of order subject to the right of any Council member to appeal to the City Council by majority vote. If any appeal is taken, the question shall be “Shall the decision of the presiding officer be sustained” in which event a majority vote of the Council shall govern and conclusively determine such question of order.
1.3 All Council members, staff members and members of the public should speak respectfully and avoid the use of profanity, vulgarity and slanderous comments. Recognizing that the First Amendment precludes the City Council from prohibiting speakers from speaking based upon the content of their speech, the presiding officer shall use their best efforts, short of enforcement action, to remind and encourage all participating in the meeting to keep their speech respectful towards others and within bounds appropriate for children and persons of sensitivity toward course language as a courtesy to others present or otherwise viewing Council meetings.
2.0 DECORUM AND ORDER – COUNCIL MEMBERS
2.1 Manner of Speaking.
Any Council member desiring to speak shall first address the presiding officer. Upon recognition by the presiding officer, the Council member shall speak only to the question under debate.
U2.1(a) Questioning Staff.
A Council member desiring to question the staff should address his question to the City Manager, or, in appropriate cases, the City Clerk or City Attorney, who shall be entitled either to answer the inquiry or to designate some staff member for that purpose. Such a designation may be made at the time of any staff presentation or on the agenda listing for the item.
U2.1(b) Interruptions.
Once recognized, a Council member shall not be interrupted while speaking unless called to order by the presiding officer; unless a point of order is raised by another Council member, or unless the speaker chooses to yield to questions from another Council member.
3.0 DECORUM AND ORDER – STAFF
3.1 City Manager Responsibilities
The City Manager is responsible for ensuring that members of the administrative staff observe the rules of decorum and order set forth in this Policy.
3.2 AAddressing the City Council
Any administrative staff member desiring to address the City Council or members of the public shall first be recognized by the presiding officer. All remarks shall be addressed to the presiding officer and not to any individual Council Member or member of the public. Administrative staff members shall accord the utmost courtesy to the City Council, other administrative staff members and the public.
4.0 DECORUM AND ORDER – MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
4.1 AAddressing the City Council
Any member of the public desiring to address the City Council or members of the public shall first be recognized by the presiding officer at the appropriate place on the agenda. All remarks shall be addressed to the presiding officer and not to any individual Council Member, City Manager, City Attorney or member of the administrative staff or member of the public.
4.2 Time Limitation for Addressing the City Council
Public comment when addressing the City Council shall be generally limited to three (3) minutes per speaker. Depending on the extent of the agenda and the number of persons desiring to speak on an issue, the presiding officer may, at the beginning of the hearing, set a different time limit for each speaker. Any person may speak for a longer period of time upon approval from the presiding officer, when deemed necessary, for instance when a person is speaking on behalf of a group or has a graphic or slide presentation requiring more time.
4.3 Failure to Yield, Disruptions
Any person who refuses to relinquish the floor after their allotted time or while attending the City Council meeting engages in conduct or speech which disrupts the business of the meeting shall be brought to order and/or removed from the room if the sergeant-at-arms is so directed by the presiding officer.
Disruptive remarks from the audience, stamping of feet, clapping, whistles, yells and similar demonstrations shall not be permitted by the presiding officer who may direct the sergeant-at-arms to remove such offenders from the room.
4.4 Prosecution
Aggravated cases shall be prosecuted on appropriate complaint signed by the presiding officer.
5.0 ENFORCEMENT OF DECORUM
5.1 The Chief of Police or his designee shall be the ex-officio sergeant-at-arms of the City Council. The sergeant-at-arms shall carry out all legal and valid orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum in the Council Chamber. Upon instructions from the presiding officer, it shall be the duty of the sergeant-at-arms to remove any disorderly person from the Council Chambers or place the disorderly person under arrest or both.
5.2 As set forth in Government Code Section 54957.9, in the event that any meeting is willfully interrupted by a person or group of persons so as to render the orderly conduct of such meeting unfeasible or impedes the ability of the Council to hold the meeting, and order cannot be restored by the removal of individuals who are willfully interrupting the meeting, the presiding officer may order the meeting room cleared and continue in session. Only matters appearing on the agenda may be considered in such a session. Duly accredited representatives of the press or other news media, except those participating in the disturbance, shall be allowed to attend any session held pursuant to this Section. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the City Council from establishing a procedure for readmitting an individual or individuals not responsible for willfully disturbing the orderly conduct of the meeting.
No Documents for this Agenda Item
Proclamation for National Mentorship Month
Agenda Item No. 1
Proclamation for National Mentorship
Month
(CC Mtg 1/13/2025)
No Documents for this Agenda Item
2024 City Employee of the Year and
30-Year Service Award Recipient
Agenda Item No. 2
2024 City EOY and 30-Year Service
Award Recipient
(CC Mtg 1/13/2025)
No Documents for this Agenda Item
2024 Police Department Officer of the Year,
Employee of the Year, and Medal of Merit Recipient
Agenda Item No. 3
2024 PD OOY, EOY, and Medal
of Merit Recipient
(CC Mtg 1/13/2025)
MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2024
CALL TO ORDER Mayor Bright called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 154 South Eighth Street, Grover Beach, California.
FLAG SALUTE The flag salute was led by Hector Sanchez an 8-year-old, 3rd grade student at Grover Heights Elementary School.
ROLL CALL
City Council: Council Members Daniel Rushing, Clint Weirick, Zach Zimmerman, Mayor Pro Tem Robert Robert and Mayor Karen Bright were present.
City Staff: City Manager Matthew Bronson, Assistant City Manager Kristin Eriksson, City Attorney Rob Lomeli, City Clerk Wendi Sims, Police Chief Jim Munro, Administrative Services Director Nick Szamet, Five Cities Fire Authority Chief Scott Hallett and Community Services Supervisor Larry Kim were also present.
CLOSED SESSION ANNOUNCEMENTS
City Attorney Lomeli read the following announcement:
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 8:09 p.m., the Council met in Closed Session regarding the following items:
A. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (d) of Government Code section 54956.9
One (1) Case.
B. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Government Code Section 54957
Title: City Manager
Closed Session Announcements: At 8:54 p.m., Mayor Bright reconvened the meeting in open session with all Council Members present and announced that no reportable action had been taken during Closed Session.
AGENDA REVIEW
Action: Upon unanimous consensus, the Council adopted the agenda as presented.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS The Mayor opened the floor to any member of the public for comment on items of interest which were within the jurisdiction of the City Council, but were not listed on the agenda.
• Kellie Phillips
• Brenda Auer
• Lisa Fraiser
Agenda Item No. 4
Minutes: City Council Meeting Page 2
Monday, December 9, 2024
No additional public comments were received at this time and the Mayor closed the public comment portion of the meeting.
CEREMONIAL CALENDAR
None.
PRESENTATIONS
1. Upcoming Events and Summer Concerts Update – Community Services Supervisor Kim
• Gene Quale
• Debbie Peterson
• Brenda Auer
• Pamela Storton
CONSENT AGENDA
Prior to consideration of the Consent Agenda, Mayor Bright opened public comment. • Brenda Auer
There being no additional public comments received, the Mayor closed public comment.
It was motioned by Council Member Rushing and seconded by Council Member Weirick to approve Consent Agenda Item No.’s 2, 3, 4, and 5 as recommended. The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Council Members – Rushing, Weirick, Zimmerman, Mayor Pro Tem Robert and Mayor Bright
NOES: Council Members – None.
ABSENT: Council Members – None.
ABSTAIN: Council Members – None.
2. Treasurer’s Report for the Period October 1, through October 31, 2024 Action: Approved the Treasurer’s Report as summitted.
3. Treasurer's Report for the 2022 Streets Bond Account - $10,000,000 for the Period October 1, through October 31, 2024
Action: Approved the Treasurer’s Report as summitted.
4. Minutes of the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 Action: Approved the minutes as submitted.
5. Authorization to Purchase Ramona Garden Park Restroom Building Action: Authorized a purchase order in the amount of $229,377 to StructureCast for the restroom building associated with the Ramona Garden Park Rehabilitation Project, Phases 1 and 2 (CIP 1259).
Minutes: City Council Meeting Page 3
Monday, December 9, 2024
Resolution No. 24-57: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, California, Authorizing a Purchase Order for the Ramona Garden Park Restroom Building.
PUBLIC HEARING
None.
REGULAR BUSINESS:
6. Ramona Garden Park Rehabilitation Project Update and Community Donation Program
Mayor Bright read the title of the foregoing item and deferred to staff for a report.
City Manager Bronson and Assistant City Manager Eriksson gave a Powerpoint presentation discussing the project update.
Mayor Bright invited public comment on this matter.
• Jeff Lee
No additional comments were received at this time and the Mayor closed public comment.
Action: It was motioned by Council Member Rushing and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Robert to receive an update on the Ramona Garden Park Rehabilitation Project and Community Donation Program and adopt a resolution to approve the Ramona Garden Park Community Donation Project. The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Council Members – Rushing, Weirick, Zimmerman, Mayor Pro Tem Robert and Mayor Bright
NOES: Council Members – None.
ABSENT: Council Members – None.
ABSTAIN: Council Members – None.
Resolution No. 24-58: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, California, Adopting the Ramona Garden Park Community Donation Policy.
AT THIS TIME THE COUNCIL WILL TAKE A RECESS
RECESS: The City Council was recessed at 6:50 p.m.
RECONVENED: At 6:57 p.m. the meeting was reconvened with all members of Council present.
Minutes: City Council Meeting Page 4
Monday, December 9, 2024
GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION MATTERS
7. Resolution Declaring the Results of the November 5, 2024 Municipal Election Mayor Bright read the title of the foregoing item and deferred to staff for a report.
City Attorney Lomeli presented the staff report.
Mayor Bright invited public comment on this matter.
• Cathryn Sells
No additional comments were received at this time and the Mayor closed public comment.
Action: It was motioned by Council Member Rushing and seconded by Council Member Zimmerman to adopt the Resolution declaring the results of the General Municipal Election held on November 5, 2024. The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Council Members – Rushing, Weirick, Zimmerman, Mayor Pro Tem Robert and Mayor Bright
NOES: Council Members – None.
ABSENT: Council Members – None.
ABSTAIN: Council Members – None.
Resolution No. 24-59: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, California, Declaring the Results of the General Municipal Election Held on November 5, 2024.
8. City Presentation to Outgoing Mayor Karen Bright and Outgoing Council Members Daniel Rushing and Zach Zimmerman
Mayor Bright read the title of the foregoing item and deferred to staff for a report.
City Manager Bronson presented the staff report.
Mayor Bright invited public comment on this matter. No one coming forward at this time and the Mayor closed public comment.
9. Swearing-in Ceremony and Seating of Directly elected Mayor and New Council Members for District 3 and District 4
ROLL CALL: City Council: Council Members Kathy McCorry-Driscoll, Robert Robert, Clint Weirick and Mayor Kassi Dee were present.
Minutes: City Council Meeting Page 5
Monday, December 9, 2024
BUSINESS
10. Comments from Newly Elected Officials
Comments and remarks were made from the newly elected Officiials: Council Member for District 3 Kathy McCorry-Driscoll, Council Member for District 4 Clint Weirick, and Mayor Kassi Dee.
Mayor Dee invited public comment on this matter.
• Nan Fowler
No additional comments were received at this time and the Mayor closed public comment.
11. Appointment of Mayor Pro Tem for 2025
Mayor Dee read the title of the foregoing item and deferred to staff for a report.
City Attorney Lomeli presented a brief overview of the appointment process of the Mayor Pro Tem position.
Mayor Dee invited public comment on this matter. No comments were received at this time and the Mayor closed public comment.
Action: Mayor Pro Tem Robert accepted the appointment by Mayor Dee to serve a oneyear appointment as Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Grover Beach, effective immediately.
12. Adoption of the City Council Meeting Schedule for Calendar Year 2025 Mayor Bright read the title of the foregoing item and deferred to staff for a report.
City Manager Bronson gave a brief staff report.
Mayor Bright invited public comment on this matter. No comments were received at this time and the Mayor closed public comment.
Action: It was motioned by Council Member Weirick and seconded by Council Member McCorry-Driscoll to adopt the proposed City Council meeting schedule for calendar year 2025. The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Council Members – McCorry-Driscoll, Weirick, Mayor Pro Tem Robert and Mayor Dee
NOES: Council Members – None
ABSENT: Council Members – None
ABSTAIN: Council Members – None
Minutes: City Council Meeting Page 6
Monday, December 9, 2024
13. Procedure to Fill Vacant Council Seat
Mayor Dee read the title of the foregoing item and deferred to staff for a report.
City Attorney Lomeli discussed the procedure to fill the vacant Council seat.
Mayor Dee invited public comment on this matter.
• Debbie Peterson
• Bob Perrault
• Ann McDowell
• Pam Storton
• Brenda Auer
No additional comments were received at this time and the Mayor closed public comment.
Action: Council provided direction to fill the seat vacated by the recall of Council Member Rushing by Application Process.
There being no further business to come before the City Council, Mayor Dee adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
_____________________________
KASSI DEE, MAYOR
Attest:
______________________________
WENDI SIMS, CITY CLERK
(Approved at CC Mtg ______)
Agenda Item No. 5
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: January 13, 2025 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Kristin Eriksson, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution Authorizing Display of Specified Commemorative Flags
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing the display of commemorative flags on specified dates in 2025. ____________________________________________________________________________
BACKGROUND
Historically, the City has displayed the United States Flag, the State of California Flag, and the City of Grover Beach Flag at City Hall and other City facilities in accordance with Federal and State law. On May 8, 2023, the City Council adopted a resolution to establish a formal policy for the approval and display of commemorative flags which clarified that City flagpoles are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression or speech by the public. The policy established a process by which commemorative flags may be flown on City flagpoles, upon Council approval, to express the official sentiments of the City.
At the May 28, 2024 City Council meeting, the Council adopted a resolution to authorize flying the Pride Flag as a symbol of support for the LGBTQ community during the month of June as the City had done in prior years. The Council also provided direction to staff to return with a resolution to authorize the display of other commemorative flags on specified dates in 2024, including:
• Pride Flag – month of June
• United States Army on June 14
• United States Coast Guard on August 4
• National League of Families’ Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag on September 15 • United States Air Force on September 18
• United States Navy on October 13
• United States Marine Corps on November 10
• United States Space Force on December 20
The Council previously provided direction for these flags above to be displayed in 2024 and the resolution shown in Attachment 1 enables the display of these flags in 2025. The Council may also provide direction to include additional flags or to change the flags displayed, if desired.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to this action.
Staff Report: Resolution Authorizing Display of Specified Commemorative Flags Page 2 January 13, 2025
ALTERNATIVES
The Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Adopt a resolution to authorize the display commemorative flags on specified dates in 2025; or
2. Do not adopt a resolution to authorize the display of these flags; or
3. Provide staff with alternative direction.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachments
1. Resolution
2. City’s Flag Policy
RESOLUTION NO. 25-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GROVER BEACH,
CALIFORNIA AUTHORIZING THE DISPLAY OF SPECIFIED COMMEMORATIVE FLAGS WHEREAS, the City of Grover Beach currently displays the United States Flag and the State of California Flag at the Grover Beach City Hall; and WHEREAS, the City of Grover Beach has adopted a flag policy that allows the display of commemorative flags upon resolution of the City Council as an express form of government speech; and
WHEREAS, in adopting this Policy, the City Council desires to reflect the dignity of the flags flown at City-owned or City-maintained facilities, as well as the role the Grover Beach City Hall as an inclusive gathering location and local symbol of government and democracy; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the City Council of the City of Grover Beach authorizes the display of the following commemorative flags on the dates specified below:
1. Pride Flag – month of June
2. United States Army on June 14
3. United States Coast Guard on August 4
4. National League of Families’ Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag on September 15
5. United States Air Force on September 18
6. United States Navy on October 13
7. United States Marine Corps on November 10
8. United States Space Force on December 20
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the foregoing recitations are true and correct and are included herein by reference as findings.
On motion by ______ seconded by _______, and on the following roll-call vote, to wit:
AYES: Council Members -
NOES: Council Members -
ABSENT: Council Members -
ABSTAIN: Council Members -
the foregoing Resolution was PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED at a Regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, California this 13th day of January 2025. __________________________________
KASSI DEE, MAYOR
ATTEST:
_______________________________
WENDI SIMS, CITY CLERK
Attachment 1
**DRAFT**
1 CITY OF GROVER BEACH POLICY ON
DISPLAY OF FLAGS
Attachment 2
I. Purpose
A. The Grover Beach City Council desires to establish clear guidelines regarding:
1. The outdoor display of the United States Flag, the California State Flag, and the City of Grover Beach Flag at City facilities or City-owned or City-maintained flagpoles; and
B. In adopting this Policy, the City Council desires to reflect the dignity of the flags flown on flagpoles or displayed at City-owned or City-maintained facilities, as well as the role of the Grover Beach City Hall as an inclusive gathering location and local symbol of government and democracy.
C. In adopting this Policy, the City Council declares that flagpoles owned or maintained by the City of Grover Beach are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public, but rather as a non-public forum for the display of the United States, State of California, City of Grover Beach, and any commemorative flag authorized by the City Council as an expression of the City Council's official sentiments (government speech).
II. Policy
A. Conformance with Federal and State Regulations. Flags shall be displayed in accordance with Federal and State statutes and regulations, including, but not limited to, United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1 and California Government Code section 430 et seq., and this Policy.
1. Per California Government Code section 431(a), the Flag of the United States and the Flag of the State of California shall be prominently displayed upon or in front of public buildings of the City.
2. Per California Government Code section 434.7, any Flag of the United States or Flag of California that the City purchases must be made in the United States.
3. The United States Flag may only be flown at half-staff in accordance with the guidelines set forth at https://www.usa.gov/flag. The State of California Flag shall be flown at half-staff if the United States Flag is flown at half-staff or on order of the Governor.
B. City Facilities other than the Grover Beach City Hall. At facilities that the City owns or maintains (other than facilities maintained by other governmental entities), there may be one flagpole where the United States Flag shall be flown, and the State of California flag may be flown as described in this Section II, entitled Policy. 2 C. Grover Beach City Hall.
1. There shall be flagpoles at the Grover Beach City Hall to fly the following flags in the manner described below: Flag of the United States, Flag of the State of California, Flag of the City of Grover Beach, and any approved commemorative flag.
2. The City of Grover Beach Flag shall fly at half-staff if either the United States or California Flag is at half-staff. The Mayor may order the City of Grover BeachFlag to fly at half-staff at the death of a current or former City Council Member or current City staff member or a historically significant member of the community.
3. Commemorative Flag.
a. As expression of the City’s official government speech, the City Council may authorize the display of a commemorative flag to fly only at the Grover Beach City Hall flagpole.
b. The City Council shall only consider a request to display a commemorative flag if the request is made by a member of the Grover Beach City Council and another City Council member agrees to place the discussion to authorize such display on the agenda for a regular or special City Council meeting. Requests to fly a commemorative flag by members of the public will not be considered.
c. At a noticed and agendized City Council meeting, a majority of Council Members must agree to display the commemorative flag.
d. Commemorative flags shall be displayed for a period of time that is reasonable or customary for the subject that is to be commemorated, but no longer than thirty (30) consecutive days.
e. Commemorative flags must be either purchased by the City or temporarily donated for the City’s use and must be clean, without holes and tears, and be made of an all-weather fabric. Commemorative flags must be the same size or smaller than the United States and California flags that are flown.
The City will not be responsible for the condition of the commemorative flag once flown.
f. If any other flag is flown at half-staff, the commemorative flag will also be flown at half-staff.
g. A “commemorative flag” as defined in this Policy shall mean a flag that identifies with a specific historical event, cause, nation or group of people that the City Council chooses to honor or commemorate consistent with the City’s mission and priorities. The following are not allowed as Commemorative Flags and will not be considered by the City Council:
3 i. Flags of a particular religious movement or creed to avoid the appearance of City government endorsing religion or a particular religious movement or creed;
ii. Flags of a political party to avoid the appearance of City government endorsing a political party; and
iii. Flags advocating a certain outcome in an election.
III. Procedures
A. No other flag shall be placed above the United States Flag and no other flag shall be larger than the United States Flag. Other flags may be flown at the same heightand in the same size, in accordance with this Policy. Where both the United State Flag and the California State Flags are flown, they shall be of the same size.
B. Flags should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously. The United States Flagshould be hoisted first and lowered last.
C. Flags shall be displayed during operating hours on all days on which the City is open for business, and on national and State holidays. Flags may be displayed twenty-four (24) hours a day as long as they are illuminated during darkness.
D. Flags shall not be displayed during inclement weather unless all-weather flags areused and are illuminated during darkness.
E. When flags are displayed on a single pole, the order from top to bottom shall be: the United States Flag, the California State Flag, and, if displayed, the City of Grover Beach Flag.
F. When the flags are flown from adjacent flag poles, the United States Flag shall beflown at the highest point of honor, which is the furthest point to the left from the standpoint of the observer ("the flag's right").
G. When a flag is displayed at half-staff, it shall first be hoisted to the peak for a moment and then lowered to half-staff position. Before being lowered at the end ofthe day or when taken down, the flags shall again be hoisted to the peak for a moment and then fully lowered.
Agenda Item No. 6
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: January 13, 2025 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Micheal Flores, Finance Manager
SUBJECT: Annual Approval of the City of Grover Beach Investment Policy
RECOMMENDATION
Review and approve the City of Grover Beach Investment Policy.
BACKGROUND
California has several laws governing the use of public funds in investment instruments. Guidance is produced by the California Department of Finance that outlines major requirements for public agency investments. Annually, the Administrative Services Department seeks reauthorization of its existing Investment Policy to ensure the City’s policy is compliant. The City’s Investment Policy follows the “prudent investor” standard. The prudent investor mandates three priorities for the objectives of investing public funds (safety, liquidity, and yield). Additionally, cities are required to note any changes substantive changes in an annual update to their governing body.
Attachment 1 contains the City’s Investment Policy which is presented to the Council for annual approval. The only substantive change to the policy is modification of the review of the investment policy. Section VII, Item 3 has been amended to require submission to Council and adoption via resolution when major changes to the policy’s text are proposed rather than on an annual basis as is the current written.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact with approving the Investment Policy.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Review and approve the City of Grover Beach Investment Policy; or
2. Do not approve the City of Grover Beach Investment Policy; or
3. Provide alternative direction to staff
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachments
1. Investment Policy
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THE CITY OF GROVER BEACH
INVESTMENT POLICY
Updated: December 2024
Attachment 1
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City of Grover Beach Investment Policy
I. Scope
This policy applies to the investment of short-term operating funds. Longer-term funds, including investments of proceeds from certain bond issues, are covered by a separate policy.
1. Pooling of Funds
Except for cash in certain restricted and special funds, the City of Grover Beach will consolidate cash balances from all funds to maximize investment earnings. Investment income will be allocated to the various funds based on their respective participation and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
II. General Objectives
The primary objectives, in priority order, of investment activities shall be safety, liquidity, and yield:
1. Safety
Safety of principal is the foremost objective of the investment program. Investments shall be undertaken in a manner that seeks to ensure the preservation of capital in the overall portfolio. The objective will be to mitigate credit risk and interest rate risk. a. Credit Risk
The City of Grover Beach will minimize credit risk, the risk of loss due to the failure of the security issuer or backer, by:
· Limiting investments to the safest types of securities · Pre-qualifying the financial institutions, broker/dealers, intermediaries, and advisers with which the City of Grover Beach will do business · Diversifying the investment portfolio so that potential losses on individual securities will be minimized.
b. Interest Rate Risk
The City of Grover Beach will minimize the risk that the market value of securities in the portfolio will fall due to changes in general interest rates, by:
· Structuring the investment portfolio so that securities mature to meet cash requirements for ongoing operations, thereby avoiding the need to sell securities on the open market prior to maturity
· Investing operating funds primarily in shorter-term securities, money market mutual funds, or similar investment pools.
2. Liquidity
The investment portfolio shall remain sufficiently liquid to meet all operating requirements that may be reasonably anticipated. This is accomplished by structuring Investment Policy
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the portfolio so that securities mature concurrent with cash needs to meet anticipated demands (static Liquidity). Furthermore, since all possible cash demands cannot be anticipated, the portfolio should consist largely of securities with active secondary or resale markets (dynamic Liquidity). A portion of the portfolio also may be placed in money market mutual funds or local government investment pools which offer sameday liquidity for short-term funds.
3. Yield
The investment portfolio shall be designed with the objective of attaining a market rate of return throughout budgetary and economic cycles, while taking into account the investment risk constraints and liquidity needs. Return on investment is of secondary importance compared to the safety and liquidity objectives described above. The core of investments are limited to relatively low risk securities in anticipation of earnings a fair return relative to the risk being assumed. Securities shall not be sold prior to maturity with the following exceptions:
a. A security with declining credit may be sold early to minimize loss of principal. b. A security swap would improve the quality, yield, or target duration in the portfolio. c. Liquidity needs of the portfolio require that the security be sold.
III. Standards of Care
1. Prudence
The standard of prudence to be used by investment officials shall be the “prudent person” standard, and shall be applied in the context of managing an overall portfolio.
Investment officers, acting in accordance with written procedures and this investment policy and exercising due diligence, shall be relieved of personal responsibility for an individual security’s credit risk or market price changes, provided deviations from expectations are reported in a timely fashion and the liquidity and the sale of securities are carried out in accordance with the terms of this policy.
Investments shall be made with judgment and care, under circumstances then prevailing, which persons of prudence, discretion and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs, not for speculation, but for investment, considering the probable safety of their capital, as well as the probable income to be derived.
2. Ethics and Conflicts of Interest
Officers and employees involved in the investment process shall refrain from personal business activity that could conflict with the proper execution and management of the investment program, or that could impair their ability to make impartial decisions.
Employees and investment officials shall disclose any material interests in financial institutions with which they conduct business. They shall further disclose any personal financial/investment positions that could be related to the performance of the investment portfolio. Employees and officers shall refrain from undertaking personal investment transactions with the same individual with whom business is conducted on behalf of the City of Grover Beach.
Investment Policy
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3. Delegation of Authority
Authority to manage the investment program is granted to City Treasurer, hereinafter referred to as investment officer and derived from the following:
Responsibility for the operation of the investment program is hereby delegated to the investment officer, who shall act in accordance with established written procedures and internal controls for the operation of the investment program consistent with this investment policy. Procedures should include references to: safekeeping, delivery vs. payment, investment accounting, repurchase agreements, wire transfer agreements, and collateral/depository agreements. No person may engage in an investment transaction except as provided under the terms of this policy and the procedures established by the investment officer. The investment officer shall be responsible for all transactions undertaken and shall establish a system of controls to regulate the activities of subordinate officials.
IV. Safekeeping and Custody
1. Authorized Financial Dealers and Institutions
A list will be maintained of financial institutions authorized to provide investment services. In addition, a list also will be maintained of approved security broker/dealers selected by creditworthiness (e.g. a minimum capital requirement of $10,000,000 and at least five years of operation). These may include “primary” dealers or regional dealers that qualify under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 15C2-1 (uniform net capital rule).
All financial institutions and broker/dealers, who desire to become qualified for investment transactions, must supply the following as appropriate:
b. Audited financial statements
c. Proof of National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) certification d. Proof of state registration
e. Completed broker/dealer questionnaire
f. Certification of having read and understood and agreeing to comply with the City of Grover Beach’s investment policy.
An annual review of the financial condition and registration of qualified financial institutions and broker/dealers will be conducted by the investment officer.
From time to time, the investment officer may choose to invest in instruments offered by minority and community financial institutions. In such situations, a waiver to the criteria under Paragraph 1 may be granted. All terms and relationships will be fully disclosed prior to purchase, will be reported to the appropriate entity on a consistent basis and should be consistent with state or local law. These types of investment purchases should be approved by the appropriate legislative or governing body in advance.
Investment Policy
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2. Internal Controls
The investment officer is responsible for establishing and maintaining an internal control structure designed to ensure that the assets of the City of Grover Beach are protected from loss, theft or misuse. The internal control structure shall be designed to provide reasonable assurance that these objectives are met. The concept of reasonable assurance recognizes that (1) the cost of a control should not exceed the benefits likely to be derived and (2) the valuation of costs and benefits requires estimates and judgments by management.
Accordingly, the investment officer shall establish a process for an annual independent review by an external auditor to assure compliance with policies and procedures. The internal controls shall address the following points:
c. Control of collusion
d. Separation of transaction authority from accounting and record keeping e. Custodial safekeeping
f. Avoidance of physical delivery securities
g. Clear delegation of authority to subordinate staff members h. Written confirmation of transactions for investments and wire transfers i. Development of a wire transfer agreement with the lead bank and third-party custodian
3. Delivery vs. Payment
All trades where applicable will be executed by delivery vs. payment (DVP) to ensure that securities are deposited in an eligible financial institution prior to release of funds.
Securities will be held by a third-party custodian as evidenced by safekeeping receipts.
V. Suitable and Authorized Investments
1. Investment Types
Consistent with the GFOA Policy Statement on State and Local Laws Concerning Investment Practices, the following investments will be permitted by this policy and are those defined by state and local law where applicable:
a. U.S. government obligations, U.S. government agency obligations, and U.S. government instrumentality obligations, which have a liquid market with a readily determinable market value;
b. Canadian government obligations (payable in local currency); c. Certificates of deposit and other evidences of deposit at financial institutions, bankers; acceptances, and commercial paper, rated in the highest tier (e.g., A-1, P-1, F-1, or D-1 or higher) by a nationally recognized rating agency; d. Investment-grade obligations of state, provincial and local governments and public authorities;
e. Repurchase agreements whose underlying purchased securities consist of the forgoing:
1. Money market mutual funds regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and whose portfolios consist only of dollar-denominated securities; and:
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2. Local government investment pools, either state-administered or through joint powers statutes and other intergovernmental agreement legislation.
Investment in derivatives of the above instruments shall require authorization by the appropriate governing authority. (See the GFOA Recommended Practice on “Use of Derivatives by State and Local Governments,” 1994.)
1. Collateralization
Where allowed by state law and in accordance with the GFOA Recommended Practices on the Collateralization of Public Deposits, full collateralization will be required on non-negotiable certificates of deposit. (See GFOA Recommended Practices, Appendix
3.)
2. Repurchase Agreements
Repurchase agreements shall be consistent with GFOA Recommended Practices on Repurchase Agreements. (See GFOA Recommended Practices, Appendix 3.) VI. Investment Parameters
1. Diversification
The investments shall be diversified by:
b. limiting investments to avoid over concentration in securities from a specific issuer or business sector (excluding U.S. Treasury securities), c. limiting investment in securities that have higher credit risks, d. investing in securities with varying maturities, and e. continuously investing a portion of the portfolio in readily available funds such as local government investment pools (GLIPs), money market funds or overnight repurchase agreements to ensure that appropriate liquidity is maintained in order to meet ongoing obligations. (See the GFOA Recommended Practice on “Diversification of Investments in a Portfolio: in Appendix 3.)
2. Maximum Maturities
To the extent possible, the City of Grover Beach shall attempt to match its investments with anticipated cash flow requirements. Unless matched to a specific cash flow the City of Grover Beach will not directly invest in securities maturing more than five (5) years from the date of purchase or in accordance with state and local statutes and ordinances. The City of Grover Beach shall adopt weighted average maturity limitations (which often range from 90 days to 3 years), consistent with the investment objectives.
Reserve funds and other funds with longer-term investment horizons may be invested in securities exceeding five (5) years, if the maturity of such investments are made to coincide as nearly as practicable with the expected use of funds. The intent to invest in securities with longer maturities shall be disclosed in writing to the legislative body. (See the GFOA Recommended Practice on “Maturities of Investments in a Portfolio” in Appendix 3.)
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Investment Policy
Because of inherent difficulties in accurately forecasting cash-flow requirements, a portion of the portfolio should be continuously invested in readily available funds such as LGIPs, money market funds, or overnight repurchase agreements to ensure that appropriate liquidity is maintained to meet ongoing obligations.
VII. Reporting
1. Methods
The investment officer shall prepare an investment report at least quarterly, including a management summary that provides an analysis of the status of the current investment portfolio and transactions made over the last quarter. This management summary will be prepared in a manner which will allow the City of Grover Beach to ascertain whether investment activities during the reporting period have conformed to the investment policy. The report should be provided to the investment officer, the legislative body, and any pool participants. The report will include the following:
a. Listing of individual securities held at the end of the reporting period. b. Realized and unrealized gains or losses resulting from appreciation or depreciation by listing the cost and market value of securities over one-year duration that are not intended to be held until maturity (in accordance with Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements).
c. Average weighted yield to maturity of portfolio on investments as compared to applicable benchmarks.
d. Listing of investment by maturity date.
e. Percentage of the total portfolio which each type of investment represents.
1. Performance Standards
The investment portfolio will be managed in accordance with the parameters specified within this policy. The portfolio should obtain a market average rate of return during a market/economic environment of stable interest rates. A series of appropriate benchmarks shall be established against which portfolio performance shall be compared on a regular basis.
2. Marking to Market
The market value of the portfolio shall be calculated at least quarterly, and a statement of the market value of the portfolio shall be issued at least quarterly. This will ensure that review of the investment portfolio, in terms of value and price volatility, has been performed consistent with the GFOA Recommended Practice on “Mark-to-Market Practices for State and local Government Investment Portfolios and Investment Pools.” (See GFOA Recommended Practices, Appendix 3.) In defining market value, considerations should be given to the GASB Statement 31 pronouncement. −8−
Investment Policy
3. Review of Investment Policy
The investment policy shall be reviewed at least annually if there are substantial changes or revisions. Minor updates or clarifications that do not materially alter the policy's core principles may be made by staff without requiring Council approval. Any amendments that significantly affect the policy’s objectives, strategies, or legal compliance will be submitted to the City Council for adoption by resolution.
VIII. Policy Considerations
1. Exemption
Any investment currently held that does not meet the guidelines of this policy shall be exempted from the requirements of this policy. At maturity or liquidation, such monies shall be reinvested only as provided by this policy.
2. Amendments
This policy shall be reviewed on an annual basis. Any changes must be approved by the investment officer and any other appropriate authority, as well as the individual(s) charged with maintaining internal controls.
3. Waivers of Investment Policy
There will be circumstances from time to time when strict adherence to a provision of this Investment Policy is not possible or not in the best interest of the City of Grover Beach.
If the City of Grover Beach Staff has determined that a waiver of one or more provisions of this investment Policy should be considered, staff will prepare an analysis for the governing body describing the rationale and the impact of the waiver on the proposed investment.
Provisions of this Investment Policy may be waived by the approval of the governing body.
The failure of an investment to comply with one or more provisions of this investment Policy shall in no way affect the validity of any investment entered into by the City of Grover Beach in accordance with applicable laws.
IX. List of Attachments
The following documents, as applicable, are attached to this policy:
· Appendix 1: Glossary
· Appendix 2: Investment Pools
· Appendix 3: GFOA Recommended Practices and Policy Statements · Listing of authorized personnel
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Appendix 1: Glossary
Accrued Interest - The accumulated interest due on a bond as of the last interest payment made by the issuer.
Agency - A debt security issued by a federal or federally sponsored agency. Federal agencies are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Federally sponsored agencies (FSAs) are backed by each particular agency with a market perception that there is an implicit government guarantee. An example of federal agency is the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). An example of an FSA is the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA).
Amortization - The systematic reduction of the amount owed on a debt issued through periodic payments of principal.
Average Life - The average length of time that an issue of serial bonds and/or term bonds, with a mandatory sinking fund feature, is expected to be outstanding.
Basis Point - A unit of measurement used in the valuation of fixed-income securities equal to 1/100 of 1 percent of yield, e.g., “1/4" of 1 percent is equal to 25 basis points.
Bid - The indicated price at which a buyer is willing to purchase a security or commodity.
Book Value - The value at which a security is carried on the inventory lists or other financial records of an investor. The book value may differ significantly from the security’s current value in the market.
Callable Bond - A bond issue in which all or part of its outstanding principal amount may be redeemed before maturity by the issuer under specified conditions.
Call Price - The price at which an issuer may redeem a bond prior to maturity. The price is usually at a slight premium to the bond’s original issue price to compensate the holder for loss of income and ownership.
Call Risk - The risk to a bondholder that a bond may be redeemed prior to maturity.
Cash Sale/Purchase - A transaction which calls for delivery and payment of securities on the same day that the transaction is initiated.
Collateralization - Process by which a borrower pledges securities, property, or other deposits for the purpose of securing the repayment of a loan and/or security.
Commercial Paper - An unsecured short-term promissory note issued by corporations, with maturities ranging from 2 to 270 days.
Convexity - A measure of a bond’s price sensitivity to changing interest rates. A high convexity indicates greater sensitivity of a bond’s price-to-interest rate changes. −10−
Appendix 1: Glossary con’t.
Coupon Rate - The annual rate of interest received by an investor from the issuer of certain types of fixed-income securities. Also known as the “interest rate.” Credit Quality - The measurement of the financial strength of a bond issuer. This measurement helps an investor to understand an issuer’s ability to make timely interest payments and repay the loan principal upon maturity. Generally, the higher the credit quality of a bond issuer, the lower the interest rate paid by the issuer, because the risk of default is lower. Credit quality ratings are provided by nationally recognized rating agencies.
Credit Risk - The risk to an investor that an issuer will default in the payment of interest and/or principal on a security.
Current Yield (Current Return) - A yield calculation determined by dividing the annual interest received on a security by the current market price of that security.
Delivery Versus Payment (DVP) - A type of securities transaction in which the purchaser pays for the securities when they are delivered either to the purchaser or his/her custodian.
Derivative Security - Financial instrument created from, or whose value depends upon, one or more underlying assets or indexes of asset values.
Discount - The amount by which the par value of a security exceeds the price paid for the security.
Diversification - A process of investing assets among a range of security types by sector, maturity, and quality rating.
Duration - A measure of the timing of the cash flows, such as the interest payments and the principal repayment, to be received from a given fixed-income security. This calculation is based on three variables: term to maturity, coupon rate, and yield to maturity. The duration of the security is a useful indicator of its price volatility for given changes in interest rates.
Fair Value - The amount at which an investment could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in a forced or liquidation sale.
Federal Funds (Fed Funds) - Funds placed in Federal Reserve banks by depository institutions in excess of current reserve requirements. These depository institutions may lend fed funds to each other overnight or on a longer basis. They may also transfer funds among each other on the same-day basis through the Federal Reserve banking system. Fed funds re-considered to be immediately available funds.
Federal Funds Rate - Interest rate charged by one institution lending federal funds to the other.
Government Securities - An obligation of the U.S. government, backed by the full faith and credit of the government. These securities are regarded as the highest quality of investment securities available in the U.S. Securities market. (See “Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds.”) Appendix 1: Glossary con’t
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Interest Rate - (See “Coupon Rate.”)
Interest Rate Risk - The risk associated with declines or rises in interest rates, which cause an investment in a fixed-income security to increase or decrease in value.
Internal Controls - An internal control structure designed to ensure that the assets of the entity are protected from loss, theft, or misuse. The internal control structure is designed to provide reasonable assurance that these objectives are met. The concept of reasonable assurance recognizes that 1) the cost of a control should not exceed the benefits likely to be derived and 2) the valuation of costs and benefits requires estimates and judgments by management. Internal controls should address the following points:
1. Control of Collusion - Collusion is a situation where two or more employees are working in conjunction to defraud their employer.
2. Separation of transaction authority from accounting and record keeping - By separating the person who authorizes or performs the transaction from the people who record or otherwise account for the transaction, a separation of duties is achieved.
3. Custodial safekeeping - Securities purchased from any bank or dealer including appropriate collateral (as defined by state law) shall be placed with an independent third party for custodial safekeeping.
4. Avoidance of physical delivery securities - Book-entry Securities are much easier to transfer and account for since actual delivery of a document never takes place. Delivered securities must be properly safeguarded against loss or destruction. The potential for fraud and loss increases with physically delivered securities.
5. Clear delegation of authority to subordinate staff members - subordinate staff members must have a clear understanding of their authority and responsibilities to avoid improper actions. Clear delegation of authority also preserves the internal control structure that is contingent on the various staff positions and their respective responsibilities.
6. Written confirmation of transactions for investments and wire transfers - Due to the potential for error and improprieties arising from telephone and electronic transactions, all transactions should be supported by written communications and approved by the appropriate person. Written communications may be via fax if on letterhead and if the safekeeping institution has a list of authorized signatures.
7. Development of a wire transfer agreement with the lead bank and third-party custodian - The designated official should ensure that an agreement will be entered into and will address the following points: controls, security provisions, and responsibilities of each party making and receiving wire transfers.
Inverted Yield Curve - A chart formation that illustrates long-term securities having lower yields than short-term securities. This configuration usually occurs during periods of high inflation coupled with low levels of confidence in the economy and a restrictive monetary policy.
Investment Company Act of 1940 - Federal legislation which sets the standards by which investment companies, such as mutual funds, are regulated in the areas of advertising, promotion, performance reporting requirements, and securities valuations.
Appendix 1: Glossary con’t
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Investment Policy - A concise and clear statement of the objectives and parameters formulated by an investor or investment manager for a portfolio of investment securities.
Investment-grade Obligations - An investment instrument suitable for purchase by institutional investors under the prudent person rule. Investment-grade is restricted to those obligations rated BBB or higher by a rating agency.
Liquidity - An asset that can be converted easily and quickly into cash has high liquidity.
Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) - An investment by local governments in which their money is pooled as a method for managing local funds.
Mark-to-market - The process whereby the book value or collateral value of a security is adjusted to reflect its current market value.
Market Risk - The risk that the value of a security will rise or decline as a result of changes in market conditions.
Market Value - Current market price of a security.
Maturity - The date on which payment of a financial obligation is due. The final stated maturity is the date on which the issuer must retire a bond and pay the face value to the bondholder. (See “Weighted Average Maturity.”)
Money Market Mutual Fund - Mutual funds that invest solely in money market instruments (short-term debt instruments, such as Treasury bills, commercial paper, bankers’ acceptances, repos and federal funds).
Mutual Fund - An investment company that pools money and can invest in a variety of securities, including fixed-income securities and money market instruments. Mutual funds are regulated by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and must abide by the following Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure guidelines;
1. Report standardized performance calculations.
2. Disseminate timely and accurate information regarding the fund’s holdings, performance, management and general investment policy.
3. Have the fund’s investment policies and activities supervised by a board of trustees, which are independent of the adviser, administrator or other vendor of the fund.
4. Maintain the daily liquidity of the fund’s shares.
5. Value its portfolios on a daily basis.
6. Have all individuals who sell SEC-registered products licensed with a self-regulating organization (SRO) such as the National Association of Securities Dealers(NASD).
7. Have an investment policy governed by a prospectus which is updated and filed by the SEC annually.
Appendix 1: Glossary con’t
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Mutual Fund Statistical Services - Companies that track and rate mutual funds, e.g.
IBC/Donoghue, Lipper Analytical Services, and Morningstar.
National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) - a self-regulatory organization (SRO) of brokers and dealers in the over-the-counter securities business. Its regulatory mandate includes authority over firms that distribute mutual fund shares, as well as other securities.
Net Asset Value - The market value of one share of an investment company, such as a mutual fund. This figure is calculated by totaling a fund’s assets which includes securities, cash, and any accrued earnings, subtracting this from the fund’s liabilities and dividing this total by the number of shares outstanding. This is calculated once a day based on the closing price for each security in the fund’s portfolio. (See below.)
[(Total assets) - (Liabilities)]/(Number of shares outstanding) No Load Fund - A mutual fund which does not levy a sales charge on the purchase of its shares.
Nominal Yield - The stated rate of interest that a bond pays its current owner, based on par value of the security. It is also known as the “coupon,” “coupon rate,” or “interest rate.” Offer - An indicated price at which market participants are willing to sell a security or commodity. Also referred to as the “Ask price.”
Par - Face value or principal value of a bond, typically $1,000 per bond.
Positive Yield Curve - A chart formation that illustrates short-term securities having lower yield than long-term securities.
Premium - The amount by which the price paid for a security exceeds the security’s par value.
Prime Rate - A preferred interest rate charged by commercial banks to their most creditworthy customers. Many interest rates are keyed to this rate.
Principal - The face value or par value of a debt instrument. Also may refer to the amount of capital invested in a given security.
Prospectus - A legal document that must be provided to any prospective purchaser of a new securities offering registered with the SEC. This can include information on the issuer, the issuer’s business, the proposed use of proceeds, the experience of the issuer’s management, and certain certified financial statements.
Prudent Person Rule - An investment standard outlining the fiduciary responsibilities of public funds investors relating to investment practices.
Appendix 1: Glossary con’t
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Regular Way Delivery - Securities settlement that calls for delivery and payment on the third business day following the trade date (T+3). (Payment on a T+1 basis is currently under consideration.) Mutual funds are settled on a same day basis; government securities are settled on the next business day.
Reinvestment Risk - The risk that a fixed-income investor will be unable to reinvest income proceeds from a security holding at the same rate of return currently generated by that holding.
Repurchase Agreement (repo or RP) - An agreement of one party to sell securities at a specified price to a second party and a simultaneous agreement of the first party to repurchase the securities at a specified price or at a specified later date.
Reverse Repurchase Agreement (Reverse Repo) - An agreement of one party to repurchase securities at a specified price from a second party and a simultaneous agreement by the first party to resell the securities at a specified price to the second party on demand or at a specified date.
Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act - Applies to all money market mutual funds and mandates such funds to maintain certain standards, including a 13-month maturity limit and a 90- day average maturity on investments, to help maintain a constant net asset value of one dollar ($1.00).
Safekeeping - Holding of assets (e.g., securities) by a financial institution.
Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) -
Serial Bond - A bond issue, usually of a municipality, with various maturity dates scheduled at regular intervals until the entire issue is retired.
Sinking Fund - Money accumulated on a regular basis in a separate custodial account that is used to redeem debt securities or preferred stock issues.
Swap - Trading one asset for another.
Term Bond - Bonds comprising a large part or all of a particular issue which come due in a single maturity. The issuer usually agrees to make periodic payments into a sinking fund for mandatory redemption of term bonds before maturity.
Total Return - The sum of all investment income, plus changes in the capital value of the portfolio. For mutual funds, return on an investment is composed of share price appreciation, plus any realized dividends or capital gains. This is calculated by taking the following components during a certain time period.
(Price appreciation) + (Dividends paid) + (Capital gains) = Total Return Treasury Bills - Short-term U.S. government non-interest bearing debt securities, with maturities of no longer than one year and issued in minimum denominations of $10,000.
Auctions of three- and six-month bills are weekly, while auctions of one-year bills are monthly.
Appendix 1: Glossary con’t
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The yields on these bills are monitored closely in the money markets for signs of interest rate trends.
Treasury Notes - Intermediate U.S. government debt securities with maturities of one to ten years and issued in denominations ranging from $1,000 to $1 million or more.
Treasury Bonds - Long-term U.S. government debt securities with maturities of ten years or longer, and issued in minimum denominations of $1,000. Currently, the longest outstanding maturity for such securities is 30 years.
Uniform Net Capital Rule - SEC Rule 15C3-1 outlining capital requirements for broker/dealers.
Volatility - A degree of fluctuation in the price and valuation of securities. “Volatility Risk” Rating - A rating system to clearly indicate the level of volatility and other non-credit risk associated with securities and certain bond funds. The rating for bond funds range from those that have extremely low sensitivity to changing market conditions and offer the greatest stability of the returns (“aaa” by S&P; “v-1" by Fitch) to those that are highly sensitive with current identifiable market volatility risk (“ccc-“ by S&P, “V-10" by Fitch).
Weighted Average Maturity (WAM) - The average maturity of all the securities that comprise a portfolio. According to SEC rule 2a-7, the WAM for SEC registered money market mutual funds may not exceed 90 days and no one security may have a maturity that exceeds 397 days.
When Issued (WI) - A conditional transaction in which an authorized new security has not been issued. All “when issued” transactions are settled when the actual security is issued.
Yield - The current rate of return on an investment security generally expressed as a percentage of the security’s current price.
Yield-to-call (YTC) - The rate of return an investor earns from a bond assuming the bond is redeemed (called) prior to its nominal maturity date.
Yield Curve - A graphic representation that depicts the relationship at a given point in time between yields and maturity for bonds that are identical in every way except maturity. A normal yield curve may be alternatively referred to as a positive yield curve.
Yield-to-maturity - The rate of return yielded by a debt security held to maturity, when both interest payments and the investor’s potential capital gain or loss are included in the calculation of return.
Zero-coupon Securities - Security that is issued at a discount and makes no periodic interest payments. The rate of return consists of a gradual accretion of the principal of the security and is payable at par upon maturity.
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Appendix 2: Investment Pools
1. Definition
In most states, there are provisions for the creation and operation of a government investment pool. The purpose of a pool is to allow political subdivisions to pool investable funds in order to achieve a potentially higher yield.
There are basically three (3) types of pools: 1) state-run pools, 2) pools that are operated by a political subdivision where allowed by law and the political subdivision is the trustee, and 3) pools that are operated for profit by third parties. Prior to any political subdivision being involved with any type of pool, a thorough investigation of the pool and its policies and procedures must be reviewed.
2. Pool Questionnaire
Prior to entering a pool, the following questions and issues should be considered:
Securities:
Government pools may invest in a broader range of securities than an entity may invest in. It is important to be aware of, and comfortable with, the securities a pool buys. The following is a list of questions an investment officer may wish to ask a prospective Pool.
1. Does the pool provide a written statement of investment policy and objectives?
2. Does the Statement contain:
a. a description of eligible investment instruments?
b. the credit standards for investments?
c. the allowable maturity range of investments?
d. the maximum allowable dollar weighted average portfolio maturity? e. the limits of portfolio concentration permitted for each type of security? f. the policy on reverse repurchase agreements, options, short sales and futures?
3. Are changes in the policies communicated to the pool participants?
4. Does the pool contain only the types of securities that are permitted by your investment policy?
Interest:
Interest is not reported in a standard format, so it is important to know how interest is quoted, calculated, and distributed in order to make comparisons with other investment alternatives.
Interest Calculations
1. Does the pool disclose the following about yield calculations:
a. the methodology used to calculate interest? (simple maturity, yield to maturity, etc.)
b. the frequency of interest payments?
c. how interest is paid? (credited to principal at the end of the month, each quarter; mailed?)
d. how are gains/losses reported? factored monthly or only when realized? −17−
Appendix 2: Investment Pools
Reporting
1. Is the yield reported to participants of the pool monthly? (If not, how often?)
2. Are expenses of the pool deducted before quoting the yield?
3. Is the yield generally in line with the market yields for other investment alternatives?
4. How often does the pool report? What information does the report include? Does it include the market value of securities?
Security:
The following questions are designed to help safeguard funds from loss of principal and loss of market value.
1. Does the pool disclose safekeeping practices?
2. Is the pool subject to audit by an independent auditor at least annually?
3. Is a copy of the audit report available to participants?
4. Who makes the portfolio decisions?
5. How does the manager monitor the credit risk of the securities in the pool?
6. Is the pool monitored by someone on the board of a separate neutral party external to the investment function to ensure compliance with written policies?
7. Does the pool have specific policies with regard to the various investment vehicles? a. What are the different investment alternatives?
b. What are the policies for each type of investment?
8. Does the pool mark the portfolio to its own market value?
9. Does the pool disclose the following about how portfolio securities are valued? a. What is the frequency with which the portfolio securities are valued? b. What is the method used to value the portfolio (cost, current value, or some other method)?
Operations:
The answers to the following questions will help determine whether this pool meets the entity’s operational requirements:
1. Does the pool limit eligible participants?
2. What entities are permitted to invest in the pool?
3. Does the pool allow multiple accounts and sub-accounts?
4. Is there a minimum or maximum account size?
5. Does the pool limit the number of transactions each month? What is the number of transactions permitted each month?
6. Is there a limit on transactions amounts for withdrawals and deposits? a. What is the minimum and maximum withdrawal amount permitted? b. What is the minimum and maximum deposit amount permitted?
7. How much notice is required for withdrawals/deposits? −18−
Appendix 2: Investment Pools
8. What is the cutoff time for deposits and withdrawals?
9. Can withdrawals be denied?
10. Are the funds 100 percent withdrawable at any time?
11. What are the procedures for making deposits and withdrawals? a. What is the paperwork required, if any?
b. What is the wiring process?
12. Can an account remain open with a zero balance?
13. Are confirmations sent following each transaction?
Statements:
It is important for the City Treasurer and the Agency’s trustee (when applicable) to receive statements monthly, so the pool’s records of activity and holdings are reconciled by the City Treasurer and its trustee.
1. Are statements for each account sent to participants? a. What are the fees?
b. How often are they passed?
c. How are they paid?
d. Are there additional fees for wiring funds? (What is the fee?)
2. Are expenses deducted before quoting the yield?
Questions to consider for Bond Proceeds:
It is important to know (1) whether the pool accepts bond proceeds and (2) whether the pool qualifies with the U.S. Department of the Treasury as an acceptable commingled fund for arbitrage purposes.
1. Does the pool accept bond proceeds subject to arbitrage rebate?
2. Does the pool provide accounting and investment records suitable for proceeds of bond issuance subject to arbitrage rebate?
3. Will the yield calculation reported by the pool be acceptable to the IRS, or will it have to be recalculated?
4. Will the pool accept transaction instructions from a trustee?
5. Are separate accounts allowed for each bond issue so that the interest earnings of funds are subject to rebate are not commingled with funds not subject to regulations?
−19−
Appendix 3: GFOA Recommended Practices and Policy Statements GFOA’s Standing Committee on Cash Management has developed recommended practices and policy statements pertaining the prudent investment of public funds. State and local governments should carefully consider the factors outlined in the GFOA recommended practices and policy statements when making investment decisions and entering into investment transaction.
The following recommended practices and policy statements are attached:
Collateralization of Public Deposits (1984, 1987 and 1993) Diversification of Investments in a Portfolio (1997)
Governmental Relationship with Securities Dealers (1986 and 1988) Market Risk (Volatility) Ratings (1995)
Mark-to-Market Practices for State and Local Government Investment Portfolios and Investment Pools (1995)
Master Trust and Custodial Bank Security Lending Programs (1995) Maturities of Investments in a Portfolio (1997)
Repurchase Agreements, Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Leveraging, and Prudent Investment Practices for Cash Management (1986 and 1995) Selection of Investment Advisers (1992)
State and Local Laws Concerning Investment Practices (1997) Use and Application of Voluntary Agreements and Guidelines and Support for Written Investment Policies for State and Local Governments (1995) Use of Derivatives by State and Local Governments (1994) Use of Various Types of Mutual Funds by Public Cash Managers (1987) GFOA Recommended Practice
−20−
Collateralization of Public Deposits (1984, 1987 and 1993) Background. The safety of public funds should be the foremost objective in managing public funds. Collateralization of public deposits through pledging of appropriate securities by depositories is the only way to fully guarantee the safety of such deposits. State programs pertaining to the collateralization of public deposits have generally proved to be cost-effective and beneficial for both the public sector and its depositories.
However, federal law imposes certain limitations on collateral agreements between financial institutions and public entities to provide adequate collateral for public entities to secure sizable public unit deposits. Under certain circumstances, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) may be able to avoid a perfected security interest and leave the public depositor with only the right to share with other creditors in the pro rata distribution of the assets of a failed institution.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) favors the use of pledging requirements as protection for state or local governments, and as incentives for the use of state and local obligations in the satisfaction of such pledges. GFOA further favors and encourages state and local governments to establish adequate and efficient administrative systems to maintain such pledged collateral, including state or locally administered collateral pledging or collateral pools. To accomplish these goals, GFOA recommends that:
1. Public entities implement programs of prudent risk control. Such programs could include a formal depository risk policy, credit analysis, and the use of fully secured investments. In the absence of an effective statewide collateralization program, local officials should establish and implement collateralization procedures.
2. State and local government depositories take all possible actions to comply with federal requirements in order to ensure that their security interests in collateral pledged to secure deposits are enforceable against the receiver of a failed financial institution. Federal law provides that a depositor’s security agreement, which tends to diminish or defeat the interest of the FDIC in an asset acquired by it as receiver of an insured depository, shall not be valid against the FDIC unless the agreement
· is in writing;
· was executed by the depository institution and any person claiming an adverse interest, contemporaneously with the acquisition of the asset by the depository institution; · was approved by the board of directors of the depository or its loan committee; and · has been continuously, from the time of its execution, an official record of the depository institution.
GFOA Recommended Practice
−21−
Diversification of Investments in a Portfolio (1997)
Background. State and local governments are charged with observing the investment management objectives of safety, liquidity, and yield. Portfolio risk includes all the risks associated with investments, such as credit risk and market risk. Risks to safety and liquidity can be mitigated through diversifying and types and maturities of securities purchased. Because ensuring safety and liquidity are paramount, entities should seek to reduce portfolio risk as much as possible in their investment policies through appropriate diversification of investments in the portfolio and restrictions on maturity provisions.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends that state and local governments diversify their investments to reduce portfolio risk through such means as:
· limiting investments to avoid over concentration in securities from a specific issuer or business sector, excluding U.S. Treasury securities;
· limiting investments ins securities that have higher credit risks; · investing in securities of varying maturities; and
· continuously investing a portion of the portfolio in readily available funds, such as local government investment pools (LGIPs), money market funds, or maintained to meet ongoing obligations.
GFOA Recommended Practice
−22−
Governmental Relationships with Securities Dealers (1986 and 1988) Background. State and local governments represent one of the largest sources of investment funds available to purchase U.S. Government Securities. Without broad participation by state and local government investors, the government securities market would lack liquidity and the U.S. Treasury’s cost of borrowing would increase. At the same time, governmental investors are expected to protect public funds from losses arising from default and to ensure that securities are purchased and sold at the best price available in the competitive marketplace.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) makes the following specific recommendations to state and local government investors in selecting depositories and securities dealers for the purpose of investment transactions in government securities:
1. Select or qualify depositories, custodians, and dealers through competitive procedures, including requests for proposals for banking services. All securities purchases should be made through competitive bidding. In the event that a governmental unit does not obtain competitive price bids, investors are urged to obtain written documentation of price markups prior to completing the transaction.
2. Require securities dealers conducting transactions with governmental entities to comply with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s capital adequacy guidelines as a condition of doing business. Before investing public funds, government investors should obtain compliance certifications from the dealer and an independent auditor.
3. Secure acknowledgment from depositories and dealers that they have received written copies of their investment policies, portfolio risk constraints, and investment trading requirements.
4. Be aware of reasonably foreseeable risks of market price loss, illiquidity, nonmarketability, or default of investment instruments before they are purchased. Additionally, securities dealers have a responsibility to disclose unreasonable risks.
GFOA Recommended Practice
−23−
Market Risk (Volatility) Rating (1995)
Background. State and local government have long relied on credit ratings as an independent analytical source to gauge the credit risk of an investment option. However, credit risk analysis alone is not sufficient to safeguard against the assumption of other risk components, including market, interest rate, and liquidity risks. Through the securitization and structuring process, AAA rated securities and funds also may carry extreme market and other risks that are wholly unaddressed by credit ratings. Rating agencies now provide market risk ratings that evaluate the volatility of the security under a wide range of potential interest rate and mortgage prepayment scenarios.
Risk components, such as interest rate, prepayment, credit, spread and liquidity, and currency risks are analyzed to assess how aggressively a fund uses derivatives and leveraging, and what risks their use presents to fund managers and investors in the fund. Results indicate the degree of potential variability in the prospective fund performance. Historical performance and volatility of funds returns relative to appropriate benchmarks also are evaluated.
When applied to individual collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), market risk rating provided a useful benchmark to governmental entities as they establish guidelines for prudent management of derivative investments.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) encourages state and local governments to augment information they receive from brokers, dealers, or advisers with independent research when conducting due diligence of potential investments. Information sources include historical trading ranges, trend and volume data, brokerage firm research, cash flow and present value analysis, and credit ratings and research.
GFOA encourages investment in only those CMOs and funds that seek market risk ratings from rating agencies to provide comprehensive disclosure of risks to public investors. Although volatility ratings currently are not mandatory, public investors may wish to consider limiting their investments to CMOs and funds that have received favorable volatility ratings from a nationally recognized rating agency.
GFOA Recommended Practice
−24−
Mark-to-Market Practices for State and Local Government Investment Portfolios and Investment Pools (1995)
Background. As the investment portfolios of state and local governments are subjected to increased scrutiny, it is essential that reporting standards be enhanced so that investors, governing bodies, and the public remain informed of the current market value of the portfolio.
Regular disclosure of the value of a governmental entity’s investments is an important step to furthering taxpayer and market confidence in state and local government investment practices.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends the state and local government officials responsible for investment portfolio reporting determine the market value of all securities in the portfolio on at lease a quarterly basis. These values should be obtained from a reputable and independent source and disclosed to the governing body or other oversight body at least quarterly in a written report. It is recommended that the report include the market value, book value, and unrealized gain or loss of the securities in the portfolio.
Many state and local government officials are allowed to invest in various state and local government investment pools available in their state or region. GFOA recommends that pool administrators, on at least a monthly basis, determine the market value of all securities in the pool and report this information to all pool participants on at least a quarterly basis. These values should be obtained from a reputable and independent source. This information should be included in the report to the governing body prepared on at least a quarterly basis.
GFOA Recommended Practice
−25−
Master Trust and Custodial Bank Security Lending Programs (1995) Background. The lending of securities helps to maintain an orderly market, while providing incremental income to the participant. Broker/dealers borrow primarily to cover fails (the nondelivery of a security expected to be delivered on a date certain) and short sales (the sale of a security not presently owned by the seller in order to take advantage of an expected lower market price), and to execute arbitrage transactions. Their preferred partners in these transactions are the master trust and custodial banks, since their huge portfolios basically offer “one-stop shopping.”
As part of their trust and custody management services, banks, like other money managers, offer to lend securities owned by institutional clients to brokers in exchange for collateral. The collateral, which is usually cash, is reinvested at a rate higher than the rebate rate paid to the broker. The resulting proceeds are subsequently split between the lending agent and the client.
A security lending transaction is similar to a reverse repurchase transaction, and is subject to many of the same risks. While the indemnifications offered may vary, the lending agreement may provide that broker credit risk, broker default risk, and collateral maintenance are risks undertaken by the lending agent. The degree of risk assumed by lending agent default risk and collateral reinvestment risk are undertaken by the institutional client.
Unsound collateral reinvestment practices can result in some master trust and custodial banks incurring losses on behalf of their institutional security lending program customers.
Additionally, rapidly changing interest rates, lending short and investing long, investing in speculative derivatives, and paying a fixed rebate rate while investing in floating rebate rate securities under adverse market conditions are examples of situations that can produce investment losses.
Liquidity requirements are often accepted by and guaranteed by the lending agent upon oneday’s notice, as substitution of the lending client in large lending programs is easily accomplished and essentially riskless. Programs that require the client to undertake responsibility for managing the liquidity present greater risks and require that the client place limits on the amount of the portfolio which may be put on loan. The term of the securities on loan and the reinvestment of the proceeds must be carefully established by the client and strictly managed.
Recommendation. While investment strategies that include security lending programs are not inherently risky when employed judiciously with appropriate precautions and controls, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) urges state and local government officials to exercise extreme caution in their use of security lending programs. Prior to participating in a security lending program, finance officers should carefully evaluate the following:
· whether security lending is legally permissible under state statute and the jurisdiction’s written investment policy;
· the terms of the lending agreements;
· the indemnification provisions;
−26−
Master Trust and Custodial Bank Security Lending Programs (1995) con’t · the reinvestment guidelines and terms of the lending, including the maturity of loans as well as the securities purchased;
· the liquidity provisions and risks;
· the credit risks to be undertaken; and
· the resources required to monitor compliance with the agreement. −27−
GFOA Recommended Practice
Maturities of Investments in a Portfolio (1997)
Background. Securities are issued in a variety of maturities. To ensure that liquidity is maintained and to reduce interest rate risk in operating funds, most state and local governments limit the maximum maturity (the date on which payment of a financial obligation is due) on any specified purchased security and the maximum weighted average maturity (the average maturity or reset period of all securities that comprise a portfolio) of the entire portfolio.
The longer the maturity horizon that is selected, the greater the price volatility. In accordance with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board reporting requirements, the portfolio could show unrealized losses or gains for any reporting period.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends that, to the extent possible, state and local governments should match investments with anticipated cash flow requirements. GFOA supports the following practices to achieve this objective:
1. Unless matched to a specific cash requirement, governments should not directly invest in securities maturing more than five years from the date of purchase. Reserve or other funds with longer-term investment horizons may be invested in securities exceeding five years, if the maturities of such investments are made to coincide as nearly as practicable with the expected use of funds. The intent to invest in securities with longer maturities should be disclosed in writing to the legislative body through a written investment policy.
2. Governments should adopt weighted average maturity limitations, which often range from 90 days to three years, consistent with the government’s investment objectives.
3. Because of inherent difficulties in accurately forecasting cash flow requirements, a portion of the portfolio should be continuously invested in readily available funds such as local government investment pools (LGIPs), money market funds, or overnight repurchase agreements to ensure that appropriate liquidity is maintained to meet ongoing obligations.
GFOA Recommended Practice
Repurchase Agreements, Reserve Repurchase Agreements, Leveraging, and Prudent Investment Practices for Cash Management (1986 and 1995) −28−
Background. Repurchase agreements (repos) are the sale by a bank or dealer of government security with the simultaneous agreement to repurchase the security on a later date. Repos are commonly used by public entities to secure money market rates of interest and are an integral part of an investment program of state and local governments. In a reverse repurchase agreement (reverse repo), an investor owns securities, such as a Treasury note, U.S. government agency bond or other security, that a bank or dealer purchases under an agreement to sell back to the investor on a specified date, at an agreed-upon interest rate.
Reverse repos generally have two basic uses: first, reverse repos may be one way to avoid liquidating a portfolio to meet unexpected or immediate cash flow requirements. This straightforward use of the instrument is accepted by most public finance officers as a legitimate cash management practice. The second, potentially more controversial, use of the reverse repo is to enhance portfolio returns through the purchase of securities finance through repurchase transactions. The cash obtained can then be invested in another higher-yielding instrument. The conservative and prudent approach to this use of reverse repos involves short-term contracts in which the term of the reverse repo is matched with the maturity of the reinvestment. Losses of state and local government fund have occurred as the result of the inappropriate use of reverse repos in leveraging portfolios to increase investment returns and as a result of other unsound investment practices.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends that state and local government finance officers develop policies and procedures to insure the safety of repos and reverse repos. The following actions are recommended:
1. Government entities and investment officers should exercise special caution in selecting parties with whom they will conduct repurchase transactions and be able to identify the parties acting as principals to the transaction.
2. Proper collateralization practices are necessary to protect the public funds invested in repurchase agreements. Risk is significantly reduced by delivery of underlying securities through physical delivery or safekeeping with the purchaser’s custodian. Overcollateralization, commonly called “haircuts,” or marking-to-market practices should be mandatory procedures.
3. Master repurchase agreements should be employed, subject to appropriate legal and technical review. Governments using the prototype agreement developed by the Public Securities Association should include appropriate supplemental provisions regarding delivery, substitution, margin maintenance, margin amounts seller representations, and governing law.
GFOA Recommended Practice
Repurchase Agreements, Reserve Repurchase Agreements, Leveraging, and Prudent Investment Practices for Cash Management (1986 and 1995) −29−
4. Reverse repo proceeds generally should not be invested in securities whose maturity does not match the term of the reverse repo. For example, borrowing short to lend long can produce losses in adverse markets. Further, the possibility exists that other factors can go wrong, such as default by the dealer or adverse market changes that erode the value of the underlying securities.
5. The use of reverse repos should be considered only by entities that have the expertise and resources required to successfully engage in the technique. Additionally, state statutes may prohibit or discourage the use of reverse repos. Government officials who engage in reverse repos should verify whether such uses of reverse repos are legally sanctioned.
6. Public officials should not engage in investment practices, such as purchasing securities on margin (by borrowing funds from a counterparty), selling securities short (by borrowing the security from a third party and selling in anticipation of higher interest rates), purchasing long-term bonds with short-term funds, and trading futures contracts without an exact offsetting cash market position.
GFOA Recommended Practice
Selection of Investment Advisers (1992)
−30−
Background. Some state and local governments have augmented their investments programs by retaining investment advisers to perform various portfolio services, ranging from advice-only consultation to fully discretionary management. In many cases, the results of these engagements have been favorable but there also have been cases of reported investment losses resulting from governmental units transacting business with certain investment advisers. Unlike the highly regulated bank trust and mutual fund sectors, federal regulatory inspection of independent investment advisers is infrequent and relatively superficial.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has recommended consistently that state and local governments exercise caution in their selection of investment advisers and implement an ongoing risk control management program. The association urges state and local governments considering or retaining independent investment advisers to carefully review the credentials, procedures, and controls of firms offering investment advisory services. Recommended precautionary measures include:
· delivery versus payment,
· third-party custody arrangements,
· prohibitions against self-dealing,
· independent auditors,
· timely reconciliations, and
· other appropriate internal control measures.
GFOA Policy Statement
State and Local Laws Concerning Investment Practices (1997) −31−
(Amends State Statutes Concerning Investment Practices approved in 1992) Background. The authority of state and local governments to invest in public funds is derived through the power of state and local legislative bodies and state statutes and local laws that reflect public policies. Some state and local laws and practices may permit investments that are inappropriate for local government, while others may be overly restrictive with regards to permissible instruments or eligible financial entities. Many state and local governments have modified their cash management and investment laws and policies to improve the safety of their investments while obtaining a favorable rate of return on invested public funds.
GFOA Position. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) encourages state and local legislative bodies to remove artificial restrictions upon the efficient investment of public funds by:
1. Amending state and local laws regulating local government investment authority to permit prudent investment of public funds in prime money market instruments and investment securities, such as:
· U.S. government obligations, U.S. government agency obligations, and U.S. government instrumentality obligations, which have a liquid market with a readily determinable market value;
· Canadian government obligations (payable in local currency); · Certificates of deposit and other evidences of deposit at financial institutions, bankers’ acceptances, and commercial paper, rated in the highest tier (e.g. A1, P1, F1 or D1 or higher) by a nationally recognized rating agency;
· Investment-Grade obligations of state, provincial and local governments and public authorities;
· Repurchase agreements whose underlying purchased securities consist of the foregoing; and
· Money market mutual funds regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and whose portfolios consist only of dollar-denominated securities.
Investment in derivatives of the above instruments shall require authorization by the appropriate governing authority. (See GFOA Recommend Practice on “Use of Derivatives by State and Local Governments,” 1994.)
2. Authorizing and encouraging the efficient, professional investment of public funds in local government investment pools, either state-administered or through joint powers and other intergovernmental agreement legislation, to take advantage of portfolio diversification and liquidity.
3. Authorizing and encouraging professional investments by removing geographical restrictions on eligible financial entities.
GFOA Recommended Practice
Use and Application of Voluntary Agreements and Guidelines and Support for −32−
Written Investment Policies for State and Local Governments (1995) Background. Various participants in the investment process are seeking to clarify the relationship of parties in an investment transaction by undertaking voluntary efforts to develop model agreements and guidelines. Some of these documents contain legal assumptions that might affect the validity of a transaction. Others would require certain statements to be in writing in order to be effective. Although the enforceability of such guidelines is uncertain, state and local government investors should be aware of their existence and the possibility that their counterparties may be operating under these or similar guidelines.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends that state and local governments consider carefully any agreement or guidelines presented for their use, because many of these documents affect a public entity’s rights and responsibilities in a given transaction. Furthermore, GFOA recommends that:
1. Governmental investors be aware of the federal, state, and local laws that govern investment contracts and agreements, as well as statutes and regulations affecting suitability obligations of broker/dealers, which require that a broker/dealer should only recommend a product after that broker/dealer has taken steps to determine that it is suitable for the customer.
2. Governmental investors use the GFOA-developed Broker/Dealer Request for Information, Sample Agreement for Securities Service and (Optional) Statement of Work in dealing with broker/dealers, modified as necessary, which have been formulated specifically by and for state and local government investors.
3. Governmental investors use the GFOA-developed Sample Agreement for Investment Advisory Services when contracting for investment advisers.
4. Governmental investors protect their existing statutory and regulatory rights by ensuring that such rights are not inadvertently waived through the use of “boiler-plate” language in contracts with counterparties.
5. Governmental investors develop written investment policies using the GFOA-developed Sample Investment Policy.
GFOA Recommended Practice
Use of Derivatives by State and Local Governments (1994) −33−
Background. Derivative products are financial instruments created from or whose value depends on (is derived from) the value of one or more underlying assets or indexes of asset values. Derivatives include instruments or features such as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), interest-only (IPs) and principal-only (POs), forwards, futures, currency and interest rate swaps, options, floaters/inverse floaters, and caps/floors/collars. State and local governments may use derivatives in their roles as debt, cash, and pension fund managers.
Recommendation. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) urges state and local government finance officers to exercise extreme caution in the use of derivatives and to consider their use only when they have developed a sufficient understanding of the products and the expertise to manage them. Because new derivative products are increasingly complex, state and local governments should use these instruments only if they can evaluate the following factors, among others, to determine their appropriateness:
1. Governmental entities must observe the objectives of sound asset and liability management policies that ensure safety, liquidity, and yield. Because of the risks involved, the use of derivatives by governmental entities should receive particular scrutiny. Certain derivative products may not be appropriate for all governmental investors. Characteristics of such products can include high price volatility, illiquid markets, products that are not markettested, highly leveraged products, products requiring a high degree of sophistication to manage, and products that are difficult to value.
2. Governmental entities should understand that state and local laws may not specifically address the use of derivatives and examine such considerations as:
· the constitutional and statutory authority of the governmental entity to execute derivative contracts,
· the potential for violating constitutional or statutory provisions limiting the entity’s authority to incur debt resulting from the transaction, and · the application of the governmental entity’s procurement statutes to derivative transactions.
3. Governmental entities should be aware of all the risks associated with use of derivatives, including counterparty credit, custodial, market, settlement, and operating risk.
4. Governmental entities should establish internal controls for each type of derivative in use to ensure that these risks are adequately managed. For example, · the entity should provide a written statement of purpose and objectives for derivative use;
· written procedures should be established that provide for periodic monitoring of derivative instruments;
· managers should receive periodic training and have sufficient expertise and technical −34−
Use of Derivatives by State and Local Governments (1994) con’t resources to oversee derivative programs;
· recordkeeping systems should be sufficiently detailed to allow governing bodies, auditors, and examiners to determine if the program is functioning in accordance with established objectives;
· managers should report regularly on the use of derivatives to their governing body and appropriate disclosure should be made in official statements and other disclosure documents; and
· reporting on derivative use should be in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and because use of these instruments is a complex matter, early discussion with public accountants is essential to determine if specialized reporting may be required.
5. Governmental entities should be aware of whether if their broker/dealer is merely acting as an agent, is an intermediary in a derivatives transaction or is taking a proprietary position.
Possible conflicts of interest should be taken into consideration before entering into a transaction.
6. Governmental entities should be aware that there may be little or no pricing information or standardization for some derivatives. Competitive price comparisons are recommended before entering into a transaction.
7. Governmental entities should exercise caution in the selection of broker/dealers or investment managers to ensure that these agents are knowledgeable about, understand and provide disclosure regarding the use of derivatives, including benefits and risks. The entity should secure written acknowledgment from broker/dealers that they have received, read, and understood the entity’s debt and investment policies, including whether derivatives are currently authorized under the entity’s investment policy, and that the broker/dealer or investment manager has ascertained that the recommended product is suitable for the governmental entity.
8. Governmental entities are responsible for ensuring this same level of safeguards when derivative transactions are conducted by a third party acting on behalf of the governmental entity.
GFOA Recommended Practice
−35−
Use of Various Types of Mutual Funds by Public Cash Managers (1987) Background. State and local government cash managers can sometimes benefit from investing public funds through mutual funds. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has endorsed the use of money market mutual funds by public cash managers through the Association’s model investment legislation for state and local governments. Portfolio diversification, liquidity, and professional management are desirable features of these investment vehicles.
Recommendation. The GFOA recommends that state and local governments using mutual funds study the funds’ prospectus and statement of additional information to determine · the integrity and experience of the investment company, · sales fees and operating expenses,
· fundamental portfolio policies, and
· portfolio composition.
State and local government cash managers should use special care when investing in bond mutual funds. Mutual funds investing exclusively in short and intermediate-term instruments may be appropriate investments in some jurisdictions. However, mutual funds investing in longterm securities should be avoided by investors of short-term funds. Market price risks could impair the safety of assets, which is the foremost objective of public cash managers.
The following personnel are authorized to transfer funds per the investment policy:
City Manager
Administrative Services Director/City Treasurer
Finance Manager
City Clerk/Executive Assistant
Agenda Item No. 7
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: January 13, 2025 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Nelida Aceves, Police Commander
SUBJECT: Resolution to Accept the 2025 Traffic Records Improvement Project Grant Award
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution approving the acceptance of 2025 Traffic Records Improvement Project Grant funds in the amount of $100,000 for FY 2024-25.
BACKGROUND
The Grover Beach Police Department was invited to apply for the 2024 Traffic Records Improvement Project Grant through the State of California Office of Traffic Safety. The department applied requesting $100,000 in funding to assist in completing technology upgrades within the department. The department was recently notified that the grant had been awarded allowing the department to move forward with technology projects that will help to increase public safety within the community.
The grant will allow the Police Department to bolster public safety by investing in technology solutions that will help staff’s proactive efforts in preventative measures, for traffic related incidents and collisions within the city. Specifically, the department will make the following purchases and implementation with the award:
• New electronic crash reporting solution to allow for submission of complete crash reports to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), and/or to a departmental records management system (RMS) as applicable.
• New electronic citation reporting solution that includes the capability of exporting data to both a departmental records management system (RMS) as well as to the local court records system, if and when the local court can receive electronic citation data.
Pending Council approval, the Traffic Records Improvement Project grant requires the signature of the Chief of Police to enter a contract for acceptance of the funds. The funds approved by the grant must be utilized before September 30, 2025. The City does not have a matching funds requirement for this grant; however, the funds for the grant are paid back to the City on a reimbursement basis. If accepted, the City will be reimbursed by the State of California Office of Traffic Safety on a quarterly basis for operational expenses related to this program.
FISCAL IMPACT
The grant requires the City to expend the approved grant amount of $100,000 for technology advancements with full reimbursement being provided by the State of California – Office of Traffic Staff Report: Resolution for the 2025 Traffic Records Improvement Projects Grant Page 2 January 13, 2025
Safety. The annual recurring costs for future fiscal years is approximately $4,000 which will cover annual maintenance, support, and new version upgrades.
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Adopt a Resolution approving the acceptance of Traffic Records Improvement Project Grant award in the amount of $100,000 and increase Police Department appropriations to pay for equipment as outlined in Grant Application; or
2. Decline the Traffic Records Improvement Project Grant funds in the amount of $100,000; or
3. Provide staff with alternate direction.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachments
1. Resolution No. 25-XX.
2. Intent to Award Letter and Agreement from the State of California – Office of Traffic Safety.
Attachment 1
RESOLUTION NO. 25-XX
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GROVER BEACH, CALIFORNIA APPROVING THE ACCEPTANCE OF $100,000 IN TRAFFIC
RECORDS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT GRANT AWARD FUNDS AND
AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY
WHEREAS, the Grover Beach Police Department desires to enhance community safety by purchasing and implementing a new electronic crash reporting solution to allow for submission of complete crash reports to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS); and to purchase and implement a new complete electronic citation reporting solution.
WHEREAS, the State of California Office of Traffic Safety has notified and provided notice to the City of its intent to award a grant in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars (100,000); and
WHEREAS, the State of California Office of Traffic Safety requires that City Council adopt a resolution in order to be eligible to accept and execute the Grant Agreement in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000); and
WHEREAS, grant funds will be reimbursed quarterly by the State of California’s Office of Traffic Safety.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Grover Beach as follows:
SECTION 1. The submission of the application and acceptance of funds on behalf of the City of Grover Beach is ratified and approved.
SECTION 2. The City Council of the City of Grover Beach hereby agrees to, and by this Resolution, does accept the one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in grant funds awarded to the City without further action of the City Council being required.
SECTION 3. The City of Grover Beach agrees to comply with the terms, conditions and limitations of the Grant Agreement and the City Manager, or his designee, is hereby authorized and directed to execute any agreements, assurances, or other documents required or necessary for acceptance of the grant funding.
On motion by ________, seconded by _________, and on the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES: Council Members:
NOES: Council Members:
ABSENT: Council Members:
ABSTAIN: Council Members:
the foregoing Resolution was PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at the Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, California, this 13th day of January 2025. ___________________________________
KASSI DEE, MAYOR
ATTEST:
______________________________
WENDI SIMS, CITY CLERK
** D R A F T **
State of California - Office of Traffic Safety
GRANT AGREEMENT
GRANT NUMBER
TR25030
1. GRANT TITLE
Traffic Records Improvement Project
2. NAME OF AGENCY
Grover Beach Police Department
3. Grant Period
From: 10/01/2024
4. AGENCY UNIT TO ADMINISTER GRANT To: 09/30/2025
Grover Beach Police Department
s. GRANT DESCRIPTION
State and local agencies need timely, accurate, complete, uniform, integrated, and accessible traffic records to identify and prioritize traffic safety issues, to choose appropriate safety countermeasures and evaluate their effectiveness. Traffic records improvement grants provide traffic safety stakeholders with the ability to improve the quality of the State's crash and citation data through various efforts such as: purchasing equipment or software for electronic reporting of crash data, citation data reporting and collection, improving the compatibility of crash and/or citation data with the state and national data systems, enhancing the ability to analyze trends in crashes, crash outcomes, and contributing factors, etc.
6. Federal Funds Allocated Under This Agreement Shall Not Exceed: $100,000.00
7. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The parties agree to comply with the terms and conditions of the following which are by this reference made a part of the Agreement:
* Schedule A - Problem Statement, Goals and Objectives and Method of Procedure * Schedule B - Detailed Budget Estimate and Sub-Budget Estimate (if applicable) * Schedule B-I - Budget Narrative and Sub-Budget Narrative (if applicable) * Exhibit A - Certifications and Assurances
* Exhibit B" - OTS Grant Program Manual
* Exhibit C - Grant Electronic Management System (GEMS) Access "Items shown with an asterisk ("), are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this agreement as if attached hereto.
These documents can be viewed at the OTS home web page under Grants: www.ots.ca.gov.
We, the officials named below, hereby swear under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that we are duly authorized to legally bind the Grant recipient to the above described Grant terms and conditions.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed by the parties hereto. 8, Approval Signatures
A. GRANTDIRECTOR B. AUTHORIZINGOFFICIAL
NAME: MatthewGoodman ADDRESS: JamesMunro
TITLE:Sergeant PoliceChief
EMAIL: [email protected] [email protected]
PHONE: (805)473-4510 805-540-1980
ADDRESS: 711 Rockaway Ave 711 Rockaway Ave
Grover Beach, CA 93433 Grover Beach, CA 93433
mpttAmi-pw)wa Nrni1a)yri:ia hlnii%itna
"=-'-' I "=-"-="""""
IhllN;W GOOim!n INt;'i). )010 0! )l }{n 4 0 % % % %, % % # a (Signature) (Date) (Signature) (Date)
C, FISCAL OFFICIAL D. AUTHORIZING OFFICIAL OF OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY ADDRESS: Bryan Millard ADDRESS: Barbara Rooney
Commander Director
[email protected] [email protected]
(805)473-4507 (916)509-3030
711 Rockaway Ave 2208 Kausen Drive, Suite 300
Grover Beach, CA 93433 Elk Grove, CA 95758
uruMillma NrivlA7naM .Tassir;aCMn Nriii%7n')zl
' a "'a o a " a o a ' I l riikr Ckrn lliT }tIO}( l( 00 Till -a ,T-' - " -----" - ' a " o "- --"
(Signature) (Date) (Signature) (Date)
11/11/2024 5:15:09 PM Page 1 of 15
Attachment 2
State of California - Office of Traffic Safety
GRANT AGREEMENT
Schedule A
GRANT NUMBER
TR25030
1. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The City of Grover Beach has a population of approximately 13,000 residents and consists of 2.3 square miles. However, the city experiences significant increases in daily population and traffic due to commercial activity related to the tourism service industry, retail businesses and the only occupied industrial area located in the region. Additionally, our service population is increased by the regional communities located immediately adjacent to Grover Beach, which make up the "Five Cities" area. The larger "Five Cities" area population is approximately 45,000 residents. Regionally, the population increases daily because of the tourist population, which is over 2 million visitors annually. Because of our beachfront location situated halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco directly west of Bakersfield, we experience significant increases in traffic, pedestrians, bicyclists, and alcohol-related/drug related-incidents. Grover Beach also serves as the gateway to the Oceano Dunes Vehicular Recreational Area. With the resident and tourist population increasing our total service population, we have seen increases in injury traffic crashes over the last several years.
The City of Grover Beach business community provides full services, including gasoline sales, hotels, and restaurants. Highway 101 is the main artery, which is routed parallel to the city used for access by those utilizing the city services. Highway 1 traverses the west side of the city and through the tourist commuting area of the Oceano Dunes.
The Grover Beach Police Department (PD) currently uses an outdated records management system for traffic crash reporting. Under the current system, no traffic crash data analysis can be performed requiring the manual counting of injured/fatal crashes as well as other required reportable crashes. Additionally, citations given for relevant traffic safety violations are in paper form, requiring manual entry into the records database, frequently requiring correction from citing officers, and leading to delays in court and records processing.
The Grover Beach PD needs timely, accurate, complete, accessible, and uniform traffic records to identify and prioritize traffic safety issues, and to choose appropriate safety measures and evaluate their effectiveness. Currently, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) collects this data via the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) from law enforcement agencies throughout the state. The Grover Beach PD utilizes the CHP 555 traffic crash form to collect local traffic crash data for input into SWITRS. To get Grover Beach crash data into SWITRS, records personnel must print a copy of the crash report and mail it to CHP where it must be manually entered into the database. This is not only labor intensive, but it also creates unnecessary delays and backlogs with accessing crash data and statistics.
The Grover Beach Police Department (PD) has a Traffic Safety Unit responsible for the enforcement of traffic laws, including DUI investigation and the investigation of traffic crashes in our city. A solution would be to electronically report directly to SWITRS which will significantly help our Traffic Safety Program with more efficient reporting, quality control, and better data analysis oT crashes and causes of crashes within the city to better target enforcement, prevention, and education efforts.
2. PERFORMANCE MEASURES
A. Goals:
1. Reduce the number of persons killed in traffic crashes.
2. Reduce the number of persons injured in traffic crashes.
B. Objectives:
1. Purchase and implement a new electronic crash reporting solution or upgrade an existing electronic crash reporting solution to allow for submission oT complete crash reports to the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), and/or to a departmental records management system (RMS) as applicable.
Target Number
1 1l /11 /2024 5:15:09 PM Page 3 of 15
State of California - Office of Traffic Safety
GRANT AGREEMENT
Schedule B
GRANT NUMBER
TR25030
FUND NUMBER CATALOG
NUMBER (CFDA)
FUND DESCRIPTION TOTAL AMOUNT
405c TR-25 20.616 State Traffic Safety Information
Systam Improvements.
$100,000.00
COST CATEGORY FUND
NUMBER
UNIT COST OR
RATE
UNITS TOT AL COST TO
i GRANT
A. PERSONNEL COSTS
Straight Time
$0.00
$0.00
Category Sub-Total $0.00
B. TRAVEL EXPENSES
$0.00
$0.00
Category Sub-Total $0.00
C. CONTRACTUAL SERVICES
$0.00
Category Sub-Total $0.00
D. EQUIPMENT
Complete Traffic Crash and Electronic
Citation Data Collection System
405c TR25
$87,000.00 1 $87,000.00
Category Sub-Total $87,000.00
E. OTHER DIRECT COSTS
Mobile Printer 405c TR25
$1,300.00 10 $13,000.00
Category Sub-Total $13,000.00
F. INDIRECT COSTS
$0.00
Category Sub-Total $0.00
GRANTTOTAL $100,000.00
11 /11 /2024 515:09 PM Page 5 of 15
State of California - Office of Traffic Safety
GRANT AGREEMENT
Exhibit A
GRANT NUMBER
TR25030
Certifications and Assurances for Fiscal Year 2024 Highway Safety Grants (23 U.S.C. Chapter 4 or Section 1906, Public Law 109-59, as amended by Section 25024, Public Law 117-58) The officials named on the grant agreement, certify by way of signature on the grant agreement signature page, that the Grantee Agency complies with all applicable Federal statutes, regulations, and directives and State rules, guidelines, policies, and laws in effect with respect to the periods for which it receives grant funding. Applicable provisions include, but are not limited to, the following:
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The State will comply with applicable statutes and regulations, including but not limited to:
23 U.S.C. Chapter 4-Highway Safety Act of 1966, as amended; * Sec. 1906, Public Law 109-59, as amended by Sec. 25024, Public Law 11 7-58; 23 CFR part 1300-Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs; 2 CFR pait 200-Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; 2 CFR part 1201-Depaitment of Transportation, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
NONDISCRIMINATION
(applies to all subrecipients as well as States)
The State highway safety agency [and its subrecipients] will comply with all Federal statutes and implementing regulations relating to nondiscrimination ("Federal Nondiscrimination Authorities"). These include but are not limited to:
Title Vl of the CivilRights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq., 78 stat. 252), (prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin);
49 CFR part 21 (entitled Non-discrimination in Federally-Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation - Effectuation of Title Vlof the CivilRightsAct of 1964); 28 CFR 50.3 ([J.S. Depattment of Justice Guidelines for Enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964); The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, (42 U.S.C. 4601 ), (prohibits unfair treatment ofpersons displaced or whose property has been acquired because of Federal orFederal-aid programs and projects); Federal-Aid HighwayAct of 1973, (23 US.C. 324 etseq.), and Title ff of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681-1683 and ) (prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex); Section 504 of tlie Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (29 U.S.C. 794 et seq.), as amended, (prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability) and 49 CFR part 27;
TheAge Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), (prohibits discrimination on the basis of age);
The Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, (Pub. L. 100-209), (broadens scope, coverage, and applicability of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, by expanding the definition of the terms "programs or activities" to include all of tlie programs or activities of tlie Federal aid recipients, subrecipients and contractors, whether such programs or activities are Federally-funded or not); Titles Iland flIof theAmericans with DisabilitiesAct (42 U.S.C. 12131-12189) (prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the operation of public entities, public and private transportation systems, places of public accommodation, and certain testing) and 49 CFR parts 37 and 38;
Executive Order 12898,FederalActions toAddressEnvironmentalJustice inMinorityPopvdations ai'idLow-Income Populations (preventing discrimination against minority populations by discouraging programs, policies, and actiyities with disproportionately igh and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority and low-income populations);
Executive Order 13166, ImprovingAccess to ServicesforPersons with LimitedEnglish Proficiency (requiring that recipients of Federal financial assistance provide meaningful access for applicants and beneficiaries who have limited English proficiency (LEP));
Executive Order 13985, AdvancingRacialEquiffl andSttpportfor Underserved Communities through theFederal Government (advancing equity across the Federal Government); and Executive Order 13988, Preventingand CombatingDiscrimination on theBasis of GenderIdentity orSexual Orientation (clarifying that sex discrimination includes discrimination on the grounds of gender identity or sexual orientation).
The preceding statutory and regulatory cites hereinafter are referred to as the "Acts" and "Regulations," respectively.
GENERAL ASSTTRANCES
11 /1I /2024 5:15:09 PM Page 7 of 15
upon request to NHTSA, or its designee in a timely, complete, and accurate way. Additionally, you must comply with all other reporting, data collection, and evaluation requirements, as prescribed by law or detailed in program guidance.
The State highway safety agency gives this ASS'[JRANCE in consideration of and for obtaining any Federal grants, loans, contracts, agreements, property, and/or discounts, or other Federal-aid and Federal financial assistance extended after the date hereof to the recipients by the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Highway Safety Grant Program. This ASS{JRANCE is binding on the State highway safety agency, other recipients, sub-recipients, sub-grantees, contractors, subcontractors and their subcontractors', transferees, successors in interest, and any other participants in the Highway Safety Grant Program. The person(s) signing below is/are authorized to sign this ASSURANCE on belialf of the Recipient.
THE DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE ACT OF 1988 (41 u.s.c. 8103)
The Subgrantee will provide a drug-free workplace by:
a. Publishing a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufachire, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the grantee's workplace, and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violation of such proibition;
b. Establishing a dnig-free awareness program to inform employees about:
1. The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace;
2. The grantee's policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace;
3. Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs;
4. The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug violations occurring in the workplace;
5. Making it a requirement that each employee engaged in the performance of the grant be given a copy of the statement required by paragraph (a);
c. Notifying the employee in the statement required by paragraph (a) that, as a condition of employment under the grant, the employee will1. Abide by the temis of the statement;
2. Notify the employer of any criminal drug statute conviction for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five days after such conviction;
d. Notifying the agency within ten days after receiving notice under subparagraph (c)(2) from an employee or otherwise receiving actual notice of such conviction;
e. Taking one of the following actions, witin 30 days of receiving notice under subparagraph (c)(2), with respect to any employee who is so convicted1. Taking appropriate personnel action against such an employee, up to and including termination;
2. Requiring such employee to participate satisfactorily in a di'ug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for such purposes by a Federal, State, or local health, law enforcement, or other appropriate agency; f. Making a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of all of the paragraphs above.
POLITICAL ACTMTY (HATCH ACT)
(applies to all subrecipients as wen as States)
The State will comply with provisions of the Hatch Act (5 u.s.c. 1 501 -1 508), which limits the political activities of employees whose principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.
CERTIFICATION REGARDING FEDERAL LOBBYING
(applies to all subrecipients as well as States)
CERTIFICATION FOR CONTRACTS, GRANTS, LOANS, AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:
1. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement;
2. If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, "Disclosrire Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions;
3. The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under grant, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all subrecipients shall certify and disclose accordingly. 11 /11 /2024 5:15:09 PM Page 9 of 15
"1. The prospective primary tier participant certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief, that it and its principals:
a. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debaiment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from paiticipating in covered transactions by any Federal department or agency; b. Have not witin a three-year period preceding tis proposal been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for cornrnission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribei'y, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property; c. Ai'e not presently indicted for or otherwise crirninally or civilly charged by a govenuriental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (l)(b) of this certification; and
d. Have not within a tmee-year period preceding this application/proposal had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause or default.
2. Where the prospective primary tier participant is unable to certify to any of the Statements in tis certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to tis proposal.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOWER TIER PARTICIPANT CERTIFICATION
1. By signing and submitting this proposal, the prospective lower tier paiticipant is providing the ceitification set out below and agrees to comply with the requirements of 2 CFR parts 180 and 1200.
2. The certification in tlffs clause is a material representation of fact upon wich reliance was placed when this transaction was entered into. If it is later determined that the prospective lower tier participant knowingly rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency with which this transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension or debarment.
3. The prospective lower tier participant shall provide immediate written notice to the person to wich this proposal is submitted if at any time tlie prospective lower tier participant learns that its ceitification was ei'roneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances.
4. The terms covered transaction, civil judgment, debarment, suspension, ineligible, participant, person, principal, and voluntarily excluded, as used in tis clause, are defined in 2 CFR parts 180 and . You may contact the person to whom this proposal is submitted for assistance in obtaining a copy of those regulations.
5. The prospective lower tier participant agrees by submitting this proposal that, should the proposed covered transaction be entered into, it shall not la'iowingly enter into any lower tier covered transaction with a person who is proposed for debarment under 48 CFR part 9, subpart 9.4, debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in tis covered transaction, unless authorized by the department or agency with which t's transaction originated.
6. The prospective lower tier participant further agrees by submitting this proposal that it will include the clause titled "Instructions for Lower Tier Participant Certification" including the "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transaction," withorit modification, in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions and will require lower tier participants to comply with 2 CFR parts 180 and '.
7. A participant in a covered transaction may rely upon a certification of a prospective paiticipant in a lower tier covered transaction that it is not proposed for debamient under 48 CFR part 9, subpart 9.4, debai'red, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction, unless it knows that the certification is erroneous. A participant is responsible for ensuring that its principals are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise ineligible to participate in covered transactions. To verify the eligibility of its principals, as well as the eligibility of any prospective lower tier participants, each paiticipant may, but is not required to, check the System for Award Management Exclusions website ( htffis.'//www.sam.govi).
8. Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be constnied to require establishment of a system of records in order to render in good faith the certification required by this clause. The knowledge and information of a paiticipant is not required to exceed that which is noimally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings.
9. Except for transactions authorized under paragraph 5 of these instructions, if a participant in a covered transaction knowingly enters into a lower tier covered transaction with a person who is proposed for debarment under 48 CFR part 9, d, suspended, debarred, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency with which tis transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension or debarment.
CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, INELIGIBILITY AND VOLUNTARY EXCLUSIONLOWER TIER COVERED TRANSACTIONS
1. The prospective lower tier participant ceitifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals is presently debai'red, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participating in covered transactions by any Federal department or agency.
11 /11 /2024 5:15:09 PM Page 1 'l of 15
POLICY ON SEAT BELT USE
In accordance with Executive Order 13043, Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States, dated April 16, 1997, the Grantee is encouraged to adopt and enforce on-the-job seat belt use policies and programs for its employees when operating company-owned, rented, or personally-owned vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for providing leadership and guidance in support of this Presidential initiative. For information and resources on traffic safety programs and policies for employers, please contact the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), a public-private partnership dedicated to improving the traffic safety practices of employers and employees. You can download information on seat belt programs, costs of motor vehicle crashes to employers, and other traffic safety initiatives at www.trafficsafety.org. The NHTSA website (www.nhtsa.gov) also provides information on statistics, campaigns, and program evaluations and references.
POLICY ON BANNING TEXT MESSAGING WHILE DRMNG
In accordance with Executive Order 13513, Federal Leadership On Reducing Text Messaging While Driving, and DOT Order 3902.10, Text Messaging While Driving, States are encouraged to adopt and enforce workplace safety policies to decrease crashes caused by distracted driving, including policies to ban text messaging while driving companyowned or rented vehicles, Government-owned, leased or rented vehicles, or privately-owned vehicles when on official Government business or when performing any work on or behalf of the Government. States are also encouraged to conduct workplace safety initiatives in a manner commensurate with the size of the business, such as establishment of new rules and programs or re-evaluation of existing programs to prohibit text messaging while driving, and education, awareness, and other outreach to employees about the safety risks associated with texting while driving. 1l /11 /2024 5:15:09 PM Page 13 of 15
Complete the below information if adding, removing or editing a GEMS user(s) GEMS User1
Add/Changea Remove Accessa Add as a media contact? Yes€ No€ MatthewGoodman Sergeant
Name JobTitle
[email protected] 8055408871
Emailaddress Phonenumber
GEMSUSer2 Add as a media contact? Yes [Z] No 0
Add/Change[ZI Remove Access0
MichaelaBasanese ManagementAnalyst
Name JobTitle
[email protected] 8054734526
Emailaddress Phonenumber
GEMSUSer3 Add as a media contact? Yes [ZI No 0
Add/Change[ZI Remove Access0
NelidaAceves Commander
Name JobTitle
[email protected] 8054734506
Emailaddress Phonenumber
GEMS User 4
Add/Change, Remove Accessa Add as a media contact? Yes € No € BryanMillard Commander
Name JobTitle
[email protected] 8054734510
Emailaddress Phonenumber
GEMS User 5 Add as a media contact? Yes@ No 0
Add/Change[1 RemoveAccess[0
Name JobTitle
Emailaddress Phonenumber
Form completed by:,,,,:q2q95,:,Qqgp:;j, Date: Nov 12, 2024 As a signatory I hereby authorize the listed individual(s) to represent and have GEMS user access.
MrtlhiwGniidmtnmvyts)tvu> iNov 11, in)t 0! It P!J MattheWGoodman Signature Name
Novl2,2024 GrantDirector
Date Title
11 /11 /2024 5:15:09 PM Page 15 of 15
4 Document e-signed by Bryan Millard ([email protected]) Signature Date: 2024-11-14 - 5:32:45 PM GMT - Time Source: server [?-> Document emailed to Jim Munro ([email protected]) for signature 2024-11-14 - 5:32:47 PM GMT
'5 Email viewed by Jim Munro ([email protected])
2024-11-26 - 10:03:04 PM GMT
4 Document e-signed by Jim Munro ([email protected])
Signature Date: 2024-11-26 - 10:06:56 PM GMT - Time Source: server [?-+ Document emailed to Carolyn Vu ([email protected]) for signature 2024-11-26-10:06:57 PM GMT
'6 Email viewed by Carolyn Vu ([email protected])
2024-11-26 - 10:i4:12 PM GMT
4 Document e-signed by Carolyn Vu ([email protected]) Signature Date: 2024-11-26 - 1 0:'14:26 PM GMT - Time Source: server R Document emailed to Barbara Rooney ([email protected]) for signature 2024-11-26-10:14:28 PM GMT
5 Email viewed by Barbara Rooney ([email protected]) 2024-11-26 - 10:46:04 PM GMT
4 Signer Barbara Rooney ([email protected]) entered name at signing as Jessica Chan 2024-11-26-10:46:40 PM GMT
C:% Document e-signed by Jessica Chan ([email protected]) Signature Date: 2024-11-26 - 4 0:46:42 PM GMT - Time Source: server @ Agreement completed.
2024-11-26- 10:46:42 PM GMT
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Agenda Item No. 8
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: January 13, 2025 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
Rob Lomeli, City Attorney
SUBJECT: Appointment to Fill District 2 City Council Vacancy
RECOMMENDATION
Conduct interviews of applicants and make an appointment to fill an existing vacant District 2 City Council seat for the term ending in December 2026.
BACKGROUND
On December 9, 2024, the City Council received certification of the recall election results for Council Member Daniel Rushing, District 2 creating a vacancy on the Grover Beach City Council.
The Council decided on December 9, 2024 to fill this vacancy by appointment and invited registered voters in Grover Beach residing within Council District 2 to apply for the remaining term of the position for the term ending in December 2026. Community members were asked to complete an application available on the City’s website and submit it to the City Clerk’s Office by 5:00 p.m. on January 3rd. The applications will be provided to the Council at the regular meeting on January 13, 2025 where the Council will conduct interviews and make an appointment for this position.
The City received 11 qualified applications within this timeframe. Attachment 1 shows the names of the applicants along with their respective applications with personal information redacted.
Applicants were sent a letter on January 6 (shown in Attachment 2) about the interview and selection process. Below is a suggested interview and appointment process for the Council’s consideration that follows previous Council vacancy selection processes:
Interview Process
• In the interest of fairness to all applicants, only the applicant being interviewed will be present in the Council Chamber while all other applicants remain in the Conference Room until called by the Council for their respective interview. The order of interviews will be selected at random prior to the meeting.
• Once the applicant’s interview is concluded, they may remain in the Council Chamber to hear any remaining interviews and the City Council’s deliberations. • The interview questions will be the same for all candidates. Candidates will be asked to provide a two-minute overview about themselves and why they are interested in serving on the City Council followed by questions from the Council. • Following the interviews, there will be an opportunity for public comment on this agenda item consistent with other Council agenda items. This will provide an opportunity for members of the public to speak about one or more candidates.
Amended: To correct the Omittance
of applicant Ron Arnoldsen
Staff Report: Appointment to Fill District 2 City Council Vacancy Page 2 January 13, 2025
Appointment Process
• The Council has flexibility in the process used in deciding on the appointment. As an example of a process used when filling a vacancy in 2019, each Council Member identified their top five applicants out of the 10 applicants who interviewed with the Council which led to a group of three finalists who were each asked an additional interview question before an appointment was made. The Council could use a similar process to identify the top applicants following the interviews to determine a final group of applicants to further consider for an appointment.
• Conversely, the Council could choose to use a different process in deciding on the appointment including making a selection immediately following the 11 interviews. A selection must be made by a motion that is seconded and approved by a majority vote of the Council.
• Once the Council reaches a decision on the appointment, the Oath of Office will be administered to the appointee and the newly appointed Council Member will be seated at the dais.
• Following the appointment, the Council will make 2025 appointments of Council Members to various external boards, commissions, and committees throughout the county.
Candidates were requested to be prepared to indicate their interest in serving on particular bodies should the candidate be appointed to the Council. • A new Council Member orientation will be scheduled with the City Manager and City Attorney before the newly appointed Council Member attends the next regular City Council meeting scheduled for January 27, 2025.
• Lastly, pursuant to State law, the applicant appointed to the City Council will be required to file a Statement of Economic Interests (Fair Political Practices Commission - Form 700) reporting sources of income or financial interests for the appointed member, their spouse or registered domestic partner, or dependent children that are located in, doing business in, planning to do business in, or having done business within the City’s jurisdiction during the past two years.
Staff is recommending that the Council conduct interviews of applicants to fill this vacancy on the City Council and make a subsequent appointment. If the Council chooses not to make an appointment at the January 13th regular meeting, the Council will need to make this appointment no later than 60 days from the commencement of the vacancy pursuant to Government Code Section 36512(b) or call a special election. This appointment deadline is February 7, 2025, following the commencement of the vacancy on December 9, 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact from this action of appointing a new Council Member.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Conduct interviews of applicants and make an appointment to fill an existing vacant City Council seat for the term ending in December 2026;
2. Conduct interviews but do not make appointment and continue the appointment process to a subsequent date within the specified timeframe identified herein;
3. Provide alternate direction to staff.
Staff Report: Appointment to Fill District 2 City Council Vacancy Page 3 January 13, 2025
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachments
1. List of names of qualified applicants and associated applications (redacted)
2. Sample letter to applicants
City of Grover Beach
CITY CLERK’S OFFICE
LIST OF APPLICANTS WITH LETTERS SUBMITTED FOR
CONSIDERATION OF BEING APPOINTED TO THE
VACANT SEAT ON THE GROVER BEACH CITY COUNCIL
(Listed in Alphabetic Order by Last Name)
1. Ronald Arnoldsen
2. Braden Beck
3. Scott Gelotti
4. Joseph Holmes
5. Krista Jeffries
6. Nicole Moore
7. Laura Ochoa
8. Catherine Oden
9. Scott Steele
10. David Swift
11. Jules Tuggle
Attachment 1
Application for Appointment to City Council Page 2
Other relevant experience, education, or training:
What is your understanding of the role and responsibilities of the City Council? Please indicate the reasons for your interest in serving on the City Council.
You may attach additional information that may be beneficial to the City Council when considering your application.
Please be advised that this application may be discussed by the City Council at an open meeting.
Information provided to the City Council at open meetings will be available as public information.
Have you ever attended or watched a meeting of this City Council? Yes No If yes, how many? What led you to attend or watch?
Financial Disclosure: In compliance with state law and the City's Conflict of Interest Code, all City Council Members are required to file a Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) upon appointment, annually thereafter, and upon leaving office. The Form 700 is a public document regarding personal and business information including sources of income, loans, investments, and interests in real property.
For more information visit: http://www.fppc.ca.gov
Signature:
Your interest in serving the City of Grover Beach is sincerely appreciated! Please submit completed application to:
Office of the City Clerk
154 South 8th Street
Grover Beach, CA 93433
Or via email: [email protected]
I have read the attached policies and am willing to sign and abide by those policies if selected.
It’s understandable to look at the current crop of gentlemen serving as council members and think you don’t have the proper experience for elected office. However, the SAHM is an excellent (dare I say, perfect?) candidate with impeccable qualifications for the position. As much as we love a credentialed expert in his chosen field, a man is limited in how to apply his expertise to areas outside of it. After all, the average local representative tends to be one of two things: highly-salaried at an office in a neighboring city (not all that local), or comfortably retired and free to live life as if every day was Saturday (not all that representative). Whether we’re filling a jury or piloting a new parks and rec program, the goal of local government is to have “normal people” weigh in on the most important matters, to reveal the blind spots that experts leave in their well-intentioned wake. Who is more “normal” than a woman attending to the daily needs of her husband and children?
Your new role as a SAHM will prepare you very well for communicating with voters.
After a 16-hour day of managing little people with big feelings, no patience, and rodent-like attention spans, navigating hard questions from people who want simple answers will be a walk in the park. If you can adequately explain why the tooth-fairy hasn’t yet put money under your first-grader’s pillow, you’re more than ready for a voter who wants to discuss infrastructure costs. It will certainly be much easier than when your eight-year-old asks where babies come from, in the middle of driving the entire ballet class to dress rehearsal.
Forget that bachelor’s degree you went into debt for; the information gleaned from your normal life is more than enough experience to bring to the dais. Where a consultant must derive cause and effect from abstract data sets, you, the SAHM, experience both every day:
When the council rep with a job in the neighboring city may not be aware of how many medical offices closed in the last few years, you, the SAHM, likely know the relative availability of the pediatricians, urgent care centers, and orthodontists in town, whether any of them are close to retirement, and how long it takes at different times of the day.
Where the retired rep might complain about morning neighborhood traffic, you, the SAHM, know that the public school buses have had waitlists for years, forcing hundreds of parents to individually drive their children each morning. That long drop-off line tells you exactly why they’re not walking or biking, either.
Where a city employee sees vandalism in the park, a SAHM knows there aren’t enough activities for teens after school. Where the planning division sees an influx of permits for new gyms, a SAHM knows the neighborhood isn’t safe or pleasant for a daily jog.
Where a consultant sees high property values, a SAHM knows she can’t find regular babysitters.
You couldn’t possibly know all these things if you were forced to work a job! Can you imagine asking a man what grocery stores are in your city, and whether it’s safe to walk there? Do you hire a consulting firm to learn about low-cost activities for residents of all ages, or do you ask the other parents at the PTA meeting? Do you really think that retired architect cosplaying as the mayor would know if your city has activities after 5pm that don’t involve alcohol?
Working men don’t have time to worry their pretty little heads about these things. But you, the full-time homemaker, spend the majority of your day within your own town. You know what needs can be filled in your city boundaries and what you have to find elsewhere. You balance multiple sets of needs and time constraints with your sanity (mostly) intact. Managing budgets, planning projects, and forecasting major expenditures are all in a day’s work. Weighing disparate interests in a way that leaves everyone a little dissatisfied, yet able to move forward? That’s nothing to a mom who has to decide what the family will have for dinner that week. “But the children!” you understandably cry, “Who will care for the children?” Truly what better gift is there, than that of quality time with his progeny? As you bid him goodbye at the door on your way to City Hall, take comfort in the knowledge that he deserves nothing less than the loving embrace of their sticky hands as he unwinds from a long day dealing with adults. Knowing you are soldiering off to be underpaid, overworked, and highly criticized, he will laud you for your selfless service to the broader community.
Though should he, upon your departure, tremble in fear at the complexities of the evening meal, remind him to stay in his lane - and order takeout.
Krista Jeffries is a Partner Writer for Resident Urbanist. She is a married mother of three currently living by the sweat of her husband’s brow on California’s Central Coast. When he allows her to leave the kitchen, she serves on the board of the local Housing Authority and is one of the founding members of SLO County YIMBY. In between making sandwiches and ensuring her spouse approves of her reading material, she sometimes writes for the San Luis Obispo Tribune and New Times San Luis Obispo.You can follow her on the website formerly known as Twitter, but you have to ask her husband first.
Solo efforts in softcore vandalism
Logistics and time constraints notwithstanding, the most puzzling aspect of this endeavor was how frequently people asked me: “Where did you come up with this? And how did you manage to pull this off?” Gentle reader, I have no better answer than the extreme boredom and under-stimulation that often accompanies stay-at-home parenthood. However, should anyone wish to replicate something of my experience without the lifetime commitment of quitting one’s job and making more human beings, I have compiled a beginner’s guide based on my own first project. If you are seeking a way to spruce up your corner of town in a way that’s engaging, enjoyable, and more than a little chaotic, try Resident Urbanist’s easy new 15-step instructional guide for beautifying your city.
“How To Paint A Wall With a Dozen Strangers” -
No experience needed!*
*Audacity not included. Resident Urbanist and its partner writers are not financially or legally liable for any personal injury or property damage that may result from public art projects. User experience may vary. Reader discretion advised.
Villagers at work
Step Zero: Live in a small town. Find your local municipal code online. Search or [CTRL+F] for several key terms, such as “public art,” or “mural.” When nothing comes up, check it again.
Repeat several times over the next few weeks. When you are confident that the word “mural” does not even appear in the city’s code, decide that it’s better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. Proceed to step one.
Step One: Walk your neighborhood, slowly. Look around at the homes and businesses that line the sidewalks. Stop and talk to folks outside. Go into a shop and see if the owner can spare a minute to chat. Who do they see every day? What is their street like? Is it noisy, calm, chaotic, or predictable? Do they like doing business here? Repeat this “walk and talk” several times. Try to find someone different with each repetition. Be curious. Have no agenda.
Step Two: Find a blank wall. A big wall. One that is visible from a busy street or pedestrianized area. Bonus points if it’s under two stories, has a parking lot in front of it, and/or is frequently vandalized. If that property is empty, find another one. Landlords don’t let you paint vacant buildings.
Any of these will do.
Step Three: When you find a good wall with an occupied building, speak to someone inside.
Take your time doing so. Let the owner help customers before resuming conversation. Do not be in a rush. Tell them you’re looking to make your neighborhood a little nicer and ask them if they’d like to be involved. They will mention their blank wall outside. Suggest a mural of some sort. They will be uncertain. Tell them to think about it. When they tell you their landlord won’t let them, ask for their contact info. You will handle Landlord.
Step Four: Call Landlord. Call a second time and leave a voicemail. Open with a polite greeting.
Tell them you are organizing a public beautification project and their building is perfect for it.
Sign off by telling them your name and phone number and wishing them a good day. You may have to repeat this step several times before moving onto Step Five.
Step Five: Receive the call from Landlord. Repeat what you said about public beautification.
When they ask if you’re saying their property is ugly, laugh politely and remind them that the most beautiful art in the world only gets put on blank walls (you can also say “Yes,” if the vibes are right). When they ask what it will cost, assure them that paint is cheap. Ask them if they have any concepts or styles already in mind. They will say no. Make an appointment to meet them at their property and discuss the mural.
Step Six: Prep for the meeting. Get a drawing pad. Go to the hardware store and obtain lots of paint color cards. Find concept pictures with a wide range of styles and color schemes. Find ones composed primarily of simple shapes, with few small details. Remember that this wall is highly textured stucco. Random strangers of all ages will be painting this mural; it is not the time for Monet-style impressionism. Alternatively, it could be the perfect time for Monet-style impressionism.
Step Seven, Option A: Meet with Landlord. Ask them their budget. Reassure them that paint is cheap. Show them the concepts and ask them which ones they like best. They will pick three completely different ideas. They will not know which colors they like. Show them your color cards, and go through the concepts again. They may use terms like “perspective” or “gouache” incorrectly, so ask them things like “When you say ‘art deco’ do you mean this?” and show them sample pictures. Draw out concepts while you talk. Repeat this step several times until you are both excited about the mural concept.
Step Seven, Option B: Meet with Landlord. Ask them their budget. Reassure them that paint is cheap. Show them the concepts and ask them which ones they like best. They will present their own concept, drawn to scale, in its finished state. It will be oddly specific and rooted in an obscure facet of local history. You will ask them if you can tweak the design. They will say yes.
When you present it to them again, they will say no. Proceed with original design.
Step Seven, Option C: Meet with Landlord. Ask them their budget. Reassure them that paint is cheap. Have a credentialed, volunteer graphic designer show them a completed design. Amaze Landlord. Proceed to Step Eight.*
*Important Note: It is at this point that the reader should consider reaching out to local government, even if there is no law on the books regarding public art. Cities are more likely to say “Yes” when they have a concept to evaluate, and they are not being asked for money.
Step Eight: Draft an estimate. Send it to Landlord. Find as much good quality paint as you can at places like Habitat for Humanity. Rent scaffolding from the local hardware store. Take stock of all the accumulated supplies stacked in your garage. Buy several five-gallon buckets. Buy more paintbrushes. Buy a few new cans of paint. Save the receipts for Landlord.
Step Nine: Select a weekend to paint the mural, preferably a month or two in advance. Take note of the weather. Forget to note where the sun will be at different times of the day, and plan (unwisely) to be on site from dawn to dusk. Despite your misgivings, use the Nextdoor app to regularly send out calls for artists with the relevant date, time, and location. Collect contact information from those who show interest. Check in with Landlord and/or Business Owner about once a week until Painting Day arrives. Remind them to have the wall pressure-washed.
Pressure-wash the wall yourself, if you have to.
Step Ten: Two weeks before Painting Day, contact everyone on your interest list. Tell them to bring any brushes and dropcloths that they have. Tell them to bring sunscreen, hats, and water.
Ask them to leave any children under 10 at home (they will ignore this).
Step Eleven: On Painting Day, show up an hour ahead of time. Bring all of your supplies to the site. Bring coolers full of ice. Bring a shade tent. Have your partner or friend help you set up the scaffolding after discovering you cannot do it yourself. Field questions from passersby and/or police officers. Turn on the Boom Box. Get stoked. It is Painting Day.
A blank and often-vandalized wall in the author’s neighborhood Step Twelve: Paint the mural. Give each volunteer a concrete task to do. Show them the design.
Give them each their own cup of paint. Answer questions and give them tips when they ask.
Encourage them. Touch up their mistakes. Receive more volunteers. Rotate the first volunteers out and the new ones in. Move ladders. Forget to eat lunch. Enlist a new volunteer who was just walking by that day and decided to help. Adjust scaffolding. Refill water bottles. Offer snacks and Gatorade. Make regular progress checks from the other side of the street. Rinse brushes for volunteers. Dump water buckets. Refill paint cups. Pull a kid’s hands out of the paint. Repeat for nine hours. Be reminded vaguely of herding cats.
Step Thirteen: When the chaos is at a minimum, or at least supervised by someone else, help paint the mural. Pay close attention to how awesome it feels to be part of making something better. Remember this feeling the next time you’re eight feet in the air, exhausted, hungry, and wondering why you’re doing this again.
The author in her natural habitat
Step Fourteen: Finish the mural. Thank every volunteer for their time. Hand them another water bottle. Thank them again. Put all the supplies into giant buckets and plan to clean them tomorrow, or maybe never. Clean up any spills in front of the wall. Show the finished mural to Landlord and/or Business Owner. They will stare a little too long. You will briefly wonder if they hate it. They will exclaim things like “Oh my goodness!” and “What a difference!” They will not hate it. They will love it. They will wonder why they did not do this sooner.
Step Fifteen: Step back and look at the completed project. You did it. You did it. You actually did it. You had an idea and some spare time and you rallied a bunch of neighbors and you did it.
Look at you go. Take two aspirin with an entire pizza. Sleep 13 hours.
A recent picture of the completed mural, based on artwork by local artist and Dunite, Elwood Decker Optional Subsequent Steps
Step Sixteen: Walk, bike, or drive past your completed project daily for three years. Forget that the wall used to be ugly and vandalized. See cracks in the sidewalk, and the loud traffic, and the other blank walls. Grumble about all that is wrong with your neighborhood. Resent that you are not independently wealthy with endless availability to fix everything. You will forget that there is no such thing as an ethical billionaire. You will forget that over a dozen people you didn’t know gave up their Saturday to paint that wall, and that none of them are billionaires.
Step Seventeen: Walk to the hardware store for the garden sale. Look across the street. See new shapes and colors where there used to be nothing.
Formerly nothing
Formerly nothing
Walk to the new mural in your neighborhood. Realize that this happened without you. Rejoice in this fact. Stare at it a little too long. People will wonder if you hate it. Say something like “Oh my goodness!” and “What a difference!”
You do not hate it.
You love it. You. Love it.
You will wonder why they did not do this sooner.
Krista Jeffries is a Partner Writer for Resident Urbanist.
Originally from Virginia Beach she is a married mother of three currently living on California’s Central Coast. Her many adventures have taken her to healthcare, public art, housing advocacy, and four countries on three continents. She currently serves on the board of the local Housing Authority and is one of the founding members of SLO County YIMBY. She has
previously written for the San Luis Obispo Tribune and New Times San Luis Obispo. You can follow her on the website formerly known as Twitter.
Application for Appointment to City Council Page 2
Other relevant experience, education, or training
What is your understanding of the role and responsibilities of the City Council? Please indicate the reasons for your interest in serving on the City Council. <RXPD\DWWDFKDGGLWLRQDOLQIRUPDWLRQWKDWPD\EHEHQHILFLDOWRWKH&LW\&RXQFLOZKHQ FRQVLGHULQJ\RXUDSSOLFDWLRQ
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Your interest in serving the City of Grover Beach is sincerely appreciated! 3OHDVHVXEPLWFRPSOHWHGDSSOLFDWLRQWR
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,KDYHUHDGWKHDWWDFKHGSROLFLHVDQGDPZLOOLQJWRVLJQDQGDELGHE\WKRVHSROLFLHVLIVHOHFWHG Leadership San Luis Obispo Class 24, with
SLO Chamber of Commerce (January 2015 - October 2015)
Bachelor of Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Parks, Recreation & Tourism Administration (Graduated June 2004)
Represent the constiuents of my district and the greater community as a whole, to advocate for citizens, businesses, and stakeholders to make Grover Beach a more safe, prosperous, and inclusive place to reside, conduct business and recreate on our public lands and spaces.
I am passionate about the homelessness issues we are experiencing, creating safe housing for all, and continuing to make the conditions of living healthier and more equal for all residents regardless of income level or any other circumstance that creates inequality throughout in our community. ✔
3 Represented the South
County Chambers of Commerce and partnerships with the Launchpad. ✔
LAURA WILLS OCHOA
.
Grover Beach , CA 93433 Email:
Sales, Marketing, and Strategic Partnerships Executive
Influential department leader with over 25 years of progressive experience in defining, developing, training, and leading sales and strategic marketing initiatives to help organizations implement and execute business growth performance strategies. Proven high performer heavily experienced in customer relations, sales strategies, contract negotiations and people management. Proactive, persuasive and adaptive sales management professional with excellent hands-on experience developing, motivating and leading outstanding sales team performance. Inspire an "outside the box" and contemporary approach to analyzing and addressing the gap between current status and future needs, and then setting the vision and strategy to fill the gap in order to meet the expectations of customers, employees, and business leaders. Specialist is Creating a Growth Mindset Environment in which people can thrive.
Areas of Expertise
Sales Management
Creative, Strategic Problem
Solver
Creation of high performing new
business sales teams
Training and Development
Marketing Design and Planning
Pay Plan Analysis and Creation
Salesforce.com
Strategic Partnerships
Forecasting
Performance Management
B2B Consultative Selling
Public Relations / Customer
Service
Key Skills Assessment
STRATEGIC KEY ACCOUNTS PERFORMANCE – Create and implement strategic and tactical business development, sales, and marketing avenues to aggressively expand major accounts. A proven track record of increasing revenue while partnering with prominent organizations country-wide- private, non-profit, and government.
FULL MARKETING CYCLE PROFICIENCY – From awareness and lead generation through customer acquisition and retention. Committed to quarterbacking internal teams through the exchange of knowledge, experience, and goal sharing to create and execute a comprehensive schedule of campaigns through integrated online, email, print, outdoor, event and social media activities.
Professional Experience
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of San Luis Obispo (2021-Present) Training Manager
Provide all pre-service and continuing education (in-service) trainings for adult volunteer advocates. Develop courseware for all topics relative to the CASA volunteers being able to adequately research the circumstances of abused and neglected minors and non-minor dependents in the juvenile dependency system, report findings to the court, and serve as advocates for the best interests of the child.
WELCOME TO SAN DIEGO REAL ESTATE/COMPASS CALIFORNIA
REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON AND REFERRAL AGENT (2013- PRESENT) 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE AWARD- (TOP 5% OF ALL RE AGENTS /TEAMS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY BY SALES VOLUME)
AT&T, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, UTAH
SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER, PREMIER CLIENT GROUP (2012 – 2013) Sales and training manager charged with expansion of business development operations in Western Region, while supervising design and research, while developing leads and organizational relationships. Specialist in Selling Voice, Data & Transport, Mobility, Cloud Solutions, Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery, & AT&T Connect (web conferencing); amplifying revenue by $800,000 per year. Worked with Government Agencies and Private Businesses. One of only three managers in Southern California to receive “Exceeds Expectations” performance rating Educated and mentored Sales Managers and Account Executives to improve effectiveness of sales Organized VP presentations and schedules; Retooled client interfacing; hosted all industry trade shows AT&T ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS INC., CALIFORNIA
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA MARKETING MANAGER- (1998 – 2012) Department manager recruited to champion all sales, marketing, training, and business development endeavors in So. Caldeveloping successful sponsorships, tailoring marketing communications to area based on research/risk analysis, and responsible for pricing, promotion, product strategies and public relations. Hosted/managed all industry trade shows and events.
Partnered with organizations like Angel’s Baseball, San Diego Chargers, San Diego Zoo, San Diego State University, San Diego Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, City of San Diego, City of El Cajon, among others. Key developer of personnel. Trained and developed a team of 100+ sales professionals, presenting business improvement and Value Certification seminars as well as instruction for new product and marketing plans.
Delivered new $250,000 revenue stream for sales through creation of new marketing partnerships CEO/VP Support: Author of External/Internal Presentations, Schedule Organization, Event Planning #1 in AT&T Advertising Solutions amongst all 38 U.S. peers for Annual Barter Revenue ($2,546,000). Instrumental in creation and implementation of ‘Click and Prep Made Easy’ sales collateral website tool adapted as best practice standard by all 25,000+ U.S. sales personnel.
PACIFIC BELL, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN JOSE, CA
Manager- Sales Training and Seminar Facilitator (1996-1998) Presented in-depth sales and product training, progress evaluation, testing, and coaching for Sales Associates and customer service employees in order to meet training initiatives. Managed teams of new Sales Associates to ensure performance objectives were achieved.
Highest ‘Average Course Evaluation Rating’ in entire Sales Training Dept. of 30 Training Managers Received Pacific Bell Directory “Exceptional Achievement Outstanding Contribution Award’ for facilitating three-day ‘Living Our Values’ workshop given to all 1,000+ Pacific Bell employees. Designed, drafted and implemented company-wide training material such as Sales Mastery Ruler sales collateral tool, Annual Skills Assessment and processing forms, and ‘Understanding Our Business’ course, reaching entire U.S. sales force.
Utilized performance-counseling framework, project testing, and client interfacing to meet goals. Named Human Relations Division Champion for Competition Information Pipeline.
Education & Training
Master of Business Administration, Marketing, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies and Dramatic Art, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
Certified Lean Practitioner- Quality Management System
Certified Small Claims Court Mediator, Conflict Resolution Program of the Central Coast Science of Consultative Selling
Professional Memberships
Board of Directors, Women in Business San Diego Chapter President: Rotary Passport Club of the Central Coast
Vice President, California- Rotary International Travel Hosting Fellowship Board of Directors- Chapman Estate Foundation
President: Board of Directors, La Vita Home Owners Association Board of Directors, Rolling Readers/Words Alive
Awards & Distinctions
Represented AT&T in Washington, D.C. to meet The President Small Business Administration Business Success Forum, Speaker - “Communication/Promotion Strategies” Pacific Bell Directory, Exceptional Achievement Outstanding Contribution Award for Seminar Facilitation Pacific Bell Directory, Council of Leaders Recognition Award – Sales and Leadership Selected as Junior Achievement instructor and branch Job-Shadow coordinator
Other relevant experience, education, or training:
My experience uniquely qualifies me to be an effective candidate for city council. In addition to serving as a legislative assistant to a County Supervisor, I’ve worked on a variety of campaigns and city council debates, where I gained firsthand insight into the complexities of local government and the needs of the community. This experience has deepened my understanding of how important it is to listen to residents and engage with diverse groups to shape policies that benefit everyone. I have also worked for community-based nonprofits, reporting to a board of directors and balancing the diverse goals and needs of members. This taught me how to navigate competing interests and find solutions that serve the broader community, a critical skill when representing the diverse voices in our city. Together, these experiences have equipped me with a strong foundation in community engagement, policy development, and finding common ground, all of which will enable me to serve effectively as a city council member.
What is your understanding of the role and responsibilities of the City Council? A city council member's role is to serve as a representative of their community, ensuring that all voices are heard and considered in the decision-making process. They provide constituent services, while also working to create and pass policies that reflect the values and priorities of the entire city. An effective council member makes informed, thoughtful decisions that balance the needs of various citizens, community groups, and local businesses while advocating for equity and promoting the long-term well-being of the community. Their work requires active listening, collaboration, and a commitment to transparency and accountability.
Please indicate the reasons for your interest in serving on the City Council.
I want to serve on the city council because I am deeply committed to making a positive impact in our community. I believe in the power of local government to create meaningful change, and I want to be part of a team that prioritizes the needs and concerns of residents and local business. I am passionate about creating strong, well-informed policies that foster growth, equity, and sustainability. I believe that effective policy decisions are rooted in collaboration, transparency, and understanding. Good governance is essential for building trust and ensuring that city services are efficient, accountable, and accessible to all. Ultimately, I want to help build a city that reflects our shared values, supports our diverse population, and creates a bright future for everyone who calls it home.
City of Grover Beach
Mayor Kassi Dee Mayor Pro Tem Robert Robert
Council Member Clint Weirick, Council Member Kathy McCorry-Driscoll, Council Member Vacant Matthew Bronson
City Manager
154 South Eighth Street Grover Beach, California 93433 www.groverbeach.org January 6, 2025
{Name}
{Address}
Grover Beach, CA 93433 SENT VIA EMAIL
SUBJECT: APPLICATION TO FILL VACANCY ON THE GROVER BEACH CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2
Dear ________:
This letter is to confirm receipt of your application of interest to serve our community as an appointed member of the Grover Beach City Council for District 2. The City Council will be conducting interviews of qualified applicants at a public meeting to be held in the Council Chamber at City Hall on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. (City Council meetings are televised on Government Cable Access Channel 20 and may be viewed over the Internet at www.groverbeach.org.) A copy of the agenda and staff report will be emailed to you prior to the meeting. If you are not available to attend the meeting and participate in the interviews, please contact the City Clerk’s Office by calling (805) 473-4567 or sending an email to [email protected].
Interview Process:
• In the interest of fairness to all applicants, the order of the interviewees will be randomly selected prior to the meeting. We respectfully request that only the applicant being interviewed be present in Council Chamber, while all other applicants will be in the adjoining Conference Room until called by the Council.
• The interview questions will be the same for all applicants. Applicants will be asked to provide a two-minute overview about themselves and why they are interested in serving on the City Council followed by questions from the Council.
• Once your interview is concluded, you may remain in the Council Chamber to hear any remaining interviews and the City Council’s deliberations. • If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, you may participate via the Call-In Studio feature for the interviews. Please contact me so we can make the appropriate arrangements.
Appointment:
• Once the City Council reaches a decision regarding the appointment, the Oath of Office will be administered to the appointee at the meeting and the newly appointed Council Member will be seated at the dais.
• Immediately following the appointment process, the Council will make 2025 appointments of Council Members to various external boards, commissions, and committees throughout the county. Each applicant should therefore be prepared to indicate their interest in serving on particular bodies should the applicant be appointed to the Council. Attached is a list of these external boards, commission, and committees for your reference.
Attachment 2
• A new Council Member orientation will be scheduled with the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Directors before the newly appointed Council Member attends the January 27th Council meeting.
• The League of California Cities is hosting its annual New Mayors and Council Members Academy in Sacramento on January 22-24. The appointed Council Member is strongly encouraged to attend this academy to understand the role of local elected officials and connect with other Council Members from cities throughout our region and the state. The cost for the academy is paid by the City. A second academy is also scheduled for January 29-31 in Garden Grove.
• Applicants are encouraged to read an article from the League of California Cities’ Western City magazine, “The golden rules for new council members.” Lastly, pursuant to State law, the applicant appointed to the City Council will be required to file a Statement of Economic Interests (Fair Political Practices Commission - Form 700). The statement requires reporting sources of income or financial interests (for you, your spouse or registered domestic partner, or dependent children) that are located in, doing business in, planning to do business in, or having done business within the City’s jurisdiction during the past two years.
Statements of Economic Interests are public documents. For reference, this form is available in the City Clerk’s office during regular business hours or online at www.fppc.ca.gov. Upon appointment, the Form 700 will be provided to you and must be completed within 30 days.
Please let me know if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you on Monday, January 13, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Respectfully,
WENDI B. SIMS
City Clerk/Executive Assistant
Attachment: Council Committee Assignments
c: Mayor and Council Members
City Manager Matthew Bronson
City Attorney Rob Lomeli
CITY OF GROVER BEACH
DESCRIPTION OF EXTERNAL BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES Annually, the City Council makes appointments of City Council members to various external boards, commissions, and committees to ensure adequate representation of elected officials throughout the county. Below is further information about each external body along with assignment requirements and past representatives:
1. Advisory Body Screening Committee
Requirement: Mayor and 1 Council Member (who is selected by random drawing pursuant to Council direction on October 16, 2000.)
This committee serves as an interview board for interviewing prospective candidates for one of the City’s three (3) Advisory Bodies. The committee is comprised of the Mayor, one Council Member, and the Chairperson of the respective Advisory Body.
Meetings: Scheduled only when there are vacancies on an Advisory Body and applicants to be considered for appointment(s).
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Minimal. Primarily agenda review, attending meetings as scheduled to interview applicants, and making recommendation(s) to the City Council.
Stipend: None.
2. Air Pollution Control District (APCD)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
This is the County-wide legislative authority which deals with clean air maintenance and attainments. The District Board consists of twelve members: five (5) County Supervisors and one (1) City Council representative from each of the seven (7) incorporated cities. City representation was authorized in 1994. As of January 1, 2010, alternates may also be appointed (Health and Safety Code section 40100.5).
Meetings: The fourth Wednesday of every odd-numbered month at 9 a.m. (with some exceptions) in the County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey Avenue, San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Agenda review of technical materials / information and attending regular meetings (approx. 3 hours) and special meetings / workshops as needed. May require attendance at out of area meetings, if appointed as the APCD Representative or Alternate to the South-Central Coast Air Basin Control Council.
Stipend: $100 per regular meeting attendance (as of July 2009; no additional stipend for attending special meetings or workshops).
2024 Representatives: Karen Bright, Robert Robert (Alternate) Exhibit B
Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 2
3. California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
Meetings: The Board of Directors consists of one representative selected from the governing body of each member of the Authority. Each July, the entire Board of Directors attends an annual business meeting. At the annual meeting, the president and vice president of the Authority and other members of the Executive Committee are elected, reports of the affairs of the Authority are considered, and any other business may be transacted which is within the powers of the Board of Directors.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Agenda review and attending the Annual Business Meeting each July.
Stipend: $100.00 per meeting
2024 Representatives: Clint Weirick, Zach Zimmerman (Alternate) Five Cities Fire Joint Powers Authority
(Cities of Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande)
Requirement: 2 Council Members
The Five Cities Fire Authority provides fire protection services through a joint powers agreement with the Cities of Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande. The Authority Board consists of two Council Members from each member agency with the two City Managers serving as the Executive Management of the Authority.
Meetings: The third Monday in January, April, July, and October at 5:00 p.m. at either the Grover Beach or Arroyo Grande Council Chamber, with special meetings scheduled as needed.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 hours per month) and special meetings, as needed.
Stipend: None
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Clint Weirick
4. Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
In 2008, a countywide coalition of cities, agencies, and civic groups formed to improve the County’s approach to homelessness which led to a report entitled A Path to A Home, San Luis Obispo Countywide 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The HSOC is an advisory committee formed from this process to discuss the countywide approach to homelessness and services for the homeless, including both housing and supportive services particularly given the County’s updated five-year plan to address homelessness adopted in 2022. Membership is comprised of a broad spectrum of representatives, including the County Board of Supervisors, each City, certain County government departments (health, planning, social services, veteran services, and probation), law enforcement, business organizations, academic institution, faith community, as well as interested community members.
Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 3 Meetings: Scheduled bi-monthly (six times per year), at a time and date determined by its members and may be changed by a majority vote of the HSOC at any regular meeting. Location varies in San Luis Obispo (County Government Center, San Luis Obispo Veterans’ Memorial Building or the Department of Social Services). The Full HSOC Meetings are held from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. on the 3rd Wednesdays of every other month, with additional meetings for subcommittees.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending meetings (approx. 2 hours), as well as special meetings/workshops or events as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Clint Weirick, Zach Zimmerman (Alternate)
5. Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)
Requirement: 1 City Council Member and 1 Alternate
Responsibility includes preparing an integrated waste management plan implementing state mandated legislation (AB 939). The plan will include elements for recycling, composting, education, and various other waste management areas. The role of the authority member is to guide the reduction of the County’s waste stream.
Meetings: Held at 1:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 2 hours).
Stipend: $100 per meeting.
2024 Representatives: Robert Robert, Daniel Rushing (Alternate)
6. REACH
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
REACH (Regional Economic Action Coalition) brings together a cross-section of business, government, education and nonprofit leaders to transform the quality of life on the Central Coast and increase economic prosperity through big thinking, bold action, and regional collaboration.
There are multiple stakeholder meetings throughout the year where the Council representative will hear from a variety of dynamic speakers, engage with a network of peers, make recommendations to the REACH Council on job creation initiatives and participate in the advocacy of the REACH mission.
Meetings: Approximately 2-4 meetings will be held over the year and will be scheduled separately.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 hours).
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Zach Zimmerman, Robert Robert (Alternate) Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 4
7. San Luis Obispo County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) Requirement: 1 Council Member (*recommended) and 1 Alternate This organization is involved with water supplies and availability of water on a county-wide basis.
The purpose is to advise the County Board of Supervisors concerning all policy decisions relating to water resources of the SLO County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, to recommend specific water resource programs, and to recommend methods of financing water resource programs. (*Appointed representatives are not required to be elected officials, but should be individuals knowledgeable regarding water issues. According to WRAC staff, cities may appoint a Council Member as the lead representative who would be available when policy issues are discussed, with a staff member as the alternate for attending most of the meetings.) Note: Councilappointed representatives require approval by the Board of Supervisors.
Meetings: First Wednesday of each month (except July and August), 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., San Luis Obispo City/County Library Community Room, 995 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approx. 2.5 - 3 hrs), and special meetings/workshops as needed. Additional time required if volunteering to serve on ad hoc subcommittee assignments approximately six times/year (eg., reviewing biennial water report for County). Ad hoc committee meetings are scheduled as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Clint Weirick, Robert Robert (Alternate)
8. San Luis Obispo Council of Governments / San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (SLOCOG / SLO RTA)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
SLOCOG is a regional governing body organized through a joint powers agreement that has responsibility for transportation planning, housing and infrastructure planning, and other regional coordination needs.
Meetings: First Wednesday of every month (more frequently, if needed) and start at 8:30 a.m. at the County Board of Supervisors Chambers in San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approximately 4-5 hrs for SLOCOG), and special meetings/workshops as needed.
Stipend: $100 per meeting.
SLO RTA is operated through a joint powers agreement with SLOCOG to oversee the countywide transit system. The representative is usually the same representative as the SLOCOG representative as SLORTA meetings start either before or after SLOCOG and has the same Board.
Meetings: First Wednesday of every month either before or after the SLOCOG meeting.
Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 5 Location: County Board of Supervisors Chambers in San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 - 2 hours for SLORTA), and special meetings/workshops as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Karen Bright (Alternate)
9. South County Transit Committee (SCTC)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
This committee is an advisory body to the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority Board and is tasked with providing a recommendation to the Board on the budget and services provided to the South County area in the subsequent fiscal year. The Cities of Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, and Pismo Beach are represented on the Committee along with the County. The SCTC representative would be the representative of the SLOCOG/RTA.
Meeting: Held annually prior to May 1st at the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approx. 1 – 1.5 hours) and special meetings as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Karen Bright (Alternate)
10. South County Chambers of Commerce
Requirement: None.
The Council annually designates a City Council representative to attend Chamber events and meetings of the Chamber’s Grover Beach Steering Committee and Government Affairs Committee. The City Manager, or designee, is the staff liaison and program manager for operational agreements and work efforts between the City and the Chamber.
Meetings: The Chamber holds monthly events for the entire membership - lunches, educational workshops, mixers, special events, ribbon cuttings, etc.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Attending Chamber events, as scheduled and Government Affairs meeting (approx. 1-3 hours).
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Zach Zimmerman, Daniel Rushing (Alternate) Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 6
11. South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District (SSLOCSD) Requirement: Mayor or Mayor’s Designee and 1 Alternate
The City contracts with the Sanitation District for wastewater collection and treatment. The District is governed by a Board of Directors composed of the presiding officer from the Cities of Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande and the Oceano Community Services District, or their respective alternates (per Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the Sanitation District, as well as Health and Safety Code sections 4730-4735)
Meetings: The first and third Wednesdays of each month at 6:00 p.m. Location rotates between member agencies - Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach Council Chambers, and the Board Chamber for the Oceano Community Services District.
Estimated time for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attendance at regular meetings (average 2-4 hours) with special meetings/workshops, as needed.
Stipend: $100 per meeting (2 meetings held/month)
2024 Representatives: Karen Bright, Clint Weirick (Alternate)
12. Visit SLO CAL - Advisory Committee
Requirement: 1 City Council Member and 1 Alternate (non-voting capacity) Visit SLO County promotes countywide tourism opportunities and complements the efforts of local communities and organizations. It is a private, non-profit organization with membership comprised of local businesses, chambers of commerce, County government, and most incorporated cities in the County.
With the formation of the Tourism Marketing District in 2015 and district renewal in 2020, voting members of the Board of Directors must be a representative of an assessed lodging business, except for the County representative. During formation of the Tourism Marketing District, an Advisory Committee was established. The Advisory Committee is made up of one elected official and the city manager from each jurisdiction, and a representative of the County.
Meetings: Twice annually (May and December).
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Consists primarily of agenda review and attending meetings and workshops, as needed. (approximately 1.5 - 2 hours).
Stipend: None
2024 Representatives: Zach Zimmerman, Robert Robert (Alternate) Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 7
13. Zone Three Advisory Committee
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
This is a County-organized committee to handle the operation of Lopez Lake for both recreation and water facilities. The Advisory Committee works closely with the Zone 3 Technical Advisory Committee. Council-appointed representatives require final approval by the Board of Supervisors.
Meetings: Scheduled on the third Thursday of every odd numbered month (Jan, Mar, May, etc.) at 6:30 p.m., and held in the Council or Board Chamber of the local member agencies on a rotating basis - Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, and Pismo Beach.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approx. 2 hours) and special meetings/workshops as needed. May occasionally require additional time to meet with City staff, depending upon the complexity of the agenda item(s).
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Karen Bright (Alternate) Agenda Item No. 9
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: January 13, 2025 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
SUBJECT: 2025 City Council Assignments to Boards, Commissions and Committees
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the Resolution confirming certain Council assignments and authorize the City Clerk to update FPPC Form 806 for posting on the City’s website.
BACKGROUND
The Council annually reviews the list of assignments to determine interest in serving as the City's representative to various external boards, commissions, and committees throughout the county.
The Council’s practice has been to determine assignments (representatives and alternates) through a process of discussion and consensus. A Resolution is provided to confirm City Council appointments as shown in Attachment 1. Once appointments have been approved by the Council, the names of Council representatives will be submitted to the respective agencies. In addition to these assignments, the Council can create additional assignments to external groups or form Council subcommittees on specific topics on an ad-hoc basis.
One exception to the Council Committee appointment process is regarding the South SLO County Sanitation District. The Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the South SLO County Sanitation District indicates that “The District Board will be composed of the Presiding Officer of the City of Arroyo Grande, the Presiding Officer of the Oceano Community Services District, and the Presiding Officer of the City of Grover Beach, or their respective alternates.” There are two committees that have been added this year. Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO) is a rotating seat that is for 3 years and rotates between the cities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and Pismo Beach. The City will have the seat beginning February 2025 through December 2027. In addition, Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) also has a rotating seat shared with the cities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and Pismo Beach. The City will serve in the alternate Board role in 2025 with Arroyo Grande serving in the lead role, with Grover Beach transitioning into the lead Board role in 2026.
Pursuant to regulations of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), members of the City Council may participate in the deliberations to appoint him or herself to a compensated position.
Those compensated positions are reported on a specific form available in the City Clerk’s Office and posted to the City website in accordance with FPPC Regulation §18702.5. The form (FPPC Form 806) is updated when there is a change in compensation or representation.
Staff Report: 2025 City Council Assignments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees Page 2 January 13, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no anticipated fiscal impact from the recommended action.
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Adopt the Resolution confirming appointments for 2025; or
2. Take no action and carry this item over for discussion to a future meeting; or
3. Provide alternative direction to staff.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachments
1. Resolution confirming certain City Council committee assignments Exhibit A - Assignment Template with Current Assignments Exhibit B – Description of External Boards, Committees, and Commissions (with updated meeting information)
2. FPPC Form 806
RESOLUTION NO. 25-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GROVER BEACH,
CALIFORNIA, REVISING CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2025
WHEREAS, the City Council is involved in various committees, boards, and organizations that serve the City and provide representation of the City’s interests; and WHEREAS, the City Council considers committee assignments on an annual basis to ensure adequate representation of the City’s elected officials throughout the County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Grover Beach that this Resolution does hereby supersede all prior Resolutions dealing with these Council appointments to various standing committees, boards, and organizations; and that the City representatives from this date forward are designated in the attached Exhibit A in accordance with the description of the assignments as described in Exhibit B.
On motion by Council Member __________, seconded by Council Member ________, and on the following roll-call vote, to wit:
AYES: Council Members –
NOES: Council Members –
ABSENT: Council Members –
ABSTAIN: Council Members –
RECUSED: Council Members –
the foregoing Resolution was PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, California this 13th day of January 2025.
KASSI DEE, MAYOR
Attest:
WENDI B. SIMS, CITY CLERK
Attachment 1
**DRAFT**
Exhibit A
Resolution No. 25-
COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS FOR 2025
ASSIGNMENT 2025 REPRESENTATIVE ALTERNATE
Advisory Body Screening Committee 1 See below N/A
Air Pollution Control District (APCD)
California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA)
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) N/A
Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO) Five Cities Fire Joint Powers Authority
Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC)
Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)
REACH
SLO County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC)
SLO Council of Governments / SLO Regional Transit Authority (SLOCOG / SLORTA)
South County Transit Committee
South County Chambers of Commerce
South SLO County Sanitation District (SSLOCSD)
Visit SLO CAL Advisory Committee
Zone Three Advisory
Note: The City updates and posts FPPC Form 806 to the City website to report additional compensation that officials receive when appointing themselves to positions on committees, boards or commissions of a public agency, special district, and joint powers agency or authority. (Pursuant to Regulation 18705.5, amended March 2012)
1Per City Council action on October 16 Council representation will be the Mayor and one Council Member or Commissioner selected by Mayor’s choice.
CITY OF GROVER BEACH
DESCRIPTION OF EXTERNAL BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES Annually, the City Council makes appointments of City Council members to various external boards, commissions, and committees to ensure adequate representation of elected officials throughout the county. Below is further information about each external body along with assignment requirements and past representatives:
1. Advisory Body Screening Committee
Requirement: Mayor and 1 Council Member (who is selected by random drawing pursuant to Council direction on October 16, 2000.)
This committee serves as an interview board for interviewing prospective candidates for one of the City’s three (3) Advisory Bodies. The committee is comprised of the Mayor, one Council Member, and the Chairperson of the respective Advisory Body.
Meetings: Scheduled only when there are vacancies on an Advisory Body and applicants to be considered for appointment(s).
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Minimal. Primarily agenda review, attending meetings as scheduled to interview applicants, and making recommendation(s) to the City Council.
Stipend: None.
2. Air Pollution Control District (APCD)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
This is the County-wide legislative authority which deals with clean air maintenance and attainments. The District Board consists of twelve members: five (5) County Supervisors and one (1) City Council representative from each of the seven (7) incorporated cities. City representation was authorized in 1994. As of January 1, 2010, alternates may also be appointed (Health and Safety Code section 40100.5).
Meetings: The fourth Wednesday of every odd-numbered month at 9 a.m. (with some exceptions) in the County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey Avenue, San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Agenda review of technical materials / information and attending regular meetings (approx. 3 hours) and special meetings / workshops as needed. May require attendance at out of area meetings, if appointed as the APCD Representative or Alternate to the South-Central Coast Air Basin Control Council.
Stipend: $100 per regular meeting attendance (as of July 2009; no additional stipend for attending special meetings or workshops).
2024 Representatives: Karen Bright, Robert Robert (Alternate) Exhibit B
Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 2
3. California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
Meetings: The Board of Directors consists of one representative selected from the governing body of each member of the Authority. Each July, the entire Board of Directors attends an annual business meeting. At the annual meeting, the president and vice president of the Authority and other members of the Executive Committee are elected, reports of the affairs of the Authority are considered, and any other business may be transacted which is within the powers of the Board of Directors.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Agenda review and attending the Annual Business Meeting each July.
Stipend: $100.00 per meeting
2024 Representatives: Clint Weirick, Zach Zimmerman (Alternate)
4. Central Coast Community Energy (3CE)
Requirement: 1 Council Member
Meetings: Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) is a Joint Powers Authority to source clean and renewable electricity for customers in Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties. 3CE is governed by a Board of Directors who represent the communities served by the agency. The City is a member of 3CE and has a shared seat on the Board with Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach with the Board role rotating among the three cities every two years. In 2025, the City will serve in the alternate Board role with Arroyo Grande serving in the lead role with the City transitioning into the lead Board role in 2026. The City Manager will serve in a similar capacity on the 3CE Operations Board.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Agenda review in case of the need to attend Board meeting which are generally held quarterly.
Stipend: None
2024 Representatives: N/A
5. Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County Requirement: 1 City Council member and 1 Alternate
The City received an invitation for a Grover Beach Council Member to serve on the Board of Directors for the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO). This is a rotating seat that is for 3 years and then rotates between the cities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and Pismo Beach. The City of Grover Beach will have the seat beginning February 2025 through December 2027. CAPSLO is the County’s Community Action Agency providing community-based programs to alleviate poverty and promote self-sufficiency among economically and socially disadvantaged residents. CAPSLO is governed by a tripartite Board of Directors with equal representation from business, local government, and low-income residents.
Meetings: The third Thursday of each month at 5:00 PM, generally by zoom.
Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 3 Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 hours per month) and special meetings, as needed.
Stipend: None
6. Five Cities Fire Joint Powers Authority
(Cities of Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande)
Requirement: 2 Council Members
The Five Cities Fire Authority provides fire protection services through a joint powers agreement with the Cities of Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande. The Authority Board consists of two Council Members from each member agency with the two City Managers serving as the Executive Management of the Authority. Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 hours per month) and special meetings, as needed.
Meetings: The third Monday in January, April, July, and October at 5:00 p.m. at either the Grover Beach or Arroyo Grande Council Chamber, with special meetings scheduled as needed.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 hours per month) and special meetings, as needed.
Stipend: None
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Clint Weirick
7. Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
In 2008, a countywide coalition of cities, agencies, and civic groups formed to improve the County’s approach to homelessness which led to a report entitled A Path to A Home, San Luis Obispo Countywide 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The HSOC is an advisory committee formed from this process to discuss the countywide approach to homelessness and services for the homeless, including both housing and supportive services particularly given the County’s updated five-year plan to address homelessness adopted in 2022. Membership is comprised of a broad spectrum of representatives, including the County Board of Supervisors, each City, certain County government departments (health, planning, social services, veteran services, and probation), law enforcement, business organizations, academic institution, faith community, as well as interested community members.
Meetings: Scheduled bi-monthly (six times per year), at a time and date determined by its members and may be changed by a majority vote of the HSOC at any regular meeting. Location varies in San Luis Obispo (County Government Center, San Luis Obispo Veterans’ Memorial Building or the Department of Social Services). The meetings are held from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. on the 3rd Wednesdays of every other month, with additional meetings for subcommittees.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending meetings (approx. 2 hours), as well as special meetings/workshops or events as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Clint Weirick, Zach Zimmerman (Alternate) Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 4 Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)
Requirement: 1 City Council Member and 1 Alternate
Responsibility includes preparing an integrated waste management plan implementing state mandated legislation (AB 939). The plan will include elements for recycling, composting, education, and various other waste management areas. The role of the authority member is to guide the reduction of the County’s waste stream.
Meetings: Held at 1:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 2 hours).
Stipend: $100 per meeting.
2024 Representatives: Robert Robert, Daniel Rushing (Alternate)
8. REACH
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
REACH (Regional Economic Action Coalition) brings together a cross-section of business, government, education and nonprofit leaders to transform the quality of life on the Central Coast and increase economic prosperity through big thinking, bold action, and regional collaboration.
There are multiple stakeholder meetings throughout the year where the Council representative will hear from a variety of dynamic speakers, engage with a network of peers, make recommendations to the REACH Council on job creation initiatives and participate in the advocacy of the REACH mission.
Meetings: Approximately 2-4 meetings will be held over the year and will be scheduled separately.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 hours).
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Zach Zimmerman, Robert Robert (Alternate)
9. San Luis Obispo County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) Requirement: 1 Council Member (*recommended) and 1 Alternate This organization is involved with water supplies and availability of water on a county-wide basis.
The purpose is to advise the County Board of Supervisors concerning all policy decisions relating to water resources of the SLO County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, to recommend specific water resource programs, and to recommend methods of financing water resource programs. (*Appointed representatives are not required to be elected officials, but should be individuals knowledgeable regarding water issues. According to WRAC staff, cities may appoint a Council Member as the lead representative who would be available when policy issues are Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 5 discussed, with a staff member as the alternate for attending most of the meetings.) Note: Councilappointed representatives require approval by the Board of Supervisors.
Meetings: First Wednesday of each month (except July and August), 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., San Luis Obispo City/County Library Community Room, 995 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approx. 2.5 - 3 hrs), and special meetings/workshops as needed. Additional time required if volunteering to serve on ad hoc subcommittee assignments approximately six times/year (eg., reviewing biennial water report for County). Ad hoc committee meetings are scheduled as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Clint Weirick, Robert Robert (Alternate)
10. San Luis Obispo Council of Governments / San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (SLOCOG / SLO RTA)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
SLOCOG is a regional governing body organized through a joint powers agreement that has responsibility for transportation planning, housing and infrastructure planning, and other regional coordination needs.
Meetings: First Wednesday of every month (more frequently, if needed) and start at 8:30 a.m. at the County Board of Supervisors Chambers in San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approximately 4-5 hrs for SLOCOG), and special meetings/workshops as needed.
Stipend: $100 per meeting.
SLO RTA is operated through a joint powers agreement with SLOCOG to oversee the countywide transit system. The representative is usually the same representative as the SLOCOG representative as SLORTA meetings start either before or after SLOCOG and has the same Board.
Meetings: First Wednesday of every month either before or after the SLOCOG meeting.
Location: County Board of Supervisors Chambers in San Luis Obispo.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approximately 1.5 - 2 hours for SLORTA), and special meetings/workshops as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Karen Bright (Alternate) Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 6
11. South County Transit Committee (SCTC)
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
This committee is an advisory body to the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority Board and is tasked with providing a recommendation to the Board on the budget and services provided to the South County area in the subsequent fiscal year. The Cities of Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, and Pismo Beach are represented on the Committee along with the County. The SCTC representative would be the representative of the SLOCOG/RTA.
Meeting: Held annually prior to May 1st at the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attending regular meetings (approx. 1 – 1.5 hours) and special meetings as needed.
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Karen Bright (Alternate)
12. South County Chambers of Commerce
Requirement: None.
The Council annually designates a City Council representative to attend Chamber events and meetings of the Chamber’s Grover Beach Steering Committee and Government Affairs Committee. The City Manager, or designee, is the staff liaison and program manager for operational agreements and work efforts between the City and the Chamber.
Meetings: The Chamber holds monthly events for the entire membership - lunches, educational workshops, mixers, special events, ribbon cuttings, etc.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Attending Chamber events, as scheduled and Government Affairs meeting (approx. 1-3 hours).
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Zach Zimmerman, Daniel Rushing (Alternate)
13. South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District (SSLOCSD) Requirement: Mayor or Mayor’s Designee and 1 Alternate
The City contracts with the Sanitation District for wastewater collection and treatment. The District is governed by a Board of Directors composed of the presiding officer from the Cities of Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande and the Oceano Community Services District, or their respective alternates (per Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the Sanitation District, as well as Health and Safety Code sections 4730-4735)
Meetings: The first and third Wednesdays of each month at 6:00 p.m. Location rotates between member agencies - Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach Council Chambers, and the Board Chamber for the Oceano Community Services District.
Description of External Boards, Commissions & Committees Page 7 Estimated time for City representative: Primarily agenda review and attendance at regular meetings (average 2-4 hours) with special meetings/workshops, as needed.
Stipend: $100 per meeting (2 meetings held/month)
2024 Representatives: Karen Bright, Clint Weirick (Alternate)
14. Visit SLO CAL - Advisory Committee
Requirement: 1 City Council Member and 1 Alternate (non-voting capacity) Visit SLO County promotes countywide tourism opportunities and complements the efforts of local communities and organizations. It is a private, non-profit organization with membership comprised of local businesses, chambers of commerce, County government, and most incorporated cities in the County.
With the formation of the Tourism Marketing District in 2015 and district renewal in 2020, voting members of the Board of Directors must be a representative of an assessed lodging business, except for the County representative. During formation of the Tourism Marketing District, an Advisory Committee was established. The Advisory Committee is made up of one elected official and the city manager from each jurisdiction, and a representative of the County.
Meetings: Twice annually (May and December).
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Consists primarily of agenda review and attending meetings and workshops, as needed. (approximately 1.5 - 2 hours).
Stipend: None
2024 Representatives: Zach Zimmerman, Robert Robert (Alternate)
15. Zone Three Advisory Committee
Requirement: 1 Council Member and 1 Alternate
This is a County-organized committee to handle the operation of Lopez Lake for both recreation and water facilities. The Advisory Committee works closely with the Zone 3 Technical Advisory Committee. Council-appointed representatives require final approval by the Board of Supervisors.
Meetings: Scheduled on the third Thursday of every odd numbered month (Jan, Mar, May, etc.) at 6:30 p.m., and held in the Council or Board Chamber of the local member agencies on a rotating basis - Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, and Pismo Beach.
Estimated time commitment for City representative: Primarily agenda review of technical materials/information and attending regular meetings (approx. 2 hours) and special meetings/workshops as needed. May occasionally require additional time to meet with City staff, depending upon the complexity of the agenda item(s).
Stipend: None.
2024 Representatives: Daniel Rushing, Karen Bright (Alternate)
Agency Report of:
Public Official Appointments A Public Document
1. Agency Name California
Form 806
Division, Department, or Region (If Applicable)
Designated Agency Contact (Name,Title)
For Official Use Only
Area Code/Phone Number E-mail
Page _____ of _____
Date Posted:
(Month, Day, Year)
2. Appointments
Appt Date and
Length of Term
Agency Boards and
Commissions Name of Appointed Person Per Meeting/Annual Salary/Stipend (Last, First)
(Last, First)
(Last, First)
(Last, First)
Alternate, if any
Alternate, if any
Alternate, if any
Alternate, if any
(Last, First)
(Last, First)
(Last, First)
(Last, First)
Name
Name
Name
Name
$0-$1,000
$0-$1,000
$0-$1,000
$0-$1,000
$1,001-$2,000
$1,001-$2,000
$1,001-$2,000
$1,001-$2,000
$2,001-$3,000
$2,001-$3,000
$2,001-$3,000
$2,001-$3,000
Other
Other
Other
Other
____/____/____
Appt Date
____/____/____
Appt Date
____/____/____
Appt Date
____/____/____
Appt Date
Length of Term
Length of Term
Length of Term
Length of Term
Estimated Annual:
Estimated Annual:
Estimated Annual:
Estimated Annual:
Per Meeting: $
Per Meeting: $
Per Meeting: $
Per Meeting: $
3. Verification
I have read and understand FPPC Regulation 18702.5. I have verified that the appointment and information identified above is true to the best of my information and belief.
Signature of Agency Head or Designee Print Name Title (Month, Day, Year) Comment:
FPPC Form 806 (1/18)
FPPC Toll-Free Helpline: 866/ASK-FPPC (866/275-3772)
Attachment 2
Agency Report of:
Public Official Appointments
California
Form 806
Continuation Sheet A Public Document
Page _____ of _____
1. Agency Name
Date Posted:
(Month, Day, Year)
2. Appointments
Agency Boards and
Commissions Name of Appointed Person
Name
(Last, First)
Alternate, if any
(Last, First)
Name
(Last, First)
Alternate, if any
(Last, First)
Name
(Last, First)
Alternate, if any
(Last, First)
Name
(Last, First)
Alternate, if any
(Last, First)
Name
(Last, First)
Alternate, if any
(Last, First)
Name
(Last, First)
Alternate, if any
(Last, First)
Appt Date and
Length of Term
____/____/____
Appt Date
Length of Term
____/____/____
Appt Date
Length of Term
____/____/____
Appt Date
Length of Term
____/____/____
Appt Date
Length of Term
____/____/____
Appt Date
Length of Term
____/____/____
Appt Date
Length of Term
Per Meeting/Annual Salary/Stipend
Per Meeting: $
Estimated Annual:
$0-$1,000 $2,001-$3,000
$1,001-$2,000 Other
Per Meeting: $
Estimated Annual:
$0-$1,000 $2,001-$3,000
$1,001-$2,000 Other
Per Meeting: $
Estimated Annual:
$0-$1,000 $2,001-$3,000
$1,001-$2,000 Other
Per Meeting: $
Estimated Annual:
$0-$1,000 $2,001-$3,000
$1,001-$2,000 Other
Per Meeting: $
Estimated Annual:
$0-$1,000 $2,001-$3,000
$1,001-$2,000 Other
Per Meeting: $
Estimated Annual:
$0-$1,000 $2,001-$3,000
$1,001-$2,000 Other
FPPC Form 806 (1/18)
FPPC Toll-Free Helpline: 866/ASK-FPPC (866/275-3772)
Agenda Item No. 10
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: January 13, 2025 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Rob Lomeli, City Attorney
SUBJECT: Brown Act Information and Training
RECOMMENDATION
Receive information and training on Brown Act requirements
BACKGROUND
The Brown Act, Government Code section 54950 et seq., regulates many aspects of local public agency meetings in both open and closed sessions. The companion statute for state agencies is the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, Government Code section 11120 et seq. The Brown Act and Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act require that all meetings of legislative bodies be open to the public, except for authorized closed sessions. The Legislature adopted the Brown Act in 1964, and substantively overhauled the Brown Act in 1993. The Legislature periodically makes substantive and technical changes to the Brown Act.
Since 1993, there have been two voter approved amendments to the California Constitution which affect the Brown Act, Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, and the California Public Records Act.
The first amendment in 2004 (Proposition 59), mandated that the Acts be broadly construed in furtherance of the public’s “right of access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business.” Proposition 59 made no substantive changes to these Acts.
The next amendment was in 2014 (Proposition 42) and expanded upon the constitutional mandate of Proposition 59 by making compliance with both the Brown Act and the Public Records Act mandatory even if the State Legislature suspends reimbursable mandates for compliance with those laws. As with Proposition 59, Proposition 42 made no substantive changes to these Acts.
Since 2014, Brown Act amendments have included the ability to remove disruptive individuals from meetings (SB 1100), revised guidelines for remote participation by legislative body members (AB 2302) and added provisions for closed sessions regarding cybersecurity threats.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact from this item.
ALTERNATIVES
N/A
Staff Report: Brown Act Information and Training Page 2 January 13, 2025
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachments
None