MINUTES
City of Guadalupe
Special Meeting of the Guadalupe City Council
Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 6:00 pm
City Hall, 918 Obispo Street, Council Chambers
1. ROLL CALL:
Council Member Liliana Cardenas
Council Member Gilbert Robles
Council Member Eugene Costa Jr
Vayor Pro Tempore Tony Ramire
Mayor Ariston Julian
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. Council Member Costa, Jr. was absent. All others present. (Note: The abbreviation "CM" will be used for "Council Member" in these minutes.)
2. MOMENT OF SILENCE
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FORUM
There were no requests to speak.
REGULAR BUSINESS
5. BACKGROUND INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP RELATED TO THE SETTING OF GOALS FOR THE FY 2022-23 BUDGET.
Mr. Robert Perrault, Facilitator, started by thanking the Council for their participation. He said "Tonight's workshop is an extremely important one. What it will do is give you a snapshot of City operations. This is really critical as we get through the staff presentations, and you proceed to your homework assignment. You'll be individually asked to come up with some draft goal statements that will, hopefully, be rated by the community as well as the Council, yourselves, in coming up with the goals, the final product, which will guide the final direction of budget development.
In doing this snapshot, it will give you a sense and feel of where things are at this moment. Each department will discuss their individual operations and challenges. The important part of this, again, is to give you the background which will be necessary to begin completing your homework assignment. I'll talk more about this towards the end of the meeting. In terms of these snapshots, it's important to remember that the operations may be one way today but will probably change May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 1 of 16 tomorrow. Just keep that in mind. What you hear today will be the most up-to-date information but it's subject to change. You're in the final quarter of the fiscal year and that's where a lot of things come to fruition. This is intended to be an interactive workshop." Mr. Perrault then reminded the Council of the order of presentations in his staff report and suggested the Council proceed with that order. He then said, "At the completion of the presentations, please feel free to interact with the staff with any questions. If the public was present, I'd be asking them the same thing. This will get you set up for the next phase of goal setting." He read off the order of presentations: Finance, Public Works, Public Safety, Parks & Recreation and City Administration, which includes Planning and Human Resources. Mr. Perrault reminded the Council that after the presentations are given, he will discuss the draft goal setting assignment.
There were no questions from the Council, so Mr. Perrault turned things over to begin the staff presentations.
Finance - Lorena Zarate, Finance Director
Ms. Zarate presented information as of April 30, 2022. Cash balance, $654,739.88, is higher now, than the same period last year, $380,887.30. Revenues are below target at 71.1% vs 83% last year.
Projected sales tax revenue is to be $538,850 plus $686,697 for Measure N, total of $1,225.547, or a shortfall of $85, 798 from originally budgeted amount of $1,311.345.
For projected property tax revenue, about $1,639,322 is expected which is about $64,000 more than originally budgeted. $141,906 of that revenue has already been received through April with remainder to come in June 2022.
For franchise fees, Waste Management says that the City has been getting overpaid for the period September 2019 to October 2021 for the total of $88,274. The overpayment will be recouped without immediate impact to the City or customers.
For building permitting fees, it is estimated that revenue here would be approximately $461,000 through end of June 2022 which would be under budget by approximately $76,000.
Other Revenue category - cannabis application fees of $63,000, Airport, SRO and other miscellaneous revenue. Chevron grant of $90,000 was received.
A rough calculation of cannabis revenue for the first year is estimated at $347,000 (6% of $10 million revenue at half the year, plus $35,000 for the processing plant).
For all categories of General Fund revenue, it is expected to be under budget by approximately $133,00.
General Fund expenditures are currently under budget at 75% as compared to budget. All departments are within budget through April 2022. Overall, expenditures are higher than revenues by $87,697 through April 2022. Assuming departments stay within budget, by end of June 2022, expenditures would total about $6,795,477 which would be $136,937 lower than revenues. This May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 2 of 16 excess amount will go into the City's reserves bringing the total to approximately $507,292 at the end of the fiscal year.
Constraints & Concerns
• Need to engage HdL; need a contract for sales and property tax projections; worthwhile expense
• Waste Management - overpayment issue - approximately $88,000; contract coming up and will discuss with City Council
• Increased expenditures for 1) liability & workers' compensation insurances, about $35,816 and $27,854, respectively; 2) animal services contract of $22,700; 3) fuel expense and utilities; 4) personnel costs resulting from union negotiations; 5) additional bandwidth during Tyler Software implementation, and 6) maintenance costs for facilities and parks. • Grants - concern to have General Fund cash front the CDBG grants - reimbursement issue • Establish a reserve of a minimum of 15% of the General Fund operating budget Questions & Answers
Q: How was the $10M in cannabis projected?
A: Taken from the two retail applicants' reports; went off their numbers which are lighter. HdL projected for the first year, could be between $150,000 - $350,000.
Q: For FY 2022-23, what's the 15% based on for recommended reserves? A: Reserves should be based on the budget for operating expenditures...if we use the current year, we're in now, 15% of that was $1,370,000. Right now, if the $500,000 holds true, that's roughly
7.4% and 15% would be twice that amount. It shouldn't be expected to reach that right away but certainly carving out some of the General Fund budget, like a budget item, that would go to reserves.
Q: Using monies from the sale of school property, that amount is going to be down to $570,000.
Then there's monies for the Royal Theatre project that's down to about $300,000 - $400,000. What's the remaining about for the theatre?
A: About $350,000 which is restricted to that fund.
Comments: Concern that the current designer, Goodwin, may not be in the running. We'd need another designer group to go in for the grant requirement.
Q: H2A meal preparation site next to the Veterans Memorial Plaza. There's a ton of food going out of there. Someone's making money. There should be some return. I don't see any benefit coming to the City, if there could be any in the way of a tax.
A: Not sure but if there's a restaurant with tables and chairs, you can charge a tax. But if it's a catering, don't think so. Will have to research more.
Comments: Someone's collecting monies. Maybe we can't do anything but it's worth a look.
Q: For the General Fund expenditures by departments chart, it's important to have this in the minutes for the public to see. What recommendations do you have for these departments? Whether on a high level now or look at recommendations during the budget workshop. The more we say the better.
May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 3 of 16 A: At the budget workshop. It's really important to budget realistically. If we have enough information at the beginning of the budget process, the better. For example, once we see labor negotiations, we can more accurately budget for personnel costs. Right now, numbers are good estimates.
Comments: We're looking at these numbers here and trying to take a critical look that our goals align with these numbers. We're not going to have goals that keep us from having that reserve and being under budget. Also, we owe $282,500 to the Lighting Fund and $433,830 to the Water Fund and that's why we're not a 'going concern'. If you take the limited amount of reserves and add these amounts...if someone asked us to pay the monies owed to these two funds, we don't have the funds.
A suggestion made was a chart going back five years, showing actual budgeted revenues and expenditures, to see the growth. Five years back, the City was about $1M in the hole...gradually getting out of there where we're now on the positive side. But with 10% increases with health insurance, MOUs, and personnel costs, etc., that's going to drag us down. With the different measures in 2014 and 2020, there's a lot of money coming in, but it can't really expand our reserves.
All of this should be brought to the budget workshop. We should be looking at all areas of the budget
Mr. Perrault added, "The repayments to the enterprise funds should be shown in the budget. Also, with the various grant projects you'll have, remember that you have to find a way to cash flow them upfront. Grants are great to get but they're on a reimbursement basis. Might be a good idea when you're budgeting to come up with a plan to cash flow your grants." It was suggested that we use some ARPA money as seed money for these grants. Budget workshop is a good time to do a review of ARPA monies - are we spending monies on something that's not sustainable? Public Works - Shannon Sweeney, PW Director/City Engineer Ms. Sweeney started with the department's organization chart. Currently there are six (6) staff members. For Wastewater, she is looking to hire an Operator-in-Training within the next few weeks.
There's a backlog of projects at the plant that can be worked on with this additional staff member.
This person will need 1800 hours to get certified to be employed at a wastewater treatment plant.
He will have to move on after one year as there is no available position. This is a full-time position with benefits for a one-year duration. She also spoke about recruiting for the vacant Engineering Technician position. There are five (5) candidates being considered.
Mission Statement: "Provide safe and functional infrastructure at a sustainable cost." Public Works runs the infrastructure and consists of Water, Wastewater, Storm Water, Streets, Transit, Solid Waste and Benefit Districts, all with differing regulations, guiding documents, funding sources and goals.
Ms. Sweeney then gave some examples of recent successes: 1) completed 2021 Trunk Main Improvement Project ($1.7M) and Pavement Rehabilitation Project ($1.OM); 2) completed Le Roy Park and Community Center Rehabilitation with $5.OM grant; 3) updated Waster Master Plan (2021), Local Road Safety Plan (2022) and Utility Rate Study (2021); 4) implemented Short Range Transit Plan recommendations, including new routes, bus shelters and upcoming electric bus procurement, and 5) secured Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Grant of $4.OM for May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 4 of 16 various Amtrak Station upgrades, etc. A variety of projects are currently underway, one being an evaluation of City Hall, as well as numerous ARPA projects.
Water: Cash balance as of March 31, 2022 is $2,061,063. Goal was $1.5M. Skilled staff with a relatively new system is a strength. Weaknesses are limited staff and low imported water reliability.
For this upcoming year, we will be paying $600,000 for state water, getting 30-acre feet. Long-term liability is now 52%. Maybe state water isn't all that it was. Need to look at local water suppliers.
Long-term drought due to climate changer a threat.
Wastewater: Cash balance as of March 31 2022 is $2,525,133. (A $1.7M project was just finished.) There are $2.5M - $3.OM worth of projects ready to begin. Skilled staff of two is a strength, along with a positive cash balance. Weaknesses are the limited staff, risk of flooding, significant capital improvements needed, and Regional Board is given a new permit requirement. Some goals are to update permit, update Master Plan and lift station replacement.
Stormwater: General Fund - Ms. Sweeney also mentioned that "Streets" monies could also be used for this purpose, which is legal. No strengths were noted, and a weakness is, as Ms. Sweeney pointed out, 'no staff here knows stormwater, but I'm learning as I go along'. The permit is outdated and there are no dedicated funds. The new Engineering Technician position will help meet compliance.
Fines for non-compliance is a threat. Developing a path towards consistent compliance and identifying funding needs are goals for this area.
Streets: Cash balance as of March 31, 2021 is $1,459,637. (A $1.OM project was just completed.) That money has been earmarked for the 2022 project with a list of streets. Numerous funds are available for streets, such as Measure A gas tax and state SB1 funding, as well as traffic mitigation from Pasadera and other minor funds. The Pavement Maintenance Plan (2019) is religiously followed resulting in "the best streets in the bi-county area'. A strength is the high Pavement Condition Index (PCI) which is 80. Three-four years from now, we'll be in a maintenance mode.
Weakness is shortfall of $800,000 for the 5-year plan street rehabilitation plan. Outside funding is inadequate. Need to maximize efficient use of existing funding is critical. A threat is possible risk to gas tax with transition to electric vehicles. Goal is to continue implementing Pavement Maintenance Plan.
Transit: There are seven (7) funds, including state, federal and local funding. Cash balance as of March 31, 2022 is $758,782 vs $158,000 this time last year. We received $334,000 in stimulus funds and we weren't running much during the pandemic. For the Short-Range Transit Plan, Option C was selected (2021). This involved a dual route, eliminate the shuttle, half-hour local route and hourly express route, which is all occurring. Cash balance is a strength and funding is available for transition to electric fleet. All buses need to be electric by 2024. One bus is about $1.OM. New routes haven't been tested and would be considered a weakness not knowing the impact on our revenue. The improved schedule better aligns with other modes of transportation, such as Santa Maria transit, RTA and Amtrak. Lack of interest in public transportation is a threat. Goals are to transition to one electric bus and evaluate the new routes.
Other:
Local Wi-Fi: looking at expanding broadband and funding available May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 5 of 16 Development: All single set of plans, encroachments, ADUs, etc. PW needs to review to ensure there's no impact to our infrastructure, such as streets, sidewalks, water and sewers.
Benefit Districts: There's Pasadera Landscape and Lighting, Guadalupe Benefit District, Guadalupe Lighting. Engineering reports are to be completed. Working with Pasadera to get Lot 5 dedicated to the City where we'll take over parks and lighting, targeting for July 1st. $200.0k has already been collected at Pasadera.
Solid Waste: There are a lot of regulations for recycling and we're working with Waste Management on that. The contract with them ends June 2023.
Potential PW Goals:
Construct existing funding projects, such as Central Park, Le Roy Park Phase II, lift station replacements, etc.
Plan for the Future: Update Wastewater Master Plan, prepared Urban Forest Plan (Calfire grant), and prepare Climate Action Plan
Meet Regulations: Implement new WWTP permit and develop stormwater compliance schedule Questions
Q: On the gas tax, would that go up because of the increase in cost of gas? A: No, the tax rate is set, but we've seen almost a 20% increase in Measure A monies. Was $540.0K and now is $650.0K. This is due to the increase in 'use' of gas.
Q: On the 3CE, and the Air Pollution District, is there decrease in funding happening? A: As you switch over to electric vehicles, you use less gas, resulting in less gas tax. 3CE is giving the City $250.0K for an electric bus.
Q: Have there been any surveys on transferring to RTA? Where that occurs? Maybe the half hour will help.
A: RTA that goes all the up to Paso Robles leaves at 14 minutes after the hour, every hour. It only matches up with the Guadalupe bus twice a day. However, when we change to hourly, the Guadalupe Flyer will show up at the transit center on the hour, matching up with RA every hour.
We're removing barriers for people using public transit. Looking at cashless payment like other buses use. Doing what we can to encourage ridership. We have $18,000 for marketing and a $10,000 media campaign. There'll be TV and radio ads in both English and Spanish for the new service.
Filming of the commercial will be next week at O'Connell Park. New signs have been ordered showing the bus routes with the times for each stop. These will be posted on the sides of the bus shelters with lights to discourage vandalism.
May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 6 of 16 Q: How many riders are there?
A: I don't have those numbers now, but the fare box under the old route was $60,000 per year. I can get that information for you which will be pre-pandemic numbers.
Q: Where will the charging station be for the electric bus? A: At 303 Obispo Street - City yard
Q: Whatever happened to the corporate shed?
A: Several drawings were done on the shed. Don't know another good location for the bus. Escalante Meadows grant gave us $770.OK for a bus charging station which is expensive. A thought: bring in a design engineer to design a Phase 1 for the bus and Phase 2 for some type of structure. There's also a lot of space and other opportunities at the wastewater treatment plant.
Q: Water conservation. When you make those recommendations on how to help conserve water, will you also include City-level, not just residential? What can the City do as an organization to conserve water?
A: City facilities? Yes, agree and already have ideas on how that can happen with existing funding.
Looking at our vehicles, facilities, etc.
Q: On streets at Pasadera, there are new homes being built, continued construction which adds for wear and tear on the streets that need to be maintained. When does the City take over the maintenance and how long does Pasadera have to do it?
A: We've developed a punch list. Before we take over Lot 5, a review of the whole area was done.
They have to slurry Lot 5 streets before we take over. We're not going to take over something that needs immediate attention.
Q: With the County wanting support for the levee project, how does that impact us, public works- wise? When it connects here, will we have to change anything or maintain anything? A: Monies from Escalante Meadows grant has already been earmarked to do that connectivity. For maintenance, much of that land is on County property... we'll need an MOU for that.
Q: Last year we talked about a Facility Master Plan.
A: Yes, we talked about that. We'll keep and add that to the capital project list for next year.
Q: The Federal Infrastructure Bill that was passed, how does that impact us locally? Are there any guidelines or anything that we can leverage locally or regionally? A: Here's what I do know about that bill. $334.OK was federal transit stimulus monies. There's also money that ties into population size. That's like how streets and transit monies are given. Large sum goes to the County which is then divided up to cities by populations. There's insufficient information right now...a lot in flux. Money is anticipated for streets that will be used towards the $800.0k deficit. Another sum of money will go for broadband.
Q: For the Le Roy Park project, is LAdG working with you on the billings? A: Changeovers came here as they had to be approved by the City. Sonia had prepared a list of where we stood financially. I'd recommend that they be watched a little more closely by City staff as / was a little discouraged.
May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 7 of 16 Q: Tank removal...Bonita tank on Pioneer, when's that to happen? A: It's on my list of projects and $40.0k has been earmarked for that project. A lead test was done.
If no lead, the tank could have been removed for free as scrap metal.
Q: Stormwater...Santa Maria had an issue with car washing. There's not a lot here but has that been looked at here? We're in a position to be fined if we don't do something about it.
A: The concern in Santa Maria was that the car washes that are brick and mortar based were upset that the mobile car wash units didn't have to follow the same regulations. Not high on the priority list now.
Q. Give some details on the Urban Forest Plan.
A: City received a $170.0k grant and we have to contribute a match under $200.0k which will be staff time. This includes equipment to survey our trees. Once the tree inventory is completed, can use software for asset management. $105.OK is earmarked to hire a consultant for this plan.
Q: For general upkeep of our streets, do we have a master plan of streets being services with detailed information? What percentage of streets have been serviced and what needs to be done? A: Starting from 2019, there's a list of every street to be worked on for the next five (5) years. That list has been followed closely with minor exceptions. Best guess...about 30%-40% have been done.
Q: What about the W. Main Street project? West of Guadalupe Street.
A: SBCAG has a Hwy 1/166 project designed where the level of service for the project won't include Pasadera build-out. They didn't plan for that. What is done for W. Main Street depends on what is decided for that intersection. Will need to bring to Council in the next few months for further discussion.
Q: Southern Pacific Railroad Plan 2016. Nothing's happened. Craig Smith wants to pay for that intersection at Obispo Street.
A: Those plans are with Cal Trans for their encroachment permit. They say the permit is 12-18 months out. We're working with Cal Trans to get this project going. This involves the signalization piece. We can look at the technical documents and other appropriate documents for discussion with Council to see what the next steps might be.
Comments: Black Road and Hwy 166 project should have been completed already. That directly impacts us.
Break @7:44 p.m. Meeting resumed @7:52 p.m.
Public Safety - Director of Public Safety, Chief Cash
Chief Cash began by giving the mission statement for the Department of Public Safety: "The mission of the Guadalupe Department of Public Safety is to 'Protect and Service' the community of Guadalupe through Community Engagement and Enforcement of Quality-of-Life issues." A SWOT analysis was done and all staff in both Fire and Police were interviewed by Chief Cash.
Police Department
May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 8 of 16 The three (3) most important things performed as a police department are: 1) Crime Detection & Suppression; 2) Traffic Enforcement & Public Safety, and 3) Public Service Programs.
Strengths are that we support the community and vice-versa. Small department in a small town.
Internal communication, command structural problems in a small department. Weaknesses, though, are the same as strengths regarding problem areas. For opportunities, open to change; promote what we have and the safety of Guadalupe; support youth programs. Another opportunity is having specialized units. Various threats were citied: budget, lack of internal communication/training/knowledge/pay increases and improvement in supervision.
Fire Department
The three (3) most important things performed as a fire department are: 1) Fire Response and Suppression; 2) Fire Mitigation and Prevention, and 3) Public Service Programs.
Strengths are customer service, optimal skills, close to the community with their support. Small department in a small town. Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats are very similar to those cited for the Police Department.
Emergency Preparedness Program
Coordinator develops the City's Emergency Preparedness Plan providing guidance to departments to develop Emergency Preparedness Plan and Procedures. Designs/evaluates emergency management exercises. Handles yearly disaster drills. Disaster preparedness training, including facility evacuation and required EMS training for staff and volunteers. Manages the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Code Compliance Program
Officer administers and coordinates the day-to-day operations of the Code Compliance Program.
Enforces City ordinances such as sign violations, right-of-way obstructions, overgrown vegetation and other general safety related codes. Works with general public, community, property owners and other agencies and organizations. Develops and implements community outreach/education program to achieve compliance with adopted codes.
What is Leadership? Leadership training was completed in both Fire and Police Departments.
Leadership is a choice...takes effort to do the right thing. Leaders' mentor, coach, and help employees grow in their profession. Never have negative attitude...positivity is infectious and will spread. Leadership is not a position or title but rather an action and example. "Competence and character" - two important characteristics of a leader. Motivate, inspire and train your employees.
Leaders make unpopular decisions; are accountable for their areas of responsibility. Leaders are respectful, humble, thankful and ethical. Handle issues; listen and share information. Credibility is lost when caught in lies and untruths.
Both departments have extraordinary personnel. All of the Fire staff are well trained, dedicated and do an outstanding job getting out in the community. The police officers do a great job in everything that they do. They all love to come to work. These are all first responders and know that each day May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 9 of 16 could be your last day. They all have the mental concept of service and knowing that "my job is to give".
Chief said that when he was hired, there were three (3) Fire Captains, 10 police officers, three (3) Corporals, one (1) Sargeant, and two (2) office staff. With this small staff, the City was covered 24/7.
Oftentimes, the staff thinks in conventional silos: This is a Police Department...this is the way we should look...same comment from Fire. But this is a department of "Public Safety". Our model should fit Guadalupe and the residents and the services that we provide to Guadalupe. We're not Santa Maria...not Lompoc... not Santa Barbara and we shouldn't look like any of them. We're very different.
During an initial SWOT analysis, a Fire Captain said staff should be increased. There was no budget for that but because of the bifurcated system as Director of Public Safety, there were funds in the police department for one position that was transferred to Fire making it possible to hire three (3) Fire Engineers.
Within two (2) months of Chief's hiring, 50% of the police staff left going to other cities for higher pay. Have been able to recruit to get out of that deficit with officers who are outstanding. The contract with Santa Maria Airport has been redone to appropriately staff the airport and maintain staffing for Guadalupe patrol duty. Council has supported requests of Public Safety to do its job by approving new positions, allowing for revamping the internal section of the Fire Department and the sleeping quarters. All of these changes within a three-year period. For the last five (5) years, vehicles were outdated. Now they're all up to date. Most of fire and police vehicles were on lease agreements. No longer...all vehicles are paid off and are City-owned.
Goals - Police
• Add two (2) officers for new cannabis industry and county-wide narcotics task force • Add two (2) canines to department (funding is secured but want Council's approval) • Budget monies for Police Sergeant in next 3-5 years
• Add EMT training for officers (only department in County where fire and police respond together to calls)
Goals - Fire
• Add two (2) firefighters for medical response calls (80% calls are medical); having services here lessens the time from Orcutt or Santa Maria
• Increase training-improve service, firefighter expertise and knowledge and respond to mutual aid calls
Budget monies to hire Fire Battalion Chief in next 3-5 years Goals - Public Safety Department
• Develop, budget, implement "training regimen" and "equipment purchase/rotation schedule" (This is already in place for police vehicles; long-term planning for vehicles and May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 10 of 16 equipment needed; for fire, equipment replacement plan for 2002-2025 in place.) Working with grants and other funding sources and not impacting the General Fund • Ongoing cross training to rebuild and retool personnel in personal conduct, roles and responsibilities and teamwork
• Invest in personal well-being, growth, integrity and ethics programs Successes - Department of Public Safety
Lowest crime rate in Santa Barbara County; in top 10 lowest crime rate in State • Lowest "response time" for first respanders in County (due to both police and fire responding to calls)
• Highest retention rate of first responder employees in County (our people want to be here - Santa Maria is down 36 officers; Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Sheriff's Department are all down Challenges - Department of Public Safety
• Major equipment upgrades (working on state funding)
Fire and Police facilities needing replacement
• Personnel growth, responsibility and accountability (this challenge is on Chief's shoulders, very much on policy and procedures, and training; having staff know their roles, both externally and internally; dealing with one another; better teamwork) Investing in Human Capital Before Physical Capital
Important to stress. Well situated with equipment. Programs are in place. Need to improve supervision and working on training and classes to improve the well-being of our personnel.
Questions
Q: Do any of our police officers have advanced training beyond first aid and CPR? Any EMT training? A: Only one officer has EMT...he's a military reservist.
Q: One goal for fire is to hire two (2) firefighters. If you hired a Battalion Chief, would that eliminate need for one of the two firefighters to hire? Would that person respond to calls? A: The Battalion Chief would respond but would primarily act as an administrator to the Director of Public Safety handling all the paperwork and the day-to-day for all of the firefighters. Having four (4) teams spread out, that would decrease overtime because there'd be more people on duty without having shifts coming back to cover extra hours.
Q: In "challenges" section, what are you referring to saying fire and police facilities need replacement?
A: On the police side, there are wiring issues in the building. There've been two (2) electrical fires.
That effects PD's evidence room. Female police officers need their own locker/dressing room.
Q: Would the facility issues in PD fall under the Facility Master Plan? (Asked of Ms. Sweeney) May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 11 of 16 A: Can look at folding that in. There is $24.Ok worth of work being done in advance of PG&E service which was applied for in December.
Q: There's been discussion on the airport contract whether we're making money or not. Do we know what's in the bank on this? (Asked of Ms. Zarate)
A: On the old contract, we weren't billing out correctly. Now with the new contract, we're billing all costs out related to an officer. Overhead which is the extra comes to the City... 7% for the City and 13% for Police. We also get reimbursed for fuel and radio dispatch. They bought the vehicle.
Q: Sleeping quarters for fire? What's going to happen to the old sleeping quarters area? A: Yes, the sleeping quarters moved to the area where City Administration was. The old quarters will be the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator's office. It will be the EOC (Emergency Operations Center). City Hall is designated as a shelter. Worst case, the Council and management could meet in the EOC to manage any crisis.
Q: What does a Battalion Chief make? Because it's going to come up at some point A: Don't have it with me but we do have the salary range.
Comments: Attrition rate? I don't see a lot of changes in our officers. One of the reasons is the higher crime rates in cities around us. Also, before when an officer was making $23.00 an hour, that was a problem. Salaries have increased over the years. Santa Maria has tons of money with their sales tax. They put it into public safety and recreation. But the Police Department is still down officers there. It comes down to where to you want to work.
Parks & Recreation - Hannah Fuentes, Recreation Services Manager With Ms. Fuentes' relatively short time with the City, she stated that she's looking to the City Council to see what they envision for parks and recreation.
The Parks and Recreation Department staff is currently funded through ARPA funding: Recreation Services Manager, Maintenance Worker I, Juana Montero, (correction: funded thru General Fund) and Facility Rental Coordinator, Mayra Figueroa who is bilingual. (There is another position, Facility/Parks Maintenance Lead, that will be paid with ARPA funds but needs City Council's approval to use General Funds instead.) Improvements to O'Connell Park, City auditorium and general Recreation Department programs are funded thru ARPA as well as T-Mobile. For fiscal year 2021- 22, total budget for the department is $255,661.
Planned programs for recreation involve the Co-Ed Adult Softball League, starting in June, and drop- in volleyball and basketball (mid-May). Looking at possibly Saturdays for Family Open Gym, starting in June. ARPA monies were used to purchase lawn games as well. From what the Parks & Recreation Commission recommended, they're wanting to see both parents and children enjoying these activities together.
Planned events are the ribbon cutting ceremony at O'Connell when the playground structure installation is completed and a possible upcoming 4'h of July holiday event. The Cinco de Mayo event May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 12 of 16 may not have had a large number of participants, but it was a good start to see any issues and how those can be resolved for similar type events.
For future events, we're looking at various children's programs with some possibly by wintertime.
Looking at potential opportunities to bring together Pasadera and all areas of the community. A passport acceptance facility could bring in some revenue. Another opportunity that's been discussed is a monthly farmer's market. Again, the Cinco de Mayo event was a good starter for a potential farmer's market. Belinda Popovich from the GBA has been contacted and we're coordinating doing some legwork to see how soon that could get started.
Parks & Facilities
Le Roy Park and Community Center: will have a 2,200 square-foot multi-purpose room added with $1.7M in federal funding. The whole playground area looks amazing. The capacity for the new picnic area is 100. About five (5) requests for reserving the picnic area have already been received.
The fee schedule needs a thorough review for not only the picnic area but also for the Community Center, the auditorium and other City facilities. There are a variety of types of groups and organizations, both non-profit and otherwise, that want to rent these facilities so having one set fee doesn't seem workable.
The kitchen area at the Community Center is not health permittable due to a variety of reasons. If looking to expand by adding a kitchen and hood, an unbudgeted amount of $70.Ok would be the estimated cost. In the gym, the old permanent seating was removed. Portable bleachers are needed.
Funds can be moved around for purchase of bleachers.
O'Connell Park: this 15-acre community park was established on 3/10/2001 for a cost of $1.OM. The existing barbecue pit and picnic tables need some maintenance work or replacement. The Guadalupe Sports Hall of Fame has been working on the proposed softball/baseball field to get it ready for play. New sod, fencing repair and lawn area leveling are needed. The outdoor basketball court is in good shape.
Central Park: $4.9M parks and recreation was received for renovation. There are five (5) architectural landscape candidates soon to be selected. A basketball court, a skate park, a dog park, children's play equipment, restrooms and other equipment are envisioned for this small park. The Guadalupe Senior and Community Center is located within 50 feet of the park to the north.
Construction should begin first part of 2023. Completion date is estimated to be 10 months from actual start date.
City Hall Auditorium: was previously a school built in 1929 and sold to the City of Guadalupe. The auditorium was converted to its current use with state money and was completed in 1981. The auditorium and Le Roy Park are the only indoor facilities available to residents. The "oldness" of the building is a strength because of its charm and the emotional attachment to long-time residents of Guadalupe. However, its age is also a weakness because it's costly for repairs or replacements. The auditorium is currently being renovated using ARPA funds. "Paco" Park: a mural, which depicts our community, was designed and created by Righetti HS students, Lions Club and volunteers who donated their time and resources. People play basketball May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 13 of 16 there. Much maintenance, repairs and replacements are needed for the barbecue pit and the picnic tables. Discussion of looking at the welding department at Righetti HS or Allan Hancock to repair/replace the barbecue pit. Other ideas were tossed out for potential use of this park.
Bonita Pacifica: this isn't an "official park" but has potential. Lacks maintenance, seating area, trees and landscaping desired by local residents. Ms. Sweeney mentioned, "There is a thin sliver of a strip of this park on Pioneer Street that someone wants to buy. There are three (3) vacant lots on Tognazzini Street that this person wants to use this sliver strip to put a driveway from Pioneer to those vacant lots on Tognazzini Street. If we sell that, we can use the money to upgrade this park.
We'd be giving up about a quarter of an acre of that park. Will look into it and potentially put on upcoming Council agenda."
Corner of DeGasparis & Garrett Streets: small pocket park has potential. Could put a barbecue pit and benches there for residents. (Similar issues as Bonita Pacifica - potential liability due to heavy maintenance needs)
Veterans Memorial Building: the City is currently working with the American Legion's attorney for a defined MOU. The primary use is for the benefit of all veterans. However, the City is responsible for renting and scheduling of events as well as for maintenance and repairs.
Pasadera Pocket Parks: There will be approximately 14 parks that the City will ultimately take over responsibility for once all details are finalized with DJ Farms/Pasadera developer.
Inventory of Parks & Recreational Facilities: aside from those locations listed above, there also is Tognazzini Park, Vacant Lot-People's Self-Help Housing and the Senior Center. Estimated total utility costs for six (6) of the City facilities and parks take up a good portion of the parks' budget.
Current responsibilities for the Maintenance Worker I position involve landscaping (not done by Cassia, contractor), janitorial for all of City Hall, department offices, public restrooms. Similar duties for Senior Center, Veteran's Hall, and O'Connell Park. Landscaping responsibilities for Central Park, Paco/Bonita/Tognazzini Parks, pocket parks and area behind Royal Theatre. On call for a variety of miscellaneous responsibilities, such as light fixture replacement, plumbing, painting, graffiti, marquee, general repairs, etc. All of these responsibilities are handled on a weekly basis.
The explanation of the Maintenance Worker I's responsibilities led to the request for a new position, Facilities/Parks Maintenance Lead. The concern was this position was approved using ARPA funds but would request approval of the City Council to have it funded by the General Fund. This much needed new position would be a benefit in freeing up PW/Streets staff who have been generous in their assistance to Parks and Recreation. This position would require knowledge of maintenance to assist with facility upgrade decisions/upcoming construction. Some of the work done by the Maintenance Worker I could be split with this new position. A significant benefit is that it would free up the Manager for more recreation programming, events, grants, etc.
Hard working community members and their families need and deserve recreational services, activities and facilities to promote a healthy lifestyle and community pride.
May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 14 of 16 Questions
Q: Can a dimmer be put in the auditorium by the walkway area? (Asked of Ms. Sweeney) A: Will ask an electrician if this can be done.
Q: Is there a scoreboard in the Community Center gym at Le Roy Park? A: Yes, there's a scoreboard there.
Q: In the auditorium, is it possible to put lighting on the bottom of the stage? (Asked of Ms. Sweeney) A: Once we get the painting quotes, we can see what we're dealing with and then look at the lights at the bottom of the stage...foot lights.
Comments: The Santa Barbara County Parks and Recreation Commission asked all cities for their wish list for parks. $420,000 was for O'Connell Park. For Central Park, it's key to have residents come back downtown after coming home from work... revitalizing our downtown corridor.
City Administration, Planning and Human Resources-Todd Bodem, City Administrator Human Resources
Prior to Emiko Gerber, HR Manager, leaving on May 6, 2022, some core goals were given me for Human Resources. The first goal for the interim HR Manager's primary responsibility is to recruit for a new Human Resources Manager who may have input to these or other goals for Human Resources. A second goal for Human Resources is create pathways, both internally and externally, with wider responsibilities for growth as well as on-the-job training. A third goal is an important one: updating internal processes, policies and procedures. (Details of these goals will be mailed to the Council.)
Planning/Building/Community/Economic Development
Goal 1: Hire a new Associate City Planner. Having an in-house planner gives the City an office presence and improved service delivery. Cost neutral from having contract Planning Director soon to retire to in-house planning. CDBG Planning Grant for $250,000 is an example of outside funding for planners.
Goal 2: Develop an Economic Development Strategy that has an objective of business attraction and retention and fosters and aligns with housing goals and objectives.
Some Suggestions/Ideas:
• Issues/Opportunities: Downtown Revitalization; housing crisis • Retooled Land Use: Support for Infill Housing w/new mixed-used designation Circulation: 2014 Bike & Ped Plan; 2019 Mobility plus Revitalization Plan; Sidewalks & Safe Routes to School; Complete General Plan update, etc.
• Economic Development Issues/Opportunities: Bike and camping; capitalizing on tourism; development of motel/hotel; completion of Royal Theatre, Cannabis industry; establish May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 15 of 16 presence with Vandenberg Space Force Base; help create a vibrant downtown; encourage beautification; review new development and help local businesses to help reduce "leakage of dollars" from our community; streamline communication and project management with Los Amigos de Guadalupe; public discussion of estimated City's future operational costs and potential revenue streams, and ongoing partnership with community organizations. • Explore Assessment Districts for City Projects & Programs: Establish assessment districts for financing all/portion of cost of certain projects, improvements and services. Example: an assessment district to finance the maintenance of the park facilities.
Mr. Perrault then explained the "homework" for the Council:
• Develop between 4-5 goal statements
• Each goal statement should not be longer than 3 sentences • Each goal statement should be supported by implementation projects • Draft goal statements should be received by Todd Bodem no later than May 20th Mr. Perrault said that the drafted goal statements will be reviewed by himself and Todd. Where possible, similar goals will be combined to avoid duplication. The final draft of the Goal List will then be sent out to the City Council and the public for review prior to the Goals Setting meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 315t, at 6:00 p.m.
6. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by Council Member Cardenas and seconded by Council Member Ramirez to adjourn the meeting. 4-0 Absent: Costa, Jr. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 10:02 p.m.
Prepared By: Approved ey
Qualities
Amelia M. Villegas, City Clerk Ariston Julian, Mayor
May 11, 2022 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting MINUTES Page 16 of 16