Town Council Special Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 5:00 p.m.
437 Old Mammoth Road, Suite Z, Mammoth Lakes
Members of the Town Council:
Mayor Lynda Salcido, Mayor Pro Tem John Wentworth, Councilmember Sarah Rea, Councilmember Bill Sauser, Councilmember Kirk Stapp
NOTE: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Town Clerk at (760) 965-3602. Notification prior to the meeting will enable the Town to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. (28 CFR 13.102-35.104 ADA Title II)
NOTE: Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection in the Town Offices located at 437 Old Mammoth Road, Suite 230 during normal business hours. Such documents are also available on the Town of Mammoth Lakes website at www.townofmammothlakes.ca.gov subject to staff’s ability to post the documents before the meeting.
NOTE: All comments will be limited to a speaking time of five minutes.
NOTE: This meeting will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of Assembly Bill 361 which amends certain requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act. While Suite Z is still open to the public, it is strongly encouraged that you watch the Town Council meetings on the Town of Mammoth Lakes' website atwww.townofmammothlakes.ca.gov, on the local government cable channel 18, or via Zoom. Public comments can be submitted to the Town Clerk at [email protected]. before and during the meeting.
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1. CALL TO ORDER
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS
The Public Comment portion of the agenda provides the public with an opportunity to address the Town Council on matters not otherwise listed on the agenda. Under California law the Town Council is prohibited from generally discussing or taking action on items not included in the agenda; however, the Town Council may briefly respond to comments or questions from members of the public. Therefore, the Town Council will listen to all public comment, but will not generally discuss the matter or take action on it. Requests for service from the Town may also be made at the Town offices during regular business hours.
Members of the public desiring to speak on a matter appearing on the agenda should ask the Mayor for the opportunity to be heard when the item comes up for Council consideration.
4. POLICY MATTERS
4.1. Joint Workshop between the Town Council and the Board of Mammoth Lakes Recreation.
5. ADJOURNMENT
The Town Council will adjourn to a regular meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.
Mammoth Lakes Town Council
Agenda Action Sheet
Title: Joint Workshop between the Town Council and the Board of Mammoth Lakes Recreation.
Council Meeting Date: 3/30/2022
Prepared by: Daniel C. Holler, Town Manager
Recommended Motion: The Council and MLR Board may provide direction to staff as appropriate regarding agreement for services, budgets, and work program.
Summary:
The current contract for services between Mammoth Lakes Recreation (MLR) and the Town will expire on June 30, 2022. The review and renewal process for the agreement this year is being led more by the Town with greater involvement of the Town Council. The Council did review the current scope of work and deliverables on March 16 and generally agree that the current scope of work is appropriate. The Council is looking to see the integration of MLR work program with the Town’s Office of Outdoor Recreation to determine future changes to enhance the successes of both MLR and the Town. Due to this change coming forward using the current language in the agreement to do a one-year extension is preferred. The development of the current contract required a substantial amount of time by both parties and is working well. The joint workshop between the MLR Board and the Town Council is designed to review the agreement, recommend modifications, and set expectations for proceeding. The attached staff report provides more information including a brief review of the current scope of work and deliverables and successes to date. The report also provides a preliminary draft budget review of the Measure R and U funds. As the Town is preparing its FY22-23 budget, this information is provided as a starting point for the budget process and priorities may be discussed between the parties. The draft budget generally mirrors the prior year budget. MLR will need to hold public meeting/hearing to take public comments prior to making formal recommendations to the Town Council on the expenditures of non-committed Measure R and U revenues, which includes funding for MLR.
Following this workshop and MLR’s budget recommendations a final agreement may be prepared for Council consideration for FY22-23.
1 To: Town Council and Mammoth Lakes Recreation Board
From: Daniel C. Holler, Town Manager
RE: Staff Report for Joint Meeting – March 30, 2022
BACKGROUND:
The current contract between the Town and Mammoth Lakes Recreation (MLR) is set expire on June 30, 2022, with the option to extend by mutual agreement for up to two one-year terms. Section
3.1.2 reads as follows:
3.1.2 Term. The term of this Agreement shall commence on July 1, 2021 and expire on June 30, 2022. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated as provided herein. The term of this Agreement may be extended by mutual agreement for up to two one-year terms based on same terms and conditions provided herein, provided that the scope of services and deliverables may be updated for each extension.
For discussion with the MLR Board and Council, staff is recommending consideration for the current agreement to be extended for another year. The agreement deliverables will be checked and edited for any typographical errors and clarity, with the option of the Board and Council to agree to any modifications. Town anticipates having the Office of Outdoor Recreation staffed by the end of the current year. A one-year agreement will allow time for new staff to integrate their work with MLR and will provide input for updates to the scope of work and deliverables. With the Town providing office space for MLR’s one staff person this past year, the coordination between the Town and MLR was enhanced and positive feedback on the working relationship was received.
This structure is recommended to continue this next year.
The narrowed focus and more defined set of expectations for MLR under the Town’s agreement has resulted in better relationships, on the ground success, and measured work by MLR outside of the Town agreement. Continuing this direction for the coming year with added coordination through the Office of Outdoor Recreation sets the groundwork for continued success.
MLR is the Council’s authorized body for providing public review and comment in making recommendations to the Council on the allocation of Measure R and Measure U revenues. As the Town is preparing the FY2022-23 budget, information is provided below on project revenues and last year’s budget for Measure R and U. A general discussion on priorities will assist Town staff and the MLR Board in preparing budget recommendations to be incorporated into the final Town budget. The discussion will also include some adjustments to current year allocations to assist with recommendations related to arts and culture grants.
ANALYSIS:
A substantial amount of work was put into the current one-year agreement by the Town and MLR and from the Town staff perspective it has worked well. The key areas of focus provided in the agreement were reviewed by the Town Council on March 16, 2022. No changes in the focus areas
2 were recommended. Staff supports additional review after the Office of Outdoor Recreation is staffed and working with MLR.
The primary scope of work and deliverables continues to be valid. The Contract was centered on three basic areas of work:
1. Stewardship and Implementation of Outdoor Recreation, Arts, and Culture
2. Communications and Outreach
3. Management of Advisory Committees and Funding Recommendations The details provided under each category provide added specifics to the scope of work and deliverables. Detailed information is attached including a brief overview of MLR’s accomplishments and ongoing work program.
As provided for in the agreement, MLR staff working with Town staff finalized the Whitmore Recreation Area Prop 68 Regional Park Program (RPP) $3 million grant application. The grant was submitted under MLR. If the grant is successful MLR will be the administrator of the Grant while the Town will construct and operate the projects provided for in the Grant. Grant administration may be noted in the deliverables and funding for administration was included in the grant request. Support in submitting the grant included coordinating the working group meetings, collecting survey data, creation of graphics, and working with community stakeholders (Mammoth Hospital, Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access (MLPTA), and Mammoth Track Club).
MLR has developed and continues to manage programs supporting our local trails and outdoor recreational amenities. A few examples of this work providing support for the Town’s Trails Manager and public outreach include:
Adopt-A-Trail Program: Helped with funding for bridges, signage, and trail maintenance.
Also, assisted with coordination of a large volunteer clean up resource for many facilities and lakes.
Continue to provide support along with Town staff for the Mammoth Trails Committee and their program funding recommendations.
Support for trail projects through MLR web pages such as:
https://mammothlakesrecreation.org/lakesbasin_sherwins/ https://mammothlakesrecreation.org/sherwins/
https://mammothlakesrecreation.org/sric/
The Parks and Recreation Department also utilizes the bi-monthly “News from the Trailhead” and shares information in the “Recreation This Week” newsletter.
MLR serves as the recommending body for allocation of community support grants for Arts and Culture programming. MLR has developed a comprehensive and well-coordinated process for the allocation of this funding. This effort requires a fair amount of MLR staff time and volunteer time of the Board sub-committee. This year MLR received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in the amount of $150,000 to support these efforts. The program was launched to help the local arts and cultural community recover from the pandemic.
3 The current year budget allocated $177,600 and there were unused funds from prior allocations bringing the total to $186,000. As the allocation process has started now for FY2022-23, Town staff, upon the request of MLR is recommending the entire $186,000 be available for allocation.
The process crossed fiscal years due to timing of events and the process requires ongoing administrative expenses to manage The current year budget will be amended as part of the next quarterly update to reflect this change.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Measure R
The following draft budget allocations are presented for discussion purposes. MLR will need to hold a public meeting to take public comments prior to finalizing recommendations to Town Council on the use of Measure R funds. The discussion at this time will inform the preliminary Town budget to be discussed on April 27 by the Town Council. The final budget including consideration of MLR recommendations will be considered in June.
The draft information for Measure R is based on a revenue estimate of $1.5 million, which represents $200,000 more than FY2021-22. The expenditures listed are $10,500 more than FY2- 2021-22, reflecting the final amount allocated for MLR Administration. The other detail changes reflect $25,000 requested to support the Office of Outdoor Recreation Manager position. In FY2021-22 this amount was included under “Special Projects” as the position was not yet filled and the MLR Board requested the amount not be specifically allocated until the position was filled and a separate request considered. The process to fill the position is underway and the position is anticipated to be filled by the end of this fiscal year. The additional $25,000 allocated to special projects in FY2021-22 brought the total to $50,000. The draft budget shows this amount being reduced to previous commitments of $25,000.
Support for the new Community Recreation Center (CRC) was funded at $75,000 last year and support for ongoing maintenance at the Whitmore Track and Sports Field and Trails End Park was $37,000 ($25,000 and $12,000). It is recommended that this funding be consolidated and used for the CRC as a single new facility. The parks maintenance support has been held flat at $37,000 since the track was constructed in 2012 with the General Fund covering additional costs. Shifting the maintenance fully to the General Fund will simplify the budget and record keeping process for parks maintenance.
The transfer to the Trails Budget was increased from $300,000 to $350,000 in FY2021-22. The amount of $350,000 is used in the preliminary FY2022-23 budget. The Trails budget is also supported by the Town’s General Fund. The debt service payment, $615,747, is for the debt payment on bonds issued to support the construction of the CRC. The ending increase to fund balance is projected to be $273,503.
4 Measure U
The following draft budget allocations are presented for discussion purposes. MLR will need to hold a public hearing to take public comments prior to finalizing recommendations to Town Council on the use of Measure U funds. Revenues for Measure U are estimated at $880,000 which is $10,000 more than the FY2021-22 budgeted revenues.
Expenses for FY2022-23 are estimated at $349,220. This represents a projected increase in transit related support for events of $5,000. The budget for transit services has increased due to higher operating costs and increased demand for event transit operations. This year $8,400 in unused programming funds were returned to Measure U. These funds are being used to support arts and culture programming, resulting in the FY2021-22 programming amount to be increased from $177,600 to $186,000. The programming allocation as presented reflects the increased amount.
The allocation of $300,000 for future Mammoth Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) expenses continues to be reflected in the budget analysis. While not in the draft expenses an amount of $25,000 will be requested to assist with the reopening of Edison Hall. The Town is in discussions with the Mammoth Lakes Foundation to provide the necessary support to have Edison Hall reopened in the spring of 2022. The funding will offset a portion of the costs to be incurred by the
5 Town in managing the facility for use by various groups and production of arts and cultural programming.
Previous funding of $75,000 for the Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Coordinator position is retained in the draft budget to support a similar position within the Office of Outdoor Recreation.
This position will be filled by the end of this fiscal year. The General Fund will support a portion of this position. The other detail changes reflect $25,000 requested to support the Office of Outdoor Recreation Manager position. In FY2021-22 this amount was included under “Special Projects” as the position was not yet filled and the MLR Board requested the amount not be specifically allocated until the position was filled and a separate request considered. This position is planned to be filled by the end of FY2021-22. The special project allocation is again set at $25,000.
The FY2021-22 budget also dedicated $200,000 to the MACC capital funding requirement. A portion of previously set aside funding was used to fund the construction of the CRC. The Measure U commitment of $2.5 million for the MACC is being fully restored. Pending the fund balance available at the end of the current year, another $200,000 may be required.
The preliminary draft expenditure plans for Measure R and U reflect very similar allocations to FY2021-22 as a starting point. As noted above, MLR will need to conduct a public meeting/hearing to receive public comments on the use of these funds and provide a recommendation to the Town Utility Tax: Telephone $ 75,000
Utility Tax: Electricity $ 485,000
Utility Tax: Gas $ 320,000
Interest on Investments $ -
$ 880,000
$ 186,000
Office of Outdoor Rec Coordinator $ 75,000
$ 25,000
$ 25,000
$ 7,220
Office of Outdoor Recreation Mgr $ 25,000
$ 2,000
$ 4,250
$ 349,470
MACC Operating - Set aside future expense $ 300,000
Change in Fund Balance $ 230,530
Measure U - Annual Revenue
Total Annual Revenue
Equipment Replacement
Audit Services
Total Annual Expenses
Measure U - Annual Expenses FY20-21
Programming
Special Projects
Transit Services
Event Contracts ProcessingPage 8 of 13
6 Council for consideration as part of the final Town budget. The discussion at this time allows the MLR Board and Town Council to be in sync based on prior budgets and to provide Town staff with information to use in preparing the overall preliminary budget to be presented to Town Council on April 27, 2022. A final budget will be considered in June for adoption.
7 EXHIBIT A
Scope of Services and Deliverables FY21-22
Stewardship and Implementation of Outdoor Recreation, Arts and Culture 1) Support for Mammoth Lakes Trail System
a) Weekly coordination to optimize Measure R resources and link TOML to regional efforts: MLTS Coordination meeting, MLR/MLTS/MLTPA Coordination Meeting, SRIC Coordination Meeting. Meetings attended may be limited based on the needs of the Town. Meet with MLTS/MLTPA/ESSRC twice weekly for general coordination, SRIC, AAT, communications, education & outreach
Other – Assisted in coordination of volunteers for trash collection at facilities and lakes 2) Support Adopt-A-Trail program.
Provide support for program management and administration, recognition signs, social media, webpage maintenance, marketing/advertising. Collected $14,850 in sponsorships for MLTS in FY21/22; with a $22,675 lifetime balance; eliminating all reliance on Measure R funding. 3) Coordinate work program with Town Office of Outdoor Recreation as it is ramped up and staffed. TBD once position is filled.
Communications and Outreach
1) Regular public communications on sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities in and around Mammoth Lakes. Publish “Trailhead News” bi-weekly; distribute to nearly 900 subscribers Use social media to promote outdoor recreation opportunities and news in TOML and beyond 2) Community Stakeholder Meetings: Convene Community meetings (two – four per year) to inform and update a diverse recreational audience on recreation related projects and programs in coordination with Town staff. Convened Mammoth Trails meetings October 5 and November 18, 2021 Next Mammoth Trails meeting in Spring 2022
3) Prepare Webpages for TOML Projects and Programs.
a) Develop, host, and maintain webpages for TOML projects and programs as defined under current MLTS work program, including but not limited:
i) Sherwins Meadow Trails and Trailhead,
Active
ii) Shady Rest Inyo Craters,
Active
iii) Lakes Basin Connector Trails, and
Active
iv) Adopt A Trail
Active
b) Measure R and U Allocations information (application, process, documents, partners, and awardees) Active, Completed Application period for Fiscal Year 2022/23 Grant Cycle Management of Advisory Committees and Funding Recommendations 1) Mammoth Trails Committee
a) Convene up to six (6) meetings annually to provide fiscal and operational recommendations to TOML in coordination with Town staff
Convened 2021 meetings on August 12 and December 9, February 10 October meeting cancelled due to no quorum
Next regularly scheduled 2022 meetings are April 14, and June 09 2) Allocations Committee
All Allocations deliverables began in February 2022 when application period opened Twelve (12) applications submitted, four (4) first-time applicants Public Measure U application review meetings scheduled for March 29 and April 06
8 Public Hearing on the proposed allocation and use of Measure R and U Funds scheduled for May 3 Provide recommendations to Council after public hearings are conducted a) Conduct at least one public hearing on the proposed allocation and use of Measure U Funds b) Conduct at least one public hearing on the proposed allocation and use of Measure R Funds c) Convene at least one (1) but no more than four (4) programming application review meetings and at least one (1) public hearing on the programming allocation of Measure U funds d) Conduct public meeting(s) on the specific allocations of Measure R and/or U funds for special projects. e) Conduct public meetings on the use of non-committed reserve funds 3) Provide recommendations to the Town Council on recommendations for all uses of Measure R and U funds following the public hearing/meeting process.
4) Measure U and Measure R Grant Awards
a) Provide staff assistance to Measure U applicants ensuring applications are complete and align with restricted use of these funds.
b) Work with awardees to leverage grant award and review after-event performance reports. 5) Collaborate with TOML to review and update Measure R & U allocation process Town Updates
1. Advise the Town Council, Commissions and staff on recreational projects and programs outside of Town recreation programs and on arts and culture opportunities through regular reports at meetings. Provide information on MLR work program and progress on implementation of scope of work. Will provide Town Council with this update and FY20/21 Annual Report according to Council schedule Grant Support
1) Assist Town in convening public process meetings on conceptual plan for the expanded Whitmore Recreation Area
Hosted and solicited participation in online survey for the month of September Performed results analysis of online survey
Presented survey results on October 5, 2021 Recreation Commission meeting Helped facilitate in-person site visit at Whitmore Recreation Area Working closely with partners and graphic designer for outreach and application materials 2) Serve as Town lead applicant and assist in TOML Staff driven grant preparation for Prop 68 grant for improvements at Whitmore Recreation Area (Grant to include administrative costs for MLR) Complete – Application submitted November 30, 2021
Additional Contracted Services
N/A to date
1) The Town may request extra work outside of the scope of services provided herein which will require the following:
a) MLR to provide a proposal estimating the hours required to complete the work, b) The overall time frame in which the work will be completed, c) The impact on achieving the scope of services provided herein, and d) Other requirements to determine the ability of MLR to perform the work. 2) Compensation for extra work will be paid at a rate of $58.00 per hour. Payment will be made based on invoices documenting the hours worked and services provided.
2021/2022 Activity Report
March 30, 2022
1. Capital Projects
a. National Endowment for the Arts – American Rescue Plan Sub-Granting Program Administering $150,000 grant to Mammoth Lakes Recreation for sub-granting to local arts agencies. To be completed June 2023.
b. Sierra Nevada Conservancy – Buckeye Hot Springs Grant Administering $79,000 grant for Mono County Recreation/Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Coordinator utilizing Town and County trail crew. To be completed July 2022. c. CA State Parks OHMVR Division Grant – Education & Safety Grant Administered $19,000 grant for Mammoth Lakes Trails System and Mono County Recreation/Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Coordinator utilizing MLTPA as a contractor.
Completed November 2021.
d. National Wilderness Stewardship Association – National Forest Trail Stewardship Partner Funding
Administered $11,500 grant for Mono County Recreation/Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Coordinator utilizing Town and County trail crew. Completed November 2021. e. CA State Parks - Regional Parks Program Grant
Submitted $3,000,000 grant application to the Regional Park Program on behalf of TOML for improvements at Whitmore Recreation Area. If awarded will administer grant through June 2025.
2. Sustainable Recreation
a. Mammoth Lakes Trail System
i. Shady Rest Inyo Craters – www.mammothlakesrecreation.org/SRIC Significant coordination with Trails Coordinator, ESSRC, and MLTPA Staff to develop project, web page, online survey, convene meetings and public outreach. Project was not included in Inyo National Forests’ FY22 Program of Work, suspending efforts. ii. Lakes Basin Connector Trails -
www.mammothlakesrecreation.org/lakesbasin/
Significant coordination with Trails Coordinator and MLTPA Staff to develop project, project web page, convene meetings and perform public outreach. iii. Sherwins Trailhead and Sherwins Meadow Trails -
www.mammothlakesrecreation.org/sherwins/
Significant coordination with Trails Coordinator, ESSRC, MLTPA Staff to develop project, web page, convene meetings and public outreach. Project was included in Inyo National Forests’ FY22 program of work. MLR will support efforts and actively look for funding sources/grants.
b. Eastern Sierra Adopt-A-Trail - www.esadoptatrail.org Raised over $42,000 since July 2020 eliminating use of any Measure R tax dollars for program. c. Tangle Free Waters - www.tanglefreewaters.org
Installed 24 stations along Eastern Sierra Waterways harnessing partnerships between local and federal agencies, businesses, clubs, landowners, and volunteers. d. Camp Like a PRO – Mono County Dispersed Camping Efforts www.mammothlakesrecreation.org/camping
Raised $20,000 since June 2021 for on-the-ground infrastructure. MLR played crucial role in facilitating immediate placement of infrastructure while program was further developed. “Camp Like a Pro” is now on track to receive sustained funding through outside sources.
3. Community Building
a. Measure R and U Allocations
Currently reviewing twelve (12) Measure U applications. Public review meetings scheduled for 3/29 and 4/6 with the Public Hearing for Allocation of Measures R and U on 5/3. b. Education & Outreach
Worked with MLTS to produce two educational videos on e-biking and controlling bike speed. A third focusing on equestrians is being planned. www.facebook.com/MammothLakesRecreation
Published “News from the Trailhead” consistently since January 2021, growing subscriber list to 900.
Presented local screening of the national Fly Fishing Film Tour at Bishop Tri County Fairgrounds Drive-In Theater. Presented tour outside of Mammoth Lakes for the first time due to COVID and the availability of an outdoor venue in Bishop. Participating in Parks and Recreation 2022 Summer Recreation Expo 3/29
4. Fundraising
Presented premiere of the movie “Buried” on February 5, 2022 at Main Lodge.
Members of the cast and crew along with current and alumni ski patrol, Eastside K-9’s and Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center participated in a panel discussion after the film. Launched online store to sell merchandise, tickets and use as fundraising outlet. https://mammoth-lakes-recreation.square.site/
Chosen as recipient of funds raised from online raffle of custom-painted snowboard of the Minarets highlighting the effects of climate change on sustainable recreation.