MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
CITY OF MONTEREY
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
4:00 PM
COUNCIL CHAMBER, 580 PACIFIC ST.
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
Councilmembers
Present: Barber, Garcia, Haffa, Smith, Williamson
Absent: None
City Staff
Present:
City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Attorney, Police Chief, Parks and Recreation Director, Finance Director, Human Resources Director, Library & Museums Director, Public Works Director, City Clerk, Interim Fire Chief, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer, Engineering Assistant, Harbormaster, Parks Operations Manager, Recreation Manager, Chief Information Officer, Planning Manager, Environmental Regulations Manager, Fleet Manager, Public Works Administrative Services Manager, Fitness Manager, Senior Accountant
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Williamson called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. City Clerk Klein called the roll, with the Council present as listed above. Due to an issue with the sound system in the Council Chamber, the Council recessed at 4:02 p.m. and reconvened at 4:13 p.m. when the system was restored.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Councilmember Barber led the Pledge.
STUDY SESSION
1. Receive Update on the 2024 City Staff Work Program (Not a Project Under CEQA Article 20, Section 15378 and Under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061) Action: Received update, provided direction
Assistant City Manager Rojanasathira gave the staff presentation, updating the Council and public on the City staff's work program. He answered Councilmembers' questions, with additional input from City Manager Uslar, Public Works Director Renny, Library & Museums Director Edwards, Finance Director King, and Community Development Director Cole.
Public comment was received from Tom Rowley, of Fisherman's Flats Homeowners and Residents Association, who urged the Council to modify the Highway 68 Area Plan to delete the transportation limitation for annexation of properties to the City of Monterey; and Esther Malkin, who questioned the status of ADA compliance and the appropriateness of NCIP's involvement in paying for it, and complimented the Police Department for recent outreach about Automated License Plate Readers (APLRs).
The Council discussed the matter.
City Council Minutes January 24, 2024
2 Comments were made praising City staff for their hard work and important accomplishments and pledging that the Council would continue to support staff's efforts. Specific positive remarks were made on topics including the City's community outreach and engagement, focus on transparency and collaboration, progress on reserve funds, progress on electric vehicle charging stations (noting more were still needed), and work on both the Old Capitol Site and Laguna Grande Regional Park plans, and new business license inspection program, which it was stated was already finding opportunities for collecting additional funds and with which the business districts were quite pleased.
Topics and priorities highlighted for further discussion and attention included:
Highway 68 corridor, including revising the Highway 68 Area Plan and considering annexation, citing the County's plan to build low-income housing and the resulting impacts on City services while the County would get the majority of the tax revenue; staying engaged with Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) as they work on designing roundabouts and improving transportation in the area; conducting outreach with Monterey residents; and exploring the relationship with the Airport and the Fire Department's service times along the Highway 68 Corridor; Undergrounding utilities, including investigating financing options such as a permanent budget allocation, utilizing liens and bonds, and implementing undergrounding on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis; and recognizing that undergrounding fits into the Council's strategic vision in the sense of preserving or improving aesthetics, increasing safety, reducing fire risk, and increasing sustainability and grid resiliency; Water, including continuing to negotiate with the Marina Coast Water District and look for other water opportunity sites; beginning to discuss how to prioritize allocation of water received in the future from the expansion of the Pure Water Monterey project and potentially from Lake El Estero;
Affordable housing projects, including trying to find ways to expedite the process of developing the Madison Street site with MidPen Housing; and, if an increased future water allocation allowed, reconsideration of revisiting opportunity sites including Adams Street without slowing down the Madison Street project; City's Fort Ord property, including the potential, once more was known about the status of water and assessment, of looking into moving ahead with development opportunities without having to do another Request for Proposals (RFP); Wildfire prevention;
Neighborhood and Community Improvement Committee projects backlog, and what could be done to move projects through to completion;
Community outreach and engagement, including being alert to changes in dynamics and modifying approaches to better suit our communities; increasing community involvement in the budget process; focusing on recent, current and planned projects and successes and conveying them to the public on a map or roadmap; and improving and increasing stakeholder partnerships in a way that would be more intentional and focused on social justice;
Economic development, including concern about commercial properties sitting vacant and how to utilize the City's Planning team to maximize land use; the interest in City Council Minutes January 24, 2024
3 employing an economic development director; the need to further support business districts; and the potential to encourage community members in starting small businesses;
Business district revitalization, including impacts on other businesses when one business closes and was left vacant; revisiting in more detail the North Fremont Specific Plan; and that revitalization opportunities existed in the Downtown, Cannery Row, and North Fremont areas;
Education and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD), including building a stronger partnership between the City and MPUSD to address issues such as housing and enrollment rates; and getting involved with the MPUSD board and visiting their meetings regarding matters that impact their district; Arts and performing arts, including beautifying the City with public art; increasing offerings for art in the community and especially for teens; discussing with NCIP Committee whether their program could work with local artists; and working with the Monterey Museum of Art and others to develop Calle Principal into an art corridor; Resident engagement, including encouraging residents to reach out to Councilmembers and city staff to communicate issues and celebrations;
Supporting the Monterey Sports Center as it continued to add back programs and have families return, including looking at fundraising opportunities for the community to provide support;
Charter amendments, including the need to clean up language regarding vacated seats when Councilmembers run for Mayor, and the need to involve the public in the discussion;
Rental inventory, including ensuring a broad approach to community engagement that solicits anecdotal stories and provides ways for people to share stories anonymously to get information that will allow future Councils to make data-driven decisions; Supporting the Planning team as it works through a challenging work program including numerous items listed above, and looking into opportunities to add positions to provide better support;
The above items were not prioritized in any order by the Council.
The Council held a brief conversation about recognizing in general what was doable, practical, and a priority, and what was not.
ADJOURNMENT
The Council adjourned at 5:53 p.m.
City Council Minutes January 24, 2024
4 Respectfully Submitted, Approved,
Clementine Bonner Klein Tyller Williamson
City Clerk Mayor