CITY OF PACIFICA
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
Council Chambers
2212 Beach Blvd
Pacifica, CA 94044
Mayor Sue Vaterlaus
Mayor pro Tem Sue Beckmeyer
Councilmember Mary Bier
Councilmember Tygarjas Bigstyck
Councilmember Christine Boles
City Council Regular Meeting 1 May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024 (MONDAY)
www.cityofpacifica.org
Mayor Sue Vaterlaus called the meeting to order on May 13, 2024 at 7:05 PM 7:00 PM OPEN SESSION
Call to Order
Mayor Vaterlaus called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Sue Vaterlaus Mayor Present
Sue Beckmeyer Mayor pro Tem Present
Mary Bier Councilmember Present
Tygarjas Bigstyck Councilmember Present
Christine Boles Councilmember Present
City Clerk Coffey took a verbal roll call.
Staff Present: Kevin Woodhouse, City Manager; Michelle Kenyon, City Attorney; Lisa Petersen, PW Director; Yulia Carter, Asst. City Manager; Christian Murdock, Planning Director; Scott Leslie, Acting PB&R Director; Joel Abelson, Dep. Fire Chief; Louis Sun, PW Dep. DirectorWastewater Div.; Roland Yip, PW Dep. Director (Field Services/Engineering); Eduardo Pastrano, WWTP Collection Systems Manager; Bill Glasgo, Police Captain; Sarah Coffey, City Clerk; Emily La, Dep. City Clerk.
Reading of Land Acknowledgment
Mayor Vaterlaus read the Land Acknowledgement.
Salute to the Flag led by Councilmember Bigstyck
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
A. Special Presentation by Commute.Org
Dep. Director of Commute.org Kim Comstock stated she is present to tell Council who Commute.Org is and what they offer. She stated they are San Mateo County’s Transportation Demand Management Agency, a Joint Powers Authority comprised of elected officials from 19 cities and the county on their board, which focuses on reducing the number of vehicle miles City Council Regular Meeting 2 May 13, 2024
traveled. She stated that they are funded by CCAG, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Transportation Authority, and private employers. She shared how Commute.org works with employers, developers, cities, etc., to provide the best commute plan and program and help employers and developers become compliant with local and regional ordinances through their TDM (Transportation Demand Management) Plans and Policies. She mentioned all the possible free programs for commuting to work and suggested investigating the options, such as ride matching, designing commute programs, trip planning, bicycle education, etc. She also mentioned microgrants offered by Commute.Org to lcoal community groups. She stated that on May 16, volunteers will be setting up energizer stations for the Bike to Wherever Days event, such as Pacifica’s at Highway 1 and Reina de Mar, and another at Cabrillo Elementary School on Crespi, to celebrate bicycling.
Councilmember Bier referred to the shuttle program and asked about the coastside.
Dep. Director Comstock stated that every two years there is an opportunity to submit a grant through the TA for a shuttle. The entity interested in the shuttle collects information and submits the request for funding for the shuttle service. She stated that, typically, it is not fully funded by the grant and there needs to be some other source of funding. She stated that, with the shuttles she mentioned on the bayside, there is a combination of grant dollars as well as private sector dollars, such as employers or property managers.
Councilmember Boles thanked Councilmember Bier for the question in light of the transportation challenges in the City and looked forward to the prospect of potential development projects working directly with Commute.org on TDM analyses which could include work on a shuttle. She referenced the work done in Half Moon Bay to coordinate a shuttle in their city.
Dep. Director Comstock stated that specifically SamTrans was the dominant funder of Ride Plus, which is operating in Half Moon Bay and East Palo Alto, and it was more of a unique project but it involved their transportation provider (SamTrans). She stated, regarding TDM plans for developers, Commute.org is there to be a consultant and provide options.
Councilmember Boles thanked them for all the different programs they do to encourage people reduce vehicle miles traveled. She enjoyed serving on their board.
Mayor Vaterlaus thanked her and appreciated the change to “Bike to Wherever Day”.
Sue Digre, Pacifica, referred to Commute.org and stated that Pacifica got two shuttles through Commute.org, one through the Youth Initiative called TRUST (Teens Are Unbelievably Strong Together) and the other one was for the one for the Chamber of Commerce, and she shared her thoughts on the process for success.
B. Proclamation - Emergency Medical Services Week (May 19 - 25, 2024) Mayor Vaterlaus read a proclamation honoring Emergency Medical Services Week from May 19-25, 2024. She then invited Dep. Fire Chief Joel Abelson to speak.
Dep. Fire Chief Abelson thanked Council for honoring EMS Week. He stated that their No. 1 call for service is medical calls, such heart attacks, car accidents, etc. He stated that the firefighters provide top care and he felt it was exciting to see where the fire services have gone over the years.
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Councilmember Beckmeyer recounted a story about how excellent the fire service is, referencing how the personnel remained professional and calm while tending to her family. She was impressed and she was grateful for what they provide for our community.
Councilmember Bier also felt grateful and stated our first responders support some of our events and she knows the young people she works with appreciate it when they show up.
Councilmember Bigstyck echoed all that was said and seeing them in town on a constant basis makes him grateful that their presence is here when we need them.
Councilmember Boles echoed that we are grateful for their service.
Mayor Vaterlaus stated she saw how much they do every day and thanked them for their work.
C. Proclamation - National Public Works Week (May 19 - 25, 2024) Mayor Vaterlaus read a proclamation honoring National Public Works Week (May 19-25, 2024).
PW Director Petersen stated that with her are Dep. Director of Field Services/Engineering Roland Yip, Wastewater Dep. Director Louis Sun, and WWTP Collection System Manager Eduardo Pastrano. She stated the team deals with so many weather problems in our city due to storms, flooding, falling trees, etc. She stated that they are having an open house for Public Works Week on May 22, where they will have information to provide related to their operations.
Councilmember Bigstyck referred to his speech regarding the unsung nature of PW and what they do. He thanked them for being the heroes we almost never see and doing some of the most amazing work in Pacifica.
Councilmember Boles added that she loves the theme for the year, “advancing quality of life for all”. She agreed that, if Public Works were not here, neither would there be the quality of life with sewer backups and flooding affecting our homes. She appreciated all they do in the background to keep us healthy and safe and she appreciates all their hard work.
Councilmember Bier stated that there is a relatively new portal where people can put information in and requests and asked how PW Director Petersen feels about that.
PW Director Petersen stated it was great for people to have that ability report a maintenance issue and described how it worked well, allowing for location drops, photos, etc.
Councilmember Bier saw that it is getting responses from the public and that is what we need to respond to our community.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer asked if it is true that they can upload photos to that portal.
PW Director Petersen stated it was correct. She stated that the portal has a process with questions or information that get routed to the right person and, if not answered, it comes to her.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer thanked them for all the support with the Beautification Advisory Committee and it is great having PW Director Petersen’s gracious leadership and staff. She appreciated the opportunity they give the public to engage and volunteer with some of the maintenance and cleanup projects.
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Mayor Vaterlaus has gone to the open house several years in a row. She stated that, being close and personal with all the machines and hearing staff explain what they do, she was impressed and appreciated everyone in every department for all the things they do.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Mayor Vaterlaus asked if any councilmember wants to pull any items from consent.
Councilmember Boles stated she would like to pull Item #9.
Mayor Vaterlaus opened public comments and, seeing no one, closed public comments. She then asked for a motion.
Councilmember Bigstyck moved approval of consent calendar minus Item #9; seconded by Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer.
CONSENT CALENDAR ITEM NOS. 1 – 8, EXCLUDING ITEM NO. 9
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Tygarjas Bigstyck, Councilmember
SECONDER: Sue Beckmeyer, Mayor pro Tem
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
1. Approval of Disbursements for 04/01/24 through 04/30/24.
PROPOSED ACTION: Receive and file the Monthly Check Register Report for the month of April 2024.
2. Approval of Minutes
PROPOSED ACTION: Move to approve the minutes for the following: (1) April 8, 2024 City Council Special and Regular Meeting, (2) April 15, 2024 City Council Special Meeting, and (3) April 22, 2024 City Council Special and Regular Meeting.
3. Continuation of Proclamation of Local Emergency of the Pacifica Coastline from Westline Drive to the End of Beach Boulevard.
PROPOSED ACTION: Accept report and make a determination that conditions of local emergency continue to exist within the Pacifica Coastline from Westline Drive to the end of Beach Boulevard.
4. Continuation of Proclamation of Local Emergency at the Anza Pump Station.
PROPOSED ACTION: Accept Report and Make a Determination that Conditions of Local Emergency Continue to Exist at the Anza Pump Station at the Pacifica State Beach.
5. Continuation of Proclamation of Local Emergency related to December 28, 2023, High Tide/Large Wave Events
PROPOSED ACTION: Accept Report and Make a Determination that Conditions of Local Emergency Continue to Exist related to the December 2023 High Tide/Large Wave Events
6. Quarterly Treasurer’s Reports for the quarter ending March 31, 2024.
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PROPOSED ACTION: Review and accept the Quarterly Treasurer’s Reports for the quarter ending March 31, 2024.
7. Resolution of the City Council of the City of Pacifica Adopting a list of projects for Fiscal Year 2024-25 funded by SB 1: Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 PROPOSED ACTION: Adopt the Resolution of the City Council of the City of Pacifica Adopting a list of projects for Fiscal Year 2024-25 funded by SB 1: Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
8. Adopt Resolution to Approve Amendment No. 2 To Agreement Between the City of Pacifica and Universal Building Services (UBS) For Janitorial Services PROPOSED ACTION: Adopt Resolution to Approve Amendment Number 2 to the vendor services agreement with Universal Building Services to provide additional Janitorial Services for City restrooms at Linda Mar State Beach, Pacifica Pier, Rockaway Beach, Frontierland Park and outside the Community Center in an amount of $84,397.77 increasing the overall cost to $343,657.77/year.
9. Approval of Consultant Services Agreement between the City of Pacifica and Cotton, Shires and Associates, Inc. (CSA) for Geotechnical Services PROPOSED ACTION: Adopt a Resolution approving the Consultant Services Agreement between the City of Pacifica and Cotton, Shires and Associates, Inc. (CSA) for Geotechnical Services in the amount of $219,780 with a 10% contingency for a total amount of $241,758, and authorize the City Manager to execute all documents related to the Geotechnical Services.
Item #9 Discussion
Councilmember Boles reiterated that the item was missing the scope of work for Cotton Shires & Associates, and she hoped staff could make a brief presentation for the public to understand the work the city is undergoing.
City Manager Woodhouse turned it over to PW Director Peterson or PW City Engineer Yip to summarize the scope of the work. He stated that it is generally geotechnical services related to the numerous FEMA projects from storm damage from the 2022-2023 winter events.
PW Dep. Director Yip gave a brief staff report.
Councilmember Boles referred to the staff report which said there was a damaged sewer main buried under the landslide at 601 Calda Avenue, and she wondered if that is causing any sewer issues in that area.
PW Dep. Director Yip believes it is still functioning but landslide has caused damage to the sewer main and it will need to get repaired.
Councilmember Boles thought that was the only one that said the homeowner was responsible for the stability work on the hillside. She was curious with how that is working out and what the consultant is doing with their investigations and how it is coordinated cost-wise and work-wise with the homeowners.
PW Dep. Director Yip stated that they have been coordinating with the homeowner and it appears that they are planning to do some sort of retaining wall and will have to be coordinated City Council Regular Meeting 6 May 13, 2024
with their construction of the retaining wall versus when they come in and do some excavation and repair that sewer main.
Councilmember Boles emphasized making sure that we are reporting these landslide maps as we are updating the General Plan in the future and she knows we are reporting to FEMA. She stated she was asked by the Department of Conservation to report the landslides as they are the ones who update those maps.
Mayor Vaterlaus asked if anyone from the public wants to speak on this item and, seeing none, closed public comments. She then asked if any Councilmember wants to make a motion.
Councilmember Bier moved to approve the consultant services agreement between Pacifica and Cotton Shires & Associates for geotechnical services; seconded by Councilmember Boles.
AGENDA ITEM #9
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Mary Bier, Councilmember
SECONDER: Christine Boles, Councilmember
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE POSTED AGENDA
Linda Peebles, Pacifica, stated, as a member of Pacifica Peace People, she is asking to put a ceasefire resolution on Pacifica Council’s agenda, and shared her thoughts on the issue and read their prepared resolution.
Delia McGrath, Pacifica, urged the Council to put on their agenda the resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and shared her thoughts on this issue.
Judy Hanson, Pacifica, shared her history leading up to being a teacher and her concerns about Palestine as well as our country and is asking for our city to support a ceasefire and a better future for our world.
Gloria Stofan, Pacifica, stated she is urging Council to place the resolution for peace and reconciliation for a ceasefire in Gaza on the next City Council meeting, sharing her thoughts on this issue.
Paul Stofan, Pacifica, shared his thoughts on this issue of the ceasefire resolution and encouraged peace for everyone.
Anita Rees, Pacifica, shared what the PRC has been doing for the last few months, i.e., office open hours and their next grocery distribution at the American Legion Hall. She stated that May 22 will be their volunteer appreciation lunch and they will begin enrolling families for the back-toschool program in June. They completed their tax preparation program. She stated to contact their Unhoused on the Coast outreach specialist if they know of anyone unhoused.
Sue Digre, Pacifica, referred to the agenda including Leadership and Governance Training, as well as team building, and she shared her concerns and thoughts on her interpretations.
John Kontrabecki, Pacifica, stated he was pleased to see the city’s artificial intelligence tool City Council Regular Meeting 7 May 13, 2024
on their website. He referred to the Planning Department’s tremendous workload, and he stated as a graduate of Cornell University he was approached by engineering graduate students who have offered to develop artificial intelligence tools for use by the Planning Department.
Flo, Pacifica, referred to the ceasefire resolution in Gaza earlier as well as Vietnam War protests she learned about in high school, and shared her thoughts on these issues, indicating her support for a ceasefire resolution.
Marsha Murphy, Pacifica, encouraged Council to place the resolution for ceasefire in Gaza on their agenda of the next Council meeting, and shared her thoughts on that issue.
Marj Davis, Pacifica, referred to the importance of kindness, compassion, empathy and respect for all people and then shared her thoughts on the issue of the quarry discussion.
Jim Kremer, Pacifica, referred to Marj Davis’ comments and to a Planning Commission meeting regarding a possible study session regarding the quarry site, sharing his thoughts on the issue.
COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer stated she is continuing to learn more on the LCLUP with citizens expressing opinions and concerns. She attended the Blues and Brews event through the Economic Development Committee, which showed the kind of activity that can occur in the Palmetto area to support businesses and community engagement. She stated there was a briefing on May 2 by CalCities, a legislative briefing on coastal and housing bills. She had the opportunity to attend an event in Daly City honoring legacy businesses. She invited Economic Development Manager Tara Schiff to join her and they decided they want to borrow the idea and bring that through the EDC. She attended part of the NCCWD groundbreaking and she felt it was exciting to see the thrill on their faces. She stated the Team Building and Governance Training occurred on May 4 and it was a challenging day with difficult conversations, sharing, and new perspectives. She attended the Library Advisory Committee meeting and shared that the kiosk for the outpost will be delivered the day after the meeting and provided some upcoming closure dates for Sanchez library. There will be training on how to use the kiosk for an opportunity to have books and materials available 24/7. She stated that, at the Beautification Advisory Committee meeting, there was a presentation and preview of the forthcoming presentation to Council and they will have a lot of updates at the next City Council meeting.
Councilmember Boles met with the Pacifica Climate Committee on an upcoming event called “Healthy Air, Healthy Homes” and shared the different activities and resources that would educate participants about unexpected sources of pollution in our homes linked to childhood asthma and other diseases in addition to tips on how to get rebates, interest-free loans, and how to make it simple and affordable to replace your gas appliances and cars with zero emission electric ones. She visited several insurance events, and referenced a crisis at the state now, partly caused by all the wildfires the last two years, wherein insurance companies are no longer making a profit to continue their business operations. She stated that, if you get a cancellation notice, instead of automatically signing up for the FAIR plan through the state, she stated to go to the website for united policy holders, uphelp.org, where there is a list of other companies that are certified and have the financial backing. She also hoped to bring the insurance event at County Supervisor Ray Mueller’s office to the city as well. She met with residents at the north end of Esplanade who are having issues with traffic and pedestrian safety.
She stated it is also Affordable Housing Month and she attended a meeting with Partnership for City Council Regular Meeting 8 May 13, 2024
the Bay’s Future, where they talked about their funding. They also have potential help for Building/Planning staff through the intern program, a 2-year program that would be free to the city, provided work is done on issues that are identified, i.e., Housing Element, Inclusionary Ordinance, etc. She thought it sounds like an interesting opportunity and the applications will be due in June for a position starting in January. She stated that the second to last Leadership Council session was on intelligent urbanism which is about designs, city planning, and neighborhoods. They talked about the upcoming silver tsunami and the very different needs of community, including the real need to try to attract and bringing in younger people and make housing affordable so they can come into our community. She referred to Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer mentioning the League of Cities and the legislative bills and asked the City Attorney about AB 2560.
City Attorney Kenyon stated that she is not familiar with that bill so she can look into it.
Councilmember Boles asked if, in general, do density bonus laws apply in the coastal zone now.
City Attorney Kenyon stated that her understanding is that they do, depending upon your Local Coastal Plan.
Councilmember Boles stated she attended the Blues and Brews event and thanked the Economic Development Committee for that. She stated there was an art and nature exhibit at Sanchez as well as MerMay at Sharp Park.
Councilmember Bier thanked the Pacifica Peace People for once again coming before Council with the most beautiful resolution and expressed her appreciation for putting the resolution on the agenda. She attended the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust (HEART) of San Mateo County meeting and shared an upcoming First-Time Buyers Program at the Daly City Council Chambers. She attended a 2-day leadership opportunity when everyone leads with elected leaders from across the county and she got to spend two days with the mayor of Half Moon Bay.
She is looking forward to doing more leadership programs because what those two days did for her was fill her spirit. She stated that they are working on their Pride event and they are very excited about the Pride Parade which will happen on June 1. She stated that there will be a lot of tabling and family fun area. She thanked Co-Chair Lauren Smith for stepping up as the chair of this Pride Festival. She attended the Coast Pride board meeting and described programs from Pescadero to Pacifica. She went to the open studios at Sanchez which was fun to walk through and see all the different artist’s studios. She attended the League of Cities Coastal Bay Cities Legislative Bill Update as well as the NCCWD groundbreaking. She thanked Sue Digre for talking about team building and stated it was an intense day of learning about one another and when she thinks of team building what she thinks of is how can they learn about each other so they can best serve our community together to allow each other to be who they are in their leadership roles. Lastly, she attended Council of Cities in San Carlos and the Blues and Brews event.
Councilmember Bigstyck attended a Peninsula Clean Energy meeting and learned about jurisdictions participating in their member agency grant program, including Los Banos for an update electrified H-Vac system and San Bruno for streetlights with battery backup. He stated PCE had discussions about a pre-paid funding system for energy procurement. They also talked about our role in the Caltrain electrification. He attended Council of Cities in San Carlos and shared his experiences which prompted his desire to update the Inclusionary Ordinance.
He attended the Blues and Brews event with his family. The Library JPA was a big strategic planning meeting and they had the pleasure of joining with the operations committee. He was City Council Regular Meeting 9 May 13, 2024
excited to hear that the kiosk is on its way. He stated, after the JPA meeting, he took a walk with Antonio López, mayor from East Palo Alto, and had good discussions. He attended that insurance department meeting with Councilmember Boles at County Supervisor Ray Mueller’s office. He thought appreciated Councilmember Boles’ bringing up uphelp.org if anyone needs help with insurance and further shared insurance.ca.gov. He attended the NCCWD groundbreaking and it was very exciting. He stated Team Building was intense and emphasized that it was about figuring out how we hear each other’s voices, especially when we have different views, to make sure we have whole communication. He attended a LAFCO Budget Committee meeting. He stated there was a Pacifica Resource Center Board meeting and stated that they are moving into their new space at 2316 Palmetto and a soft opening is scheduled for June. He shared fundraising opportunities as well as food donation priorities.
He stated that the 50th anniversary of PRC at Palm-a-Palooza’s annual fundraiser event will be on September 21. He attended the CCAG Legislative Committee meeting and highlighted Senate Bill 1031, which discussed consolidation of transit. He thanked all the mothers they honored for Mother’s Day. He stated there was a Peninsula Division Executive Committee meeting and they gave legislative action committee updates. He stated that, on May 22, for electeds, there will be a meeting on the Business Roundtable Taxpayer Deception Act. Lastly, he met with a San Mateo Chamber representative and had a good conversation about politics both inside and outside Pacifica.
Mayor Vaterlaus attended Council of Cities and the Blues and Brews event. She went to Sacramento for a week and met with Assemblymember Diane Papan and Assemblymember Marc Berman. She had a lot of meetings about legislation while she was in Sacramento on topics that affect all of us. She was unable to attend the electrification meeting. She attended the Employee Awards lunch and highlighted employees who have been there 30 and 40 years.
She attended CCAG’s regular meeting where they went over their new mission and vision. She watched the Junior Olympics, went to MerMay, walked through various businesses on Palmetto, in addition to attending the Sports Hall of Fame breakfast, the Pacifica Democrats meeting, the Terra Nova Car Show, and the Wildfire Awareness event at the Community Center. She stated Fog Fest is doing their first annual Fog Fest fundraiser. She also shared, on Mother’s Day, she went to the Giants game and they rode in a self-driving car in a Waymo and expressed interest in self-driving cars in Pacifica.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer thanked Mayor Vaterlaus for bringing up Junior Olympics and she commended PB&R staff. She stated that everyone did a great job, the kids were engaged, families were excited, and it was exciting.
Mayor Vaterlaus stated she was also at Team Building, which was, as many said, very difficult.
Councilmember Boles also shared the upcoming Pacifica Democrats meeting, where Justin Cummings, the new Coastal Commission representative for our area, is coming to speak.
Mayor Vaterlaus stated that she heard today that he will not take questions at the event so all questions have to be submitted in advance. She added that Councilmember Bigstyck is going to be the person asking the questions.
Councilmember Boles stated there were a couple of questions about the quarry and hoped City Manager Woodhouse might be able to address some of the questions from the audience.
STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
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City Manager Woodhouse mentioned the Planning Commission study session and reminded all that the quarry reclamation plan is a private development application and there are due process considerations in that, and the study session is at the request of the applicant and the city always honors the request of applicants for that. He stated that Planning Commission had a significant amount of questions about past reclamation plans, amounts of fill, etc., and the applicant thought it best to address that in a study session format.
City Attorney Kenyon clarified that there was also a question about the attorney at the Planning Commission meeting and why they said the study session would not be appropriate. She stated that the reason was because a unilateral suggestion of a study session by the city would not have been appropriate because it could have implicated the applicant’s due process rights.
That is why the request coming from the developer is appropriate, as the developer was requesting the delay, an additional meeting rather than a hearing where a decision could be made, as no decision will be made at the study session. She stated that there will be a following Planning Commission hearing where a consideration of approval or denial or modified conditions of approval for the application will be considered.
City Manager Woodhouse stated that it has been a busy time and he attended many of the events councilmembers mentioned, including the Blues and Brews event, the Council’s Team Building all day Saturday and Executive Team Building session all day the previous Friday, the NCCWD groundbreaking, as well as the Library Strategic Planning session with the Operations Committee and the Governing Board for that. He wanted to highlight the Employee Recognition and Service Award event which Mayor Vaterlaus mentioned. He stated it was a huge turnout of city employees. He added that not only do we have long-standing tenure and service from employees but a lot of new employees. We recognized employees for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and one employee with 40 years of service. He stated that we honor that proclamation for Public Works today as well as Emergency Medical Services. He stated the metaphor is, when you look at a mountain top and you are going across country, it looks very daunting, as how they get up the cliff, and what happens is, when you are doing it and get to that rock outcropping, there is always a way around it or over it and you can get to the mountain top. He stated that the work and problem solving our staff does in all departments can seem daunting and this staff has the knack of diving in, figuring out solutions, and getting around those obstacles. He stated he is grateful for all employees and it was a great event and they look forward to more celebrations upcoming.
Mayor Vaterlaus called a break and then reconvened the meeting.
PUBLIC HEARINGS - NONE.
CONSIDERATION
10. City Council Strategic Planning Update for FY2024-25 PROPOSED ACTION: Approve the updated City of Pacifica 2023 to 2030 Strategic Plan Mission, Vision, Values, Goals and Strategies.
City Manager Woodhouse began the staff report and turned it over to Consultant Greg Larson.
Consultant Larson presented the staff report. He paused and asked if Council is agreeable to the amended Strategy 2C (broaden community awareness of the library projects) that Council had approved last year based on feedback from community and research.
City Council Regular Meeting 11 May 13, 2024
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer thought it was perfect. She stated that, at the Library Advisory Committee meeting, that has been the focus as the committee has been reformed.
Consultant Larson stated that, hearing Council’s discussion earlier on “library projects,” a new library, new satellite, and even the kiosk project could be part of the strategy in what they are moving ahead with. He continued with the staff report.
Councilmember Bigstyck referred to Strategy 5C (explore possible changes to Council term limits). He stated that, at the last Council meeting, a sympathetic member of the community spoke to this not being the right time for this item. He stated that, while he still sees value in having discussion around it when they get into deliberations, he has been thinking about all these things taken together and it seems, while he feels logically that there are very good reasons for this to be the right time to have the discussion, it has been driven home that the emotional state of this city may make this not the right time to have this discussion. He stated he is agreeable to taking a step back on this particular strategy.
Consultant Larson completed the staff report.
Mayor Vaterlaus opened public comments.
Sue Digre, Pacifica, stated she was unclear on the language of the “strategic plan,” “mission,” and “values”. She also iterated the change in term limits came from the community in 2018.
Mayor Vaterlaus closed public comments.
Councilmember Boles stated one of the things we added during Goal Setting was the review of development fees and she understands staff added it to the work plan. She was confused as to the difference between what is here as a goal and something added to the work plan.
City Manager Woodhouse stated that is identified as a strategy to fulfill one of the goals, i.e.
Goal No. 1 (Financial Sustainability).
Councilmember Bigstyck asked if consultant could respond to public comment.
Consultant Larson stated that the question came in about the adopted mission of the strategic plan or mission of the city. He stated that, when you do a strategic plan for an organization, one of the first steps is to agree upon an articulated mission statement for the organization. What the Council adopted a year ago was not the strategic plan mission statement but the city’s mission statement adopted as part of the strategic plan.
Councilmember Bigstyck asked why it is important to begin with a mission statement as a part of this overall Strategic Planning process.
Consultant Larson stated that there is clarity among Council, with staff and with the public on what the duties and responsibilities in charge of the city is, and it is to be intentional with agreed upon language on how that reflects it. He stated, having worked on this with many cities, cities have slightly different definitions of what it is they do, even though they all operate under the same general law. The Council came up with the best language to articulate our common direction of where we see the city focusing for the future.
Councilmember Bigstyck asked, before we get to the strategic tasks which break down to the City Council Regular Meeting 12 May 13, 2024
particular things we are doing, we want to start with what we are currently doing and headline about where we think we are going.
Consultant Larson responded affirmatively.
Councilmember Bier referred to the mention of Council term limits. She thought that people who serve want the opportunity to finish things, and she understands why someone would want to serve another term. She understands opportunities to finish relationships, funding, and projects that were started. She appreciated Councilmember Bigstyck is willing to step back.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated the reason why he thought it would be good to have that discussion is because of districting. He stated that we can look at other jurisdictions and how districting is working out in jurisdictions that are our size, and where there are jurisdictions where it obviates that incumbents are often ushered in easier, especially when no one is running against them, in addition to concern around any given district having someone run who may not be competent for the role. He thought we should have that discussion sooner than later before something bad to our community happens because not enough people ran. He agreed that it is not ideal if it comes from the dais. He thanked Ms. Digre for acknowledging Council is doing everything we can to serve the public beneficially.
Councilmember Boles did not know if we have had enough experience with district elections to know if it is a problem yet or not. She wished it would come from the public instead because then it is the community asking them to serve longer. She would like to know what the cost implications and staff commitment time are.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated that the cost is not necessarily substantial, depending on what is on the ballot. He stated that it could be as little as $14,000 or as much as $120,000, depending on what is on the ballot. As opposed to money, he has concern with adding more to a heated circumstance in our community.
Mayor Vaterlaus thought district elections made a huge impact as she served in both. She stated that there were five people running in District 1 in the beginning and it ended up two so why did the other people decide not to run. She stated it was quite a bit different running. She thought it was easier to run citywide because she knows people in the whole city but not necessarily in her district. She agrees about representation on boards. She stated that the camaraderie they have with their peers in other cities is important. She stated that there are important factors that we do not have and there are other cities that have the ability to return either taking a year or two years off from Council and then returning and starting over again.
She stated that the community was very strict in the term limits as it did go to a vote.
Councilmember Bier thought she was hearing that they are removing it.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated that is the direction he is leaning.
City Manager Woodside stated that there would need to be a motion and vote.
Councilmember Bigstyck moved approval of the updated City of Pacifica 2023 to 2030 Strategic Plan Mission, Vision, Values, Goals and Strategies, minus 5C; seconded by Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer.
City Council Regular Meeting 13 May 13, 2024
RESULT: ADOPTED AS AMENDED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Tygarjas Bigstyck, Councilmember
SECONDER: Sue Beckmeyer, Mayor pro Tem
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
11. Fiscal Year 2024-25 Base Budget, Long-Term Financial Outlook, and Introduction of the 2024-29 Capital Improvement Plan
PROPOSED ACTION: Accept the report and provide feedback and direction on the proposed Fiscal Year 2024-25 Base Budget, long-term financial outlook, and introduction of the FY 2024-29 Capital Improvement Plan.
City Manager Woodhouse opened the staff report, and Asst. City Manager Carter completed the staff report.
Councilmember Boles referred to the $1.4 million as a backfill of the VLF fund and asked if we would receive the difference of that fund.
Asst. City Manager Carter stated that the numbers are assumptions for reduced allocation of the VLF. The amount of VLF revenues due to us this current year was $5.4 million but we only received $3.8 million, so the assumptions for the upcoming year is the continuing problem of reduced revenues plus full backfill that is already known to be due to the city in the coming year.
Councilmember Boles asked if we will receive the difference of the VLF revenues.
City Manager Woodhouse stated that she is correct. The backfill amount is not the whole VLF so we know the precise number from two years ago about what is owed, which is built into this budget because we expect the state to backfill that amount. If we do not receive the backfill, at mid-year next year, we will need to deal with that.
Councilmember Boles concluded that we may have to deal with the $1.4 million but not necessarily the $4.6 million.
City Manager Woodhouse agreed, explaining that the $4.6 million is what we estimated to receive plus the $1.4 million backfill.
Asst. City Manager Carter stated that the assumption is that we do not know what the reduced VLF is going to be, but we are still projecting the reduction here. She stated that we are trying to get as close as we can to the real number plus the $1.4 million in jeopardy. She continued the staff report and then passed it on to PW Dep. Director Roland Yip.
PW Dep. Director Yip stated that he will review the PW Capital Improvement Programs and then stated he would pass it on to PW Dep. Director (Wastewater) Louis Sun.
Councilmembers Boles and Bigstyck about the Community Center HVAC Upgrade.
PW Dep. Director Yip stated that project needs to be included with a continuing nondiscretionary project and it has been moved to a different section. He stated that the continuing projects are those approved last year and requesting additional budget. He stated that they will correct that with Attachment 4.
City Council Regular Meeting 14 May 13, 2024
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer asked if they want questions on the specific projects.
PW Dep. Director Yip responded affirmatively.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer asked about the $475,000 Electric Vehicle Infrastructure project ($400,000 from PCE and $75,000 from the General Fund). She stated, during the PCE presentation at a previous meeting, Councilmember Bier specifically asked about how much was available for Pacifica and the figure was $475,000.
PW Dep. Director Yip believed the split is between the Photovoltaic Infrastructure Project ($75,000) which is the remainder of the PCE grant fund.
Councilmember Boles referred to Item 4, the generator, and asked if that is a diesel generator.
PW Dep. Director Yip believed it is a diesel generator, adding that PW Director Petersen may have more details on the exact type they are installing.
PW Director Petersen stated that it is diesel and this was something proposed originally with the Civic Center Project and was an additive alternate but that was something they were unable to purchase because of the cost.
Councilmember Boles shared concerns regarding the environment and wondered, since we are adding solar panels now, if there is any chance we could approach PCE about adding some battery storage that would give us some extra capacity.
PW Director Petersen thanked her comment, stating that staff are discussing the generator item with PCE, including in relation to Wastewater.
Councilmember Boles asked about the possibility of batteries as well.
City Manager Woodhouse stated that, from his last conversation with PCE, his understanding is that they have a future phase of their programming related to batteries but it is not there yet and quite costly. He stated that, for reliance on battery storage for a Civic Center backup which needs to operate in an emergency capacity, he does not know if that is there yet at a cost point.
Councilmember Bigstyck wondered if the diesel backup is imperative as to tomorrow or if we can more thoroughly investigate. He referred to the member agency grant, where $400,000 is allotted to the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure project and $75,000 to the Photovoltaic Project, namely through PCE’s Gov PCE with their GovPV program. He wonders if, through PCE’s GovEV program, we might be able to cover some of the $475,000 where the member agency grant would be better served for battery backup instead of diesel power.
PW Director Petersen stated that those are things staff are exploring with them. She stated that we looked at the battery backup at the Community Center and it turned out that it was not something that was going to be achievable from a cost perspective so we did not go that route.
We are still wanting to hear if there is a change to something different related to what they can offer us. She said that, at this point, we are asking for the Civic Center generator because we do not know the answer, but we can come back and change this based on new information from PCE; however, based on past experience with the Community Center, we did not get the backup power. She stated we are waiting to hear from PCE and if they have something that is different or cost-effective, then staff will explore that and try to move forward if feasible.
City Council Regular Meeting 15 May 13, 2024
Councilmember Bigstyck stated an emergency backup is very important but he wanted confirmation that we will have that response from PCE before we get the generator backup.
PW Director Petersen agreed, adding we will definitely have this conversation with PCE.
Councilmember Boles thanked Councilmember Bigstyck for that, and as it is taking longer to get information back from them, she asked if it was possible to rent a generator for a while instead of going out for the whole purchase.
PW Director Petersen stated that we have a generator at the Civic Center but there are much more energy-efficient and less noisy generators out there compared to what we have. At a previous meeting, some residents around that area requested that the city replace the generator because of the noise it causes. She stated that they did not have money to do it then, but they will be looking at that and related to the possibility of getting back up battery storage.
PW Dep. Director (Wastewater) Sun continued the staff report. He then passed it on to PW Dep. Director Yip.
PW Dep. Director Yip continued the staff report.
Councilmember Boles asked, regarding the Community Center HVAC, if that was a gas furnace system that we are replacing.
PW Dep. Director Yip stated that this is their internal system and the units are inside the building and run by electric. He stated that the heating system is run by gas.
Councilmember Boles asked if that was what they are replacing.
PW Dep. Director Yip responded affirmatively, adding that they will figure out exactly what is needed but now it seems that the motors within that existing system need to be replaced.
Councilmember Boles referred to the electrification and talking to PCE and asked if there is any chance that we can look at changing to heat pumps that are electric, especially with the solar panels on the roof. Regarding operational costs and gas appliances being phased out soon and in terms of part replacement, she thought it would be great if we can look at electrification of our heating and cooling as there might be money from PCE for those upgrades also.
Councilmember Bigstyck believed there are various loan programs that are available to city partners specifically. It is a loan basis with a matching amount. He does not know what the cost will be on an electric HVAC versus a gas upgrade, but thought it was worth investigating.
PS Dep. Director Yip stated that they can look into any of the funding opportunities as well as into a heat pump during the design phase of this project.
PW Dep. Director (Wastewater) Sun completed the staff report.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer asked, on the Lower Linda Mar R&R project, if they are opening the streets for that to replace those lines.
PW Dep. Director (Wastewater) Sun stated that, for the most part, with the majority of the sewer City Council Regular Meeting 16 May 13, 2024
line, we are not doing any open trench and it will be done through pipe bursting with minimal disruption to the streets. He stated that there are some areas where we will be doing open trench but that is a small area.
Councilmember Boles had questions on another page of other previously approved active CIP projects they are not seeking money for. She did not know if this is the time to ask them.
PW Dep. Director Yip stated that staff can take comments on the second portion of the Attachment 4, the other previously approved active CIP projects, which includes the nondiscretionary ongoing projects not requesting fiscal year funding, rollover projects that were not started due to staffing constraints, and projects awaiting FEMA review/funding.
Councilmember Boles stated her main questions are on the previously approved that are not requested in funding. She asked what it means that staff are not requesting funding for these projects, i.e. has the project is stopped until we can find a grant such as Manor Drive Overcrossing and Beach Blvd. Infrastructure Resiliency Project.
PW Dep. Director Yip explained that the Manor Drive Overcrossing project is currently in the BID and PAD stage of the project and that is scheduled to be completed sometime next year and we are currently still looking for additional funding for the next stage of the project. For the Beach Blvd. Infrastructure Resiliency Project, it is also similar in that the current phase is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year and, at the end of this stage, we can make a determination on, if we do not find grant funding, whether there are any local funds that can be used for the next phase. He stated we currently do have some applications in at Department of Buildings and Waterways and working for some other grants to try to get outside sources to pay for the next phase of the project. He stated that some of the other projects are not requesting funding because they are fully funded at the moment and they are continuing. Some are grant funded projects which are also fully funded. The Esplanade Palmetto Bicycle Lane Project is scheduled to go out to bid sometime in the fall. The School Crosswalk Replacement Project is starting construction the day of the meeting. Others are fully funded. With the Sharp Park Priority Development Area Project, staff are waiting to execute their CalTrans agreement.
Councilmember Bigstyck moved to extend the meeting to 11:20 p.m.; seconded by Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer.
EXTEND MEETING TO 11:20 PM
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Tygarjas Bigstyck, Councilmember
SECONDER: Sue Beckmeyer, Mayor pro Tem
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
Asst. City Manager Carter concluded the staff report.
Councilmember Bier asked if we can look at the fee structure.
Asst. City Manager Carter stated that staff had the internal discussion about fee structure and, since the staff has in the work plan to look at the fee structure comprehensively, we are going to bring Council the fee structure with adoption with the budget.
There were no public comments.
City Council Regular Meeting 17 May 13, 2024
Councilmember Boles referred to a graph with projections of the budget for the next few years and asked about an increase in the line.
Asst. City Manager Carter stated it is mostly because of payoff of the pension obligation bond that they project that year so that will bring up some General Fund resources.
Councilmember Boles assumed that was a debt being paid. She asked if that means we will not have an unfunded pension liability at that point.
Asst. City Manager Carter stated that the pension obligation bond is an ongoing service related to the payoff of a side fund from a few years ago. We still have unfunded liabilities increasing every year and she included that as the last attachment in report that shows the policy related to unfunded pension liability. The graph shows an unrelated side fund.
Councilmember Boles referred to the table with all the projections through 2033. Her question was about the property tax, which showed a modest increase every year, less than $1 million.
She wanted to understand if that is just small incremental changes as people buy property or property values increase a certain percentage.
Asst. City Manager Carter agreed. She stated their current projections, based on information received from the county and HDL, is quite modest (3%) and we continue this assumption for the next few years; at some point, in FY 2025-26, we will bump it up to 4%, assuming that the economy will improve.
Councilmember Boles asked if additional property taxes from new properties coming on the market are incorporated into the budget.
Asst. City Manager Carter stated, in the granular report, we usually look into this, such as hotels with additional rooms, and we want to include additional assumptions related to that. She stated that this report is a high level review.
Mayor Vaterlaus foresaw not increasing that tax because the interest rates are so high.
Asst. City Manager Carter agreed, adding that is why staff bring this report to Council every year because things change based on the information we have at this point.
Councilmember Boles asked if they need a vote tonight.
Asst. City Manager Carter stated that no, this is just information, and staff will get Council feedback on any specific items discussed, but the comprehensive decision point strategies will be coming at the following meeting.
Councilmember Bigstyck thanked Councilmember Boles for her questions on electrification and referenced to PCE’s programs (GovPV, GovEV, and GovBE).
Councilmember Bier moved to accept the report; seconded by Councilmember Bigstyck.
City Council Regular Meeting 18 May 13, 2024
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Mary Bier, Councilmember
SECONDER: Tygarjas Bigstyck, Councilmember
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
ADJOURN
Mayor Vaterlaus adjourned the meeting at 11:00 p.m.
Transcribed by Barbara Medina, Public Meeting Stenographer.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sarah Coffey, City Clerk
APPROVED: 5 - 0; 5/28/2024
__________________________
Sue Vaterlaus, Mayor