CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
April 29, 2023
CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IN HONOR OF THE US MILITARY TROOPS
The Special City Council Meeting was held in a hybrid format (in-person and via Zoom videoconference and broadcast) from the Pinole Council Chambers, 2131 Pear Street, Pinole, California. Mayor Murphy called the Special Meeting of the City Council to order at 9:01 a.m. anc led the Pledge of Allegiance.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Before we begin, we would like to acknowledge the Ohlone people, who are the traditional custodians o his land. We pay our respects to the Ohlone elders, past, present and future, who call this place, Ohlon Land, the land that Pinole sits upon, their home. We are proud to continue their tradition of coming together and growing as a community. We thank the Ohlone community for their stewardship and support, and we look forward to strengthening our ties as we continue our relationship of mutual respect and understanding ROLL CALL, CITY CLERK'S REPORT & STATEMENT OF CONFLICȚ
An official who has a conflict must, prior to consideration of the decision: (1) publicly identify in detail the financial interest that causes the conflict; (2) recuse himself/herself from discussing and voting on the matter; and (3) leave the room until after the decision has been made, Cal. Gov. Code § 87105.
A. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT
Devin Murphy, Mayor
Maureen Toms, Mayor Pro Tem
Norma Martinez-Rubin, Council Member
Cameron Sasai, Council Member
Anthony Tave, Council Member
B. STAFF PRESENT
Andrew Murray, City Manager
Eric Casher, City Attorney
Heather Bell, City Clerk
Lilly Whalen, Community Development Director
Sanjay Mishra, Public Works Director
City Clerk Heather Bell announced the agenda had been posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. with all legally required written notices. No written comments had been received in advance of the meeting.
Following an inquiry, the Council reported there were no conflicts with any items on the agenda.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD (Public Comments)
Citizens may speak under any item not listed on the Agenda. The time limit is 3 minutes and is subject to modification by the Mayor. Individuals may not share or offer time to another speaker.
Pursuant to provisions of the Brown Act, no action may be taken on a matter unless it is listed on the agenda, or unless certain emergency or special circumstances exist. The City Council may direct staff to investigate and/or schedule certain matters for consideration at a future Council meeting.
Irma Ruport, Pinole, referenced letters of correspondence and emails sent to the City Council or City staff and asked that a response be provided through email or a letter. She had volunteered for over a year with the Food Bank and had notified the City via letters about issues and suggestions but had no response, and notices had been sent to other staff members with no She again requested that anytime someone submitted a letter or an email to the City a response to that letter or email should be provided in writing.
Mayor Murphy asked the City Manager to contact Ms. Ruport to address the concerns.
5. WORKSHOP ITEM
A. Special City Council Meeting on Strategic Planning [Action: Discuss and Provide direction (Murray)]
City Manager Andrew Murray reported it had been the City Council's practice to meet on a biennial basis to consider Long-Term Strategic Planning and receive training on best practices in governance. The Special City Council meeting was intended to focus on strategic planning with the bulk of the meeting to focus on training from Patrick Ibarra with The Mejorando Group who would facilitate the meeting. The City Council would then review the existing Strategic Plan with the consultants who had prepared the plan. The consultants had recommended as good practice that the City Council review the Plan at the mid-point of its life span to confirm it met the City's needs and was updated as appropriate. The City Council would then discuss projects scheduled for City staff to work on over the coming year, incorporate them into the budget, and discuss a process for an additional project list City staff had been asked to provide.
Mayor Murphy clarified for the benefit of the public that public comment would be opened numerous times throughout the meeting to provide input on the different topics of discussion.
Patrick Ibarra, Principal, The Mejorando Group, explained that he would be discussing with the City Council its role individually and collectively as a governing body. The City Council had been provided materials that included an agenda for the training session. The intent was to commence the training session with a brief recess from 10:15 to 10:30 a.m., break for lunch from 11:30 to 12:00, with a hard stop at 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Ibarra commenced the training session which included an overview of the benefits of good government, team effectiveness and collaboration, roles of the Council-Manager form of operation, review and possible revisions to the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and a review of staff's baseline work activities, Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects and other special projects the City Council assigned to staff beyond the Strategic Plan and CIP.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
In terms of the benefits of good government the City Council identified and discussed with Mr.
Ibarra the following topics:
- Better services;
- Better facilities;
- Guiding growth;
Some people were happier than others;
- Broad representation;
- Unbiased presentation;
- Increased awareness of individual Council members and how they worked or didn't work; - Increase or decrease in home values;
Connecting different communities;
- Workshopping and redefining the quality of life in terms of government services; and - Crafting an environment to amplify the community voice as well as increase community engagement in the most equitable way.
Mr. Ibarra highlighted and discussed how the City Council could enhance its credibility as a governing body on the topics of politics, ethics, citizens, services, finances, employees and the results achieved.
The City Council discussed how the community viewed its role as a policy maker and identified the following:
Creditability was always a question;
- Council members were also residents wearing the hat of resident and representative; and - The re-imagination and resource gap was critical since it leaned into the un-comfortability of other questions around equity, who gets what, how resources were distributed in a public agency and what partners were responsible for deciding that and the solution that needed to be discussed further.
The strategies for creating a more collaborative and effective City Council were also highlighted and discussed including:
- Develop a sense of team - a partnership with the City Manager to govern and manage the City;
- Civility and Council Member behavior;
- Think and act strategically;
- Respect "shared constituency:"
- Understand and demonstrate the elements of teams and teamwork; - Have clearly defined roles and relationships;
- Honor the Council-staff partnership;
- Allocate governing body time and energy appropriately; - Clear rules and procedures for Council meetings;
- Practice continuous personal learning and development as a leader; - Communication and problem solving;
- Separate the people from the problem;
- Focus on interests;
- Invent options for mutual gain;
- Distinctions between values, interests and positions; Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
Insist on using objective criteria;
- Be attentive;
- Ask clarifying questions;
Let people know you are listening; and
- Effective public engagement.
The City Council identified and discussed additional topics or further defined the above, to help the City Council in its role as elected officials to be better individually or collectively, as follows:
Distinction between values, interest and positions;
- Understanding backgrounds of individuals (i.e. geopolitical impacts) which help to define positions;
- Positons may evolve, interest may grow, but values were baseline; - Insisting on using objective criteria was in contrast which builds the tension unlike the objective criteria necessary for tangible things; and
- Need to rely on staff for its objective criteria which should also stem from the City Council and what staff brings as individuals.
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Irma Ruport, Pinole, described the presentation as enlightening. In terms of enhancing creditability, she had attended City Council meetings on a routine basis and offered comments but had never held elected office. She suggested the City Council and staff needed trust that they were doing the right thing. During past election cycles, there had been division in the community due to conflicts such as the community not being informed, a lack of transparency and promises made but not kept. She suggested issues of bias should be addressed then and there not a year or four years later. Most of the current City staff had only been employed with the City of Pinole for a few years, there was a new Council and there had been some pushback from some long-time elected officials leading to some residents being wary about participating in local government. She urged everyone to learn and grow from each other and do better with civility, respect and knowledge of one's job. She emphasized the community was speaking on Nextdoor and other platforms and there was a desire to bring the City to the level if should be at this time.
Maria Alegria, Pinole, had written comments related to the Strategic Plan but would hold off on those comments at this time given that the comments may exceed the three-minute time limit for public comment. She asked the City Council to be flexible when the discussion moved into the Strategic Plan.
Rafael Menis, Pinole, reported on the COVID-19 case rate in the City of Pinole, which had decreased to the point where he was now comfortable not wearing a mask indoors. He reported the audio from the Council was not clear and he asked that the Council members speak directly into the microphone to allow the public to hear all comments, particularly for those listening remotely. He suggested it was important to recognize that the role of the City Council was political and at the Council level it was not feasible not to be political. Politics was about making choices and allocation of resources in certain ways but done in a way that harmonized and balanced values when in conflict.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
Mr. Menis suggested it was also important when discussing shared constituency to remember that most of the time there were only three open Council seats during an election cycle, but more than that number of people ran for office and not every Council member would have votes from all constituents. He emphasized that Council members were elected to represent everyone in the City as a whole.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Mayor Murphy declared a brief recess at 10:22 a.m. The Special City Council meeting reconvened at 10:33 a.m. with all Council members present.
Mr. Ibarra provided an overview of the City's form of operations and the role of elected officials including the City Manager, Department Directors, City staff and community members, and the City Council identified and discussed the following topics:
Role of the City Council:
Listen and ask questions;
Research ideas;
- Bring ideas to life;
- Preparation for discussion informed by the research done by others and the City Council; - Collaboration with each other and outside of the group; Communicate with staff, the public and each other;
- Fact checking;
- Explain to the public why votes are made; and
- Ensure fiscal and mental health and support each's other's behavioral health.
Role of the City Manager:
The conduit between the City Council and staff;
- Distill and funnel multiple ideas from various perspectives and create those into something that was useful for informed decision making;
- Translate operational ideas into services and actions to ensure they were being accomplished; and
- Set expectations on what was doable and what was not.
Role of Department Directors:
Carry out implementation of various plans;
Answer questions;
Advisors to the City Council;
Advisors to the City Manager; and
Facilitate and foster highly motivated teams and foster the mental and behavioral health of staff
Role of City Staff:
- Work directly with the public;
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
- Keep the physical doors of City Hall open and the actual functioning task of City Hall moving as agreed upon; and
- Record what they do.
Role of Community Members:
Vote;
- Pay taxes;
- Advocate;
- Participate;
- Seek information from a credible source; and
- Responsibility to hold the City Council accountable.
Mr. Ibarra provided a PowerPoint presentation which highlighted the strategies for the goals of the Strategic Plan including:
- Goal 1: Safe and Resilient Pinole
- Goal 2: Financially Stable Pinole
- Goal 3: Vibrant and Beautiful Pinole
- Goal 4: High Performance Pinole
City Manager Murray explained, when asked, that the Strategic Plan included a section on the development process. The Strategic Plan pre-dated his employ with the City as well as some of the current City Council. He was unaware of the definitive history why things may or may not be on the list of strategies but the City Council may consider things not reflected in the Strategic Plan, which were Council and community priorities including a request to consider pedestrian and street safety which had not been included as a strategy for Goal 1. Not all strategies were specific or measurable time-based goals.
City Manager Murray provided a status report on each of the strategies for Goal 1, including the City had around ten different infrastructure asset classes that were in different stages of development as reflected in the CIP; a draft updated Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) had been previously presented to the City Council but would have to be revised due to the recent agreement with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCFPD); the Police Department had a recommendation for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to be presented as part of the budget process; and Strategy 4 of Goal 1 had been completed as the City Council had reviewed different options for the fire study and had made a decision but it would continue to be monitored.
City Manager Murray confirmed the City Council may add or modify the strategies in the Strategic Plan.
As to the status of the strategies shown for Goal 2: Financially Stable Pinole, City Manager Murray reported the City would be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire a consultant for grant research, prospecting and grant writing and the City Council explored a revenue measure in 2022 for a Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT) and an idea for a parcel tax, which was an ongoing item.
Some of the strategies were not discreet but broad and reflected revenue generation opportunities.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
For Goal 3: Vibrant and Beautiful Pinole, staff had been working on a number of fronts including working with private non-housing organizations such as Vista Woods and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA).
Mayor Murphy suggested Strategy 5 of Goal 3 be amended to read:
Partner regionally to improve and enhance transportation circulation, including public transit, cars, bikes, and pedestrians guided by the review, prioritization and implementation of the 2019 Old Town Pedestrian Study and the development of an Active Transportation Plan.
On the discussion, and with assistance from Mr. Ibarra, Mayor Pro Tem Toms suggested a further modification to Strategy 5 of Goal 3, as follows:
When available partner regionally to improve and enhance transportation circulation, including public transit, cars, bikes, and pedestrians guided by the review, prioritization and implementation of the 2019 Old Town Pedestrian Study and the development of an Active Transportation Plan
Mayor Murphy requested that Strategy 6 of Goal 3 be provided to the City Council in a more comprehensive fashion and that future code enforcement updates include the data to prove that there was a code enforcement problem and what education initiatives were needed to resolve the problem.
City Manager Murray suggested the City Council make a motion to reflect any changes to the strategies under discussion, which would be reflected in an updated version of the Strategic Plan.
As to Strategy 6 of Goal 3, he agreed there were two areas of City operation that could use more thorough review and a top to bottom assessment of current practices.
Council member Martinez-Rubin recommended Strategy 6 of Goal 3 be amended to read:
Conduct a review and update of the City's code enforcement and property maintenance programs with a focus on increased beautification efforts and investment in community natural and cultural amenities, business districts, and nuisance abatement.
As to the status of Strategy 7 of Goal 4: High Performance Pinole, City Manager Murray reported staff would bring back to the City Council a proposal for some options for the City Council to establish a platform to develop an interagency legislative advocacy program.
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Maria Alegria, Pinole, provided the City Council with copies of her written comments. She hoped the City Council would not wait another two years to consider the Strategic Plan, particularly given new Council members. As to Goal 1, she commented there were many opportunities for the City to repurpose parcels and she expressed concern with the status of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan and Fire Services Study. She emphasized the Pinole Valley was a high priority for fire prevention and defensible space and she would like the City to be proactive given the potential for wildfire.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
Ms. Alegria referenced Goal 2 and asked that the spending priorities for all tax measures be reviewed given they were intended for essential services and the latest Measure S had been used as a slush fund by staff to fund pet projects. She was otherwise pleased the City would be exploring all grant opportunities but suggested the City also look at shared agreements such as with the City of Hercules on road maintenance.
Ms. Alegria spoke to Goal 3 and reported that 20 years ago the County took on a project which all cities had participated for an assessment of underutilized properties, which she suggested be revisited. She was pleased with the mention of prioritizing traffic safety corridor projects, particularly around schools and senior centers, and agreed that code enforcement should be a first priority with increased value when taking care of properties. For Goal 4, she suggested better constituent services were needed. The City was no longer under lockdown due to the pandemic and it needed an innovate approach to customer service, better responsiveness to community members and ways to be innovative and responsive through the Internet and online. would like to know how the City ensured its policy priorities were being implemented by the City Manager.
Rafael Menis, Pinole, referenced the form of operations and suggested it was important for community members when attending City Council to remember that it's the people who are in charge and all power in government flows from and belongs to the electorate, not the City Council.
He stated that this is at the core of our system of government, encouraged members of the public to make comments and emphasized their importance. As to Goal 2, he expressed concern with the budget being structurally imbalanced with revenues not matching expenditures, particularly given the likely increases in future California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) investments. That issue needed to be accounted for in Goal 2 and should be addressed before it got out of hand.
Mr. Menis also spoke to Goal 2 Strategy 4, and suggested that strategy had not been completed and there were revenue generating opportunities the City had not considered fully, including an expansion of the User Utility Tax (UUT) to cover water and wastewater. There had been a ballot measure attempt in 2010, which had failed but which offered a more equitable solution and the City should consider all potential revenue source increases and what was equitable in terms of seeking out revenue. For Goal 3 Strategy 5, he offered language changes and rather than use the term "partner regionally" suggested "reach out to the community more broadly including regional and local partners." He added the strategies for each goal should be identified as either "in progress" or "completed."
Irma Ruport, Pinole, referenced the form of operation and asked that the City Council revisit the roles, as shown. She commented on the importance of knowing the role of the City Manager and the City Attorney, which could be done as a report on meeting agendas. As to the goals under discussion, she noted the Strategic Plan had been prepared in 2020, and only one current Council member had been present at that time. The Strategic Plan should have been revisited before a consultant had been brought on board so that it could have been updated, revisited and the public better informed. In the future, she asked that the City Council not wait so long to update reports and agreed with the need to identify immediate and long-tern needs, but in the short term they could not wait another two to five years. She urged the City Council to be more proactive on the strategies. She further referenced Goal 4 and asked that Pinole Community Television (PCTV) be included as a strategy under this goal.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
Anthony Vossbrink, Pinole, referenced Goal 1 and suggested the Police Department could do a better job presenting quarterly reports to the public at various meetings. He cited a number of communities that provided excellent presentations from their Police Departments and suggested all presentations should be visible and promoted to the public on PCTV, which he understood currently did not have the appropriate equipment with the information only available to the public in-person at City Hall. He sought quarterly and annual presentations of data from pre-, during and post-COVID on traffic citations and retail crime in the community. He would like the City Council to hold the Police Department and staff accountable, commenting on the increase in criminal activity on Fitzgerald Drive, which was the reason he would like the City to consider placing a temporary police sub-station on Fitzgerald Drive during the months of September through January. He understood that people shopped in other jurisdictions due to the increase in retail crime in the Fitzgerald Drive area.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Mayor Pro Tem Toms offered a motion, seconded by Council member Sasai to direct staff to modify Strategy 5 of Goal 3 to include a reference to "local and regional partners" and to include a reference to the "Safety and Accessible Transportation Plan." City Manager Murray stated staff did not require direction to make the revision since the City Council may modify the strategy at this time.
Mayor Pro Tem Toms offered a motion to amend Strategy 5 of Goal 3 to read:
Partic transl, das, bals aid prove find ghance brane Drain in Pulation an haing Plan and the Accessible Transportation Plan.
On the motion, Council member Tave preferred the language be modified to reference "adopted plans" so as not to limit those specific plans.
City Manager Murray suggested a further modification to Strategy 5 of Goal 3, as follows:
Partner locally/regionally to improve and enhance transportation circulation, including public transit, cars, bikes, and pedestrians, guided by the Downtown Pedestrian Safety Plan and the Accessible Transportation Plan and other Council-adopted plans.
ACTION: Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Toms/Council member Sasai to modify Strategy 5 of Goal 3 to read:
Partner locally/regionally to improve and enhance transportation circulation, including public transit, cars, bikes, and pedestrians, guided by the Downtown Pedestrian Safety Plan and the Accessible Transportation Plan and other Council adopted plans.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
Vote: Passed 5-0
Ayes: Murphy, Toms, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Tave
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
ACTION: Motion by Council member Martinez-Rubin/Mayor Pro Tem Toms to modify Strategy 6 of Goal 3 to read:
Conduct a review and update of the City's code enforcement and property maintenance programs with a focus on increased beautification efforts and investment in community ecological and cultural amenities, business districts, and nuisance abatement.
Vote: Passed 5-0
Ayes: Murphy, Toms, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Tave
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
Council member Martinez-Rubin offered a motion, seconded by the Mayor to add an additional strategy to Goal 4 to read:
Explore use of Government Access Channels/PCTV to implement the Strategic Communication Plan.
On the motion, Mayor Pro Tem Toms asked whether the current Information Technology Strategic Plan included such implementation.
City Manager Murray explained that some of the Strategic Plan items were one and done while other items involved a plan and implementation with City staff in the process of implementing the Communication and Engagement Plan. Staff was also exploring the use of PCTV as a component of strategic communication and would complete a PCTV Master Plan and that new strategy could be added to highlight to the public.
ACTION: Motion by Council member Martinez-Rubin/Mayor Murphy to modify Goal 4 to add an additional strategy to read:
Explore use of Government Access Channels/PCTV to implement the Strategic Communication Plan.
Vote: Passed 5-0
Ayes: Murphy, Toms, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Tave
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
Mayor Murphy declared a lunch recess at 12:15 p.m. The City Council meeting reconvened at 12:44 p.m., with all Councilmembers present.
Minues - 4pri 2), special Mecting
City Manager Murray continued the PowerPoint presentation and provided an overview of the Staff Workplan, which included the staff baseline and routine work, core public facing services and internal support functions, and CIP and staff-initiated special projects that had been detailed in depth in the April 29, 2023 staff report.
In response to the Mayor Pro Tem on the direction staff was seeking, City Manager Murray explained that he was seeking ratification of the entire list of staff-initiated Special Projects and other Council-directed Special Projects, and for the City Council to determine what should be added or removed. As to the status of the implementation of the weatherization program, as part of the Other Council-Directed Special Projects, he reported City staff was nearly ready to bring a contract to the City Council to be formalized.
Community Development Director Lilly Whalen added for the weatherization program the City was working with the County and the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) and hoped to present a draft contract to the City Council at its second meeting in May.
Council member Tave sought a "waterfall" list/diagram of projects similar to what staff provided for the CIP to identify projects requested by the City Council, including the details for research and design, when the project had been put out for bid and out for contract, and whether it would be done in-house so that the City Council could see the capacity line for staff and also see which projects were underway.
City Manager Murray reiterated City staff could get through the current list of Staff-initiated Special Projects and Other Council-directed Special projects by the end of fiscal year 2023/24; however, staff did not have the capability to take on anything more. Most of the special projects did not have dependencies and did not qualify for outside funding. The grant component was significant in capital projects but not applicable, with most of the projects to be funded by the City's General Fund.
City Manager Murray recognized the City Council was constantly coming up with new ideas and again, the projects identified in the PowerPoint presentation could be completed by the end of fiscal year 2023/24, and if the City Council wanted to prioritize the projects that would be acceptable to staff who would welcome that guidance. If the City Council wanted to add something new beyond what had been presented (All projects as shown on Slides 8, 9 and 10 of the PowerPoint presentation) something would have to be removed.
Council member Tave reiterated his request for a "waterfall" list/diagram, as described, which would be helpful to the City Council, had been prepared in the past and allowed flexibility when Council direction changed, and if the City was losing money the Council could step back and let staff work rather than constantly adding items absent the knowledge of the impacts to the budget.
City Manager Murray suggested staff could come back at the time the Preliminary Proposed Budget was presented to the City Council at its May 16, 2023 meeting, at which time statt could outline how much had been put into each of the efforts and identify how close they were to completion.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 202:
Council member Tave hoped through the budget process to have the information to provide staff with sufficient direction. He did not want to zigzag back and forth between projects other than studies being prepared but with no work accomplished, which had occurred over time. He looked forward to moving ahead with the Strategic Plan.
Council member Martinez-Rubin suggested a matrix would help for projects to be retained and those to be deferred. She asked whether any of the Council-directed Special Projects not yet underway would fit naturally, efficiently, sensibly and reasonably, with what had already been vetted in terms of the Strategic Plan. If not, those projects should be deferred. She also suggested the projects that were not yet underway should be identified as to whether they were essential and met the goals of the Strategic Plan. If not, they should be deferred. As an example, for other Council-Directed Special Projects under the bullet, Additional Items Discussed But Not Yet Assigned which read: Assessment of opportunities for Public Works maintenance function reconfiguration/shared services/equipment/MOU, was a way of operating and the City had not considered operating in that way given there had been other things to do, which was an example of a project that could be deferred to next year.
City Manager Murray described the projects as above and beyond what must be done and above and beyond the Strategic Plan strategies, the CIP or routine staff work. There was no single criteria to determine what projects were the most important. When staff returned for the budget discussion on May 16, there could be some assessment on how consistent the projects were with the goals of the Strategic Plan. Again, the items would be incorporated into the budget and completed by the end of the next fiscal year. He sought a set list so that staff knew what it should be doing with more certainty in the special types of projects.
Mayor Pro Tem Toms referenced the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Feasibility Study that was not yet underway. She wanted assurance the City was not duplicating other efforts already completed, which covered the City of Pinole, and asked staff to look at what the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) had completed with the Contra Costa EV Readiness Blueprint.
Mayor Murphy also referenced the Other Council-Directed Special Projects not yet underway as shown, and asked how the projects had been added to the list.
City Manager Murray explained that the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Feasibility Study had been added to Other Council-directed Special Projects as a result of a presentation from staff to the City Council on EV accessibility in Pinole. The City Council direction to staff was to scope and discuss a feasibility and gap analysis in the community. The other projects identified in Other Council-directed Special Projects came about as a result of direction from the City Council whether through a discussion of an item at a City Council meeting or a request for a future agenda item, which had morphed into a project. The Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Feasibility Study had not been included in the CIP but could be added at the direction of the City Council.
Mayor Murphy referenced the Economic Development Plan that had previously been adopted and clarified with the City Manager it was part of the Strategic Plan and its implementation was part of the Strategic Plan strategies.
Mayor Murphy also asked with respect to the Staff Baseline Work - Staff-Initiated Special Projects and Other Council-Directed Special Projects how much of staff time was being spent on current projects which argued for process improvements.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
As an example, under the category of Other Council-Directed Special Projects and additional items discussed but not yet assigned, specifically: Assessment of opportunities for Public Works maintenance function reconfiguration/shared services/equipment/MOU, Mayor Murphy read that as a process for improvement and asked how staff monitored and measured process improvements.
City Manager Murray explained that Assessment of opportunities for Public Works maintenance function reconfiguration/shared services/equipment/MOU was not a staff-initiated project since staff had not done it yet. Staff was responsible for assessing all of the functions of its departments to ensure best practices but it was an ongoing project. The Staff-Initiated Special Projects were an ongoing reflection of where that was happening. If staff had started the project it would have been on another list. In addition, the reconfiguration of tracking, monitoring and permitting for Public Works was considered routine work and a new software program had already been purchased with a build out of the modules to be used over time.
In response to Council member Tave, City Manager Murray offered examples of projects where an assessment would allow the Council to decide what to do after it received that information.
For smaller projects such as celebrations for Earth Month, such effort was not needed.
Council member Tave explained his comments and stated he wanted to ensure the City Council did not exceed the staff capacity.
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis, Pinole, asked for more detail from the Police Department on Project Hope, which would assist unhoused members of the community, drone policies the City wanted to implement and how the City allocated staff time on the projects it wanted to complete. He suggested a cap be considered for new projects so that staff had some predictability with respect to its work volume. He also requested a status report on the implementation of the Communication and Engagement Plan and for special projects not in the immediate completion stage, a quarterly update should be provided. In addition, he understood broadband considerations fell under the CIP and were considered Other Council-directed Special Projects but that should be clarified.
Irma Ruport, Pinole, appreciated the information contained in Attachment G, City of Pinole CIP Status of Scheduled Projects for FY 2022/23 through December 31, 2022 to the staff report, but recommended completed projects be removed from the list. She suggested there was plenty of staff and preferred that work be done in-house rather than hiring consultants unless needed. She wanted the City Council to monitor existing consultant contracts to ensure work was being done satisfactorily. She emphasized it was time to have the expertise on staff to get the work done.
Anthony Vossbrink, Pinole, echoed the comments from the previous speaker and emphasized there were routine items that should be addressed by the Public Works Department on a regular basis. He detailed numerous maintenance items that required attention including inoperable drinking stations/water fountains throughout the City and in front of the Bay Trail Park, and timers, locks and doors of restrooms in City parks in need of repair including the men's restroom at the Adobe Road dog park. He suggested there was too many staffers, managers and directors and the City Council should hold different people accountable with checks and balances and follow- up on routine maintenance items.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
Mr. Vossbrink added that trees had been knocked down with branches and stumps left behind at the caretakers' home, the Pinole barbeque grove on Adobe Road and elsewhere throughout the City. He found that to be a visual eyesore and disregard for public health and safety. He added that maintenance was needed in the median strips and suggested the lack of routine maintenance affected property values and the ability to attract more businesses to Pinole.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Council member Martinez-Rubin clarified with the City Manager that all projects would be able to be completed in fiscal year 2023/24. As to the Other Council-Directed Special Projects, not yet underway, she suggested the process required to establish a Fire Prevention Maintenance District in Pinole would be a big project and given the new relationship with the CCCFPD, which would be providing some fire prevention maintenance activities, she suggested that project could be deferred for a year.
Mayor Pro Tem Toms was unsure whether a Fire Prevention Maintenance District was the same as the East Bay Fire Prevention effort already underway.
City Manager Murray clarified they were separate items but regardless of the organization providing the services the project, as listed, related to a new source of funding to do advanced additional work.
Mayor Murphy cited the Other Council-Directed Special Projects, specifically, research on a potential public bank, and clarified with the City Manager that effort would include the feasibility, legality and partnership of a public bank. He also commented the PCTV Master Plan had not been included in the CIP and clarified with the City Manager it would be considered under the category of Staff's Baseline Work, Staff-Initiated Special Projects.
Mayor Pro Tem Toms commented that when the City Council discussed the CIP, she had raised the idea of whether tax allocation bonds may be appropriate. She asked whether that would be covered in any of the items already assigned.
City Manager Murray advised that concept would be under the umbrella of the Long-Term Financial Plan (LTFP) the City Council would be asked to adopt in the summer, which would identify all funding needs, wants and sources.
Council member Sasai asked when the Old Town Wayfinding Signage had been proposed by the City Council as a possible project and City Manager Murray explained the project had been raised Town Parking and Pedestrian Study, which had concluded there was adequate parking in Old Town but people could use more wayfinding signage.
City Manager Murray commented as to the staff time involved in the project that there was a separate effort which involved branding work and the economic strategy included some economic development branding and they would want those efforts to tie together, which was one of the reasons the project had not yet moved forward. Staff could work with consultants on a wayfinding program but had not gotten to that project yet.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes - April 29, 2023
Council member Sasai agreed the branding should be consistent and noted that the City Seal Ad Hoc Subcommittee had set a deadline of spring 2024. He recommended Other Council-Directed Special Projects not yet underway, specifically the Options for Old Town Wayfinding Signage, be deferred to next year and staff time not be allocated for that project at this time. He again referenced the process required to establish a Fire Prevention Maintenance District in Pinole, as shown in the same category and asked whether there had been a recommendation from a prior or current County Fire Chief on that idea.
City Manager Murray explained that the process required to establish a Fire Prevention Maintenance District in Pinole had been a request of the City Council as a potential revenue source due to climate change.
Council member Tave reiterated his desire for a 'waterfall" diagram to be created by staff to provide a better understanding of the projects collectively to include whether things were in concept, research and design, whether the project required a feasibility study, was in contract, whether the project design had been bid, was in construction, details on long-term maintenance and whether funds had already been spent.
Council member Tave offered a motion, seconded by Mayor Murphy to that effect with the "waterfall" diagram to return to the City Council in time for the budgeting and CIP process.
City Manager Murray stated most of the projects were not CIP projects and reiterated as part of the Preliminary Proposed Budget discussion that staff could lay out that information for the Council-Directed Special Projects and flag for consistency with the Strategic Plan goals. He commented it would be an effort to reformat the routine staff tasks that were already in the budget as well as the Staff-Initiated Baseline Projects. For the non-CIP programmatic efforts, staff could return with a presentation similar to the CIP to identify the status and the City Council could then decide whether to ratify that as the Special Programmatic Projects for the upcoming fiscal year.
ACTION: Motion by Council member Tave/Mayor Murphy to direct staff to create a "waterfall" diagram for the non-CIP programmatic efforts with staff to return with a presentation similar to the CIP to identify the status and the City Council could then decide whether to ratify that as the Special Programmatic Projects for the upcoming fiscal year.
Vote: Passed 5-0
Ayes: Murphy, Toms, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Tave
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
Council member Martinez-Rubin offered a motion to defer the process required to establish a Fire Prevention Maintenance District in Pinole to Fiscal Year 2024/25.
On the motion, City Manager Murray explained that the intent was for a presentation on what would be required to establish the district not the implementation of a special district in 2023/24.
Council member Sasai seconded the motion.
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Mine tes - April 29, 2023(
Speaking to the motion, Mayor Pro Tem Toms stated it was important to keep the project on the list at the same time as the discussion of region-wide fire mitigation. With a deferral to Fiscal Year 2024/25, the City would miss the opportunity to consider the item during an election year.
Mayor Murphy agreed and suggested this was an opportunity to incorporate the discussion into the LTFP as one of the many funding sources that could backfill some of the considerations about the budget. He suggested the item not be deferred.
Council member Sasai clarified the deferral was on the presentation not on the actual item and City Manager Murray confirmed it would be deferral of the presentation.
Council member Martinez-Rubin as the maker of the motion rescinded the motion and Council member Sasai rescinded his second to the motion.
Council member Sasai offered a motion to defer Other Council-Directed Special Projects, Not yet Underway, Options for Old Town Wayfinding Signage to Fiscal Year 2024/25. The motion failed due to the lack of a second.
Mayor Murphy was interested in seeing the waterfall diagram come back; the decision making around Staff-Initiated Projects and how the City Council played a role in that effort; what the Internal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Welcoming (DEIV) Initiative entailed; and how the City Council played a role in the development of the initiative in terms of the budget and City policy.
City Manager Murray explained the City Council's role in the DEIW Initiative had been the approval of funding, with the project having been kicked-off with City employees, with staff to work with a consultant to design next steps and interventions to address opportunity areas of growth.
He summarized the direction from the City Council to bring back the entire list of projects, those the City Council had already assigned, those underway and those not yet underway, and bring them back with the waterfall diagram to be discussed at the May 16, 2023 City Council meeting He clarified that no next steps needed to be discussed, the City Council had provided direction for modifications to the Strategic Plan, which would be modified and posted on the City website and for the FY 2023/24 Special Project Workplan.
Mayor Pro Tem Toms thanked Mr. Ibarra, City Manager Murray, Department Heads, City staff and members of the public who had participated in the discussion and Mayor Murphy also thanked everyone for their engagement.
6. ADJOURNMENT to the Regular City Council Meeting of May 2, 2023, in Remembrance of Amber Swartz.
At 2:02 p.m., Mayor Murphy adjourned the meeting to the Regular City Council Meeting of May 2, 2023 in Remembrance of Amber Swartz.
Submitted by:
Heather Belt, CMC
City Clerk
Approved by City Council: June 6, 2023
Pinole City Council Special Meeting
Minutes April 29, 2023
ALIFOR