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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2020-06-17 111 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Cathedral City Special Meeting Wednesday, June 17, 2020 8:00 AM City Council Chambers 68-700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero Cathedral City, CA 92234 • CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 8:01 AM by Mayor John Aguilar. • PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilmember Rita Lamb led the Pledge of Allegiance. • INVOCATION (MOMENT OF REFLECTION) Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez offered the Invocation. • ROLL CALL Attendee Name Title Status Arrived John Aguilar Mayor Present 8:00 AM Raymond Gregory Mayor Pro Tem Present 8:00 AM Mark Carnevale Councilmember Present 8:00 AM Ernesto Gutierrez Councilmember Present 8:00 AM Rita Lamb Councilmember Present 8:00 AM • AGENDA FINALIZATION • STATEMENT OF PARTICIPATION BY THE CITY CLERK 1. LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS A. Emergency Order 3 Requiring Face Coverings and Social Distancing Recommendation: To consider extending Emergency Order 3 requiring face coverings and social distancing in public. The following individual provided their public comment via phone call: Terry Applegate, Cathedral City, feels we are failing to adequately deal with COV1D-19 and that there are efforts that can be done to help manage the crisis. She reported on the increase in cases and hospital utilization since Friday June 12, 2020. She suggested public education is needed to reinforce the importance of wearing face masks and feels it can be done without utilizing staff resources. She suggested utilizing the Public Arts Commission in a PAS campaign as an one option. She advocated for an ad-hoc task force to form a partnership between businesses and public health organizations. She feels that showcasing the local establishments while keeping the community safe will allow an increase in revenues and help in the City's economic recovery. The following individuals submitted comments for the record. Their comments were read for three minutes and are summarized below. The entire comment will be made part of the record according to our standard procedures: Cyndie Swauger, Cathedral City, thanked the City Council and staff for keeping the City safe during the pandemic. She urged the City Council to continue emergency order 3 requiring face coverings and social distancing in public. She also asked that the City Council consider not decreasing the Fire Department budget, decreasing the Police Department budget and utilizing code enforcement staff during Friday and Saturday nights when most of the short-term vacation rental complaints occur. Ed Emond-Worline, Cathedral City, supports continuing the emergency order until further notice. He also suggested adding a specific fine for not complying with wearing mask in retail establishments. He feels we should mirror Palm Springs orders and all Valley ordinances should be consistent with each other. Teri Hargreaves, Cathedral City, urged the City Council to follow the advice of the health experts and extend Emergency Order 3 requiring face coverings in public so that we can safely reopen our City. Mayor Pro Tern Raymond Gregory is concerned about the current emergency order that is about to expire and how the City is going to get the latest information out to the businesses once the Council takes new actions. He supports extending Emergency Order 3 with the inclusion of wearing face coverings in restaurants other than when at a table. He feels signage would be helpful at businesses and other locations and there should be more enforcement for non-compliance businesses. Mayor John Aguilar stated that the majority of residents have been compliant and complimented them for their efforts. Councilmember Mark Carnevale agrees that masks are very important, but he expressed his concern with putting the burden on business owners to make sure that everyone wears a mask. He is supportive of signage recommending masks and feels social distancing should continue. He supports extending Emergency Order 3 through August but suggested modifying the language requiring businesses to mandate masks. Cathedral City Page 2 Printed on 7/02/2020 Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez does not support the continuation of Emergency Order 3. He feels that we should follow the states requirements to avoid confusion and fear. Councilmember Rita Lamb supports extending Emergency Order 3 through September and leave it up to businesses to manage the entrance requirements into their businesses. Mayor John Aguilar supports extending Emergency Order 3 through August. He stated that staff resources are limited and are going to become more limited in the near future and feels that the Chamber of Commerce and volunteer efforts can be helpful to educate the public and businesses. Stone James, Economic Development Director, stated that he is working with businesses and is happy to help in the effort to educate. A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tern Gregory and seconded by Councilmember Carnevale to extend Emergency Order 3 requiring face coverings and social distancing in public, through September 30, 2020. RESULT: APPROVED [4 TO 1] MOVER: Raymond Gregory, Mayor Pro Tern SECONDER: Mark Carnevale, Councilmember AYES: John Aguilar, Raymond Gregory, Mark Carnevale, Rita Lamb NAYS: Ernesto Gutierrez B. Budget Reductions due to COVIDI9 Recommendation: To REVIEW POTENTIAL GENERAL FUND BUDGET IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) FOR FY 2019/2020 AND FY 2020/2021 AND APPROVE FISCAL YEAR 2020/2021 PROPOSED BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS. City Manager Charles McClendon gave an overview of the potential general fund budget impacts associated with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) for FY 2019/2020 and FY 2020/2021, and the proposed budget adjustment. Tami Scott, Administrative Services Director, presented the following points: • FY 2019/2020 Projected Budgeted Revenue • Fy 2019/2020 Budgeted Expenditures with City Council Approved Amendments • FY 2019/2020 Adopted Revenue • FY 2019/2020 Adopted Expenditures • FY 2020/2021 Adopted Revenue • FY 2020/2021 Adopted Expenses • Projected Savings by Department The City Council recessed at 9:45 am. Cathedral City Page 3 Printed on 7/02/2020 The City Council reconvened at 10:00 am. The following individuals provided their public comment via phone call: John McMullen, Cathedral City, voiced his concern with the City potentially withdrawing its investment in the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP). He stated that his business has been nurtured by CVEP and he along with his employees benefit from the guidance and services of CVEP. He feels the City's investment in CVEP and CVEPS investment in us has a pay it forward effect in the City. He feels that economic development should be the last thing on the chopping block and urged the City Council not to cut their support of CVEP. Terry Applegate, Cathedral City, expressed her concern with the proposed budget cuts impacting City staff. She is most concerned with cuts to public safety which will make a huge impact on the lives of residents in the City. She recommends that the City Council utilize four million dollars from the reserve funds to maintain City services and protect the wellbeing of its residents. Daniel Villanueva, owner of Daniel's Table, supports following suit with the County's recommendations regarding masks. He also supports the City staying active with Coachella Valley Economic Partnership to continue building the City and the Valley. Chip Yarborough, Cathedral City, requested that the City Clerk make Councilmember Gutierrez's vote on Emergency Order 3 available as it was inaudible. He stated that he is a strong supporter of public safety and other services the City offers its residents. He feels that since 2014 the City has worked hard to bring services to a level of making progress and has put money aside in reserves for emergency situations and the City's current emergent situation requires the use of those reserves. He urged the Council to allocate more reserves to reduce this deficit and avoid any lay-offs of public safety personnel. He expressed his concern with the staff report regarding the Police Department cuts and suggested the City Council take additional time to study the impacts and alternatives. The following individuals submitted comments for the record. Their comments were read for three minutes and are summarized below. The entire comment will be made part of the record according to our standard procedures: Jens Muller, Cathedral City, asked that the City Council not allow short-term vacation rentals in R1 and R2 zones. He also stated that if the City must make cuts to code enforcement, he suggested cutting weekdays, not weekends. Shelley Kaplan, Cathedral City, recommended the City Council consider using an additional $2 million from reserves for next year's budget, which will allow for some reduction in the elimination of sworn and needed positions for both the Fire and Police Departments. Doug Evans, Cathedral City, expressed his concern with the proposed cuts to Cathedral City Page 4 Printed on 7/02/2020 Police, Fire and Code Enforcement and the negative effects it will have regarding short-term vacation rentals. He urged the City Council to use more cash reserves to provide these essential services. He requested that staff provide more detailed written explanation of proposed budget/program cuts. He suggested adopting an emergency order to impose increased fines for short-term vacation rental violations, a one or two strike suspension or revocation requirement and specifically require Code Enforcement to work weekends and at least one weekend night. He also suggested increasing the short-term vacation rental renewal of permit fees. He feels that although budget cuts are unavoidable, doing so while directly affecting residents' lives and homes is not good public policy and if residents cannot be protected then the City needs to take direct measures to mitigate or eliminate the problem. Sandra Ramsey-Woods, President of AFSCME Local 3961, expressed her concern with the proposal to layoff active employees. She stated that she would expect the City and City Council to respect its' employees and residents enough to encourage feedback and invite alternative solutions. She urged the City Council to diligently examine what has been incorrectly suggested as "expendable" positions. She feels that cutting employees who provide essential services and preserving costly management and non-represented positions will impact the service levels in the City. She stated that the City is required, under Section 10.3 of the AFSCME Memorandum of Understanding, to first eliminate part-time, probationary and contract workers before a reduction in City Staff She asked that the City fulfill their statutory requirement and present their issues and concerns to AFSCME so that an alternative solution can be discussed prior to any formal action being taken. Danny Lee, Cathedral City, congratulated the City on a comprehensive review of the budget amendment. He expressed his concern with reducing funding for our parks and feels the outlined actions will require constant monitoring to ensure we reduce costs and not increase problems. He hopes that the Parks and Community Events Commission can suggest ways for the City Council to minimize the impact of these changes. He supports continuing with the current staffing levels at the Police Department. He feels it should be possible to leverage volunteer support like the Citizens on Patrol to take on more routine activities and enforcement related to police work. He suggested formally creating a Cathedral City Neighborhood Volunteer group within the City to help where possible. He also feels that keeping the Fire Department intact should be a priority. He also suggested considering requesting voluntary donations from the public to raise short-term income. Ed Emond-Worline, Cathedral City, would like to avoid reductions to the Police Department personnel, Fire Department personnel and Code Enforcement personnel. He advocated for Code Compliance Manager Sandra Molina. He also expressed his concern with the proposed cuts regarding short-term vacation rentals and stated that if cuts to Code Enforcement are necessary, ensure weekends hours are retained. He suggested charging a $25 fee for a valid visit by Code Enforcement to help fund positions. Sue Townsley, Cathedral City, wrote about an experience she had with the Fire Cathedral City Page 5 Printed on 7/02/2020 Department's Ambulance Services and the potential cuts to our service providers. She feels that service providers who are here to assist children, seniors and the most vulnerable should be the last groups to bear the brunt of the cuts. Simone Sheffield, Cathedral City, submitted a list of ideas for cutting the City's budget. Bob and Teri Hargreaves, Cathedral City, advocated for stronger enforcement of short-term vacation rentals to protect the residents. They feel that the proposed budget cuts to Code Enforcement and other short-term vacation rental services put the health, safety and welfare of Cathedral City residents at risk. They suggested raising the fees on short-term vacation rentals for the cost of enforcement. Corey Goddard, President of the Cathedral City Professional Firefighters Association, stated that the Cathedral City Professional Firefighters Association is strongly opposed to any cuts to the current minimum staffing levels. He would like the City Council to digest how the proposed budget and staffing cuts could adversely affect not only the Firefighters of Cathedral City, but more importantly its citizens, businesses and visitors. He stated that the current staffing level is adequate, however, it still does not meet NFPA standards for Cathedral City's consistently growing population and call volume, and any loss in personnel is regressive at best. He urged the City Council to stand with CCPFA and wisely vote against cutting sworn fire department staffing and to look at all the other options Cathedral City has in amending the budget to alleviate some of the potential deficits. Gennady Kolodenker, member of the short-term vacation rental task force, reminded the City Council that short-term vacation rentals bring millions of dollars in taxes and spending revenue into the City. He questioned if the City Council wants to throw away millions of dollars when the City is already hurting and urged them to consider the entire City. He suggested the City Council have detailed conversations with the City's Finance and Economic Development Departments on how to close the budget deficit. Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez feels that CVEP is very important and it is amazing what they do with a very small budget. He suggested cutting the contract with the Chamber of Commerce and applying those funds to CVEP. He would also be willing to give up his discretionary funds to fund CVEP. Councilmember Rita Lamb concurs with Councilmember Gutierrez. Mayor Pro Tem Raymond Gregory feels that CVEP is important and would like to see our relationship with them continue, however, he feels it makes sense to reduce the membership with them. He doesn't think it makes sense to make additional cuts to the Chamber of Commerce to give funding to CVEP, especially since the Chamber has already taken a cut. He commended the City Manager for taking a pay cut and questioned why unrepresented management and professional employees taking a reduction in pay is not part of the proposal. He Cathedral City Page 6 Printed on 7/02/2020 also feels that the City Council should be taking a 10% pay cut. He understands that the City may have difficulties completing tasks with less resources but expects that the City to continue to do what needs to be done. Councilmember Mark Carnevale supports no events. He commended the City Manager for taking a pay cut and encouraged other department heads to consider doing the same. He feels CVEP is important and supports eliminating the Chamber of Commerce contract and using the funds towards CVEP. He also feels that the employee appreciation lunch could be covered by sponsors. He suggested the Council's discretionary funds go back into the general fund. Councilmember Rita Lamb feels keeping the City safe is important and would like to discuss the possibility of using reserves for public safety. Mayor John Aguilar expressed his concern with cuts to staff. He feels that we are asking them to do more work and doesn't believe, from a moral standpoint, that the impact we would get from the savings would offset the productivity. He would like to keep the discretionary funds where they are. He feels that Cathedral City does not get the attention it deserves from CVEP and if the City stays with the program we cannot afford to stay in at the current level. He is also not supportive of defunding homeless cleanups. City Manager Charles McClendon stated that there were discussions pertaining to asking for salary reductions from both the represented and non-represented employees. Any reductions in salaries to the represented groups would need to be brought to the bargaining groups, and staff can look into the possibly of salary reductions for the non-represented groups if the City Council gives direction to do so. He also explained that the City Council does have the option of using reserve funds. He indicated that staff did not recommend using reserves because it's not only important to look at what gets the City through 2021 but also what is going to help us adequately recover when we get to FY 2021/2022. He explained that it will take nearly 6 million dollars in revenue growth to get to zero in FY 2021/2022. He also assured the Council that the City will get required tasks completed with the resources available. He suggested that we could commit to a 6 month payment with CVEP and then reevaluate. A motion was made by Councilmember Gutierrez and seconded by Councilmember Lamb to reduce the Chamber of Commerce agreement amount by$25,000 to fund the membership with Coachella Valley Economic Partnership. RESULT: APPROVED [3 TO 2] MOVER: Ernesto Gutierrez, Councilmember SECONDER: Rita Lamb, Councilmember AYES: Mark Carnevale, Ernesto Gutierrez, Rita Lamb NAYS: John Aguilar, Raymond Gregory Robert Rodriguez, Planning Director, gave an overview of the proposed budget reductions and the effects on services in the Planning and Building Department. Cathedral City Page 7 Printed on 7/02/2020 Charles McClendon explained that short-term vacation rentals will be handled based on the decision that the City Council makes on whether to keep the program or phasing the program out. Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez asked for clarification on the current staffing numbers. He feels we are not charging enough for services. He expressed his concern with the proposed days and hours of operation. He feels we should be open Monday through Thursday 8:00 to 5:00, and close for two hours. He feels that we need to charge short-term vacation rentals higher permit fees to cover the costs. He also inquired on where we are with the completion of the fee study. City Manager McClendon responded that the RFP was sent out but a contract has not been awarded yet. Staff will come back with a plan on what it will take and the effects to complete the fee study. Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez feels it is important to keep Code Enforcement officers especially with short-term vacation rentals. Mayor Pro Tem Raymond Gregory inquired on what in house training is available for Planning Commissioners. Director Rodriguez gave a brief overview of the in house training provided to Planning Commissioners. Mayor Pro Tern Raymond Gregory feels that the Council wants greater coverage not less. He hopes the City can get creative and try and have as much coverage as possible. He also feels that the City should be encouraging the public to report what they see, all while prioritizing complaints. Mayor John Aguilar feels this is the area where he would support using reserve funds to look at ways to preserve positions essential in getting projects to continue moving forward. He would like to fully utilize the Planning Commission to get projects moving forward. Councilmember Mark Carnevale stated that the last thing on his list is to lay off positions. His goal is to keep as many positions as possible to keep the City going. Charles McClendon clarified that staff will report back on the fee study. They will also focus on planning 101 and work to keep coverage as close to seven days as possible in Code Enforcement. John Corella, Director of Engineering and Public Works, gave an overview on the proposed reductions in the Engineering and Public Works Department. Mayor Pro Tern Raymond Gregory feels we need to be smart on how we clean up homeless camps. Councilmember Mark Carnevale feels if we can be proactive and stop these camps before they get too big we can save money. Cathedral City Page 8 Printed on 7/02/2020 Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez feels that resident should pay for bulky items pickup rather than paying Burrtec from the general fund. It was the consensus of the City Council to continue discussion to Monday June 22, 2020 at 8:00 am. 2. CLOSED SESSION A. Conference with Labor Negotiator Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6 Agency Negotiator: Charles McClendon, City Manager Represented Employees: AFSCME - The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees CCPFA - Cathedral City Firefighters Association CCFMA - Cathedral City Fire Management Association CCPOA - Cathedral City Police Officers Association CCPMA - Cathedral City Police Management Association Non-Represented Employees ADJOURN Mayor John Aguilar adjourned the Special Meeting at 1:00 pm. 4_61b a or, City of C7 edral City City Clerk, 'dity of Cathedral City Cathedral City Page 9 Printed on 7/02/2020