7.16.19 Meeting Summary

There were a few significant items discussed at last night's meeting. A brief summary as follows:

• A series of real property tax assessments were approved based on CPI increases
• Appointment of Joseph Sbranti as Interim City Manager.  Mr. Sbranti recently retired as the City Manager of Pittsburgh for over 7 years and is a Clayton resident.  He has a civil engineering background and is familiar with both the roles of City Engineer and Community Development
• Continued discussion of Contra Costa Transportation Authority's Transportation Expenditure Plan that is targeting the March 2020 ballot.  This plan contemplates a 30 year increase in sales tax to fund various transportation related projects in the region

One item not on the agenda was discussed as well.  AB  1487 received a lot of attention, with three of the councilmembers (including myself) mentioning it during the council reports.  This was element 10 of the CASA Compact that would create a new quasi governmental body to raise, administer, and allocate funding for affordable housing preservation and production, and tenant protection in the Bay Area.  This Housing Authority would do this by placing tax measures on the ballot.  

The ABAG Executive Board is scheduled to discuss AB 1487 at their July 18 meeting, and MTC is scheduled to discuss it at their July 24 meeting.   If you have thoughts on this bill, and whether it should move forward, communication can be sent to ABAG and MTC reps as follows:

Fred Castro, Clerk of the Board, ABAG at fcastro@bayareametro.gov
Rosy Leyva, Clerk of MTC at rleyva@bayareametro.gov

At the Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) meeting there was substantial discussion about the activities of the GHAD, what it is responsible for, and whether these responsibilities were being met.  The GHAD covers routine maintenance and geological monitoring in order to protect public infrastructure from future damage due to geologic hazards.  It does not insure private property.  As the GHAD covers an area comprising approximately 1/3 of all the residences in Clayton, ensuring proper maintenance of the public infrastructure is a matter of widespread interest.

I also requested two items to be added to future agendas:

1. A discussion around the minutes of meetings.  The city recently switched to Action Style minutes which eliminates capturing councilmember comments or the gist of discussions leading up to any actions and simply records the result of the actions.  I would like to explore ways to capture more information regarding discussions at our meetings while at the same time recognizing the administrative burden that our prior process imposed. 
2. A discussion around ways we can capture the activity of the GHAD to give comfort to the nearly 1/3 of Clayton residents that live within the boundaries of the GHAD that the activities are being performed to a satisfactory degree.

Upcoming City Council Meeting 7.16.19

The consent calendar this meeting includes several real property tax assessment increases based on specific areas and various CPI increases.  Other than the consent calendar items, there are a few significant items on the agenda:

• An increase real property tax assessment for the Diablo Estates at Clayton Benefits Assessment District in line with CPI increases
• Hiring an interim City Manager to fill the upcoming vacancy while we pursue a permanent replacement.  The appointment is the former City Manager of the City of Pittsburgh
• Ongoing discussion of CCTA Transportation Expenditure Plan to be placed on the March 2020 ballot as tax increases need voter approval

If you have any thoughts or questions on any of these items, please comment or contact me and I'll do my best to respond or find out more and report back.