My 4.15.25 Meeting Summary

On Tuesday the Council met to discuss the results of the annual audit for fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.  Unfortunately there was a scheduling miscommunication and the City's auditor was not in attendance.  As a result, we tabled the discussion to a future meeting.

There was also a closed session with no reportable items.

Upcoming Meeting 4.15.25

At our next meeting we will be discussing one significant item:

- The City's audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) will be presented and discussed.

If you have thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 4.1.25 Meeting Summary

On Tuesday the Council met and discussed several significant items:

- We received a report from the Financial Sustainability Committee.  While the Committee did not approve of the report given by its chair, it did share information regarding the activities of the Committee.  Ultimately a request was made of the Council to clarify the purpose of the Committee.  Council referred back to the original formation goals of the Committee.  For example - to identify areas of additional evaluation for financial savings or revenue generation.  Identifying areas however, is not the same as performing detailed analysis in place of City staff.  

The Council recommended that the Committee participate in the budget process that will occur over the next couple of months, provide any recommendations they may have, and report out both to the Budget and Audit Committee and to the public.  After this budget cycle, the Council will evaluate whether there is a need to continue this Committee.

- We received a report from HdL, the service provider that assists the City's business license processing and administration.  When we first engaged HdL (discussed at our 9.19.23 meeting), City staff represented that the City had approximately 1100 active businesses in the City.  Extrapolating from there, HdL estimated that through their efforts they could discover an additional 900 businesses and therefore expand the pool of licensed businesses.  If this were possible, it would increase City revenues.  

After review, it turns out the information that prior City leadership (no longer employed with the City) overstated the actual number of businesses in the City.  The actual number is closer to 500.  HdL gave a presentation on their work in processing renewals, and the effort to discover any additional businesses that may be operating within the City that would need a license.

- We approved the annual report on military equipment use.  There have been no new acquisitions of military equipment, no use of military equipment, and no complaints regarding military equipment in the annual reporting period.  This report is required annually.

- We approved the streets selected for the 2026 Clayton Neighborhood Street Rehabilitation project.  After much discussion, the Council decided to prioritize streets that were in poor condition, and also certain streets that were higher use areas.  In addition, the Council after receiving lower cost projections for Mountaire Pkwy including approval of grant funding, decided to include that section of street that we previously discussed at our 2.4.25 meeting.  The streets included in the 2026 project are: Main St., Mountaire Pkwy, Marsh Creek Rd., Herriman Dr., N. Mitchell Canyon Rd., Eagle Peak Ave., and El Portal Dr.

The GHAD Board also met to discuss the level of outreach desired by the Board regarding the upcoming mail ballot to GHAD residents asking to increase assessments.  The Board determined that one recorded virtual presentation and Q&A, an informational packet to be included with the ballot, and posting information on the GHAD's website hosted by the City was sufficient.

Upcoming Meeting 4.1.25

At our next meeting we will be discussing several significant items:

- We will receive a report from HdL regarding their services for business license processing

- We will review the annual military equipment report as required by AB 481.  The report details all equipment that fall under the City's military equipment funding, acquisition, and use policy.

- We will discuss street selection for the 2026 neighborhood street rehabilitation project.

The GHAD Board will also meet and discuss the desired level of outreach to property owners within the GHAD as part of the prop 218 ballot vote to increase assessments.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above please let me know.

My 3.18.25 Meeting Summary

At our last Council meeting we discussed several significant items.  The majority of time was spent on the Biennial Pavement Assessment Report, which I will go into further details below.

- We received a report on the mid year budget.  There were a few increases in spending that were authorized by Council (painting/carpeting at City Hall, and a new riding lawnmower), but other than that the results at mid year were in line with expectations.  There were various puts and takes, the most significant being increases in contractor spend that was offset by lower compensation expense due to staff vacancies.

Excluding the general fund appropriation ($230K) that was approved with the adoption of the budget, overall the City is projecting a deficit of approximately $110K at year end.

- We discussed a potential pilot program for sidewalk repairs.  Sidewalks in front of residents property are the responsibility of the property owner, however the sidewalk if primarily on City property.  As a result, if sidewalks create a hazardous situation, the City is potentially liable along with the homeowner.  Combine this with the fact that sidewalk repair is often very expensive, the City is seeking ways to mitigate risk and assist homeowners in fulfilling their responsibility.

There was general consensus that the City was not interested in subsidizing the cost of sidewalk repairs directly.  We considered a few different options that included the City facilitating the repair and billing the homeowner, as well as exploring joining other neighboring cities' sidewalk repair program that utilizes a network of qualified professionals.  A larger program may provide benefits of scale.  Ultimately the Council gave direction to staff to seek more information and report back.

- Most of the discussion was around the pavement assessment report we received.  Overall Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of the City is approximately 73.  The scale is out of 100, and is divided into four general condition categories. Pavements in “Good” condition have a PCI above 70, pavements in “Fair” condition have a PCI between 50 and 69, pavements in “Poor” condition have a PCI between 25 and 49, and finally pavements in “Failed” condition have a PCI below 25.  Here are examples roads with different PCI values:

While a score of 73 is considered "good", it also reflects consistent and steady declines over the last 10 years.

The table above shows the current score of 73, with a score of 85 in 2016.  This table also illustrates the work that has been done on City streets.  We typically do work every two years in order to get slightly lower costs with larger scale.  The work scheduled in 2020 was postponed due to COVID.

Picking the streets to work on is a bit counterintuitive.  At first it may seem logical to pick the streets that are in the worst condition.  However, rehabilitating these streets is also the most costly.  With limited funds, the entire pool could be consumed with 1 or 2 streets, leaving the rest of the streets in the city to continue to deteriorate through normal wear and tear.  As a result, it is often more cost efficient to do maintenance on a streets in better condition, as maintaining current conditions is less expensive in the long run, and more areas of the city could be improved.

The City uses a program called StreetSaver.  This program is designed to maximize PCI overall in the City based on the amount of funds available.  Because it costs more to rehabilitate streets in poor condition often StreetSaver will not select the streets in the worst condition for maintenance and rehabilitation work.

Given the steady decline in PCI overall, it is important to determine what level of funding is necessary to maintain the current road conditions.  Each year we receive approximately $1M in our share of gas tax, and other state and local funding.  We accumulate these funds and every other year pick streets to do maintenance on in order to improve the road condition and the overall PCI.

Based on analysis, in order for the City to simply maintain a PCI of 73 that it currently has overall, the City would need to spend approximately $13M over 5 years, or $2.6M/year.  Our funding is approximately $1M/year.

Unless the City is able to spend a significantly greater amount on street maintenance and rehabilitation, the conditions of roads in the City will continue to decline.  At our current rate of spending, this is the projected outcomes on overall road conditions:

Total general fund revenues for the entire year are projected to be just under $6M.  As we enter the budget planning process, we will need to begin a discussion with the community regarding what level of overall services, quality of streets, and maintenance of the City is desired, and what we are willing to pay for.

A link to the detail by street PCI for both the 2025, and 2023 years can be found here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sUUWREdNL1FC1iccvXJghYzsAv5IhBd4/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103891531140515892067&rtpof=true&sd=true

- The Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) Board also met and adopted a resolution declaring the intent to increase the overall assessments in the District in accordance with Prop 218.  Ballots will be mailed to properties in the district no later than 4/18.  There will be a public hearing on 6.3.25 to determine the results of ballots received.  More to come on what this means for the GHAD.

Upcoming Meeting 3.18.25

At our next Council meeting, we will be discussing several significant items:

- We will receive a mid year budget report out.  Results at the mid year are largely in line with expectation, though still in a deficit position.  

- We will discuss the biennial pavement assessment report and the 2026 paving project street selection.  Overall the City's PCI is approximately 73.  The scale is out of 100, and is divided into four general condition categories. Pavements in “Good” condition have a PCI above 70, pavements in “Fair” condition have a PCI between 50 and 69, pavements in “Poor” condition have a PCI between 25 and 49, and finally pavements in “Failed” condition have a PCI below 25.

A list of every street and the associated PCI score is included in the agenda packet.

- We will discuss a pilot sidewalk repair program for assisting fronting property owners.  This would involve options for sharing costs with property owners to repair various sidewalks that is the sole responsibility of the property owners.

After the Council meeting, the Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) board will also meet.  There the Board will discuss a resolution declaring the intent to increase assessments in the GHAD in accordance with prop 218.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 3.4.25 Meeting Summary

Last night the Council met to discuss one significant item:

- We authorized the recording of a noise abatement agreement for Oakhurst Golf Course.  City ordinance prohibits landscaping work before 7am, however due to the nature of golf course operations Oakhurst has always had an agreement with the city that allows them to start earlier.  The prior agreement had expired and the City renewed it with updated terms last night.

The new agreement has a 36 month term, and provides that no maintenance activity shall be performed prior to 5:30am.  It also specifies later start times around certain areas of the course to reduce the noise impact to nearby residences.  The agreement provides an avenue for complaints and a resolution process as well, and includes a provision that a survey of adjacent residences towards the end of the term of the agreement will be conducted in order to collect feedback for any future modifications.

Upcoming Meeting 3.4.25

At our next meeting, there is one significant item we will discuss:

- We will discuss a proposed noise abatement agreement for Oakhurst Golf Course maintenance activities.  This was discussed at our last meeting however an incorrect version of the agreement was included in the agenda packet so we continued this item until this upcoming meeting.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 2.18.25 Meeting Summary

Last night the Council met and had one significant item on the agenda, however the meeting had extensive discussion on some other topics.

- We discussed a renewal of a noise abatement agreement with Oakhurst Country Club.  Due to the nature of golf course operations, several maintenance activities occur daily and at early hours in the day.  Things like mowing the grass and resetting tee boxes and greens take place before play begins, which is typically at sunrise.

Current City ordinances prohibit certain noise creating activities like mowing lawns prior to 7am each day.  Because time of use for the golf course starts at 7am, maintenance has always happened prior to that time.  Historically there has existed a noise abatement agreement which granted Oakhurst permission to operate certain equipment at earlier times in the day - with the focus on areas away from homes, though not entirely.

The noise abatement renewal did not change any of the existing provisions substantively.  We later determined that the wrong version of the agreement was included in the agenda packet.  In addition, there was feedback provided by residents regarding Oakhurst maintenance operations, alleging operations outside the time permitted per the noise agreement.  As such, the Council tabled this until a later date and asked our City Manager to approach Oakhurst to see if there were other provisions that could be adjusted.

- We discussed the salary schedule of the Police Chief position which is currently vacant and being filled on an interim basis.  The Council agreed to increase the salary schedule by 4% consistent with the agreement that was in place with the prior Police Chief.  When the recruitment period ends, we will discuss with the City Manager whether any additional changes need to be made to attract qualified candidates.

The Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) Board also met and discussed a few significant items:

- We selected a new Chair (myself) and Vice Chair (Boardmember Enea)

- We received the annual engineer's report which indicated several areas where maintenance was recommended.  Without adequate maintenance, the risk of damage due to Earth movement increases.  Without additional funding however, the GHAD would need to use between 2-3 years worth of funding from the future to cover the cost.  Without additional funding, I did not think it was prudent to spend all of the remaining GHAD funds on maintenance that may not add value, and would need to be performed on a repeated basis.  Rather, I thought it was more important to take steps to increase the revenues so as to make the GHAD more solvent.

- We discussed the process for a ballot measure to increase GHAD assessments.  A notice would be sent to all residents in the GHAD, and ask them to approve a rate increase.  The amount of the increased assessment would vary based on the type of residence.  Votes are counted on a per residence basis, with a greater weight going towards those residences of higher value or at higher risk of being impacted.

The Board gave direction to pursue the rate increase, including the establishing of a reserve, and determine whether a citizen oversight committee was possible with this type of assessment.  If the voters of the GHAD approve the rate increase (towards the May/June timeframe), then the GHAD would be funded sufficiently to perform the operations it was intended to.  If the voters reject the rate increase, that would cause nearly all GHAD activities to cease.

Upcoming Meeting 2.18.25

At our next Council meeting there is one significant item we will be discussing:

- We will discuss an adjustment to the Police Chief job classification and associated salary schedule.  In connection with our recruitment effort to hire a full time Police Chief, the City Manager is recommending an increase to the base salary of the Police Chief of 4%.  This is consistent with the scheduled increase in the contract with the prior Police Chief.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 2.4.25 Meeting Summary

On Tuesday the Council met and discussed several significant items:

- We first interviewed three applicants for one open Planning Commissioner seat. The seat was vacated when Councilmember Enea was elected and we interviewed applicants in order to fill the open seat for the remainder of the term ending in June 2026.  Of the three applicants, the Council discussed and voted to appoint Nate Brzovich to the Planning Commission.  Nate's approach to listening to community feedback and balancing that with what the law requires was what was persuasive to the Council.  Congratulations, Commissioner Brzovich!

- We discussed and decided in favor of entering an agreement for investment advisory services with UBS.  UBS currently acts as a custodian of City funds in a non-discretionary manner.  This means that UBS can execute transactions for various securities, but only as the City specifically directs.  There are associated fees, and we are essentially buying at retail.  By entering into a advisory agreement, UBS becomes a fiduciary to the City, and will be authorized to act on the City's behalf within the approved investment policy of the City.

There are multiple benefits of such an arrangement.  While there is a 30 basis point fee associated with this arrangement, there is no cost for any individual transaction.  Because UBS is authorized to act on the City's behalf, there will be no time where cash is sitting idle and not being invested.  This will yield greater returns, but it will also free up staff time so they can focus on other activities.  We will also be able to exit certain positions that are underperforming and redeploy those funds towards higher performing securities.  Overall this should yield greater returns on the over $12M in City funds.

- We formed an ad hoc committee consisting of Mayor Trupiano and Councilmember Tillman.  Upon taking the role of Mayor, Mayor Trupiano reached out to Councilmember Tillman in an effort to address her previous requests for an investigation into fellow Councilmembers and training.  A result of that meeting was an agreement to propose this ad hoc committee in order to facilitate a governance training workshop for Council and staff.  Councilmember Tillman stated that this ad hoc committee and training satisfies her previous requests and I'm glad the Council can move forward and appreciate Mayor Trupiano's leadership in this matter.

- We authorized the City Manager to enter negotiations with Three Putt Development, the company that owns the Oakhurst Country Club, for the sale of city owned property adjacent to the overflow lot near Oakhurst.  The city owned property does not front any street, and was declared surplus by the City last year.  We also discussed with the City Manager the terms that the City was interested in during closed session later in the evening.

- We discussed the potential restriping project on the 4 lane section of Mountaire Pkwy.  Many residents spoke at the meeting, and others have been in communication via email and phone calls.  There were several that were opposed to taking action, and several that were in favor of taking action.  What was under discussion was a "road diet" - reducing the number of lanes in an effort to reduce speeds.  Included in this plan was also the addition of dedicated bike lanes.

There was some concern expressed regarding emergencies and egress.  Because there were no physical barriers being contemplated, in the case of emergency the overall width of the road was not going to be impacted so access would be unchanged if there were a need.

When the Dana Hills HOA surveyed its residents on a potential lane reduction, approximately 25% of households responded.  Of those that responded, 2/3 were in favor of the lane reduction, and 1/3 were opposed.  Ultimately the HOA did not feel it had enough feedback to take a position on the matter.

The largest concern the Council had was cost.  The section was recently repaved, though marked with temporary paint in anticipation of the discussion we had.  We have also applied for a grant that would cover a portion of the overall projected ~$250K cost.

Overall I was in favor of this work because the goal is public safety and reducing speeds.  Traffic safety and speeding is a significant concern I hear from residents all over town and while it does cost money I believe it worth it in an effort to improve overall safety.  The Council decided to proceed with the planned road diet, wait to hear if we are awarded the grant, then incorporate the actual road work into the already planning 2026 road work.  This has the potential of reducing the overall cost as we would get some economies of scale by grouping this project with larger projects.  The vote was 3-2, with myself, and Councilmembers Tillman and Diaz in favor.  Councilmember Enea and Mayor Trupiano voted no primarily based on the cost.

Upcoming 2.4.25 Meeting

On Tuesday the Council will meet to discuss several significant items:

- Earlier in the evening at 6:30 we will be conducting interviews for one open Planning Commissioner seat.

- We will discuss an update to our agreement with UBS Financial.  UBS Financial is one of the firms that the City engages to invest reserves.  There is a proposal to engage UBS for a more managed service in order to achieve higher returns on our investments.

- We will then discuss appointing one person from the earlier interviews for the open Planning Commissioner seat.

- We will discuss whether to create an ad hoc committee to facilitate a governance training workshop.

- We will discuss whether to authorize the City Manager to negotiate with Three Putt Development (the Company that manages Oakhurst Country Club) for the potential sale of certain surplus land that the City owns.

- We will discuss the road striping of Mountaire Parkway.  We previously discussed a potential road diet (reducing the number of lanes) at our 5.7.24 meeting and since then our City Engineer has done additional work to bring proposals forward.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above please let me know.

My 1.21.25 Meeting Summary

On Tuesday the Council met to discuss a couple significant items.  While I was unable to attend due to schedule conflict, I did watch the recording and wanted to provide an update as to what was discussed and decided.

- The Council approved several organizational changes including eliminating two positions, adding three positions,  updating job descriptions for many roles, and changing the reporting hierarchy within the City staff to better align with those changes. The result is a modest annualized increase of approximately $70K and a much better aligned staff to the roles and responsibilities that the City needs.

What was presented by staff was the culmination of a significant amount of analysis and work by City staff, our new City Manager, and the Budget and Audit Committee.  Starting back as early as March 2023, there were various voices suggesting that much more staff was needed, and at significantly higher rates. Instead of taking significant action without sufficient analysis, myself and Mayor Trupiano as part of the Budget and Audit Committee, worked with staff to bring forward a more needs based staffing model.  

The updated organizational structure has a flatter structure - reducing the instances where a management level position only has one direct report.  We also focused on the compensation ranges for the positions we needed and aligned them with both market rates and the duties they'd be performing.  Our City Manager has stated that these updates "would be amazing".

- The Council also approved the application of a grant to assist in funding bicycle lane improvements on Mountaire Parkway in connection with potential street striping changes.  The substantive discussion around the street work will occur at our next meeting on 2.4.25.

Upcoming Meeting 1.21.25

At the next Council meeting, there will be discussion regarding two significant items:

- Council will discuss a proposal for organization and staff redesign, eliminating two positions, adding 3 positions, and updating the job descriptions of affected roles.  The proposal reflects the changing needs of the city focusing more roles on areas that need support and reducing staff in areas that need less support.  There is an increase in cost associated with this change of approximately $70K on an annualized basis, however this is an estimate as the benefit load which consists of over 30% of compensation is variable and assumptions are being used to forecast.  We will need to do further analysis in the next month through our mid year budget review.

- Council will discuss a grant application for the Mountaire Parkway area.  The grant has an application deadline and if successful, funds could be used towards the restriping project that will be discussed at our 2.4.25 meeting.

I will be absent from this meeting as I have a scheduling conflict but will update after reviewing the video.  If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 1.7.25 Meeting Summary

Last night the Council met to discuss and take action on several significant items.  

With the new Council being seated last meeting, these actions were primarily administrative in nature and intended to increase the overall efficiency of our meetings, reduce the administrative burden on staff, and add clarity for the public.  The overall theme of our actions was to look at items that aren't designed for discussion and move those items to a written format.  

By having things in writing, rather than just verbally stated, it provides a clear report of actions taken and thoughts expressed.  This also makes it more accessible to the public - rather than having to watch extensive video to obtain information, more will be in writing which can be easier to consume.

The first action we took was to cease the taking of remote public comments.  Over the past several years, the practice of taking remote public comments has ebbed and flowed at various municipalities.  In some instances, this ability has been used to berate, curse at, or attempt to derail Council meetings.   In other instances, technical or user challenges has come into play and impacted the meetings as well.  

We will continue to live stream our meetings, and people will be able to make comment in person at the meetings themselves.  In addition, as our agendas are posted  in advance, anyone is able to submit public comment in writing prior to each meeting.  These submissions are sent to each Councilmember and included in the public record.  By ceasing the taking of remote public comments, our meetings will be more efficient overall for both the Council and the staff.

There is often confusion as to the purpose of our meetings and the place of public comments.  Council meetings are designed so that Council can discuss among ourselves and conduct the business of the City.  It is not, and cannot be a dialogue between Councilmembers and members of the public.  Our meetings are open to the public and recorded so that the business of the City is conducted transparently, not to hold a dialogue between the full Council and members of the audience.  We are restricted in our ability to respond to public comment in general, so much of the time when a comment is made, there may be an expectation that Councilmembers respond, however this often leads to disappointment or confusion.  

This is one of the main reasons I try to inform the public of what is going to be discussed prior to any meeting - to provide residents with an opportunity for such a dialogue, or to share their thoughts.  I have been writing a pre-meeting introduction and post-meeting summary for each meeting since first being elected in 2018.

We also updated our Council guidelines.  These guidelines document how the Council operates and it gets refreshed from time to time.  The updates were non-substantive and were administrative in nature.  We clarified the order of the meetings, and consistent with the overall theme shifted items that aren't up for discussion to being in writing.  This will result in more efficient meetings as well as provide additional clarity to the public.  

We also discussed and approved City Council committee assignments for the year.  A list of these assignments can be found in the minutes.

There is quite a bit of work that needs to be done - from addressing staffing vacancies, to tightening up our budget analysis, and all the regular activities of the City.  It is my goal to do the people's business in the most efficient and effective manner and reduce the administrative burden on staff where possible.  The actions we took at this meeting will further that goal.

Upcoming Meeting 1.7.25

I hope everyone had a restful holiday season.  Our first meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, 1.7.25 and we will be discussing several significant items:

- We will discuss whether to continue the use of hybrid meetings that allow remote participants to offer public comment during meetings.  We discussed this item at our 11.7.23 meeting and at that time the Council did not take any action.  We are revisiting this item for similar reasons that were raised at the time, and in an effort to reduce administrative burden on staff.

- We will discuss updates to the City Council guidelines and procedures.  This was last discussed at our 5.2.23 meeting.  It is fairly routine that the guidelines are updated to reflect the desires of the current council and it is important that these guidelines be written for clarity.  The proposed changes reflect an update to the regular agenda order.  There is also clarity added around how things are agendized, though there is no substantive change in that regard.  In addition, in an effort to provide more transparency and reduce staff administrative burden, the proposal contemplates that council reports shall be provided in writing to be included in the minutes of each meeting.

- We will discuss City Council Committees and assignments for standing and ad-choc committees and liaison positions.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.