12.17.19 Meeting Summary

Tonight the Council took a few significant actions:

• Considered notice of 6% annual rate increase from Contra Costa Water District
• Approved engaging a consultant to fill in on a temporary basis as Community Development Director. Interim Community Development Director David Woltering will leave his position as of December 20, 2019. The contract position will bill on an hourly basis and continue until such time the position is filled full time.
• We reviewed and approved City Council ad-hoc committee, inter-governmental and regional board assignments for 2020.  Significant changes are that I am taking point as the liaison to the Trails and Landscape Committee, and the Clayton Library Foundation.

During requests for future items, I inquired about appealing Planning Commission resolution 05-19 which found the Olivia project statutorily exempt from CEQA.  Because action on appeal would take a 4/5ths majority of the Council within 10 days of the final determination being filed, it was determined that a special meeting would need to be called.  Given the holidays however, upon polling of available Councilmembers, there would not be sufficient numbers available for a special meeting within the 10 day time window which is expected to start on December 20.  If PC resolution 05-19 is going to be appealed, it will need to be done by a member of the public.  Questions about the process should be directed to city staff.

Upcoming Council Meeting 12.17.19

For the last meeting of 2019, there are a couple of significant items on the agenda:

• Annual Contra Costa Water District rate increase of 6%
• We are engaging a consultant to fill in on a temporary basis as Community Development Director.  Interim Community Development Director David Woltering will leave his position as of December 20, 2019.  The contract position will bill on an hourly basis and continue until such time the position is filled full time.
• Reviewing and updating City Council ad-hoc committee, inter-governmental and regional board assignments for 2020.

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

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Planning Commission Opening

Currently there is a vacancy at the Planning Commission due to a mid term resignation.  Terms are two years, so the current opening is to fill the remainder of that term, from January 2020 through June 2020.

Last night, the Planning Commission met and voted on two resolutions relating to the Olivia Project, three separate three story high density rental apartments adjacent to the Post Office in our downtown.  The first resolution was whether or not to recognize a CEQA exemption thereby bypassing an Environmental Impact Review.  This passed 3-1 with Commissioner Frank Gavidia the lone nay vote.  The second resolution was whether to grant concessions and waivers and approve the project.  The vote for this resolution was 2-2 with Commissioner A.J. Chippero joining Commissioner Gavidia in voting nay.

As can be seen, the Planning Commission plays a vital role in reviewing projects and land use matters in the city.  If these issues are important to you, and you feel that you can add value to the Commission, then I encourage you to apply.  More information can be found here:  https://ci.clayton.ca.us/fc/agendas/planning/Press%20Release%202019%20November.pdf?_t=1573255683

The Planning Commission is comprised of 5 members appointed by the City Council, normally for two-year terms. The Planning Commission advises the City Council on land use matters, including General Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments. The Commission also makes decisions on project development, Site Plan Reviews, Use Permits, Subdivisions, and Variances. Planning Commission meetings are open to the public and its decisions can be appealed to the City Council.

12.3.19 Meeting Summary

There was only one item on the agenda tonight and that was the annual reorganization of the Council.  Each year the Council chooses among ourselves who will serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor.  Tonight Julie Pierce was appointed as Mayor and I was appointed as Vice Mayor.  The vote for each was unanimous.

This was also the last meeting for our interim City Manager, Joe Sbranti. Mr. Sbranti filled in on an interim basis for the past five months while we searched and recruited for a person to fill the role full time.  I want to thank Mr. Sbranti for his service to the City of Clayton.

Upcoming Council Meeting 12.3.19

There are a couple significant items on the agenda for the next meeting:

• Informational item regarding a 2.7% rate increase (90% of Consumer Price Index [CPI] increase of 3%) from Republic Services for trash and recycling services.  This is consistent with the city's agreement with Republic Services.
• Annual reorganization of the Council.  We will conduct an election among the Council to choose a new Mayor and Vice Mayor.

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

11.19.19 Meeting Summary

Two significant items were discussed at tonight's meeting:

1. On the consent calendar, the second reading of an ordinance legalizing the keeping of hens.  There are some guidelines that need to be followed, but 30 days after tonight the ordinance will be in effect and chickens will be allowed in Clayton.
   
2. We also discussed updating the Town Center Specific Plan.  This was added to the city's goals earlier this year and I continue to think it's an important task to ensure that the plan aligns with the goals of the community.  Right now, the plan that was drafted in 1990 still reflects zoning and plans that are likely at odds with what the majority of the community would desire.
   
   The proper way to address these changing priorities is to amend the plan - starting with a process of community outreach.  The process will likely cost a significant amount of money and we will be working to prioritize this along with other goals of the city at the next goal setting session.  This will take place after the new city manager comes on board, and shortly after the new year.
   
   The full council agreed that this should remain a one of our goals.  We will need to establish scope, process, and ultimately allocate the resources to make this happen.

Upcoming Council Meeting 11.19.19

A few significant items are on the agenda for the next meeting:

• 2nd reading of ordinance allowing the keeping of chickens (hens) with some limitations.  Given this is the second reading and the first was passed unanimously, this is being placed on the consent calendar.
• Consideration of establishment of ad-hoc committee to work on updating Town Center Specific Plan.  This would consist of approving RFPs to go out to various vendors.  Revisiting the Town Center Specific Plan for potential updates was one of the Council goals for 2019.  While an RFP does not result in any cash outlays, if we were to move forward on any actual updates there would likely be a significant cost.

To clarify a bit on the second item, the Town Center Specific Plan is a specific plan that covers primarily the downtown area. A specific plan has many elements, including land use, design, municipal services, etc. The most current plan was developed in 1990, and amended several times since then to address various items. Here's a link to the previous document: http://ci.clayton.ca.us/fc/community-development/planning/long-range-planning/town-center-specific.pdf 

Because updates to the plan happen so infrequently and there are a great many laws that govern what can and cannot be included in a plan like this, the city is not staffed to handle this type of work with existing resources. As a result, if the City wishes to update this plan, it will likely have to engage in outside consultants who have professional expertise in this area. 

To engage outside vendors for a project of this nature, we would send out a Request for Proposal (RFP) which gives guidelines and asks respondents to propose services to the city.   Upon reviewing the responses, the level of services offered and an approximate price, the city may make a decision on whether or not to engage those services. 

It would be a long process and involve significant staff time and public input and discussion. Doing something like this could be the first step in collectively deciding what the vision for our downtown will be. I was glad to be a voice advocating for this to be included as one of the Council goals this year.

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