MINUTES
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY AND CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING
FEBRUARY 27, 2007 - 6:00 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting of the City Council and Redevelopment Agency of the City of Highland was called to order at 6:06 p.m. by Mayor Jones at the Donahue Council Chambers, 27215 Base Line, Highland, California.
The invocation was given by Mayor Jones and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by the Boy Scouts of America.
ROLL CALL
Present: Lilburn, Scott, Timmer, Mayor Jones
Absent: McCallon
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Redlands East Valley Band Trio
COMMUNITY INPUT
Mr. John Coates stated he is present tonight representing a group of citizens who are opposed to a group home business on Highland Avenue. The group wants to make the Council aware the homeowners are still concerned about this issue and have been following the progress for the past year. We request the consideration of following the Legislation that is currently before Assemblyman Emmerson regarding group homes. The group's concern is this particular facility is not being developed under the quality and in the manner in which the homeowners would prefer. It had been mentioned earlier at a past Council meeting, the City of Murrieta was successfully able to prevent a group home from being developed in their city.
Community Development Director Jaquess stated in speaking with the staff at Murrieta they advised us there was no Legislation ordinance in place in Murrieta that would regulate group homes, six or fewer, which would be consistent with state law.
Mayor Jones stated the information received by the citizens is incorrect as far as six or less individuals within a home. The current Legislation which is being offered by Senator Dutton and Assemblyman Emmerson, we are following very closely and intend to adopt or move forward depending upon how Legislation proceeds forward.
Mr. Bernardino Castenada stated the city authorized a neighbor to block a public easement. Construction is not completed yet. He does take pride in the city and in his neighborhood.
Steve Shaw introduced the new Highland Fire Chief, Mary Stock. Mary was appointed on February 16. She has served 20 years with California Department of Forestry.
CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY CONSENT CALENDAR
A MOTION was made by Councilman Timmer, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Lilburn, to approve the consent calendar as submitted. Motion carried on a roll call vote, 4-0, with Councilman McCallon absent.
1. Waive the Reading of All Ordinances
Waived the reading of all Ordinances in their entirety and read by title only.
2. Warrant Register
Approved Warrant Register No. 435 for February 27, 2007, in the amount of $1,233,558.51 and Payroll of $60,837.88.
3. Treasurer's Report for January 2007
Received and filed Treasurer's Report for January 2007.
4. Notice of Completion - Project No. 2002-13 "Boulder Avenue/Orange Street Safety Project"
1. Accepted Project No. 2002-13 "Boulder Avenue/Orange Street Safety Project" as complete;
2. Authorized the Mayor to sign the Notice of Completion; and
3. Directed the City Clerk to file the Notice of Completion.
5. Drainage Easement Acceptance (Tract No. 10274)
Adopted Resolution No. 2007-011 accepting a portion of the irrevocable offer of dedication of a drainage easement and direct the City Clerk to record the resolution.
RESOLUTION NO. 2007-011
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF HIGHLAND, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING
ACCEPTANCE OF DEDICATION OF A DRAINAGE EASEMENT
CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING
6. City of Highland Initiated General Plan Amendments to Portions of the Health and Safety Element (Chapter 6) and Airport Element (Chapter 11) (GPA-006-004)
City Planner Mainez gave a brief review of the staff report. He would like to discuss one item which was brought up by the Planning Commission. On page 5 of the staff report, policy 11.2.3 states "encourage the development of open space areas in Highland adjacent to airports." The Planning Commission felt this was somewhat ambiguous and consistent with some other policies and upon speaking with the City Attorney, who was in agreement, that this statement was ambiguous. Staff is recommending removal of this statement from the policies. As part of the review process and the notification process for General Plan amendment, we received two comments. One was from the Redlands Unified School District and the other from SCAG. The comment from SCAG was basically a general response to a notice of preparation for a General Plan Amendment. However, after talking with SCAG staff, it appeared they did not have a copy of the addendum itself, so they generated the wrong response and it is now anticipated we will receive a follow up response based on the minor changes to our General Plan. The Redlands Unified School District wanted clarification on the policies in terms of the intensity of noise in the 65 decibel range. As part of their comment, the City Attorney and staff evaluated their concerns and made some amendments for clarification. There was also another statement from the school district concerning consideration of some of their school and residential units on the south side of the airport. It is not in our jurisdiction and he is sure it would be covered in some future plan of the airport. Staff did respond in writing to this request and it received a satisfactory response.
A MOTION was made by Councilwoman Scott, seconded by Councilman Timmer, to approve Resolution No. 2007-012, as amended, regarding the approval of the following: Determination that an Addendum to the General Plan Update Program Environmental Impact Report adopted by the City on March 14, 2006, is the appropriate environmental documentation for the proposed General Plan Amendments, and direct Staff to file a Notice of Determination with the County Clerk of the Board; and Adoption of General Plan Amendments to portions of the Public Health and Safety Element (Chapter 6) and the Airport Element (Chapter 11), as amended per comments received. Motion carried, 4-0, with Councilman McCallon absent.
RESOLUTION NO. 2007-012
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF HIGHLAND CITY COUNCIL
DETERMINING THAT AN ADDENDUM TO THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ADOPTED BY THE CITY
ON MARCH 14, 2006, IS THE APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENTAL
DOCUMENTATION FOR THE PROPOSED GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS
AND DIRECT THE CITY CLERK OR AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE
TO FILE A NOTICE OF DETERMINATION WITH THE COUNTY CLERK
OF THE BOARD AND ADOPT THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS TO
PORTIONS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ELEMENT (CHAPTER 6)
AND THE AIRPORT ELEMENT (CHAPTER 11) (GPA 006-004).
7. Public Hearing on the Allocation of the City of Highland's Community Development Block Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2007-2008
Mayor Jones stated Mayor Pro Tem Lilburn has a conflict of interest which arises because she is the Executive Director of the Highland Senior Center which is seeking CDBG funds, therefore, the Council will address the portion in which she has a conflict first. Mayor Pro Tem Lilburn will abstain from this portion and excuse herself from the dais until the portion discussing the Senior Center is completed. Mayor Pro Tem Lilburn then left the dais and the Council Chambers.
Mayor Jones opened the public hearing.
Community Development Specialist Stater gave a brief review of the staff report.
Mr. Marty Steinbrecher stated he is the Board President of the Highland Senior Center. As Board President he wanted to update the Council and staff of the center's current activities. Historically, the Highland City Council has and continues to financially support the center with CDBG funds. The Highland Senior Center received no additional funding from the city's general budget, therefore, making the CDBG funds extremely vital to the center. The center continues to be recognized as the largest and most active Senior Center around with programs such as physical fitness and social activities. We also have transportation assistance which is where we provide transportation for seniors to doctor appointments, pharmacies, hair appointments, etc. We also have a senior nutritional daily lunch program. During this past year the center had over 84,000 seniors participate in many activities between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. These numbers do not include all the nightly activities and service groups who use the facility on a regular basis. Since the facility is so active, we are currently negotiating adding an additional 2,500 square feet to the facility which will allow the center to offer even more activities.
Ms. Harriet Foucher stated she works at the Highland Branch Library. There is a literacy program and she would like to thank the Council for the support in the past. There is a new literary specialist and has rejuvenated the program. We had very good publicity through The Sun newspaper and will also have a booth at the Citrus Harvest Festival. Currently, we have recruited eight tutors and we have 16 learners. We look forward to our new building which is currently under construction. The new facility will have private meeting rooms where tutoring can be done quietly and with privacy. There are also plans to start English improvement classes as there seems to be quite a request for this class. We would appreciate any support the Council could give.
Mr. Ken Jones stated he is here on behalf of the Showtime Organization. The program is a program that has been in existence since 1995. It is a front line group who deal with young people with the YES Program, Youth Enhancement Services. We train young people how to apply for jobs. If there is need for their reading or math skills to be developed, we provide after school tutors. We have measured results with our program and that is why we are here seeking funding. We thank you for your consideration.
Ms. Deborah Cima stated she is the President for the Board of Directors of Child Advocates of San Bernardino County. For the past 22 years, their agency has provided mentoring and advocacy services to abused and neglected children who are living in foster care or group homes throughout the County of San Bernardino. We are the only court appointed special advocate program in the county. In the CASA program each child is appointed a trained adult volunteer to provide one on one mentoring. CASA's main goal is serving our children and to be a positive role model to ensure the child's needs are met and that their voice is heard in court and that they are in a safe and stable, if not, permanent placement. We also offer educational advocacy programs and the educational advocates work with the schools to ensure that the children's rights are upheld and to ensure that they receive every service needed to succeed in school and graduate from high school. Child advocacy program is currently serving 100 youths a year throughout the county and currently we are serving 23 youths from Highland and San Bernardino. Unfortunately there are another 127 children living in these two cities that need services. The average cost to house a child in foster care or group home care placement in the United States for one year is approximately $40,000. Through this grant, we plan to increase our recruiting efforts to the City of Highland and throughout the county in order to recruit, screen, train, assign and supervise at least 40 new volunteers or educational advocates who will serve at least 50 new youths throughout the City of Highland.
Mr. Jeff Moorehead stated he is the executive director of Operation Grace which is located on the former Norton Air Force base. The last four years have been funded by the City of Redlands, City of Yucaipa and two senior centers in the City of San Bernardino. They are asking for a small grant to obtain funds for the Highland Center. The cooling center is to keep seniors in one spot and provide a cooler atmosphere during the hot summer months. This will enable seniors to keep cool while lowering their electric bills because they will not be utilizing home air conditioning units. We are proposing to include the City of Highland in this program.
Ms. Michelle Williamson stated she is representing Central Little League. Central
League relies solely on the donations from sponsors and the monies received goes towards providing equipment, uniforms and insurance. CDBG funds have been used to waive registration fees for low income families. We believe that we offer a wonderful program by getting children off the street and on our fields. We are at approximately 220 children, 19 teams, in the program and two years ago we didn't even have 100.
Mr. Darrell Black stated he is the Senior Program Director for the YMCA. The YMCA is anticipating a large growth in participation this year in basketball, karate, dance and all the new programs we have coming once the new fitness center and pool is opened. We anticipate having swimming lessons, fitness and a great deal of new programs. Once the center is opened, more families will become involved in the activities offered by YMCA.
Ms. Shirl Went stated she is asking for funds for her program which offers pre/post natal parenting education and nutrition information. She also teaches young mothers nursing skills and Lamaze classes.
Mr. Tim Evans stated he founded the Unforgettables Foundation. His group would like to request the city look to us as a potential recipient. Our foundation has helped over two dozen families in this community during our five years of operation to make sure a family upon losing a child would have adequate financial resources to be able to bury that child. We have helped over 1,100 in the Riverside and San Bernardino county areas.
Mayor Jones closed the public hearing.
Councilman Timmer stated we have the same funding as we've had in previous years and we recognize the funding source is probably going to diminish over time. He would recommend we fund the same programs as last year at the same levels. The recipient programs are as follows: the County Library in the amount of $10,000, the YMCA in the amount of $25,000, the Highland Senior Center in the amount of $10,000, the Highland Senior Center in the amount of $8,000, Highland Senior Center in the amount of $5,000, and Central Little League in the amount of $8,096.
Councilwoman Scott stated she would recommend the Highland Senior Center in the amount of $10,000, the Highland Senior Center in the amount of $8,000, Highland Senior Center in the amount of $5,000, the YMCA in the amount of $20,096, Central Little League in the amount of $10,000, the County Library in the amount of $10,000, and the Unforgettables Foundation in the amount of $3,000.
A MOTION was made by Councilman Timmer, seconded by Councilwoman Scott, to allocate the Community Development Block Grant funds for Public Service Projoects/Programs for Fiscal Year 2007-2008 in the following increments: 33203, the Highland Senior Center in the amount of $10,000; 33204, the Highland Senior Center in the amount of $8,000; 33205, Highland Senior Center in the amount of $5,000; 33197, the YMCA in the amount of $20,096; 33227, Central Little League in the amount of $10,000; 33095, the County Library in the amount of $10,000; and 33159, the Unforgettables Foundation in the amount of $3,000. Motion carried, 4-0, with Councilman McCallon absent.
Mayor Jones opened the public hearing.
Ms. Tammy Murphy stated she is requesting funds regarding the child care center on the corner of Base Line and Lillian. She submitted a block grant application and was informed the City of Highland was not willing to allocate funds towards her center. Therefore, the center did not qualify for the block grant and she is here personally to request funds. The center is a full functioning child care center and pre-school as well offering counseling for parenting skills and transportation to and from schools.
Mayor Jones closed the public hearing.
Councilman Timmer recommends the allocation of funds as follows: the City of Highland in the amount of $79,933, the City of Highland in the amount of $24,323 and the remainder to City of Highland in the amount of $270,290.
A MOTION was made by Councilman Timmer, seconded by Councilwoman Scott, to allocate the Community Development Block Grant funds for Construction and other Community Improvement Projects for Fiscal Year 2007-2008 in the following increments: 33029, the City of Highland in the amount of $79,933; 33030, the City of Highland in the amount of $24,323; and 33031, the City of Highland in the amount of $270,290. Motion carried, 4-0, with Councilman McCallon Absent.
CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY LEGISLATIVE
8. Amendment to Engineering Contract with Engineering Resources of Southern California
City Engineer Wong gave a brief review of the staff report.
A MOTION was made by Mayor Pro Tem Lilburn, seconded by Councilman Timmer, to approve Addendum No. 7 with Engineering Resources of Southern California to reflect a change in the fee schedule and the indemnity clause, and to add a provision relative to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Motion carried, 4-0, with Councilman McCallon absent.
9. Proposal by Urban Futures, Inc., to Provide Consulting Services to Update the Highland 2004-2009 Five Year Implementation Plan
Community Development Director Jaquess gave a brief review of the staff report.
A MOTION was made by Mayor Pro Tem Lilburn, seconded by Councilman Timmer, to authorize the City Manager to execute the proposal to provide Redevelopment Consultation Services. Motion carried, 4-0, with Councilman McCallon absent.
10. Update on SANBAG, SCAG, Omnitrans, Work Program and Regional/Legislative Issues/Development Issues/Subcommittees/AB 1234 Updates
City Clerk Hughes stated copies were distributed of the Notice of the District SCAG Regional Council Representative Election which will be held on April 4th, 11:00 a.m., at the SANBAG offices in the City of San Bernardino.
11. San Bernardino International Airport Authority and IVDA
None
ANNOUNCEMENTS
None
CLOSED SESSION
At 7:38 p.m., the City Council and Redevelopment Agency convened into closed session regarding the following:
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION
Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(b)(1):
One case.
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION
Initiation of litigation pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(c):
One case.
At 8:22 p.m., the City Council and Redevelopment Agency convened into open session, with all members present, making no announcements,
ADJOURN
There being no further business, Mayor Jones adjourned the meeting at 8:23 p.m. in memory of Sharon Lannon.
Submitted By: Approved By:
Betty Hughes, CMC Ross B. Jones
City Clerk Mayor