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Home My WebLink About11/10/2009 - Study SessionCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH City Council Minutes City Council Study Session November 10, 2009 — 3:30 p.m. I. ROLL CALL Present: Council Member Henn, Council Member Rosansky, Mayor Pro Tem Curry, Mayor Selich, Council Member Gardner, Council Member Daigle Absent: Council Member Webb Council Member Webb arrived at 3:56 p.m II. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. CLARIFICATION OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR. Council Member Daigle indicated that she will be pulling Item 4 (Extending Employment of Interim Police Chief) so the City Manager could outline the basic terms of compensation, length of extension, and duties expected. She also requested clarification on Item 6 (Lower Bay Dredging Project) in regards to executing the project in a timely manner. 2. PRESENTATION BY ORANGE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT BOARD, Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board of Director Debay and General Manager _ Markus utilized a PowerPoint presentation to discuss water conservation, the Santa Ana River, the Ground Water Replenishment Project (GWRP), Basin Production Percentage (BPP), total water demands, water supply in Orange County, operational recharge facilities, OCWD sources of groundwater recharge, groundwater basin accumulated overdraft, the Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System, joint partnerships with Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), the GWR advanced water purification process, project funding and timing, benefits of the GWR system, community support, and next steps. OCWD Board of Director President Sheldon discussed the positive aspects of the Water Bond and the long term goal of being independent from the Delta. In response to Council questions, he suggested ways in which the City could support the OCWD and discussed agreements with Mesa - Consolidated relative to the Colored Water Program. Mayor Pro Tem Curry commented on the importance of water conservation and how that relates to increasing water rates. S. PUBLIC ART RESEARCH FOR THE NEW CITY HALL AND PARK DESIGN. City Arts Commission Vice Chair /Chair of the Subcommittee on Art in Public Spaces Smith and Subcommittee on Art in Public Spaces Member Trela utilized a report to discuss the Port of San Diego "Urban Trees" Program, the El Paseo Volume 59 - Page 304 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session November 10, 2009 Invitations Sculpture Exhibit, art on the UCSD campus, the Sculpture Foundation, opportunities to borrow sculptures, collaboration with Parks & Recreation, what other cities have done, Art in Public Places Programs, methods of funding and acquisition, issues such as security and insurance, and recommendations. In response to Council questions, they also discussed establishing an advisory panel consisting of established artists and curators. Council Member. Webb expressed support for the recommendations and suggested setting a defined program timeline. Mayor Pro Tenn Curry also expressed support and suggested generating a specific plan for the Civic Center. Council Member Gardner encouraged developing artists rather than borrowing art from other locations. She also commented on the aesthetic and economic benefits of public art. Council Member.Daigle expressed support for the recommendations presented. Council Member Henn suggested holding a significant unveiling at the new Civic Center with a City -owned piece of art, and asked about recommendations for long - range funding mechanisms that would continue the City's ability to add permanent pieces of art to its collection. Mayor Selich supported the recommendations and requested to see a specific plan and timeline. Library Services Director Cowell discussed concerns about the limited size of the community room at the new Civic Center, the Board of Library Trustees policy that does not allow renting the room to for -profit organizations, noted the potential to offer more programs if the room were larger, and encouraged that the room be as flexible as possible with regard to seating arrangements. Council Member Henn noted that the Friends Room at the Central Library is currently used 30 -40% of the time and that the current Civic Center plan will double the size of available space for programs. Council Member Daigle expressed concern for using tax dollars to construct a larger facility that would compete with local businesses. Council Member Gardner suggested enlarging and upgrading technology in the Friend's Room. 4. CONSIDERATION OF UPDATES FOR THE MUNICIPAL CODE TO ENHANCE THE CITY'S CODE ENFORCEMENT ABILITIES. Assistant City Manager Wood noted a lack of consistency of penalty provisions, the increased use of City resources due to some fines being lower than permit fees, and the number of cases brought to the City Attorney's Office. Deputy City Attorney Rowen. discussed uniform penalties, administrative citations, misdemeanors, noise violations, use permits, building and zoning code violations, citation fees being less than permit fees, repeat violations, and tiered citations. In response to Council questions, he discussed cost recovery ordinances and policies. Police Captain Kaminsky discussed the Alcohol Beverage Control Volume 59 - Page 805 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session November 10, 2009 (ABC) Grant In response to Council questions, City Attorney Hunt discussed the goal of being more cost effective by obtaining compliance with the Newport Beach Municipal Code (NBMC) earlier rather than repeatedly utilizing City resources. He also discussed use permit issues, the involvement of the City Attorney's Office, and the need to create uniformity when issuing citations. Council Member Henn confirmed that staff supports the updates to the NBMC, noted that the purpose is not to make a profit but to assist residents in complying with the codes, discussed a discretionary approach, and requested clarification relative to avoiding selective enforcement. Council Member Rosansky noted the need for more enforcement, especially with residential issues. Mayor Pro Tem Curry expressed support for moving forward with the updates, and discussed. ensuring rationalizing the fine structure and cost effectiveness. Mayor Selich supported a common sense approach and questioned whether increasing fines alone is enough of a deterrent. Council Member Daigle stated that she would like to see a cost/benefit analysis. Council Member Gardner expressed support for the updates and noted that residents were frustrated in the past with code enforcement. W.R. Dildine expressed support for increasing fines and believed that code enforcement has not worked effectively in the past. S. GREEN BUILDING TASK FORCE UPDATE. Council Member Gardner reported that the Green Building Task Force is looking at what the City can do to decrease its carbon footprint, including increasing awareness, reducing waste, extending the time period between tree trimming, conducting energy audits, reducing noise pollution, using solar power, appointing a City employee as an Environmental Coordinator, creating an educational resource for residents on how to be more environmentally efficient, and creating a "green" section on the City website and a "green" rack at the Central Library. In response to Mayor Selich's question, she explained that the Task Force decided to not look into incentives for "green" remodels. Council Member Henn commended the Task Force for their hard work, encouraged the use of alternative transportation methods such as water taxis and a bike - sharing program, discussed parking studies, and suggested using Walker Parking Management to assist in evaluating these alternatives. Mayor Pro Tem Curry also commended Council Member Gardner for her hard work on the Task Force, discussed the legislative mandate to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases, supported the strategies the Task Force presented, and requested to see the scope of work for a bike - sharing program. City Manager Kiff noted that he will present these strategies to the Management Team for feedback, discuss the "green" portion of the City website with the Media and Communications Committee, and bring a report back to Council at a future Volume 59 - Page 306 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session November 10, 2009 meeting. III. PUBLI(QOMMENTS - None IV. ADJOURNMENT - 5:30 p.m. The agenda for the Study Session was posted on November 10, 2009 at 3:50 p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administrative Building. City Clerk Volume 59 - Page 307