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12/14/1987W MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF ROLLING HILLS December 14, 1987 A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Rolling Hills was called to order at the Administration Building, 2 Portuguese Bend Road, Rolling Hills, California, by Mayor Swanson a 7:38 p.m. Monday, December 14, 1987. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilmembers Heinsheimer, Murdock, Pernell Mayor Swanson ABSENT: ALSO PRESENT: CONSENT CALENDAR Councilwoman Leeuwenburgh (excused) Terrence L. Belanger Michael Jenkins June Cunningham Betty Volkert Anne La Jeunesse Bill Bennett Steve Tedesco Ann Carley Mr. Jenkins David Breiholz City Manager City Attorney Deputy City Clerk Deputy City Clerk Peninsula News ASL Consultant ASL Consultant Resident Resident Resident Councilman Pernell moved that items on the Consent Calendar be approved as presented. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Murdock and carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of a regular meeting held on November 23, 1987, were approved and accepted as written. PAYMENT OF BILLS Demands No. 2499 through 2541 and 2543 through 2550 in the amount of $42,026.08 were approved for payment from the General Fund. Demand No. 2542 was voided. Demands No. 2517 and 2529 totaling $1,702.63 were approved for payment from the Municipal Self Insurance Fund. NEW BUSINESS OATH OF OFFICE - DEPUTY CITY CLERK City Manager Belanger administered the Oath of Office to Betty Volkert, incoming Deputy City Clerk. APPOINTMENT TO COMMITTEE ON WILDLIFE PRESERVATION The City Manager explained that at a recent City Counc' meeting, Dr. Bisignano of 18 Crest Road East, had expressed conce: about the apparent diminishment of wildlife throughout the communi- and as a result of Dr. Bisignano's presentation, the Council decid to form an ad hoc committee on wildlife preservation. An announcement was placed in the community newsletter requdsting interested residents to submit an application to serve on the ad hoc committee on wildlife preservation and, to date, six (6) residents have responded. They are as follows: Herb Agid, Flavio Bisignano, Don Gales, Christa Hawkins, Dotha Welbourn and Arvel Witte. 45 Council expressed a desire that the committee consist of approximately nine (9) members, and that staff prepare a work program for the committee and assist with the responsibilities once these have been formally established. The City Manager explained that it is his intention to have the committee develop what they feel should be the scope of responsibilities of the committee, and then present it to Council for review and eventual ratification. It was the decision of the City Council to appoint Herb Agid, Flavio Bisignano, Don Gales, Christa Hawkins, Dotha Welbourn and Arvel Witte, to the ad hoc committee on wildlife preservation, and�to leave the membership open to additional interested residents. CALL BOX SYSTEM UPGRADE - SERVICE AUTHORITY FOR FREEWAY EMERGENCIES The City Manager presented a proposed resolution which would establish a Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE). This would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to charge a one dollar ($1.00) surcharge on all registered vehicles in Los Angeles County, to generate revenue to be used for call box system improvements. Councilman Heinsheimer suggested that this item be held over for further consideration because various aspects of the proposal were unclear, in particular, the disbursement of revenue and the technological choices regarding upgrade of the hardwire system versus the installation of a new system. Mayor Swanson also expressed concern regarding the disbursement of revenue generated for upgrading the call box system going for CHP dispatch personnel and asked that the City Manager get a clarification on this policy, The City Council held this item on the agenda for further clarification of the concerns mentioned above. REOUEST BY SCRTD TO BE GRANTED A ONE-TIME, ONLY EXCHANGE OF FARE BOX REVENUE FOR PROPOSITION A FUNDS Councilman Heinsheimer moved approval of exchange of Proposition A funds. Councilman Pernell seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. OLD BUSINESS STATUS OF FLYING TRIANGLE The City Manager briefly discussed Congressional decisions that are under consideration regarding possible budget cuts which might have an impact on the implementation language in the Water Resources Bill. It was explained that there are two alternatives which the Congress is considering: to cut $2.6 billion on an item by item basis out of this legislation, or to allow Graham -Rudman to take effect, which would result in an 8.5% across the board cut. If one of these alternatives is going to occur, the City would prefer that it be the latter. OPEN AGENDA City Manager Belanger recommended opening the agenda to public comment at this time, due to the possibility of a lengthy presentation by the ASL Consulting Engineers regarding the sewer feasibility study.' Mayor Swanson opened the meeting to comment from any person who wished to address the Council on any issue which was not on the agenda but, if need be, could be put on a future agenda. Any person wishing to speak would be allowed 5 minutes. There were no comments from the audience. OLD BUSINESS PRESENTATION BY ASL CONSULTING ENGINEERS The City Manager introduced Bill Bennett and Steve Tedesco from ASL Consulting Engineers to present the preliminary Sewer Feasibility Study Report to the City Council. Mr. Bennett explained that the report before Council is strictly a draft, for review and comment by the Council. He did state, however, that as a result of the study the City now has a comprehensive aerial base map of the entire City of Rolling Hills. Mr. Bennett also pointed out that each property owner in the City has been sent an aerial map of their property along with a questionnaire asking for their input. Questionnaires were sent to 752 parcels and, to date, 288 responses have been received; the results are included in the draft report. A number of alternative systems were explored as directed by the Council, and the conclusion was that the only viable system would be a conventional sewer system connecting to the County sewer system. The County Sanitation District has indicated that they have the capacity to accept our system. All maintenance would be handled by the County Engineer's Office. The proposed system, which was overlaid on the aerial map, was chosen because it would have the least environmental impact on the area and would minimize the amount of construction and disruption to the community. Mr. Tedesco explained that the proposed sewer system would contain several pumping stations which could be maintained by the County. Basically, the pump stations would be contained below grade with only the electrical transformer and electrical controls above grade. It is estimated that the construction costs would be $13.3 million. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $19.2 million after adding in the cost of financing, engineering fees, contingencies, et cetera. Councilman Pernell asked what the continuous operational cost is expected to be, and Mr. Bennett said that those figures were not yet available. They will be meeting with the County to determine the expected cost. Mr. Tedesco explained that there are two fees: a connection fee for the County Engineer's Office and one for the County Sanitation District. There is a one time connection fee of $154.00 per unit for the County Engineer's Office, with a yearly maintenance fee of $10.00. The connection fee for the County Sanitation District is $725.00 per unit, with a yearly maintenance fee of $21.00. Councilman Pernell recommended that in the future all costs be itemized, whether or not the amount is known. Mayor Swanson asked for questions from the floor. Mr. Chester Jenkins, a resident at 10 Southfield, expressed concerns regarding the environmental impact to properties which have an earth movement problem. Mr. Tedesco responded by saying that they have tried to minimize the depth of the cuts, and that the majority of the lines are at a depth of approximately eight (8) feet to ten (10) feet, however, there are a few lines that might go as deep as fourteen (14) or fifteen (15) feet. Mr. Bennett also reported that they are not proposing to put a sewer system in the slide area and that they will try to avoid canyons and slopes. Therefore, there would be a small section in the slide area that would not be serviced. City Manager Belanger asked for specific information regarding the sewer laterals (the connecting lines that run from the residence to the main sewer system in the street). Mr. Tedesco explained that normally the primary system, which is that part in the City street right-of-way, is the part that gets financed, and this normally would include a lateral from the street to the property line only. The connection from the property line to the house is the responsibility of the property owner, and those costs run approximately $30.00 per linear foot plus an additional $200.00 to $300.00 to disconnect the flow going into the septic tank. It was also learned that about six (6) or seven (7) homes would require a pump system which would pump from the house into the gravity sewer, due to the fact that they are too low in elevation. This system usually costs approximately $900.00 to $1,000.00. COUNCILMAN HEINSHEIMER WAS EXCUSED FROM THE MEETING AT 8:25 P.M. Mayor Swanson asked if it is possible to take into consideration the size and location of lots which require different expenditures, when calculating the assessment. Mr. Bennett reported that this is typically known as an assessment spread, which was not �.. included in the scope of the preliminary report, however, this could be done. Mr. Bennett explained that the assessment must be based on V benefit. If there is no possibility for subdivision of the larger V parcels then a case can be made for a unit spread; however, if there is an opportunity for subdivision, the assessment should be on the basis of square footage of the property or frontage footage. A review of the City's zoning codes would be necessary to determine what type of assessment spread would be appropriate. Councilman Pernell asked if ASL would be providing an assessment spread evaluation and Mr. Bennett explained that he would be willing to prepare an assessment spread but that the specifics of how the spread is determined and the amount of the assessment is really the assessment engineering aspect of the project, and the City isn't to that point at this time. Mr. Bennett said that he feels a close estimate of the assessment could be determined by taking the area of the property, dividing by the total area of the district and then multiplying by $20 million. There was some discussion regarding financing, and Mr. Tedesco stated that when an assessment district is created and the final assessment approved, usually a homeowner has the option of paying all or any portion of the assessment within thirty (30) days, if they so desire, to avoid the cost of financing. Mayor Swanson asked what kind of time frame we're looking at should the City decide to go ahead with this project. Mr. Bennett said that for this size project the City should plan on a year for construction, at best. Resident Ann Carley asked if the majority of favorable responses to the questionnaire were from a particular area in the City. Mr. Tedesco said that, generally speaking, most of the people in favor of the system were those that had had problems in the past. A geographic spread of those in favor and those opposed will be prepared. Mr. David Breiholz, resident at 6 Upper Blackwater Canyon, asked for clarification regarding the number of homes that would require the individual pump systems due to elevations below the street level; he was surprised that there weren't more homes affected than seven (7). Mr. Tedesco explained that, in fact, there are quite a few homes that will drain into pump stations and then be pumped higher into the gravity system. However, there are seven (7) homes that will require their own pump system to pump directly into the gravity system; these were specifically mentioned because of the additional cost. In addition, there will be seven (7) pump stations which will pump a number of homes into the gravity system; consequently, there are quite a few areas that will be double lined. Councilman Pernell asked how many homes would be involved. Mr. Bennett estimated thirty percent (30%). 4 Mayor Swanson asked how empty lots are handled, and Mr. Bennett explained that they are treated just as if they were occupied; they would be assessed as though they were receiving benefit from the system. Mayor Swanson also inquired about the time frame for the design and engineering phases, should the Council approve the project. Mr. Bennett estimated six (6) months for the design phase. There is also the assessment district process to take into consideration, which could begin at the same time.as the design phase and would take about the same amount of time. After the six (6) month period, plus the bidding period for the plans, which should be about four (4) to six (6) weeks for a project this size, the City should allow nine (9) months to one (1) year to break ground, according to Mr. Tedesco. Councilman Pernell, after reviewing the stated costs, arrived at an initial cost of $2,500.00 per household, plus an additional $350.00 per month for thirty (30) years. This amount, he feels, would be unacceptable to the residents in the community. Mr. Bennett explained that what has been presented is a master plan, which could be implemented in a variety of ways. Some alternatives are presented in the preliminary report. Mayor Swanson said that the Council would study the preliminary report and determine what, if any, further questions need to be answered. The most important issues that will be of concern to the community will be the cost, the environmental impact and the stability of the land where trenching is necessary. Eventually, the Council would like to present to the community detailed information from the final report so that the community has an informed opportunity to judge the merits of the project on that basis. Councilman Pernell reminded the Council that the impetus for beginning this study was due to the land movement problem and the part that lubrication plays in that movement, and the possibility of removing the chances of subterranean lubrication by means of a sewer system. One alternative which was mentioned, that of a city-wide septic tank maintenance program, is of particular interest because of the possibility of detecting land movement and the possibility of avoiding the introduction of effluent into unstable strata. Councilman Pernell would like the City Manager to research this option further. Economically, the sewer system master plan does not seem feasible. Mayor Swanson also asked that the staff research the cost of septic tanks today, and compare that cost to the estimated cost, per household, of the sewer system. MATTERS FROM MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL Mayor Swanson Joint Meetina with RHCA Board of Directors Mayor Swanson and Mayor Pro Tem Murdock met with members of. the Community Association, Mr. Boyd and Dr. Roberts, and the following issues were discussed: _ 1. It was agreed upon that both Community Association staff and City staff will prepare a list of functions of each agency which would be available at the counter to residents and applicants, so that it is clear which agency does what and how to go about processing an application. 2. The Community Association would like for the City to find a method of channeling telephone calls to the appropriate person without the Association staff answering City telephone calls and vice versa. 3. consider physically changing the counter area with the possibility of having one person as the receptionist who would then channel requests of the public that come in, to the appropriate agency. 4. The Community Association requests that microphones be put into the Council Chamber for the purpose of hearing the Members of the Board and particularly for hearing the public when testifying. The Association was informed that there is an allocation in the City's budget for this item and it is being looked into. 5. The Association has reviewed the proposed View Preservation Ordinance and is in full support of the City's efforts in this area.: 6. The "City asked the Association if it would be possible to give a presentation on the sewer feasibility study at the annual meeting, however, because of the Association's very heavy 00 schedule and agenda, they requested that the City not give a presentation but it would be acceptable to distribute any material which is available at that time regarding the sewer study. co In conclusion, both the Community Association and the City felt the meeting was beneficial and are tentatively planning to meet again sometime in February. MATTERS FROM STAFF Annual Holidav Open House City Manager Belanger reminded the Council and the audience that the City's Third Annual Holiday Open House would be held on Monday,, December 21, at the Administration Building in the Council Chamber from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., and all residents of the community are welcome. The City Manager also announced that at this particular Holiday Open House, the City would be honoring June Cunningham, who is retiring as Deputy City Clerk, for her 21 years of service to the community. MEETING RECESSED TO CLOSED SESSION The meeting recessed to a closed session at 9:00 p.m. for the purpose of discussing personnel matters. MEETING RECONVENED Mayor Swanson reconvened the meeting at 9:25 p.m. after a recess to closed session at which the performance of the Deputy City Clerk was discussed. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. to Monday, December 21, 1987 at 4:30 p.m. Ida City Clerk APPROVED: Mayor