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.
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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%).
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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