6:28 p.m. - Ukiah City Council Update
A new fee structure has been adopted for the Ukiah Municipal Golf Course by a 5-0 vote of the council.
A new fee structure has been adopted for the Ukiah Municipal Golf Course by a 5-0 vote of the council.
The council came out of closed session briefly to announce the approval of the city-wide 5 percent temporary pay cut.
The council approved item 11a and is now discussing the pulled item from the consent calendar.
Chambers said item 11b would be discussed after closed session:
Resolutions Concerning Temporary 5% Reduction in Employee Pay for April – June 2009: Management, Miscellaneous, Fire & Fire Management Bargaining Units.
The council is now considering item 10a
Resolution of the Ukiah City Council Regarding Senior Populations and Eligibility for Entitlement Programs, and Authorizing the City Council to Support State and Federal Legislation that Would Increase Protections for Seniors Disqualified from Public Programs/Services After Receiving One
Thomas wants the fourth and fifth wherases stricken:
WHEREAS, Over 600 cases of neglect and abuse were reported to Mendocino County Adult Protective Services in 2008; and
WHEREAS, the failure to address the widespread and persistent abuse and neglect of seniors breaches our social commitment to protect our most vulnerable citizens from harm; and
The council decided to come back at a later date to move on the ordinance after more information is provided.
After a short break the council is now hearing the following item:
Status Report Regarding Downtown/Perkins Street Zoning District (Form Based Code) Project
Landis and Rodin say they need more information about the ordinance.
Baldwin
I would like us to see us in two weeks look at the Lake County and Santa Rosa ordinances...The threat of litigation is hostile to the declaration of independence...I consider it a low blow this kind of threat...People deserve protection.
Baldwin seems perturbed that every time he calls for a speaker to finish up their comments he is rebuffed, most recently by Thomas.
Baldwin: "So am I to assume that everyone can speak as long as they want?"
Thomas: "That was not the nature of my objection."
Joe Carrol, attorney for Rancho del Rey
Is there really an issue and is this an issue the city needs to address tonight? Is there a fire here?...At this point in time there is nothing there.
Ross Liberty:
If you do this...you better be prepared to go all the way because these people that own these parks they aren't stupid...They will charge cable fee, they will charge whatever... 8:08
Phil Baldwin seems to be for the ordinance. Benj Thomas and Doug Crane seem to be against it.
Baldwin:
I am tending to believe it would be a valuable protection for residents.
Vice Mayor Benj Thomas:
Mobile home park residents...are tremendously vulnerable particularly to increases in mobile home park rents. How to protect them from excessive rent increases is at the heart of this. The question is who should be doing that protection. One answer is the city...
The council has taken up the following item:
d. City Attorney Report on and Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization Ordinance
Baldwin has warned that there is to be no applause or vocal support for the speakers just because it's an "emotional issue."
Councilmember Doug Crane thinks Arrow is being too rosy in his predictions.
Arrow:
"The assumptions we used we believed were reasonable...and at this point in time...That's why this is a working model."
Councilmember Mari Rodin:
"Often the decisions we may have to deal with is the loss of employees to other cities who's salaries are higher...It's not like we willy-nilly give raises whenever a bargaining unit requests it."
Richard Arrow of Government Financial Strategies is giving the city an idea of how broke it could be if no intervention is taken.
Sample:
"Without intervention by your council, by 2014 you’re 17.8 million in the red."
Items in the unfinished business are reordered as follows:
c. Receive Report from Government Financial Strategies (GFS) Regarding Projected General Fund Revenues and Expenditures
d. City Attorney Report on and Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization Ordinance
a. Resolution of the Ukiah City Council Regarding Senior Populations and Eligibility for Entitlement Programs, and Authorizing the City Council to Support State and Federal Legislation that Would Increase Protections for Seniors Disqualified from Public Programs/Services After Receiving One
b. Status Report Regarding Downtown/Perkins Street Zoning District (Form Based Code) Project
Item b was removed from the consent calendar by audience member John Graff and is now 11c:
b. Renewal of Annual IBM AS/400 Hardware Maintenance Contract through Chouinard and Myhre, Inc. in the Amount of $9357.35.
The City Council has taken a ten minute break between the end of the Redevelopment Agency meeting and the start of the city council meeting. Mayor Phil Baldwin said he would run closed session of the redevelopment agency concurrently with the city council's closed session.