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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC_1983-06-27 Adjourned Meeting MinutesMORRO BAY CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED MEETING - JUNE 27, 1983 RECREATION HALL - 1:00 P.M. Mayor Shelton called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. with the following members in attendance: Mayor Shelton, Councilrnembers Anderson, Lemons, Risley and Zeuschner. Also present were City Administrator Paul Baxter, and staff members George Carpenter, Murrel Crump, Dave Howell, Gary Napper, Nick Nichols, Gere t ibbach, Steve Wolter, Bernie Zerr and Peggy Buchanan. Mr. Baxter stated that additional information had been distributed to Council as requested at their previous budget meeting, along with two Resolutions for Council's consideration. Mr. Baxter stated that included in the packet was a Resolution to adopt the 1983-84 budget, and a Resolution to adopt an interim budget, in the event Council was not ready to give final approval t o this year's budget. Mr. Baxter reviewed various reductions in expenditures that had t aken place since the last budget session. Mr. Baxter noted that t his reductions reflected Council's new direction regarding the Dial -A -Ride and street overlay programs, and the reductions in personnel. Mr. Baxter then reviewed a sample budget for a full time City Attorney, and noted that total cost for first year operation w ould be approximately $119,000 to $140,000. Mr. Baxter also informed Council that there may be an additional $50,000 loss in revenues to the City due to the fiscal crises in t he State budget. Mayor Shelton noted that there were representative present for o utside agencies who might wish to make a presentation. Jackie Vincent, representative from Hospice, presented their proposal and request for $350.00 to assist the agency. Maria Singleton, representing Hotline, also gave a brief presentation to Council regarding Hotline's services, and ✓ equested funding in the amount of $500. Arthur Bartlett, President of the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce ✓ eviewed their proposal for the 1983-84 fiscal year, and stated t hat their initial request had been for $32,000 and asked that Council reconsider this initial request. Council discussed various Chamber proposals, and promotional plans for the corning year. Grace Melton spoke in support of the Chamber of Commerce, and o utlined several projects in the works for the Chamber. 1 MORRO BAY CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED MEETING - JUNE 27, 1983 P AGE TWO Councilmember Risley requested Council discussion of the proposal for a full time City Attorney. Councilmember Risley stated that h e had developed his own figures which were considerably lower t han those projected by staff. Councilmember Risley felt that t he amount staff set for office space, salary and property management were too high, and suggested that property management should be covered by the City Attorney rather than a separate consultant. Councilmember Lemons stated that he felt the figures were ✓ easonable, and suggested that if the salary were lower, the q uality of attorney would be lower also. Councilmember Lemons did n ot feel the City needed a full-time City Attorney. Council discussed this proposal further. Councilmember Zeuschner stated that there may be hidden costs in o ur present services, such as the timeliness of service. Councilmember Lemons stated that he did not believe there had e ver been a time when the absence of a legal opinion had precluded Council action. Councilmember Risley reviewed other aspects of a full-time City Attorney's proposed budget. Council discussed setting criteria for service and re -defining a contract to provide specific functions for the City Attorney. Mr. Baxter stated that the present agreement is dated 1971, with several updates. Mr. Baxter stated that he could work on development of criteria and perhaps provide Council with a draft of a contract. Mr. Baxter suggested that perhaps a study session would be of assistance in this determination. P eter Diffley stated that Council should examine the idea of a full-time attorney. Mayor Shelton stated that Council needed to arrive at a decision ✓ egarding levels of service for Dial -A -Ride. The Mayor reviewed t he fact that Council had conceptually agreed with the findings o f the committee report regarding Dial -A -Ride services and fees. Councilmember Risley stated that Council should formally adopt t he findings of the Committee regarding Dial -A -Ride. 2 MORRO BAY CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED MEETING - JUNE 27, 1983 P AGE THREE MOTION: Councilmember Lemons moved that Council adopt the findings of the Committee regarding Dial -A -Ride fees and services. The motion was seconded by Mayor Shelton and carried unanimously. (5-0) Mayor Shelton suggested that staff monitor the Dial -A -Ride system t o determine the effectiveness of the changes. Councilmember Anderson suggested that Council place a limit on funding for transportation in the City of Morro Bay. Councilmember Anderson described a recent discussion with the City of Pismo Beach regarding their bed tax and community promotions project. Councilmember Anderson stated that the City of Pismo Beach had been able to increase the bed tax, and by channeling additional funds into community promotions, to also increase the tourism and occupancy rates in the City. Council discussed various aspects of this type of proposal, and t he amount of revenues it could generate. Councilmember Risley stated that many other cities in the State h ad much higher bed taxes than Morro Bay, and were not being hurt by them. Councilmember Anderson reviewed the Pismo concept in detail, and n oted that Pismo promotes the "off-season" to enhance the o ccupancy rate in a slow time of year. Councilmember Lemons felt the idea was appealing. Mayor Shelton noted that actions taken by the City of Pismo Beach provided strong arguments for this type of increase, as they seemed to be profiting by it in increased tourism. Council discussed this idea in relation to Measure A, and noted t hat even though the courts had overruled Measure A, the public h ad made their feelings known. Council also discussed what the funds from an increased bed tax would go towards. Mr. Baxter stated that if Council were to consider adopting an O rdinance to increase the bed tax, the revenues could not be specifically assigned to any project, but would have to go into t he General Fund. There was additional discussion regarding this subject. 3 MORRO BAY CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED MEETING - JUNE 27, 1983 P AGE FOUR Council discussed the possibility of levying a bed tax on ✓ ecreational vehicle parks, and the idea of monthly collection ✓ ather than quarterly. MOTION: Councilmernber Anderson moved that Council direct staff to prepare an Ordinance which would increase t he bed tax to eight percent (8%) and extend the tax t o recreational vehicles; and that staff investigate t he benefits of monthly collection of the bed tax. The motion was seconded by Councilmernber Lemons and carried unanimously. (5-0) Bob Ward stated that he was aware the City needed additional ✓ evenues, but hoped that the Council would put an end to the bed t ax increase after this. Mr. Ward stated he was in favor of promotions during the off-season, as this was the main time the t ourists were few. MOTION: Councilmember Anderson moved that the Council allocate an additional $40,000 for community promo- t ions from the General Fund, to be used in a manner t o be specified later. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Zeuschner and carried unanimously. (5-0) Council agreed to continue discussion of the budget during the ✓ egularly scheduled meeting to begin at 7:30 p.m. MOTION: Councilmernber Anderson moved that the meeting be adjourned to the City Hall Conference Room, to hold interviews for Water Advisory Board applicants. The motion was seconded by Mayor Shelton and carried unanimously. (4:55 p.m.) The meeting was adjourned to the City Hall Conference Room. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, DEP C ANAN Y CITY CLERK 4