HomeMy WebLinkAboutTC Min 2019-03-15 1�r lf✓_ ��'�
TOWN OF TIBURON
` 1505 Tiburon Boulevard
s'. Tiburon, CA 94920
IN I IN e)tlloi 17 UNA
Date: March 20. 2019
To: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
From: Lea Stefani, Town Clerk
Subject: Summary of March 15, 2019 Council-Staff Retreat
On March 15, 2019, the Town Council held a special meeting at The Ranch at Dairy Knoll for
the purpose of its annual retreat with Town staff.
At 8:30 a.m., Mayor Kulik called the meeting to order. Councilmembers Fraser and Thier, Vice
Mayor Fredericks and Mayor Kulik were present. Councilmember Welner attended the meeting
by teleconference. Staff members present were Town Manager Chanis, Town Attorney Stock,
Director of Public Works/Town Engineer Barnes, Associate Engineer Eshoo, Chief of Police
Cronin, Director of Community Development Kwon, Building Official Salzman, Associate
Planner O'Malley, Director of Administrative Services Sweitzer, Accounting and Finance
Manager Kurakina, and Town Clerk Stefani. Several representatives from the fire districts
serving Tiburon were also in attendance: Mike Lantier from Tiburon Fire Protection District and
Fred Hilliard and Ted Peterson from Southern Marin Fire Protection District. Mark Van Gorder
from PG&E also attended. One member of the public (Deirdre McCrohan, the Ark newspaper)
attended, and was joined later by several other members of the public.
Mayor Kulik asked for oral communications. There were none.
The Mayor and Town Manager reviewed the agenda. Chanis said the goal of the annual retreat is
to review several open discussion topics and give general direction to staff on items to bring back
to a Town Council meeting.
The list of topics discussed. a brief surninary and direction given is below:
Vegetation Management and Emer(gency Preparedness
Director of Public Works/Town Engineer Barnes said there had been discussions about the
shared responsibility of vegetation nnana0enlent between the Town, the local fire districts, PG&E
and residents. He touched on the Town's Open Space Management Plan, and said the first
priority in the plan is fire safety activities and public safety hazards.
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Barnes also spoke about the Town's difficulty in finding a qualified contractor to work in the
vicinity of sensitive habitats. He noted that Open Space Management will likely require an
increased budget.
Fred Hilliard, Southern Marin Fire District, and Mike Lantier, Tiburon Fire Protection District,
spoke together about protecting the community against wildfire. Hilliard touched on improving
public outreach and education, the annual vegetation management inspection process and
keeping up with consistent legislation.
Lantier said there is a new trend in the county about `fire-wise' communities, and spoke on the
fire district's commitment to educating neighbors to help each other.
The Council and the representatives from the fire districts discussed improving public outreach —
mailers, social media, and online resources. Mayor Kulik noted that community outreach
presentations before June would be well-received.
Mark Van Gorder from PG&E also noted that PG&E is available for local outreach
presentations. He explained PG&E's commitment to creating defensible space in high-risk areas
and conducting annual vegetation inspections in their facilities. Mr. Van Gorder said PG&E is
implementing a number of solutions to protect against wildfire and improve reliability during
winter storms.
Draft Town Council Protocols Policy
Town Manager Chanis and Town Clerk Stefani presented a draft policy handbook for
councilmember procedures and protocols that would formally establish relevant procedures for
the Town Council, such as requests to put an item on a future agenda. Staff asked for general
feedback on the policy, and i'or the Council to discuss establishing any procedures in areas that
the Town does not yet have any formalized process.
Several Councilmembers recognized the need to establish certain procedures, like requests to
place items on future agendas. but debated the need for a written policy document.
The Council agreed to:
1) Establish an annual meeting calendar and publish it to the website.
2) Likely not change the start time of regular meetings.
3) Keep a `common sense' approach for handling requests for Mayor's proclamations by
entrusting the Town Manager and Mayor to make a determination.
4) Continue the practice of councihnember requests to add items to future agendas during
the Town Council Reports section of meeting agendas.
Video StreaminI4 Public Meetings
Town Manager Chanis and Town Clerk Stefani said the Council had previously discussed the
possibility of video recording and streaming public meetings, if desired. Staff explained the
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Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM) is responsible for the ownership and maintenance
of the equipment and the video stream would run on their television channel and the Town's
website. There would likely be no major fiscal impact to the Town, unless the Council desired to
hire a trained CMCM operator to run the cameras during the meetings.
The Council discussed the improved transparency element of video streaming meetings online,
but there was still concern about the impact of video recording meetings on the audience, staff
and councihnembers (both present and future).
Without a clear consensus, Town Attorney Stock recommended this item be brought to a future
Town Council meeting for public input and a vote.
The group recessed for lunch at 12:30 p.m., and reconvened at 1:15 p.m.
General Plan Process Update
Director of Community Development Kwon said the Planning Division is beginning the process
of updating the General Plan. He said the typical steps are to send out a Request for Proposals
and the Council will enter into a contract with a consultant that assists with public outreach.
The Council spoke in support of the update, and involving the community as much as possible.
Town Manager Chanis said staff envisions the process to have lots of community and
brainstorming meetings, but staff will be looking for direction from the Council on which
sections might require the most attention.
The Council recommended seeking the consultant's opinion on how to best maximize public
outreach, and Vice Mayor Fredericks recommended reaching out to specific groups that are
involved in local issues, but not necessarily town government.
Director Kwon said the RFP will likely go out at the end of 2019, and the Council will interview
consultants in the following months. He said the whole update will likely take several years.
Housing: State Legislation and Tiburon Challenges
Director Kwon presented the Towns progress on meeting the required Regional Housing Need
Allocation (RHNA) numbers. He said the State of California is prioritizing housing production,
and some State bills may take away some local control.
Vice Mayor Fredericks and Director Kwon commented on several items of proposed legislation
that may limit the authority of local jurisdictions to require housing projects to comply with
existing land use and zoning regulations. particularly as applied to multi unit developments with
affordable units or developments within '/2 mile of a transit station, such as the downtown ferry.
Town Manager Chanis said the Town is welcoming to all ideas to build housing, but high costs
in Tiburon do make it difficult. He noted that many cities in California are also struggling to find
housing solutions.
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Mid-Year Operating Budget Review
Town Manager Chanis briefly summarized the mid-year operating budget status. He said the
Town is projecting an overage in revenue. and is expected to come in under budget with
expenditures. He said the Town currently predicts a $680,000 surplus at the end of the fiscal
year. He said the General Fund Reserves account is strong, but the competition for use is
increasing.
Review of Budget Reserves and Capital Improvement Program
Due to time constraints, the Mayor said this item would be continued to a later meeting of the
Town Council.
The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.
DAVID KLA-1K, MAYOR
ATTEST:
LEA ST F NI, TOWN CLERK
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