Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/03/2011 07:51 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/03/2011 07:52 PM
Expires: 01/01/2016 12:00 AM
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City of Angels Camp Meeting Heavy on Issues Effecting Bottom Line for City Budget~by Patrick Works
Angels Camp CA.....This month’s Angels Camp City Council meeting’s agenda was heavy on issues effecting the bottom line for the City budget; particularly those related to parking enforcement fines and the always contentious water rates for the City of Angels Camp. Infrastructure and Quality of life meetings scheduled for the last few weeks have been put off due to the recent weather concerns. Public comment tonight started with the introduction of the new director of the Angels Camp Museum. Effusive praise and a brief summary of his resume.....
Craig Hanley took the podium to offer his thanks for his warm welcome to the city, having only arrived in the last couple of weeks. Mr. Hanley has deep experience in his field, wonderful plans for the future of the Angels Camp Museum, and seems to be off on the right foot here in Angels Camp.
Mr. Frog’s Wild Ride was approved. The Feeney Park Foundation’s annual fundraiser is officially on!
13 – 14 property owners in Angels Camp have been asked by the City of Angels to be part of a sewer rehabilitation project, all but one of whom have signed on. Tonight the City Engineer, Vanessa Apodaca, proposed that the project move forward to the bid solicitation phase.
Vice Mayor Lynch read from detailed technical reports to remind the assembled citizens of Angels Camp that the issue at hand with this agenda item is the replacement of very old waste water and sewage collection systems that are 3-12 times over normal dry weather capacity during wet months. The greatest and continuing concern is the intrusion of waste water and sewage into the groundwater locally, as of course so many of our local properties are served by wells.
Motion was carried.
With less impact to the bottom line, but perhaps more long term political concern with many in attendance tonight, the City Council undertook official consideration of allowing non-city residents to sit as part of advisory committees for the City of Angels Camp.
Currently the relevant ordinance requires that anyone sitting on such a committee in any capacity be a registered voter and resident of the City of Angels Camp. As there are quite a few residents of our community who live outside the city limits of Angels Camp, and inquiries regarding their ability to serve in an advisory capacity to committees seated as part of Angels Camp city government; of particular consideration was the advisory committee for the Angels Camp Museum.
Comment from the board members, as well as the public in attendance, agreed in large part, that the residency requirements as currently written tie the hands of many members of the community who are very involved and invested in support and promotion of our region and the City of Angels Camp.
One local business person, Michelle Lee, had this to say:
“I live perhaps 100 yards outside the city limits. We own a lodging business within the city, I was born and raised here, my family is here, and we’ll always be here. I’m a member of boards for the Branding Committee, the Visitors Bureau and the Angels Camp Business Association.
The Museum Commission was represented tonight by Lori Kautz and Judith Marvin who came to read a public letter officially requesting an exemption for Commission members from the current statute. Pointing out that all commission members are volunteers.
Bob Menari.
The Angels Camp Branding Committee president came to remind the Council that over 50% of the current membership of the committee is made up of non-residents of the City of Angels Camp.
Vice Mayor Lynch proposed that a compromise regarding proportional representation of non city residents be arrived at that would allow so many of those who would like to serve, and are effected by decisions made within the City of Angels Camp.
Mayor Boeding proposed that there be no limit at all regarding residency for this particular committee, reminding those in attendance that so many qualified and enthusiastic people who’d like to help are not allowed by the current statute.
City Attorney Richard Matranga suggested that Council staff draft proposed changes and that those then be brought to his office for official consideration.
Motion by the Council was to follow the suggestion of the City Attorney and direct staff to put together a package of proposed changes to the current statute; consideration of which will be brought to the next Council meeting appropriate upon completion of that process. Motion carried.
Access Management was presented without action by the Council, as public attendees and the council was able to find detail regarding plans in the making between the City of Angels and Caltrans for the SR49 corridor.
Public safety, increased ease and capacity for existing traffic and future traffic needs, as well as the resulting effects of those variables upon community and economic vitality were bullet points of the access management plan.
Caltrans representatives presenting plans tonight for access management emphasized the limited authority that Caltrans has for local changes to access. Experience Caltrans has regarding safety was reiterated as well, and their report pointed out a few specific examples of access that could be made more to increase safety for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
While the increase of traffic and the consequent increase in potential traffic “conflict” due to anticipated or planned commercial development could not be addressed directly b by Caltrans and their report, the council did address those plans within agenda items that follow.
Direct reference to the Wayfinding project and the City’s efforts to fill in sidewalks along the Main St. SR49 5 mile corridor, passed with only a passing comment. A community member asked what Caltrans is doing to assist coordination of these efforts and their understanding of who is the authority of final decision when those various plans come into conflict.
Returning to the perennial issue of zoning restrictions to commercial development footprints in Angels Camp, the Council considered amendment to current statutory restrictions on the size of businesses to be considered locally. Long term concerns about the impact of “big box” stores on local businesses were expressed by Mr. Turco. Speaking in some detail on his concerns, Mr. Turco described the difference between anecdotal examples of desires expressed for particular retail shopping options, as well as a difference of understanding regarding likely sales tax revenues between those in favor and those opposed to “big box” retailers in our community.
Motion in approval of the amendment was carried 4-1 to loud applause from the crowd.
Council member Turco was the only vote against the change.
The City Council then moved on to the water rates for the residents of the City of Angels Camp. Reserve water funds available to the City of Angels were proposed to be dedicated in part to the de facto reduction of water rates.
Detailed discussion regarding the proposed resolution introduced those assembled that the “suspension to include 1000 ft3 in the base rate” might be understood to be an actual decrease in the rate. Council member Turco reminded the council that this resolution could always be reversed by a future vote.
Public comment questioned the specific numbers presented of the reserve, and whether the proposed rate changes included “hookup fees” and the disparity between those fees in various parts of the City of Angels Camp were discussed. Mayor Boeding reminded the assembled public that those disparities came about as a result of court order years ago, and the current City of Angels administration is obligated to honor that court order.
Newest City Council member Stuart Raggio spoke to the unfinished business regarding the hidden costs of maintaining the current system, needed repairs that have not yet been fully described in reports still in progress, and whether or not all users of the City of Angels water system will benefit from the proposed reduction.
Vice Mayor Lynch reminded the Council that past expenditures from the City of Angels water fund have been prodigious and continue. Earlier in reference to the Angels water system, both member Lynch and member Raggio reported that among regional water authorities Angels Camp had been singled out as one of two among ten or more who were evaluated by outside parties as having performed up to all expectations to maintain public water systems.
Mayor Boeding reiterated the need for our local residents to find some relief from the burden of these fees.
Resolution was moved, voted upon, and approved 3-2.
Parking citation fees were increased by $3.00 unanimously.
Traffic mitigation fees were addressed as the last item on the agenda tonight. These fees are collected as a part of any new development in the City of Angels Camp, planning for which was made together with CCOG.
Fee uses include the building of traffic signals and road improvements needed to assist the flow of new traffic brought about by planned development, and is coordinated with CalTrans and other concerned agencies.
Historic votes by the County Planning Commission approved this increase by 4-1, with the dissenting vote based on the impact of increased fees to possible developers and their tenant businesses, and the consequent impact to job growth in our area.
While most of the discussion regarding these fees had to do with commercial development, this proposal also included private dwellings proposed to be built in Angels Camp, so thus would incur a new fee from the City of Angels of $4000 per unit on any residential construction.
Numbers for proposed “big box stores” at the theoretical model so often discussed of 80k ft sq would bring about an additional traffic mitigation fee of $500,000.
While understanding that even a simple traffic signal costs approx. $275,000 to build, the additional fees were seen by many on the council, as well as those of the public in attendance, as perhaps a large hurdle some potential developers might find too high.
Movement to adopt the motion was met with no second, so was dropped without a vote.
Meeting Adjourned. Stay tuned to thepinetree.net!
-Your intrepid reporter, Patrick Works
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