Council Retreat Meeting

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL RETREAT MEETING CITY OF MONTEREY Friday, May 10, 2019 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. MONTEREY CONFERENCE CENTER COLTON ROOM, 1 PORTOLA PLAZA MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Councilmembers Present: Councilmembers Albert, Haffa, Smith, Williamson, Roberson Absent: None City Staff City Manager, Interim Assistant City Manager, City Attorney, Acting City Present: Clerk CALL TO ORDER Mayor Roberson called the meeting to order at 9:13 a.m. RETREAT 1. City Council Retreat The focus of a Council Retreat is team building, group dynamics, governance, and process. Council does not take formal action on any items. Following is a general outline of discussion points for this meeting. • City Manager's Overview • Review City Council Governance Resolution & Reconsideration Policy (Mayor) • Review City Council Priorities (Council Members) (Not a Project Under CEQA per Article 20, Section 15378 and Under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061) (City Council - 701-01) Action: Received City Manager’s Overview; Reviewed Governance City Manager Uslar gave a presentation providing an overview about the Monterey community and the City’s programs, visions, economy, challenges for the years ahead, and successes. He discussed the budget status, noted priorities for unassigned dollars in the general fund, and spoke about positions that are not filled currently and the resulting impacts on employee morale and the City’s finances. He revisited the priorities identified by Council at the last retreat. Mayor Roberson opened a discussion among the Council about governance. He addressed the existing Council policy for preparing minutes for meetings of the Council and boards and commissions, and noted that staff is spending longer to prepare non-action minutes. Following receiving feedback from staff, the Council discussed the matter and expressed that in addition to actions only, it is beneficial to provide information about what led to the body’s decision and why the majority and minority voted as they did. Various additional ways of providing access and transparency were suggested such as transcription software, time markers on video, and sharing more of Council’s actions on social media. The Council expressed that the existing minutes policy is still relevant and appropriate. The Council and staff discussed emails to and from constituents and related restrictions of the Brown Act. Mayor Roberson suggested that one Councilmember take on being a Boards and Commission City Council Minutes Friday, May 10, 2019 Subcommittee of one in the interest of efficiency and hold the appointments process in a non- public setting. The Council agreed that such a system would be more efficient and that the one Councilmember could be the Mayor or the rotating Vice Mayor. On question, City Attorney Davi said that if individual Councilmembers contacted individual applicants, they should disclose that at the meeting when appointments are discussed. The Council recessed at 10:35 a.m. and reconvened at 10:45 a.m. The Council discussed the priorities stated at the January 14, 2019 retreat. Water Topics discussed relating to water included:  Looking at the potential solutions such as placing a smaller desal plant at the site where a former waste water plant was situated in Monterey, piping water to Monterey One Water instead of releasing it from the City’s lakes into the ocean, offloading all storm runoff to Monterey One Water, drilling the City’s own well, and/or pumping water from the Monterey aquifer  What will happen if construction doesn’t start in September, 2019 on the Cal Am Water desalination plant and the possibility of Council writing a letter to the Coastal Commission in support of the desalination plant being approved  The suggestion to hold a study session on the subject of water, perhaps with the Water Management District presenting  What to do in the event of a water drawdown or the expiration of the Carmel River cease and desist order  The impact of water on the housing shortage Affordable Housing Topics discussed relating to affordable housing included:  A suggestion to have a presentation from the City’s Housing office or the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) on the calculation of housing numbers  The concept that increasing affordable housing in conjunction with preserving Monterey’s character and quality of life are seen as in conflict by some constituents  What can be done to make housing affordable and encourage developers to develop affordable units  The City’s control over private developers in terms of fees, zoning, and some topics in MBEP white paper, and the fact that the City can build 100% affordable with its own properties  The question of how to bolster protections for renters and the suggestion that City staff present on current renter protections, possible improvements and best practices  Home ownership as a goal instead of renting apartments Other Priorities Topics discussed not fitting into the categories of water or affordable housing included:  The Old Capitol Site – Continuing the conversation about Council’s vision for the site, and the best way to budget and pay for capital improvements in the future  How to fund improvements and increase revenues 2 City Council Minutes Friday, May 10, 2019  Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) -- Potentially raising it as a revenue source, and the need to consider the Conference Center Facilities District in this discussion  Service fee structures – How to preserve service levels and keep money flowing to maintain current services  Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) – Figuring out a solution to ensure that NIP projects are maintained with NIP funds, not the General Fund  Low staff morale – Due to understaffing, staff is struggling  Campaign finance  Public safety – What is needed for their facility improvements and what is the timeline  Recreation – Suggestion that recreation should be at the forefront of anything the City Council does  The environment – Suggestion that the environment ties in with quality of life and should be used to champion and brand Monterey Mayor Roberson opened public comments. Esther Malkin spoke in support of the Council’s ability to discuss topics openly at the retreat. With no further requests, Mayor Roberson closed public comments. ADJOURNMENT The Council adjourned at 12:07 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Clementine Bonner Klein Clyde Roberson Acting City Clerk Mayor 3