Council Special Meeting

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING CITY OF MONTEREY Wednesday, June 24, 2015 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. COUNCIL CHAMBER, FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Councilmembers Present: Councilmember Barrett, Councilmember Downey, Councilmember Smith, Mayor Roberson Absent: Councilmember Haffa City Staff City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Attorney, Finance Director, Chief Present: of Planning, Engineering & Environmental Compliance, Acting City Engineer, Public Works Inspector, Principal Engineer, Fitness Manager, Recreation & Community Services Manager CALL TO ORDER Mayor Roberson called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. and introduced City staff. Senior Assistant City Clerk Bonner took a roll call of attendance, and Mayor Roberson noted that Councilmember Haffa would be absent for this meeting. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Roberson opened the floor for public comment. Anthony Lombardo, representing Monterey Fish on Wharf II, said that his client has a recurring problem with the customer parking spaces that they rent from the City. He showed a photo of crab traps and squid bins left in the parking spaces by other concessionaires, and requested that the City mark the parking spaces appropriately or find another solution as quickly as possible. Regarding Wharf I, Mr. Lombardo said that a recent representation of Mr. Shake by Planning Commissioner McCrone is offensive and untrue. He said that Mr. McCrone is acting in a way that is prejudiced against tenants of the Wharf, and on behalf of Mr. Shake, he requests that the City require Mr. McCrone to recuse himself when Wharf-related issues are discussed. Mayor Roberson said that City staff would follow up on the parking space issue. Sam Rashkin spoke on behalf of Pat Finch, Finch and Pirkle Insurance Services, saying that during the current phases of the Downtown and Waterfront Master Plans, the City has an opportunity to address the homeless issue. He said that there are many homeless individuals, some who are veterans, who exist in a “shadow population” all around us and share common basic human needs: restrooms, showers, electrical outlets and internet, a safe place to lock their belongings, convenient and affordable places to do laundry and to sleep, and access to medical care. On behalf of Mr. Finch, a veteran himself, Mr. Rashkin recommended a public restroom with electrical outlets and wifi near the transit center, and noted that the garage bathroom has poor signage. He suggested using waterfront funds to provide services to the public, such as a solar, coin-operated public shower at Wharf II. Having no further requests to speak, Mayor Roberson closed public comment.  City Council Minutes Wednesday, June 24, 2015 PUBLIC APPEARANCE 1. Recommendation for Appointments to the Measure P Oversight Committee (Information Resources - 701-06) Action: Appointed Rick Aldinger, Mike Brassfield, Carol Chorbajian, Bruce Crist, and Rick Heuer for a term through the life of the tax measure Mayor Roberson said that the five applicants who are recommended for appointment to the Measure P Oversight Committee are very qualified and represent Monterey’s hospitality, commercial, business, neighborhood, and taxpayer associations. He said that the other applicants were excellent and the City should keep them in mind as a resource in the future. Mayor Roberson opened the floor for public comment, and with no requests to speak, he closed public comment. Councilmember Smith moved that Council accept the five recommendations as written, and the motion was seconded by Councilmember Barrett. Councilmember Downey suggested a friendly amendment to specify Carol Chorbajian as the Committee’s Chairperson, since she served on the Ballot Measure Advisory Committee last year. Councilmembers Barrett and Smith agreed that Ms. Chorbajian’s experience was valuable but said the group may wish to select their chair. Councilmember Downey said that she would support the existing motion as proposed, and suggested for the record that Ms. Chorbajian would make a good Chairperson. The motion carried by the following vote: AYES: 4 COUNCILMEMBERS: Barrett, Downey, Smith, Roberson NOES: 0 COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: 1 COUNCILMEMBERS: Haffa ABSTAIN: 0 COUNCILMEMBERS: None RECUSED: 0 COUNCILMEMBERS: None STUDY SESSION 2. Receive a Report on Prior Studies Addressing Potential Alternative Water Supplies in Monterey (Plans & Public Works - 701-01) Action: Received report Mayor Roberson briefly clarified that the issue of water used at the City’s parks had been referred to the Parks and Recreation Commission and would return to Council eventually. Acting City Engineer Wittry gave a presentation regarding various ways that the City could capture non-potable groundwater or storm water. He explained that groundwater comes up easily in certain parts of Monterey, but would need to be captured directly adjacent to the area where it would be used. Otherwise, it would be classified as a water distribution system, which could require modifications to the agreement with California American Water and additional monitoring and testing with the Department of Public Health. Mayor Roberson asked him to further research the ramifications of instituting a water distribution system and report back to Council. On question from Councilmember Smith, Acting City Engineer Wittry said that some sites for potential groundwater reclamation would have a relatively inexpensive cost per acre foot, but others would be much pricier, and that the more expensive sites tend to be the ones with the lowest producing potential. Acting City Engineer Wittry said that one challenge of storm water capture and reuse is coming up with somewhere to store it. He said that in 2014, City staff did a pilot test to see if Lake El Estero water could be treated and added to the groundwater for future extraction, and the test showed that it was feasible. He said that additional studies would have to be performed to investigate the impacts to Lake El Estero and the local groundwater situation. He said that 2 City Council Minutes Wednesday, June 24, 2015 wherever the City pulls water from its system, it must be careful what happens downstream. On question from Councilmember Barrett, Acting City Engineer Wittry said that a study about the feasibility of developing potable water from Lake El Estero sources has not yet been done, and there may be the potential to capture storm water drainage from New Monterey. Councilmember Barrett asked if the City has exhausted its search for water related grants. Acting City Engineer Wittry said that it appears there is grant money available but the City is not sure if its projects will qualify and is waiting to find out from the State about the timeline involved. Councilmember Downey asked for clarification on storm water being diverted to the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency, and Acting City Engineer Wittry stated that storm water goes into the lakes at El Estero, Laguna Grande, and the Naval Postgraduate School, and the diversion of storm water to the MRWPCA is not a continual diversion, but something that happened once for a specific pilot test. Councilmember Downey discussed the need to receive credit for providing water to the MRWPCA. Chief of Planning, Engineering & Environmental Compliance Rerig said that Council wrote a letter recently, addressing the groundwater recharge project environmental impact report produced by the MRWPCA and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, and specifying the need to perfect the City’s water rights and get a credit back through the regional solution. He said that the City will need an agreement in place before it pipes its water to the MRWPCA. Councilmember Downey said that she supports such an agreement. Councilmember Smith asked about the ability to drill wells, and Chief of Planning, Engineering & Environmental Compliance Rerig said that there are a permitting process and hurdles involved, but no moratorium at this time. He cited the City of Monterey’s City Code section restricting wells, Monterey County’s safety-oriented ordinance, and regulations from the water district. He added that it would not be feasible, safety-wise, to drill a well on most City lots due to the smaller size of the lots and the short distance from wastewater and other lines. Mayor Roberson opened the floor for public comments, and Nelson Vega said that discussing smaller water projects is a waste of time because of the high cost per acre foot. He said that the original primary goal of the mayors’ Monterey Peninsula Regional Water Authority was to bring down the cost per acre foot of water. He asked Council to allow the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District and Cal Am Water to do their jobs and obtain a water source that will bring down the cost per acre foot for ratepayers. Tom Reeves, former City Engineer, said that with storm water it is a matter of timing as much as quantity, as rain usually falls in the winter when we don’t need to water our lawns. He said that the City utilizes Lake El Estero water well, but in the wintertime thousands of acre feet of water are pumped into the ocean because it isn’t needed at that time. He suggested that the City of Monterey work with its neighbors to amicably find a smart way of harnessing runoff and using it for benefit of all cities, rather than each city figuring out on their own what is best for them. He disagreed with Nelson Vega’s assertion, and said it is inevitable that discharging storm water into the Pacific Ocean will be curtailed in the future. He said it would be better if the City would start working in that direction now. Steve Thomas spoke, representing the Pure Water Monterey project, a joint project between the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. He thanked Mayor Roberson for his work with the Monterey Peninsula Regional Water Authority and Councilmember Downey for her work with the MRWPCA, as well as the City Council for looking at these issues. He said he wanted to clarify that the Lake El Estero project is designed to take flows that are already being discharged out of Lake El Estero into Monterey Bay and route them through current sewer pipes to the treatment plants. He agreed that there is still a lot of work that has to go into water rights. He said that the other Councils on the peninsula understand that they will have to come together collectively with a portfolio of water projects. 3 City Council Minutes Wednesday, June 24, 2015 April Harrison, Old Town Neighborhood Association representative to the Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee, applauded what the City has done to date with water conservation but also registered her concerns regarding water available for parks. She said that the NIP has invested a lot of money into park improvements to make the parks more enjoyable for residents and tourists, and she doesn’t want to see Larkin Park and Veteran’s Memorial Park bear the brunt of water conservation for the whole city and risk being turned into deserts. She wondered about the cost to rehabilitate those parks once rain returns, and offered to write a letter to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Michael Warburton, Executive Director of Public Trust Alliance, said that the use of water by agriculture has been avoided but cannot be ignored, and that the entire urban water consumption in Monterey County can be solved for less than one half of one percent of the water use by agriculture. He said that the public is increasingly hesitant about accepting advice from experts. He complimented the presentation by Acting City Engineer Wittry but said that there is more to the story. He said that the bigger plan doesn’t make sense and it is important to figure out ways to share public water supplies. Sharon Dwight, New Monterey Neighborhood Association representative to the Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee, asked if the same standards about water distribution hold for moving water via a water truck. She suggested looking into a number of ideas including putting intermediate dams in tributary canyons coming down from Holman Highway and pumping water through pipes up to the Presidio, and said that lesser expensive components of the NIP water study would be a value. She suggested that Monterey should consider something similar to the valves through which Pacific Grove captures runoff water from rain or property leaks, sends it to the sewer treatment plant, and utilizes it again. Hearing no further requests to speak, Mayor Roberson closed public comments and took further comments from Council. Councilmember Barrett said that Monterey’s beaches are an attraction that add to the quality of life of residents and attract tourists, and are an economic driver. He wondered how reduced runoff would affect the beaches, and Acting City Engineer Wittry said that potential impact would need to be studied. Councilmember Smith said that water is the highest priority right now, and thanked Mr. Wittry for his presentation. He said that the City must continue to look for and explore solutions for the water problem, and act as a leader in the region, if not the state. Councilmember Downey asked about water usage in the showers at the Monterey Sports Center, and City Manager McCarthy said that the issue has been referred to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Mayor Roberson said that Council appreciated the staff report, which he said Council would think about and pursue at a later date. Mayor Roberson opened public comments on the upcoming closed session items, and receiving no requests to speak, closed public comments. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Roberson adjourned the meeting at 5:18 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Clementine Bonner Clyde Roberson Senior Assistant City Clerk Mayor 4