Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program Committee Meeting

CITY OF MONTEREY NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM COMMITTEE “Kick-off” Meeting January 27, 2011 Council Chambers, Few Memorial Hall FINAL Minutes CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. ROLL CALL All fourteen neighborhoods were represented: Aguajito Oaks Rep. Olivia Morgan Alt. Abby Foss Alta Mesa Rep. Rick Heuer Casanova Oak Knoll Alt. Mike Brassfield Deer Flats Rep. Janine Robinette Del Monte Beach Rep. Jayme Fields Del Monte Grove-Laguna Grande Rep. Merrily Alley Fisherman’s Flats Rep. Hansen Reed Alt. Tom Rowley Monterey Vista Rep. Doug Davenport New Monterey Rep. Sharon Dwight Oak Grove Rep. Tom DiMaggio Alt. Maxwell Green Old Town Rep. April Harrison Alt. Mary Ann Finocchi Skyline Forest Rep. Dennis Duke Skyline Ridge Rep. Carol Lieberman Villa Del Monte Rep. Larry Conte Staff Present: Chip Rerig, Doug Stafford, Sharon Rodrigues, Scott Connolly, Kim Allen CONSENT ITEMS APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. October 28, 2010 Mike Brassfield made a motion to approve the October 28, 2010 minutes as submitted. Sharon Dwight seconded the motion. The motion was approved by all Representatives, with Alta Mesa and Skyline Ridge abstaining. 2. December 10, 2010 Sharon Dwight made a motion to approve the December 10, 2010 minutes as submitted. Merrily Alley seconded the motion. The motion was approved by all Representatives, with Alta Mesa, Del Monte Beach, Monterey Vista, and Skyline Ridge abstaining. ***End of Consent Agenda*** NIP Committee Minutes January 27, 2011 1 PUBLIC COMMENTS Mr. Rerig opened Public Comments. Arthur Simons, Monterey Vista Board Member, spoke about the need for traffic control around the schools in his neighborhood. Mr. Rerig advised Mr. Simons that City staff attended the last MPUSD board meeting and presented some traffic controlling measures and considerations to support child safety in and around the schools. Tom Rowley, Fisherman’s Flats NIP Alternate, spoke about past multi-neighborhood projects that have benefited more than one neighborhood. He urged the Committee to identify and consider projects this year that benefit multiple neighborhoods. Having no further requests to speak, Mr. Rerig closed Public Comments. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & STAFF COMMENTS 3. Welcome to New Representatives and Alternates Mr. Rerig welcomed the new members to the Committee, including Oak Grove Representative Tom DiMaggio and Oak Grove Alternate Maxwell Green who were present and Skyline Ridge Alternate Ann Packer who was not present. 4. Orientation/Discussion of Neighborhood Improvement Program a. NIP Deadlines and Meeting Schedule Mr. Rerig briefly discussed the NIP schedule. b. NIP Project Submittal February 15, 2011 Deadline Jayme Fields asked if it is ok to submit project nominations electronically up until the deadline, and Mr. Rerig confirmed that it is. 5. Conflict of Interest Rules a. Form 700 Due by January 27, 2011 (First NIP Meeting of the year per NIP Policies and Procedures Manual). Staff verified that all attendees had submitted their Form 700’s prior to the meeting. b. Conflict of Interest Zones and Map Mr. Rerig explained the conflict of interest zones and map that staff created to identify where Committee members may have a potential conflict of interest. He advised the Committee to see him, Mr. Reeves, or the City Attorney for determination on any potential conflict. 6. Budget Update and Follow up of January 4, 2011 City Council Meeting and Direction Mr. Rerig apologized to the Committee for not advising them of the January 4, 2011 Council meeting in advance, and said that staff will take the item back to Council at their February 15 or March 1 meeting. Sharon Dwight requested that Council give NIP top priorities rather than submit the entire list of 26 projects that staff had identified at the January 4 meeting. She asked that Council withdraw many of the projects, due to the large amount of projects already submitted to NIP for consideration last year. 7. Projects Submitted for FY 2010/11 and FY2011/12 Program (Hand out copies of additional project nomination submittals) Staff provided each representative with a packet that included the FY2011/12 NIP project list, the FY2011/12 NIP non-eligible project list, and copies of project nominations in their neighborhood that were submitted after the February 25, 2010 NIP meeting. Rick Heuer explained that the screening process is to remove projects from the list that are not qualified for NIP. Ms. Dwight explained the process of reviewing the two lists, and Mr. Heuer added additional clarification. Mr. Rerig asked the Committee to submit an email regarding items that may need additional information, so that staff can research further and provide the Committee with an update. NIP Committee Minutes January 27, 2011 2 8. Project Status Report Mr. Rerig reminded the Committee to contact the project manager regarding any questions they may have on projects in their respective neighborhoods. He asked the Committee to contact him if they did not get a response. Ms. Dwight said that she was very enthused to learn from Principle Engineer Brian McMinn that 32 to 33 projects are scheduled to begin next month. NIP INFORMATIONAL REPORTS 9. NIP Spokesperson’s Report NIP Spokesperson Rick Heuer stated that last year the Committee had requested that Council have an open dialog with the Committee and provide a more specific definition of what constitutes essential maintenance. He reinforced that the Committee requires clear direction from Council for the review of this year’s NIP projects. Ms. Dwight reported that she attended the January 20, 2011 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. She said the Commission is mindful of the task facing NIP this year, and is submitting only two projects. PUBLIC APPEARANCE 10. Orientation/Discussion of Neighborhood Improvement Program Mr. Rerig stated that there were 212 NIP projects, with an additional 144 projects identified as not eligible for the program. He gave an overview of the NIP program and said there would be approximately $1.9 million in funding for this year. Ms. Dwight stated she is struggling with the new agenda format, and that the NIP does not work the same as Council and other city commissions. Mr. Rerig suggested he would discuss the format with the City Clerk. a. NIP Ending Balance and Contingencies Sharon Rodrigues, Accounting Specialist, reported that all the 2008 contingency funding has been expended. She stated that there is $103,673.11 remaining in the 2009 Contingency Fund and $205,347 in the 2010 Contingency Fund, and that there have been no expenditures to the 2010 fund. She said there is an ending balance of $4,228.32, with a total of $313,248.43 remaining in NIP funds. Mr. Heuer explained the purpose of the Contingency Fund. 11. Elect NIP Spokesperson and Alternate for 2011 Larry Conte made a motion to retain Spokesperson Rick Heuer and Alternates Sharon Dwight and Richard Ruccello from 2010. Mike Brassfield seconded the motion. The motion was approved by all. a. Parking Permits Mr. Heuer requested that every Committee member receive a parking permit for the entire year. He stated that Committee members go on site visits and other official business throughout the year, and that each member needs a parking permit that is not limited to just the project selection cycle from January through April. Ms. Dwight concurred. Mr. Rerig said he would do further research. 12. Appoint NIP Policies and Procedure Manual Subcommittee Hansen Reed made a motion to nominate Sharon Dwight and Sharon Dwight made a motion to nominate Hansen Reed, retaining the subcommittee from last year. Rick Heuer seconded the motion. The motion was approved by all. 13. Update on NIP Policies and Procedures Manual Revisions NIP Committee Minutes January 27, 2011 3  Mr. Rerig advised the Committee that the City Attorney raised additional concerns regarding the manual revisions from 2010, and the NIP Policies and Procedures Manual Subcommittee decided to wait until after June 2011 to do further work on those revisions. 14. Mid-year Project Review a. Recommendations for Deappropriation Mr. Rerig stated that there were no recommendations for deappropriation of any projects at this time. b. Cut-off Projects Mr. Rerig stated that there were no cut-off projects. Ms. Dwight explained the process for cut-off projects and deappropriation of projects. Mr. Rerig opened Public Comments. Tom Rowley, Fisherman’s Flats NIP Alternate, gave an example of a project that was approved with matching funds from California State Parks and then was deappropriated when State Parks were not able to come up with their half of the matching funds. He reminded everyone to look at alternatives to leverage funding for projects such as finding a source of matching funds. Having no further requests to speak, Mr. Rerig closed Public Comments. COMMITTEE MEMBERS COMMENTS Mr. Rerig thanked Doug Davenport, who is resigning from the Committee, for his years of service. Doug Davenport (Monterey Vista) said serving on the Committee has been a rewarding experience and that NIP is the best committee in the city. He said the work the members put in is beyond the call, and that everyone deserves a medal. Hansen Reed (Fisherman’s Flats) had no comment. Janine Robinette (Deer Flats) had no comment. Olivia Morgan (Aguajito Oaks) said for the first time in many years her neighborhood has some projects and hopes that despite the economy the projects will be approved. She said she hopes the Committee can get good projects passed this year and that it is good to be back. April Harrison (Old Town) said that she is looking forward to participating in her first full program and that it will be interesting. Tom DiMaggio (Oak Grove) said he is glad to be participating this year. Dennis Duke (Skyline Forest) had no comment. Sharon Dwight (New Monterey) thanked staff for putting an organized packet together, and Mr. Rerig for a well run meeting in Tom’s absence. She said Tom has had to grow into the job and is trying to make it work for everyone. She also thanked staff that is working on design and getting the projects built. Carol Lieberman (Skyline Ridge) had no comment. Jayme Fields (Del Monte Beach) had no comment. Merrily Alley (Del Monte Grove – Laguna Grande) had no comment. NIP Committee Minutes January 27, 2011 4 Larry Conte (Villa Del Monte) said he would bring in projects that are missing from the list. Mike Brassfield (Casanova Oak Knoll) had no comment. Rick Heuer (Alta Mesa) welcomed the new members, thanked Mr. Rerig for a good meeting in Tom’s absence, and wished Tom well. He gave a brief overview of how the voting process has changed through time and said the Policies and Procedures manual is a result of what the Committee members have learned from their mistakes over the years. He said one item not covered tonight was that there are very specific procedures for projects on school properties. NEXT MEETING Mr. Rerig stated that the next meeting is the First Preliminary Screening Meeting on February 10, 2011 in the Council Chambers at 7:00 p.m. ADJORNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m. _____________________________ ______________________________ Kim Allen Tom Reeves NIP Staff Administrative Support NIP Staff Coordinator NIP Committee Minutes January 27, 2011 5