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HomeMy WebLinkAbout012596 CC Minutes MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE TEMECULA CITY COUNCIL HELD JANUARY 2 5, 1 996 A regular meeting of the Temecula City Council was called to order at 7:03 PM at the CommunityRecreationCenter,30875RanchoVistaStreet,Temecula,California. MayorKarel F.Lindemans presiding. PRESENT 4 COUNCILMEMBERS: Birdsall, Lindemans, Roberts, Stone ABSENT: 0 COUNCILMEMBERS: None Also present were City Manager Ronald Bradley, City Attorney Peter M. Thorson, and City Clerk June S. Greek. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The audience was led in the flag salute by Mayor Pro Tem Birdsall. PUBLIC COMMENTS Joseph R. Terrazas, 31 1 60 Lahontan Street, addressed the Council regarding election dates to fill the City Council vacancy. He requested an explanation why November is the earliest possible date, stating other districts, such as the Ortega Trails Park District, are able to hold elections in a timely manner. City Attorney Thorson stated different laws govern parks districts and municipal elections. COUNCIL BUSINESS 1Interview Candidates for City Council Appointment Rick Shafer, 40377 Calle Medusa, recommended Bob Brown for the Council appointment. Maryann Edwards, 43675 El Faro Place, recommended Tom Edwards for Council. Lon Brusegard, 42075 Avenida Alvarado, representing Southwest Riverside Manufacturers Council, recommended Tom Edwards for Council. The candidates drew lots and each candidate was called in the order drawn and asked the following four-part question: ' A) Describe any experience you may have serving on an appointed or elected board or commission. B) Describe your short and long term vision for the City. C) Describe the most significant challenges facing the City currently. D) Describe your ability and willingness to dedicate the time necessary to fulfill the obligation." Minutes\1\25\96 -1- 02128/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 SPEAKER NO. ONE - Robert W. Brown Mr. Brown outlined his background and addressed the questions presented. SPEAKER NO. TWO - Kathleen Eyserbeck Ms. Eyserbeck described her qualifications and answered the Council's required question. Councilmember Stone asked her if she felt she was able to give the necessary time commitment to this position. Ms. Eyserbeck stated she has a lot of support from family and friends and would be able to spend the necessary time if appointed. SPEAKER NO. THREE - John Green Mr. Green addressed the question and gave his perspective to the position. Mayor Lindemans asked how much time he would have to spend on this job. Mr. Green responded, all that is necessary. Councilmember Stone asked if he is willing to give 25 to 30 hours per week. Mr. Green responded, "yes." Councilmember Stone asked if Mr. Green was familiar with the various City Commissions and asked that he consider applying for the PublicfTraffic Safety Commission, since traffic is of great concern to him. CANDIDATE NO. FOUR - Doug Woelke Mr. Woelke responded to the required question and stated if he is not selected for the position, he would recommend Robert Brown. CANDIDATE NO. FIVE - Kenneth M. Lewsader Mr. Lewsader described his qualifications and spoke to the required question. Councilmember Stone asked Mr. Lewsader what he views the biggest problem in the City. Mr. Lewsader stated he feels the biggest challenge is managed growth so that schools are not overcrowded and traffic can be controlled. Councilmember Roberts asked if he has the necessary time to fulfill this position. Mr. Lewsader stated his time is flexible after 5:00 pm. Minutes\1\25\96 -2- 02/28/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 CANDIDATE NO. SIX - John Houston Mr. Houston outlined his qualifications and addressed the required question posed to all candidates. CANDIDATE NO. SEVEN - Steven J. Ford Mr. Ford outlined his experience and background and answered the required question. Councilmember Stone asked if he would have the time to devote to this position if appointed. Mr. Ford answered that he is self-employed and would have no problem devoting as much time as needed to the City Council. RECESS City Manager Bradley, acting as mediator, called a recess at 8:00 PM. The meeting was reconvened at 8:07 PM. CANDIDATE NO. EIGHT - Morris N. Myers Mr. Myers outlined his views and answered the required question. Councilmember Stone asked if he watches Council meetings at home and feels able to come up to speed quickly. Mr. Myers answered he does watch Council meetings when possible and feels, with the help of the City Clerk's Office, he could come up to speed quickly. CANDIDATE NO. NINE - Donna Perry Ms. Perry described her experience and spoke to the required question. Mayor Lindemans asked what kinds of jobs she feels Temecula needs. Ms. Perry answered she feels the City should capitalize on health industry jobs and manufacturing. CANDIDATE NO. TEN - W. Peter Vanderhaak Mr. Vanderhaak described his experience and answered the standard question. CANDIDATE NO. ELEVEN - Jeff Comerchero Mr. Comerchero described his experience and his availability and addressed the required question. Minutes\1\25\96 -3- 02/28/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 CANDIDATE NO. TWELVE - Martha Howard Ms. Howard answered the question asked by the Council. Councilmember Stone asked Ms. Howard how she plans to better inform the citizens of Temecula. She answered that she is bilingual and can reach another portion of the community. Councilmember Roberts asked if she has the time to commit to this position. Ms. Howard answered she has a part-time job and would have the time necessary. CANDIDATE NO. THIRTEEN This number was not drawn. CANDIDATE NO. FOURTEEN - Michael S. Naci-gar Mr. Naggar outlined his experience and outlined his answers to the required question. Councilmember Stone asked what expertise he would bring to attract business. Mr. Naggar stated that he feels the City needs to explore many different types of industries. He stated he feels incentives should be offered only to industries that will provide the City with what it needs. CANDIDATE NO. FIFTEEN - David R. Bienvenue Mr. Bienvenue outlined his background and professional expertise and answered the required question. Councilmember Roberts asked Mr. Bienvenue if he is serving on active duty. Mr. Bienvenue stated as of June 1995, he is no longer active duty and works as a civilian. Councilmember Stone asked where he sees an engineering background augmenting the Council. Mr. Bienvenue stated that in factors which affect assessments in the Western Bypass, he would be able to check the fairness and assist the Council in making intelligent decisions. CANDIDATE NO. SIXTEEN - Tom Edwards Mr. Edwards outlined his background and experience and spoke to the required question. Councilmember Stone asked what the Number One issue he would focus on. He answered growth and strong leadership are the issue, to bring in clean business. He stated he has insight, and would bring a perspective to the Council to support friendly growth of business. Minutes\1\25\96 -4- 02128/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 CANDIDATE NO. SEVENTEEN - Geoffrey S. Gaier Mr. Gaier outlined his experience and addressed the proposed question. CANDIDATE NO. EIGHTEEN - Ward Albert Mr. Albert outlined his experience and answered the required question. Councilmember Stone asked how Mr. Albert would rate the Council's performance on creating tax base. Mr. Albert stated he would rate it very good, given the unique problems in Temecula. RECESS City Manager Bradley called a recess at 9:00 PM. The meeting was reconvened at 9:08 PM. Mr. Bradley announced that candidates Wayne Shubin is ill and Bob Wickens is also not in attendance, however their applications will be considered. CANDIDATE NO. NINETEEN Number not drawn. CANDIDATE NO. TWENTY - Ron Shannon Mr. Shannon listed his qualifications and answered the required question. Mayor Lindemans asked since he proposes a slow down in building, how he would recommend this be accomplished. He stated he would be against approving multiple track homes. CANDIDATE NO. TWENTY-ONE - Lawrence Muri)hv Mr. Murphy outlined his qualifications and answered the required question, stating he would not be a candidate in November. Councilmember Stone asked if he watches the Council Meetings and inquired whether he watched the Council Meeting regarding the insurance needs of the City. Mr. Murphy stated he did not watch that meeting, but would be available to review the City's insurance needs if selected. RECESS City Manager Bradley called a recess at 9:25 PM. The meeting was reconvened at 9:36 PM. Minutes\1\25\96 -5- 02/28/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 Mayor Lindemans announced that all candidates have been heard, and asked each Councilmember to identify his or her three choices to proceed to the final level of interviews. Councilmember Stone selected Jeff Comerchero, Kathleen Eyserbeck and Steve Ford. Councilmember Roberts selected Robert Brown, Steve Ford and David Bienvenue. Mayor Pro Tem Birdsall chose Robert Brown, Jeffrey Gaier and Donna Perry. Mayor Lindemans selected Donna Perry, Tom Edwards and Jeff Commerchero. City Clerk June Greek tallied the results and announced the finalists as Robert W. Brown, Jeff Comerchero, Steve Ford and Donna Perry. Mayor Lindemans thanked all the other candidates for their participation. It was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Birdsall and seconded by Councilmember Stone to extend the City Council Meeting until 10:30 PM. The motion was unanimously carried. City Manager Bradley stated that each speaker will be asked a second question, and then each Councilmember would be given the opportunity to ask a specific question. The required question was as follows: "How satisfied are you with the path the City Council has chosen to promote economic growth and development? If you are not satisfied, what would you suggest as an alternate route." Speaker No. 1 - Robert W. Brown Mr. Brown answered he has been satisfied with economic growth, illustrated by growth in the community. He stated small business has been promoted readily and heavily. He said he feels larger businesses are a priority and he understands the point of view of the Council to attract high-tech manufacturing jobs to the community. Councilmember Roberts asked if he is familiar with Conflict of Interest and Brown Act laws. Mr. Brown answered he is familiar with City governments and would be able to "hit the ground running." Mayor Pro Tem Birdsall asked what his understanding is of the meaning of "Conflict of interest." Mr. Brown answered anything in a person's background or ownership of property might create a possible "Conflict of Interest." Councilmember Stone inquired about Mr. Brown's philosophy regarding incentives. Mr. Brown stated he is familiar with how incentives are used to bring in business. He explained he is not opposed to incentives, however it would depend on the degree of incentive and what a particular business will bring to the community. Mayor Lindemans asked how Mr. Brown would secure manufacturing jobs for the City. Mr. Brown stated he sees the position of Councilman as a person who works with City staff and the EDC, staying on top of what is coming up. He explained he feels the Council are the "drum beaters," to build the City up and make it known that Temecula is a great place to relocate. Minutes\1\25\96 -6- 02/28/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 Councilmember Roberts stated the City is involved in School Mitigation Fee negotiations with the School Board and asked what input he could provide. Mr. Brown responded his perspective would be an asset to the Council and the School Board and Council may have the opportunity to work more closely. Speaker No. 2 - Jeff Comerchero Mr. Comerchero stated there are degrees of satisfaction and on the whole is he satisfied with economic growth. He spoke regarding the attraction of new business, stating there is a lot of talent in Temecula and suggested speaking with those individuals having contacts within their various industries. He said these people may know of companies within their field that are contemplating a move, and the City can target specific businesses. He suggested getting a group of people together from varied industries to see what information of this type they can provide. Mayor Lindemans asked if he would set manufacturing as a priority. Mr. Comerchero answered that this could be created as a high priority. Councilmember Stone asked what criteria Mr. Comerchero would you use on incentives. Mr. Commerchero stated he is very much in favor of incentives philosophically, but feels they should be considered on a case by case basis, based on the number of jobs generated. He stated he sees incentives as an investment in the City's future solvency. Councilmember Birdsall stated traffic has been a focus, however citizens sometimes do not understand all the steps that must be taken to provide traffic improvements. She asked how he would handle the citizen's belief that their problem should receive top priority. Mr. Comerchero answered this problem needs to be handled diplomatically, while holding firm to priorities. He explained that priorities must be set and followed, otherwise chaos would reign. Councilmember Roberts asked Mr. Comerchero's opinion of the City's current marketing program and the EDC. Mr. Comerchero answered he does not know the in-depth workings of the EDC or its current marketing program, however he feels the City would benefit from targeted marketing. Sr)eaker No. 3 - Steve Ford Mr. Ford answered he is 75% satisfied with economic growth. He explained he gives the City a positive rating, however feels it can always do better. He voiced concern as to those manufacturers the community has lost. He stated services such as water and sewer capacity need to be looked at and coordinated with the various controlling agencies. Councilmember Roberts asked what he would do to swing commercial growth back to Temecula. Mr. Ford answered that the City lost ground on certain decisions made and a message needs to be sent out to industry that Temecula is "business friendly." He said the Minutes\1\25\96 -7- 02/28/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 City has implemented the fast-track system and the City is moving in the right direction, however all these things need to be strengthened. Councilmember Birdsall asked if he thinks the City as a whole should be run as a private corporation with the same ideals in trying to look for investments which will provide a return. Mr. Ford answered he believes people are the City's investment. He explained the City staff is implementing those goals and it is the City Council's responsibility to make sure these things happen. Councilmember Stone asked his views on annexation and which developments he would like to see in the City and which he would not. Mr. Ford stated he feels annexation should be addressed in two parts, one being developed land, and the other raw land. He stated Vail Ranch and Red Hawk have a Temecula address and they buy goods here in Temecula, however they have no voice in local government. He stated a valuation study needs to be done, whereby the City at least breaks even. Mayor Lindemans stated the City needs manufacturing jobs and asked if Mr. Ford is in favor of incentives. Mr. Ford answered he is not against incentives properly placed, for companies with a multiplier of at least 4 to 5. He stated provisions should vary based on the size of a company, how many people are employed, and what benefits it will bring into the City. RECESS City Manager Bradley called a recess at 10: 1 2 PM to change the tape. The meeting was reconvened at 1 0: 1 3 PM. Sr)eaker No. 4 - Donna Perry Ms. Perry stated she feels the City has taken a good path regarding economic development, however the city is a victim of the recession like everyone else. She stated that although the City has retained some of the larger companies and provided a good tax base, there is always room for improvement. Mayor Lindemans asked how Ms. Perry would bring manufacturing jobs to the City. Ms. Perry answered that if manufacturing jobs are desired, manufacturing people need to be targeted. She stated there are people who know what companies are looking to expand or relocate and these resources need to be tapped. She also stated that fast-tracking must be done. Councilmember Stone asked how she would rate the City's commitment to public safety and would she support an increase in officers should be population continue to increase. Ms. Perry stated she feels that a high level of police service is necessary and she would support necessary increases. Councilmember Birdsall asked how Ms. Perry would educate the public regarding incentives. Ms. Perry suggested "focus groups" as an effective way to disseminate information. Minutes\1\25\96 -8- 02/28/96 City Council Minutes January 25, 1996 Councilmember Roberts asked Ms. Perry's opinion regarding the annexation issue, especially on the northern end of the City. Ms. Perry answered that annexation must be done carefully, making sure the City gets some kind of return. Councilmember Stone asked who she felt should pay for needed infrastructure on properties wishing to annex. Ms. Perry stated she feels it should be the property owner's responsibility. The Mayor thanked all of the candidates for participation in the selection process. It was moved by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Roberts to appoint Steven J. Ford to fill the vacant City Council seat for a term which shall conclude upon certification of the special election, held on November 5, 1996. The motion was unanimously carried. Mr. Ford stated he is overwhelmed by the confidence of the Council and thanked them for the opportunity to serve. CITY MANAGER REPORTS City Manager Bradley announced that Mr. Ford will be sworn in at next regular meeting on February 13, 1996. CITY ATTORNEY REPORTS None given. CITY COUNCIL REPORTS Councilmember Roberts announced there is an immediate opening on the Planning Commission. Councilmember Birdsall thanked all the participants. Minutes\1\25\96 -9- 02/28/96 City Council Minutes ADJOURNMENT January 25, 1996 it was moved by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Roberts to adjourn at 10:30 PM to an adjourned regular meeting, January 31, 1996, for the purpose of holding a Public Hearing on Assessment District 95-1, Community Recreation Center, 30875 Rancho Vista Road, Temecula, California. The motion was unanimously carried. .-Ciii'demans, Mayor ATTEST: J e reek, City ClepV Minutes\1\25\96 -10- 02/28/96