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HomeMy WebLinkAbout020521-0.1 February 5, 2021 TO: Mayor and Town Council FROM: Joseph Calabrigo, Town Manager SUBJECT: Annual Town Council Planning and Goal Setting Workshop Attached are the agenda and materials for the annual Town Council Planning and Goal Setting Workshop scheduled for Friday, February 5, 2021. The workshop will be held at the Danville Community Center. All required social distancing and safety protocols will be observed throughout the meeting. The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. and all participants are asked to bring their own coffee should they so choose. Box lunches will be provided at noon. Alternately, participants may choose to take a break from noon to 1:00 p.m. The workshop agenda is subject to fine tuning per the preference of the Town Council. Additional items that the Council may wish to discuss may be brought up under “Other Business and Updates.” Staff in attendance will include the Town Manager, City At torney, Police Chief, department heads and key staff related to the agenda topics. Any issues that cannot be covered to the satisfaction of the Town Council within the allotted time, will be scheduled for discussion at a future Town Council Study Session. Please contact me prior to February 5 if you have any questions related to the material provided, or for any other needs you may have to make this day as productive as possible. Staff looks forward to this opportunity to assist the Town Council in identifying potential challenges, opportunities and strategies, to ensure that the Town government continues to operate as effectively as possible. A G E N D A Friday, February 5, 2021 8:30 a.m. Danville Community Center 420 Front Street 1. 2020 Highlights and Outcomes (staff: J. Calabrigo) 2. Mid-Year 2020/21 Financial Overview (staff: J. Calabrigo and L. Ha) 3. Capital Improvement Program – Current Status and Future Needs (staff: J. Calabrigo and S. Jones) 4. Housing Element Update: Challenges and Strategies (staff: T. Williams and D. Crompton) 5. Service Delivery after COVID-19 (staff: J. Calabrigo) 6. Town Council Guidelines (staff: J. Calabrigo and R. Ewing) 7. Other Business and Updates  Regional, State and Federal Legislative Update  Council Matters  Annual Council/Commission Workshop  Business, Development and Code Enforcement Updates WORKSHOP ATTENDEES Town Council Renee Morgan Mayor Newell Arnerich Vice-Mayor Dave Fong Councilmember Karen Stepper Councilmember Robert Storer Councilmember Town Staff Joe Calabrigo Town Manager Rob Ewing City Attorney Tai Williams Assistant Town Manager Allan Shields Police Chief Dave Casteel Maintenance Services Director Henry Perezalonso Recreation, Arts & Community Services Director Lani Ha Finance Manager/Treasurer Steven Jones City Engineer David Crompton Chief of Planning Jill Bergman Economic Development Manager Geoff Gillette Public Information Officer Diane Friedmann Assistant to the Town Manager 2020 HIGHLIGHTS & OUTCOMES The Annual Planning and Goal Setting Workshop provides an opportunity for the Town Council to reflect on prior year highlights and outcomes that support the Town’s mission to deliver superior municipal services that make people’s lives better. OVERVIEW The 2020 Annual Planning and Goal Setting Workshop was held on February 7. In looking forward to the upcoming year, the Town Council was focused on opportunities to grow and enhance community outreach and engagement and continuing with efforts to influence regional, state and federal legislation impacting Danville. Just weeks later, the Town’s focus along with that of the nation and the world shifted as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and the first of many shelter in place orders that altered our everyday lives. Subsequently, the pandemic took center stage, occupying much of the Town’s efforts and focus. On March 17, the Town declared a state of local emergency. In addition to dealing with impacts resulting from immediate closure of local businesses and schools, the Town was required to, in many ways, reinvent local service delivery while reducing the size of the Town government and simultaneously meeting new safety protocols. The balance of 2020 involved operating under changing health orders and dealing with unprecedented civil and political unrest while making every effort to help inform and reassure the community. While dealing with the need to close public facilities in accordance with standing health orders, essential services continued to be provided. This was accomplished while reducing Town expenditures by $7.2 million over the last quarter of 2019/20 and the entirety of 2020/21. A major factor in achieving the necessary expenditure reductions involved a 15% reduction in the Town’s workforce. This included several retirements, including four employees with over thirty years of service to the Town. The Town acted decisively to assist and support local businesses through providing one on one concierge service to connect businesses with federal aid opportunities, working closely with the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce and committing a total of $825,000 to provide small business grants and assist restaurants and personal service-related businesses, and taking a number of supporting policy actions. 2 Owing in part to the swift and decisive actions taken to offset anticipated pandemic driven revenue losses, the Town continued to maintain a strong fiscal position. The 2019/20 fiscal year ended on June 30, 2020, with a $3.3 million positive fund balance and a General Fund (G.F.) Operating Reserve of $12.3 million (equivalent to 54% of the total G.F. Budget or 38.3% of the total Operating Budget). The Police Department maintained a constant state of readiness in the face of threatened civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd and other events that occurred through the summer and into the fall. Community safety remained as the top community priority and the Danville Police Department continued their success with combatting Part I crimes, closing the year with another record low. The Town was once again named “Safest City in California” by Safewise. Legislatively, the Town Council continued with advocacy efforts aimed at the regional, state and federal levels, in the face of government efforts to require cities to plan for and produce additional housing, especially for very low- and low-income households. Community outreach efforts continued to focus on online and in -person methods. Social media channels, including Facebook, Facebook Live, Instagram, Twitter, Nextdoor and Nixle continued to be utilized for communication, collectively allowing the Town to maintain contact with the vast majority of Danville households. Despite very low seasonal rainfall, Danville was largely spared from the impacts resulting from a historically extreme fire season that saw vast areas of the state ravaged by wildfires. Significant local disruptions resulting from the PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Program were largely avoided as well. The Town continued with plans to relocate the Town Offices and Police Department to 500 La Gonda Way. Design was completed and construction commenced on the new Police Department facilities, with occupancy planned by December 2021. At the polls, Danville voters approved Measure Y in March, upholding approval of the Magee Preserve project and dedication of over 380 acres of new public open space, and elected three members to the Danville Town Council in November. The annual Pavement Management project was combined with a major bicycle facilities improvements project along the Diablo Road corridor, a heavily travelled bicycle route. These and other efforts allowed the Town to maintain a Town-wide PCI of 80+. The Town selected a site for a potential future skatepark at Diablo Vista Park, and arts appreciation was broadened through the successful “Hearts around Hartz” exhibit which cross promoted the arts with economic development downtown. 3 HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2020 Legislative •Declared a local state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; adhered to various COVID-19 related Health Orders issued by the Contra Costa County Health Services Department and the State of California. •Continued to ensure the ongoing fiscal health of the Town by adopting a balanced 2020/21 operating budget, reducing expenditures and fund transfers without drawing down Town reserve funds; maintained strong reserves and sustainable ten-year forecasts. •Moved all public meetings to a remote (ZOOM) format while adhering to the revised Brown Act requirements. •Adopted an Outdoor Flagpole Display Policy; and approved the display of the Rainbow Flag during the month of June. •Authorized street closures for temporary outdoor restaurant seating within public rights of way for the duration of the pandemic. •Approved an $80,000 no interest pandemic relief loan to support the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce. •Adopted an urgency ordinance establishing a temporary cap on commission, fees and costs charged by third-party food delivery services on local restaurants within the Town during the COVID-19 pandemic. •Worked with Tri-Valley Cities Coalition, Contra Costa Mayors Conference and state legislators to advocate for changes to housing legislation in a manner that lessens their impacts to Danville. •Concluded the year with the 39th Annual Mayoral Installation and Community Service Awards. •Successfully recruited for, interviewed and filled several Commission, Board and position vacancies. Administration & Finance •Implemented cost savings measures to reduce operating expenses by $7.2 million to offset estimated COVID-related revenue losses. •Planned and implemented various re-organization plans to mitigate staffing reductions necessitated by the pandemic. •Created a COVID-19 working group to interpret and apply requirements contained in the various COVID-19 related Health Orders issued by Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) and the State of California and adapted Town services, procedures and employee working conditions to COVID protocols and guidelines. •Completed the 2019/20 CAFR; realized a positive $3.3 million General Fund balance. 4 •Received Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recognition for excellence in financial reporting, 19 years in a row. •Maintained numerous highly successful interagency partnerships to better serve and support the community. Economic Development •Continued implementation of the Community Marketing and Branding Plan, including publication of the Live Locally Guide, marketing material and rebranding of the Town’s quarterly newsletter. •Created, launched and administered Phases 1 and 2 of the $525,000 Forward Focus Grant Program to support local businesses through the pandemic. •Provided Business Assistance Programs to support the first and second phases of Cares Act funding and other federally sponsored pandemic relief programs for businesses. •Coordinated review and issuance of street closures for temporary outdoor restaurant seating within public rights of way for the duration of the pandemic. •Supported the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce through various staffing changes and assisted with selection of a new president and CEO. Police and Emergency Services •Closed 2020 with another all-time low in reported Part I crimes. •Received the distinction of “Safest City in California” with a population of 50,000 or less in 2019 for the third year in a row by Safewise, an independent review website. •Launched the 10-8 program, a weekly livestreamed event that allows for engagement and interaction with residents via Facebook and YouTube to replace in person engagement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. •Upgraded Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology through Flock Safety, reducing the overall cost and increasing the technical performance of the program, while increasing coverage from 13 locations to 23 Town-wide. The change will realize a 30% reduction in annual costs resulting in an estimated savings of $150,000 over the next five years. •Monitored Contra Costa Health Department Health Orders to assist with community education and undertake enforcement activities when warranted. •Monitored and responded to incidents of threatened civil unrest or staged protests. •Continued the Disaster Preparedness Program to increase readiness efforts aimed at preparing for and responding to any natural or man-made disasters or emergencies that could befall the Town. 5 Community Outreach •Continuously updated and refreshed the Town website to provide messages and information regarding COVID-19, health orders issued by County Health Services, status of Town services and facilities, and other community updates. •Continued social media efforts, including the use of Nextdoor, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. •Continued promoting Nixle as the Town’s emergency communications system, resulting in continued increase in year-over-year subscribers to alerts. Sustainability •Continued membership and became a “Deep Green Champion” with MCE Clean Energy, a Community Choice Energy program, providing ratepayers with greater choices for renewable energy options. •Converted eight Town facilities, including the Town Offices, Library and Community Center, Maintenance Services Center, Veterans Memorial Building, Oak Hill Park Community Center, Town Meeting Hall and Village Theatre to MCE 100% renewable Deep Green Service. •Continued a reduction in electricity usage through operation of photovoltaic arrays at four separate Town facilities. Capital Improvement Program •Completed the construction of the 2018/19 Pavement Rehabilitation project. •Completed the construction of 3.6 lane miles of on-street bicycle facilities on Diablo Road from downtown Danville to Green Valley Road. •Completed the construction of the new children’s play area at Hap Magee Ranch Park with a project cost of $785,000. •Completed design and started construction on the $900,000 San Ramon Creek pedestrian bridge connecting Diablo Road and the Riverwalk development to the Town Green. •Completed design work and awarded a contract for construction of the new Police Services Building at 500 La Gonda Way. •Completed replacement of all Railroad Avenue Parking Lot lights with LEDs. •Completed the design of the $2.76 million Sycamore Valley Park and Ride Expansion Project, which will add 122 new public parking spaces and bicycle parking to serve commuters and users of the Iron Horse Trail. •Continued the design work for the $6 million project to replace the La Gonda Way bridge at Danville Boulevard. •Completed design work to replace the gazebo at Hap Magee Ranch Park. •Completed installation of bicycle video detection cameras at seven intersections (total of 12 cameras). 6 •Completed installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) at ten locations. •Completed replacement of traffic signal battery back-up systems at eight intersections. •Completed the replacement of the artificial turf sports field at Diablo Vista Park. Development Services •Developed and rolled out the new Garden Cottage Program, featuring free permit-ready Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) plans for community use, to facilitate the production of affordable and family friendly housing. •Adapted service delivery to provide increased ability for customers to apply for and receive various permits and entitlements online and remotely. •Initiated development of the first Town-wide Bicycle Master Plan. •Continued with various Transportation programs, including: Street Smarts traffic safety education program, Neighborhood Traffic Management Program and participation in Danville’s TRAFFIX Student Transportation Program. •Continued lead role with advocacy on regional transportation issues. •Completed research and selection of new manufacturer for new signal traffic controllers Town-wide, ensuring that they are compliant with the Advance Transportation Controller (ATC) standards. Maintenance Services •Completed annual renovation of the turf in the large dog park at Hap Magee Ranch Park (rated one of the best dog parks in the area by Diablo Magazine). •Completed the annual creek cleaning project, which helps protect the community and prevent damage to public and private property. •Converted four additional landscape areas to the automated underground irrigation management system (UgMO), doubling the total number of sites. •Undertook landscape renovation projects on Camino Tassajara, Crow Canyon Road, Danville South Park and Diablo Vista Park to replace turf areas with aesthetically pleasing and more drought tolerant materials. •Awarded new landscape maintenance contracts for Roadsides - Lighting and Landscape Assessment Districts Zone A and B. •Upgraded the filters in every air conditioning unit at all Town buildings to filters with higher efficacy ratings that are capable of trapping smaller particles, including viruses. Recreation, Arts, and Community Services •Completed the Town Green and Arts District Concept Master Plan with approval by the Parks, Recreation & Arts Commission, and the Town Council. 7 •Adapted recreation and enrichment programming and activities to a largely virtual format. •Succeeded in furthering integration of arts into the community through the Hearts Around Hartz exhibit, which was displayed throughout the downtown. •Continued to work with the Arts Advisory Board and Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission to prioritize and begin implementation of recommendations in the Parks, Recreation and Arts Strategic Plan. •Completed a feasibility study to explore potential locations for the multi-use scooter and skate park and identified Diablo Vista Park as the preferred location. •Continued work with the Danville Youth Council on communications strategy and social media use, hosting a Tri-Valley Youth Advisory Council Roundtable, and staging the Danville Amazing Race for Teens. •Provided a variety of virtual arts opportunities through the Jazz Room Series and Comedy with Liz Grant. Attachment: A – Notes from 2020 Planning and Goal Setting Workshop 2020 ANNUAL TOWN COUNCIL PLANNING & GOAL SETTING WORKSHOP MEETING NOTES AND OUTCOMES Friday, February 7, 2020, 8:30 a.m. Crow Canyon Country Club 2019 Highlights & Challenges The Town Council reviewed and discussed highlights and challenges from the past year. Topics covered included: Highlights: • Strong fiscal management. • Continued support of the downtown by completing the new Rose Street and Village Theatre municipal parking lots. • Appointment of the new Senior Advisory Commission and Arts Advisory Board. • Approval of the Town Green Master Plan. • The “Dogs of Danville” Public Art program was a huge hit that brought people into our Downtown from outside the area. • Ability to identify facility needs and execute capital projects. Projects are brought to fruition within very reasonable time frames. • Third year in a row designated as “Safest City in California”. Public safety continues to be the top priority. • Work done to complete processing of the Magee Preserve project, and wireless communications ordinance. • The maintenance and appearance of the town; the way our parks look is commendable. • Printed outreach materials including the quarterly newsletter and the Recreation Guide are very high quality. • Town Council is able to maintain positive working relationships with each other and Town staff. • Advocacy engagement has caused local policy makers to translate things at a local level. • Government 101 was a highlight. ATTACHMENT A 2 Challenges: • Need to continue to seek more effective ways to engage with our community. Electronic Communication is good but not enough. We need to work in ways that are personal and one on one with our residents. Lack of civility is concerning. • Economic Development is a huge challenge for us. Retail continues to struggle and retail space is expensive. This is a continuing challenge for us. We need to intensify the activities that bring people to the downtown and allow them to stay downtown. • Implementation of the Town Green Master Plan should be a top priority. • Outreach and engagement are a challenge. Trust in government is at an all-time low. Providing correct factual information in ways that will allow residents to access it is critical. Need to be proactive vs reactive. • Need to repair potholes on Camino Tassajara and Sycamore (though overall, streets are in very good condition). • Dealing with new cell sites and PSPS issues. Mid-Year 2019/20 Operating Budget and CIP Status Report Town Council accepted the mid-year operating budget and CIP status report, and discussed the following: Operating Budget • The Town continues to be in a very positive financial condition. • The formal Mid-Year Financial Report will be presented at the February 18, 2020 Town Council meeting. • Property tax is tracking well ahead of forecast. Mid-year report will recommend increasing the revenue estimate to offset additional expenditures. • Sales tax – only have first 5 months, initial receipts indicate revenues may fall short of estimates; will be offset by higher property tax revenue. • Solid Waste VIF and SB1 funding have been key to efforts to maintain pavement management funding. Potential passage of Measure J in March would further boost transportation funding. • Personnel costs are tracking well within budget at mid-year; expenditures at the end of year are anticipated to be under budget. • Senior Commission and Arts Advisory Board are asking for money for programs and projects. Capital Improvement Program • The Town continues to invest in its infrastructure without incurring any debt - this continues to be a significant achievement. 3 • Significant CIP accomplishments including new town offices, VT parking lot, Front Street Creek Stabilization Project, lots of pavement management and San Ramon Valley High School parking. 29 projects completed or closed out in 2019. • Priority project is park and ride expansion project, 90% done with design. Construction will start in summer time frame. • Town office relocation project – acquisition complete, improvement costs committed through 2021/22. We may want to look at pre-qualifying contractors for tenant improvements. • La Gonda Way bridge replacement project is in the initial design phase. • Capital maintenance is still a big cost moving forward. If anything, these costs are understated. Estimates will be updated for inclusion in the new CIP. • New and future projects may include skate and scooter, public art and town green improvements. • Park and Civic Facilities funds show considerable expenses over the next five years. Community Outreach and Engagement Town Council accepted the report, and discussed the following: • Twitter is our least followed platform with 5,400 followers; Instagram – we have 4 accounts, Town main page - 3800 recreation – 1300 live locally is economic development 1937 art gallery 609; Nextdoor – 25,219 members which is 78% of Danville households. • Communities use open town hall to gather feedback on a regular basis, we have had some success with open town hall. Open town hall is an opportunity to ask questions. • Town Council discussed ideas for getting out into the community. We need to think about physically and virtually going to the places where our residents are. • People do not go to a meeting unless they are unhappy. • People come to things when there are good topics. The MCE town hall was packed, due to the fact it was a very good topic and residents wanted to know more about it. • People get their information in different ways, two-pronged approach – education and engagement. • Want to take a multi-modal way of engaging. • Idea of noticing is very important; we need to look at doing things outside the box. Regional, State, and Federal Legislative Update Town Council accepted the Legislative Advocacy report, and discussed the following: • Advocacy day in Sacramento on Tuesday, February 4 was very productive. • The 2020 legislative bills will be published as of February 22 and there are more housing bills expected. 4 • Grayson has introduced a spot bill AB 1924; provides that impact fees must be proportionate to the square footage of a development. • Senate Bill 278 Faster Bay Area shell bill allocates $100 billion over the next 40 years for transformative transportation projects. It appears that FASTER Bay Area will merge with AB 1484 Chiu. • Senator Wiener introducing a bill to take over PG&E ; also plans to bring back SB 50 in some form this year. • The Tri-Valley Mayors’ Meetings in Washington D.C. accomplished stated objectives. • The Valley Link Project continues to be a focus for funding. The Department of Transportation is very happy we went to them so early with Valley Link. • Tri-Valley Cities continue to build a relationship with Congresswoman Eshoo’s office in support of H.R. 530. Congressman Swallwell has signed on as a co-sponsor. • 2020 legislative outreach plans include Tri-Valley branded informational videos, adding a legislative page on the town website, bill fact sheets for the farmers’ market box, policy position papers on impact fees, housing and transportation and examining the feasibility of Mayors town hall events. • AB 881 on ADU’s – website has new information on the ADU law, and we are receiving inquiries about our ADU program from outside agencies and legislators. • SB 330 implementation pre-application fee on a development freezes fees and standards on plans submitted. Limitation of 5 public hearings – working on getting the project plans to Planning and DRB to review before the formal plans are submitted and the clock starts on the project. Other Business and Updates • The Town Council accepted and discussed the report on polystyrene ban. • The Town Council discussed the Flag policy and decided the City Attorney would provide research on other policies and report back to the Town Council.