Paso Robles City Council Meeting Highlights from January 21, 2020
–Highlights from the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, as submitted by the City of Paso Robles, are as follows:
Approved an Agreement with Purolite in the amount of $190,000: The agreement is to purchase adsorptive potable water treatment media for the removal of naturally occurring arsenic at two city wells. The concentrations of naturally occurring arsenic in Sherwood wells #9 and #11 are not dangerous but require treatment. The total cost for adsorptive media and 180 cubic feet of reserve media, including freight and taxes, is estimated at $190,000 a recurring expense that takes place every few years and is part of the overall operating budget of the Water Fund.
Approved an Agreement with Stantec, Inc. in the Amount of $50,000: Stantec, Inc. will acquire permits on the city’s behalf for the construction of the South Vine Bridge and will complete the plans and specifications for construction. Construction of the bridge and the subsequent re-alignment of South Vine would relieve the traffic congestion at the intersection of State Highway 101 and State Route Highway 46 West. Having a set of plans and the associated permits ready for construction would allow the city to have a “shovel ready” project to seek grant funding to construct the bridge.
Approved a Change Order in the approximate amount of $180,000 with Mott-MacDonald for the preparation of the Project Approval Environment Documents at Union Road and Highway 46 East: The City’s Circulation Element has identified the need to provide the improvements at Union Road and Highway 46 East in order provide local traffic with alternative connections and relieve congestion pressure to Highway 46 East. Completion of the environmental and technical studies work will help the city to secure State and Federal funding to construct the improvements.
Voted to continue to the Feb. 4 City Council Meeting a Decision Regarding Entering into an Agreement with RRM Design Group for Comprehensive City Facilities Space Planning: The proposed agreement would allow the city to begin comprehensive planning to eliminate leased property (resulting in long-term savings) and ensure that adequate facilities are available to meet community needs now and into the future. Council instructed staff to bring the item back for further discussion on Feb. 4 with additional information regarding scope of work, potential funding sources for construction, and construction timelines. The cost of contracting with RRM would not exceed $177,600 for comprehensive city facilities space planning, with the understanding that the City Manager would work to negotiate a reduced price that still accomplishes the necessary scope of work for the project.
Convening as the City of Paso Robles Successor Agency Board of Directors, approved the administrative budget for the Successor Agency for the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 34177: The Successor Agency was established to wind down the affairs of the former Redevelopment Agency. In order for the Successor Agency to have funding approved by the Department of Finance for the Successor Agency’s obligations, the city council, acting in its capacity as the governing board of the Successor Agency, must review and approve the Administrative Budget and Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule (ROPS) each year.
Approved Planned Development 19-05 to construct the Creston Apartments, a 20-unit multiple-family residential project at 420/424 Creston Road: The development will include four 3-story apartment buildings and four 2-story buildings in a contemporary architectural style. The project includes multiple garages and a playground/tot lot. Council also approved the removal of 9 Valley Oak trees at the project site with a mitigation agreement requiring the developer to provide 21 new oak trees – 50-percent Live Oak, and 50-percent Valley Oak. The project is CEQA exempt, and there will be no utilities undergrounding requirement.
Authorized staff to prepare an agreement with San Luis Obispo County to perform repairs to Jardine Road from Beacon Road to Tower Road: The cost of repairs is estimated at $500,000 and the funds will come from General Fund Reserves, derived from the supplemental sales tax intended for road repair. The repair project is not a full rebuild of Jardine Road, but it is a less costly option that will provide 15-20 years of life to the road. It will also strengthen the partnership between the city and the county while allowing the city to take advantage of better bid prices because of the larger county contracts.
Voted to receive and file the results of citizen survey input from 2017, 2018, and 2019: Residents gave overwhelmingly positive ratings to Emergency Services as a whole, and the Fire Department, in particular. Keeping up with road repair, maintaining and enhancing public safety, addressing homelessness, and maintaining the overall quality of local services remain the top priorities. More than 60-percent of residents believe that the city has a need for additional funding to maintain programs and services. Council will discuss survey results at a public budget-development workshop scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Emergency Operations Center.
This represents just a subset of the total actions by the council. The full agenda and audio from the meeting can be found at www.prcity.com/AgendaCenter. The minutes will be available as part of the packet for the city council’s next regular meeting to be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Conference Center/Council Chamber, 1000 Spring Street.
The council will also be holding a budget study session on Saturday, January 25, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon, at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), at 900 Park Street. This is the first step in the biennial budget process and will address the city’s long-term fiscal sustainability. The public is encouraged to attend; refreshments will be served.
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