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20200213 BIC Agenda Packet Agenda City of Vernon Regular Vernon Business and Industry Commission Meeting Thursday, February 13, 2020, 09:00 AM City Hall, Council Chamber 4305 Santa Fe Avenue Vernon, California Jack Cline, Chair Jimmy Andreoli II, Vice Chair Duncan Sachdeva, Commissioner Robert Wendoll, Commissioner William Davis, Commissioner John Baca, Commissioner Justin Faust, Commissioner CALL TO ORDER FLAG SALUTE ROLL CALL CHANGES TO THE AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT At this time the public is encouraged to address the Commission on any matter that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission. The public will also be given a chance to comment on matters which are on the posted agenda during deliberation on those specific matters. CONSENT CALENDAR All matters listed on the Consent Calendar are to be approved with one motion. Items may be removed from the Consent Calendar by any member of the Commission. Those items removed will be considered immediately after the Consent Calendar. 1. City Clerk Approval of Minutes Recommendation: Approve the August 8, 2019 Regular Business and Industry Commission meeting minutes. 1. 2019-08-08 BIC Minutes Page 2 of 2 Regular Vernon Business and Industry Commission Meeting Agenda February 13, 2020 PRESENTATIONS 2. Finance/Treasury Proposed Fiscal Year 2020-21 General Fee Schedule Recommendation: No action required by the Commission. This is a presentation only. ORAL REPORTS Brief reports, announcements, or directives to staff. Next regular meeting: May 14th, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. ADJOURNMENT I hereby certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing agenda was posted in accordance with the applicable legal requirements. Regular and Adjourned Regular meeting agendas may be amended up to 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Dated this 6th day of February, 2020. By: __________________________________ Lisa Pope, City Clerk Business and Industry Commission Agenda Item Report Agenda Item No. COV-482-2019 Submitted by: Sandra Dolson Submitting Department: City Clerk Meeting Date: February 13, 2020 SUBJECT Approval of Minutes Recommendation: Approve the August 8, 2019 Regular Business and Industry Commission meeting minutes. Background: Staff has prepared draft minutes and hereby submits the minutes for approval. Fiscal Impact: There is no fiscal impact associated with this report. Attachments: 1. 2019-08-08 BIC Minutes MINUTES VERNON BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019 COUNCIL CHAMBER, 4605 SANTA FE AVENUE CALL TO ORDER & FLAG SALUTE Chair Cline called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Flag Salute. Present:Chair Jack Cline, Commissioners John Baca, William Davis, Duncan Sachdeva, and Robert Wendoll Absent:Vice Chair Jimmy Andreoli II and Commissioner Justin Faust CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Interim City Clerk Harrington stated there were no changes to the agenda. PUBLIC COMMENT None. MINUTES 1.Minutes of the Regular Business and Industry Commission Meeting Held on May 9, 2019 Recommendation: A. Receive and File. MOTION Commissioner Wendoll moved and Commissioner Davis seconded a motion to approve the Minutes of the Regular Business and Industry Commission Meeting held on May 9, 2019. The motion carried 5-0-2, Vice Chair Andreoli II and Commissioner Faust absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS AND POSSIBLE DIRECTIVES TO STAFF 2.Update on the Vernon Los Angeles River Active Transportation Access Plan Recommendation: A. Find that the actions recommended in this staff report do not constitute a "project" pursuant to Section 45378(b)(2) of the Guidelines to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") because such recommendations constitute an administrative activity; and even if the proposed actions do constitute a project, it would be exempt from CEQA in accordance with Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule that CEQA only applies to projects that may have an effect on the environment; B. Receive and file a presentation updating the Commission on the Vernon Los Angeles River Active Transportation Access Plan; and C. Hold a discussion and provide feedback and direction to staff on the City’s Los Angeles River Active Transportation Plan. Regular Vernon Business and Industry Commission Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 2 August 8, 2019 Public Works Project Engineer Araujo provided an overview of the Vernon Los Angeles River Path Project. James Powell, Senior Design Associate, Alta Planning + Design, Inc., conducted a PowerPoint Presentation regarding the Vernon Los Angeles River Active Transportation Access Plan. In response to Chair Cline, Public Works Project Engineer Araujo and Mr. Powell provided information on the Vernon Police Department’s input on the project. A dialogue ensued between the Commission and staff as to the safety of the commuters, path design, use of motorized scooters and electric bikes, concerns relating to encampment of the homeless population, accidents, accessibility for emergency vehicles, jurisdiction, hours of operation and impact to the surrounding business community. Commissioner Baca proposed that Commission Members attend future discussions relating to the project. MOTION CommissionerDavis moved and ChairCline seconded a motion to: A. Find that the actions recommended in this staff report do not constitute a "project" pursuant to Section 45378(b)(2) of the Guidelines to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") because such recommendations constitute an administrative activity; and even if the proposed actions do constitute a project, it would be exempt from CEQA in accordance with Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule that CEQA only applies to projects that may have an effect on the environment; and B. Receive and file the presentation updating the Commission on the Vernon Los Angeles River Active Transportation Access Plan. The motion carried 5-0-2, Vice Chair Andreoli II and Commissioner Faust absent. ORAL REPORTS None. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, Chair Cline adjourned the meeting at 9:37 a.m. ________________________ JACK CLINE, Chair ATTEST: _________________________ LISA POPE, City Clerk (seal) Business and Industry Commission Agenda Item Report Agenda Item No. COV-59-2020 Submitted by: Scott Williams Submitting Department: Finance/ Treasury Meeting Date: February 13, 2020 SUBJECT Proposed Fiscal Year 2020-21 General Fee Schedule Recommendation: No action required by the Commission. This is a presentation only. Background: The City engaged Capital Accounting Partners to update the City's General Fee Schedule. A study was conducted with a scope of work that included fee schedules for the building, planning, engineering, environmental control, public safety, city administration and administrative services departments. The study was completed using consistent methodologies to ensure adequate revenue to maintain a high level of customer service and cost recovery to the City. The study included the following: • Consultant meetings with front line staff to accurately measure and capture the time required for fee-based activity such as processing permits and applications • Assumed major technology upgrade to replace current permitting system and citywide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to platforms that will integrate with each other and facilitate an electronic permitting process • An analysis inclusive of staffing changes and duty reassignments planned for the FY 2020-21 budget (e.g. Building & Planning Manager, Permit Technician) • An analysis accounting for a high value of customer service, such as routine pre-application meetings, and capturing the cost of these key added values through fees Fees Charged in Other Cities As part of the analysis, a survey was conducted to compare selected fees with the County of Los Angeles and four benchmark cities in the Los Angeles area. The approach for a comparison study was to identify a small number of relevant projects or services rather than comparing the fees themselves. In addition to LA County, the cities used as benchmark for comparison are: Los Angeles, Commerce, Santa Fe Springs, and Long Beach. In comparing fees and services, caution was used in regards to the following reasons: • Communities have different policies regarding user fees -- some desire to subsidize their fees while others want to charge full cost • Many cities and counties do not routinely update their fees and, therefore, comparisons can be comparing today’s cost against fees implemented more than 5-10 year ago • Service descriptions can vary -- some cities will often bundle services while others keep them separate • There are multiple methods of calculating new construction building evaluations • The variance in the size and complexity of the organization can be a cost driver to the fees charged Comparing one service that is provided by the City of Vernon with the same service for a neighboring city should be considered with caution due to potential variances as previously noted. Conclusion Fee adjustment for cost recovery will advance the City Council’s strategic goal of maintaining fiscal responsibility and stability, and an annual review and update of the General Fee Schedule will ensure that the City is reimbursed for the costs incurred by providing services associated with specific fees. Additionally, it is recommended as a best practice that an updated cost allocation and fee study should be conducted by an independent consulting firm every three to five years. Adjusting with future costs, whenever possible, is key in developing a balanced budget and fiscal responsibility. The proposed fee schedule will be presented to the City Council and a public hearing will be held prior to adoption. Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2020-21 General Fee Schedule will provide additional financial resources by collecting appropriate rates based on current labor and benefit rates, and will reduce the shortfall that currently exists due to a lack of cost recovery for services provided. Fiscal Impact: There is no fiscal impact associated with this report. Attachments: