Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Resolution Confirming the Ballot Results to Determine Whether a Majority Protest Exists in the Proceedings to Increase Assessments in Island City Landscape and Lighting District 84-2, Zone 4 (Park Street); and Adoption of Resolution Confirming the Ballot Results and Providing for No Majority Protest and the Levy of an Annual Assessment in Island City Landscape and Lighting District 84-2, Zone 4 (Park Street). (Public Works 275)
Yes. Public hearing to consider adoption resolution confirming the ballot results to determine whether majority parties exist in the proceedings. To increase assessment in island city landscaping and lighting. District 84 to Zone four, Park Street District a resolution confirming the ballot results and providing for no majority protests and will have even annual assessment in island city landscaping and lighting. District 84 attached to Zone four Park Street. All right. And if this seems highly scripted, it is. So this is kind of like going through a pageant. We're going to see if we all get our lines right. But we should because they're right in front of us. Am I on? Okay. Mayor, I am the man. This is the time and place fixed for the public hearing related to the modification of and proposed increases to the levy of assessments within the island city. Landscaping and lighting maintenance district number eight for dash to the zone for Park Street to fund ongoing maintenance and servicing of landscaping improvements in the Park Street Business District area. I would now ask the City Clerk to report on the notice of this public hearing. Notice of the public hearing and distribution of the assessment ballots has been completed in the manner and form as required by law. Before proceeding further with the public hearing. I would like to ask the City Clerk to provide both the City Council and the audience with a summary of the proceedings that will take place both during and after the close of this public hearing. So the process that will follow for the assessment ballot procedure and tabulation is that after the staff report is provided to the council, the mayor will open the public hearing a step one. Step two will be to take comments from the public. Step three request any additional ballots be submitted to the city clerk. Step four, close the public hearing. And step five, audit the tabulation of ballots once the ballots have been tabulated. The city clerk will announce the results of the tabulation. I would now ask Liz Acord from the Public Works Department to provide the staff report. Good evening, Madam Mayor and members of the City Council. I'm Liz Accord, Public Works Coordinator. As you know, assessments in the Park Street Zone of the city's landscaping lighting district have been flat for over two decades since the mid 1990s. These assessments primarily fund enhanced maintenance, including sidewalk cleaning, tree trimming and litter and graffiti removal. As a consequence of the flawed assessments, levels of service have decreased over the years. Beginning in 2013, Public Works has been working with the downtown Alameda Business Association to develop a proposal to increase assessments and thus restore or improve services. And this year, a proposal to more than double assessments in the coming year was approved by the Downtown Association Board. And then the City Council took the necessary steps to initiate the ballot proceedings in April of this year. As you are well aware of, votes to increase assessments are difficult. No one wants to pay more, especially when assessments have been flat for more than two decades. Yet the Downtown Association Board has endorsed the raise assessments, even though there's always a risk of a failed balloting, as occurred when the zone did its last balloting in 2015 . However, let us now turn our attention to finding out whether this balloting effort was successful or not. And following the public hearing and the tabulation of ballots, I'll be back before you to discuss the outcome. That completes my report, and I'm available for any questions you may have. Thank you. Counsel, do we have any questions for Miss Acord, a council member? Vella. Do you have any questions for Mr. Corey? Okay. And I don't see any other indications. All right. And do we have any public speakers? We do not have any. We do not. Well, going through my script, the city council will hear from any interested person who desires to address the City Council on this matter. So can I safely assume because no one's getting out, that no one is interested? All right. Seeing no one else who wishes to be heard or no one who wishes to be heard. Do any members of the city council have any questions for these city staff or consultants now? Okay. I would like to remind everyone that all assessment ballots and replacement assessment ballots must be received by the city clerk before this public hearing is closed. Assessment ballots or replacement assessment ballots received after the close of this public hearing will not be tabulated. Are there any owners who have not submitted their assessment ballots and need additional time to submit their assessment ballots? Or are there any owners who have submitted their assessment ballots but now wish to submit a replacement assessment ballot? I see no motion from the audience. If so, the City Council will take a five minute recess before closing the public hearing to allow for the submission of such assessment ballots. I am going to proceed on the assumption that no, no one is moving, that we do not need to recess for 5 minutes. So the public hearing will now be closed. The public hearing is now closed. Assessment ballots and replacement assessment ballots received by the city clerk after this time shall not be tabulated. The city clerk shall now recess. While the city clerk tabulates the assessment ballots and replacement ballots received by the city clerk prior to the close of the public hearing. Any interested persons are invited to view the unsealing and tabulation of the ballots in Conference Room 391. So then, Madam Clerk, so you and your. Consultant from NBC. Okay. Yeah. Staff will open the ballots. Anybody can watch and will be right in 391. So we have to recess. To do this quickly. So we're now in recess to for the tabulation of the ballots. And we think that might take about. 10 minutes at. The most. 10 minutes or so. Don't go too far. Um. Well. And the council can watch to correct. And if we. Why are you sit here? We'll be. Looking. All right. Okay. So. So Council is now in recess. I'm going to say about 10 minutes. It's 850. We'll see you at nine or I'll check back in with you at 9:00, let you know. Where we are. All right. We went in place. Okay. We are going to resume. Madam Clerk. Okay. 219 assessment ballots were mailed to the owners of property within the boundaries of the assessment district. And 91 of those assessment ballots were received prior to the close of the public hearing. 48 assessment ballots representing $35,204.86 of assessments were submitted in support of the levy of the proposed assessments within the Assessment District. 42 assessment ballots representing $35,038.79 of assessments were submitted in opposition to the levy of the proposed assessments within the Assessment District. Since a majority protest to the levy of assessment has not been filed. The Council may proceed to impose the amendments, and you can consider the resolution confirming the ballots results and providing for no majority. Protest exists in the proceedings to increase assessments and the levy of annual assessment for island city landscaping and lighting. District number 84 to Zone four Park Street. So the city clerk has notified the city council that she has completed the tabulation of the assessments ballots. Will the city clerk please report the results of the tabulation? And so what you just did. I did well ahead of your part. I'm so sorry. That's okay. Okay. Yeah, you're right. So let's go on. Liz Corey, there. Is. So obviously this is really great news for the zone and it's especially important given the over 20 years of flat assessments and the decrease in service and what this positive result of the balloting means is next fiscal year, an immediate increase in service to better, clean and maintain the district, including sidewalk washing. And that ultimately creates an even better park street for residents, visitors and shoppers. The Downtown Association, including Steve Bucy, Donna Labor and Ron Mooney, Rich Creek's Kyle Conner and Janet Mckelvie deserve a ton of credit for tonight's results. These folks did a lot of outreach to their members and property owners to make this happen. And so with that, I'd like to invite Donna Leyburn with the Downtown Association up now to share a few words. Thank you, Mr. Card. Miss Leyburn City Council Mayor. I do a wahoo if that was okay. But we all. Want to do it. So we're here on behalf of the Downtown Business Association. Our merchant members. Speak, rent a microphone. We want to capture this, have them be a little more centered on the microphone there. They want to speak right into the microphone. Oh, closer. Okay. Everybody that was involved, we're thrilled that we'll be able to enhance the maintenance of the district. And we'd also like to thank the association's landscaping lighting committee. And you've got the names, but they're all here tonight because we were all we've put in a lot of hours working on this Steve Bussey, Brian Mooney, Rich, Chris Kyle Conner and Janet Maccabee diligence and hard work. And I just have to say that the L.A. doesn't just stand for landscaping, lighting. It stands for Liz and Liam, and we just can't thank them enough for being part of this incredible process. And we're so glad it's over. Thank you. Thank you so much. And so now council, we're not done. We need to adopt a resolution confirming the ballot results to determine whether a majority process exists in the proceedings. Do we need to do that, Madam Clerk? Yes. Okay. To determine whether a majority protest exists in the proceedings to increase assessments in Island City lld8 for Dash two zone for Park Street and adoption, a resolution confirming the ballot results and providing for no majority protest in the levy of an annual assessment in Island City. LG eight for dash two zone for Park Street. So moved. Is there a second? Second. Okay. It has been moved and seconded. A move by Councilmember O'Toole, seconded by Vice Mayor Knox White will not take a voice vote. Councilmember De Sang. Yes. Knox White. Yes. Yes. Vella. Yes. Mayor as the. Ashcraft. Yes. That carries by five. This and the resolution passes unanimously. Congratulations to all involved. I know a lot of hard work and effort went into that. Well done. Okay, so we now move on to item six, c, d, d I know it says that rent frenemy. I'm. 60 man quick. Public hearing to consider adoption resolution establishing integrated waste collection ceiling rates and service fees for Alameda County Industries for rate period 18th July 2019 to June 2020. Welcome back. Good evening, Madam Mayor. Members of the City Council. I'm Liz Acord, public works coordinator. The idea before you right now asks council to set integrated waste rates for the coming fiscal year or rate period. This public hearing is part of the annual rate setting process that is set forth in the city's franchise agreement with Alameda County Industries or ASI. And I'm going to turn it over to Marva Sheehan with H.f. and each to walk you through that process and the results. And at the end of Marv's presentation, Marva Staff Ken, Kenny, Criswell, Busa and the team will be available for any questions that you may have.