City Council Update 8.16.22

City Council Update 8.16.22: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

City Council Update 8.16.22: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Steve:
Welcome to a Redding City Council update for full details on each of the items covered or to watch meeting online. Visit the city of Redding dot org or find the links in the episode show notes for any questions, suggestions or comments. Please email podcast at City of Redding dot org.

Steve Bade:
I'm Steve Bade with the City of Redding. I am the assistant city manager and I'm here to report on the August 16th City Council meeting and give you a nice recap of the activity that took place last evening. I'd like to note on that in regards to the consent calendar, we did have a few items I'd like to highlight. And one of those is that the City Council authorized the mayor to send two letters of support for two different income-qualifying projects. One is actually on Placer Street and the other one is proposed on Canby Road. The one on Placer Street will actually bring 64 units and the Canby Road Project would bring 120 units. These support letters are in regard to the funding that may support these projects. And so this early on in the process, but these are very well located projects and we anticipate good things. So we'll look forward to we can get another 180 plus units in our community to be greatly received. The other item I'd like to highlight is we have a the city is applying for emergency solutions grant funding and this funding we're putting in an application for $200,000. We are looking to utilize these funds to help out with our homeless services and to help out our crisis intervention response team with providing housing to those that are unsheltered or living in unauthorized camps within our community. Last night. They also announced that October 4th, 2022, is going to be the National Night Out. And so they the council would like to welcome the community to join in on this event.

Steve Bade:
And so, again, it's October 4th and that's coming up. It'll be here sooner than we know. And this is really an opportunity for neighborhoods to gather and interact with one another, but then also interact with city staff and law enforcement and safety personnel to learn more about the safety of your community and also give feedback to our city representatives for during that evening. A project that was supported last evening is one at Benton air park and they have been airpark is a runway and taxiway pavement preservation project. And so the council awarded a $370,000 contract to BSS International and that project will improve the the runway at Benton Air Park And so we are looking forward to improvements in that in that small airport. And so anyway, that project will take off in the next few months and as we're about to see council support that up at Benton airport. And then on the regular calendar, we had a couple of items that were brought about some good discussions between our council and the community. And so one of those the first one was the consideration of developing a new personnel policy. And that would be related to a hybrid remote work assignment. And so the city was really looking to with this with this request is to create a pilot program for about 12 months. We really just want to explore options where we can try and improve either employee retention or even employee recruitment.

Steve Bade:
Now, these types of positions that would be eligible for this remote work is not something like you wouldn't have a police officer, you're not going to have somebody that's doing the work for planning or building that has a daily interaction. These are positions that may be like a computer and data management person. Or we could have it's possible some of our management analysts might be a good fit or maybe a personnel analyst, really a position that would work well from a distance and not have to really have that daily interaction with staff or the community to be to make that position effective. So Council did support this as a pilot program. And so we anticipate that we would we will move forward and we have some things to figure out whether it's in regard to payroll taxes or CalPERS. And it seems our initial responses to those that that there are communities doing this and within California and then there's some interstate agreements that allow this to happen for for that employee to be able to live in another state or to complete these jobs. So this was supported when it was a by council and approved last night. So we will be looking forward to seeing how that remote work policy comes together and and see if we have any staff members or future employees that it might fit well with. And so, you know, it's really just a good sign of the city really shown that we are being innovative and responsive and that kind of government of the 21st century as we look at these types of approvals.

Steve Bade:
Also last night, there was an oral presentation regarding the revival of Art in Public Places. And this was really a presentation that was completed by Kim Nemer, our community services director. And it was really most of it was really highlighting some of the great art that has been done within our community over the years, whether it's at city facilities like Old City Hall or it's along the trail system, even some new improvements going along the trail system, some future improvements going along that trail system and it's really a restart to the presentation was to see if there's just general support from council to revive a Art in Public Places committee. And this is something that had been utilized in the past. And I think that they would end up getting getting some maybe a group of 5 to 7 people that are involved in the arts, in the community and have can provide advice and guidance to propose art that will be in public places. So this is just kind of re-energizing and bringing back a committee that was in place some years ago and really just helping out as we try to improve our community. And and look at I mean, public art is becoming a bigger deal in our downtown is becoming a bigger deal in our parks. And we want it to be throughout the city. And so this would be a committee that would look help decide how that final product would look as it is within, whether it's public space or public right away.

Steve Bade:
So that's it was good, good guidance provided by the Council to move forward with that concept. And so we look forward to that committee being formed. Public Works presented last night a request for basically modifying the speed limit at two locations. Now it's important to note that this. When they go forward and they have to look at the analyze base, the speed limits within our community, it's something that is required by law because if you don't do these studies, then you're not able to enforce those speeds. And so it's something that we are regulatory required to do. And so last night they presented a basically the speed zoning ordinance and then also the analysis that was completed through an engineering and traffic survey. And so through that, they end up basically modifying only two locations within our community and one was a reduction of speed and the other one was an increase in that speed. And the one that was reduced is actually up on Redwood Boulevard and it's between Northpoint Drive and Caterpillar Road. They reduce that from 30 to 25 miles an hour. And then the other one that was actually increased, that one is up on Twin View Boulevard. It's from State Route 273 to Constitution Way. And so they increase on one from 35 miles an hour to 40 miles an hour.

Steve Bade:
So that was interesting to see them... this is just a process that they go through and they choose a certain, I guess, area to analyze. And then they go through this engineering survey to determine if there's going to be any needed speed changes. And so last night council approved those two modifications. And so just going through there, it's just a normal operation of business on that. The last item that that was really I would say it was a very engaging conversation. It was a carryover from prior council meetings, and it was really the consideration of a urgency ordinance related to new vacation rentals, applications within the city of Redding. And so there was a request basically to place a moratorium on the submission and receipt of these applications. And that would be that are basically that application process defined by our municipal code, section 18.43180. And it really was... the intention was just to put a pause on these applications because we have so many of them in the queue. I'd say we had about 35 or 40 already in there, and I think over the last two weeks we got 20 more applications for short term rentals. I think what the staff was presenting was just to apply a moratorium to it, to put a pause on those applications while staff was able to go in and revise the municipal code. And so after lengthy discussion and even good public comment and public comment included concerns about density within neighborhoods and how adjacent short term rentals are affecting current single family owners within these single family districts.

Steve Bade:
And now they're frustrated with some of them operating as a hotel, some of them just not being good neighbors or they're a nuisance or they're parking all over the place and you know, and sometimes that that was just maybe it was not good management, maybe it was something that the municipal code could address. But it's not being monitored because of staffing hasn't been at that level yet. And so it was a very I think it was a good conversation for the community to have, for council to have, for staff to have. And so at the end of the of the discussion council did not support by a 4/5 vote to adopt an interim urgency ordinance and so they didn't believe, I think a councilmember, Reznor said. It just didn't meet that urgency definition that has been... We've used in the past for something like the Carr fire or the pandemic, something like that. Those urgency matters. She didn't feel like this is an emergency matter. And I think that was very well pointed out by a few of the council members. But at the end of the discussion, I think they did come up with a good result where city council set, as a high priority, and which may cause a delay in the riverfront specific plan update moving forward, maybe a little slower or the tree or it's moving in a little slower pace while staff jumps out and addresses modifying the municipal code for short term rentals.

Steve Bade:
So they've asked staff to set this as a priority and then to work for development service staff to modify the municipal code as it relates to those short term rentals. And they're wanting to address those things that are like whether it's density or it's how do we put some teeth out there for those that are bad actors and they're operating these facilities and we need to step up our monitoring of it. And so staff is going to work with that. And I believe they're going to bring back to council a list of some of those top subjects that will help,operate that that program in a better capacity for the city and for the community, really. And so we'll look for that to go back to council in October, and then it would be presented to Planning Commission and then ultimately back to City Council and they will do the ordinance, the reading of the ordinance, the first and second reading of that. So it was a good conversation. It's I think it's a good direction where we'll be able to address those short term rentals, the issues that we have. And these have been around for just only a few years. And so I think we're learning as we go and now some time for some modifications. And City Council was supportive of that. That's my summary of last evening and I'd say it was a good meeting and some good direction by the council.

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