San Carlos: The Year 2007 In Review
As we end another year in San Carlos, it's time to review the major achievements and key projects that the City experienced during 2007. Here are some of this year's highlights:
1. Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) Medical Center Approved After an extensive 3 ½ year process, the City Council approved a proposal by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) to develop a regional Medical Clinic, Medical Office Building and Hospital on an 18 acre site at 301 Industrial Road in San Carlos that formerly housed the Varian - CPI Eimac plant. The City Council’s action was the culmination of a process that included multiple public hearings before the Traffic & Circulation Commission, Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC), Planning Commission and City Council as well as extensive review of the proposal by a City Staff team that included Community Development Director Al Savay, Project Planner Colette Meunier, Assistant City Manager Brian Moura, City Attorney Bob Lanzone, Public Works Director/City Engineer Parviz Mokhtari and City Manager Mark Weiss. This included the adoption of a Development Agreement which makes the City whole financially from the development of this facility and includes over $90 Million in financial benefits over a 50 Year period as well as PAMF funding for their share of future traffic improvements at Brittan Avenue and Industrial Road and the Holly Street at Highway 101 interchange. 2. Addressing City Budget Challenges During 2007, the City Council once again faced challenges in the General Fund portion of the City Budget. The General Fund portion of the Budget provides core City services including Police, Fire and Parks and Recreation services (68% of General Fund spending is in these three program areas). In June, the City Council approved a budget prepared by City Manager Mark Weiss, Administrative Services Director Jeff Maltbie and Finance Officer Rebecca Mendenhall that included cuts exceeding $1 Million per year. The result was that most City departments in the General Fund had budget cuts, several positions were deleted (Deputy City Treasurer, Office Assistant in Building Division, Part Time Administrative Clerk in Community Development and an Open Police Officer position) and further service reductions were made. A look at the Structural Deficit in the General Fund Budget and options to address it will be reviewed by the City Council in early 2008. 3. City Council Authorizes Preparation of New Lease for Heather School Field In 2007, the City Council held additional meetings on the topic of improving the condition of the City’s Athletic Fields. After reviewing the extensive information on this topic, including the report of the 28 Member Citizens Committee on Athletic Fields in San Carlos delivered to the City Council in early 2006 and the Mahady Report on City Fields which the Council authorized in Fall 2000, the Council authorized the City Staff to begin work on a new lease with the San Carlos Elementary School District on Heather School Field which expires at the end of June 2008. If these negotiations between the City and the School District, led by City Manager Mark Weiss, City Attorney Bob Lanzone and Parks and Recreation Director Barry Weiss are successful, a new lease will be developed and approved and work on an upgrade to Heather School Field will continue in the new year. 4. Economic Development Plan Approved & Activated This summer, the Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC) and the City Council reviewed, revised and adopted an actionable Economic Development Plan for San Carlos. The plan followed action by EDAC and the City Council last Fall on an updated Real Estate Market Study as well as a public workshop in February, a resident survey in March and several meetings by the EDAC and the City Council on Economic Development. Once adopted, a staff team that included Community Development Director Al Savay, Economic Development & Redevelopment Manager Mark Sawicki, Assistant City Manager Brian Moura and City Manager Mark Weiss have been working on steps to implement the plan. This has included extensive efforts by City Staff and the Chamber of Commerce as well as input from the Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC) and the newly created Economic Development Partnership which includes membership from EDAC, the Chamber of Commerce, the Harbor Industrial Association (HIA) and the City. Economic Development remains a high priority in the coming year for both the City Council and EDAC and additional work towards implementing and activating the plan is on the calendar. 5. San Carlos Expands Work on Green Programs In May, the City Council reviewed and adopted a report that recommended an expansion of the City’s work on Green Programs and Climate Protection. The report suggested that the City work with San Carlos Green – a community based program focused on Green Activities, the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Climate Protection Initiative to bring a regional approach to Climate Protection initiatives by Silicon Valley cities and counties, become a pilot City in the San Mateo County Green Business Program, encourage the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce to start a Green Business Program and offer a Community Solar Discount Program in partnership with Solar City and San Carlos Green. (A video of the Council presentation by Assistant City Manager Brian Moura is available in the City Video Presentations section of the City Web Site). The program has led to a series of successful efforts during 2007 including being named the Greenest City in California in a Yahoo! Contest that included a prize of 5,000 Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) headed by San Carlos Green, a group discount on a City Operations Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory through Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, a $75,000 grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) to integrate Climate Protection and Greenhouse Gas reduction measures in the General Plan, a $6,500 matching grant from C/CAG for the City Operations Greenhouse Gas inventory, successful launches of the San Carlos Green and Chamber of Commerce Green programs and a number of San Carlos businesses working on certification in the County Green Business Program. In 2008, these activities will continue along with several more in the Green Programs area – including a City Council ceremony to recognize the City’s first Green Certified Businesses on January 28th. 6. National Award for Citizen Information & Transparency in Government In April, the City received a National Award from the Public Technology Institute (PTI) based in Washington, D.C. The award recognized the City’s work in providing multiple ways for residents and people interested in the City to keep track of what’s going on at City Hall. The award recognizes the work by City Clerk Christine Boland, Webmaster Jasmine Frost and Information Systems Manager Connie Dillard to provide residents with meeting agendas, minutes and complete Council and Commissioner “ePackets”, indexed videos and minutes of City Council meetings, the Mayor’s Wrap-Up Videos of Council Meeting highlights and key City events as well as eNotification email updates (now providing over 6,500 eNotify subscribers with over 30 types of updates) and RSS feeds of City videos, MP3 podcasts and news items. The PTI Technology Achievement Award to San Carlos joins a number of earlier City of San Carlos programs that have won PTI Technology Achievement Awards in past years. These include In Police Car Digital Video and Audio Recording Systems, Low Cost Web Site Software, the Corporation Yard Solar Project, Visioning Downtown San Carlos, Smart Permit, Technology Goes to School and the Cost Avoidance Reserve. 7. General Plan: Envision 2030 Process Begins Earlier this year, the City began a process to update the General Plan. Last adopted in 1991, the General Plan is the principal policy and planning document for guiding future conservation, enhancement and development in the City. The General Plan addresses all aspects of development including land use, transportation, housing, public facilities and infrastructure and open spaces, among other topics. A 21-member General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) has been established by the City Council to advise and work with Community Development Director Al Savay and Planner III Stephanie Bertollo-Davis on this 18 to 24 month process. The GPAC has held several meetings and it includes representation from key City Commissions as well as representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, the Harbor Industrial Area (HIA), the Green Initiatives in the City and key neighborhoods throughout the City. In early January, workshops for both residents and youth will be held to get their input on the General Plan.
8. San Carlos Parks and Recreation Foundation Founded Culminating a process led by Parks and Recreation Director Barry Weiss that included several meetings by the Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council, the San Carlos Parks and Recreation Foundation was founded in 2007. The foundation quickly established a working board and began work on raising funds for Parks and Recreation facilities in San Carlos, including the upcoming Burton Park Playground Improvement project. Activities of the Foundation to date have included joint fund raising programs with local businesses and opportunities for local residents and citizens under 18 to participate as well. 9. Fire Services JPA Amended & Joint Fire Department Renamed In April, the San Carlos City Council and the Belmont City Council acting as the Belmont Fire Protection District (BFPD) voted to make several changes in the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that governs the shared Fire Department that serves both cities as well as unincorporated areas adjacent to both cities including the unincorporated portion of the Harbor Industrial Area. The new JPA renames the shared department from South County Fire Authority to the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department, it changes the funding formula for Fire services from 50% funding from each community to a four-factor formula that results in a 52.3% San Carlos, 47.7% Belmont payment in the current year and changes the Fire Chief reporting structure so that the Fire Chief now reports to the Fire Board (2 Council Members from Each City) rather than the former system of a Management Team of the City Managers of San Carlos and Belmont that hired and supervised the Fire Chief. 10. SBWMA Garbage and Recycling Collection Services and Shoreway RFPs Issued The City of San Carlos is one of 12 member agencies of the SBWMA that developed and issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) that placed Garbage and Recycling Collection Services out to a competitive procurement process during 2007 after an extensive multi-agency process that involved Assistant City Manager Brian Moura and Finance Manager Rebecca Mendenhall. Responses to the RFP are due next Spring and will determine the providers of Garbage and Recycling Services in San Carlos (and the balance of the 12 member SBWMA service area) as well as the operator of the Shoreway Transfer Station and Recyclery starting in 2011. The San Carlos City Council heard presentations on the upcoming process during the year and was the first governing body to vote to issue the regional RFPs. In addition to selecting and awarding these agreements in 2008, the City will also review a proposed rebuilding of the Shoreway facility in San Carlos that will modernize its features and allow Single Stream recycling starting in 2011. |
