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CC - Item 4B - Minutes of May 31, 2022 Special MeetingMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MAY 319 2022 The special meeting of the Rosemead City Council was called to order by Mayor Low at 6:01 p.m., in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PRESENT: Mayor Low, Mayor Pro Tem Dang, Council Members ABSENT: None PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Council Member INVOCATION was led by Council Member Tang STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Kim, City Attorney Ric Chamberlain, Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking, Di City Clerk Hernandez 1. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Low opened the Public Comment peri a, Clark, and Tang Interim Director of Finance )f Public Works Chung, and Sherman Ruman; Owner of Blue Star Automotive, asked Council to declare the 8400 block of Garvey Avenue a crime zone, speaking to the crime he experiences on his block with a dozen recent police reports in hand; opined his. -new adjacent neighbor at Garvey Garden Plaza was probably' quite unaware of the tremendous amount of crime on the block at the time that he purchased the property. Stated that the Police do not even come when there is crime at his place and when they do come, the parking situation is so bad that the Police must park in the traffic lanes as there is no parking due to cars parked along the Garvey Garden, which is sealed off. Emphasized as a result, the Police and Fire Departments do not have easy access to get in when needed or in an emergency; noted we do not have parking enforcement. Explained we had two vehicles that were abandoned in that area for more than 10 days and couldn't get the Police to take any action to remove it. Pointed out that there is so much theft occurring that they are going through his place like a Swiss cheese as it was not designed to be a fortress; stated the Police arrested car thieves across the street at AutoZone. Expressed concern that they are stealing catalytic converters, then melting them down to get $1,250 apiece next morning; reiterated he has Police reports and pictures reflecting the losses he is taking. Mr. Ruman pleaded with Council for police protection, and to look into restriping the public road on Garvey Avenue between Earle Avenue and Delta Avenue, which gives an unbelievable access method for criminals to enter; stated this is one of the causes of the crimes that the Golden State Water Company will not correct. Mayor Low asked to clarify, are you speaking of the location that's on Garvey Avenue between Delta Avenue and Earle Avenue? Rosemead City Council AGENDA ITEM 4.B Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page I of 34 Mr. Ruman confirmed yes on Garvey Avenue from AutoZone to my business, Blue Star Automotive; noted the robbers use Delta Avenue and Earle Avenue, which is right behind the Golden State Water Company; indicated he padded the ground with spike boards on them and nail boards attached just to close even the brick walls over there. Expressed frustration that there is no stopping the theft because the robbers are making so much money, and the fact that they know they will be released even if they are caught. Council Member Clark interjected stating well, that's our lovely District Attorney's fault. Mayor Low thanked Mr. Ruman for the report; asked if from that area of the 8400 block of Garvey Avenue. Mr. Ruman responded yes, the reports cover Council also declare the 8400 block as an hazards that contribute to that. Council Member Clark asked Mr. Ruman what action Mr. Ruman replied we are seeking rezoning of the Company as it does not have fencing to protect entry Plaza or surrounding businesses. Mayor Low thanked Mr. Ruman for ha with Mr. Ruman regarding the crime cc see what we can do and to provide a b Weekly Update. There being no further comments, Mayor 2. PRESENTATIONS - 3. PUBLIC HEARING' 91 ie Police reports in hand are all area of that block. Requested zone, which has a couple of behind the Golden State Water i there into the Garvey Gardens nents. Asked our Chief of Police to speak directed staff to look into the situation to iderstanding of the problem in the Council closed the Public Comment period. Mayor Low stated the Public Hearing items are supposed to be next, however, due to a typo of the timing in the Public Hearing Notices, the order of both Public Hearing items will be moved an& open after Matters from Staff in the agenda. CONSENT CALENDAR ACTION: Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Dang and seconded by Council Member Tang to approve Consent Calendar Items A through D, as well as Items F and G. Council Member Armenta pulled Consent Calendar Item E for separate discussion. The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Tang NOES: None A. Claims and Demands Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 2 of 34 • Resolution No. 2022-31 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA, ALLOWING CERTAIN CLAIMS AND DEMANDS IN THE SUM OF $634,780.00 CHECKS NUMBERED 111208 THROUGH NUMBER 111277, DRAFTS NUMBERED 5743 THROUGH NUMBER 5746 AND EFT NUMBERED 51074 THROUGH NUMBER 51079 INCLUSIVELY Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 2022- B. Minutes Recommendation: That the City of May 10, 2022. e the regular meeting minutes C. Consideration of Approval of Request to Install Green Curb at 8424 Garvey Avenue At the May 5, 2022, Traffic Commission Meeting,.. staff presented recommendations and options to install green curb along the property frontage at 8424 Garvey Avenue. The Traffic Commission recomi (20-minute parking) and signage parking signage during the hours of red curb on each side of the di of the property frontage. Public recommended items. If neces. utilize signage durin€ hours of 7:00 the, driveway i D. Approval of expense to Year 2021- fended to install approximately 47' of green curb during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 2-hour of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 in. (except Sundays), and 2' :way including driveway aprons on the east side orks Field Services staff will complete all the additional materials and supplies may be :)mplete the recommended work and staff would )22 Traffic Signs and Markers available funds. is That the City Council approve the Traffic Commission's to install,.,. approximately 47' of green curb (20-minute parking) and e hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 2-hour parking signage during the i. to 6:00 p.m. (except Sundays), and 2' of red curb on each side of uding driveway aprons on the east side of the property frontage. to Install Green Curb at 8408 Garvey Avenue At the May 5, 2022, Traffic Commission Meeting, staff presented recommendations and options to install a green curb along the property frontage at 8408 Garvey Avenue. The Traffic Commission recommended to install 27' of red curb in front of an existing fire hydrant, 40' of green curb (20- minute parking) during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the remaining 60' of curb as two-hour parking zone during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (except Sundays) with added signage to indicate time restricted hours. Public Works Field Services staff will complete all the recommended items. If necessary, additional materials and supplies may be Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 3 of 34 purchased at a minimal expense to complete the recommended work and staff would utilize approved Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Traffic Signs and Markers available funds. Recommendation: That the City Council approve the Traffic Commission's recommendation to approve 40' of green curb (20-minute parking) during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the remaining 60' of curb as two-hour parking zone during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (except Sundays) with added signage to indicate time restricted hours. F. Award of Contract to Schoeppner Shows Carnival for Services at the Annual July 4 Event The Parks and Recreation Department is seeking the City Council to approve a contract with Schoeppner Shows Carnival. The contract is to provide carnival rides, games, and services for the Annual July 4 Event at Rosemead Park. As part of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget, $165,500 has been requested for community special events, $90,000 which is allocated to the July 4th Event. Recommendation: That the City Council authorize the City Manager to approve an agreement with Schoeppner Shows Carnival in the amount not -to -exceed $45,000, from Account Number 101-4040-5710. G. City Council Designation and Appointment of Interim Community Development Director as a Retired AnnuitantPosition The City, has open the recruit for a permanent Community Development Director due to the resignation of the previous director in September 2021. In order to ensure the continuity of operations during this vacancy, staff is recommending the City Council adopt a resolution to appoint Mr. Stan Wong as a Retired Annuitant to the position of Community Development Director as authorized per California Government Code Sections 7522.56' and 21221(h). Recommendation: That the City Council take the following actions: Approve the position of Interim Community Development Director and authorize the position as a Retired Annuitant Position per California Government Code Sections 7522.56 and 21221(h); and 2. Approve the appointment and authorize the City Manager to sign the agreement on behalf of the City with Mr. Stan Wong as the Interim Community Development Director; and 3. Adopt Resolution No. 2022-34, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD APPOINTING A RETIRED ANNUITANT TO THE POSITION OF INTERIM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 4 of 34 DIRECTOR FOR A LIMITED DURATION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 21221(h) CONSENT CALENDAR ITEM PULLED FOR SEPARATE DISCUSSION E. Approval of Traffic Calming Measures on Jackson Avenue Between Emerson Place and Hellman Avenue At the May 5, 2022, Traffic Commission Meeting, staff presented a traffic review and recommendations regarding concerns of speeding along Jackson Avenue between Emerson Place and Hellman Avenue. The Traffic Commission accepted all staff recommendations, including oversized speed limit signs, double yellow centerline striping, and modification to include the installation of a speed limit pavement striping legend. Public Works Field Services staff will complete all the recommended items. If necessary, additional- materials and 'supplies may be purchased at a minimal expense to complete the recommended work and staff would utilize approved Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Traffic Signs and Markers available funds. Recommendation: That the City Counci recommended items with a_ modification to i pavement legend striping, including: 1. INSTALL NEW OVERSIZED SPEED .] MPH speed limit (R2-1) sign (30"X36'' Emerson Place and Jackson Avenue inter c)ve the Traffic Commission the installation of a speed limit SIGN: Install new oversized 25 )ximately 23 -feet north of the for the northbound traffic. 2. INSTALL NEW DOUBLE YELLOW CENTER LINE: Install double yellow center line, (CAMUTCD Detail 21) 'along Jackson Avenue between Emerson Place and Hellman Avenue.. This, will serve to visually narrow the roadway and designate travel lanes, which is effective in reducing vehicle speeds. 3. REMOVE., AND REPLACE EXISTING SPEED LIMIT SIGN WITH NEW OVERSIZED SPEED LIMIT SIGN: Remove the existing 25 MPH speed limit (R2-1) sign (3 0"X36") approximately 10-feet south of the Hellman Avenue and Jackson Avenue intersection for southbound traffic and replace it with new oversized 25-MPH speed limit (R2-1) sign. 4. INSTALL "25" PAVEMENT LEGEND STRIPING: Install 4425" pavement ............. legend striping at the beginning and end of Jackson Avenue between Emerson Place and Hellman Avenue adjacent to the new oversized speed limit signs. Council Member Armenta stated in speaking with Director of Public Works Chung, many of these calming conditions, if you will, have been in place throughout the City of Rosemead; opined unfortunately, many of these still do not deter people from speeding or calm the traffic area. Ascertained the stand of the city is that installing speed bumps will slow down the responding time of first responders. The reason why Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 5 of 34 I pulled this item is because I just don't understand how other cities such as El Monte and Pasadena are able to install speed bumps, and it does not stop their first responders from providing the service that they do. Referenced the south end of Rosemead, from Garvey Avenue to Graves Avenue, a straight street with no stops; asserted that people drive down that street so fast and children are out playing — what happens if they run out to retrieve a ball down the street. Expressed my biggest concern is we're not going to do anything until somebody gets killed. Stated I know speed bumps are not on the agenda, but I brought this up to emphasize the importance of speed bumps. Also to thank Mr. Chung for always being proactive and thinking outside the box in finding solutions to calm the traffic in our residential areas. Council Member Clark stated since she lives, right there that they just repaved the whole street on Jackson Avenue from Garvey Avenue to Graves Avenue, noting that a stop sign was just installed at Newmark Avenue. Council Member Armenta reiterated we haven't -,paved the area that I spoke of, so maybe we can look into different options that can include speed bumps. ACTION: Moved by Council. Member Tang and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Dang to approve the Traffic Commission recommended items with a modification to include the installation of a speed limit pavement legend striping, including: 1. INSTALL NEW OVERSIZED SPEED LIMIT SIGN: Install new oversized 25 MPH speed limit =;(R24) sign (30"X36") approximately 23-feet north of the Emerson.Place and Jackson Avenue intersection for the northbound traffic. INSTALL NEW DOUBLE YELLOW CENTER LINE: Install double yellow center line (CAMUTCD Detail 21) along Jackson Avenue between Emerson Place and. Hellman'Avenue. This will serve to visually narrow the roadway and designate travel lanes, which is effective in reducing vehicle speeds. REMOVE AND REPLACE EXISTING SPEED LIMIT SIGN WITH NEW OVERSIZED SPEED LIMIT SIGN: Remove the existing 25 MPH speed limit (R2-1) sign, (3 0"X3 6") approximately 10-feet south of the Hellman Avenue and Jackson Avenue intersection for southbound traffic and replace it with new oversized 25-MPH speed limit (R2-1) sign. 4. INSTALL "25" PAVEMENT LEGEND STRIPING: Install "25" pavement legend striping at the beginning and end of Jackson Avenue between Emerson Place and Hellman Avenue adjacent to the new oversized speed limit signs. The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Tang NOES: None Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 6 of 34 5. MATTERS FROM CITY MANAGER & STAFF A. Discussion on Joining the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust Joint Powers Authority Formation of the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust (SGVRHT) was authorized by SB 751 (Rubio), which allowed the San Gabriel Valley cities to band together to bring additional affordable housing resources to the San Gabriel Valley region. Consequently, the SGVRHT was established in February 2020 as a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) developed by a working group of staff from cities within the San Gabriel Valley and reviewed by the San Gabriel Valley Council of Government's City Managers' Steering Committee. The SGVRHT is governed by a nine -member board of directors composed of seven local elected officials and two housing and homeless experts. The City of Rosemead is within the Central IDistrict. At the April 12, 2022, City Council Meeting, Regio Brielle Acevedo, conducted a presentation and pr( activities over the last year. Ms. Acevedo conclud+ Rosemead City Council to consider joining the SG Recommendation: That the City Council discuss Regional Housing Trust Should Council decide to j ial Housing Trust Administrator, vided an overview of SGVRHT d her presentation by asking the TRHT. joining the San Gabriel Valley )in at this time: 1. Direct staff to bring back an Agreement with the SGVRHT to join as a Member City and pay member fees of $21,750 for Fiscal Year 2022-2023; or 2. Direct the City Manager to submit,a letter to the SGVRHT indicating Rosemead's intent to join as an Affiliate and pay affiliate fees of $6,150 for the first year. City Manager Kim stated at the April 12th City Council meeting, the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust gave a presentation providing an overview of the Trust's activity for the past year and asked Rosemead to consider joining the Trust. Currently there are 22 cities that are members of the Regional Housing Trust, _:with 18 cities as full members and four as affiliate members. The difference between full member and :affiliate member is that the full member may apply for funding for project -ready affordable housing development, whereas affiliate members do not. The cost of membership for the full member is $21,000 for the first year and about $15,000 annually thereafter. The affiliate member costs $6,150 for the first year and about $3,000 annually thereafter. The Trust is currently working on approximately 10 affordable housing projects, which the funding is provided based on project readiness. The recommendation from staff is that the Council consider the matter of joining the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust and if the Council wish to join at this time, either direct staff to bring back an agreement with the Regional Housing Trust to join as a member city and pay the membership fee of $21,750 for the first year and subsequent annual fee thereafter or direct the City Manager to submit a letter to the Regional Housing Trust indicating Rosemead's intent to join Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 7 of 34 as an affiliate member and pay the affiliate fee of $6,150 for the first year and subsequent annual fee thereafter. Mayor Low asked so if we join as a member, where does the funding come from for these affordable housing projects? City Manager Kim answered that some of the funding comes from the membership itself, but it is limited because the funding for the first year for a full membership is $21,000 and the annual membership fee is about $15,00.0. Explained the Regional Housing Trust will go after funding from the state, federal government and other affordable housing funding that is available and pull the money together to work on the projects. Mayor Low ascertained that my understanding is the membership fee that we are paying is not necessarily to pay for the prof ect but to pay for a ,consultant to get more funding to build these affordableprojects. Also, it doesn't mean ,that these affordable housing projects will get built in the City, of Rosemead, correct? City Manager Kim replied I would not say they are consultants, but the Regional Housing Trust does go after the funding for these affordable housing projects. Confirmed no that it does not guarantee they will be built in Rosemead. The Regional Housing Trust will decide which projects will be funded and that's based on project readiness. So, when there's a project that's ready for construction or it's in the pipeline, then those applications or those requests will get funded first. Stated if our city does not have a project that's ready, then there would not be an application to submit. Mayor Low inquired that this will be a project as a whole that is affordable housing, not only certain units. firmed .that is correct; asserted that this is a broader way of looking for affordable housing for San Gabriel Valley as a whole rather than indivi Council Member Armenta stated the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust came under Senator Susan Rubio's bill and the first year the Senator was able to secure five million dollars; noted this past year she secured twenty million dollars. The Senator has committed to making sure that money is going straight to the Regional Housing Trust through her personal budget request because the actual monthly, or yearly Contribution from cities would not be enough to produce any housing whatsoever. Emphasized the Senator's intent is to make sure cities that are part of the Housing Trust have a much bigger chance of getting money. Noted there's an actual team in the San Gabriel Valley Housing Trust that deals with looking for other grants and possibilities, but they are part of the San Gabriel Valley COG, so they're not paying consultants per se. Shared that Alhambra is a great example as they received funding for two projects. Asserted that the possibility is much more when you are part of the Trust; we could apply when we have a shovel -ready project, Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 8 of 34 however, say that we are looking into purchasing land for affordable housing, part of that money can also be used to acquire that land. Mayor Low said but the project itself still must be completed by a developer open to doing affordable housing. Council Member Tang asked how long has the Trust been in existence? Inquired if the 5 million and 20 million funding secured by Senator Rubio that Council Member Armenta alluded to — have those already been allocated to projects? City Manager Kim replied that the Trust has been in existence since 2019. I believe the funding went to the Regional Housing Trust, which, has been allocated to 10 ready projects. Council Member Tang asked what is the get funded by the Trust? The reason I board is comprised of seven elected of and homeless experts. I want to get m understand what the benefits are before members of the Trust. Mr. Kim responded I cannot speak within the Trust itself; reiterated t Pointed out the differences in, the allows the city to pursue funding foi The second levelof membership is Regional Housing Trust and afforda However, , the affiliate membership the Trust. -ocess of evaluating whether a project will is because I noticed that the governing ials from various cities and two housing e information on the process as well as immitting our city resources to becoming bout the evaluation process as that's done all y look for project ready affordable housing. wo types of . membership — full membership project`` ready affordable housing opportunity. affiliatee member which shows support for the e development within the San Gabriel Valley. oes not allow that city to seek funding with Mayor Pro Tem Dang asked if there is a third option, let's say hypothetically if we don't j oin, what are the ramifications or consequences, if any? City Manager Kim responded well yes, the third option would be not to join; opined I don't believe there would be any ramifications or consequences in that. Reiterated if at a point the city decides to pursue an affordable housing project, by being a member, we would have access to potential funding available through the Regional Housing Trust. Mayor Pro Tem Dang asked to confirm from 2018 to 2022 we have not been a member? Mr. Kim replied that is correct, we have not been a member since then. Mayor Pro Tem Dang thanked Senator Rubio for championing this piece of legislation. I think it's great work for the San Gabriel Valley as a whole. Expressing the following concern regarding joining the Trust, the City of Rosemead is pre -built Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 9 of 34 out and doesn't own any vacant land where we could just ask developers to come in and give them that incentive. So, it's hard for us to have anything that's sort of shovel ready, unlike other cities such as Pomona that have a lot of land available. Another thing is this grant is all or nothing, meaning I can't ask the developer to build five units and then I will divvy up that portion just for those five units. The other remaining he's going to have to fend off himself. I love the idea and concept, but I just don't know how we can fit it into Rosemead because we are already built out. Indicated our City Manager has been looking for land to purchase and we can't even compete with some of the industry group that's out there. Unfortunately, we just cannot rely on this grant for us to fulfill any of those projects., -Asserted that I support the idea and I'm okay with the $6,000 affiliate membership, however, I don't think we really benefit paying for the $21,000 full membership: Mayor Low expressed I think it is a very good initiative for the San Gabriel Valley, however, agreed with Mayor Pro Tem Dang that I'm not sure,, whether City of Rosemead can fully benefit from the Trust, at least not at this time. Opined I would like to at least support the cause by being an affiliate member as we can afford to pay the $6,000 first year and the $3,000 following year. Council Member Tang indicate still wants to get more inform because there could be opport also like to know what the appz like — Are they developer or Asserted that he7 would love to be an example for how we can i d he is okay with whi cation as to how the unities that we're jug oved Droiects that the more anc in the citv. ;re this is going. Reiterated he trust evaluates these projects not seeing. Stated he would Trust has already funded look units is it? What is the cost? se projects to see if those can City Manager, Kim responded I believe, they presented a summary of their activity for the past year, which included some of their projects. Stated I can get back to the Council with that additional information. Council Member Armenta suggested looking at Monterey Park because they have a housing project right on" the corner of Ramona Avenue and Mc Pherrin Avenue, that is strictly all;affordable housing and some funding from the Trust was used. Mayor Pro Tem Dang shared that he recalled seeing a list of those projects that have been approved and another list of projects that are approved in concept but are waiting .for funding. Opined so the future money that's going to come in, may already be allocated for a project on the approved list. Mayor Low asked what is the wish of the Council on this item? Council Member Armenta opined to table this item for more information. BY CONSENSUS, the City Council tabled this item to a future meeting and directed staff to bring back the requested information on the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 10 of 34 B. Summer Aquatic Programs Update The Parks and Recreation Department would like to provide the City Council with an update on the aquatic programs that will be offered this summer. Aquatic programs will be offered at the Rosemead Aquatic Center at Rosemead Park and the Splash Zone at Garvey Park on a limited basis due to a shortage in personnel. Recommendation: That the City Council receive and file this information. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking provided an update on the summer Aquatics program; noted unfortunately he is presenting an altered summer program class schedule due to a shortage of Aquatics personnel; shared the good news is that we are able to open both facilities, but the bad news is we are not able to open them fully. Asserted that staff made the following' efforts the past few months to recruit and hire qualified Aquatics personnel .. visited local career fairs at high schools and colleges; met with local swim teams both in high school and college; as well as recruiting swimmers; posted jobs online and on s he reached out to every single friend of his son we would train them, pay for their certification approved at the March 22nd City all our efforts, we are still short-hani attendants, 3 lifeguards, 4 lifeguard ,are in the process of trying to onbo attendants, 7 lifeguards, 4 lifeguai To run the program where both 20 lifeguards, 8 lifeg [''the shortage is not i state, and na is struggling Council meet led; as of right gal media. Mr. Boecking indicated to be a lifeguard and shared that and about the incentive program ng. Stated unfortunately despite now, currently we have 8 aquatic ►tractors and no assistant pool managers. We many staff — we are anticipating 15 aquatic instructors, and 2 assistant pool managers. ilities are fully open, we need 18 aquatic instructors, and 4 assistant pool managers. City of Rosemead issue as it is a regional, is one of many in the San Gabriel Valley that Mr. Boecking pointed out that the Rosemead Aquatic Center (RAC) will be the main hub as its pool s11ze allows us to accommodate the most participants for swim lessons, Aquatic programs and recreation swims; stated the lap swim and the water aerobics programs as well as our swim team can share staffing to where we don't need to bring in additional staffing for those programs. Ascertained while Splash Zone's amenities are amazing, we are only able to open it two days a week on Friday and Saturday for recreation swim; we anticipate being able to open Splash Zone at least one more day a week, hopefully on a Sunday where we could attract the most families. Mr. Boecking reiterated we are still recruiting and in the process of getting people on board, so we can hopefully offer additional classes, especially swim classes, as it's vital to be able to teach life-saving skills. Council Member Armenta shared this was on the news that many cities across Southern California are facing shortages in aquatic staff, opined it is a shame that having incentives is not even attracting more employees. Thanked Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking for trying his hardest to ensure that we are fully staffed as Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 11 of 34 the pools are extremely important, especially for kids to be out and enjoy themselves in the summertime. Mayor Pro Tem Dang asked if the aquatic attendant requires a lifeguard certification? Mr. Boecking replied no, it does not require a lifeguard certification; clarified a First Aid CPR certification is required for that position, however we will hire without the First Aid CPR certification as we will provide the training to make sure that they are certified within so many days of their hire date. Council Member Tang stated I want to thank y your hard work in trying your best to recruit the program. Opined it would be great if the pool hoj but I understand not being able to at this time overworked and keeps alert. Expressed appreciat the health and safety of our residents. Mayor Low thanked Director of Parks C. Professional Service The Building and Safety Divil. the public by ensuring that buj Standards Code (Title 28, Cal laws, disabled access, and City the County had provided Bu the City has been contractin Service Agreements: for Building ommunity for this detailed report and for offing levels needed to run a full were extended a little bit longer, ensure your, current staff is not for Mr. Boecking's attention to )n Boecking for his efforts. Division opment serves and protects es with California Building Code of Regulations) as well as State safety nces. From Rosemead's incorporation in 1959, and Safety services until 1981. Since then, ling and safety services under Professional The current Building and Safe_ ty - Professional Service Agreement with Interwest Consulting Group was entered into on May 8, 2018, and is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2022. As directed -by City Council at its meeting on February 22, 2022, staff released a Request for Proposal ("RFP") to ensure that the City obtains the highest qualified=consultiing services at competitive costs for upcoming years. Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council discuss the different options as noted above and authorize the City Manager to finalize negotiations for Building and Safety Division services as follows: 1. Execute a Professional Services Agreement for a full -service contract with the selected firm at a not -to -exceed percentage of the net plan check and building permit revenues as proposed by the selected firm for a term of three (3) years with two (2)-one-year options; or 2. Execute a Professional Service Agreement at proposed hourly rates with the selected firm for a term of three (3) years with two (2) one-year options. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 12 of 34 City Manager Kim presented this item. The current service agreement for Building and Safety Services with Interwest Consulting Group is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2022. At the February 22nd meeting, the Council directed staff to release an RFP and as an option to prepare a cost analysis for possible in-house staff. The RFP was released on March 17th and a total of eight companies responded, including 4LEAF, BPR Consulting Group, Bureau Veritas, CSG Consultants, Interwest Consulting Group, JLee Engineering, Transtech Engineers, and Willdan Engineering. Noted four of the eight firms proposed rates for full service are the current rate of 47% of the net plan check revenue and building permit revenue or lower. The lowest of the four firms was Interwest at 42% for years 1 and 2; and if the contract is extended to years 3, 4, and 5, the rate for the three years would be 40%. The other three firms were asked if they would match the low rate — 1) Willdan responded yes they would match the rate; 2) BPR replied that it would not be able to match the low rate and their rate would remain at 46%; 3) Lastly, Transtech said they would be able to lower its proposed rate from 47% to 45%. As mentioned prior, the Council directed staff to prepare a cost analysis of possibly bringing the building services in- house. In order to do so, staff conducted'a salary survey of 11 neighboring cities for staff hourly rates for building division staffing; referenced page 9 of the Staff Report which has a table with those rates, as well as" two other tables showing the what -if scenario having in-house staff at surveyed hourly, burden rates and a second table using the consultant service with typical hourly rates., Mr. Kim stated the difference is an estimate at this time is approximately $802,000` for in-house staff and approximately $1.3 million fox consultant services; noted that in both scenarios there would be additional costswe would incur to contract out plan check services for larger projects as we would not have the manpower with in-house staff to perform the specialized type of plan check, Staff is requesting that the City Council discuss the different options and authorize the City Manager to finalize negotiation for building and safety division services as follows. The first option would be to execute a professional service agreement fora full -service contract with a selected firm not to exceed percentage of the net check and building permit revenues proposed by the selected firm for term, of three years with two one-year options. The second option would be to execute a professional service agreement at proposed hourly rates selected firm for term of three years with two one-year options. Mayor Pro Tem Dang stated it is my understanding that Interwest's contract is going to expire by the end of June, so we either need a new contract or a new consultant in place of Interwest by July 1 st. Then looking long term, staff is asking Council if we want to go hybrid system with an in-house plan checker and then if needed for larger projects to utilize consultants to check those plans. Mayor Low opined we need to figure out which way we want to go first — hire one of these companies to do the full service, do a hybrid or do everything in-house. If we decide to do full contract, then they would switch over by July 1 st. City Manager Kim clarified that we could remain with Interwest or switch over. Mayor Low ascertained so by July 1 st you will have a company that can provide services via a hybrid system. At the same time, if the city wants to do full service, we have to talk about how to bridge the gap. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 13 of 34 City Attorney Richman explained bringing on permanent full-time employees will take the city time as we still have to create positions and recruit before we can even think of filling everything in-house. Opined therefore you'd still have to make the prior decision to execute a professional service agreement for a full -service contract or on a consulting basis. City Manager Kim concurred that it would take the city about six months to a year to complete the hiring process. Mayor Pro Tem. Dang referred to page 9 of the Staff Report that has a table for the Full -Time City Staff Salary Estimate with a breakdown„ of the rate that includes the burden rate, meaning the hourly rate plus whatever benefits. Pointed out that the rate for a Building Official is $87, Building Inspector is $59, and Plan Checker is $64; noted comparing these rates with the other table for the Consultant Services Hourly Rates, we're at a factor of 1.5 to 20. Opined in the long term it is worthwhile and much more cost effective to bring; in our own in-house team. Echoed City Attorney Richman's statement that if that's the decision of the Council, we still need a grace period to phase this in. Stated if there is a project that requires specialized services, then we have the ability to use aconsultant with those qualifications. Expressed these tables give us a _very good snapshot of how the city could foresee ourselves in the next three to four years. Mayor Low concurred with Mayor Pro Tem. Dang, stating this is the table that caught my eye. Expressed she was pleasantly surprised as she was expecting the in-house rates Ao be higher. Highlighted that the rate of the Building Official for in-house is $87/hour and if we contract it out, then it is $145/hour, which is approximately 8% more; indicated the same thing with the Building Inspector at $59/hour versus,$95/hour if contracted: Opined I do see a cost saving for the city to bring this in-house.. Posing the question — do we want to bring everything in-house, or -do we want to `brinja some of the services in-house? Council Member Armenta emphasized it is important to read the fine print as both options indicate :that additional plan check resources will be required due to the specialized qualifications or volume of work. Noted the $1,346,800 million is only a base for consulting services because it does not account for specialized services if needed, which I -staff anticipates the true costs would exceed the total estimate; Reiterated whereas the full-time staff total estimate is $802,960, which is clearly a drastic savinjs there. Mayor Pro Tem Dang responded that is a good point. Mayor Low inquired if the extra cost for specialized qualifications means the city employee has to get it. City Manager Kim stated the first table shows the minimum staffing that's required for services in-house; explained having a Building Official that works 2,080 hours Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 14 of 34 in one year, its burden rate for staffing is $87 an hour and would cost approximately $180,000 annually. We require 1.5 Building Inspectors since there are inspections on Fridays and in case the full-time Building Inspector needs time off or goes on vacation, that half-time Inspector will cover that period. We need three Permit Technicians because they're kind of the lifeblood of our counter as they do so much such as plans, answer phone calls, respond back to contractors, etc. Noted we are looking at one Plan Checker, however, since the Plan Checker and the Building Official will be busy with majority of the daily activities, I still feel like we're going to need a contractor on board to assist with the larger projects that require specialized plan check services that cannot be covered by this one in-house Plan Checker. Mayor Low opined it makes sense that we would.: pay certain positions higher for their specific expertise. Asked if we have a consultant working on a big project and exceed the estimated hours, would they charge the city by the hour. City Manager Kim affirmed the consultant would charge by the hour. Stated the consultant service depth of staffing pool will \be broader than ours as it is a representation of individual positions. Explained, we would issue a' "contract with a vendor for the specific type of service needed and would be charged hourly rates. Mayor Pro Tem Dang inquired -what the number 2,080 is in reference to. City Manager Kim responded 2,080 is the number of working hours in one year. Mayor Pro Tem Dang opined we may not even need the 2,080 hours; stated for example, tdon't think a plan check of five mixed -use buildings will take 2,080 hours. City Manager "Kim asked if Mr. Dang meant sending out the plan check or having it checked in-house? " em Dang replied to send out the plan check. Mr. Kim responded that it would not take the 2,080 hours for plan checks sent out; noted when we don't have full-time staff for the first six months, we would need to contract out for these positions. Mayon Pro Teri Dang referenced the table with data staff collected from Calendar Year 2021 Performance Summary that set the basis for the comparison; noted the contract test is close to $1.3 5 million at the current contract rate of 47%; stated if you do hybrid, the consultants may not utilize the entire 2,080 hours because some of the work will be supplemented in-house; ascertained that the true cost is somewhere between the two tables, which will still be a cost savings. Mayor Low responded that is if you do hybrid. Council Member Tang stated the cost is offset by the fees' because we get to keep all the fees that we have in-house. If you look at the 2021 Building Services Revenue Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 15 of 34 table, the total fees collected was $2.5 million. Then if you look at the range that Mayor Pro Tem Dang refers to $800,000 to $1.3 million, it's still offset by the total fees collected in 2021 versus paid consultant, which is $1.2 million. Council Member Armenta added that between the top full-time city staff and that of the consultant, it's $543,840. So, if you subtract these two, the difference is still a little bit over half a million dollars. Emphasized it is a saving because we are not going to use over half a million dollars for specialized consultant services; pointed out that we have to use some of our funding to supplement their hours of specialized services. Council Member Tang clarified on what Council Member. Armenta stated, indicated that it wouldn't necessarily be a base because if you're contracting out then it's an estimate and they might not fully utilize the 2,080 hours versus if we had full-time staff that we had to pay for full-time work, Council Member Armenta Council Member Clark stated it sounds li it Member Tang for cl leaning toward the hybrid. Mayor Low responded initially I was leaning toward'a hybrid model, however, after further discussion, it appears we would save a lot more money if went all in-house. Mayor Pro Tem Dang opined it would be ideal -if we could flip a switch and go all in-house on July 1st, but we can't even get a Lifeguard or an Aquatic Director, let alone a Building Official. Reiterated it is going to take time for the city to find a qualified Building 'Official, so in the meantime, we need to go hybrid with a consultant while we transition to all in. -house. Council Member Tang asked if it would be possible to find out what is the total amount of hours the consultant billed the city for the specified roles in the 2021 Building Services Revenue table. City Manager Kim replied that information is not available because of the structure of our contract before. Stated with the full -service contract, the liability to the city is minimized because it does not matter how many hours the consultant spent in plan checking as it's- always going to be a net percentage of the revenue. Council Member Tang added it would help me better understand what the greatest need is in the city. Stated if most of our contract is spent on plan checking, then I feel like in terms of a hybrid model, we should start to fill the greatest need first; opined the hours billed at a consultant price are a higher rate versus if we were to bring someone in-house then we can possibly lower that rate. City Manager Kim responded that it is a little difficult to estimate because we do not know what type of projects to anticipate. Noted there is currently a rush of residential projects that are less complicated to check than commercial type of projects. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 16 of 34 Council Member Tang opined based on that information, let's say we pursue the hybrid model then it will make sense to keep plan checks in-house if we foresee mainly residential projects, which require simple plan check versus paying for a specialized service. City Manager Kim expressed if the Council chooses to do the hybrid model, I will need some time to figure out which positions are critical to fill first. Mayor Low stated the end goal seems to be to fill four positions in-house, however, in the meantime we need to select a company that will provide services starting July 1" to carry us via a hybrid system until we are able to start hiring our in-house employees. Then slowly transition them out to our special consultant when needed on special projects. Council Member Clark indicated she came to this meeting with the intent of hiring Willdan Engineering because they worked for the city prior fora long time; opined they were excellent, and people were very happy with them. Emphasized that if we are having issues finding lifeguards, we don't want to be caught where we can't find the right consultants when we need them. Reiterated I really would like to hire Willdan for now and see in the future how we want to proceed. Mayor Low asked her col to in-house employees. Council survey or rum r in-house employ Mr. Kim respo the City of A1h contract city for Mayor Low'reit not have staff in ho k inquired gilding posi rid are not c that the consensus is to eventually move he numbers provided in the table for the salary from surrounding cities are all cities that have tcted out. ........... all the cities have in-house services. For example, :ro-dollar amount, which means that they are a full ..... ....... ina services. d that if there is not a dollar amount listed that means they do 3e doing the work. L clarified that the Cities of Diamond Bar and Duarte have an for their Permit Tech position and the other positions are Council Member Clark asked if it worked out better for the cities that are providing services by staff in-house? City Manager Kim responded that each individual city determines what works for them and their needs. Indicated that historically, Rosemead has always carried out consulting contracts, but we're looking into a different option at this point. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 17 of 34 Mayor Low shared from reading the history that we used to have in-house staff and switched to contracted. Council Member Armenta noted that from Rosemead's incorporation in 1959, the Los Angeles County provided Building and Safety services and then in 1981 the City contracted those services. Asked if interviews have been conducted yet; stated with past RFPs that staff will typically provide guidance for the recommendation. City Manager Kim replied that interviews were conducted by me, the Public Works Director, and one or two additional staff. We found that all four firms are very well qualified, had the necessary certifications and experience to provide the service. Mayor Low pointed out that there is a summary of the four firms' qualifications on pages 4 to 7 of the Staff Report. Council Member Armenta responded that the summary is great, however, I was looking for a table with their rankings. Council Member Tang asked regarding option two — if we enter into a full -service contract, then let's say we're lucky and are able to hire our Building Official three months into the contract, does that automatically trigger this option? Mr. Kim responded we pick hire a specific position, then Mayor Council Member T ee in terms of rates that go hourly with each position, so if we Jurden as a city. four companies are very similar. asked if the companies were willing to match or lower their Mayor Pro Tern Dan g reiterated that Mr. Kim stated that all four firms are willing to negotiatean hourly rate. Stated there might be some adjustment to the numbers in the report as they are not set in stone. City Manager Kith affirmed that is correct. Council Member Clark expressed what impressed me is if you look at the chart with the four firms proposed hourly rates, Willdan has the lowest rates across the board for the Inspector, Permit Tech, and Plan Checker positions. Emphasized they have a longstanding relationship with the city and are very well liked by the residents. Mayor Pro Tem Dang thanked the four companies for joining us at tonight's meeting. Stated the submitted bids are very competitive; opined it is a hard decision because there are so many similarities amongst the companies, so I try to look for the differences that stand out. Shared that Transtech Engineers stands out the most to him; pointed out that Transtech would provide an electronic plan check portal at no cost to the city which allows consultants to send in their PDF and then Transtech Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 18 of 34 checks it electronically and emails it back; highlighted aside of this great tool being a cost saving, another advantage is you don't need to rely on a courier back and forth. Permit staff does not have to call UPS to schedule a pickup or have to track it. The city is required to have a certified Building Official, so what caught my eye is we're getting two certified building officials for the price of one - Ayla Jefferson is a certified Building Official and the Plan Checker Jeffrey Kao is also a certified Building Official. Indicated that Mr. Kao is also a certified CALGreen Plans Examiner and a Fire Plans Examiner, which a lot of other firms don't have those two main components. ............. Mayor Low stated I think it's great we have a Civil Engineer on Council that can help us identify some of these important components. Agreed that the electronic plan check portal caught her eyes as well. Council Member Armenta shared that we've always taken pride that the vendors we award contracts to engage with and give back to our community. Expressed disappointment that Transtech did not contribute to the Back -to -School Backpack Giveaway; indicated when asked why they were not participating, Transtech told her that they were already contributing to other cities backpack giveaways. Stated we do not have many events, typically the Back-to-Sch©ol Backpack Giveaway and Mayor Low's Toy Drive and Holiday Lunc regarding the walking trail at the pa us that the release of retention was paid without the notice of completi County; emphasized had we known be paid, there we could have gone ba trail then, indicated she is still waitir ion. Brought up a past concern with Transtech the Project Manager from Interwest informed id, however the release of retention cannot be which bad not been given to the city by the at the retention was not paid or was not able to to the contractor to have them fix the walking to hear what happened as it is very concerning. Mayor Low , responded I -know we.l.each have our events that we put together; emphasized speaking for myself, ,1" do not make my decisions of who is getting awarded a contract based off who did or did not contribute to my event; stated when I ask for contributions to an,event, it is the vendor's decision and I appreciate if they are able and% to, but do not hold it against them if they do not. Council Member; Tang concurred with Mayor Low, stating a contribution or lack of contribution should not be reflective of the decision making in terms of any RFPs or bids. Opined it's just added value that these companies want to contribute to the investment ,,of our city because they share in our belief in making the city better. I have not been here long enough to know who partners with the city on various events, but I do know that in my short time here of the four companies, I have only seen Transtech present in the community. Shared a personal anecdote — as he was dropping off his daughter at Muscatel Middle School, he ran into one of the Transtech Engineers because they partnered with the School District to put together a girls empowerment conference to speak about girls and STEM; reiterated this is impactful for the girls in our community to be exposed to a career or a profession that they might not even think about, but might be inspired after seeing a woman up there teaching about STEM. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 19 of 34 Council Member Armenta said when we include a community involvement component into a Request for Proposal, it's not for any of us to base our vote on a certain contract; opined if a consultant is proudly claiming to be committed to supporting civic and community activities and then go back on that, to me that shows what kind of integrity that business has and speaks volumes on what commitment they're going to give to the city. Mayor Low stated I really didn't want to bring up problems from the past, but to be fair, it is not just one company we have had issues with; noted about a situation where Willdan provided us a Building Official that was not certified. Council Member Armenta responded that is true and we decided not to renew their contract because they didn't have a certified Building Official. Mayor Low asked if City Manager Kim was aware of that? City Manager Kim affirmed the Build* Officiallwas not c Mayor Low opened the Public Comment ............_ Bobby O'Dell, Director of Ope service provider; stated someti COVID, or is in a car wreck. evaluated. Pointed out that In $3 million in fees- He noticed cities only. -provided four to Interwest provides seven staff, rate the ns, Interwest Consulting Group, the city's current to consider is when an inspector gets sick or has t creates -a problem because those costs are not est gives a $50,000 volume discount if you hit he Staff Report that it looked like several of the staff fromr other companies; highlighted that gibers to Rosemead. Asserted regarding the hourly west hourly rates are if need be. Council Member Armenta asked what other languages your staff can offer to our residents and business owners. Inquired since digital plan checks was brought up, if that is something Interwest is also able to provide. . O'Dell replied that we understand that having staff fluent in another language is )ortant; we 'have two Mandarin speakers that are always assisting the residents business community. Stated we are able to provide digital plan checking with V1r•1 Mayor Pro Tem Dang asked if you currently have digital plan checking available to the City of Rosemead. Since we were in a pandemic for the last year and a half, how come the digital plan checking was not implemented if it was available. Mr. O'Dell responded we are not currently providing that service; indicated it was his understanding it was really more the city's preference. Mayor Pro Tem Dang questioned that the city preferred people dropping the plans off, leaving it outside to have it quarantined before they could process it? Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 20 of 34 Elizabeth O'Neill, Account Manager for Rosemead, Interwest, clarified we do and have been providing digital plan access; reiterated it is up to the preference of the applicants whether or not they take advantage of it. Sometimes they prefer to walk in their paper plans and that's just part of the culture of any city. Cities have to slowly get their applicants to adapt to an all -digital process. Indicated if the city is interested in implementing digital plan access, we could help train your staff to assist applicants and train the applicants as well. Council Member Clark asked so you are saying Interwest would lower the rates but when asked by staff, you didn't come in with the lower rates. Mr. O'Dell responded we were the original low bidder, .until the other companies were given the opportunity to match our price. We submitted 42% for years one and two and 40% for years three through five..Indicated that staff only asked about the percent of fee and they were never asked about the hourly, rates. Emphasized if Council chooses hybrid method and need hourly rates from us, we'll Imatch whatever the lowest is as we're embedded with seV_ en people with the city now. Mayor Low checked with the City Manager if he asked the companies to provide the hourly rate. City Manager Kim responded I recollect reaching out Io . all consultants and asking them if they can match the all-inclusive and the hourly rates. Council Member Armenta asked Mr,.O'Dell if she understood what he was saying — that you submitted your bid and after it was revealed what your cost was then all the other bidders were asked if they could match that? Mr. O'Dell confirmed that's what appears to be indicated in the Staff Report. City Manager Kim, clarified that it is a professional service agreement, which allows for negotiation. Three years ;ago, when we transitioned from Willdan to Interwest, the same stebs were taken then. Melissa Demirci, Transtech Engineers, oversees the building and engineering municipal services, stated also present is Dennis Tarango, Director of Building and Safety Services, as well as Ahmad Ansari, Principle; expressed that we truly love providing engineering services to the city and it would be the greatest honor to also provide building and safety services. Affirmed no matter the outcome, we are committed to the city and assisting in any capacity needed of us including matching the lowest hourly rates or low rates. Shared that Transtech is very active in the San Gabriel Valley region as we provide building and safety services to several local neighboring cities including the Cities of Alhambra, Temple City, Monterey Park, South El Monte and South Pasadena. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 21 of 34 Mayor Pro Tern Dang inquired how Transtech's electronic plan check portal system works. Is it sending in a PDF? Do you use Bluebeam, ePlan; etc.? Also, do you have the system in place or is it proprietary? Ms. Demirci responded we do all the above; stated when COVID happened and City Halls were shutting down, we really revolutionized how we are providing building and safety services to a lot of our cities by immediately implementing an online portal. There's two parts — The first part is an actual online portal where applicants would go to the city website, log their credentials and physically upload which would be directly distributed to a plan checker. ' The second as part of our services to the city would be an online calendar for virtual plan check or meetings because we found that a lot of engineers, architects, contractors, developers, and residents were apprehensive about coming to City Hall. So for those individuals, they simply went to the calendar, selected the. day and time that they would like to meet virtually and are connected directly with -the plan checker. Mayor Pro Tem Dang stated Ms. Demirci 1 Transtech is providing a face-to-face meetii to City Hall so applicants can still ask ques opposed to pushing it for a couple of days; e) also eliminates a lot of that ping pong effect tool is free to the city. Ms. Demirci confirmed that is it up a very important' point that thout having to physically come and find solutions right away as ed support for this tool because it inja back and forth. Asked if this as it is part of our services. Council Member Tang asked aboiA Transtech's' in -language services. Ms. Demiroi responded we serve many San Gabriel Valley cities, so we are equipped with multiple languages, such as Mandarin and Spanish; noted earlier one of our Plan Checkers, Jeffrey Kao, who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese had to step out for a virtual meeting. Patrick Johansen, Director- of Building and Safety, Willdan Enaineerina, shared that Pete Goodrich, Deputy Director of Building and Safety is also here tonight. Asserted that we have a long history with the City of Rosemead since the 80s. Highlighted we have plan checkers and permit techs that speak alternate languages. Stated in regard to electronic "plan review, Willdan implemented electronic plan check database 15 years ago; way prior to COVID; noted we also do not charge any city for electronic plan review. Explained our process is simple, you submit a PDF file that will be reviewed in a system called Bluebeam. Addressed Mayor Low's concern, stating the reason we were not selected previously was because we did not have a certified Building Official which was our fault. Opined it is like the city's current situation of not being able to find lifeguards to hire; explained we didn't plan on our Building Official Jim Garrett, of over 40 some years retiring at that time and we just couldn't find a Building Official. So, we learned from our mistakes and we're here to prove that we can do a good job in providing building services to the city again. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 22 of 34 Council Member Clark asked what was the situation with the non -certified Building Official — Was it known he was not certified when hired or was that discovered later? Mr. Johansen responded that I don't how it all kind of played out. Council Member Armenta asked for clarification's sake, so you're saying that while Mr. Garrett was here, he was a certified Building Official, but the lapse was in the transition of him retiring? Mr. Johansen responded that I believe so. Mayor Low commented I recall it was slightly different, but let's not get into that. William Duong, Developer, stated my English is not good, so., if it is too hard for Council to understand what I am saying,. then I will have my son help interpret. Noted I have developed two projects in Rosemead, one on Valley Boulevard and another on Garvey Avenue. I also have projects in many cities in this area including Alhambra and San Gabriel. Commented the turnaround time for plan check in Rosemead can take a long time, anywhere from two weeks to a month for it to be approved; emphasized this affects us as not' only, are we losing time and money, but now we also face the 'challenge of having to, find a new contractor; explained while we are waiting for the city to approve our plans, the original contractor might not be willing to wait and may accept another project that is already approved. Opined having an inspector who speaksmultiple languages is not as important as having plan chock completed quicker. Expressed support for the city to provide building and safety services in-house. Mayor Low thanked' Mr. Duong for his comments; stated you should be happy to hear that the Council decided to work towards bringing the building and safety &ervices in-house to improve on providing services speedier. Council Member Armenta asked if Mr. Duong felt that having an inspector that speaks multiple languages,would be helpful? Mr. Duong responded yes, however, we can hire people that speak multiple languages on our job site-, shared we have two supervisors, one that only speaks English, and the other one speaks English, Spanish and Chinese. Council Member Armenta suggested that could be a question to ask - How do companies provide translators for inspections? Mayor Low clarified Mr. Duong is not saying they need the city to provide an interpreter because a lot of developers will bring their own interpreter. For them, the language is not necessarily important, but more so being able to provide reasonable and speedy service. There being no further speakers, Mayor Low closed the Public Comment period. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 23 of 34 Mayor Low stated we had some very good discussion; thanked the companies that participated; opined I know it is a very tough decision for us, and unfortunately, we can only pick one company. Based on the Staff Report, all four companies did very well in their interview as well providing information. Mayor Pro Tem Dang made a motion to select Option 2 and move forward with Transtech as the contractor. Council Member Tang stated before we vote, if we're to accept Option 2, can we get confirmation that Transtech would match the lowest hourly rate as Ms. Demirci indicated in her comments. City Manager Kim responded with the vote if I can get authorization to negotiate with the contractor. Mayor Pro Tem Dang noted for the record that he is seeing six nods and two thumbs up from Transtech representatives mi the audience: ACTION: Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Dang a forward with Option 2 —Execute a Professc hourly rates with Transtech Engineers, Inc., for one-year options. Also, to authorize the City M Building and Safety Division services. The mo vote AYES: Dang, Low, and Tang NOES: A D. COVID- This is a recurring i related to COVID City Manage' continues (to i Additionally, that will be d seconded by Mayor Low to move .L Service Agreement at proposed a. term of three (3) years with two (2) inager to finalize negotiations for the ion was, carried out by the following rm.enta and Clark to update the City Council on items the City Council discuss and provide further direction. ,ported the Los Angeles County Department of Health Order nasks on all forms of public transportation within the County. continue to be required in healthcare settings, state and local correctional facilities, detention centers, shelters, cooling centers, and any other location where 'a business or venue has a policy. The current statistics in the City of Rosemead are 11,320 COVID-19 cases with 188 deaths. 89.7% of Rosemead residents have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 82.9% of Rosemead residents are fully vaccinated. Mr. Kim announced the City of Rosemead is partnering with Chinatown Service Center to continue to provide a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Rosemead Community Recreational Center on the following Wednesdays, June 8th and June 22"d, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Chinatown Service Center will be administrating Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson vaccines and the boosters. They will also provide free blood pressure screening and COVID-19 at-home test kits on a first come — first serve basis, and registration is not required. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 24 of 34 Mr. Kim asserted that City employees and the public are no longer required to wear masks; however, they are highly recommended. City will continue to provide surgical masks for all employees have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 no symptoms do not need to quarantine. They are, however, required to wear highly protective masks around others for 10 days even at home, get tested 3-5 days after last exposure and monitor their health for 10 days. Employees with COVID-19 symptoms or positive tests are required to isolate, wear a highly protective mask, and tell close contacts that they have been exposed. The City will continue to closely monitor all health and safety protocols recommended by the County of LA Health Department and continue do our part to prevent the spread -of., virus among our staff and community. Mayor Pro Tem.Dang asked if the County is still, giving out the, test kits at the Library? City Manager Kim responded yes, they are, giving out test kits at the Library, and we also have some available at City Hall. Mayor Pro Tem Dang replied that their, test kits, are,. -,different because it's not an at-home kit as it requires to be dropped off and is then sent to a lab. Noted some entities require a certificate. from their employees. Council Member Armenta clarified that the PCR test is the one that employers need if they have been in contact with someone that has COVID. Mayor Low stated we will take a. brief recess. Asserted that when we reconvene, we will move to Matters from Mayor and City Council to discuss Item 6A as there are folks here for the Savannah Cemetery. 6. MATTERS FROM MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL A. Discussion and Direction on Resuming the Savannah Cemetery In -Kind Services This item is'presented to the City Council at the request of Council Member Sandra Armenta to discuss resuming in -kind services through a cooperative Memorandum of ;..Understanding (MOU) with El Monte Cemetery Association dba: Savannah Recommendation: That the City Council discuss recommencing the in -kind services by the City to the Cemetery and direct City staff to bring back a new MOU between the City and El Monte Cemetery Association dba: Savannah Memorial Park. City Manager Kim stated this item was requested at the request of Council Member Sandra Armenta to provide in -kind services through a MOU with El Monte Cemetery Association for Civilian Memorial Cemetery. On August 9, 2021, the City Council approved and entered into a MOU for five years with El Monte Cemetery Association doing business at Savannah Memorial Cemetery. That MOU has expired since then and the request is to discuss and review this item. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 25 of 34 Mayor Low opened the Public Comment period. Tracy Loa, President of the Savannah Cemetery Board, noted she is fairly new to the Board and took over right when COVID hit, so it has been a learning experience. Stated she didn't even know that the MOU had expired, so she thanked staff for helping us. Emphasized that any type of partnership we can have with the city is very appreciative as we volunteer our time on the Board. Expressed appreciation to the Sheriff s Department for assisting with the various issues such as vandalism, etc. There being no further speakers, Mayor Low closed the Public Comment period. Council Member Armenta shared that people Cemetery's condition on social media, which is 1 that Ms. Loa as the President of the Associati( Cemetery's situation. Opined it is always the cas{ are they volunteering their time to give back or d, I called Ms. Loa so we could see what the city c she was not aware that an MOU was in plajbe, Po: this MOU and we actually paid for the pathway. Kim, we learned that the MOU was expired, and were Icommenting on Savannah ow it came to my attention. Noted in was there trying to explain the that people want to complain, but mating to contribute to its upkeep? an do since we have an MOU and need out that Jeff Allred developed After speaking with City Manager we never renewed it. Ms. Armenta emphasized that the Savannah Memorial Park Cemetery, also known as the Savannah Pioneer Cemetery, was ,,designated as a California Historical Landmark in 2012. We'll never, see another historical landmark in our lifetime. Reiterated this is a non-profit cemetery that's a historical landmark run by volunteers of the El Monte Cemetery Association. Expressed I really hope that the Council agrees that we should continue with, this MOU. Indicated that the previous MOU also included, landscaping services, such as tree trimming and weed abatement to avoid any safety hazards. Suggested also doing an in-house kindness, maybe retroactive because they actually paid $1,500 to have the whole cemetery mowed to clean up the safety, hazard there. Moving forward, I hope when we look for our tree and landscaping services, that we include the Savannah Cemetery as part of the specifications of our bid to help them maintain the grounds. Mayor Low commented that I don't think we should include maintenance of the Savannah Cemetery grounds as part of our contract with our vendors. Expressed support- .for providing in -kind services. Asked staff what services are currently provided in the MOU? City Attorney Richman responded what was in the prior agreement from 2011 is as follows: "The City, as resources permit, will provide in -kind services to the Cemetery Association examples such in -kind services include access to lower cost services through city contracts such as landscape maintenance, irrigation repair, tree trimming, concrete and asphalt work. As resources permit on a case -by -case basis, the City will make the services of skilled and semi -skilled workers available for completion of short-term projects such as minor metal work for fence and gate repair, small concrete work, painting, etc. The City Manager or Designee is hereby Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 26 of 34 authorized to work with the Association to provide the in -kind services to maintain or implement improvements at Savannah Memorial Park." Mrs. Richman asserted that you would want to include the Cemetery in the bid so that a company knows how many properties they will be maintaining as it can impact their bid cost. Council Member Armenta thanked City Attorney Richman. Mayor Low stated she is supportive of this as the Cemetery is a landmark; expressed that we should clean it up, so people can be educated and take pride in it. City Attorney Richman explained so it does not have. to come back, the Council ................ would approving entering into a new MOU since the previous one expired and authorize the City Manager to sign the contract on behalf of the City Council. Stated the contract would be subject to City Attorney review as I will edit the indemnity and hold harmless language but nothing that will create an issue for them. Council Member Tang suggested outside of this MOU, having the City make a connection with the Rosemead Chamberpf Commerce -to see if businesses, especially neighboring ones, that have been here a long time, are open to helping the Cemetery. Council Member Armenta `questioned if they are not part of the MOU, then it will be a liability to the city. Council Member Tang responded I mean for them-to'make a contribution to support the Cemetery, Reiterated if the city can add value by convening together a partnership with the Chamber, to help support'the Cemetery Association. - City Manager,Kim stated he would reachout to the Chamber of Commerce. it Member Armenta asked if we need to vote on two separate motions to krse retroactive for cleaning up the cemetery due to potential safety hazards. City Attorney Richman replied the MOU only talks about in -kind services; indicated that would be different term because there is no actual sort of money exchange between the cities. Explained if you want the MOU have the fact that the in -kind services will be provided and also direct that the city to pay $1,500 to them, then that's beyond what the MOU has but it is Council's decision. Mrs. Richman stated the law does' give deference to legislative determinations of whether or not use of city resources and funds, so in -kind services or direct funds, are in the best interest of the public interest and welfare of your community. Highlighted that it sounds like the Council feels the Cemetery is an important property in the city, as a historic landmark, that you would like to help for the betterment of your community. Reiterated if we are talking about more amounts, that's the public funds issue and can be looked at a little more closely by the courts, but the $1,500 would be within your discretion. Pointed out that you would need to include in your motion the addition of that specific payment as it's not just extending the contract. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 27 of 34 Council Member Armenta stated the reason I'm asking for it to be retroactive is we would have paid as part of the in-house kindness if the MOU was still in place; the Cemetery needs to be cleaned to avoid a fire, especially when the 4th of July is approaching. Mayor Pro Tem Dang indicated support for the $1,500. However, expressed it might be easier and more transparent if we leave it to the City Manager's discretion when the Cemetery has a repair need as opposed to the city writing a check to reimburse fees for x number of years ago. Council Member Armenta responded the $1,500 is an amount they paid out of their own pockets because so many people were expressing concern about how high the weeds were as a safety hazard, again with 4th of July near. City Attorney Richman clarified that the $1,500 is a one-time reimbursement, but the current MOU already states any ask whether getting reduced costs with our existing contracts or using staff to do the repair work is at the City Manager's discretion. Mayor Low said we as a city can help by extending the MOU and approving the one-time cost of $1,500 since they took care of the, issue when the MOU expired. Mayor Pro Tem Dang reiterated I do not have reservations about the $1,500; stated I am just sharing that I find it awkward, but if the City. Attorney does not find issue, then I am fine with voting for it. City Attorney Richman responded.,, I understand it's not the way you like to do business,elbut again, it's in Council's discretion. I'm not concerned from a legal standpoint because the Council feels, that it is still a proper use of public funds to assist this non profit or state historical site. Noted the fact that the MOU expired and if -we -had been on top of it and realized it sooner, then it would have been a service that we would have provided if we had a current agreement. Council Member Clark stated she is happy to make a motion to reimburse them because this is a no -brainier that they were taking care of a potential fire hazard. ACTION: Moved by Council Member Clark and seconded by Council Member Armenia to authorize the City Manager to enter into a new MOU between the City and El. Monte Cemetery Association dba: Savannah Memorial Park that will recommence the in -kind services by the City to the Cemetery. Also, have the city issue the $1,500 reimbursement to the Cemetery for the landscape care addressed that was a safety hazard concern. The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Tang NOES: None Mayor Low stated we will now discuss the Public Hearing items. 3. PUBLIC HEARING Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 28 of 34 A. Public Hearing and Approval of the 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) Programs The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides funding to states, counties, and cities in the form of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds. As an Entitlement Community, the City of Rosemead is required to prepare and submit an Annual Action Plan to HUD which serves to update and delineate efforts in meeting the priorities established in the five-year Consolidated Plan. The Annual Action Plan is seen as an opportunity to reassess the City's 1 as its programs and resources in a manner that v and community development challenges. The City entitlement allocation for FY 2022-23 $341,033 in HOME funds. As a recipient of previously received Community Developm (CDBG- CV) Round 1 and Round 3 funds from Recommendation: That the City Council take 1. Conduct a public hearing ar Plan; 2. Approve the FY 2022 - 20', and CDBG-+CV3 funding re( Annual Action Plan to the U. needs and priorities, as well meet the affordable housing is $708,981 DB G funds, .At, Block Rowing actions: B G funding and lity of Rosemead t Coronavirus ive public testimony on the Annual Action ion Plan including CDBG, HOME, and authorize the submittal of the of Housing and Urban Development 3. Authorize the City Manager to execute all appropriate and necessary documents toreceive funding and implement approved use and make necessary budget adjustments based,on HUD's final allocation amount; and 4. Authorize the City Manager to execute sub -recipient agreements with the non-profit organizations receiving CDBG, HOME, CDBG-CV allocations in the Action Plan. City Manager Kim stated the City historically receives about $1 million annually from HUD;,,noted HUD allocated approximately $708,000 in CDBG funds and $3415000 ,in HOME funds for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2022-23. Each year, we are required" by HUD to adopt an Annual Action Plan for programming the received funds. Presented a PowerPoint presentation, pointed out that there is some carryover money from the prior years; indicated the sum, total of the carryover money and the new money brings the total CDBG balance to about $341,000. Stated in prior years, the city received a total amount of about $972,000 CDBG-CV from COVID funding and currently we still have a balance of $737,000 to spend. There being no Public Comment, Mayor Low opened and closed the Public Hearing. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 29 of 34 Mayor Pro Tem Dang asked for the public services money is it open to any nonprofit group? City Manager Kim responded we do a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) at the beginning of the year, to the social organizations; stated the nonprofit group would have to qualify. Historically though, the City has funded Housing Rights Center, the Senior Nutrition Program, the Summer Youth Employment Program, and Family Promise. Pointed out that there's a max 15% that we're allowed to spend. Mayor Pro Tem Dang asked if we could include Wealth by Health, a non-profit organization that provides services such as medical; dental work, free glasses, COVID shots, etc. Mayor Low inquired if Mr. Dang is asking the City to allocate some of the CDBG money to Wealth by Health to support the, services provided to the city? Mayor Pro Tem Dang confirmed he is asking if them provide all these great services free of char City Manager Kim shared -we need to ensure th recipient of the funds are eomfortable with the m disclosed. Stated we will reach out to Wealth by channel some funding to help k city. nization qualifies and that the ing information required to be Council Member Armenta stated in, the past we've had more than the four organizations because of the 150/omaximum we were able to allocate a little more here and a little less there. Asked if staff happens to know how many residents are being serviced in the city of Rosemead by the Housing Rights Center? Commented that in the past it was more regional and went into other cities. Expressed she would like to move some of the funding from the Housing Rights Center and allocate more City Manager Kim responded we do have to make substantial amendments, so we can look into it and briha back a revised allocation. Council MemberTang asked if the CDBG-CV fund needs to be expended by a certain day since it is COVID related. Stated since there's a carryover of over $700,000 in there, perhaps we can allocate that funding towards public services. Do we know what's the`restrictions for that? City Manager Kim confirmed there is a deadline, however I do not recall the exact deadline. Asserted that the CDBG-CV funding is more restricted as it is COVID related. Council Member Tang commented well it seems like it would be aligned with Mayor Pro Tem Dang's allocation request for Wealth by Health since they provide COVID-related services. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 30 of 34 City Manager Kim responded that he would like to have the opportunity to review the CDBG-CV guidelines, as well as connecting with the organization to make sure that the funding is allowable. ACTION: Moved by Council Member Armenta and seconded by Council Member Tang to take the following actions: 1. Approve the FY 2022 - 2023 Annual Action Plan including CDBG, HOME, and CDBG-CV3 funding recommendations, and authorize the submittal of the Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); 2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all appropriate and necessary documents to receive funding and implement approved use and make necessary budget adjustments based on IIUD's final allocation amount; and 3. Authorize the City Manager to execute sub -recipient agreements with the non-profit organizations receiving, CDBG' HOME, CDBG-CV allocations in the Action Plan. The motion was carried out by the followi Low, and Tang NOES: None., B . Public Hearing on M 8408-8418 Garvey Avenue AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, -01 and Zone Variance 22-01 — Garvey Garden Plaza, LLC has submitted a Modification and Variance application requesting to amend Design Review 14-03 for the construction of a six-foot high block --wall along the front 20 feet of the ;south property line. The fully constructed block wall is six feetin height and exceeds the maximum height of forty-two (42) inches. Per Rosemead -Municipal Code Section 17.120.100(C), the proposed change may only be approved by the original review authority for the project through a modification permit_ application filed and processed in compliance with Chapter 17.120. The, subject site is located at 8408-8418 Garvey Avenue (APN: 5283-005- 028) in a Medium .Commercial with Residential/Commercial Mixed -Use Development and Design overlays (C-3/RC-MUDO/D-0) zone. : That the City Council take the following actions: 1. Conduct a public hearing and receive public testimony; 2. Approve Modification 22-01 and Zone Variance 22-01, subject to the 11 conditions; and 3. Adopt Resolution No. 2022-32, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, STATE OF Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 31 of 34 CALIFORNIA, APPROVING MODIFICATION 22-01 AND ZONE VARIANCE 22-01, EXCEPTIONS TO RMC SECTION 17.28.030(D)(11)(A) AND (B), TO MAINTAIN THE BEIGE - COLORED BLOCK WALL AND THE HEIGHT OF THE CONSTRUCTED BLOCK WALL AT SIX FEET INSTEAD OF REDUCING IT TO FORTY-TWO (42) INCHES. THE SUBJECT SITE IS LOCATED AT 8408-8418 GARVEY AVENUE (APN NO. 5283-005-028), IN THE MEDIUM COMMERCIAL WITH A RESIDENTIAL/ COMMERCIAL MIXED -USE , AND DESIGN OVERLAY (C-3/RC-MUDO/D-0) ZONE Planning and Economic Development Manager. Valenzuela stated Garvey Garden Plaza LLC has submitted a modification and variance application requesting to amend design review 14-03 to maintain a fully constructed six-foot beige colored block wall along front 20 feet of the south property line. Thee wall exceeds the maximum height of 42 inches within the first 20 feet, however, constructed as a preventative safety measure for tenants and patrons of the mixed -use development. There being no Public Comment, Mayor Council Member Armenta stat+ forefoot would be applicable,., with homeless people that are concern about obstruction once it's really a cutout, .so you can helps them -in mpg, sure that she toured the fa residential areas. rn-oin the fence oming are not and closed the Public Hearing. cility, so she understands why the They've been having difficulties I also understand that there is a vay. If you notice on page 3 of 10, c and then the higher in the back, )ing into their property. Council Member Tang asked if the adjacent neighbor to the property was notified. Mrs. Valenzuela confirmed yes, as they were included in the Public Hearing notice sent to residents within 3 00 feet. ACTION: Moved by Council Member Clark and seconded by Council Member Armenta to take the following actions: Approve Modification 22-01 and Zone Variance 22-01, subject to the 1 conditions; and 2. 'Adopt Resolution No. 2022-32, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, APPROVING MODIFICATION 22-01 AND ZONE VARIANCE 22-01, EXCEPTIONS TO RMC SECTION 17.28.030(D)(11)(A) AND (B), TO MAINTAIN THE BEIGE -COLORED BLOCK WALL AND THE HEIGHT OF THE CONSTRUCTED BLOCK WALL AT SIX FEET INSTEAD OF REDUCING IT TO FORTY-TWO (42) INCHES. THE SUBJECT SITE IS Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 32 of 34 LOCATED AT 8408-8418 GARVEY AVENUE (APN NO. 5283-005-028), IN THE MEDIUM COMMERCIAL WITH A RESIDENTIAL/ COMMERCIAL MIXED -USE AND DESIGN OVERLAY (C-3/RC- MUDO/D-O) ZONE The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Tang NOES: None 6. MATTERS FROM MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL (Continu B. Council Comments Council Member Clark stated it has come to my attention, as I received multiple complaints regarding campaign signs; emphasized ,you cannot place campaign signs in the parkway, and it is against the law to put any signs without the approval of the homeowner or owner of the shouuing center. Council Member Armenta thanked staff for particip was a fundraiser for the One Legacy organization. Stan Wong to the City of Rosemead as Interim Direct Expressed appreciation to Icity staff for putting toge event honoring our veterans. Requested to adjourn t the children and two teachers that passed away in Te ing in a bowling event which >he also welcomed back Mr. of Community Development. Ler a great the Memorial Day light's meeting in memory of Mayor Pro Tem -bang asked if we are going to have a Fourth of July parade and Director of Parks and Recreation Boeckig responded we will be having a carnival in the park,. as ,well as a -fireworks show that will start roughly around dusk. Mayor PraXem DDang commented we talked about this at previous Council meeting, to clean the streets at two separate times as opposed to sweeping both sides at one time. Asked if staff can -look into that request again. City Manager Kim stated I will have staff look into that request. Mayor Low thanked staff for putting together a very nice Memorial Day event yesterday and enj oyed seeing everyone that came out to join us. Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 33 of 34 7. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Low adjourned the meeting 9:21 p.m., in memory of the 19 students and two teachers that passed away from Robb Elementary School from Ibade, Texas. The next City Council meeting will take place on June 14, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. in the Rosemead City Hall Council Chamber. Ericka Hernandez, City Clerk Margaret Clark, Mayor Rosemead City Council Special Meeting Minutes of May 31, 2022 Page 34 of 34