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Home My Public Portal About7F 3rd Quarter Progress ReportCity Council October 16, 2012 Page2 • Citizen Education/Communication • Sound Fiscal Policy • Sustainable Infrastructure • Basic City Services • Quality of Life 3. On September 4, 2012, during a regularly scheduled City Council meeting, staff presented a FY 2011-12 Close-Out Report, memorializing first-year achievements from the City's Two-Year Work Plan, as well as acknowledging challenges that affected progress. Council also directed staff to provide quarterly progress reports as a means to publicize regular updates on Work Plan items. 4. In the past several weeks, staff has been reevaluating the status of remaining Work Plan items, using the FY 2011-12 Work Plan Close-Out Report to inform and prioritize scheduling of in-progress and upcoming projects for FY 2012-13. Attached is the Work Plan with third quarter progress updates included. ANALYSIS: The Two-Year Work Plan (i.e., Work Plan) essentially provides a roadmap delineating how the City should go about advancing the eight established Council goals over FY 2011-12 and FY 2012-13. By identifying individual initiatives and matching them with corresponding timelines and performance metrics, the Work Plan serves as an accountability tool that keeps staff on the path of steady progress. Furthermore, by providing the public a user-friendly means of following City developments, it also promotes government transparency and civic engagement. Progress to Date From a "big picture" perspective, many FY 2011-12 Work Plan items were critical-need projects-many ''firsts" for the City-geared toward establishing a framework to facilitate the strategic implementation of Council goals. For instance, the adoption of new property maintenance regulations, carried out by the pilot Focus Area Systematic Enforcement (FASE) program, not only supported Council initiatives to enhance local quality of life and improve public safety, but in boosting property values and integrating an innovative citizen education model, they also furthered economic development and civic engagement goals. In addition to new programs, FY 2011-12 also included the initiation of numerous planning studies. By Third Quarter 2012, the wrap-up of the Traffic Calming Master Plan, Downtown Parking Study and Historic Resources Survey would guide and inform staff in the development of new projects and programs aimed at positioning the City's growth for the next 50 years. These initiatives would be furthered along with grant awards successfully secured by staff, totaling more than $1 million toward implementing City Council October 16, 2012 Page 3 safe routes to school, new pedestrian accessibility ramps, bike lanes and the replanting of new trees. Though many planning initiatives addressed physical infrastructure within the community, organizational changes enhancing operations and service were also apparent at City Hall. For example, software improvements to the City's accounting system resulted in greater financial transparency and staff efficiency; while changing contractors for building plan check and digitizing forms and documentation improved customer service and convenience. Furthermore, a new commitment to expanding public information and government transparency led to the introduction of communications tools (e .g., City social media, nationally recognized Connect magazine, the inaugural Citizen's Academy), which have enabled staff to convey the value of Work Plan initiatives and solicit community involvement toward fostering a productive, participatory government. And toward this goal, below is a list of select noteworthy accomplishments completed between July and September, categorized by Work Plan objectives: Vision and Long-Range Planning • Completed the draft Housing Element Update, which will go to the Council and Planning Commission for approval in November, before reaching the State for final certification. The update, required by State law to occur every five years, will allow the City to pursue grant opportunities to fund initiatives . • Presented the final draft of the Downtown Parking Study at a joint meeting of the Council, and Planning and Public Safety commissions. The study will be completed and adopted by November, moving forward a series of initiatives that address the community's current and future parking demands. • Presented the Historic Resources Survey at a joint meeting of the Council and Planning Commission. Comments and direction received will set in motion the drafting and adoption of a historic preservation ordinance by June 2013. Public Health and Safety • Initiated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Barrier Removal/Curb Cutting Program. Through the availability of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, up to 64 ADA-compliant curb ramps will be added citywide to improve pedestrian access for residents with limited mobility. Construction of ramps is set to start in the next few months . City Council October 16, 2012 Page4 • Received $431,900 in Safe Routes to School funding to provide additional pedestrian amenities and facilities near nine Temple City schools, enhancing safety and convenience for local students to walk to school. • Initiated the process to adopt the County's Title 10 animal control regulations, including new vaccination, licensing and identification requirements that increase the City's ability to protect the health and safety of local pets, owners and the general public. Council consideration of the item is set for October 16. Economic Development/Redevelopment • Facilitated discussions to finalize the Gateway Project's construction schedule. Work is now underway with project completion expected by February 2014. • Assisted the owner of Temple City Market Place in finalizing lease terms with 85 Degrees Bakery, while also moving forward discussions with Starbucks to possibly relocate their store to another section of the shopping center, for the purposes of adding a drive-thru facility. Furthermore, tenant improvements facilitated by City staff are underway at Guppy House Restaurant, which is scheduled to open in November. • Finalized a project scope for the City's two-year economic development strategy, which will identify short-and long-term goals for City implementation. The strategy, scheduled for completion early next year, will also look to program use of the City's $8 million Economic Development fund. Citizen Education/Communication • Moved forward with the development of a new City radio station, AM 1690, which will provide regular traffic advisories and City updates. The station will launch in the coming months-just in time to serve as a communications platform for construction of the Rosemead Boulevard Enhancement Project. • Successfully completed the City's inaugural Citizen's Academy, a program that empowers community members with the knowledge necessary to practice informed civic engagement and leadership. • Initiated the contract process for the development of a new City website , which is expected to go live by June of next year . City Council October 16, 2012 Page 5 Sound Fiscal Policy • Amended the City investment policy to yield a higher rate of return on the City's $35 million portfolio, within confines of the law, and without jeopardizing the safety or liquidity of existing assets. • Pre-funded $1 million in retiree medical costs to lessen the City's future liability costs of $9.4 million. Funding of this ongoing obligation will be evaluated annually as part of the City Budget process. • Continued negotiations with the State to retain $2.2 million in former redevelopment agency bond proceeds. All prescribed actions per AB 1484 have been met to date, which could result in the City keeping the monies to fund the Rosemead Boulevard Enhancement Project (i.e., $1.8 million) and future housing programs (i.e., roughly $400,000). Sustainable Infrastructure • Received all necessary approvals to move forward with construction of the Rosemead Boulevard Project. Construction contracts are scheduled for Council consideration on November 6, with project groundbreaking expected by early next year. • Issued an RFP soliciting streetscape redesign services for Las Tunas Drive. The new concept will transform the corridor into a multimodal , "complete streef' with downtown "Main Street" features. An award of contract for design services is expected to reach Council for consideration on October 23. • Received a $70,000 competitive grant from Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich to replant 300 of the 500 public trees lost in last November's windstorm . All tree plantings will be completed by December 2014. Basic City Services • Finalized programming to increase street sweeping from every other week to weekly, and prohibit parking during street-sweep ing hours to facilitate thorough cleaning. This change will make neighborhoods more attractive , while eliminating harmful pollutants and bacteria from streets and curbs. New parking restrictions during street-sweeping hours take effect February 1. • Moved forward on a pavement management strategy that assesses the conditions of all City streets, toward prioritizing the programming of funds for street repairs over the next four years. Completion of the strategy is scheduled City Council October 16, 2012 Page 6 for December. Implementation will improve half of all City streets by June 2013, either by new slurry-seal, street repaving or restriping. • Replaced the County with engineering firm Transtech for contracted over-the- counter building plan check services. This shift has reduced plan check processing time from three to six weeks, to two to three days. Quality of Life • Established by ordinance a public arts program, which includes a framework for selecting, procuring, funding and maintaining public art. The first public art installations begin in 2014, upon completion of the Rosemead Boulevard Enhancement Project. • Rece ived a $479,987 award from the Caltrans Bicycle Transportation Account (BTA) for Phase II implementation of the City's Bicycle Master Plan. The grant provides for the installation of new bike lanes by the end of next year- including on Las Tunas Drive, Longden Avenue and Golden West Avenue. This award is in addition to BTA funds obtained for the separated/protected bike lanes planned for Rosemead Boulevard. • Initiated the process for developing a fixed-route trolley shuttle. An RFP will be issued in November, with a shuttle expected to be running by late spring 2013. Attachment .. A" includes Third Quarter 2012 progress updates on the City's Two-Year Work Plan, organized by department. Progress to date has resulted in 4 completed projects, 68 projects underway, 31 projects not yet started, and 6 projects canceled or under reassessment. Moving Forward Heading into Fourth Quarter 2012, the completion of foundational planning studies and establishment of support tools (e.g., FASE property maintenance program and miscellaneous communications platforms) set the stage for staff to develop more goal- oriented programs and projects. A major focus of this quarter will be the development of the City's economic development strategy-including the programming of an $8 million Economic Development Fund (possibly facilitating implementation of such planning exercises as the Downtown Parking Study and Traffic Calming Master Plan), the initiation of a business visitation program for retention purposes, consideration of a filming ordinance bringing filming to Temple City, as well as moving forward on such key ongoing projects as the Alpha Beta site reuse, Rosemead Boulevard Enhancement Project and Las Tunas Drive streetscape improvement. City Council October 16, 2012 Page 7 The next few months will also see the launch of several large-scale strategic planning studies involving extensive community participation . From the Las Tunas Drive corridor redesign, to the Parks Master Plan-which assesses the City's recreational programming and facility needs for the next 20 years, and will be incorporated into the Open Space Element of the City's General Plan (commencing June 2013)-public input will be a determinant factor driving the development of Temple City's future. In addition, with the establishment of a new Public Arts Commission, staff will begin recruitment efforts, encouraging community members to engage and apply to fill commission seats. CONCLUSION: The 2012 Third Quarter Work Plan Progress Report recognizes the City Council and staff's combined efforts in transitioning the City organization into a high-performance operation. Regular status updates on Work Plan initiatives keep the Council and public informed of City developments, while also promoting government accountability and transparency. FISCAL IMPACT: This item does not have an impact on the FY 2012-13 City Budget. ATTACHMENT: A. 2012 Third Quarter Work Plan Progress Report