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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19740130 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting 74-2 0 MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT Special Meeting Board of Directors M I N U T E S January 30, 1974 Monte Bello School Cupertino I. ROLL CALL President Peters called the meeting to order at 7 :40 p.m Members present: Daniel Condron, Katherine Duffy, William Peters Daniel Wendin. Nonette Hanko arrived at 7 :45 p.m. Personnel present: Herbert Grench, Carroll Harrington Personnel absent: Stanley Norton Audience of 29 persons APPROVAL OF MINUTES - January 9 , 1974 The following additions were made to the minutes of the January 9 , 1974 , meeting: 1. At the bottom of page 4 , add: D. Condron will develop Goal No. 6 for the Action Plan which will focus on Board and staff interpersonal relationships, staff professional and personal development, and the MRPD as an employer. 2. On page 5 , under IV. , A. , line 3 , add: D. Wendin commented that he was not in favor of changing meeting dates and places simply for convenience, but since the next meeting would be held at Monte Bello School, he would be agreeable to the proposed date change. Motion: D. Wendin moved acceptance of the minutes of the January 9, 1974 , meeting as corrected. K. Duffy seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Meeting 74-2 of AA. WL IML lvl lam*dmw MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT Special Meeting Board of Directors M. I N U T E S January 30, 1974 Monte Bello School Cupertino I . ROLL CALL President Peters called the meeting to order at 7 :40 p.m. Members present: Daniel Condron, Katherine Duffy, William Peters Daniel Wendin. Nonette Hanko arrived at 7:45 p.m. Personnel present: Herbert Grench, Carroll Harrington Personnel absent: Stanley Norton Audience of 29 persons II . APPROVAL OF MINUTES - January 9, 1974 The following additions were made to the minutes of the January 9, 1974, meeting: 1. At the bottom of page 4 , add: D. Condron will develop Goal No. 6 for the Action Plan which will focus on Board and staff interpersonal relationships, staff professional and personal development, and the MRPD as an employer. 2. On page 5, under IV. , A. , line 3, add: D. Wendin commented that he was not in favor of changing meeting dates and places simply for convenience, but since the next meeting would be held at Monte Bello School, he would be agreeable to the proposed date change. Motion: D. Wendin moved acceptance of the minutes of the January 9, 1974 , meeting as corrected. K. Duffy seconded. The motion passed unanimously. III. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY AND PUBLIC HEARINGS Public Hearing on the Tentative Basic Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District W. Peters stated that the purpose of this meeting was to discuss the Tentative Basic Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional Park Dis- trict. This is the first of two public hearings that would be held. H. Grench introduced the Board and staff. He then described the background and history of the MRPD. He noted that the District had just received its first tax revenues in December 1973, and, therefore, it had not previously been in a financial position to acquire land. In describing the first year's progress, he focused on the following accomplishments : 1) completion APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 30, 1974 Motion: N. Hanko moved acceptance of the minutes Of the JanuThe ary 1974 , meeting as presented. K. Duffy seconded. motion passed unanimously- President Peters asked if there were additions to the agenda for this requested: (1) D. Wendin meeting. The following additions were cussed discuss in more detail under asked that the Trails Task Force f be dis ion about the second for urther Reports; (2) K. Duffy asked Duffy asked for public hearing on the Tentative Basic Policy; sion regarding holding a second workshop (4) W. Peters requested discuss on land acquisition; discus ion about the Rules of Procedure. The Board concurred. r ME ng 74-2 . . . page 2 of the process of setting up a new governmental agency; and 2) the educational workshops that had been held, e.g. , on the bay- lands, the Urban Development/Open Space plan in the County, the Monte Bello Ridge Area study, land acquisition planning and techniques, setting goals and objectives for the Tentative Basic Policy, and development of a master plan. In addition, there was a meeting with William Penn Mott, Director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. He then summarized and ex- plained the major statements in the Tentative Basic Policy. W. Peters commented that the District would like to work as partners with the landowners and residents of the Monte Bello Ridge area. He asked for comments from the audience. Louis Voss, 12100 Stevens Canyon Road, Cupertino, questioned the name of the District because it was originally on the November 1972 ballot as "park and open space district. " W. Peters explained that the original name was derived from the enabling legislation for regional park districts; however, there had been agreement between Santa Clara County and the MRPD that the MRPD would focus on preservation of open space. Charles Pentler, 13261 Monte Bello Road, Cupertino, welcomed the Board and staff to the area. He expressed concern about goal No. 2, which deals with influencing and working with private and other public agencies to preserve open space. W. Peters discussed the background of this goal and said that the MRPD has no influence other than it is a public agency and can advocate the preservation of open space. Dotty Melton, 15070 Monte Bello Road, Cupertino, asked about the relationship between the Hillside Subcommittee of the Planning Policy Committee and the MRPD. W. Peters said that the Hillside Subcommittee is separate from the MRPD, and the MRPD has no control over it. Matilde Alvarado, 17298 Stevens Canyon Road, Cupertino, asked about how much land the District was prepared to buy from each landowner. W. Peters said that there was no defined amount per each landowner. He also pointed out that the MRPD is interested in present and proposed trail systems. H. Grench emphasized that at this point the MRPD has no control over any land. Louis Voss questioned the Tentative Basic Policy statements about the purchase of development rights and public access. D. Condron replied that each Director had a different opinion about these statements, and that the public hearings were a means of formulating the policy for the District. He reiterated that the Board and staff would like the opinions of the public about the statements . Mr. Voss said that priorities should be placed on the land that the District wants to acquire and then buy it at the fair market value. He urged that the MRPD not get involved in zoning matters. D. Wendin said that an interest in zoning and accompanying develop- ment regulations were part of the preservation of open space. Meng 74-2 . . . page 3 Bernice Jones, 19 La Vuelta, Vallejo, commented that property taxes are what is driving the private landowners off the land. She asked if the Board had been in touch with the Santa Clara County Assessor's Office. D. Wendin replied that it had but not as an advocate. There was further discussion about the ways in which land is taxed and zoned. D. Wendin added that the MRPD could perhaps help with the problem of the tax rates. N. Hanko suggested inviting the County Assessor to a workshop. W. Peters said that under the present legislation, once land is dedicated by the MRPD as open space, it is no longer possible to develop it or use it in another way without a two-thirds vote from the constituency. Charles Rousten, 15050 Monte Bello Road, Cupertino, asked about the Board' s position on the Williamson Act. W. Peters said that the Board was prepared to take a strong advocacy position in favor of the Williamson Act. Keith McFarland, 13661 La Paloma Road, Los Altos Hills, referred to the fixed number of dollars that the MRPD has available. At the present value of the land, this amount would buy very little land. Therefore, he felt, the MRPD policy has been to recommend zoning that would make the land worth less so that the District could buy larger amounts of land. W. Peters replied that even with a change in zoning, the District would not be able to buy a maximum amount of land. He also said that even with an increase in the tax base, it would not be possible to do so. The MRPD, therefore, must encourage preservation of open space in a variety of ways. K. Duffy commented that the primary goal of the MRPD is to acquire open space, so that there is an alternative to zoning changes for individual landowners. She also remarked about the importance of advocating for the preservation of open space. W. Peters explained the procedure for land acquisition. The first step involves an appraisal by an independent appraiser, which determines the price. K. Duffy stated that a landowner could also get his own appraiser. It was suggested that a description of these procedures could be added to the Tentative Basic Policy. In response to a question from Hewitt Crane, 17100 Monte Bello Road, Cupertino, about the borrowing power of the MRPD, D. Wendin said that the District can borrow amounts equivalent to two year's tax revenues. He added that after the MRPD buys land within the District, the land is no longer on the tax rolls. Mildred Jones, 15101 Monte Bello Road, Cupertino, questioned whether there was an arrangement to reimburse school districts because of the loss in tax revenues . D. Wendin replied that the MRPD presently does not have any such arrangement. Dick Geiger, 30981 Page Mill Road, Los Altos, asked why no land had been acquired. H. Grench referred to his remarks earlier in the meeting about receipt of the tax money. D. Wendin remarked Mee g 74-2 . . . page 4 about the problems because of SB 90 which prevented the MRPD from borrowing money against tax revenues to purchase land. He also said that H. Grench is actively negotiating with several landowners. N. Hanko further explained that under SB 90, regional park districts formed at the same time as the MRPD were not con- sidered taxing agencies . Additional legislation has corrected this. In addition, there were some possible ramifications if Proposition 1 in the November 1973 election had passed. W. Peters added that an agency has to be on the tax roll as of June in order to receive revenues. Because the MRPD was formed in November 1972 , it missed the first tax year. He also explained that there was a provision in the law which allowed the MRPD to borrow money for operating expenses. This was borrowed from the County. H. Grench stressed that with the rather limited amount of money available, it is important to spend it in the most judicious way. Mr. Geiger asked about the policy regarding purchasing land in the flatlands of the District. D. Wendin said that he felt the tax money would be better spent on areas other than those within city limits. W. Peters added that the MRPD is focusing on the areas at the perimeters of the urban environment. The meeting recessed at 9 :35 p.m. and it reconvened at 9 :55 p.m. George Glendenning, 198 Tillman Avenue, San Jose, said the people who lived in the Monte Bello Ridge area did so because they liked it and did not necessarily want to develop it. He expressed con- cern for the development on the floor of the Valley. He then asked about seismic information and about lumbering policies for the Monte Bello Ridge area. The Board agreed that they would get information about these items. E. G. Hall, 15601 Stevens Canyon Road, Cupertino, asked about the role of the MRPD and the trail system within the County. He urged that the MRPD put pressure on the County to set their priorities regarding the various trails. H. Grench responded that generally the MRPD policy would be to buy complete parcels of land and some of these parcels may contain a trail, but not necessarily so. In any purchase of a strip for a trail through private property, any fair appraisal would take into account such things as reverence damages and the remainder value of the land. W. Peters thanked the audience for coming to the meeting. N. Hanko concluded by saying that the assessment problem and Williamson Act contracts should be looked into on a broader basis than had been possible at this meeting. IV. REPORTS A. Taxation Structure Background and Training Materials H. Grench referred to his memorandum (M-74-3) regarding Lawrence Klein' s proposal to formulate taxation structure training materials. This could involve three levels of information: 1) a brochure for members of the public and interested landowners; 2) longer research papers on various topics, e.g. , tax and estate planning concepts; and 3) M( ng 74-2 . . . page 5 information about how taxation relates to specific individuals. Mr. Klein was proposing work in the second category. D. Wendin suggested that this material could be distributed to members of the Santa Clara County Bar Association. Mr. Claude A. Look, Sempervirens Fund, briefly described the information that the Sempervirens Fund has compiled on this topic . Motion: N. Hanko moved the acceptance of the concept on Taxation Structure Training Materials as presented in Lawrence Klein's letter dated January 2, 1974 , and that Mr. Klein be asked to come to the next regular Board meeting with a detailed work plan and schedule for the implementation of this project. D. Wendin seconded. There was discussion about ways in which some of the costs would be recovered after the production of this information. The motion passed unanimously. B. Trails Task Force N. Hanko referred to her memorandum of January 21, 1974, in which she described the formation of a Trails Task Force. She added that this Task Force would report occasionally to the Board and that each Director would sign the letters to be sent to the organizations in his or her ward. Motion: W. Peters moved acceptance of the Trails Task Force plan as outlined in N. Hanko' s memorandum of January 21, 1974 . D. Condron seconded. The Board agreed that this would not be a major responsibility of the staff. D. Wendin asked for more information about the responsibility of liability to the District and the costs involved. N. Hanko will report further at the March 13 , 1974 , meeting. The motion passed unanimously. V. CLAIMS D. Wendin moved acceptance of the revised claims list (C-74-2) (attached) as presented. K. Duffy seconded. The motion passed unanimously. , VI . ADJOURNMENT The Board recessed to Executive Session at 11 :30 p.m. to discuss personnel matters and reconvened to adjourn at 1:00 a.m. Carroll Harrington Secretary