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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19740612 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) AF Meeting 74-13 IV 6F MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT Regular Meeting Board of Directors M I N U T E S 745 Distel Drive June 12, 1974 Los Altos I . ROLL CALL President Peters called the meeting to order at 7 :50 P.M. Members Present: Daniel Condron, Katherine Duffy, Nonette Hanko, William Peters and Daniel Wendin. Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, Edward Jaynes, Stanley Norton, John Melton, Anne Crosley, Carroll Harrington and Barbara Rusmore. Audience of three persons. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: N. Hanko moved acceptance of the minutes of May 18 , 1974 as presented. D. Wendin seconded the motion. Discussion: K. Duffy asked who paid the estate tax, the estate or the recipient. S . Norton replied the estate would pay the tax. The motion passed unani- mously. Motion: K. Duffy moved acceptance of the minutes of May 22 , 1974 as presented. N. Hanko seconded the motion. Discussion: K. Duffy noted she had been absent from the meeting of May 22 until after the Board had taken action on the Resolution Endorsing the State Beach, Park, Recreational and Historical Facilities Bond Act of 1974 . She asked the minutes be amended to reflect this. The motion passed un- animously. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA N. Hanko requested that her memorandum of June 7, 1974 regard- ing intergovernmental relations be considered as New Business Requiring Action. W. Peters suggested it be placed on the agenda as New Business Not Requiring Action. After discussion, Y i II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion_: D. Wendin moved acceptance of the minutes of June 12, 1974 as presented. W. Peters seconded the motion. Discussion: W. Peters suggested the minutes be amended on page three, line two, to read "request to do so" rather than "motion to do so" . D. Wendin accepted the amendment as part of his main motion. The motion, as revised, was passed unanimously. Meeting 74-13 Page two he stated the consensus of the Board that the memorandum be placed in the latter category. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS There were no oral communications . V. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY AND PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Proposed North Foothills Open Space Preserve Acquisition H. Grench introduced his report (R-74-15) into the record and presented a number of slides of the Millard F. Blair property. W. Peters said he was pleased with the report. B. Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District Approving Purchase Agreement, Auth- orizing Signatures Thereto on Behalf of the District, Authorizing officer to Execute Certificate of Acceptance of Grant to District, and Authorizing General Manager to Execute Any and All Other Documents In Escrow Necessary or Appropriate to Closing of the Transaction (Blair Pro- perty) (Resolution 74-13) Motion: N. Hanko moved approval of Resolution No. 74-13 as presented. D. Condron seconded the motion. Discussion: S. Norton reminded the Board that a 475 vote is required for approval of the motion in- asmuch as the District will be exercising its bor- rowing power. The motion passed uanimously. H. Grench commented that he was very pleased with the results of Ed Jaynes' negotiations in this transaction. E. Jaynes said he had received a great deal of input from a number of sources which was helpful in the negotiations . VI. OLD BUSINESS NOT REQUIRING ACTION A. Master Plan of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District W. Peters suggested the Master Plan of the Midpeninsula Re- gional Park District be considered upon the arrival of Mr. Larz Anderson of W. Spangle & Associates. The Board agreed to this arrangement. B. Possible Changes in Rules of Procedure W. Peters suggested a new agenda category, "CONSENT ITEMS" , be included for the next several meetings. This category would include items not likely to cause debate which could be approved by the Board very quickly. Should any Board Meeting 74-13 Page three member wish to have discussion on an item listed in the "CONSENT ITEMS" category, a motion to do so could be made under "ADOPTION OF AGENDA" . D. Wendin commented that the new category might cause more debate at the time of the adoption of the agenda, thus not saving any time at all. K. Duffy concurred. The Board agreed to experiment with the "CONSENT ITEMS" category for several meetings before a formal decision is made. VII. NEW BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION A. Budget for the 1974-75 Fiscal Year H. Grench presented his report (R-74-16) regarding the Budget for the 1974-75 Fiscal Year. He noted the Budget had been developed in conjunction with the Controller and members of the Budget Subcommittee, whose suggestions with respect to major budget questions had been very helpful. D. Wendin noted the Revenue figure of 114.3%" on page three of the report differed from the "3 .4%" figure on page four. H. Grench said both figures should be 4 . 3%. H. Grench emphasized that the Budget assumes receipt of about $835, 000 from the State Parks Bond Act (Proposition 1) in the 1974-75 fiscal year. If the money is not received, re- ductions in reserves and/or expenditures will have to be made, probably in Land Acquisition. He said the District must make specific application for the Parks Bond Act money, which must be approved by the legislature, and then the money would come in lump sums for each project. H. Grench said there were no plans to spend Land Acquisition funds in the Reserves category during the 1974-75 fiscal year. Uncommitted Borrowing Power refers to the $3 million borrowing power of the District. i H. Grench pointed out that Salaries and Benefits included all workers at present salary and benefit levels, and that the Board had decided that funds for salary increases would be considered at the time of the adoption of the Budget. Pro- posed figures were based on an average annual 13 .2% increase. H. Grench said budgeted amounts for appraisers ' fees might seem low; however, the figures were based on five appraisals for the year. Land acquisition costs were broken down in the report so the Board would be aware of the various costs in- volved in the purchase of a piece of property. He said land management figures were estimated because the District lacked experience in this area. Open space management costs for other agencies have averaged $30 to $40 per acre. Trail development costs were included in the figures. Meeting 74-13 Page four H. Grench commented the District had not been using all of its budgeted legal advertising funds; however, more money would be used when ordinances relating to use of District lands were adopted. H. Grench stated that the General Manager and the Assistant General Manager used their private vehicles on business matters a great deal, and the Administrative Secretary and the Public Communications Assistant used their vehicles for business purposes occasionally. The Land Manager is ex- pected to use a private vehicle also. W. Peters said he would like the District staff to explore the possibility of obtaining a permit for bulk mailing. A. Crosley said she would do so. H. Grench summarized by stating the total operating expenses for the District were about 12.8%, including acquisition costs. Total administrative costs not readily assigned to the four major programs would be 3 or 4% of the total in- come. That figure includes the Parks Bond Act revenue, but not the borrowing power of the District. He said in his opinion the Budget reflects the policies and program emphasis of the Board of Directors. J. Melton said the opportunities and Emergencies Reserve for the 1973-74 fiscal year was established at $250,000. That amount has been increased to $500,000 for the 1974-75 fiscal year. H. Grench added that this money would be available to use in circumstances unforeseen at the time the Budget is adopted. J. Melton advised that interest was calculated on a quarterly basis. A reserve was necessary, he said, because first revenues are received six months into the fiscal year. The District has borrowing power at any time for up to two years, and as of June, 1975, the District might be $2 million in debt. Until the debt is paid, the District would only have $1 million in borrowing power. Only the payment of an old debt, he stated, could increase available unused borrowing power. D. Wendin suggested the District consider its alter- natives regarding finances, such as the creation of a trust or the use of the legislative route. H. Grench stated the staff was currently working on the legislative route. S . Nor- ton advised the Board not to count on legislative assistance during the present year. H. Grench explained the third recommendation in his report that the General Manager's power to bind the District be set at $3,500. The enabling legislation for the District had authorized this amount, he said, and it seemed appropriate at this time to approve this amount to increase the General Manager' s flexibility. Meeting 74-13 Page five Motion: D. Wendin moved that the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District adopt the Annual Budget for the 1974-1975 Fiscal Year; that it adopt a tax rate of 10� per $100 assessed valuation and that any difference between estimated and actual revenues be reflected in a change in the Land Acqui- sition expenditures and reserves; and that, consistent with Section 5549 of the District' s enabling legis- lation, the General Manager be empowered to bind the District in amounts not exceeding $3,500. D. Condron seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. vI. OLD BUSINESS NOT REQUIRING ACTION (cont. ) A. Master Plan of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District Larz Anderson and William Spangle of W. Spangle & Associates were in attendance, along with Don Weden of the Santa Clara County Planning Department, for presentation of the methodology for the Master Plan of the District. Mr. Anderson advised the Board he was interested in knowing their priorities con- cerning what lands within the District should be preserved, and asked the Board to return to him by Friday a questionnaire prepared for this purpose. Mr. Anderson explained the land in the District would be divided into "landscape provinces" , each of which would have a particular open space value. His firm would concentrate on lands outside the Urban Service Area, he said, noting that the District' s Board members had indicated a preference for low-intensity uses of District lands. Recent studies have shown a great need for scenic backdrop areas for the large percentage of people touring by car. Landscape provinces will be evaluated individually and in relation to each other. The question of economics would have to be decided by the Board when it determined what parcels or provinces of land it was interested in. N. Hanko suggested the Master Plan outline include a "Natural Wilderness" category, as item 111 (6) , which would describe areas protected visually from urbanization. She cited the Perham Ranch as an example. Mr. Anderson said his firm had considered the category; however, it was decided there was insufficient data to evaluate land for this open space value. N. Hanko suggested the Trails Task Force could give the firm input in this regard, and Mr. Anderson promised to give further consideration to the category. He added that results of the scoring would be computed onto tabular lists, which could be translated into map form. W. Peters suggested the Highway Department might have pertinent information, and N. Hanko proposed that information on the Meeting 74-13 Page six possible use of some lands for high intensity recreation could be passed on to the County for its consideration. S . Norton said he thought the asterisks in the firm's report denoting items that would not be studied seemed somewhat arbitrary, and added that he doubted an objective study was feasible. S. Norton and H. Grench commented that the landscape provinces did not correspond to parcel ownership, and W. Peters noted the absence of economic variables such as willingness to sell. Mr. Anderson suggested economic considerations might be sensitive issues that would be difficult to measure. W. Peters referred Mr. Anderson to a report in the County Conservation Element which pinpoints areas containing unique habitats. Mr. Anderson said special high scores would be given to land areas containing such unique habitats. He emphasized that he hoped the Master Plan would give the Board a great deal of flexibility in determining which parcels of land to purchase, and that his outline was sub- ject to additions and suggestions from the Board members. VII . NEW BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION (cont. ) B. Proposed Santa Clara County Intergovernmental Planning Commission H. Grench referred to his memorandum (M-74-77) regarding an Intergovernmental Planning Commission under consideration by the Santa Clara County Charter Review Committee. He reported that the Committee had taken no action at its recent meet- ing, but there was a possibility the proposed Commission might replace the PPC. It was too early to determine if the MRPD might be included on the Commission. Thus far, it appeared the powers of the proposed Commission would be of an advisory or coordinating nature. Action: W. Peters stated the consensus that H. Grench be instructed to write a letter to the Santa Clara County Charter Review Committee expressing support for the concept of an Intergovernmental Planning Commission, and asking for further information on the powers and functions of such a Commission. C. Requests from Trails Task Force (a) Information from MRPD Counsel Regarding Trail Agree- ment Tax Reduction and Insurance for Property Owners N. Hanko said the Trails Task Force was interested in obtaining information on insurance and tax reductions Meeting 74-13 Page seven for property owners who provide trail access. The information would be helpful to members approaching property owners for permission to use their lands, so that advantages to such arrangements could be pointed out. S. Norton offered to prepare an analysis of existing law on the subject, and said he would try to have it ready by June 25. (b) Establishment of Date for Stevens Creek Link Tour N. Hanko advised that there would be a tour for Board members on July 1, 2 or 3 showing a proposed section of the Stevens Creek Park Chain. W. Peters suggested only two Board members attend the tour and report their findings to the full Board at a later meeting. Action: D. Wendin recommended that N. Hanko and W. Peters be appointed to attend the Stevens Creek Link Tour on Tuesday, July 2 , 1974, with D. Wendin as an alternative. The Board agreed to the recommendation. VIII . NEW BUSINESS NOT REQUIRING ACTION A. Additional Citizens ' Task Forces W. Peters suggested this item be agendized for a future meet- ing. He said he was interested in the formation of a baylands task force which could serve as an advocate for the baylands before other agencies, inform the District of plans being made for baylands parcels, and educate the general public about the baylands region. H. Grench advised that infor- mation gathering on the baylands has already begun, and a student real estate analyst hired for the summer would con- tinue with some of this work. E. Jaynes suggested the Dis- trict could work with other agencies to determine planning currently under consideration for the baylands. B. Future Board-Staff Retreats W. Peters stated he would like the Board to consider a Board- staff retreat to discuss where the District is now, where it is heading and possible strategies. He asked that this matter be agendized for a November Board meeting after the election. C. Memorandum of N. Hanko re Intergovernmental Relations There was discussion regarding N. Hanko' s memorandum dated June 7, 1974 . D. Condron reported his meeting with H. Grench, D. Wendin and Mr. Hefferlin of Sunnyvale had gone well, and Mr. Hefferlin had relayed Sunnyvale officials ' concern that Meeting 74-13 Page eight the District would consider only foothills and baylands for purchase rather than open space within the Urban Service Areas. D. Condron said Mr. Hefferlin expressed Sunnyvale's view that it provided the District with a large percentage of the money used to support land acquisition, and that open space in Sunnyvale was rapidly diminishing. K. Duffy commented the establishment of urban parks and open space was a city problem, whereas the District was concerned with open space areas of regional significance. W. Peters sug- gested the District consider a loan to Sunnyvale to buy land, with the proviso that the money be repaid when and if their bond issue passes. The Board agreed to keep in touch with Sunnyvale officials, and to consider its alter- natives regarding a loan policy. IX. CONSENT ITEMS A. Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District Approving the Application for Land and Water Conservation Funds for the Permanente Creek Park Project (Resolution No. 74-14) H. Grench referred the Board to his memorandum (M-74-75) dated June 4, 1974, recommending adoption of Resolution No. 74-14 . Motion: D. Wendin moved that the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District adopt Resolution No. 74-14 Approving the Application for Land and Water Conservation Funds for the Permanente Creek Park Project. D. Condron seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. X. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS The Board agreed that a reply to Marsha Sato' s letter of May 23, 1974 should be sent by H. Grench. XI . CLAIMS H. Grench pointed out that Petty Cash would be raised to the amount of $75. 00 upon approval of the revised claims (C-74-11) dated June 12, 1974 . Action: W. Peters stated the consensus that the revised claims (C-74-11) be accepted as presented. XII . EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board recessed to executive session at 1: 06 A.M. , June 13, 1974, to discuss land negotiations and personnel matters . Meeting 74-13 Page nine The Board left executive session at 1: 10 A.M. to consider D. Condron's letter of resignation to the Board. Motion: W. Peters moved that the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District regretfully accept the resignation of Daniel Condron as a Director. D. Wendin seconded the motion. Discussion: D. Condron said he intended the re- signation to become effective immediately follow- ing this meeting. The motion passed unanimously. The Board agreed the last date for submission °of resumes and applications for appointment to the vacant position would be noon, Wednesday, June 26, 1974 , and that the vacancy would be advertised. The Board resumed executive session at 1: 20 A.M. XIII . ADJOURNMENT The Board reconvened to adjourn at 1:40 A.M. Anne Cathcart Crosley Administrative Secretary