Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - December 3, 2024
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Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - December 3, 2024
The Belmont City Council held a regular meeting on December 3, 2024, with three members present (Vice Mayor Lauder Merlo, Councilmembers Hurt and McCune) and two absent (Mayor Mates and Councilmember Pang Meganaris). The meeting included a special presentation on the San Mateo County Library annual report, public comments on cyclist safety and affordable housing, a public hearing on solid waste rate increases, and approval of the Twin Pines Park Belmont Creek Restoration Project Phase One. All votes were unanimous (3-0) with no opposition.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: Minutes from October 22, 2024 and November 12, 2024 were approved.
- Belmont Library Exterior & Interior Improvements: Awarded contracts to Satellite Painting ($47,080) and OnPoint Construction ($450,313) for painting and flooring replacement. (CCN 2024-632 & 2024-633)
- Custodial Services Agreement: Authorized a six-month agreement with Bamacor, Inc. for up to $207,101, with renewal options.
- Manor Roof Replacement Project Notice of Completion: Accepted work and authorized release of retention.
- 2024 Slurry Seal Pavement Project Notice of Completion: Accepted work and authorized release of retention.
- San Juan Sanitary Sewer Pump Station and Force Main Rehabilitation Project Design: Authorized agreement with Schaaf & Wheeler Engineers for $499,305.
- Monthly Financial Reports: Approved reports for July, August, and September 2024.
- Annual Report on Development Impact Fees: Adopted resolution accepting the FY 2023-24 report.
- Joint Powers Financing Authority (JPFA) Consent Items: Approved JPFA minutes and annual reports.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Public Comment (Cyclist Safety): A resident and member of the San Mateo County Transit Community Advisory Commission spoke about a recent cyclist fatality on Holly Street crossing over Highway 101 and a personal hit-and-run incident. He urged the city to prioritize cyclist and pedestrian safety over vehicle convenience, criticizing the Ralston Avenue design and the ADLP project corridor.
- Consent Calendar Public Comments (Affordable Housing):
- Carol Shepard (Belmont resident, president of Solutions for Supportive Homes) spoke on behalf of extremely low-income individuals with mental health disabilities needing permanent supportive housing. She noted that Belmont had over $3 million in housing mitigation fees and suggested that some funds be used for supportive housing.
- Leslie Womback (architect, former San Carlos planning commissioner, NAMI advocate) highlighted the Kelsey Ayer Station project in San Jose as a model for affordable housing with 25% reserved for people with disabilities. She urged Belmont to use its $3.25 million housing mitigation fee balance to fund pre-development costs for similar projects, noting the city is behind its housing element goals by about 350 units for extremely low-income residents.
- Public Hearing on Solid Waste Rates: No public testimony was offered; three written protests were received, far below the threshold for a majority protest.
- General Business Comments: No public comments were offered on the Audit/Measure I reports or the Twin Pines Park project.
Discussion Items
- Special Presentation – San Mateo County Library Annual Report: Library Manager Chris Luke presented highlights for FY 2023-24, including: over 250,000 visitors and 400,000 items circulated at the Belmont Library; 100,000 digital downloads; 20,000 program attendees; 8,000 outreach contacts; a 98% favorability rating; a new 24/7 library outpost in Pacifica; free diaper distribution events; and English language programs. Councilmembers expressed appreciation and asked about future outpost locations.
- Public Hearing – Solid Waste Rate Increase (Prop 218): The council considered a resolution to adopt maximum rates for Recology services effective January 1, 2025. Consultant Sean Korn from HDR explained the formula-driven rate setting: a 2.04% increase for regularly scheduled services (Schedule L) and a 3.77% increase for additional services (Schedule Q). Typical residential rates would increase 82 cents to $2.89 per month depending on cart size. With no majority protest, the council voted to adopt the resolution.
- General Business – Audit Committee and Measure I Committee Reports: Director Castaneda reported that the independent auditor gave an unmodified (clean) opinion with no internal control issues. The Measure I Advisory Committee confirmed proper use of funds. Councilmembers McCune and Lauder Merlo, who served on the audit subcommittee, praised the city's improved financial reserves. The council received the reports without further action.
- General Business – Twin Pines Park Belmont Creek Restoration Project Phase One (Project 3218): Consultant Project Manager Sean Rose presented a $3.967 million project to restore 500 linear feet of creek using natural stabilization methods, remove 36 eucalyptus trees (plus 16 additional hazardous trees requested by Parks and Fire), and replant 48 native trees. Funding sources include a $1 million DWR grant, contributions from San Carlos and San Mateo County, and $832,500 from Belmont’s infrastructure repair fund. Staff noted urgency due to a DWR grant expiration at the end of 2025. The project will improve downstream flooding by reducing sedimentation. Councilmembers asked about the connection to flooding (Rose explained sediment transport reduces channel capacity) and the stormwater detention basin mitigation contribution. The council approved all six actions (design contracts, CEQA Mitigated Negative Declaration, construction management agreement, funding amendment, budget appropriations) in a single motion.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: All consent items passed 3-0 (Hurt, McCune, Lauder Merlo aye; Mates and Pang Meganaris absent).
- Solid Waste Rate Resolution: Passed 3-0.
- Twin Pines Park Belmont Creek Restoration Project: Approved with all six recommended actions: (1) authorize tree removal contract up to $570,000; (2) authorize restoration construction contract up to $2,335,000; (3) adopt Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring Program; (4) authorize construction management agreement up to $200,000; (5) authorize Amendment 1 to funding agreement with San Carlos and County; (6) authorize budget appropriations totaling $3,967,600. Motion passed 3-0.
- Next Steps: Tree removal to begin before nesting bird season; main restoration construction planned for summer 2025 with completion by end of 2025 to meet grant deadlines.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome back. Council members McCune and Hurt and I are back here in chambers for our regular meeting. Sorry, we're starting a little bit late. We had some technical difficulties, but thank you to Doug and Josie and Jason for helping us work through them. As a friendly reminder, you can join us here in City Hall or virtually. The instructions for virtual joining are on the agenda page at our Belmont.gov site. If you are joining us here and you would like to make a public comment, please out, please fill out a speaker slip at the back table and give it to Clerk Plut. Or if you're with us virtually, you can raise your hand on Zoom when I call for a public comment on your item. Let's move on to item number four, the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand. One nation of God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. And we did return from a closed session. City Attorney Rennie, is there anything to report? Good evening, Madam Mayor. We did have a closed session as you just noted. However, we have no reportable action at this time. Thank you. So we'll move on to special presentations. We have one special presentation today, the San Mateo County Library Annual Report by our fantastic library manager, Chris Luke. Come on up, Chris. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight, and I'm pleased to share the library's annual report for fiscal year 2023-2024. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the JPA. Our service area covers 351 square miles, made up of our 11 member cities and the unincorporated areas of the county. At the city level, Belmont Library had over 250,000 library visitors and circulated just over 400,000 items last fiscal year. At the Belmont Library, we saw over 100,000 digital downloads. In addition to hosting many enticing programs on site, our library champions are always heading out into our communities to engage with people at outreach events. Our program attendance at our libraries reached over 20,000 people, and we engaged with over 8,000 community members during Belmont Outreach. Libraries uplift their communities, and in turn, communities work to uplift their libraries. Let me take you through some of our standout accomplishments from last year. This year, we began a robust process to update our strategic plan. Working with local consultants, we held interviews and surveyed thousands of community members and key stakeholders online and in person at our libraries and throughout the county. Our staff visited schools, laundromats, grocery stores, and housing events to engage the community in meaningful discussions. These insights will shape our new strategic plan, guiding us in meeting community needs more effectively, refining our services, and setting ambitious future goals. We are proud to say that members surveyed gave San Mateo County Libraries a 98% favorability rating. Our wide range of tech services and wellness-centered programs, including computer access, weekly tech help, yoga and music programs, have become a favorite among seniors. In collaboration with senior centers, we also offer services like the VA Mobile Clinic, social safety net providers, and a popular AARP safe driver course. Our libraries offer older adults the simple solace of a routine and provide a place for meaningful social interactions, helping to prevent loneliness and enrich daily life. We're proud to host many online and in-person English language programs to support learners with English classes, conversation clubs, book clubs, and more. Our libraries have reached thousands of determined community members seeking to learn or improve their language skills. We are so grateful for our volunteers who drive these programs forward in collaboration with our staff. This year we opened a 24-7 library outpost at the Pacifica Sanchez Library, a first of its kind for San Mateo County Libraries. This innovative service approach increases access to library materials. Featuring a lending machine with a curated collection of hundreds of books and media, this new library offering allows community members to browse, check out items, pick up holds, and return materials 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Plans are underway for additional library outposts to be installed throughout our service area. Our libraries are bustling with frequent creative and fun offerings to community members to learn, experiment, and play. We started 2024 off by hosting workshops on Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator, Lightroom, Photoshop, and more. Gem Painting, a relaxing activity that merges process-based art with mental wellness, debuted as a popular adult maker program this year. Karaoke machines and board games for checkout also continue to thrill and delight our communities with endless entertainment. And the imaginative Maker Mobile, ever on the move, saw another successful year of taking tech to the streets.
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