South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting – February 23, 2022

The South San Francisco City Council held a hybrid in-person/virtual regular meeting on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at 6:00 PM in the Municipal Services Building Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations, public comments, a consent calendar, a public hearing on redistricting, and administrative business items. Councilmembers participated remotely via teleconference under AB 361.

Presentations

• Proclamation Celebrating February as National Youth Leadership Month – Mayor Mark Nagales recognized youth engagement and the city’s Youth Commission. Ethan Mizzy, chair of the Youth Commission, thanked the council for encouraging civic participation.
• Proclamation Recognizing Merck’s Carbon Zero Success – Councilmember Eddie Flores presented the recognition to Merck Research Laboratories for achieving LEED Zero Carbon and Energy certification. The facility is 35% more efficient than conventional labs and uses 40% less water.
• Certificate Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Basque Cultural Center – Councilmember Mark Addiego presented a certificate to Joe Goyanich, president of the Basque Cultural Center, honoring the center’s contributions to the community.

Public Comments

• Liz Taylor (resident of 2708 Hillside Boulevard, Colma) – Expressed concerns about speeding on Hillside Boulevard (speed limit 40 mph, many drivers go 50–70 mph). She noted a recent serious accident and argued that the planned road diet from Cerramonte to Chestnut could create more dangerous conditions for residents near the intersection of Lawndale and Hillside. She urged installation of a traffic separator or barricade to prevent eastbound traffic from passing through bike lanes in front of homes.

Consent Calendar

Items 4–11 (excluding items 8 and 10, which were pulled) were approved by a single motion. The approved items were:

• Approval of minutes from February 9, 2022.
• Resolution accepting $32,428 in San Mateo County Measure K funds for the Library’s Summer Learning Challenge 2022 (Budget Amendment 22.049).
• Resolution authorizing a grant application for up to $830,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire 616 and 700 Linden Avenue for parkland.
• Resolution accepting $50,000 from Genentech for City Hall’s 101st Birthday Concert (Budget Amendment 22.046).
• Resolution amending the Bigbelly Solar LLC agreement (item 8 was pulled for discussion).
• Resolution to continue conducting City Council and advisory body meetings remotely (item 9 was not pulled; included in consent).
• Resolution awarding a construction contract to Golden Bay Construction for West Orange Avenue and Hillside Boulevard Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements (item 10 was pulled for discussion).
• Ordinance adding Chapter 2.85 to create a Commission on Equity and Public Safety (item 11 was included in consent).

Discussion Items

• Item 8: Bigbelly Solar Trash and Recycling Receptacles – Councilmember Addiego raised concerns about the geographic distribution of the new dual-stream receptacles (concentrated in downtown and Brentwood, none in Districts 1, 4, or Westboro). City Manager Mike Futrell and Management Analyst Marissa Garren explained that the solar-powered compactors reduce overflow and free up skilled maintenance workers for other tasks. The additional 10 units will cost $120,000 (total agreement $270,000) through November 3, 2025. Councilmember Addiego requested that future placement consider equity and bilingual signage. The item was approved as part of the consent calendar after discussion.

• Item 10: West Orange Avenue and Hillside Boulevard Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements – In response to public comments, City Manager Futrell described a joint safety plan with Colma and San Mateo County, including a traffic light at Sister Cities Boulevard and a road diet narrowing to two lanes with a center turn lane. Public Works Director Yoon June Kim added that the project will provide separated bike lanes with 6-foot buffers and ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps. Council requested continued coordination with Colma to avoid displacing traffic. The contract (not to exceed $167,756) was approved on consent.

• Item 12: Public Hearing on Redistricting (Third Hearing) – Kristen Parks of National Demographics Corporation (NDC) presented six maps: the current map and four public-submitted maps, plus NDC’s modified version (102A). NDC noted that the current map meets federal population equality requirements (deviation <10%) but may not fully meet state law’s second criterion of minimizing division of neighborhoods/communities of interest. Councilmembers discussed trade-offs: Councilmember Flores favored 102A for unifying the Hillside community and preserving the Orange Park housing authority in District 5; Councilmember Addiego opposed splitting the Old Town/Linden Avenue area; Vice Mayor Nicolas preferred keeping the current map to avoid confusing voters. The council decided to narrow options to the current map and a slightly modified version of 102A (to be produced by NDC by February 25, 2022), then conduct additional outreach before the March 9, 2022 meeting for final adoption. The deadline for submitting the final map to San Mateo County is April 18, 2022.

• Item 13: Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (FY 2020-21) and Mid-Year Update (FY 2021-22) – Finance Director Janet Salisbury presented the audit results and mid-year projections. Key points:

  • FY 2020-21: General fund revenues of $110.1 million, expenditures of $108.6 million, operating deficit of $2.3 million (better than the budgeted $3.4 million deficit due to austerity measures).
  • Sales tax totaled $19.5 million (excluding Measure W), with a recommended increase of $0.75 million to $20.3 million for FY 2021-22.
  • Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) reached $6.7 million in FY 2020-21, down from $17.1 million pre-pandemic. Recommended increase of $1.5 million to $8.5 million for FY 2021-22, offset by a $1.5 million decrease in service charges due to Omicron impacts.
  • License and permits (development fees) rose to $15.6 million, reflecting east-of-101 development.
  • General fund reserves: $21.9 million (20% of operating revenues), plus $5.5 million in pension reserves and $13.7 million in unappropriated infrastructure reserves.
  • Proposed appropriations: $332,000 from general fund (mental health clinician, graffiti remediation, concert in the park, irrigation study, breezeway improvements) and $1.52 million from infrastructure reserves (employee down payment assistance expansion, rental assistance pilot, parks and recreation vehicle replacements).
  • Councilmember Flores expressed interest in making the mental health clinician position permanent. The item was approved unanimously.

• Item 14: 2022 West Pavement Rehabilitation Project – Senior Civil Engineer Angel Torres presented the contract award to MCK Services, Inc. for $9,479,132.30 (total budget $10,479,132.30). The project includes rubberized hot mix asphalt on selected streets (e.g., Westborough Boulevard and Junipero Serra Boulevard). Councilmembers asked about environmental safety (rubberized asphalt uses scrap tires, is Caltrans-approved, lasts 15–25 years vs. 12–15 for conventional), outreach to residents (door hangers, multilingual mailers, website, contractor notifications), and pedestrian safety during construction. Councilmember Coleman requested exploring a dedicated bike lane on Junipero Serra. The contract was awarded unanimously.

• Item 15: Reappointment of City Manager to Colma Creek Citizens Advisory Committee – City Manager Mike Futrell was reappointed for a four-year term (current term expires March 31, 2022). The motion passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar (items 4, 5, 5a, 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 9, 9a, 11, 11a) approved unanimously after pulling items 8 and 10 for discussion.
• Item 8 (Bigbelly receptacles) approved as part of consent calendar.
• Item 10 (Pedestrian crossing enhancements) approved as part of consent calendar.
• Item 12 (Redistricting) – Council directed staff to prepare a modified version of map 102A (with adjustments to Old Town/Linden Avenue) by February 25, 2022, and to conduct outreach before the March 9, 2022 meeting for final adoption.
• Item 13 (Financial report) – Resolution approving the ACFR, mid-year update, and appropriations passed unanimously (5-0).
• Item 14 (Pavement rehabilitation) – Contract awarded to MCK Services, Inc. unanimously (5-0).
• Item 15 (Reappointment) – City Manager reappointed to Colma Creek Citizens Advisory Committee unanimously (5-0).
• Public Comment – The city manager committed to follow up with Liz Taylor on the Hillside Boulevard safety concerns and coordinate with Colma.