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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/20/17 Minutes - Regular MeetingCITY OF DIAMOND BAR CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION JUNE 20, 2017 STUDY SESSION: M/Lin called the Study Session to order at 5:30 p.m. in Room CC -8 of the South Coast Air Quality Management District/Government Center, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. ROLL CALL: Council Members Herrera, Lyons, Tye, Mayor Pro Tem Low and Mayor Lin Staff Present: James DeStefano, City Manager; David DeBerry, City Attorney; Ryan McLean, Assistant City Manager; David Liu, Public Works Director; Greg Gubman, Community Development Director; Dianna Honeywell, Finance Director; Ken Desforges, IS Director; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer; Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Amy Haug, Human Resources/Risk Manager; Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager, and Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATE. CM/DeStefano stated that tonight staff is bringing to the City Council an economic development update. As the Council is aware, the City recently rejoined the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership after having not been a member for approximately 10 years. This effort with Jeff Allred and his staff is to test the waters for a time to determine whether the association with the partnership provides value to the City and the business community. Barry Foster with HdL has been a tremendous asset to staff and the City Council with his specific retail assistance (acquisition of Smart & Final and WaBa Grill) and will speak to what is happening in the immediate area. Larry Kosmont is also an Economic Development Consultant. Larry was not available for tonight's meeting; however, he has been the longest serving member of the Economic Development team and has been serving Diamond Bar for some 20-25 years in a host of capacities including assisting the City with its first bond measure for the Diamond Bar Center as well as, other development opportunities and strategic plans. Larry's assignment with the City is to attempt to secure the hotel anchor development on the Burger King/Honda property for which he has developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the property owner that will come to the Council in the near future. The MOU outlines the expectations for the project. On occasion, the City has used Kaiser -Marsden Associates which is at a much higher elevation as they look at opportunities for the City. CM/DeStefano introduced Jeff Allred, Regina Wang and Jeff Barker from the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership. Jeff Allred explained that the Partnership was created 26 years ago by the cities of the San Gabriel Valley as major business partners. For the most part, the cities June 20, 2017 PAGE 2 CC STUDY SESSION have had a strong role in the partnership over the years until Redevelopment was dissolved and cities lost their dedicated funding source. He came on board about a year ago and determined that the organization needed to do something to provide a tangible `value added" product or service to the cities. As a result, the partnership created the San Gabriel Valley Power Site. The mission of the partnership is "Advancing the economic vitality and quality of life in the San Gabriel Valley" for public agencies and businesses. The organization fosters a "business -friendly" climate and success of businesses in the Valley, engages in political advocacy, and markets the strengths of the Partnership and the San Gabriel Valley. Mr. Allred said that for the past several years the Partnership has held an ICSC (International Conference of Shopping Centers) exhibit in Las Vegas which until this year was not very professional. This year, all of the cities including Diamond Bar chipped in a little extra money (less than $2,000 each) that helped to create a really beautiful and professional exhibit which generated a lot of activity with retailers. On a monthly basis the Partnership holds a Power Lunch 2.0 for members to provide them with business intelligence in various fields. For example, earlier this month the luncheon presentation focused on "changes in the ACA vs TrumpCare" which was underwritten by Bank of America. Basically, the Partnership is the voice for business in the San Gabriel Valley and works hand in glove with COG. Other activities include the Annual Awards Gala, Annual Legislative Networking Reception, and Annual Economic Forecast Summit. Regina Wang provided a power point presentation of the Power Site and specifically the information available to Diamond Bar that contains multi- level detail regarding population and age distribution, educational attainment, labor force information, business information, income information, property ownership/rental information, consumer spending, demographic information, commercial real estate information, etc. She showed examples of how specific information can be modified and included in various types of reports. C/Lyons asked if developers were aware of this information. Ms. Wang said that the Power Site is being promoted to developers through email, broker events, businesses, etc. C/Tye asked if Realtors would have to join the Partnership if they were interested in this data. Mr. Allred explained that the Association of Realtors are members of the Partnership who are very aware of this Power Site which is free to members. There is no data available for non-member cities. June 20, 2017 PAGE 3 CC STUDY SESSION M/Lin asked how Diamond Bar could specifically market to prospective businesses. Mr. Allred explained that each city wants something a little different from the Partnership so when a city makes a request for a special marketing effort the Partnership does its best to accommodate that request or all cities can be included in a marketing effort. M/Lin asked what the Partnership would do if a business came to it and said it wanted to create a business in the San Gabriel Valley. Would it say that Diamond Bar would be a good place to locate? Mr. Allred said the Partnership does that. The Partnership has a Business Assistance Manager who meets with perspective businesses on a regular basis to show them different available sites in the Valley. CM/DeStefano said that Diamond Bar will get an email that will say "we are looking for a 100,000 square foot warehouse with certain dock loading, certain ceiling heights, and other parameters, typically on the industrial manufacturing side and if Diamond Bar has something it will reference it in a reply. Ms. Wang said that conversely, the system can market its sites that are available within its boundaries as well. M/Lin asked what the annual dues are. Mr. Allred responded $5,250. This product would cost cities at least $25,000 if they were to do it on their own. This Power Site is an added value benefit. C/Tye said this looked like something the Chamber of Commerce could do. Mr. Allred explained that the Partnership is an umbrella over all Chambers of Commerce so that whenever a City is a member, their respective Chamber of Commerce is automatically an in-kind member. In this case, the Regional Chamber of Commerce is a member at no charge. The Partnership works with Chambers, cities and businesses etc., all of whom are under the umbrella. C/Lyons asked if the League presentation will be put up so it can be seen locally or do members have to go to Las Vegas to see it. Mr. Allred reiterated that prior to the Las Vegas event there was a local demo. The next event will be the General Assembly for COG on October 25 (ICSC Exhibit). June'20, 2017 PAGE 4 CC STUDY SESSION C/Herrera thanked the Partnership for sharing the information with the Council and for all they do. CM/DeStefano introduced Barry Foster, HDL, who mines scientific data and uses it to great advantage for his clients like the City of Diamond Bar. He is also boots on the ground and knows all of the retailers and knows exactly who to contact. When CM/DeStefano was having a difficult time trying to figure out what Starbucks was doing on the corner and whether they ever planned to come to the new location in front of Target, five seconds later Barry is giving him the home phone number of the Starbucks guy. CM/DeStefano called the Starbucks guy and got every answer he needed. Barry comes from a background in public economic development. Barry Foster presented an Economic Development Action Plan for Diamond Bar to assist the City in bringing in new sales tax revenue which is important for funding City services. In the San Gabriel Valley HdL works for Covina, Diamond Bar, Glendora, Rosemead and Temple City. In addition, he worked for a number of years in Monrovia to help build the downtown retail areas. HDL provides different services for different cities including industrial, special feasibility reports, etc. and has focused on the retail side for Diamond Bar. Much of the focus is a reuse of vacant space as well as, ground up development. C/Tye asked if HdL is paid regardless of the outcome. Mr. Foster responded that in most cases; however some have been done as percentage deals. Sometimes it takes time to get to what cities want. He believes HdL was fortunate to accomplish a lot in Diamond Bar the past few years and is pleased that he has been able to facilitate many of those transactions. Economic Development is an effort to increase economic activity by strengthening existing business areas, attracting new businesses and creating employment opportunities along with making sure that the environment is right and that everything has been done to stimulate that business environment. It is jobs created, income generated, marketplace growth, increased sales tax revenue and having a healthy business environment. During the recession a lot of cities cut back. Now that things are getting better making the kinds of investments, being proactive and being aggressive is what smart cities understand pays a lot of benefits. A city can play an active role by looking at ways to work together to help facilitate the development process while understanding development remains "market driven" which is something HdL understands through market analysis. MPT/Low asked Mr. Foster to address the trend that "brick and mortar" stores are going away and people want to shop at home. June 20, 2017 PAGE 5 CC STUDY SESSION Mr. Foster said it had changed over the past five, six, seven years and has continued to evolve. Shopping centers and retailers will never go away but many are getting smaller which is part of what HDL looks at in figuring out the types of spaces they want. For shopping centers, food is very important and at this point in history, probably the biggest growth in retail is off-price whether it is Ross or Burlington Coat Factory or TJ Max and Homegoods and on the restaurant side it is fast/casual. A lot of sit down restaurants are not doing a lot right now. People want (especially women) quality food and quick service and when deciding on a location, want a drive-thru because they can add another 30-40 percent to their bottom line. Anything market-driven is very important and it is not only monetary incentives, it is "how quickly can you get it done". For cities, it is being consistent with development standards and with the process. Mr. Foster said that when HdL found out that Starbuck's was moving which they confirmed with the vice-president. Starbuck's had a broker out of San Diego whom he knew and had a couple of other uses they had spoken with that neither he nor CM/DeStefano were that excited about. For this key corner he and CM/DeStefano thought Waba would be better. In the beginning they thought about doing a franchisee deal and HdL talked them into doing a corporate deal. Waba has 120 different restaurants and only 20 are corporate which offers a better guarantee and more stability for the property owner. HdL, the broker and property owner worked together to make it happen and met with the President of Waba here in Diamond Bar at Starbuck's before they relocated and then worked with staff to get things opened as quickly as possible. Waba enjoyed the process and in fact, HdL has done a couple more deals with them since that time. Waba is exactly the kind of business Diamond Bar wants to have. They have a great track record and they are expanding. It is a good fit for Diamond Bar. CM/DeStefano said that in addition to what Barry mentioned, in lieu of just throwing out the bait and trying to hook somebody up, Barry has a good understanding of who and what Diamond Bar is and what it needs. For example, one cannot buy a piece of furniture in Diamond Bar and it is difficult to find a location to place furniture stores in Diamond Bar. But Barry knows the market and knows Diamond Bar extremely well and to be able to quickly understand that and place people that will do well like Waba, which is literally feeding the City's business community, which is exactly what Diamond Bar needs. The City needs more people staying and eating in Diamond Bar at their lunch hour rather than going to Industry or Walnut. At the same time, Barry knows what won't work for Diamond Bar. M/Lin asked why Diamond Bar could not attract a "Cheesecake Factory' or a fancy upscale restaurant. June 20, 2017 PAGE 6 CC STUDY SESSION Mr. Foster said that almost none of those types of facilities were being constructed at this time. And, where would that kind and size restaurant be put in Diamond Bar. The City is pretty much built -out and needs to works on what it has. M/Lin said there is empty land next to the Diamond Bar Center. Mr. Foster said he worked on that project and that is not the location that could accommodate such a facility. CM/DeStefano said there was an $8 million gap. Mr. Foster said that the Cheesecake Factory is a great example. While it is still a popular restaurant, it has been sold off a couple of times. Mimi's Cafe is on its third owner and they are closing. Unfortunately, they were good at the time but they did not stay current. Sit down restaurants are really tough to do and that market is not back yet. C/Tye said that his response to M/Lin would have been that Diamond Bar does not support its restaurants. C/Tye felt that one of the best restaurants the City ever had was D'Antonio's Italian Restaurant. It sold and maybe it sold again, but if the City does not support them they will go out of business. MTP/Low said conversely, Diamond Bar does support EI Pollo Loco and the pizza parlors and the taco places. CM/DeStefano said that there are some who frequent and enjoy upscale restaurants but the overall community (business and residential) do not which is why more people want to be in Diamond Bar. CM/DeStefano asked Mr. Foster to talk about how he got Smart & Final to Diamond Bar because they initially passed on the City and from Smart & Final came Sprouts. Mr. Foster said that he heard before they officially announced that Smart & Final was going to buy the former Hagans and they did not include Diamond Bar on that list. He went to their Senior VP who he has known for a long time and who used to be with Ralph's and learned that he liked the site and liked Diamond Bar but he was unsure about whether the Asian customers were their customers. HdL did some market analysis to show that that location had a slightly lower Asian population and that research analysis showed that Diamond Bar and that trade area specifically is second - generation Asian which is very different from Monterey Park, for example, to show that they are higher educated, make more money and their buying and eating habits are very different. HdL provided enough information that allowed the Senior VP to support locating in Diamond Bar and he got it approved with the senior level and they ended up buying 29 stores. When June 20, 2017 PAGE 7 CC STUDY SESSION they did their soft opening he took pictures of Asian individuals with baskets completely full which he sent to the President of the company. It was the best opening they had ever had and they were very pleased. Again, it is a matter of telling the full story and having good working relationships with companies and individuals. HdL is actually doing three different Smart & Final deals all over the State of California. Because these people understand how HdL works when they are approached about a site they understand there is something to be considered. It doesn't always prove fruitful but it helps to get a foot in the door. C/Tye said that when the store closed he contacted Stater Bros and Gelson's and Stater Bros was the most interested because one of their own lines was going to go away but they still did not come in. Why would Smart & Final be interested in that site and not Stater Bros or Gelson's? Mr. Foster said that when he spoke with Stater Bros the Chino Hills site was too close. Gelson's did not want to do anything in the area and they bought sites in Orange County, LA County and wanted to be in the Rancho Mirage community which turned out not to be a very good location for them. Smart & Final with their "Extra" concept gets past the Smart & Final name. If someone entered the store without knowing it to be a Smart & Final it looks like Sprouts. Smart & Final is doing very well. CTye said he worries because some of the shelves are empty, not because people are shopping but because shelves are not getting re -stocked. Mr. Foster said that last time he checked sales were above average. While it is not a fantastic store, it is not a bad store. CM/DeStefano said that Smart & Final bought 29 stores out of the Hagan bankruptcy. Next in line was Sprouts which had already turned Diamond Bar down for that site. Sprouts turned the City down for what became the Walmart site. Staff spent a lot of time on the Walmart site trying to get Sprouts to go into that site. In that case, it was too close to Chino Hills which pushed them over to the site by Kmart. Learning they were second in line in bankruptcy court to purchase the Hagan spot he tied Sprouts with the Charles Company and got to the director of real estate who happens to live in Arcadia who knows the general area and helped the Charles Company and helped Sprouts to make that deal. Mr. Foster said he has known Elizabeth for a long time and she really understands the San Gabriel Valley. She was honest with him when HDL first approached her when she said they were not ready to go to the area. She gets to do 15 new stores in 14 western states a year, four in California and two in southern California so they have to be very strategic about where and when they go. There are lots of places they should be in the San Gabriel June 20, 2017 PAGE 8 CC STUDY SESSION Valley but it is a matter of timing. Every store needs to be a home run and they put a lot of thought and effort into their market analytics. Mr. Foster said that HDL knows they want 100,000 people within a 10 -minute drive -time and an average household income of $85,000 or more. They wanted education attainment of college of 30 percent or more. So it was a matter of showing them that the location made sense and that the timing was right which led to getting it done. C/Tye asked if Mr. Foster was involved with Diamond Bar when the City was trying to get a Trader Joe's. Mr. Foster said it was after that. He knows the Trader Joe's people and every city they work with says "well, we think we can get a Trader Joe's" and the problem is that Trader Joe's is not doing deals in suburban locations. They are doing infill locations in LA, San Francisco and San Diego and are focused more out-of-state where there are easier deals and they can make more money because of less competition. Mr. Foster said that it is a matter of being realistic about what the City can and cannot get. He likes to push the envelope, but in the end, it will be market-driven. HdL tends to focus on drive -times. What people are looking for is a trade - area. Brea Canyon Road at the SR60 is a very small part of Diamond Bar that picks up Walnut, Industry and other areas which is what the retailers are looking for. It is not the City as a whole, it is a matter of the trade areas and understanding what that retailer or restaurant wants. Diamond Bar has a lot of strengths — a great location and the City invests a lot of money in infrastructure which shows well. These are characteristics that are really important when a retailer or restaurant is considering coming to a community. Appearance and infrastructure is very important. With respect to consumer demand, there is leakage with respect to full- service restaurants. Again, there is a demand for it but it is a matter of finding someone that wants to do it and the timing may not be right and it is a matter of figuring out where they are to be located. C/Tye asked how Chili's is doing with respect to sales, tax data. Mr. Foster said Chili's is above average. He believes that the reason it does well is that there are not a lot of restaurants in that area. Starbuck's at that location is doing really, really well. C/Tye said because of the drive-thru. Mr. Foster agreed. And Jimmy John's is doing well too. HdL conducted a Void Analysis and looked at who was not here. Of about 1200 national and regional retailers and restaurants the pared down list June 20, 2017 PAGE 9 CC STUDY SESSION contains information about who HdL believes may want to come to Diamond Bar and who they believe to be good fits. Some that were on the list a year ago are coming now. C/Tye said the City was excited when they thought Orchard Supply was coming to Diamond Bar. Mr. Foster said that they talked with Orchard Supply a number of times but they could not get a big enough space with sufficient outdoor area. They were looking at the space that Smart & Final occupied. They have put stores in Glendora and LaVerne and pulled back on the San Gabriel Valley for now but they will be back. C/Tye asked how hard it would be to get the Pancake House. Mr. Foster said he has talked with the franchisee who would have this area and was told that he has two or three in Orange County and is considering Diamond Bar. Mr. Foster said he believes it would be a good fit. Areas of opportunity include Grand Avenue/S. Diamond Bar Boulevard; SR60/Brea Canyon Road; SR60/Diamond Bar Boulevard; Village Center (Target Center) and SR57 Corridor and Diamond Hills Plaza. Mr. Foster concluded by saying that Diamond Bar does a great job with development services by being business -friendly and having a can -do attitude which a lot of cities do not have. He believes the City Council should do everything possible to embrace that and do everything in its power to help that attitude moving forward. Having people return phone calls and emails the same day is very important.as well as, doing everything possible to be consistent in the process and overall, making Diamond Bar the best place to do business which he believes all government needs to strive for. As he tells his employees, if there were no developers, no businesses and no one wishing to do these things they would not have a job. These are the people we serve and these are the people we want to make things happen with. It is good to have standards but most importantly, you want to be consistent and business -friendly. The next steps include feedback from City Councilmembers, drafting of a three-year Economic Development Action Plan, and soliciting input from Regional Chamber of Commerce — SGV, Business Leaders & Stakeholders. CM/DeStefano asked Councilmembers to contact him or CDD/Gubman if they had any questions on the Economic Development update. He has kept Dan Fox involved in all of this, sent him all of the information and talked with him about this when he met with him a week or two ago. He and ACM/McLean will be meeting with Dan again on Thursday and will provide him with additional information about what is happening this evening. Larry June 20, 2017 PAGE 10 CC STUDY SESSION Kosmont will be coming back to the City Council and Dan to provide an update on the hotel project. Public Comments: None ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to come before the City Council, M/Lin recessed the Study Session at 6:30 p.m. to the Regular Meeting. TOMMY0 CRIBBINS, City Clerk The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 18th day of _:uiy 2017, v s t , JIMMY LIN, Mayor MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR JUNE 20, 2017 STUDY SESSION: 0 Public Comments: 5:30 p.m., Room CC -8 Economic Development Update None. Study Session Adjourned at 6:30 p.m. to the Regular City Council Meeting. CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Lin called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 6:38 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management District/Government Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA. CM/DeStefano reported that during tonight's Study Session the Council was presented with information regarding the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership's activities and how they can assist Diamond Bar in growing its business community. In addition, the Council received a more detailed update on retail trends and economic development activity in the City including an update on the Ross/Sprouts development. Staff provided the City Council with a memorandum update of various economic development initiatives. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: C/Lyons led the Pledge of Allegiance INVOCATION: Monsignor James Loughnane provided the invocation. ROLL CALL: Council Members Herrera, Tye, Mayor Pro Tem Low and Mayor Lin Staff Present: James DeStefano, City Manager; David DeBerry, City Attorney; Ryan McLean, Assistant City Manager; Director; Ken Desforges, IS Director; David Liu, Public Works Director; Dianna Honeywell, Finance Director; Greg Gubman, Community Development Director; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer; Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Amy Haug, Human Resources/Risk Manager; Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager, and Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As Presented. 1. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS: 1.1 Mayor Lin and City Council Members presented a Certificate Plaque to Daniel Chun and Roxanne Maldonado on behalf of King Bap, 1106 S. Diamond Bar Boulevard as New Business for the Month of June. JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL 1.2 Mayor Lin and City Council Members presented a City Tile to Alison Meyers, Community Services Coordinator, as she retires after 12 years of service to the City of Diamond Bar. 1.3 Presentation of City Tile to City Manager James DeStefano upon his retirement after 27 years of service to the City of Diamond Bar. 2. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: None. 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Cynthia Yu, Adult and Teen Services Librarian, informed the community that the new hours for the Diamond Bar Library beginning July 1, 2017 are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday for a total of 56 hours per week. On Wednesday, July 5 at 3:00 p.m. teens are welcome to join the library for a robotics workshop (Jinglebot). On Thursday, July 6 at 2:00 p.m. kids are invited to make musical noise. To check out these and other programs, visit the library's website at www.colapublib.orq. Many library programs are sponsored by The Friends of the Diamond Bar Library. Neveen Wissa has been living in Diamond Bar for almost 10 years. She works in the church and serves the youth of the community. She asked the Council to help with three issues. She trims trees in her backyard and still has many dead branches from trees on Caltrans property. She lives close to the SR57 and she hears a lot of noise and feels vibration at night when trucks are on the freeway and would appreciate a Caltrans sound wall. She has applied for the Home Improvement program since 2012 and has had no response. She applied again last week and would appreciate it if the Council could help her get the application processed. 4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS: CM/DeStefano responded to Ms. Wissa, the request for the fire department to remove fuel at this time of year in order to reduce the possibility of fires affecting properties and homeowners, if the location is known staff may be able to assist in marrying a service club or Eagle Scout to assist. He will have a staff member contact Ms. Wissa to obtain additional information. With respect to the location of the home near the freeway that has some 350,000 trips per day, there may or may not be a freeway improvement project coming in that area. The SR57/60 is undergoing many years of improvements. Regarding the Home Improvement Program, the City keeps records of all applicants and the process of engagement with each applicant. Staff will be able to look at records regarding a former application. The program has strict criteria that is controlled by the Federal Government through the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) and staff can discuss that matter further with the speaker which may relate to "eligibility." JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL 5. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS: 5.1 Concerts in the Park — The Answer (Classic Rock) — June 21, 2017 — 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., 22930 Golden Springs Drive. 5.2 Movies "Under the Stars" — Immediately following the Concert — (The Secret Life of Pets) — Sycamore Canyon Park, 22930 Golden Springs Drive. 5.3 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — June 23, 2017 — 7:00 p.m., Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive. 5.4 Planning Commission Meeting — June 27, 2017 — 7:00 p.m. — Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive. 5.5 Concerts in the Park — June 28, 2017 — 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., The Ravelers (Rock 'n Roll) — Sycamore Canyon Park, 22930 Golden Springs Drive. 5.6 Movies "Under the Stars" (Pete's Dragon) — Immediately following Concerts in the Park. 5.7 4th of July Blast — July 4, 2017 — 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Diamond Bar High School, 21400 Pathfinder Road. 5.8 July 4th Holiday — City Offices closed in observance of the July 4th Holiday. Offices reopen on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 7:30 a.m. 6. CONSENT CALENDAR: C/Tye moved, C/Herrera seconded, to approve the Consent Calendar as presented with MPT/Low pulling Items 6.6 and 6.7 for separate consideration and C/Lyons abstaining on Item 6.2. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low, M/Lin NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None 6.1 WAIVE READING IN FULL OF ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS AND ADOPT THE CONSENT CALENDAR. 6.2 APPROVED CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: 6.2.1 Study Session of June 6, 2017 6.2.2 Regular Meeting of June 6, 2017 6.3 RATIFIED CHECK REGISTER DATED June 1, 2017 through June 14, 2017 totaling $1,371,444.92. JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL 6.4 APPROVED EXPENDITURES WITH THE CASTLE PRESS IN THE AMOUNT OF $63,344 PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10% CONTINGENCY OF $6,334, FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $69,678 FOR PRINTING AND MAIL PREPARATION SERVICES DURING FISCAL YEAR 2017-18. 6.5 APPROVED ADJOURNING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF JUNE 20, 2017 TO JULY 18, 2017. 6.8 APPROVED EXTENSION OF CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH MCE CORPORATION FOR STREET MAINTENANCE SERVICES FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $165,600.73 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18. 6.9 APPROVED EXTENSION OF CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH WEST COAST ARBORISTS FOR CITYWIDE TREE MAINTENANCE AND WATERING SERVICES FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $293,460 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18. 6.10 APPROVED AMENDMENT #2 TO THE MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH GUARANTEED JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR THE LIBRARY, CITY HALL, DIAMOND BAR CENTER, HERITAGE PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, AND PANTERA PARK ACTIVITY ROOM IN THE AMOUNT NOT -TO -EXCEED $141,815.88 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18. 6.11 AWARDED CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION SERVICES CONTRACT FOR THE AREA 5 RESIDENTIAL AND COLLECTOR STREET REHABILITATION PROJECT AND THE BREA CANYON CUTOFF DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT AND PAVEMENT REHABILITATION PROJECT, TO ONWARD ENGINEERING, INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $107,276 AND AUTHORIZED A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $10,727 FOR CHANGE ORDERS TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY MANAGER, FOR A TOTAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT OF $118,003. 6.12 APPROVED AMENDMENT #3 TO AGREEMENT WITH TENNIS ANYONE TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT PERIOD TO JULY 1, 2017 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2018 IN THE AMOUNT OF $70,000. 6.13 APPROVED FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH DIANA CHO AND ASSOCIATES FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) LABOR AND CONTRACT COMPLIANCE SERVICES, INCREASING THE CONTRACT BY $35,100 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18 FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED COST OF $55,384. JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL 6.14 APPROVED SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH SJC3 CONSULTING, INC. TO ADMINISTER THE CITY'S HOME IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (HIP), INCREASING THE CONTRACT BY $20,000 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18 FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED COST OF $59,560. 6.15 APPROVED AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR STORMWATER COMPLIANCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SERVICES WITH JOHN L. HUNTER & ASSOCIATES FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $74,500 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18. 6.16 APPROVED AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH PROJECT PARTNERS, FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $100,000 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18. 6.17 APPROVED AMENDMENT NO.1 TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH SIMPSON ADVERTISING, INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $6,000 FOR A TOTAL NOT -TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $66,762 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016-17. 6.6 AWARD THE PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES CONTRACT TO MNS ENGINEERS, INC. FOR THE DIAMOND BAR BOULEVARD STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT (BETWEEN GOLDEN SPRINGS DRIVE AND SR60 FREEWAY) IN A NOT -TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $295,866. 6.7 AWARD DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CONTRACT TO TAIT & ASSOCIATES, INC. FOR THE GROUNDWATER DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS AT THREE LOCATIONS (GOLDEN SPRINGS DRIVE AT PLATINA, BREA CANYON ROAD AT SAPPHIRE, AND CASTLE ROCK ROAD AT HIPASS) IN THE AMOUNT OF $117,515 AND AUTHORIZE A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $17,627 FOR CHANGE ORDERS TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY MANAGER FOR A TOTAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT OF $135,142. MPT/Low questioned the quantifiable evaluation in the report concerning the contractors and their qualifications asking whether or not the price of the submitted contract played a role in the selection of the contractor. PWD/Liu responded that with respect to professional services contracts the City is required to perform a "qualification -based" process. In the report there are six main criteria identified which are each weighted JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL differently up to 100 percent. In addition, although it is secondary to the weighted criteria, the City needs to look at submissions from a business point of view as to whether or not the costs, based on the scope of work and thoroughness of the proposal to make sure the corresponding fees make sense as an industry "best practice." M/Lin said that if state or federal funds are involved in the design, price cannot be used as a criteria. MPT/Low moved, C/Lyons seconded, to approve Items 6.6 and 6.7. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS: Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low, M/Lin None None 7.1 ADOPT RESOLUTION 2017-25 ADOPTING A SCHEDULE OF RATES, FEES AND CHARGES FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND ADMINISTRATIVE/MISCELLANEOUS FEES. (Continued from May 2, 2017). ACM/McLean reported that this resolution contains recommendations from the City Council's Fee Study Subcommittee which sets fee levels for development services including Planning, Engineering and Building and Safety functions as well as, fees for various administrative services. Staff plans to continue working with the Fee Study Subcommittee to develop recommendations for the Parks and Recreation Department for consideration at a later date. Diamond Bar provides customer service -focused and cost-effective municipal services to the public which are classified under Community Supported Services or Personal Choice Services. Community Services are usually subsidized due to a contribution to overall community welfare which include police services, parks, street maintenance and development, and are usually funded with tax dollars. Personal Choice Services are services that are provided directly to individuals for personal benefit and include permits to construct home repairs and improvements, tenant improvements, facility rentals (Diamond Bar Center for private events) and it is assumed that the cost to provide Personal Choice Services should be borne by the individual receiving the benefit (not subsidized by the taxpayer). JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL In 2016 CM/DeStefano entered into a contract with Revenue Cost Specialist (RCS) to complete the City's first comprehensive fee study since 2009. This fee study was commissioned with a series of goals in mind, the first being to complete a cost and revenue analysis to determine the fully -burdened cost of the Personal Choice Services provided by the City. The second goal was to identify the beneficiary of these services and determine if the costs should be subsidized by taxpayers or paid for by the beneficiary. The third goal was to develop a legally defensible baseline for full -cost recovery of Personal Choice Service fees in accordance with the California Constitution which includes a provision known as "the cost reasonably borne test." This test provides that the City is entitled to collect fees for Personal Choice Services that include all direct and indirect costs — overhead and debt services costs, as established in the study, but no more than that. The final goal was to bring forth recommendations to the policymakers (City Council) for fee adjustments to ensure that the City's longtime financial health and ability to maintain service levels is maintained in the long term. After months of work coordinating with RCS and every City department, staff compiled time and volume data for each Personal Choice Service, calculated the overhead and administrative costs for each, the time each employee spends to provide that service and the final report shows that currently, the City's full cost of providing Personal Choice Services exceeds current and expected fee revenues across all service sectors. For Development Services, the report found subsidies of over $900,000 in FY 2015-16 (the last year of complete data) which is a 38.3 percent subsidy. Administrative Services (less volume) was found to be subsidized by a little over $25,000 or 14.2 percent during the same fiscal year. The results of the Fee Study were brought forward to the City Council in a series of meetings beginning at the February 21, 2017 Study Session followed by three meetings in Open Session (March 7, April 18 and May 2). Staff presented the findings to the City Council and made a recommendation that a full -cost recovery be the policy for all Personal Choice Services. The City Council deliberated the matter and to develop more recommendations, the Mayor and Council created the Fee Study Subcommittee with MPT/Low and C/Lyons serving as its delegates. The Fee Study Subcommittee subsequently met with staff on two occasions (May 15 and May 24) and carefully reviewed the entirety of the report line by line. The Fee Study Subcommittee's recommendations are as follows: A) Fees for Community Development and Administrative/Miscellaneous Services should be set at full -cost recovery levels with some notable exceptions that were created in an effort to reduce the impact on JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 8 CITY COUNCIL residential and business development in Diamond Bar; 1) a plot plan review, 2) a streamlined plot plan review, 3) planning approval, 4) a new business license processing and 5) a renewal for business license processing. For each of these exceptions the subcommittee recommends that the fees be phased -in to full -cost recovery levels over three years. B) Keep residential parking permit fees at a $0.00 rate. This is a full - subsidy but would be done to make sure that residents are not negatively impacted by parking. C) Add an annual CPI escalator beginning July 1, 2018 and annually thereafter to ensure that rates remain current. D) Any fees found in the study to exceed the estimated cost of providing the service shall be reduced as set forth in the attached resolution. E) Fee Schedules should include a statement clearly identifying deposit - based fees to customers. In the attachments for each of the fee schedules in each department or service sector a footnote has been included that identifies those that have "deposit based fees" that may result in refunds to the customer provided that the service does not exceed the deposit amount. F) The subcommittee recommends to the City Council that the subcommittee remain in place for the sole purpose of reviewing and providing recommendations on the 2017 policy -related Parks and Recreation fees. Upon full implementation of the Subcommittee's recommendation over a three-year period, Development Administrative Services Fees Studies will be reduced by approximately $600,000. The Subcommittee's recommendations balance long-term fiscal sustainability strategies with standing practices of enacting resident and business -friendly policies, a key point that was made to staff throughout this process. In addition, these recommendations reach taxpayer equity by eliminating subsidies that taxpayers are currently paying. Staff recommends that the City Council consider the Subcommittee's recommendations and approve the Resolution. If approved, the Development Services Fee adjustments would be effective 60 -days from adoption while those for Administration would be effective immediately. M/Lin opened the Public Hearing at 7:45 p.m. With no one present who wished to speak on this item, M/Lin closed the Public Hearing at 7:45 p.m. JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 9 CITY COUNCIL C/Lyons said that ACM/McLean described the process the subcommittee used. The study was looked at very thoroughly and she believed the subcommittee had done a good job by primarily concentrating on mitigating cost increases to the individual homeowner and small business persons. The subcommittee looked at a number of other fees that looked somewhat out -of -line, but after digging into the details, learned they really were not out of line. One example was a fee specified for false alarms and after further researching the matter the subcommittee learned that a resident could have two false alarms within a 12 -month period with no charge. However, if they had a third false alarm there would be a $125 charge and knowing that the first two were essentially "free" it seemed like the third false alarm fee was very reasonable. The subcommittee also noticed that some of the fees were reduced and she feels very confident that the subcommittee and staff have presented a good balance for the taxpayers with some phasing in for homeowners and small businesses. MPT/Low agreed. The subcommittee spent a lot of time on this and staff was very responsive which for her resulted in balancing the cost of providing service versus the burden on all taxpayers and individual taxpayers. The subcommittee believes that the City has done a good job keeping fees as low as possible while creating equity for all. C/Herrera thanked C/Lyons and MPT/Low for taking the extra time to delve into this matter with staff. She felt it was an overwhelming tax where the original report was 350 or so pages and it was a difficult document to wade through and figure out the best course of action. She appreciates the time C/Lyons and MPT/Low took on behalf of the Council and she believed phasing -in was an excellent suggestion and fully supports the Subcommittee's recommendation. C/Tye again asked how full -cost was determined. For example, a Planning Appeal which will go from $722 to $3575. ACM/McLean reiterated that the consultants spent many months in meetings with each department to work out the hours spent to provide each service. In the case of a Planning Appeal, there are four different employees that touch that particular service from beginning to end. Staff worked out the unit time for each of those and applied those amounts to get the full number. The unit time is multiplied by the staff member's full burdened rate which is created by background work that includes all overhead costs, salaries, benefits, etc. The time motion was conducted to figure out how much time each employee spent on each of the services which was then used to calculate and create the number for each service. C/Tye said that technically, if the City went a week or month or any time period with no Planning Appeals, no Plot Plan Reviews, No Streamline Plot Plans, the City continues to have the same employees which is a JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 10 CITY COUNCIL fixed cost. So how does the City manage that fixed cost with a balance between what staff is actually doing and what is being recommended? ACM/McLean further explained that there are various volumes that are associated with each service. A Planning Appeal does not happen many times throughout the year but there are a lot of other services that are provided. So if employees are not providing a "Planning Appeal" for example, they are conducting other business and in looking at each unit provided under each service there are certain items that have much higher volumes. The City also uses contract employees wherever possible, on an as -needed basis so that if they are not participating in a particular project that service is not being charged. ACM/McLean responded to M/Lin that the CPI is an annual adjustment which allows the City to stay with changing trends. M/Lin asked if this would continue until such time as the Council decided not to implement the CPI and would it be a perpetual adjustment. ACM/McLean responded yes, it would be perpetual unless otherwise directed by the City Council. M/Lin asked what the subsidy level would be with the new proposal. ACM/McLean explained that the recommendation from the Fee Study Subcommittee is to implement a full -cost recovery schedule but for those five exceptions and at the end of the three-year phasing period the City would be at a full -cost recovery level for all Administrative and Development Services based on today's information and factors that influenced this particular study. C/Lyons moved, MPT/Low seconded, to Adopt Resolution 2017-25 Adopting a Schedule of Rates, Fees, and Charges for Community Development Services and Administrative/Miscellaneous Fees as recommended. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low, M/Lin NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None 7.2 ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2017-26(A), NO. 2017-27 (B) AND NO. 2017-28(C) LEVYING ASSESSMENT ON CITY OF DIAMOND BAR'S LANDSCAPE DISTRICTS NO. 38, NO. 39 AND NO, 41, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017-18. JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 11 CITY COUNCIL M/Lin reported that he lives within 500 feet of LLD No. 39 and recused from voting on that district. PWD/Liu provided the Council and community a brief financial summary for each of the districts. The levy rate for District No. 38 for FY 2017-18 is proposed to be $15 per parcel which would generate $272,145 in assessment revenue. The total annual budget for this district is $429,299. As a result, $157,154 of the General Fund will be used to subsidize the budget in order to maintain the operation and maintenance for District No. 38, For District No. 39, the levy rate of $236 per parcel which would generate $295,236 in assessment revenue. Combined with the carryover fund balance of $43,223 and $33,257 of General Fund monies, the total annual budget in District No. 39 is $371,716. District No. 41, the levy rate of $220.50 per parcel which will generate $122,157 in assessment revenue. With a total annual operation and maintenance budget of $233,196, the City is subsidizing District No. 41 with $5,000 of Prop A Safe Park Funds and $106,839 of General Fund monies. Landscape Improvements to be maintained by District No. 38 are the parkways and medians throughout the City which reflects a total maintenance area of approximately 10.4 acres and the number of parcels within District No. 38 is 18,143. Staff therefore recommends that the assessment amount of $15 for each accessible lot within District No. 38 be approved and that the Resolution levying the assessment for Fiscal Year 2017-18 be adopted by the City Council. Landscape Improvements to be maintained by District No. 39 are the mini - parks, slopes and open space areas within its boundaries which reflects a total maintenance area of almost 61 acres and the number of parcels within District No. 39 is 1,251. Staff therefore recommends that the assessment amount of $236 for each assessable lot be approved and that the Resolution levying the assessment for Fiscal Year 2017-18 be adopted by the City Council. Landscape Improvements to be maintained by District No. 41 are the slopes and open space areas which reflects a total maintenance area of 15.6 acres and the number of parcels within District 41 is 554. Staff therefore recommends that the assessment amount of $220.50 for each assessable lot be approved and that the Resolution levying the assessment for Fiscal Year 2017-18 be adopted by the City Council. C/Herrera asked if it was correct that no increases were proposed in any of the assessments and that the amounts remained the same as in the JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 12 CITY COUNCIL previous fiscal year. PWD/Liu said that C/Herrera was correct. M/Lin opened the Public Hearing at 7:59 p.m. With no one present who wished to speak on this matter, M/Lin closed the Public Hearing at 7:59 p.m. C/Tye asked if the City is any closer to assigning properties back to their respective homeowner associations and getting the City out of the business of taking care of private property. CM/DeStefano reminded C/Tye that Council recommended staff to look into the dissolution of District No. 41 which had to do with the amount of resources needed to maintain the properties in the district far exceeding the amount of revenue coming to the City. That process is underway as the City looks at different alternatives working with the homeowner's associations and the private property owners to dissolve or find some alternative means of dealing with the significant public subsidy of that private district. C/Herrera moved, MPT/Low seconded, to Adopt Resolution No. 2017-26), Resolution No. 2017-27 and Resolution No. 2017-28 levying assessments on City of Diamond Bar Landscape Districts No. 38, No. 39 and No. 41 for Fiscal Year 2017-18. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote with M/Lin abstaining from his vote on Landscape District No. 39 Resolution 2017-27: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low, M/Lin NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None 8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: 8.1 APPROVAL OF CONTRACT WITH YMCA OF POMONA VALLEY ACQUIRING PARCEL NOS. 8718-005-007 AND 8718-005-008 FOR PUBLIC USE AS A NEIGHBORHOOD PARK AT A PRICE OF $740,000 AND APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS FROM GENERAL FUND RESERVES. CA/DeBerry presented for the City Council's consideration a real property purchase agreement with the YMCA for the City's purchase of a 2.83 -acre parcel in the amount of $740,000 which includes all closing costs. The property is located at the terminus of Sunset Crossing and lies between JUNE 20. 2017 PAGE 13 CITY COUNCIL the YMCA and the Pony League fields. The property was previously used as a baseball practice field, but to staffs knowledge, there has been no use of this property over the last ten years. In its current state, it is fenced off and lies fallow (not well maintained). The property is zoned for recreational purposes and the City intends to use the property for purposes which are consistent with that zoning which would be park purposes. The current proposal is to develop approximately one (1) acre of the property as a neighborhood park and hold the remaining 1.83 acres so that at some future point in time the City Council would determine what type of park it might want to use that particular piece of property for. There are no specific plans for the neighborhood park with respect to amenities and layout — that will be decided at a later time after the City gets more input from the neighborhood and other interested parties. If the City Council approves the agreement tonight it will authorize the Mayor to execute the Purchase and Sale Contract and authorize the City Manager to sign the Certificate of Acceptance of the Grant Deed and authorize the appropriation of $740,000 from the City's General Reserve Fund. MPT/Low asked if there was any public comment on this matter and there was no response. C/Herrera said she was very pleased to move approval of this item. C/Tye thanked CM/DeStefano and CA/DeBerry for negotiating what he believes is a fair contract to provide parkland in an area currently void of parkland. C/Herrera moved, C/Tye seconded, to approve a Contract with the YMCA of Pomona Valley acquiring Parcel No's 8718-005-007 and 8718-005-08 for public use as a neighborhood park at a price of $740,000 and appropriation of funds from General Fund Reserves. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low, M/Lin NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None 9. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS: C/Lyons said she was unable to attend the last Council meeting due to business travel and commented that she had an opportunity to review the numbers and support for the numbers in the upcoming budget for FY 2017-18 and asked a number of questions and sought clarifications. She found the budget to be very well put together, nicely documented and most of all, Diamond Bar -conservative. JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 14 CITY COUNCIL She offered a big thank you to FD/Honeywell and her staff for their hard work. She mentioned her support for new City Manager Dan Fox. Council had many applications and candidates to pick from and truly found that Dan Fox was a superior choice and a superior fit for Diamond Bar. The last week of school she attended the International Baccalaureate Exhibition at Castle Rock Elementary School and the fifth grade students presented such varied topics as desalinization, technology addiction, homeless veterans and countless more. Each presentation was completely put together by the students and all were exceptionally well-done. Congratulations to the fifth grade teachers who had everything to do with the students and parents on a terrific way to end the school year. C/Lyons encouraged everyone to join her and her family tomorrow night for the Concerts in the Park and for the 4th of July Blast. C/Herrera said that the Council started its evening with a Study Session on Economic Development which is an item that is extremely important for the City. It is extremely important for residents to support the City's businesses, to strengthen its businesses and to bring in new businesses that will bring sales tax dollars to the City so that it can continue to provide residents with programs and maintenance in the City that everyone expects and loves. Thank you to CM/DeStefano for arranging tonight's Study Session. Council had a lot of questions and decided the meeting could have lasted for two hours instead of one which goes to show that perhaps the Council should do this more often. The presenters were very helpful in answering Council questions. Residents come to Council Members and ask why they can't have this or that and the two presenters have those answers. It is a matter of quality growth for the City. C/Herrera said the Council and City will truly miss Jim, his knowledge and expertise, and all that he brings to Diamond Bar. We wish you well, Jim! C/Tye said that on July 4th the City runs a skeleton crew and he believes CM/DeStefano should work at City Hall on July 4th. A lot of people will be at the Concerts in the Park and a lot of people will be at the 4th of July Blast. A lot of people get to see "those" people at work and if they are paying attention they get to see the City staff at work but he is not sure that people appreciate the "behind the scenes" people. He said thank -you and Happy Father's Day to David Liu, that on Father's Day at about 6:00 p.m. C/Tye became aware that there was a problem on Diamond Bar Boulevard where a hill had slipped and David Liu came out to make sure everything was taken care of and Walnut Valley Water was onsite. He believes that everybody on staff never takes their pager off or turns the phone off. Staff is the best there is. CM/DeStefano has cultivated a great staff and mentored them and believes they all appreciate working in Diamond Bar. Every chance he has he wants to tell everyone how much he appreciates staff. It won't be the same without CM/DeStefano. It has been a great 11 years. CM/DeStefano has steered Council and this City in the right direction and now it is up to Dan Fox to carry on. Thank you, CM/DeStefano very much for all of your efforts on behalf of the City. JUNE 20, 2017 PAGE 15 CITY COUNCIL MPT/Low echoed C/Tye's comments about CM/DeStefano. CM/DeStefano's name is synonymous with excellence which is known in the City of Diamond Bar as well as, throughout the region. When anyone says the name Jim DeStefano neighboring cities equate that with his stellar service to the City and to the region. Thank you and you will be missed very much. This week she attended a Neighborhood Watch presentation by Deputies Schiller and Lusane which is an excellent presentation on available resources and how homeowners can protect their homes and property and watch out for others. Crimes and property crimes are on the rise and anyone interested in participating in the program should contact the Sheriff's Department and/or the City. The summer weather is upon us and while everyone continues to conserve water don't neglect the large trees and plants because it takes years and years to grow trees that give so much back to humanity and it would be a shame if they died due to neglect. She wished everyone a Happy July 4th and hoped to see everyone at Diamond Bar High School for the 4th of July Blast and at tomorrow's Concert in the Park. M/Lin said that in 40 plus years of his professional career he has worked for all levels of government in 30 plus states and has dealt with lots of city managers and has seen very few good ones and a lot of bad ones and most are mediocre at best. From the bottom of his heart, it is very rare to find someone a person can respect and someone who truly has passion for his work and does not have a big ego and desire to have the limelight in front of the public. In just a short three years of intense work with CM/DeStefano he found that he is one of the best in this business. While M/Lin is happy for CM/DeStefano's retirement, it is a big loss for the City and therefore, he will adjourn tonight's meeting in honor of Jim DeStefano. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, M/Lin adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 8:15 p.m. in honor of City Manager James DeStefano. Ll 2 TOMMYE9CRIBBINS, CITY CLERK The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this may of July 12017. o � _ JIMM L-tt , MAY R