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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-10-20; City Council; MinutesMINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF: DATE OF MEETING: TIME OF MEETING: PLACE OF MEETING: CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING October 20, 2004 11 :00 a.m. - 1 :00 p.m. 1635 FARADAY, ROOM 173A The Mayor called the meeting to order at 11:lO a.m. Mayor Pro Tem Finnila and Council Member Packard were present and Council Members Hall and Kulchin were absent. Assistant City Manager Mannen and the City Attorney were also present. The Mayor called on Del Mar City Council Member Henry Abarbanel who briefed the Council on the SANDAG Energy Working Group. He is the Chair and the membership consists of four cities representing the four quadrants of San Diego County plus the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego. The Energy Working Group also includes the County Water Authority, San Diego Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Navy, Port of San Diego, San Diego Gas & Electric, UCAN, and the San Diego Regional Energy Group. Council Member Abarbanel presented the overall Working Group plan (copy attached). It includes preparing a long term resources plan by 2006 which covers the future ten year horizon. The plan will be submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission. There are no other regional working groups such as this in California. The California Energy Commission is sending two senior staff representatives to participate in developing this plan. The Working Group is considering the appropriate public/private participation and solicited input on the best vehicle to accomplish its tasks. He will return in the near future with a progress report on the Working Group’s efforts. The Mayor and Council Members thanked Council Member Abarbanel for his presentation. The Council then entertained a discussion of the possible regulation of parking of oversized vehicles on City streets. Police Chief Zoll and Traffic Engineer Johnson attended this portion of the workshop to answer questions from Council Members. After discussion, Council referred the matter to them for a report and recommendation to be returned to the City Council at a future Council workshop. The Council continued through lunch with a discussion of the Regionalization Fire Study. Fire Chief Crawford introduced the item and handed out a staff report entitled “Authorizing the Fire Department to Participate in the North Zone Fire Effectiveness and Regionalization Study’’ (attached). Council Members discussed this report and requested that the item be presented at a regular Council meeting. The Mayor then called for a receipt and discussion of Planning Commission comments and concerns regarding development processing, procedures and other land use issues. Assistant City Manager Mannen reported that there were no Planning Commission comments. The Mayor called for public comment and there being none, the Mayor thanked everyone for their thoughtful participation and adjourned the special Council meeting at 1 1 :48 a.m. RONALD R. BALL City Attorney as Clerk Pro Tem Funding Proposal Draft October 18,2004 7 APPENDIX B: OVERALL WORKING GROUP WORK PLAN 7. Evaluate EWG progress. 7.1 Assess EWG Progress in three main tasks Page 9 of 9 CARLSBAD FIRE DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: August 29,2004 Chief Kevin Crawford Division Chief Heiser and Captain Mike Davis AUTHORIZING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PARTCIPATE IN THE NORTH ZONE FIRE EFFECTIVENESS AND REGIONALIZATION STUDY SUMMARY: Issue Should the City of Carlsbad participate in the North Zone Effectiveness and Regionalization Study? Recommendation Fire Department staff recommends that the City of Carlsbad participate in the North Zone Effectiveness and Regionalization Study (“Study”) to obtain an agency-specific comprehensive review of Carlsbad service delivery. Additionally, the Study would provide the necessary foundation for the development of a Carlsbad Fire Department Strategic Plan, including recommendations for potential cooperative efforts with neighboring fire agencies. Fiscal Impact No funding was identified in Fiscal Year 2004/05 budget for participation in the Study. Funding for Carlsbad’s portion of the Study would be from existing Fire Department Budget Contingency Funds to a maximum amount of $33,021. Operational Impact The operational impact of this Study is predicated on the information contained in the Study Report. The Study will consist of a two (2) part methodology; Part One is focused on the Carlsbad Fire Department’s specific issues is the Emergency Service Evaluation and Part Two supplies information and recommendations that provide department heads and elected officials with the information necessary to make decisions regarding areas of interagency service cooperation through Opportunities for Cooperative Effort. While presented as two separate documents, these two (2) documents are not considered mutually exclusive. c (Ern ergency Service Eva lua tio The goal of the Emergency Service Evaluation is to provide an agency specific document that measures Carlsbad’s fire protection organizational system against accepted industry mandates, standards, and practices. Recommendations for improvement are focused on unilateral changes that will produce enhanced operational and administrative efficiency. This baseline evaluation provides information to guide future planning efforts within the Department. The evaluation is a comprehensive review covering all aspects of the organization; reviews of reports and record keeping, legal requirements, training records and qualifications, contracts, adequacy of polices and operational guidelines, and personnel functions, roles and responsibilities. Capital assets and resource management including facilities, apparatus, and communication is also reviewed in conjunction with a forecast of future needs. - c I \Opportunities for Cooperative Effort I Thecompliied Emergency Sewice Evaluation is utilized to aid in identifyng .- opportunities for, and the feasibility of, cooperative efforts, which are synthesized in the Opportunities for Cooperative Effort document. The Report will identify areas of service duplication and make recommendations for action that can potentially eliminate unnecessary redundancies and enhance interagency interoperability in conjunction with accomplishable service delivery improvements. A critical issue component will identify shared key issues challenging each agency and how a regional approach might utilize new service concepts to address those shared issues. The Report is planned to produce general partnering strategies that can address both functional and operational unification issues, while maintaining individual municipal control. ICs--- It is anticipated that the information from the completed Study and Report will provide an accurate, comprehensive and inclusive review that can be used to develop a comprehensive Carlsbad Fire Department Strategic Plan. This Strategic Plan will reflect the current evaluation of Fire Department service delivery and include a range of internal and external modification recommendations for review and potential implementation. Alternatives Develop an independent Request for Proposal and contract for an independent study that focuses on the same measures. This would potentially be more costly, and does not take into consideration neighboring regional agency impact and involvement. Utilize existing staff to analyze and evaluate current service delivery and attempt to duplicate the Study. The comprehensive nature and quality of the data needed would be reduced due to the staffs lack of expertise and staff time available to conduct the Study. 0 .. - A number of fire departments within the Zone realized a need for a Zone-wide evaluation of fire service delivery, combined with agency specific needs. At the recommendation of the Zone Chiefs, a committee was formed to review options and develop a recommendation. In early February 2003, Zone-wide fire department management and labor groups worked together to produce a Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) and a Request for Proposal (“RFP”). The request was for a two (2) part study. The first element, Emergency Service Evaluation, is agency specific and the second element, Opportunitiesfor Cooperative Efforts, explores the feasibility of interagency programs. A sub-committee of this group, Chaired by Escondido Fire Chef Vic Reed along with Chief Crawford, interviewed three (3) qualifying vendors and selected Emergency Services Consulting, Inc. (“ESCi”). Attachment A includes the scope of work and project methodology provided by ESCi. Discussion Last year’s recent firestorms raised a number of statewide questions regarding the level and effectiveness of interagency cooperation. Apparatus Mutual and Automatic Aid Agreements allow for resource acquisition during an emergency that is well beyond normal staffing levels. While successfully applied to large emergency events, these Agreements do not address the long term operational concerns of the Carlsbad Fire Department. The Carlsbad Fire Department recognized over a year ago that City boundaries were affecting the Department’s ability to effectively utilize Zone resources. The Carlsbad Fire Department partnered with the Encinitas Fire Department to develop Response Plan Models that focused on time, not city boundaries. Carlsbad remains actively involved in zone regionalization efforts, with many Carlsbad Fire Department staff members working on regional teams to address issues identified by the Zone Chiefs. The initial boundary drop between six (6) fire agencies continues to improve the service delivery to the City of Carlsbad and surrounding communities. Carlsbad Fire Department staff supports the Study from a regional view point, however the information obtain from the agency specific portion of the study is of great interest and usefulness. I The Study will provide an outside consulting firm (“ECSi”) that is focused and experienced in evaluating fire delivery systems. The outside consultant would also bring an unbiased view of Carlsbad service levels as they evaluate the Carlsbad Fire Department, participating agencies and Carlsbad’s operational relationships with neighboring agencies. This evaluation is a critical component in providing feedback to existing operational strategies and proposed operational changes. The evaluation will also provide information regarding accurate performance measures, compliance with local, state and federal mandates, fiscal responsibility, facility and apparatus management, human resource issues, personnel responsibilities, reviews of all existing documents, plans and contracts, and an identification of the mission, vision, culture and goals of the organization. These issues will be identified and quantified and suggestions for improvement will be clarified as part of this Study. The result will be the guideline for the development of a proactive management philosophy and a Strategic Plan to support its application. Conclusion Carlsbad Fire Department staff therefore recommends that the City of Carlsbad authorize the participation of the Carlsbad Fire Department in the North Zone Fire Effectiveness and Regionalization Study and allocate the necessary Fire Department Contingency Funds to support Carlsbad’s participatory portion of the Study.