REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Strategic Session Follow-Up: Responses to Council Inquiries (Information Only)
Report
DISCUSSION
On January 19, 2018, the City Council held a Strategic Session on Policy Priorities. The City Council received a briefing on service delivery highlights, strategic areas of focus, operational priorities, and areas of opportunities and challenges. Council also received an update on recent progress and upcoming activity on the six Council Policy Priorities:
• Civic Center Campus and Main Library
• The Ability of Infrastructure to Support Development and Traffic
• Open Space Acquisition and Planning (Future of Golf Courses)
• Downtown Sunnyvale
• Improved Processes and Services through the use of Technology
• Accelerating Climate Action
The Strategic Session concluded with a discussion on community benefit funds, and fostering community participation. This informational report provides a comprehensive response to Council inquiries and follow-up items that were noted throughout the workshop.
Budgetary/Fiscal Report
Fiscal Presentation Slides- Councilmembers requested that more information be added to several of the graphs, such as percentages and subtotals. Those slides are presented as Attachment 1.
List of Grants and Donations- During the fiscal presentation, staff provided Council with a breakdown of General Fund revenues for FY 2016/17, including amounts in the Grants and Donations account. A request was made to list out the Grants and Donations category.
Private Grants and Donations is a broad category that includes Cash Donations, Contributions, Miscellaneous Private Grants, and Contributions from Property owners. Of the $122,772. A contribution from Rural Metro (County EMS provider) in the amount of $100,500 was to compensate the City for providing EMS services. The remaining amount is a grant from PG&E in support of the climate action plan and a grant from the Pacific Library Foundation for the mobile bike book mobile. Staff strives to apply for and obtain grants and donations for programs or purchases whenever possible and through many different channels.
Operational Priorities
Peery Park Master Plan Ride Program Schedule- Council requested information on the Peery Park Master Plan Ride Program Schedule. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) anticipates starting the service planning/design in Spring 2019; this means that operations could start by the end of 2019, and continue under the 2-year agreement of funding until the end of 2021.
Condition of Road Pavement- Councilmembers requested information on several aspects of the condition of the City's road pavement. The inquiries related to the methodology used to rate the condition of pavement, the reason for the drop off in the pavement condition index (PCI) and if this is a budget issue, a list of the streets in poorest condition, and the plan to achieve the City's PCI goal of 80. Attachment 2 provides the requested analysis and map of the identified streets requested.
Retirements by Classification- The Human Resources Department provided an update on opportunities and challenges surrounding employee engagement and succession planning. Councilmembers requested a breakdown of employee retirements by management versus non-management. In the last fiscal year, of the 35 retirements, 14% were management employees and 85% were non-management employees. Currently, of the 165 employees that are eligible to retire, 15% are management employees versus 85% non-management employees.
RHNA Update and Breakdown of For Sale/Rental Numbers- Attachment 3 shows the preliminary 2017 data on the Housing Element Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) cycle (2015-2023). Staff is currently preparing the Annual Progress Report for City Council review on March 6. The report will show a final housing count.
ADU Trends- Council requested an update on ADU construction trends, and were specifically interested in seeing the impact of recently adopted laws. A graph showing permitting and construction activity since 2010 can be found in Attachment 4.
Safe Routes to School- Staff presented information on efforts to improve safety and accessibility through the Vision Zero Plan, which aims to eliminate traffic injuries and fatalities. Council requested that staff expand on Safe Routes to School. Attachment 5 provides an update on the Vision Zero Plan as well as a summary of Safe Routes to School goals and initiatives found in other plans.
SB743 Environmental Quality Update and Staff Recommendation- Council requested that staff provide a report on the bill along with a staff recommendation. That information is included in Attachment 6.
Charge Ready- City Council commented on the increase in electric vehicle (EV) use and inquired whether the City has been successful in supporting infrastructure (charging stations) to keep up with demand. Attachment 7 lists current EV requirements on development.
CityLine Construction Communication to the Community- Councilmembers commented on community frustration with the lack of communication on construction updates and decision-making. Staff has since corresponded with the CityLine team and will assist them with better communication of upcoming activities and estimated duration.
Website Search Capability- Council expressed frustration with our City’s website search feature and overall usability. Staff is currently reviewing the organization and layout of information on the website to make changes that will make it more user friendly. The City is also in the procurement phase of replacing its Search feature and is aiming to have the new search tool in place by the end of March.
Council Policy Priorities Update
Customer Satisfaction Performance Measures- Council requested information regarding customer satisfaction performance measures as it relates to Access Sunnyvale. On average, inquiries submitted through Access Sunnyvale receive a response within 3 days and the issue is resolved on average within 7 days.
The Utility Billing Division also measures customer satisfaction using written surveys sent to customers who have made a recent phone inquiry to the customer service call center or an in-person counter transaction. Two hundred surveys are distributed annually to new customers and random contacts with the customer service call center.
In Fiscal Year 2016/17, 96.5% of customers rated service as satisfactory or better.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
Staff
Prepared by: Lupita Alamos, Senior Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Revised Budget Presentation Slides
2. Condition of Road Pavement and Map
3. Sale/Rental data and RHNA Progress
4. ADU Trend
5. Safe Routes to School
6. SB 743 Environmental Quality and Staff Recommendation
7. Charge Ready: Requirements for EV Spaces and Charging Stations