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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitizens Sustainability Committee - May 18, 2015CITY OF PALM DESERT CITIZENS' S U STAINABILITY COMITTEEE MINUTES MONDAY, MAY 18, 2015 — 2:00 P.M. ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE, PALM DESERT, CA 92260 I. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Susan Rosenberg called the meeting to order at 2:01 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Member Tommy Edwards at 2:03 p.m Member Dean Gatons at 2:13 p.m. Member Gregory Gritters at 2:03 p.m. Member Dennis Guinaw Member David Mourhess Member Oxana Wolfson Vice Chair Susan Rosenberg Also Present: Sabby Jonathan, Councilmember John Wohlmuth, City Manager Mark Greenwood, Director of Public Works Tony Bagato, Principal Planner Monica O'Reilly, Recording Secretary Jessica Kozlak, Youth Committee Member Rachel Sieberg, Youth Committee Member III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Absent: Member Courtney Lingle Member Ralph Raya KIM FLOYD, Palm Desert, California 92260, introduced himself and said he bought his home in Palm Desert six years ago. In his opinion, the City of Palm Desert has done a great job and loves living here. Ms. Jessica Kozlak, Youth Committee Member, commented that this is her last year in high school, and there will be a new Youth Committee Member to take her place. MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE IV. CONSENT CALENDAR MAY 18, 2015 A. MINUTES of the Citizens' Sustainability Committee meeting of February 23, 2015. Rec: Approve as presented. Upon a motion by Member Mourhess, second by Member Guinaw, and a 5-0-3-1 vote of the Citizens' Sustainability Committee (AYES: Gritters, Guinaw, Mourhess, Rosenberg, and Wolfson; NOES: None; ABSENT: Gatons, Lingle, and Raya; ABSTAIN: Edwards), the Consent Calendar was approved as presented. Mr. Tony Bagato, Principal Planner, asked Vice Chair Rosenberg to move to Item A under Reports and Remarks. He stated Mr. Greenwood has another meeting to attend. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. ELECTION of a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson Member Gritters moved, by Minute Motion, to nominate Vice Chair Rosenberg for Chairperson. Motion was seconded by Member Edwards and carried by a 6-0-2-1 vote (AYES: Edwards, Gatons, Gritters, Guinaw, Mourhess, and Wolfson; NOES: None; ABSENT: Lingle and Raya; ABSTAIN: Rosenberg). Chair Rosenberg moved, by Minute Motion, to nominate Member Gatons for Vice Chairperson. Motion was seconded by Member Edwards and carried by a 6-0-2-1 vote (AYES: Edwards, Gritters, Guinaw, Mourhess, Rosenberg, and Wolfson; NOES: None; ABSENT: Lingle and Raya; ABSTAIN: Gatons). Member Gregory Gritters asked how long the term for the Chairperson and Vice Chair Person is. Mr. Bagato responded that the term is one year. B. DISCUSSION of Sustainability Plan Chair Rosenberg stated Mr. Bagato emailed the Environmental Sustainability Plan to the Committee members; however, not everyone received it because the file was too big. She thanked staff for providing a copy. She recommended the Sustainability Committee review the plan between now and the next meeting. She noted the plan is five years old, and asked if the plan gets reviewed regularly. Mr. Bagato indicated he would review the Environmental Sustainability Plan this summer. He mentioned the City also has a new strategic plan that includes a section 2 G:nanningWonica OReilly\Sustainability Committee\2015\Minutes\5-18-15 min.docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2015 on energy and sustainability (available at www.cityofpalmdesert.org). He commented he is currently working on updating the shade tree ordinance. Mr. Bagato also commented that he will have an intern during the summer to assist him with sustainability projects. Chair Rosenberg asked if Ms. Lisa Ream is back from her leave of absence. Mr. John Wohlmuth, City Manager, replied she is not back. Mr. Bagato stated that he asked Ms. Ream's supervisor to look into the Burrtec insert. Member Dean Gatons inquired if the Burrtec bill will be added to the property tax roll. Mr. Wohlmuth replied yes. Member Gatons stated that his request a year ago to have a quarterly newsletter inserted with the Burrtec bill is no longer needed since the bill will be included in the property tax roll. Chair Rosenberg asked why waste billing is being added to the property taxes. Mr. Wohlmuth responded that the City saves $1.16/per resident; per month to have tax roll billing. He noted that for the City of Palm Desert, it is only tax roll billing in non -central billed accounts. Non -central billed accounts are single-family residents and non -gated communities. The second reason for tax roll billing is for bad debt and he gave a brief explanation. Member Gatons inquired if seasonal residents will be charged if they are not here during the summer. Mr. Wohlmuth replied there is a provision in the franchise agreement that the resident can stop and start service. It was also mentioned that the property owner can get a rebate/refund if charged for service when they are not in the Coachella Valley. In addition, $.63 of the $1.16 will go to the recycle fund, and ultimately the remainder will go to the road fund. Last, Mr. Bagato asked the Committee to review the Environmental Sustainability Plan, and they will discuss the plan at the next meeting. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None 3 GAPlanningWonica OReilly\Sustainability Commillee=15\Minutes\5-18-15 min.dou MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE VIII. OLD BUSINESS MAY 18, 2015 B. UPDATE ON SINGLE -USE PLASTIC BAGS (Tony Bagato, Principal Planner) Mr. Bagato reported that the ban on single -use plastic bags was implemented on April 1, 2015. He said information and reusable bags were given out at several store events. He received approximately 20 complaints from mostly residents, and he explained to them the environmental impacts due to single -use plastic bags. At this point, there was discussion regarding retailers such as JCPenny and Macy's charging customers for a bag, and some misunderstandings were also noted. Councilman Sabby Jonathan communicated he called this issue up to the City Council for discussion because initially they received a lot of complaints. He explained that his intention of bringing it up was to be responsive to the citizens. He said he did not have a preset notion about what needed to be done; however, he thought it was worth to discuss. Since the ban went into effect, there have been reactions from the retailers and consumers. He mentioned that the State of California ban on single -use plastic bags has been temporarily revoked and has failed to be reinstated. Now they are in a kind of purgatory since Palm Desert is one of three Coachella Valley cities that have an ordinance. Councilman Jonathan thanked Mr. Bagato for his comprehensive report. He said comments received from residents and councilmembers caused him to be part of the unanimous vote to keep the ban in place. However, he feels they will need to re -address the issue if the State bill is not passed. He hoped that he did not disappoint the Sustainability Committee by initiating discussion. Member Gatons stated that the State situation has made people confused, and noted it will not go to a statewide vote until October of 2016. He also noted Huntington Beach has now repealed their ban on single -use plastic bags. He voiced they need to monitor other cities that are repealing the ban. Member Dennis Guinaw commented Ralph's is offering a heavier duty bag, with washing instructions on the bottom. He stated the next item on education is cleanliness of the reusable bags. He mentioned the clerks are concerned because bags are being put on the belt with dog hair, dirt, and other stuff. IX. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Water Restrictions (Oral Report — Mark Greenwood, Director of Public Works) Mr. Mark Greenwood, Director of Public Works, gave a report and listed measures the City of Palm Desert has taken to address the statewide drought and the governor's goal of reducing water usage. He noted staff is reviewing and tracking the City's water bills. Member Oxana Wolfson said she thought there is a caveat that only gray water could be used to irrigate medians. 4 G\PlanningWonica OReilly\Sustainability Committee\2015\Minutes\5-18-15 min.docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2015 Mr. Greenwood responded gray water is not available to irrigate the medians on El Paseo. He noted golf courses and major homeowners' associations in the northern part of Palm Desert do have access to gray water. Chair Rosenberg inquired what Desert Willow is doing to conserve water. Mr. Wohlmuth directed Desert Willow to cutback 10 percent from their water usage. He noted Desert Willow uses 90 percent of reclaimed water. He also noted Desert Willow will overseed, and the superintendent will work on a plan for the overseeding. Member Guinaw commented he noticed Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) has water enforcement trucks. He asked Mr. Greenwood if he knows how many enforcement trucks they have and what the CVWD is looking for. Mr. Greenwood replied that he does not know how many trucks they have; however, he did ask the CVWD if they will hire more enforcement staff and they said no. Mr. Wohlmuth communicated that if City staff sees a broken sprinkler, staff flags the broken sprinkler and they leave a note on the resident's door. He stated the City's Code Enforcement could enforce the code. The CVWD indicated they do not have the same mechanisms to enforce codes as the City does; however, they will start enforcing through their billing process. Mr. Greenwood mentioned the City will re -implement the turf buyback program. He noted staff proposed removal of turf around City Hall. The turf buyback program, criteria, and funding was briefly discussed. Member Gritters asked if the code requirement for brown lawns has been suspended. Mr. Wohlmuth responded he directed Code Department to soften up and suspend enforcement of brown lawns. Mr. Bagato mentioned brown lawns still have to be well maintained. Member Gritters stated his business is landscape maintenance, and he has been very involved with the CVWD. He said he is happy with the leadership the CVWD has demonstrated for allowing it to be a performance based system. He stated the drought penalties will do the most good in restricting water consumption. He noted that the CVWD has no time of day watering restrictions, but they strongly suggest people do not water between 10:00 a.m. and sunset. Member Gritters said the Coachella Valley has already reduced their State water allocation 100 percent, and there is no more people can do in the Coachella Valley to help the drought in the rest of the State of California. He voiced there is no water shortage in the Coachella Valley. However, there is a drought and there is an overdraft of the aquifer, which needs to be addressed. Now is a good time to use the drought as leverage and use penalties to influence people to change their landscapes so that they can get to a sustainable withdraw of the aquifer, in addition to, the Colorado River. He thinks they should recognize that good performance and management is better than knee-jerk 5 GAPlanningWonica OReilly\Sustainability CommitteeV015\Minutes\5-18-15 min.docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2015 reactions. He also thinks the City has good staff, and feels the City should do more analysis. For example, he stated that the City should not do anything to cut water for kids, and the City should be taking another look at the Joe Mann Park water feature. He stated the City should look into installing a recirculation system and operate the water feature like most water parks, which will require chlorination and other things. He is hopeful the CVWD, Desert Water Agency, and Indio Water Authority are successful with their appeal to the State to cut 36 percent. He stated it is important for people to take advantage of the turf buyback program to change landscapes and work towards a sustainable aquifer. He also stated numbers need to be checked and do what makes sense before imposing pain and hardship on people, kids, dogs, and landscapes. Chair Rosenberg asked if there will be an article in the BrightSide regarding water conservation. Mr. Greenwood replied yes. Member Gatons mentioned residents in his neighborhood are changing to desert landscape, and Temple Sinai has done a remarkable job putting all desert landscape in the front. Member Wolfson asked how 36 percent was determined to reduce water use for the Coachella Valley. Mr. Greenwood responded that it was determined by the State. Member Gritters added that it is per -capita. Councilman Jonathan commented there are numerous flaws to the governor's directive because they are primarily arbitrary. He said that the Coachella Valley has done so much to be water efficient, and we are not being taken into consideration by the State. He mentioned arguably 80 percent of California's water usage is by agriculture, and it is not addressed by the governor. However, he does not want Member Gritters valid points to be lost. He said he has encouraged staff to look at creative and intelligent ways to further reduce water usage without causing pain. He asked staff if there is a way to educate and encourage the gardeners to set clocks to water during the evening. Mr. Greenwood suggested adding an article to the City's BrightSide newsletter to have homeowners talk to their gardeners. Chair Rosenberg asked if gardeners could be identified through business license, and have the City mail a notice to them in English and Spanish. Mr. Wohlmuth responded there are a lot of gardeners that do not have business licenses. Member Wolfson asked if anyone knows how much pool water is wasted through evaporation, and if pool covers are helpful. 6 GAPIanningWonica OROIl ASustainability Committee\2015\Minutes\5-18-15 min.dxx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MAY 18, 2015 Member Gritters answered that water is wasted the same as grass. He noted the CVWD recommends pool covers; however, it might make the pool water warm. Chair Rosenberg asked if the City owns any decorative fountains. Mr. Bagato responded there are two on El Paseo. Mr. Wohlmuth added there is also one in the Civic Center Park. Member Gatons commented Temple Sinai filled their fountain with dirt and added plants, with rocks trickling out of it. Member Gritters noted homeowners' associations do not have money in their reserves to do turf conversions. With no further comments, Chair Rosenberg returned to Item VI. New Business. A. Committee Members Comments Member Wolfson introduced herself, and asked staff if they will be updating the Environmental Sustainability Plan soon. Mr. Bagato responded he has not had chance to go through the plan. He said he would like the Committee to review the plan, and note anything the Committee would like for staff to address. Member David Mourhess asked if EcoMotion is still a consultant to the City. Mr. Bagato replied no. However, the City has an energy partnership through the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, and he will provide a greenhouse gas inventory update at the next meeting. Member Edwards mentioned on May 1, 2015, all SunBusses that run on natural gas are now running on landfill gas. X. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Vice Chair Gatons, second by Member Mourhess, and a 7-0-2 vote of the Citizens' Sustainability Committee, Chair Rosenberg adjourned the meeting at 3:22 p.m. (AYES: Edwards, Gatons, Gritters, Guinaw, Mourhess, Rosenberg, and Wolfson; NOES: None; ABSENT: Lingle and Raya; ABSTAIN: None). Monica O'Reilly, Record incretary 7 G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Gommittee\2015\Minutes\5-18-15 min.dou