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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 9/25/1990MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP SESSION OF THECITYCOUNCILOFTHECITYOFGLENDALE, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA HELD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1990 AT 3:10 P.M. Mayor Renner called the Workshop Session of the GlendaleCityCounciltoorderintheWorkshopRoom, B-3, in theGlendaleCouncilChambers. Council members present were: Bellah, Huffman, Hugh, McAllister, Scruggs and Tolby. Members Absent: None. Also present were Tim Ernster, Acting City Manager; David Pennartz, Deputy City Attorney and Linda Duke, Executive Assistant. WORKSHOP SESSION 1. MARICOPA COUNTY RABIES/ANIMAL CONTROL - DIFFERENTIAL LICENSING FEES Staff stated that pursuant to City Code Section 6-4 (c), licensing fees for dogs permanently incapable of reproduction may be lower than for those that can. This section of the City Code was originally adopted by Council nine years ago in an effort to prevent unwanted canine litters. The purpose of differential licensing is to therefore reward dog owners with lower annual license fees. Susan Svitak, Assistant Director for Maricopa County Public Health, stated that although Maricopa County approved differential licensing in 1982, it has not been practiced since 1986, wherein it was repealed by the former director of Rabies/Animal Control. The current annual license fee for a dog four months or older is $9.00. On September 17, 1990, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to re -institute differential dog licensing in addition to revising licensing fees. New dog licensing fees have been set at $15.00 per year for a non-sterile dog and $7.00 per year for a sterile dog. This new fee structure will take effect October 1, 1990. Because of the new fee structure, it will be necessary in the near future to approach Council with a resolution adopting the new fees. This item will be placed on a future Council agenda for formal consideration. 2. NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT RECOGNITION PROGRAM Staff briefed Council by stating that the Community Development Advisory Committee is continuing to develop proposals to implement the recommendations of its 1988 Housing and Neighborhood Condition Survey. 43 One of the observations made in that survey was that "iftheCitywantstofosterhealthyneighborhoodswithinthecommunity, it is very important that they recognize formallythoseareaswheretheneighborsareworkingtogethertoimprovethesocialandphysicalfabricofthecommunity." Over the last year, the Committee has been discussing anddevelopingaproposalforaprogramwhichwouldrecognizeneighborhoodimprovementefforts. The program is broad basedandflexible. It would recognize neighbors who work togetherwithintheirownneighborhoodorcommunityservicegroupswhomakespecificcontributionstotheimprovementofneighborhoods. The program proposes a variety of ways to recognize those groups. One of the suggestions is to develop "Better Neighborhood" certificates so that members of the Committee could hand them out to neighborhood groups whenever they happen to catch a group of people doing good things for their neighborhood. The second suggestion is that the committee might seek nominations from the general public, civic groups, or realtor groups throughout the year for annual awards in three or four catagories of neighborhood improvement. It is possible that a video program might be developed annually to showcase the particular improvment made to various neighborhoods. Another proposed way to recognize groups is attractive signs similar to "No Parking" signs might be placed at the entrances of neighborhoods that are being recognized for particular successes. Any of the above forms or recognition could be followed up by a letter from the Mayor and the particular Councilmember who represents the district that that neighborhood belongs to. Mayor Renner said he felt this was a terrific idea but wondered where the funding for such a program would come from. Staff replied that the costs would be minimal and right now could probably be absorbed by the Neighborhood Resources budget. The general consensus of the Council is support for the proposed program and all the suggestions for recognition. 3. VISIBILITY AND ENCROACHMENT REQUIREMENTS Staff reported that the City Traffic Engineering Department desires to modify existing ordinances with regard to sight distances at intersections and the encroachment of vegetation into streets and sidewalks. The proposed ordinance changes establish a City standard for sight distance at intersections which would satisfy 44 L minimum traffic engineering standards. In addition, thechangesestablishminimumstandardsforcontrollingtheencroachmentofvegetationintosidewalksandroadwaytravellanes. Specific changes include requiring landscaping, fencesutilityboxesorotherobstructionstosatisfyStandardDetailsG-147 and G-148 of the City of Glendale DesignGuidelinesforSiteDevelopmentandInfrastructureConstruction. Standard Detail G-148 establishes minimumstandardforintersectionsightdistancesforvehiclesenteringcollectorandarterialintersections. StandardDetailG-147 retains an un -obstructed view triangle at all intersections. The general consensus of the Council is support of this proposed change. They recommend placing this item on a future Council agenda for formal action. 4. ZONING ORDINANCE REVISIONS Staff reported that a comprehensive revision to the Zoning Ordinance is identified as a 1990-91 City Council goal. The extensive public participation program included in the General Plan process identified and established several new land use categories, development policies and standards for the City. These development guidelines included within the General Plan can be best implemented through the development of a new Zoning Ordinance. The Council has identified this need to update the Zoning Ordinance as a major objective in the program to implement the General Plan. The process planned for the development and adoption of the new Zoning Ordinance includes public participation by a wide variety of individuals and groups. Participation by residents, property owners, special interest groups, and the development community is encouraged. The ordinance review process includes the creation of the Zoning Ordinance Revision Committee which consists of a joint subcommittee of members from the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment. This group will serve as a public forum for receiving comments from the general public, as well as various special interest groups, regarding particular issues to be considered within the ordinance revision process. Mayor Renner suggested that the Council have a joint meeting with the Zoning Ordinance Review committee. Staff responded that it would be very beneficial to both bodies to have such a meeting and it would be scheduled into the timeline. 45 Councilmember McAllister stated that he hoped theproposedordinancewouldincorporateadequatebufferingrequirements. Councilmember Tolby stated that he hoped the proposedordinancewouldremainsensitivetopropertyownersthathavecertainusesineffectnow, as well as, ones that havesubstantialinvestmentsindevelopingusesontheirexistingzoning. The general consensus of the Council is support for theproposedordinance. They directed staff to schedule a jointmeetingbetweentheCouncilandtheZoningOrdinanceReview Committee after the end of the public participation process. 5. PRELIMINARY 1990 CENSUS RESULTS Staff briefed Council on this issue by stating preliminary results from the 1990 U.S. Census of Population and Housing have been received by the City. The preliminary count of the population for Glendale for April 1, 1990 is 146,042. Based on this preliminary data, the City of Glendale is now the 4th largest city in the state, following Phoenix, Tucson, and Mesa. Based on population estimates made prior to release of the Census results, Glendale ranked 5th, behind Tempe. These Census results compare favorably to the estimate of 145,149 for July 1, 1990 adopted by the Maricopa Association of Governments. The Census Bureau estimates there are 60,377 total dwelling units in the City, of which 7,644 are vacant. The preliminary Census results contain only number of housing units by block, the smallest unit of Census geography. Dwelling units and number of vacant units are available by census tracts, which are typically mile -square areas bounded by arterial streets. Following the receipt of preliminary results from the Census Bureau, staff conducted a post -census review. This review did not uncover any major discrepancies in the Census Bureau's figures for dwelling units. Councilmember Bellah asked staff how the City compared to other valley cities in percentage of vacancies to the overall housing. Staff replied it was about 12% on the average. Mayor Renner questioned staff if the City would receive the necessary information from the Census Bureau in time to do their redistricting plan. Staff replied that the more detailed information that was needed in order to do the plan would be received later in the spring. They said that an 46 internal task force is meeting now and beginning toprioritizedutiesinanticipationofreceivingthedata. This item was mainly for information and Council will beprovidedupdateswhenthedetailedresultsarereceivedfromtheCensusBureauinApril. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONSNone. ADJOURNMENT There being no further items to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m. 47 lmcCc..l.Y r i1 Linda Ginn for Linda Duke