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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - August 20, 2014 - CCCITY OF AZUSA MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL ' WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014 — 6:30 P.M. The City Council, of the City of Azusa, met in Special Session at the above date and time in the Azusa Azusa Senior Center located at 740 N. Dalton Avenue, Azusa, California. A copy of the Notice of Special Meeting was delivered and e-mailed to the Mayor and Councilmembers on August 19, 2014, between 2:30 and 3:00 P.M., by Senior Office Specialist Bautista and Deputy City Clerk Hernandez. Mayor Rocha called the meeting to order Call to Order ROLL CALL: Roll call was taken by City Clerk Cornejo. Councilmember Carrillo joined the meeting Roll Call at 6:34 P.M., after roll call, and Councilmember Alvarez was excused from the meeting. PRESENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: GONZALES, CARILLO, MACIAS, ROCHA ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: ALVAREZ ALSO PRESENT Elected Officials: City Clerk Cornejo. Staff Members: City Manager Makshanoff, Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director Haes, Recreation and Family Services Director Jacobs, Recreation Supervisor Gonzales, Information Officer Quiroz, Assistant/Deputy City Clerk Hernandez. Pledge to the Flag was lead by Mr. Lorenzo Diaz. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION City Manager Makshanoff addressed the meeting stating that public comments and questions regarding the information item on the possible contracting out of the Azusa Transit, were to be addressed under the information portion of the agenda. INFORMATION ITEM Also Present Flag Salute Public Participation Information Item, Overview of the possibility of contracting out Azusa Transit services and answer questions from the Presentation of up blic. Azusa Transit Contract Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director Haes addressed the item stating that at the Council Meeting of July 21, 2014, staff presented a,proposal to contract with Transportation Concepts to run the Azusa Transit Department operations; the current full-time employees would remain employed by the City with their current salary and benefits, but they would be dispatched by the contractor; part-time employees would be offered jobs by the contractor at $14.00/hr., the average wage for bus drivers is $12.00/hr.; hours of operation and radius service area would remain the same. Most cities the size of Azusa contract out for these services as they are complicated to operate and it is more economic to 'contract them out. He stated that there may be misinformation about the contract; he opened the meeting to answer questions and concerns on such information. Q. Ms. Blanch Weir thanked the Council for providing transportation for the public to attend the B. Weir meeting and asked if this would be a reasonable contract, what would happen at the end of the Comments contract, and would it be a long or short term contract. She further stated that she received information that the contract would be joint with the City of Glendora, for which she expressed her opposition. A. It would be a 3 year contract with 2 additional one year renewal options, to which the City is not T. Haes committed; a clause can be added that if the services received are not in compliance, or too many Responds complaints are filed, the City will have the option to opt out of the contract; operations can go back to the City, or staff can search for another contractor. The contract does not include combining dispatch with City of Glendora, the current dispatch will remain in the same location at the City Yard with the same phone number. Q. Mr. Richard Hall, a Korean Veteran, asked Council to stand up for the people to do the right thing on R. Hall their behalf. Comments A. If Council chooses to contract out transportation, the hours of operation, rates and services would T. Haes remain the same; there would be an option to add Saturday service, and other additional services can Responds be considered in the future. Q. Ms. Guzman stated that she is new to the services and is glad that Azusa has this type of Ms. Guzman transportation, she enjoys the drivers and thanked the Council for the service. Comments Q. Mr. Jorge V. Rosales stated that the proposed contract does not reflect the City's expense to replace J. Rosales and maintain the vehicles; the contractor's use of City's facilities to wash and store the vehicles, and Comments ' for dispatch; the City to continue providing fuel; special events; City to pay for 3 full-time employees; part-time employees making $20/hr. would make $12-$14/hr. He further asked what would be the City's savings. A. By storing the vehicles at the City's facilities, staff would be able to monitor and ensure that they are kept in safe conditions. It would be more economic for the City to continue providing fuel at a cost of $3.50/gal., the contractor's fee would be $3.60/gal., same as the general public, plus administrative fees. Transportation Concepts can drive the vehicles to store them at their closest facility in Orange County, but it would create wear and tear, and the City's facilities would be empty as there is no other use for them. For an additional fee, transportation can provided for special events; drivers currently get paid overtime for special events outside of the hours of operation. It would be better to have dispatch offices at the City Yard, across from the Director of Public Works' office to monitor the contractor and better respond to complaints, in addition it would be less of a change and those offices would not sit unoccupied. Full time employees will remain employed by the City, and will report to the Public Works Director. Staff will request quotes from the contractor to add all these fees as an option for Council. Q. Ms. Diana Williams addressed the meeting thanking the Council for taking the time to hold this meeting; she stated that she would like to see a good comparison analysis of the savings, the city costs versus the outsourcing cost; she understood the importance of saving money, and the importance of serving the community. This is a special service that seniors rely on, as did her late father who enjoyed the extra care that the Azusa Transportation employees provide. She expressed her concern as she believed that the service does not need to be fixed, and if it does not save a considerable amount of money, it should not go through; she further stated that buckling up passengers is part of the jab, because drivers need to ensure that passengers are secure. T. Haes Responds D. Williams Comments A. Staff's estimated savings for the three year term contract is $1.1 million; however, the main reason T. Haes for requesting this change was due to the liability involved in the type of service the Azusa Responds Transportation provides. The current service is Curb -to -Cub and the drivers who provide passengers with additional service, incur some additional risks in liability. )Q. Ms. Alva Dominguez stated that the service that the drivers provide to the seniors is personalized; A. Dominguez they wait for them and ensure that no one is left behind, and that is what they like. She expressed Comments concern about change, as passengers sometimes need the additional help. Q. Ms. Virginia Graham stated that she has been riding the bus since 2007, when she became V. Graham handicapped; she visits places in the City of Glendora and has had to wait long periods of time for Comments buses to pick her no; Glendora residents have stated that the service that the contractor provides is impersonal. She asked what the cost would be for the contractor to rent the City's facilities to store the vehicles, and to have their own dispatch; she further stated that she is happy with the current service and how the drivers treat the passengers. Q. Mr. Lorenzo Diaz stated that it appeared that the City would be paying for everything except the L. Diaz employee's part, if the new company pays the drivers $12-$14 an hour they would charge the city at Comments least $20 or more in order to make a profit, and asked how and where would the City be saving? Q. Mr. Gerald Snyder thanked the Council for the opportunity to speak, and stated that they should G. Snyder remember that they got voted into office, and if this contract would be a big sham they would get Comments voted out of office. Q. Ms. Carolyn Crawford stated that she met with the City Manager Makshanoff and his Assistant C. Crawford regarding the proposed contract, and asked what the cancellation policy would be. Should liability be Comments a concern, she suggested that wheelchairs be made available in the buses to assist passenger, as many may not be able to board the bus. A. The standard -is 30 days notice to cancel, it would take some time to transition from the contract to T. Haes either another contract or return to in-house, but since the City owns the vehicles and has its own Responds dispatch and the facilities, it wouldn't be that big of a transition, it would only require to re -hire the drivers. 08/20/14 PAGE TWO Q. Ms. Judy Claimer stated that nobody likes an increase on fees, but she preferred to pay more money J. Claimer and keep the current service than have it contracted out, and asked if the fees would be increased? Comments A. Council sets the transit fees, and they will continue to do so even if the services are contracted out; T. Haes there are no immediate plans for increase, but it may be possibility for the future whether contracted Responds out or operated in-house. Q. Mr. Jorge Rosales stated that in February 2012, the City sold $1.5 million worth of Proposition 8 J. Rosales transit funds for $1,050,000, at 70¢ for every dollar, with a loss of $450,000.00. The proposed Comments parking structure was originally estimated at $9.5 million, and it will now cost $13,250,000.00, an increase of 3,691,000.00, and asked if the estimated savings of contracting out the Azusa Transit 'would be to cover for the increase. A. In order to fix the City's budget, rather than lay off employees, the City Council opted to sell Prop 8 T. Haes money to replenish the general fund. Staff is not proposing to cut services to Azusa Transit; they are Responds proposing to increase services to Saturday. Q. Ms. Rose asked if the same quality of service would be provided and would there be different drivers Ms. Rose should it be contracted, and what kind of complaints are filed against the current drivers. Comments A. If the main concern is keeping the current drivers, staff can add a separate clause to have the part- R. Haes time employees keep their current salaries and the City could subsidize the difference of the $14 that Responds the contractor would pay, their salaries would be higher than the basic bus driver in the region; efforts can be made to keep the same drivers, but there is no guarantee that they will stay. From time to time complaints are filed against the current drivers; the specifics could not be discussed, but every operation receives complaints. Q. Ms. Rose further stated that as a former transportation employee, she enjoyed working with the Ms. Rose seniors and helping them, and expressed concern that the contractor may not provide the same Comments quality of service. She assured that the current drivers are committed employees, as some live in Azusa, and will not leave their employment with the City. Mr. Michael Douglas, Project Manager for Transportation Concepts, stated that he has been in Transportation services for over 30 years; the company's primary in these types of transitions is to make 'sure that the level of service stays the same; customer service is the premise behind what they do; they make sure that the drivers are trained properly, so that they can assist the needs of the passengers. Regarding the liability risks.when lifting people, the company do not want employees at risk, as the risk would become the responsibility of the contractor in the event of anyone getting hurt, it would no longer be the City's responsibility. The ultimate goal would be to make sure that they are providing the highest level of service possible, and in doing so, be safe for the passengers as well as the employees. Mr. Bryan Canal, Transportation Concepts Manager, who currently oversees the Glendora project, stated that they provide the same type of service with respect to the relationship between the passengers and drivers; their drivers are very close to the passengers, they are people that they see everyday, know about their families, and talk to them about different things that are going on with their lives. They provide curb -to -curb service; however, they also assist those passengers that need extra assistance getting in and out of the bus. The company understands that there are passengers that cannot enjoy the simple things in life that others do, without this type of service, and makes that a priority to ensure that people do get the transportation and care that they need, as well as the relationship with the bus drivers. Mr. Marvin Williams, Transportation Concepts Representative, stated he understood the dilemma of safety and people getting on and off the buses. He has been in the transit business for 17 years, his goal would be in ensure that that the drivers are doing what they are supposed to do, being polite and courteous, and if they are not doing what they are supposed to do, passengers should contact him. Azusa is not the first City that he has worked with, and all cities are the same, residents need services to be transported to where they need to go. He would report to Assistant City Manager Heas, who would oversee that the company is in compliance with the contract. He would be responsible for liability issues, and would ensure that the drivers provide the extra help that passengers need to board the bus. As 'requested, most likely wheelchairs cannot be made available in the dial -a -ride vans; however, if a person is on a walker and has difficulty getting up the stairs, the driver would put out the lift to assist, and would ensure that they are seated and buckled up properly; it is the law for the dial -a -ride. He further stated that he hoped the City would allow them to hire all the drivers and keep them; however, employees do leave or retire, and the new drivers get the required training to be in consistency with what the City currently has. He would be there to assist the drivers to do a good job; discipline will go through the Assistant City Manager, as they would work for the City until Transportation Concepts hires them. Rumors went around that the employees would be fired; that is not the company's goal, the goal is to transport people to where they need to go. Further questions and comments were made by the public: 08/20/14 PAGE THREE Transportation Concepts Representative Comments B. Canal, Transportation Concepts M. Williams, Transportation Concepts Q. A member of the public expressed concern as he believed the contractor was already hired, and Resident questioned what kind of program this would be. He further stated that he is happy with the current Comments drivers, who are good people and take care of the passengers. Q. Mr. Lorenzo Diaz stated that if the City would subsidize the difference in wages to the part-timers, L. Diaz there may not be much savings, as the company also has to make their profit; the current employees Comments deserve their current salaries. He asked attendees to support the drivers who need to make a decent wage to support their families, and asked to keep the service as it is without making any changes. A. The subsidizing of the wages would be an option for Council to consider. The main reason for T. Haes considering contracting out is to eliminate the liability associated with Transit; it is a specialized Responds program for which the employees need training, and there is paperwork involved that needs to be ' filled out; by contracting out, money can be saved, and the burden can be lifted from the in-house staff, the savings is a secondary benefit. Q. Ms. Nancy stated that she did not understand the reason why they had to give up the things that Ms. Nancy benefit residents; her primary concern was the drivers and wants them to do well, and wanted to Comments make sure that the City keeps the service for all those who need it. Q. A member of the public stated that the City Engineering was under contract at one time, and asked Resident the reason why the City went back to handling it in-house. Comments A. City Engineer services were contracted at one time, but staff realized that it was better to have it in- T. Haes house; other services were contracted, such as jailers and street sweeping, and have worked out. Responds Contracts are typical of 3 years with 2 additional renewal options, and there is always an opt -out clause based on performance. Q. A member of the public asked what was the opting out clause time, and he stated that be answered at Resident the next Council Meeting. . Comments Q. Mr. Lorenzo Diaz asked for the Council's input on the item. A. Mayor Rocha responded that the Council was there to listen to the public's concerns, and that they J. Rocha would give their input at the Council Meeting when this proposal is to be presented. Responds Q. Ms, Blanch Weir asked if the Council would facilitate the buses for seniors to attend the Council B. Weir Meeting where the item will be discussed, as most don't have means of transportation; she further Comments stated that she was pleased with the number of people who attended the meeting. A. City Manager Makshanof responded that this item is scheduled for the meeting of September 15, J. Makshanoff 2014; Council could make a decision on providing buses, as this issue was not on the agenda; Responds however, he will discuss this with Assistant City Manager Haes to consider the request. Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director Haes stated that it was a good meeting; the purpose was to answer questions and to try to eliminate false rumors, which he hoped was accomplished. The main concern he heard was regarding change, he understood that change can be scary for people, and emphasized that there will be no change. The company that staff proposes are professionals, they provide service to several cities. Staff surveyed 12 surrounding cities and 11 of those cities contract for transportation services; should a survey be conducted with those I I cities, he had no doubt that they would say kind words about their drivers; he worked for the City of Sierra Madre, where they had the dial -a -ride outside service and it worked fine. Regarding drivers, there is no guarantee that they will stay permanent, there will always be new drivers being hired, whether the Council decides to contract out or not. Should the contract be awarded, and they offer positions to the drivers, some may accept the job, some may not; hopefully, they all will and there will be no changes in drivers. CLOSED SESSION The City Council recessed to Closed Session at 7:40 P.M. to discuss the following: 'PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RELEASE Pursuant to California Government Code, Section 54957. Title: Accept Resignation of City Manager. T. Haes Comments Closed Session Public Empl Release PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT Pursuant to California Government Code, Section Public Empl 54957. Appointment Title: Interim City Manager/ City Manager The City Council reconvened at 8:20 P.M., City Attorney Martinez was present at closed session, and he announced that there was no reportable action taking in Closed Session. 08/20/14 PAGE FOUR ADJOURNMENT It was consensus of the Council to adjourn the meeting. TIME OF ADJOURNMENT: 8:20 P.M. NEXT RESOLUTION NO. 2014-C46. .s 08/20/14 PAGE FIVE Adjourn