Council also approved second-quarter update on Fiscal Year 2021-22

PASO ROBLES—Paso Robles City Council met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The City continues with hybrid public meetings, which allow residents to attend the meeting in person or participate remotely.

Councilman John Hamon requested Item 9 from the consent agenda be pulled for separate discussion and approval:

Item 9: Approval of Downtown Parking Advisory Commission Program Recommendations and Modification to Commission Bylaws

Modify the terms and conditions for future senior permits starting Apr. 1, and revise the Downtown Parking Advisory Commission bylaws based on the recommendation of the Downtown Parking Advisory Commission as outlined in options 2 and 3 collectively.

Some of the recommendations included the cost of parking permits and senior parking permits. In March 2021, Council approved the sale of senior parking permits for $5, but those permits were later paused in April 2021.

Some of the recommendations made by staff were the following:

Limit sales of senior permits to full-time residents of Paso Robles
Require proof of vehicle ownership to the applicant in the application process, consistent with parking industry standards for permit programs
Limit the total number of permits per address to one
Exclude Downtown employees from obtaining senior parking permits
Limit the number of senior permits sold to 500 annually
Limit sales of annual senior permits to the months of March and April
Annual senior permits valid from Apr. 1 to Mar. 31 each year
Offer annual permits at a rate of $30 with no prorating.

Mayor Steve Martin asked for clarification on handicap parking in downtown Paso Robles. Handicap parkers do not have to pay for parking or register their license plate in the parking kiosks. Their handicap plaquared must either be displayed in their vehicle or shown on their license plate.

Councilman Steve Gregory motioned to approve the following recommendation: Revise the Downtown Parking Advisory Commission bylaws as recommended by the commission: Article I, Section 3.e.2 to change the month from January to August. Article II, Section 5 of the bylaws to read: The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be elected annually at its August meeting, from among the members of the Commission.

Due to more clarification needed on staffs recommendations, Mayor Martin motioned to table the parking program discussion until the parking committee has had the opportunity to study the most recent financial information. Councilman Strong seconded the motion adding further information on senior parking permits. The motion was unanimously approved.

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance requested to stage a new event, Spring Release Weekend Wine Tasting, in the City Park on Mar. 18. The event will be a maximum of 300 attendees who will have the opportunity to taste new releases from approximately 40 wineries. Attendees will be required to agree to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test if required by local health officials.

The Council approved Councilman Hamon’s motion to approve the event and give staff direction that the City will be open to approving other events based on current mandates on outdoor events. The motion was unanimously approved.

Next, Council heard a second-quarter update on Fiscal Year 2021-22. The budget report and amendments included job and organizational reclassifications and approval of a side letter of agreement with the Professional Firefighters Association.

Paso Robles City residents voted to approve Measure J-20 in Nov. 2020. The measure is a one-cent sales tax to generate additional local funding for City services and identified community priorities.

In April 2021, staff presented to City Council a one-year Measure J-20 Expenditure Plan, the “Basic Needs Package,” which provides enough flexibility to fund the highest priority unmet needs now, yet still being able to address additional service level deficiencies in the future. Estimates project the City will receive $12,831,000 in J-20 revenues in FY 2021-22.

In the police department, several new positions were approved: Dispatch Supervisor (filled) and Records Clerk (was filled and has recently been reopened). There are currently nine police officer positions vacant, seven of which will be funded with Measure J-20 revenues. Three recruits are being sponsored in the January academy and should start their positions in the department within about five months.

On Nov. 12, 2020, City Council approved and accepted a second SAFER grant that enabled staffing for a third fire engine and station. The grant provides 100 percent funding for an additional three firefighter positions, which will allow a third fire engine to be fully staffed. Those three positions have been filled. Council also approved an additional three firefighters outside of the SAFER grant. One of the three positions have been filled.

Additionally, the first phase of Fire Station No. 3, grading and environmental permitting, is near completion. The second phase of the station, building construction, is anticipated in February 2022.

Lastly, the Basic Package included a new Administrative Captain position. This newly created position requires an amendment to the fire union Memorandum of Understanding. As soon as the Side Letter of Agreement is finalized, recruitment for this position will ensue, with an anticipated start date of Mar. 20, 2022.

The entire second quarter update can be viewed here: prcity.com/DocumentCenter/View/33103/February-1-2022-City-Council-Agenda-Item-11-PDF

Additional financial reports can be found here: prcity.com/152/Financial-Reports

Council unanimously approved Resolution 22-XXX:

Amending the budget for the Fiscal Year 2021-22 to reflect the updates previously approved by the City Council
Amending the Authorized Position Listing by adding one Street Maintenance Supervisor position and removing one Street Maintenance Specialist II position
Authorizing the City Manager to execute the Side Letter of Agreement with the Paso Robles Professional Firefighters Association
Approved the Master Pay Schedule.

The next scheduled meetings: