HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-18 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE , BUDGET & TECHNOLOGY CITY OF SANTA ANA
CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, BUDGET AND TECHNOLOGY
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 18, 2017
CALL TO ORDER CITY HALL
20 Civic Center Plaza, Room 1600
Santa Ana, CA
5:32 P.M.
ATTENDANCE COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEMBERS Present:
Vincent Sarmiento (5:32pm)
Michele Martinez, Chair
P. David Benavides, Vice Chair
COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEMBER(S) Absent:
None
STAFF Present:
Robert Cortez, CMO Jorge Garcia, CMO
Francisco Gutierrez, FMSA William Galvez, PWA
Sergio Vidal, FMSA Fred Mousavipour, PWA
Te M. Gilford, CDA, Recording Secretary
PUBLIC COMMENTS
• Gil Salmon wanted to speak up as a Santa Ana resident on two items. The first item is fiber
optics in Santa Ana. Mr. Salmon also mentioned that he is excited that the City is aware
Amazon is looking for a new headquarter, and is in the process of submitting a proposal.
***END OF PUBLIC COMMENTS***
AGENDA DISCUSSION ITEMS
1. Approval of Minutes from the May15, 2017 Special Finance, Economic
Development, & Technology Committee Meeting of May 15, 2017.
Motion: Benavides SECOND: Martinez
Vote: AYES: Benavides, Martinez (2)
NOES: None (0)
ABSTAIN: None (0)
ABSENT: Sarmiento (1)
Economic Development, Infrastructure, Budget&Technology Minutes
1 - 1 September 18, 2017
(Item 4 was taken out of order.)
4. Business License Review: Schedule and Plan {Strategic Plan No. 4, 1}
Mayor Pro Tern Martinez stated that this item was brought to her attention by one of her
constituents, a Santa Ana small business owner. She stated that specifically for home
business licenses, the fee is particularly high. Chair Martinez stated that the City wants to
be supportive of the over 31,000 small businesses in Santa Ana, and promote new
businesses in our community, and encourage entrepreneurs. Chair Martinez' focus is
making fees relate to the market and local community, and suggested surveying local
business owners to inquire about the process.
Francisco Gutierrez, Finance and Management Services Executive Director, presented a
comprehensive analysis of our business tax and rate structure. This analysis was also
compared to other cities. Mr. Gutierrez stated that the City plans to meet with the Chamber
to Commerce to hear their input and include their feedback.
Mayor Pro Tem Martinez stated that the City should also look deeper into Airbnb license
revenue. Santa Ana has approximately 8,000 residential rental properties with the potential
of being an opportunity.
Resident Gil Salmon stated that there are currently requirements that make building a
business in Santa Ana difficult. For example, the home occupancy permit for renters need
home owner approval to operate a home based business. He also pointed out that Airbnb
is all over the City. Mr. Salmon stated that Airbnb automatically remits bed taxes, and noted
that revenue can be taxed at the same rate as hotels.
2. Update on Fiber Optic Utility Infrastructure / Gigabit Santa Ana {Strategic Plan No. 6,
1C; 1E; 1G; 1l} (William Galvez, PWA)
William Galvez, City Engineer, provided an update for the City's plan to bring dark fiber to
Santa Ana, including resident and business use. In April 2016 with the Master Plan update,
funding was not provided with the current proposals. Currently, funding is not available. This
program is also contingent on the purchase of street lighting. Finance, Public Works and IT
are also looking into a combined fiber with wireless capability to make the project
sustainable. Mayor Pro Tem Martinez stated that she has been excited for this project, and
is looking forward to the next steps. She suggested not being deterred by lack of funding,
and should be looking into small cell sites, or partnering with vendors such as Crown Castle,
to tie into their fiber. Assistant to the City Manager, Jorge Garcia stated that SB-649 (This
bill would provide that a small cell, as defined, is a permitted use, subject only to a specified
permitting process adopted by a city or county, if the small cell meets specified
requirements) passed legislature and should be signed mid-October. He also stated that 13
states currently have this, and 12 more states are on the docket. The City has reached out
to both AT&T and Verizon to get the most value for our citizens. Mayor Pro Tem Martinez
requested an update be provided to Council.
Economic Development, Infrastructure, Budget&Technology Minutes
1 -2 September 18, 2017
3. Update on Purchase of SCE-owned LED Streetlights — Presentation {Strategic Plan
No. 6, 1C; 1G} (William Galvez, PWA)
William Galvez, City Engineer, stated that the option to purchase 7,800 streetlights went to
Council. Finance is working on a transition plan, to switch over approximately 1,000 street
lights per month. Currently, 95% of the City is covered by the lighting plan, and we will focus
on which poles need to be knocked down. A total of approximately 4,000 lights will remain
Southern California Edison (SCE) owned. The City plans to continue working on securing
those poles, including placing sensors to capture information data. SCE originally wanted to
bring the purchase back to Council. LED improves visibility, breaking time, and reduced
maintenance costs by almost 1 million dollars per year. Currently we are at a status quo
until we can determine a finance plan. For City's owner light posts, staff will be responsible
for maintenance duties, and will utilize a contractor for any knockdowns.
ITEMS MOVED TO NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING:
None
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
None
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
Chair Martinez
• Look into pension and PARS update on where we are in Santa Ana. Reduce the
City's liability for next budget cycle.
• Look into resources going forward to be proactive with water grant opportunities,
since the City cannot use potable water any longer in medians.
• Requested that staff submit a memo including a list of Senate Bill 1 (SB-1) Road
Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 projects, ordered by resolution to present to
Council by the October deadline.
Vice Chair Benavides
• Requested that Economic Development Staff provide an update, including business
attraction and retention, and the status of the new Economic Development
Specialists position to Council.
ADJOURNED: 6:46 p.m. The next Economic Development, Infrastructure, Budget, and
Technology meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 13, 2017 at 5:00
p.m.
Te M. Gilford
Recording Secretary
Economic Development, Infrastructure, Budget&Technology Minutes
1 -3 September 18, 2017