Paso Robles City Council Meeting Highlights
Regular Meeting of the City Council
March 16, 2021
 
In compliance with social distancing, the City Council, staff, and the public participated via conference call. The public was invited to view a livestream of the meeting at www.prcity.com/youtube,  to call into the meeting at 805-865-PASO (7276), and to email public comment to cityclerk@prcity.com prior to the meeting.
 
Highlights from the Regular City Council meeting, held on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, are as follows. The meeting recording is available at www.prcity.com/youtube. Council did the following:
 
Received an Update on COVID-19. The County remains in the Red Tier of the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy (info at www.emergencyslo.org) and vaccine efforts continue with broader eligibility (info at www.emergencyslo.org/vaccines). Local economic recovery programs are ongoing  (www.prcity.com/keepitlocal and https://www.pasorobleschamber.com/), and federal assistance for renters, restaurants, other businesses, and cities is forthcoming via the American Rescue Plan Act.
 
Received a Capital Projects Update. The Munari Trunk Sewer Emergency Protection Project is complete and weathered the recent storms well. Dry Creek Road from Estrella Warbirds to Jardine is out to bid and will be under construction soon. The Golden Hill and Union Road intersection improvements are in final design, and preparations are underway to begin the 2021 annual street maintenance work.
 
Received a Presentation from the Paso Robles Main Street Association. The presentation described their activities and priorities, including economic restructuring and economic vitality. They have had to modify some events during COVID and have had to cancel others. They requested $95,000 for the calendar year 2021 to continue their work as “the heartbeat of Downtown.”
 
Received a Presentation from the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber described their mission and expressed their desire to continue a partnership with the City to provide visitor services at the Visitor Center. The presentation described the Visitor Center operations, including staffing and volunteers, and the services provided, which include services for visitors as well as locals. This year the Chamber has also assisted with the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in several ways.
 
Received a Presentation about New Solid Waste Regulations (SB 1383). Brooks Stayer, the Executive Director of the SLO County Integrated Waste Management Authority, presented on SB 1383 which was passed in 2016, but guidelines just came out in November 2020. Compliance is required by January 2022. Complying will require having a three-bin system (trash, recycling, and composting). Paso Waste and Recycling, as our trash hauler, will provide the three-bin system and compliance data. IWMA will inspect, monitor, educate, and report to the state. Cities must approve 7 ordinances and enforce the new regulations if needed. Edible food recovery is also required, and IWMA plans to coordinate that. Cities must procure a certain percentage of their own composted and recycled goods. IWMA is going to lead public education and outreach efforts as well. Jim Weiss, operator of the City’s landfill, spoke about the efforts that the landfill has already been implementing in preparation for these new regulations. Ian Hoover of Paso Waste & Recycle also spoke about their efforts as the local hauler to prepare for these regulations, stating that most components are already in place.
 
Appointed an Interim City Manager. Council appointed Greg Carpenter as Interim City Manager, effective April 19^th. He will serve in this role for at least a few months while the search for a permanent City Manager continues.
 
Approved Downtown Parking Program Adjustments. Council reviewed recommendations from the Downtown Parking Advisory Commission and voted to make the following changes:  extend the parking program to operate seven days per week, Monday – Sunday from 9 AM – 8 PM;  create Parking Coordinator and Parking Ambassador job classifications and hire 3 part-time Parking Ambassadors, for a total FTE of 1.41, to cover the parking schedule;  and extend the Senior Permit Pilot Program to an annual program available to all seniors 65 years of age and older at the cost of $5 per year. They also directed staff to consult with Dixon Resources Unlimited and return with options for potential additional ways to accommodate local residents parking Downtown, and to return with an updated proposal from Dixon to provide on-call support services in a lower not-to-exceed amount.
 
Provided Direction on the Downtown Parklet Program. Council directed staff to return with a proposal to extend the Temporary Outdoor Dining Program to November 1, 2021, and to return with additional analysis regarding funding options, both in regard to funding sources and rent vs. buy options for k-rails. The Council directed staff to engage all stakeholders, including and especially residents, in evaluating options for seasonal and year-round parklets, impacts on parking, and other elements. Finally, Council directed staff to return with formal policies and guidelines for fenced Downtown sidewalk cafes.
 
Amended Sublease and Loan Agreement for the Business Success Center at 1345 Park Street.
As a result of the BSC having to delay opening due to the pandemic and thus receiving no income, the City has not received what were originally anticipated payments of $64,600 in rent and $20,300 in loan repayments to date. The BSC did not qualify for Federal or state assistance, as it had no prior revenues. Council authorized the City Manager to execute amendments to the Loan and Sublease Agreements for 1345 Park Street, approving forgiveness of unpaid rent to date due to the pandemic, allowing reduced rent payments going forward until June 2022, deferring loan repayment until March 2022, and reducing the loan interest rate from 3% to 1%. Council also directed both the City and Sandbox to pursue COVID relief funds in a partnership fashion to try to recoup lost revenue due to COVID.  The funds utilized for the project to date are not local tax revenues; they are SB 1090 funds that the City received in preparation for the decommissioning of the Diablo power plant to use for economic development locally. 
 
The next regular City Council meeting is on Tuesday, April 6^th at 6:30 pm, via livestream at www.prcity.com/youtube.  Public comment can be made during the meeting by calling 805-865-PASO (7276) or provided prior to the meeting by emailing cityclerk@prcity.com.