Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CITY COUNCIL
Staff Report
SUBMITTED BY: Robert Harary, Public Works Director and Sharon Friedrichsen, Director of Budget and
Contracts
APPROVED BY: Chip Rerig, City Administrator
Receive a presentation on the proposed Fiscal Year 2018-2019 capital improvement program
SUBJECT:
and provide direction to staff
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive a presentation on the proposed Fiscal Year 2018-2019 capital improvement program and provide
direction to staff.
BACKGROUND/SUMMARY:
The purpose of this report is twofold: (1) to update Council on the status of existing capital improvement
projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-2018 and (2) to present capital improvement projects and funding
options for FY 2018-2019. Specifically, as development of the FY 2018-2019 budget is underway, staff seeks
Council guidance regarding prioritization of projects and funding parameters. After receiving direction from
Council, staff will return with a draft Capital Improvement Plan for Council's final review.
Completed Projects
Rebuilding the foundation, including repairs of critical infrastructure, enhancements to customer service, and
investments in information technology and financial systems, all provide the backdrop to the current FY 2017-
2018 capital and operational budget. Twelve (12) projects, totalling nearly $1,300,000, were completed, or will
be substantially complete by June 30, 2018 including:
Enhancements to the health and safety of employees, residents, and visitors: We replaced and upgraded
the vehicle exhaust ventilation system in the fire station, purchased a new patrol car, and installed a license
plate recognition system to assist with parking enforcement.
As shown in Table 1 (Attachment 1), Project Supplemental Appropriation Requests , Council authorized a
transfer of up to $850,000 in Measure D Reserves for the City-wide Pavement Rehabilitation Project on March
6, 2018. Once other restricted funds, such as State gas taxes, for street projects are used, the actual amount of
Measure D Reserves is now estimated to be closer to $755,000. If an additional $345,000 is used to
supplement budgets for existing capital projects, Measure D reserves available for FY 2018-2019 will be
approximately $1.4 million.
Policy Discussion: While staff recommends continuing these projects, Council may provide direction to staff to cease
current efforts and/or reduce the scope of these projects to stay within their original FY 2017-2018 adopted budgets.
In consultation with Sunset Center representatives, staff recommends re-programming $60,000 for two (2)
existing Sunset Center projects, namely the awning and railing projects, to fund repairs for a more urgent
potential safety issue, the stage rigging system. If funds remain after completion of the rigging project, the
balance could be earmarked for pedestrian ramp lighting. Although these are proposed FY 2018-2019 projects,
staff believes these needs can be addressed by utilizing, and re-programming, existing project funds.
For the FY 2018-2019 budget, staff is making a concentrated effort to distinguish between ongoing
maintenance activities, which should be included within the operating budget, and capital projects. The existing
Sunset Center Facilities Project was essentially developed as a contingency account without a defined scope.
Staff recommends that these funds be returned to fund balance to be used for other capital projects.
Theme
The FY 2018-2019 projects demonstrate the theme of rebuilding the foundation, including maintaining critical
infrastructure and exploring facility improvements. Several projects continue existing efforts to protect and
restore the Village's unique and special natural habitats while other projects address public health and safety
needs.
Definition
While reviewing the proposed capital projects, it is helpful to have a common understanding of what constitutes
a “Capital Project.” The Government Accounting Standard Board uses the term “capital assets” to “include land,
improvements to land, easements, buildings, building improvements, vehicles, machinery, equipment, historical
treasures, infrastructure, and other tangible or intangible assets that are used in operations and that have initial
useful lives extending beyond a single reporting period.”
For the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, staff recommends consistently defining a Capital Project, or a Capital Outlay
as:
A fixed asset with any single component or piece of equipment that costs more than $10,000 and has an
expected useful life exceeding ten (10) years
New Projects
Three (3) facility projects may proceed should funding become available from donations and/or other non-City
funds:
Design of meeting space and lobby improvements at the Harrison Memorial Library by the Carmel Public
Library Foundation.
Possible relocation of the concession stand at Forest Theater.
Restoration of the WWI Memorial, as proposed by outside entities.
Five (5) Proposed Forest, Parks, and Beach Projects valued at $285,000:
Planting new trees with enhanced efforts to streamline the installation and care of future new trees, with a
new Task Force guidance as recommended by the Forest and Beach Commission.
Continued tree removal, cable railing, plant propagation, and species monitoring at the North Dunes
Habitat Restoration area.
Removal of dead and diseased trees within the Mission Trail Nature Preserve.
Removal of safety concerns, including an elevated, abandoned tank and a water well located within the
Mission Trail Nature Preserve.
Sea-Level Rise Analysis Report to ascertain impacts of climate change on the beach and shoreline and
methods to mitigate the impacts.
Four (4) Proposed Infrastructure Projects valued at $1,400,000:
Per Council direction during last year’s budget discussions, a preliminary design was completed on the
Lincoln Street Drainage Project between 1st and 2nd Avenues. This project is 30% co-located within the
County and requires County, or other source funds, to proceed into final design and construction.
A Drainage Master Plan is needed to provide: a condition assessment of existing network bottlenecks,
proposed improvements on a City-wide basis, development impacts and mitigation requirements, and
identification of potential surface water reuse projects. The Master Plan should be completed before any
new drainage projects are proposed.
Some 46 street segments have been identified for slurry seal treatment as part of the annual Pavement
Rehabilitation Program. The City is required to commit $560,000 in FY 2018-2019 to meet our
“Maintenance of Effort” level of funding to receive state funds. In addition to the $600,000 requested, this
project will be augmented by approximately $300,000 from State gas tax, vehicle fees, and Measure X,
the local sales tax transportation initiative.
Sidewalk repairs, predominantly caused by tree root uplifts, continue to be of concern. Funding for
sidewalk repairs has gradually increased each year since its initial allocation of $75,000 in FY 2014-2015.
Policy Discussion: Provide direction regarding the inclusion of additional projects, the potential removal or
deferral of proposed projects, and prioritization of projects in light of financial constraints.
Funding Sources
Measure D
Carmel-by-the-Sea residents approved Measure D, a one percent local sales tax initiative, on November 6,
2012:
"Shall Carmel-by-the-Sea increase transaction and use tax (sales tax) by 1% for 10 years, with an annual
independent audit, to maintain essential services including fire, ambulance and police response times; fund
capital needs including streets, beach, parks, forest and trails; increase code compliance; maintain libraries,
Sunset Center and other public facilities; address CalPERS pension liabilities and other debt; and provide
other general City services?"
In accordance with the ballot language above, the City has utilized annual Measure D revenues to fund capital
projects, pay debt service on the pension obligation bond, and fund direct services, including ambulance
services.
Chart 1 (Attachment 4) , Measure D Expenditures, below, illustrates the actual use of Measure D from FY
2013-2014 to FY 2016-2017 in the categories of capital projects, debt service, and direct services. FY 2017-
2018 shows projected Measure D expenditures for the current fiscal year which has not yet closed. This
projection includes the Council-approved use of Measure D Reserves for the Citywide Pavement Rehabilitation
Project and assumes the FY 2017-2018 supplemental appropriation requests of $345,00, as detailed in Table
1, are funded.
The projected Measure D revenue for FY 2018-2019 is estimated at $2,500,000. Staff recommends setting
aside $700,000 for the pension obligation bond and $650,000 for ambulance services, leaving $1,150,000
available for new capital projects.
Measure D Reserve
As shown in Table 1, the projected Measure D Reserve, after accounting for the pavement project and other
anticipated supplemental appropriation requests, is $1,400,000. Council has the option to use all, some, or none
of these remaining funds for FY 2018-2019 capital projects. Reserves are a one-time sources, meaning once
the reserves are depleted, they are not available to be used for other projects, services, or other liabilities. The
ability to replenish the reserves will be based on overall citywide revenues outpacing expenditures, which is
unlikely given the escalating costs of services, including pension obligations, and the long-term volatility of
revenues.
For example, if $200,000 is used from this fund in FY 2018-2019, the remaining balance of $200,000 would not
be enough to pay for a large vehicle purchase, such as an ambulance. If the VEF fund drops below a
reasonable reserve, future vehicle purchases will compete with other capital projects each year for funding. The
latter option may, in turn, result in greater maintenance and repair costs and/or hamper the efficiencies of
operations that use unreliable vehicles and equipment.
In addition, the Forest and Beach Commission requested the use of the Urban Forest Restoration Fund to
launch a tree planting initiative. This fund consists of public donations, mitigation in lieu of planting fees, and
collected penalties for illegal removal of trees.
Funding Parameters
While all of the proposed FY 2018-2019 projects are worthy of funding, operating within the financial framework
described below only allows for some projects to be funded at this time. As there are nearly $4,000,000 in
capital needs just for FY 2018-2019, it is not financially feasible to fund all of the requested projects at this time.
While capital needs clearly outweigh revenues available, the FY 2018-2019 discussion is more challenging
because the construction cost of one large project, the Police Department Renovation and Expansion, is
estimated at $1,500,000. Funding of this one project will require the entire Measure D capital project funding of
$1,150,000 plus other sources. Staff is therefore seeking direction regarding prioritization of projects and
overarching funding parameters to guide development of the capital budget.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council appropriate $1,150,000 of new Measure D revenue to capital projects, which
provides funds to cover the pension obligation bond debt service of $700,000 and $650,000 to help offset the
cost of providing ambulance service.
Council has the option to change the amount of Measure D revenue allocated to capital projects. However, staff
cautions against this approach as the General Fund operating budget for Citywide services would need to be
redirected to cover the debt payment. In addition, either ambulance services would need to be curtailed or other
City services would be reduced to shift savings to ambulance services.
Staff also recommends that $100,000 of the Vehicle and Equipment Fund be allocated toward FY 2018-2019
projects, leaving $320,000 within the fund for future vehicle and equipment acquisitions. Staff does not
recommend the use of VEF reserves at this time. This scenario provides $1,250,000 in capital funding and is
depicted in Table 4 as Option #1 (Attachment 5).
Option #2 (Table 4) depicts the impact of using the Vehicle and Equipment Fund for FY 2018-2019 capital, keeping
the amount of Measure D constant. Depending on the amount of VEF used, capital funding ranges from $1,150,000
(no VEF used) to $1,570,000, which depletes the fund.
Option #3 (Table 4) illustrates the financial impact of keeping Measure D revenues for capital projects intact, but
utilizing all of the available Vehicle and Equipment Fund and Measure D Reserves. Together, this approach generates
$2,970,000 for capital projects in FY 2018-2019.
Although three primary options have been presented, that are a myriad of hybrid options that generate different
funding amounts. The purpose of this meeting is for Council to provide direction on the prioritization of projects
and funding parameters.
Upon receiving such direction, staff will return to Council with a draft capital improvement plan so that Council
may review the document and then refer it to the Planning Commission to review for General Plan Consistency.
The capital improvement plan will then be incorporated into the Proposed FY 2018-2019 Budget, which will be
presented to Council on May 1, 2018.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of funding the FY 2018-2019 capital projects is contingent upon the decisions made by
Council regarding capital projects to fund. Staff will return to Council with the known fiscal impact after receiving
direction from Council regarding project priorities and funding strategies.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
None for Fiscal Year 2018/19.
ATTACHMENTS:
Adopted FY 18-19
Project FY 17-18 Budget Status
Budget Request
Beach Stair Maintenance $140,000 $40,000 Repairs performed by staff for less cost.
Concept plans previously developed;
Scenic Pathway 150,000 220,000
project requires design for bidding.
Landscape Barriers 55,000 0 Consolidate with Pathway design.
Continue with beach fire sign.
Waterfront Signage 24,000 0
Consolidate with Pathway design.
Projects FY 17-18 Project
369,000
Savings (Unspent Funds)
Projects FY 17-18 Project
369,000
Savings (Unspent Funds)
Use of Measure D
$4,250,000
$3,750,000
$3,602,000
$3,250,000 $2,952,997
$2,750,000
$2,500,554
$2,250,000
$1,750,000 $1,790,702
$1,250,000
$997,864
$750,000
$250,000
FY 13-14 FY 14-15 FY 15-16 FY 16-17 17-18
Vehicle/Equipment Measure D
Measure D CIP Available
Fund Reserve
Estimated Beginning Balance $2,500,000 $420,000 $1,400,000
less pension debt service (700,000)
less ambulance (650,000)
Remaining Balance 1,150,000
Capital Project Allocation (1,150,000) (100,000) 0
Estimated Balance 0 320,000 1,400,000
Option #1 - CIP Amount 1,150,000 100,000 0 1,250,000
Vehicle/Equipment Measure D
Measure D CIP Available
Fund Reserve
Estimated Beginning Balance $2,500,000 $420,000 $1,400,000
less pension debt service (700,000)
less ambulance (650,000)
Remaining Balance 1,150,000
Capital Project Allocation (1,150,000) (420,000) 0
Estimated Balance 0 0 1,400,000
Option #2 - CIP Amount 1,150,000 400,000 0 1,570,000
Vehicle/Equipment Measure D
Measure D CIP Available
Fund Reserve
Estimated Beginning Balance $2,500,000 $420,000 $1,400,000
less pension debt service (700,000)
less ambulance (650,000)
Remaining Balance 1,150,000
Capital Project Allocation (1,150,000) (420,000) (1,400,000)
Estimated Balance 0 0 0
Option #3 - CIP Amount 1,150,000 420,000 0 2,970,000