Comment during Open Forum at the Recreation Commission meeting of May 18, 2011:

The Recreation Commission’s contribution is so vital to Piedmont. Our town’s excellent recreational facilities are a testament to the job you do. I have lived in Piedmont for a very long time and there have seen so many additional sports facilities brought on line.  The downside of this expansion is the loss of mixed-use facilities, such as Linda Beach.   Family and passive recreational opportunities have been entirely superseded by organized sports clubs. Click to read more »

A letter to the Fire Department requests additions to Piedmont’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan prior to approval and submission to FEMA Click to read more »

In order to establish the City’s eligibility to receive post disaster recovery funding, a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan must be filed every five years with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA.

The Piedmont Fire Department seeks public comments on its draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex.

Click to read more »

The 4 members of the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Review Committee appointed by the City Council, 3 liaisons from other committees or organizations, and several members of the public toured the 801 Magnolia building on Monday, May 16th.  Following the tour, Committee Members discussed the desire for public input on potential public uses for the remaining unleased portion of the building.  (The sanctuary and rooms to the north of the sanctuary have been leased for the next ten years to the Piedmont Center for the Arts.) Click to read more »

A PCA Editorial urging the Council to videotape budget and CIP meetings and consider funding priorities with all residents in mind

Every year the Piedmont City Council goes through a budget approval process to determine how Piedmont taxes will be spent. Instead of being held in City Council chambers in City Hall, the pivotal initial budget “workshop” meeting will be held on Saturday, May 21, at 9:00 am in the Piedmont Police Department Emergency Operations Center  (EOC) on Highland Avenue.  Meetings held outside of the City Council chambers are rarely videotaped or broadcast.  The only way that Piedmont residents can see and hear the  workshop discussion is to attend the meeting.  (Two prior CIP Committee meetings held in the EOC were not videotaped, as well.)

At the workshop, Department heads and the City Administrator will present their budget requests and respond to questions from the Council.   Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) recommendations will also be discussed.   Further information, direction or explanation of specific expenditures may be requested by the Council from staff.  The public may address the Council or raise questions on a limited basis during the workshop.

Due to previous major events impacting the City’s finances, this year’s budget is important.  Various items having an impact on the budget include: Click to read more »

The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for a townhouse development project has been prepared and is now available for review.  The project is located at the site of the defunct PG&E Substation below the Oakland Avenue Bridge on Linda Avenue.  The 5,688-square-foot concrete PG&E structure would be demolished to create a roughly triangular .4 acre site that abuts the bridge, a two-story apartment building and a single-family home on Linda Avenue.

LSA Associates of Point Richmond, contracted to provide the DEIR, is the same firm that produced the CEQA Initial Study, “Piedmont Station LLC,” and the Moraga Canyon DEIR in 2010.  Click to read more »

Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Committee- May 16: The CIP Review Committee will hold a tour of the 801 Magnolia “education wing” on Monday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m.  (Meet in front of City Hall.)  At 7 pm, following the brief tour, the Committee will meet in the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in the Police Department to review the draft priority funding list and funding recommendations to City Council. (No telecast or video)

Pool Fees – Wednesday, May 18:  The Recreation Commission will hold a public hearing on the revised pool fee schedule which projects a 50% taxpayer subsidy of pool operations at City Hall on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m.  The public is invited to attend or send comments to the City Council, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, 94611 or send an e-mail to the City Clerk at jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us.

City Budget Workshop – Saturday, May 21: Piedmont’s proposed FY 2011-2012 budget will be discussed in detail at a City Council work session in the Police Department conference room on Saturday, May 21, 2011 beginning at 9:00 a.m.  (No telecast or video) On June (6 & 20) preceding Budget consideration, the City Council will hold public hearings in City Hall on expenditures and estimated revenues for the FY 2011-12 Budget with final approval scheduled on June 20.

Following are highlights of anticipated issues which may be raised at these meetings: Click to read more »

Piedmont Houses for Sale - May 15, 2011

The numerous Piedmont houses currently on the market will, upon sale, mean increased revenue for the City from City transfer fees and escalated property values.  Property tax revenues and transfer fees are a significant part of Piedmont’s budget.

At its May 11 meeting, the Municipal Tax Review Committee began to fill in the outline of fiscal issues that will govern its parcel tax recommendations to the City Council.  Preliminary review of available revenues and funding commitments resulted in the following conclusions on topics previously discussed in these reports:

• Other city revenue sources over the life of the next tax will grow slowly.  Increases in property tax revenue, the largest contributor of city funds, will depend on the sales and reappraisals of existing homes.  Historically property tax revenue has only grown on average by about 4% annually over most of the past decade, barely ahead of inflation.  The city’s second largest revenue source, the real estate transfer tax, is still recovering from the housing market crash and is well below the peaks of earlier years in the past decade.

• On the expenditure side the city faces several challenges:
  • Inadequate funding for equipment replacement and capital maintenance of aging facilities;
  • Declining reserves to fund known future commitments and provide contingency for unexpected events;
  • Demands for new or possibly expanded programs including the municipal pool, operation of Blair Park, and future costs related to Oakland Public Library access
  • Continuing cost pressures from city employee benefit commitments combined with challenges to maintain current staffing levels. Click to read more »

Chester Nakahara, Interim Director of Public Works, has submitted a staff report recommending an agreement requiring all persons selling their home in Piedmont to complete a Verification Test of the home’s sewer lateral for leaks and obtain a Compliance Certificate from EBMUD.     This certification process would also be required when remodeling work exceeds $100,000 or the size of the water meter is changed.

Verification testing would be performed by EBMUD; repair or replacement of any defects would be performed by the homeowner, with appropriate permits issued by the City of Piedmont.    No information on the cost to homeowners of the testing, the permits, or the potential defects are listed in Mr. Nakahara’s staff report.  The City Council will consider the agreement on May 16, 2011. Click to read more »