ROLL CALL

Present-

Council Members Campbell, Golonski, Ramos, Vander Borght and Murphy.

Board Members Burnett, Kemp, Krekorian, Bunch and Lackey.

Absent - - - -

Council Members None.

Also Present -

Ms. Alvord, City Manager; Mr. Barlow, City Attorney; Mrs. Campos, City Clerk; Dr. Bowman, Superintendent; Dr. Kiafar, Chief Facilities and Development Superintendent; Mr. Jannace, Director of Pupil Services; Mr. Vonk, Director of Technology Services; Ms. Burton, Superintendent�s Office Assistant.

Oral

Communications

There was no response to Mrs. Burnett�s invitation for oral communications at this time.

Collaborative

Cost-Saving

Ventures Update

Ms. Alvord, City Manager, reported that at the last joint meeting, staff was directed develop collaborative cost-saving ventures with the Burbank Unified School District (BUSD). Dr. Bowman, BUSD Superintendent, added that nineteen areas were identified and a tiered collaborative ventures matrix was established in priority order. He explained that Tier 1 consists of items which could be quickly accomplished; Tier 2 consists of items that would take longer to accomplish; and, Tier 3 consists of items that may take an entire year to accomplish. He emphasized that there was no intent to eliminate positions but to identify economies and efficiencies in utilizing the available resources. 

Ms. Murphy inquired as to whether the BUSD is currently using City gas pumps and if any savings are being realized. Dr. Bowman responded in the affirmative but stated that the specific amount of savings had not yet been determined.  Mr. Feng, Public Works Director, stated that the BUSD is saving approximately 15 to 20 cents per gallon and that although incorporating the BUSD fleet is a pilot program, an agreement will be drawn between the BUSD and the City.

Mr. Krekorian inquired as to whether the City incurs increased administrative costs for providing the service and whether the agreement would include BUSD�s obligation for the administrative costs.  Mr. Hanway, Financial Services Director, reported that the BUSD will be billed at approximately five percent above actual costs, and added that staff anticipated that the BUSD annual sales would be approximately $45,000.

Mr. Vander Borght requested a status report on the electric rate agreement which will expire this year.  Mr. Davis, General Manager, Burbank Water and Power, stated that a draft proposal had been presented outlining the result-oriented activities related to conservation affording better rates to the BUSD.  He noted that the BUSD is making efforts to conserve energy with the exception of solar heating devices for the swimming pools, which would amount to considerable savings.  Dr. Bowman reported that installation of solar heating devices will be discussed at an upcoming meeting with Mr. Davis. 

Mr. Krekorian inquired as to when the agreement might be presented to the Board of Education, and Dr. Bowman indicated that staff was still analyzing whether there are any ramifications prior to presenting the agreement to the Board of Education.  Mr. Davis noted that the goal is to have the document completed by the end of the fiscal year. 

Mr. Bunch suggested that since the pools are closely situated to the gymnasiums, the solar heating panels be placed such that they could be used by the gymnasiums as well. 

Discussion ensued regarding Charter Communications and the possibility of installing fiber-optic feeds at all school sites.  Mr. McManus, Public Information Officer, stated that education access is available through the City�s agreement with Charter Communications, but noted that consideration must be given to hardware, broadcasting and programming costs if channels are increased. He also added that it may be less expensive to put programming for the BUSD on the government channel by renting space.  Mr. Vonk, BUSD�s Technology Services Manager, noted the prohibitive cost of installing fiber-optic feeds to school sites and stated that the BUSD was considering broadcasting through Charter Communications.

Mr. Campbell suggested that staff obtain information from other school districts that have agreements with cable companies.

Mrs. Lackey left the meeting.

Mr. Golonski noted the slow progress of several items, including the joint janitorial services item. Mr. Herman, Purchasing Manager, reported that the City had recently entered into a new janitorial supplies contract with another city and that staff was in the process of finding ways to add the BUSD to the contract. Ms. Alvord noted that joint purchasing would produce savings but the possibility of the BUSD joining the janitorial supplies contract may not be possible since the City may already be locked in the current agreement for a period of time.

Mr. Golonski voiced the need for another process to track progress on the items on the matrix. There was also discussion on the need for additional information before both agencies begin work on their budgets and that projected timelines need to be more realistic. 

Mrs. Burnett commented on how well the collaboration had gone between the two agencies and thanked both staffs for their efforts.  Dr. Bowman noted that a revision of timelines would be done and that the information will be provided to both agencies.   

Oral

Communications

Garen Yegparian commented on the importance of energy efficiencies; lack of consideration for human factors such as health and longevity; placement of solar panels on school buildings with surplus funds and the savings that could be realized; and, connections to Charter Communications.

There were no comments from the Board or Council.

Dr. Bowman summarized the discussion and reported that the BUSD would review the matrix for concepts and ideas, and Ms. Alvord noted that she would provide direction to staff about hastening the process and setting realistic timelines.  Dr. Bowman noted that revisions will be done and reflected in the report when the two agencies meet again. Until that time, he stated that written updates will be provided more frequently than in the past, and it was noted that both agencies will meet before either agency adopts their budget. He suggested that the next joint meeting be scheduled in March.

Report on Sub-

Committee Fundraising Efforts

Mr. Golonski reported that Burbank Priority in Education (PIE) held a development meeting at Disney Studios and is still in the process of developing the Board membership, establishing subcommittees, selecting a logo and discussing a variety of fundraising efforts. He stated that Burbank PIE was discussing hosting a fundraising event at the Starlight Bowl next summer and that information concerning the terms of use and parameters needed to be established.  He announced the officers of Burbank PIE, including:  Michael Hastings, Chair; Judie Sarquiz, Vice Chair; Linda Walmsley, Secretary; and, Lynne Strang, Treasurer. 

Mrs. Ramos commented on the Board recruitment and development process and introduced Mrs. Sarquiz who briefly spoke on the dynamics of the group and the vision of improving the BUSD by bringing different components in the community together. 

Mr. Golonski thanked the Walt Disney Company for hosting the meeting and noted that the need for basic supplies would be discussed at the next meeting. 

Mr. Krekorian emphasized that Burbank PIE is not exclusively a fundraising entity but that fundamental basic needs of school sites will also be addressed.  He noted that the BUSD is facing budgetary challenges and does not have the option of imposing user fees and raising taxes to meet its obligations.  He thanked those who took a leadership role in Burbank PIE and encouraged others to participate by contacting Mr. Hastings at [email protected].  He inquired as to whether information could be put on the BUSD website and Dr. Bowman responded in the affirmative. 

Mr. Bunch commented on a recent gift of paper from Mr. O�Neill, Vice President, National Broadcasting Company, and stated that the gift was very much appreciated. 

BUSD Report on

Energy

Conservation Efforts

Dr. Bowman reported on the energy workshop that was held by the Board of Education in which California High Performing Schools (CHPS) standards were incorporated in some of the BUSD projects. 

Mr. Vander Borght inquired about the status of recommendations made at the last Board of Education meeting concerning the adoption of energy conservation policies.  Dr. Kiafar reported that a resolution authored by Mr. Krekorian, Dr. Bowman and himself was drafted, and that it will be presented to the Board of Education for adoption in February 2004, and will include all recommendations of the CHPS manual.  Dr. Bowman also noted that with the efforts of the school principals and staff, the BUSD has realized energy conservation through behavioral changes such as turning off lights and thermostats, and closing windows and doors. 

Mr. Campbell concurred with the importance of behavioral changes but noted the need for incorporating energy efficiency and improving public health in the design phase of projects. He also inquired as to the BUSD efforts to improve indoor air quality and use of natural daylight. Dr. Kiafar responded that efforts have been made to maximize daylight use in classrooms by increasing the number of windows and skylights. He also noted the efforts with regard to proper ventilation and the types of materials being used to reduce exposure to toxins.  Mr. Campbell asked if an analysis had been done on exposure to toxins and Dr. Kiafar responded that staff had not done an analysis, but the architects and consultants were required to address the issue through the use of environmentally-friendly material. Mr. Campbell pointed out the opportunity to identify, monitor and quantify benefits such as air quality, energy efficiency and use of natural day light.  He asked to meet with Dr. Kiafar and Dr. Bowman to review the report in more depth. He also commented on the need to require architects and engineers to adhere to CHPS standards and to incorporate the standards in the design phase and not after project completion.

Mr. Golonski shared the City�s efforts in energy conservation and encouraged Dr. Bowman to take a similar approach with the BUSD.  Dr. Bowman reported that all employees had already been e-mailed accordingly.  Mr. Golonski pointed out the importance of providing feedback to employees on their progress and suggested holding a competition or challenge, noting that since each school site is metered separately, it would be easy to implement. 

Discussion ensued regarding the establishment of baselines to determine energy conservation progress and it was noted that energy conservation would be difficult to monitor until all modernization is complete.  Each site would need to be monitored individually to examine previous records in comparison to the current records.  It was also pointed out that the BUSD would need to go through an entire one-year cycle on projects that are already modernized to obtain an accurate report. 

Mr. Vander Borght suggested that a historical representation be done on the 11 schools that have completed modernization and that way a prediction could be made as to how the remaining schools will follow.  Mr. Davis stated that a quick report card can be done for contractual purposes but more time is needed for a precise report.  Dr. Bowman also added that a plan would be developed and submitted to Mr. Davis.  

Status of Joint

Use Agreement

Mr. Flad, Assistant City Manager, commented on the Joint Use Agreement and pointed out that it is the mechanism by which the BUSD and City share facilities and services in terms of finances, legal accountability, roles and responsibilities.  He also pointed out the need to revise the document and emphasized that although the agreement is outdated, the partnership is intact and functioning well.  Dr. Bowman noted that both agencies were in concurrence that the Joint Use Agreement needs to be revised. 

Mr. Golonski inquired as to the amount of money that the City owes the BUSD and Ms. Alvord clarified that the financial portion of the current agreement is up to date.  

Mr. Vander Borght commented on Robert R. Ovrom Park and pointed out the need to upgrade Memorial Field, noting the enormous amount of use by the schools and the community.  Mr. Flad reported that Memorial Field will be studied in terms of drop-in use as well as school and community use. 

Dr. Bowman announced that a committee is being appointed to identify all needs in the BUSD that were not part of the modernization, and that athletic issues such as artificial turf, all-weather track and repairs to Memorial Field will be included.  Ms. Alvord noted that the renovation of Memorial Field might be a perfect fundraising opportunity in which the community can be involved.  Mr. Flad clarified on the possibility of using Youth Endowment Services (YES) Funds for Memorial Field, pointing out that the funds are available for City and BUSD capital projects only.

Mayor�s Youth

Task Force

Recommended

Programs

Mrs. Stein, Deputy Director, Park, Recreation and Community Services; and Hank Jannace, Director of Pupil Services, briefly reported on the Mayor�s Youth Task Force recommended programs.  Ms. Stein reported that $150,000 was allocated to a conflict resolution program at the middle schools and that the PeaceColors program had been introduced to identify and solve the needs on campus dealing with alcohol abuse, drug abuse and violence.  She noted that funding is due to run out this semester and that additional funding may be requested.  Mr. Jannace noted the need for continuing the program and noted that curriculum addressing issues such as anti-bullying and anti-violence was now available.

Mr. Golonski announced that a report on middle school activities will be presented at the next Mayor�s Youth Task Force meeting to wrap up the previous grant and added that it is expected a plan for an additional semester will be presented.  He noted that the Mayor�s Youth Task Force recommended that $75,000 be set aside to fund the programs. It was also pointed out that the Youth Counseling Program will be presented to the Board of Education for approval and will be initiated in March 2004. 

Mrs. Ramos inquired as to the principals� and counselors� perception of the Youth Counseling Program and Mr. Jannace responded that principals and counselors were fully supportive of the program.

Dr. Bowman expressed his desire to start the program by March 1, 2004 noting that $50,000 had been designated for the program, which would fund the program through 2004.  Mrs. Ramos noted that similar services have been provided to the Community Day School and have been very successful.

Library Grant

Update

Mrs. Cohen, Library Services Director, reported that the application for funding for a new Central Library had been submitted.  She provided background on the revisions to the original application and pointed out that 72 libraries throughout the State had applied for the grant. She noted that because Burbank has a significant need, staff was hopeful that the grant will be awarded.  She also noted that if the grant is not awarded, the partnership will still be implemented to the extent possible.  She anticipated receiving feedback by the end of August 2004 and stated that help will be required in the form of contacting State representatives by writing letters in support of Burbank�s need for a new library. 

Dr. Bowman suggested that a group of individuals be transported to Sacramento to advocate for the grant.

Mr. Krekorian suggested this issue be discussed at the next joint meeting and suggested that a joint meeting be scheduled every three months.

Ms. Murphy noted that a date at the end of March had already been discussed. 

Adjournment

There being no further business to come before the Council and Board of Education, the meeting was adjourned at 8:31 p.m.

                                                    ____________________________                                              

                                          Margarita Campos, City Clerk