Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVING THE RESUMPTION OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION TO VIRTUAL REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS TO ADVISE THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT ON ESSENTIAL REOPENING PROGRAMS AND VARIOUS PLANNING INITIATIVES (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
In March 2020 the City Council suspended the operation of all non-essential commissions and committees due to the global pandemic outbreak known as COVID-19. Additionally, all parks and recreation programs and activities were immediately cancelled until further notice to help stem the spread of the virus at city facilities and in the community. After 8 months of non-activity, and at the direction of City Council, the Community Services Department has slowly started to deliver programs to the community while adhering to re-opening protocols prescribed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. As a result, staff is requesting the resumption of virtual regular monthly meetings of the Parks and Recreation Commission to provide oversight and approval of parks, recreation, and cultural arts programs for the City of Carson. Additionally, there is a recent effort to provide modified programming to the community and the Commission may advise on essential re-opening activities and various planning initiatives forecast in the next calendar year.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE the resumption of the Parks and Recreation Commission to virtual regular monthly meetings.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE any other action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
In March 2020 the City Council suspended the operation of all non-essential commissions and committees due to the global pandemic outbreak known as COVID-19. Additionally, all parks and recreation programs and activities were immediately cancelled until further notice to help stem the spread of the virus at city facilities and in the community. After 8 months of non-activity, and at the direction of City Council, the Community Services Department has slowly started to deliver programs to the community while adhering to re-opening protocols prescribed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. As a result, staff is requesting the resumption of virtual regular monthly meetings of the Parks and Recreation Commission to provide oversight and approval of parks, recreation, and cultural arts programs for the City of Carson. Additionally, there is a recent effort to provide modified programming to the community and the Commission may advise on essential re-opening activities and various planning initiatives forecast in the next calendar year.
Specifically, the Commission will advise and assist with the review of:
• Recreation and Human Services outdoor socially distanced in-person programs
• Department policies and procedures updates
• City-wide Parks and Recreation Master Plan proposal
• Online registration and reservation software
• Joint Use Agreements with local school districts
• Fees and charges updates
• 5-year Parks Capital Improvement Program
• Transportation program planning
• Prop 68 application and community engagement initiatives
• Grants and special projects
Regarding the official title of the Commission, it should be noted that pursuant to Carson Municipal Code, Chapter 7, Section 2735:
“There shall be, and there is hereby, established a commission to be known and designated as the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Commission. This Commission shall formulate, subject to Council direction, oversight, and approval, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Programs for the City of Carson. (Ord. 69-65, § 1; Ord. 12-1506, § 1)”.
The Cultural Arts Commission was later established in 2013 pursuant to Carson Municipal Code, Chapter 7, Section 2796.1 (Ord. 13-1516, § 2) to effectively separate Cultural Arts from Parks and Recreation Commission responsibilities. Through an audit of the Code, staff recently discovered that the chapter language had not been fully updated to reflect the separation of commission titles in sections 2735, 2737-39, and 2741-42. To address this discrepancy, staff will return at a future City Council meeting with an ordinance to correct the commission titles, consistent with their respective code sections and scope of responsibility.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Funding to cover stipends for Commissioners’ attendance at meetings has been allocated in the adopted Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Community Services Department expenditure budget. However, various nominal staff costs for Information Technology support and Community Services clerking tasks were not included in the adopted department budget as follows:
|
Dept. |
Description |
FY 2020-21 (6 months) |
Annual |
|
IT |
Zoom facilitator, tech support |
$248.60 |
$1,491.60 |
|
CS |
Overtime: Clerking, agenda management |
$279.82 |
$1,678.92 |
|
Total |
$528.42 |
$3,170.52 |
The Community Services Department has sufficient savings within its adopted operating budget to cover these expenses.
VI. EXHIBITS
None
Prepared by: Robert Lennox, Community Services Director