Here are highlights from the July 11 and July 18 meetings of the Thousand Oaks City Council.
- During the closed session on 7/11, city attorney Tracy Noonan and city manager Andrew Powers negotiated employment contracts, putting their total annual earnings over $400,000 over the next year. See details in the sidebar.
- During the closed session on 7/18, “Significant Exposure to Litigation” was discussed.
- Public speakers on non-specific matters:
- David, a renter, complained he’d been harassed by a homeowner for contacting the city code enforcement department.
- Roseanne, with the Friends of the Library, invited community input for the new library’s master plan.
- Brian, a mobile home park resident, claimed senior citizens were being pushed out by a Northern California company.
- Joshua gave a Chamber of Commerce update — Amy’s drive-through ribbon-cutting; 40 Under 40 event at the Hyatt Regency Westlake; webinar on LinkedIn with Mustang Marketing’s Diane McKay; X-Games tourism and promotion with Garret Casto and Justin Ladner on TikTok and Instagram; Leadership Conejo applications open until August 18 at leadershipconejo.org.
- Consent Calendar approved the following:
- Construction bids advertised for: Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at Pedestrian Crosswalks, $179,000 from Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program Cycle 10 Grant; Hill Canyon Treatment Plant (HCTP) Facility Exterior Painting Project Phase II; Thousand Oaks Boulevard Wastewater Pipe and Maintenance Hole Lining Project;
- Zero Emission Bus Rollout and Implementation Plan approved. Battery Electric Buses. From the staff report, “A financial model was developed to compare the costs of doing business-as-usual with fossil fuel vehicles versus a 100 percent BEB fleet to determine operational cost savings and additional capital funding required. The Plan estimates implementing a fully zero-emission bus and dial-a-ride fleet will cost $44.2 million (cumulative capital and operating costs) compared to $22.9 million for business-as-usual (fossil fuel technology) over a 17-year timeframe (through the end of FY 2039-40). This $21.3 million increase in program costs includes incremental capital costs for fleet acquisition and expansion ($15.6 million), as well as infrastructure improvements for charging and power storage ($8.4 million), partially offset by $2.7 million in lower operating costs due to lower fuel and maintenance costs. The cost of BEBs can be up to double that of fossil fuel vehicles. Both types of vehicles have the same useful life; however, due to the limited range of BEBs, the fleet may need to expand incrementally to maintain existing service levels. The Rollout Plan currently recommends increasing the existing owned vehicle fleet size by six expansion vehicles. These potential expansion vehicles would increase our owned fleet size by 35 percent from 17 owned vehicles to 23 owned vehicles. The expansion of the fleet size and the installation of EV infrastructure are upfront costs of the transition that drive up the comparative costs between a zero-emission fleet and a fossil fuel fleet over the time period of the plan (through 2040). However, there will be ongoing operational savings annually, increasing as the percentage of fossil-fueled vehicles is reduced.”
- California Automated Permit Processing (CalAPP) Program Grant (solar permitting) up to $80,000.
- Sixth amendment with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. $31,000, for a total contract of $297,749.
- Three-year, $138,300 agreement with Aquatic Contractors for supplies and maintenance of the 3,600-gallon saltwater aquarium at the Grant R. Brimhall Library.
- $217,500 contract with Nichols Consulting Engineers for the Pavement Management Program.
- $620,000 acquisition of 865 W. Hillcrest Drive for the Arroyo Conejo Open Space.
- Settlement with Hanover Insurance Company relating to Thousand Oaks Fitness LLC DBA Athletic Society in the amount of $43,645.
- $378,000 three-year contract with Taurus Protection Inc. for patrol and oversight at 3120 Royal Oaks Dr. from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily.
- Sixth amendment with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., $37,853, for additional design and engineering services related to Conejo Canyons Bridge at Hill Canyon Treatment Plant for a total contract of $396,460.
- Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., $406,949 contract for engineering and design of the Bus and Car Wash Project, plus extra services of $40,000.
- Authorize staff to reauthorize the La Granada Reservoir Improvements Project (CI 5292) for construction bids.
- National Demographics Corporation (NDC) focus and draft
maps reviewed, and Map 104 approved. Twenty-nine public speakers supported Map 113. Districts 4 and 5 elections will be held in 2024. - Latigo Hillcrest, LLC, Project at 2150 West Hillcrest Drive report received. Four public comments were made in support of the housing development.
- Draft general plan 2045 presented by Matt Raimi & Associates. The timeline for review and adoption is as follows: August, draft EIR released; mid-September, close of public comment period; end of October/early November, final EIR released; November, hearings begin. Public comments can be made at www.toaks45.org. Multiple submissions may be made by an individual. Two points of interest: changing the Borchard parcel from a low-density residential to mixed-use and a senior overlay with consideration of a moratorium on mobile home park rents.
- Mina Layba, the city’s legislative affairs manager, works with federal and state lobbyists to identify and pursue “projects/interests that have the most potential for assistance and funding.”
- James Crum, vice president of Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc., a Washington, D.C. firm
- Joe A. Gonsalves and Son has represented the city’s state legislative and project interests for 30 years.
