Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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parks would not affect the buildable land supply but did not understand how that was possible. He agreed with Ms. Solomon that it would be better to wait until 2008 to place a bond measure on the ballot. Mr. Papé concurred with the suggestion to have an outside professional negotiate land purchases. He said if a bond was placed on the ballot in 2006, he was only in favor of the $20 million level. He felt the project list should reflect only land purchases. He said that before more parks were added to the inventory the City had to determine how to maintain them. He said he had previously been told there was $950,000 in remaining 1998 bond funds available to purchase a Santa Clara area park. Mr. Medlin said over $900,000 was still available for that acquisition. Ms. Solomon, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to direct the City Manager to prepare further for a Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Bond Measure in 2006 to be lim- ited to $20 million for acquisition purposes only. Mr. Kelly offered a friendly amendment to include the wetlands education center while retaining the $20 million cap. Ms. Solomon and Ms. Ortiz accepted the amendment. Mr. Kelly said he would support the motion. Mr. Pryor said he hoped the bond would not be limited to acquisition as there was a significant amount of renovation that could be done. He said the council could still vet a more complete list and the motion could be amended to reflect that instead of limiting the bond measure to acquisition. He noted there was no large- scale plan for land acquisition and the original concept was that the bond would take advantage of opportunities; not all those opportunities were acquisitions. He would have difficulty supporting a bond that was just for acquisition. Mr. Pryor proposed a substitute motion to direct the City Manager to prepare a Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Bond Measure for 2006 in an amount not to exceed $20 million for uses to be determined by the end of March 2006. Ms. Ortiz provided the second. Ms. Taylor opposed the substitute motion and thought that land acquisition was the important thing. She asked the cost of all land acquisition on the list. Ms. Weiss replied the cost was approximately $23 million. City Manager Taylor said that to be successful on the November 2006 ballot it was necessary to demon- strate the City was maintaining level of service in terms of the main library and branch libraries, maintaining its commitment to schools and taking an opportunity approach to parks based on community needs instead of limiting expenditures to acquisition and the wetlands center. Ms. Bettman stated she did not believe that a $50 million bond would pass, but a limited bond for the purpose of acquisition could be successful. She said that library services should be paid for out of the City’s general fund and existing revenue and a levy should not be placed on the ballot. She thought that a parks bond focused on land banking would have a favorable response from the community. Mr. Kelly indicated he would vote against the substitute motion because a measure in 2006 needed to be focused. He agreed that maintenance was important and the project list was well thought out, but acquisition was most important. Mr. Papé said he was willing to continue to move the issue forward but was prepared to fight for parks in the northern area of the City.