At its regular meeting Tuesday, the city council heard updates on the city’s new emergency notification system named Alert Benicia, the Busines Resource Incentive Program, and Measure C spending; and recommendations for a street improvement plan, among other items.

Arsenal update
City Attorney Heather McLaughlin reported that while no progress has been made on the arsenal clean-up project since the last council meeting, she did have another meeting scheduled with a property owner.
Items awaiting completion, she said, include the stated intent of the U.S. Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) last year to consult with the state attorney general, and the DTSC’s request to the city a few months ago for help removing manhole covers in order to aid in their investigation.
“We have not been able to get any progress reports out of them as to when this will actually happen.” McLaughlin confirmed that these items are documented in city records.

Alert Benicia
The council heard an update on the city’s emergency notification system, named Alert Benicia. Residents listed in the Benicia 911 database will be automatically subscribed to alerts by phone, but the new software system Everbridge also allows citizens to self-register, providing them the opportunity to add other preferred contact information or to opt out.
The Everbridge emergency notification system will alert residents about a variety of events, ranging from severe weather, fires, floods and other emergencies, to more routine announcements, such as road closures and water utility maintenance. Messages will be sent to residents on their preferred contact paths—cell phone, SMS, home phone, email, fax, pager and more—to ensure real-time access to potentially lifesaving information.
The system was tested on Oct. 5 of this year, sending alerts to the 721 residents who had signed up by that date. The alerts were sent via text messaging, email or hearing-assist devices. The next test is planned for Nov. 2 and it will include activation of warning sirens, which are now powered by electricity, no longer reliant on batteries. As of Tuesday morning, Oct. 18, more than 1,100 residents had signed up to receive emergency notifications.

Business Resource Incentive Program
The Valero Good Neighbor Steering Committee settlement awarded the city of Benicia $14 million, of which $1.125 million was awarded to the economic development department for projects including LED lighting upgrades, solar projects, electric vehicle charging stations and water programs.
The Business Resource Incentive Program (BRIP) was able to save a total of 470.26 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year, more than 2.360 million gallons of water and almost $500,000 in total savings to businesses on their energy and water bills.
Through the Every Drop Counts program, ABM and Hydrometrics companies were able to retrofit restroom fixtures in the industrial park and in restaurants on First Street, in response to the city’s water rate restructuring which had a potential to adversely impact businesses. Aerators were installed on the existing fixtures, rather than replacing them and sending the used sinks and toilets to landfills.
Phase One was funded by a $25,000 allocation from the BRIP. Initial audits and demonstration projects were performed at three businesses, after which further funding was requested for the next phase. Fermanite, the Rellik Tavern and Ruszel Woodworks were selected to represent a range of equipment types and water needs. Usage was cut by approximately half with the 39 fixtures upgraded in the demonstration phase.
In Phase Two, the number of retrofitted fixtures was increased to over 500, at 70 different businesses. The result was a total reduction in water usage from 5.133 million gallons to 1.761 million gallons per year in the first year. The 3.37 million gallon reduction, the presenter stated, would be equivalent to the total water needs of 4,651 homes in Benicia.
Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani summarized the results of the BRIP by stating that while seven years ago, the goal of accomplishing this level of improvement “looked like a daunting task,” the city has achieved remarkable results with just a few steps in the right direction.
Giuliani credited the Community Sustainability Commission (CSC) with spearheading the project. In addition to presenting the initial requests for funding, he stated, the CSC critiqued the first phase and added key components to plans for the second phase.

Large-family daycare
The first business item on the council’s agenda was the first reading of a municipal code amendment regarding large-family daycare. Some residents attended the meeting and spoke in favor of the amendment. One common sentiment was that when residents receive an official notification from the city, whether it’s regarding someone wishing to operate daycare in their neighborhood or any other issue, the most common reaction is to assume that the action has a potential to adversely affect them. The result in the case of daycare-providing homes, the residents expressed, is that the notified neighbors speak out against the business, which triggers a lengthy hearing process, but then those same neighbors ultimately embrace the change. It is a matter of record, one resident pointed out, that the city has not received any complaints regarding home daycare properties.
There was discussion among council members as to the notification requirement, whether it should be a 100-, 300- or 500-foot radius from the daycare home. Considerations included equitable treatment among all Benicia businesses and the true intent of the disclosure requirement. The consensus was to keep it at the 300 feet stated in the amendment and the resolution was approved by unanimous vote.

Measure C surplus funds
The council heard a report on the status of Measure C spending and city staff’s recommendation for allocating the $1.1 million surplus for the current fiscal year. Staff recommended four specific projects for funding with the surplus dollars: replacement of bleachers at Fitzgerald Field, located on East 2nd Street; two road projects; and repairs to the Clock Tower.
The report also summarized the original priorities for Measure C as outlined in the language of the Measure C resolution and campaign materials and compared that with actual spending to date. Forty-six percent has been allocated for road projects, 37 percent for park projects, 15 percent for public safety and two percent for administrative costs and storm water management.
Councilmember Tom Campbell asked how much Measure C money had been spent to date on sidewalk repair. Economic Development Manager Giuliani explained that no Measure C funds have yet been spent toward sidewalk repair because the contractor who was awarded the job ended up declining the contract, so that contract will have to be re-bid and is now scheduled for 2017.

Street repair
Public Works Director Graham Wadsworth presented an overview of the city’s street repair needs. He explained that roughly a third of Benicia streets are arterial and collector, for which funding comes from state and federal sources, and the balance are local and residential, funded from local sources.
Wadsworth utilized the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), a national standard that rates road condition on a scale of one to 100, to describe Benicia’s road conditions and the relative costs of maintenance, improvement and reconstruction. A rating of 100 to 70 is considered excellent or good; 70-50 at-risk or poor; below 50 very poor and below 25 very poor or failed. In 2016, Benicia roads rated an average of 55, or poor. In 2006, by comparison, Benicia roads averaged a rating of 70 or very good.
The city has spent an average of $700,000 per year on road maintenance over the past five years. Maintaining the current average road condition rating of 55 would cost approximately $1.5 million per year. An investment of $2 million per year, by contrast, would produce an average 58 rating, $2.5 million a 63; $4.4 million approaching 70; and $4.8 million would achieve an estimated rating of 83.
Staff recommended the city spend $4.8 million per year over the next ten years to achieve the estimated rating of 83.

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