get Los Altos Hills council approvals
The Los Altos Hills Town Council cleared its desk of several management items April 15, in a rare agenda that included no public hearings.
City Manager Jeff Peterson called the council's approval of the Quarry Hills subdivision tract map, improvement and conservation easement agreements "a milestone."
The council had approved a tentative map for the Quarry Hills subdivision, located on the former Neary quarry site on Stonebrook Drive, in February 1996. Several technical issues, including sewer main construction and provisions to maintain appropriate elevation of the water surface in the lake on the property, required resolution before final map approval.
The subdivision is owned by John, Mary Jane and Michael Vidovich and Kathy Tomino, doing business as De Anza Properties. Plans call for 22 lots on the site, with 17 on the lower portion near the lake and five lots on the hillside boarding Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District property. De Anza Properties hopes to start construction in early May, following a pre-construction meeting with the town.
Council on April 15 affirmed a planning department recommendation to solicit bids for contract plan check services and incorporate funding in the 1998-99 fiscal year budget for such services.
Planning Director Curtis Williams made the recommendation following a review of the town's building department by the International Conference of Building Officials.
The reviewers "had very favorable things to say" about the department, Peterson said, "but they felt it was spread thin with all the building going on in town."
James Hodge of the building officials group said his research found that Los Altos Hills provided some of the quickest turnaround in plan review. However, it "ranks below the average in time spent in-house in review, and is on the low end of number of plans sent out for review. This indicates a lower than average time spent on plan review.
Hodge's recommendations included allotting more time and resources for training and certification for building department employees. "Los Altos Hills ranked in the lower grouping" in each compensation category, Hodge said. "It would appear that a review of salaries may be warranted."
Council members also approved an updated personnel manual and a revised compensation and classification plan for town employees. According to Peterson, the personnel manual was last updated in 1977. He said it had been 10 years since the last update of the compensation plan.
The town undertook a study of classification and compensation levels in neighboring communities, including Los Altos, Los Gatos, Atherton, Woodside and Menlo Park, to ensure that it remained a competitive employer.
The town is now better prepared for emergencies with council's adoption of an emergency handbook prepared by the Safety Committee. The document includes maps of the town's 35 neighborhoods and a list of neighborhood coordinators and ham radio operators. It also includes a map showing the location of the Alternate Emergency Operations Center, a guide on the emergency generator procedure at Town Hall and the location of emergency supplies.
The next council meeting is scheduled for April 29.