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MOTION: It was m/s by Brown/Narum to accept Alternative 3. <br /> Councilmember Cook-Kallio said she didn't mind a certain level of flexibility, though she felt that all <br /> funding for affordable housing should go into the LIHF. She reported that as part of their work on the <br /> Pleasanton Unified School District Liaison Committee, they regularly hear about the lack of equity in <br /> education across the city's demographics. The district has come to them a number of times requesting <br /> funding support, which likely totals several hundred thousand dollars, to provide services that would fill <br /> these gaps. She stressed that she would like to dedicate funds to an education-based need while she <br /> still serves on the Council and asked that any support of Alternative 2 or 3 include a requirement that <br /> some funds be earmarked for the kinds of needs and services identified by the school district. <br /> Mayor Thorne pointed out that Alternative 3 would allow the Council to use the funds for any purpose it <br /> feels appropriate, including services identified by the school district, and said he would prefer to see all <br /> options before making any decisions. <br /> Councilmember Brown concurred and said she had no interest in earmarking funds for a specific use at <br /> this time. She said the city has a number of priorities, including a library that could help to meet some of <br /> these needs, and that she would like to have that discussion before making any firm commitments. <br /> Councilmember Narum said she appreciated Councilmember Cook-Kallio's intent and asked if the <br /> funds could be used to support services as opposed to housing. <br /> Mr. Fialho confirmed, provided that criteria are developed for the type of programming described. He <br /> also noted that this is one-time contribution by the developer and cautioned the Council to be mindful of <br /> how the funds would be utilized on an ongoing basis. <br /> Councilmember Cook-Kallio said she did not believe that the funding required to support the types of <br /> programs she described would be significant, yet it would provide an immediate benefit to a broad <br /> group of the community's youth. She agreed that a new library is also a very real need, but thought the <br /> potential benefits would be a long time coming and not fully address the education gaps that occur in <br /> small pockets across the city. <br /> Vice-Chair Pentin said he could not support the outstanding motion and offered a friendly amendment <br /> to accept Alternative 3 but direct half of the $4.5 million fee to the LIHF and half to a fund to be <br /> determined at a later date. <br /> Councilmember Brown rejected the amendment. She noted that outside of this development, the city <br /> actually has 261 other BMR units that will be coming on line at some point in the future. She agreed <br /> that the negotiated fee is a bit of a windfall for the city that could ultimately be used for affordable <br /> housing, but said again that she would like to make that determination at a later date. <br /> Councilmember Narum said she supported acceptance of the fee largely because she wanted to <br /> ensure that the city has enough of a cushion to support some of the programs described in the recent <br /> Housing Element Update. She agreed with Councilmember Cook-Kallio that a relatively small amount <br /> of money could have a fairly significant impact on a large number of students. However, in fairness to <br /> the rest of the Council she acknowledged that they perhaps lack the benefit of the discussions that <br /> have occurred at the liaison committee. She suggested that they encourage the school district to <br /> prepare a proposal or at least identify what an effective amount of funding would be. <br /> Councilmember Cook-Kallio reiterated her concerns that under Alternative 3, the money may very well <br /> not be used to support affordable housing issues. <br /> City Council Minutes Page 9 of 12 September 16,2014 <br />