pages: CityCouncil/2021-03-30.pdf, 13
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CityCouncil | 2021-03-30 | 13 | waiting a long time. Councilmember Herrera Spencer stated that she is not looking to send an e-mail; she would like to have a substantive discussion on the merits when staff returns and allow for public and Council interaction; she understands staff does not have the information at this time. Vice Mayor Vella requested clarification from staff; expressed concern about the associated costs and implementation timeline; the budget is upcoming; she is concerned about voting one-offs, which could prove costly outside of the budget. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft questioned whether Vice Mayor Vella would prefer to have a motion include a referral to the budget for consideration. Vice Mayor Vella responded in the affirmative; stated the matter could be part of the budget considerations. Councilmember Knox White noted that he and the Information Technologies Director had previously met with the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) and Common Networks to determine a process; stated the process is significantly less easy than initially contemplated; expressed concern about turning Council Referrals into calls for staff reports where staff is present at meetings; Council Referrals are a time for Council to discuss whether staff resources are to be used; a presentation has been made on the Smart Cities Program; he will not be supporting the motion, not because the matter is not useful; the City has a lot of work underway and what is currently being done is easily answered by e-mail. The Information Technology Director stated staff went to Council last December to move forward with the Smart City Master Plan, which includes a Communications Master Plan, with the idea that consultants will work together with internal departments and focus groups throughout the community; staff launched the project in December and has met with Alameda County (AC) Transit, Alameda business districts, AUSD, College of Alameda and many other focus groups; staff has determined the need to target specific areas of the City to provide Smart City solutions, including public WiFi; staff is hoping to bring the matter to Council in May. Councilmember Daysog stated Councilmember Herrera Spencer is noting a specific problem and wants to stand on behalf of constituents that are often left out of the equation; a lens is being brought to the topic that is worthy of having; expressed support for the lens of equity; stated it is nice to hear about the areas considered; public WiFi should be mindful of serving often forgotten constituents; the matter would be a missed opportunity and Council should not lose the special communities in the shuffle of the communication strategy. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated everything done by the City is done looking through a lens of equity; the Information Technologies Director has done many things to help families in the School District; noted focus groups are being included as part of the discussion. Councilmember Herrera Spencer stated it has been over a year that people have been excluded from any means of communicating via online access; expressed support for the Continued March 16, 2021 Regular Meeting Alameda City Council 13 March 30, 2021 | CityCouncil/2021-03-30.pdf |