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For the first time in Morgan Hill history, the City Council is expected to adopt a two-year operating and capital budget. The council has until June 30 to adopt the budget, as the next fiscal year begins July 1.The city’s draft budget for for fiscal years 2016-17 and 2017-18, was initially presented to the council at the May 4 meeting. Councilmembers did not discuss the budget after city finance staff presented the highlights, but are likely to reserve their questions and suggestions for an all-day budget workshop scheduled for 9 a.m. May 20 at City Council chambers, 17555 Peak Ave.The city budget as currently proposed is about $126.5 million for 2016-17, and about $125.9 million for 2017-18, according to city staff.The general fund budget—which is financed by sales, property and hotel taxes and pays for basic city services—is proposed at $37.3 million for 2016-17 and $38.7 million for 2017-18. These figures are up from $34.7 million for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.The highest category of expenses in the general fund is public safety, which is typical for Morgan Hill and most cities its size or larger. This category includes police and fire/emergency medical services, and accounts for about 75 percent of general fund expenditures, according to city staff.The general fund budget for 2016-17 also includes the addition of six new full-time staff positions. These are a public safety dispatch supervisor, Land Use Data Administrator, Accounting Manager, Public Works Inspector, Senior Project Manager and a Municipal Services Assistant.Other funds in the operating budget—such as planning and community development—are funded by user fees, permit revenues and other “non-discretionary” sources.While the elected city council has traditionally approved city budgets one year at a time in Morgan Hill, the body earlier this year voted to switch to a biennial budget process that is increasingly common in other cities. Mayor Steve Tate said this transition is easier on city staff, and therefore more efficient. It also makes sense because the city does an annual five-year budget forecast anyway, and this step of the process is often updated at least halfway through each year.“We always find the first couple of years are pretty much right on” in those projections, Tate said. “So you have a good idea how the next year is going to go. Many other cities and companies have gone to two-year budget cycles for that reason.”The two-year budget cycle includes a mid-year evaluation of expenditures and revenues the last quarter of the first year, so that city staff and the council can consider making adjustments to the second year of the biennial spending plan if necessary, according to city staff.In addition to the May 20 budget workshop, the public will have at least two other chances to ask questions and provide input about the tax-funded budget. These include public hearings scheduled for 7 p.m. June 1 and June 15. Both meetings will take place at Council Chambers.

The City of Morgan Hill will hold two public meetings Wednesday, May 11 on downtown parking conditions. The announcement of the meetings follows the recent completion of the 2016 update to the Downtown Parking Resources Strategy, which acts as an assessment of the city’s current and future parking needs.A morning session will take place 8 a.m. May 11 at the Morgan Hill Council Chamber, West Conference Room, 17555 Peak Ave. An evening meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 11 at Morgan Hill City Hall, Grand Conference Room, 17575 Peak Ave. The public is invited to attend both meetings.The city has evaluated existing and future parking needs in downtown Morgan Hill in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008, according to city staff. In 2008, a Downtown Parking Resources Management Strategy was developed in conjunction with the 2009 Downtown Specific Plan.With the city and developers preparing for the redevelopment of several downtown properties and new public park spaces, an update to the parking strategy was completed earlier this year, city staff added.The 2016 downtown parking update, conducted by Hexagon Transportation Consultants, Inc., found that off-street public parking capacity in the downtown core increased from 1,237 parking spaces in 2009 to 1,560 spaces in 2016. These numbers include parking at the Community and Cultural Center.Most of this increase is attributed to the construction of the new 270-space downtown parking garage located between Third and Fourth streets, according to the study.On-street parking declined from 477 spaces in 2009, to 434 spaces in 2016, the study found.The study area is geographically bound by Main Avenue, Depot Street, Dunne Avenue and Del Monte Avenue.  “Overall, the city is well supplied to meet both its existing and future parking demands,” reads Hexagon’s 2016 update in part.The study included the following among its conclusions regarding future downtown parking needs:• The city should seek to create public-private partnerships to open relatively vacant private lots to the public during peak hours;• Increase parking enforcement to ensure public spaces in the downtown area are used by business, park, or commercial patrons;• Valet parking should be administered to better utilize lots further from the downtown center including the VTA/Caltrain lot.

The long awaited new downtown parking garage, which has been under construction since early 2015, is now open to the public.The 3.5-story garage features more than 270 free parking spaces, including a handful of electric vehicle charging stations. Public art is found throughout the building—not just on the outside where Napa artist Gordon Huether’s controversial “Tarantula” and “Poppy Jasper” pieces decorate the structure.The top floor of the garage is reinforced for future community events.The garage is located between Third and Fourth streets, behind Huntington Station, Trail Dust and Toto Trattoria restaurants. The vehicle entrance and exit to the garage is on Fourth Street, and pedestrian access is located on Third Street and a walkway that connects the structure to the nearby restaurant properties.The City Council awarded the construction contract for the parking structure to F & H Construction in 2014 for $8.6 million. The price included the two prominent public art pieces created by Huether. The city purchased the property on which the garage sits for about $2.1 million. Funding for the project came from leftover Redevelopment Agency money that was originally intended for such downtown improvement efforts."F&H Construction has delivered a safe, complete, unique, and quality parking garage to the Morgan Hill community,” City Manager Steve Rymer said. “We are very pleased to present the garage to the our residents, businesses, and visitors.”The project also includes the “Third Street Plaza,” located underneath the sprawling branches of a heritage oak tree behind Huntington Station. The plaza features new walkways, benches, tables, chairs and electrical outlets to facilitate outdoor work stations and entertainment. A wooden deck surrounding the oak tree’s trunk protects the roots and offers more gathering space for visitors and residents, according to city staff.“The opening of the garage is significant to the new redevelopment of downtown that has already begun and the upcoming $50 million of new private investment that will bring exciting restaurants, retail shops, entertainment, housing and a boutique hotel,” Mayor Steve Tate added, referring to other downtown projects under way at former RDA properties, including the Granada Theater, Downtown Mall, Depot Center and the former Simple Beverages property on the corner of Third Street and Monterey Road—just a few yards away from the garage.A community celebration of the garage and other recently completed city-funded downtown projects will be scheduled for the near future, according to city staff.

Jackie Orta closed out her final regular season home game on a high note.

The Morgan Hill City Council appointed Donald Larkin, an 18-year veteran of municipal law, as the new city attorney.The five-member council voted unanimously at their May 4 meeting to appoint Larkin to the position starting on or before July 11. He will replace former City Attorney Renee Gurza, who resigned in November 2015 after about 2.5 years on the job.The city began the recruitment process to fill the city attorney’s position immediately after Gurza’s resignation, with Interim City Attorney Gary Baum filling in until the council settled on a permanent replacement. In November 2015, the city retained Heather Renschler and the firm Ralph Andersen and Associates to conduct the recruitment process that netted Larkin.Larkin has in fact worked in Morgan Hill before, as Acting Deputy City Attorney several years ago. He has also worked for the city attorney’s office in both Santa Clara and Palo Alto, according to a press release from Morgan Hill City Hall. He currently serves as Deputy County Counsel for Santa Clara County, with his primary assignment in the sheriff’s office.He has expertise in municipal law, including writ litigation, land use, environmental law, employee relations, housing, Police, Fire, Public Records Act, and the Brown Act, according to the press release.Larkin told the council May 4 that the appointment is “an ideal position” for him. Not only is he “very dedicated to public service (and) passionate about involvement in the community;” he is also excited to be in Morgan Hill again, he said.“I could not be more thrilled to be back,” Larkin said. “When I left, I said some day I will be back in Morgan Hill.”Numerous candidates applied for the city attorney position, and the council conducted a series of interviews, according to the press release. The leading candidates were also interviewed by top city staff and employees of the city attorney’s office.“Mr. Larkin demonstrated through his interviews and work experience that he will be a valuable member of our team and work collaboratively with the city council to advance our community priorities,” Mayor Steve Tate said. “We are very pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Larkin as our city attorney.”Larkin’s annual salary will be $215,000, according to city staff. Like all other city employees, he will make his employee retirement contribution to CalPERS, as well as half of any increase in the city’s contribution to CalPERS.

Dear Red Phone,The City of Morgan Hill has been telling us how important it is to conserve water during the drought. But why did they just put in a huge lawn at City Hall, and why are they still allowing people to put in new swimming pools?Red Phone response:The new vegetation at City Hall is actually part of a larger project to replace thirstier landscaping with “drought tolerant” plants and groundcovers at city facilities throughout Morgan Hill.And while the City Council did in fact prohibit filling and refilling swimming pools in Morgan Hill in April 2015, when the body declared a “Level 2 water supply shortage” in response to the drought, which is now in its fourth year. However, the council took back this restriction in July after city staff followed up with a report that swimming pools are not a significant water waster. Rather than ban new pools outright, the council adopted a new restriction requiring all new pools to be covered, the idea being they will not lose as much water to evaporation and therefore require frequent topping off.“In the months after these (April 2015) rules were imposed, it became apparent that just prohibiting pool filling with city-delivered potable water wasn't a particularly appropriate restriction as research indicated that a covered pool could actually consume about the same amount of water as a normal lawn,” Morgan Hill Program Administrator Anthony Eulo said.In 2015, the city issued 33 permits for new swimming pools, added Morgan Hill Community Services Coordinator Nichole Martin Parker.Back on the subject of the new landscaping at city properties, the new lawn you refer to at the Civic Center campus—located on Peak Avenue between the council chambers and the Development Services Center—is planted with a groundcover known as Kurapia, Eulo said.“Developed specifically to require less water and maintenance than regular turf, Kurapia will bloom throughout most of the summer and should be able to withstand the light foot traffic it will get in the garden,” Eulo said. “Once established, it also should suppress weeds as it has thick dense growth and should only require mowing once or twice per year.  While it looks like grass currently, particularly from afar, the Kurapia will ultimately grow up a bit and ultimately look more like a ground cover in the future.”City crews will water the new lawn by hand for the first weeks, and then rely on an installed drip irrigation system, Eulo added.In addition to the Morgan Hill Civic Center, the city has expanded its network of “water conservation demonstration gardens” to the Police Department, the Dunne-Hill Fire Station, the Community and Cultural Center and the Morgan Hill Dennis Kennedy Aquatics Center.

Stolen vehicleA thief or thieves stole a 1998 Lincoln Mark VII from the Walmart parking lot, 170 Cochrane Plaza. The victim told police the keys were left in the vehicle. The theft was reported 1:36 p.m. April 26.Auto burglaryThree men in their early 30s tried to break into a vehicle on the 1400 block of La Crosse Drive. A resident of the area saw the attempt and yelled at the suspects, who fled the area in a black Chevrolet Suburban. The incident was reported 2:23 p.m. April 26.Someone broke into a Ford Ranger on the 800 block of Diana Avenue and stole tools and a painter’s face mask. The incident was reported 7:37 a.m. April 20.Petty theftSomeone stole a laptop computer from Sobrato High School, 401 Burnett Ave. The crime was reported 4:22 p.m. April 26.A male suspect stole electronics items from Rite-Aid, 16000 Monterey Road. The crime was reported 11:16 a.m. April 21.A thief or thieves stole 18 bottles of spray paint from Johnson’s Lumber Ace Hardware. The crime was reported 2:51 p.m. April 21.BatteryAn occupant of a moving truck threw objects at a bicyclist while the two vehicles were traveling in the area of Condit Road and Main Avenue. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported 7:29 p.m. April 20.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

To call Enrique Martinez a tough guy is an understatement. Few have climbed from where he once was—the barrios of Mexico City, where he was literally a homeless street urchin—to a bright, comfortable, RE/MAX Realty Partners office in Morgan Hill, where he now enjoys a successful real estate career.