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Council Member Howard described the issue as a Hobson's choice, where there is an apparent freedom of choice but in reality there is no choice. She further explained that had the City not raised the levees it could have put the residents of Redwood Shores in jeopardy of flooding and if the levees had not been raised, the City would have required every household in Redwood Shores to purchase flood control insurance at a cost of $1 ,000.00 a year. In order to raise the levees, the City was then obligated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to gate and restrict 1.9 miles of the levees due to the endangered species that reside there. City Council and staff have fought for years on the requirement and Council Member Jordan and Mayor Ruskin have worked diligently in the last 1-112 years to negotiate with these agencies. She stated she took greater exception to those who have stated that enough has not been done because numerous alternatives have been presented and none accepted. She expressed dissappointment with the leadership in Redwood Shores due to many inaccurate and divisive communications to people. She stated it is important to understand that all share the same goal, to keep the levees open to the public and protect the endangered species. A vote not to build the gates would be irresponsible and could risk tax dollars up to $25,000.00 per day. She stated the Council wants to continue to work with the people of Redwood Shores and lobby the Federal officials who do have the power to open the gates. Council Member Ira stated that the Audobon Society has no desire to negotiate with the City so everything done in good faith by the City has been unsuccessful. u.s. Fish and Wildlife has not been the most cooperative and are under political pressure as well. He stated the need to write letters as mentioned previously as well as at the State level and that much hinges on the upcoming meeting with Congressman Lantos. Council Member Pierce encouraged everyone to remember that tonight is not the only time we will be facing U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the Audubon Society and the Corps of Engineers because we are a bayfront community and need to mitigate for development and roads and we need to find ways to work with the various groups. She stated there were potential ideas and supported moving forward with doing the best we can for our residents, but also find a way to meet the needs of these other groups. Public Comment: Terry Anderlini, President of the Redwood Shores Homeowners Association, acknowledged the group in the audience who had marched on the levee the previous Sunday. Mr. Anderlini stated his opinion was that the Council should delay action on the issue until the meeting with Congressman Lantos on next Saturday. He urged the Council to not spend the money to build the fence. Patricia Dixon stated that when development occurred in the Redwood Shores, the Clapper Rrail and mouse left. She expressed strong resentment toward the spending of GID monies being spent on this issue without her knowledge. She stated she felt very strongly the Council owed time to meet with Congressman Lantos before making a decision. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 24, 2000 PAGE 6 .__. r