City Council gets a "Do Over"

City Council Agenda, May 5th, 2009

Well if the Council agenda looked familar at the May 5th meeting... it was. The coucil did not complete any of the public hearing items at the April 21st council meeting and defered the work load to the May 5th meeting.

Special Presentations:
Poppy Days, May 10th - 16th
Foster Care Month, May
Building Safety Week, May 4th - 10th
Officer Clyde Daniels, 5 years service
Fire engineer Butch Roberson, 20 years service

Item 8F1; adopted resolution to clear weeds, rubbish and refuse accumuations before the fire season begins.

10A & 10B; Approved Preston and Abrams annual budget. Increasing rents of occupied units by 3.3% and increasing unoccupied units by 4.7%.
There was alot of good debate on this item with some residence of the Preston and Abrams area concerned about rent increases. With the economy in poor condition this is the worst time to raise rents for families. However, the City policy and budget require that the Market rate units stay market rate and not under cut the rentals in Marina proper. Our police and fire departments were split at a heavy cost to the city and this was dependent on the Preston and Abrams units proving additional funding for fire personell and equipment. The City is also planning on building a new fire house on the Ord property. City staff levels are already cut back to 70% and this level cannot be maintained much less cut even lower.
Councilman McCall also asked that Alliance Staff also bring back a 5 year Capital Improvement list also listing major improvements to units, and a spread sheet listing all the different units and pricing levels with any rent increases over the next 5 years.

10C; Approved sale of 14 perc ponds to the Marina Redevelopment Commission for use as affordable or below market rate housing. This sale will allow transfer of sale revenues to the general fund. Which will help during these lean years.

10D; Council recieved mid year report for the Redevlopment Commission.

10E; Approved rental property service for Marina Airport.

10F; Voted to agendize for a future agenda, an audit for the hotel taxes paid to the City. Although councilmembers Ford and McCall objected to the cost of 15 thousand dollars to perform the audit on the 9 or 10 hotels in Marina which may only yield a few hundred dollars in unpaid taxes. Councilman McCall asked that a future item "TOT tax ballot measure" be brought back to the city council. McCall argued that the money spent on a ballot measure may yield an additional 2% tax increase which will add 200 thousand dollars to the city.

Meeting adjourned right at 10:30pm.