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Overview of City Council Meeting 4/18/06

The agenda is available on the City’s website.

In an unscheduled shake-up, the new City Council was sworn in. Read more detail here on inSierraMadre.com. The new Council selected John Buchanan as the presiding officer, and the Council moved ahead with its scheduled business.

Council reorganization will take place on May 2, when the Council will select a new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem.

Public Address item:
Michael Amezcua spoke during public address and asked for Council to reconsider speed bumps on Mariposa and Hermosa near Memorial Park.

Amezcua explained that his six-year-old son was hit by a car recently as the family was leaving the park. Council agreed to add the matter to the agenda for its next regular business meeting on May 9.

[Amezcua has posted an article on inSierraMadre.com asking for the city’s support to get speed bumps on streets near the park. Please read his post for a more thorough explanation in his own words.]

Consent Calendar items:
a.) In a 3-2 vote, Council agreed to approve a connection and exchange agreement that would allow — for true emergency purposes only — a hookup with the Metropolitan Water District pipeline running under Grand View.

A member of the public expressed a concern that this agreement could pave the way for water being used to further development interests. Bruce Inman, director of public works, said that this water would not be for development but would rather ensure “redundancy” in our overall water plan.

Several people, including Batallion Chief Michael Bamberger, spoke about possible water shortages during fire or earthquake emergencies. Inman and others reminded the Council and the public of how Sierra Madre had to tap into Arcadia water last year when a well was taken offline because of contamination. The arrangement stressed Arcadia’s resources, creating concerns that Sierra Madre could be left high and dry, so to speak, if there were ever a more pressing emergency.

[New City Council Member Joe Mosca posted an article — MWD Connection: What does it mean for the City? — on inSierraMadre.com about the emergency connection the Council just approved with the Metropolitan Water District. Please read Mosca’s article for more detail about the agreement.]

f.) After discussion, the recommendation to approve the amended City Manager’s contract was tabled until the next regular business meeting on May 9th because the newly sworn-in Council Members did not feel prepared to vote on the issue.

The amended contract is not an overall salary increase. Rather, it would provide, according to the agenda, “additional severance and an increase in deferred compensation of $200 per month” in the event that the City Manager were to be released from his job without a specific cause. John Buchanan explained that this is a typical clause in City Manager contracts because City Managers do not have union protections against being fired without cause.

Public Hearing — Hillside Management Zone for Dimension Lot
In a 3-2 vote, the City Council approved the recommendation to initiate legislation regarding minimum lot sizes and lot dimensions for new subdivisions in the HMZ. City Attorney Michael Colantuono assured Council Members that they were not actually making any specific decisions about lot sizes but were rather initiating a lengthy process with “many public hearings.”

Currently, R1 zoning laws apply to the HMZ. By voting to initiate the lot sizing process, it means that any new applications will come under the new laws once they are set.

Discussion — Sierra Madre Fire Department Occupational Health and Wellness Program
The City Council unanimously approved a proposal from Proactive Care Partners to supply an Occupational Health and Wellness Program for the Sierra Madre Volunteer Fire Department.

Currently the volunteers have to go to Irwindale to comply with various testing requirements, and this is a time burden. By accepting the proposal from Proactive, the fire fighters will be able to access services right here in Sierra Madre.

Discussion — AED Program
The City Council unanimously approved a proposal for a public access program for Automated External Defibrillators. [See this Wikipedia entry for an overview of AEDs.]

Currently, just the Fire Department and the aquatic staff have access and training in the use of the AEDs. With the public access program, all city staff would be trained in their use, and there would be more AEDs available throughout the city and in each police car. Members of the Council and the public had suggestions for additional locations, such as the Elementary School.