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03-03-1958 - Regular Meeting - MinutesMINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA March 3, 1958 The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem Mottinger at 7:10 P.M. in the West Covina, City Hall. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Pro Tem Mottinger, Councilmen Barnes,. Brown, Pittenger Absent: Mayor Kay Others Present: City Clerk, Acting City Manager • Mayor Kay entered the Council Chambers at 7:14 P.M. and took over the Chair. PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR'S REPORTS The Director presented members of Council with organization • charts of all of City's functions at the present time, for their files. The Director presented members of Council with a report prepared by the City Engineer on street projects completed from July, S1952 to March, 1958. The total cost of these projects was shown in the amount of $489,923.71 and gives representation of the work done during the past 5-1/2 years on various projects. DISTRICT WIDE The Director presented and read STORM DRAIN DEFICIENCY SURVEY a communication from the Los TRANSMITTAL OF REPORT Angeles County Flood Control District, dated February 27, 1958 which stated as follows: "In compliance with instructions of the Board of Supervisors, transmitted herewith is a copy of the Storm Drain Deficiency Report submitted by this office to the Board of Supervisors on February 25, 1958. The Board of Supervisors has also taken action to initiate the preparation of a storm drain bond issue report by this District on the basis outlined under program "C". -1- Adj. C.C. 3-3-58 Page two • DIRECTOR'S REPORTS - continued We will submit further details to you shortly as to the procedure to be used in preparing this report and will request your recom- mendation as to which of the projects submitted by your City should be included in this program." Director: The report consists of three (3) possible studies .and they have recommended "C", the total cost being $216,743,000. West Covina receives, based on percentage of population and percentage of assessed valuation, 0.74 or $1,110,000. of con- struction funds available. We have not had time to check this over in detail, However, we -figure we should receive more inasmuch as we are known as a critical area. In the first conference on this matter it was set forth that percentages would be based on population and assessed valuation, but there was another intangible item which was based on critical area need. Motion by Councilman Pittenger, seconded by Councilman Brown and carried that this matter be referred to the Director of Public Works for study. GENERAL MATTERS Result of study of material requested by Council in order to make final decision regarding application of West Covina Taxi Company for business license. Mayor Kay: It is the consensus that since -there has not been sufficient time to study the report regarding this matter, and this is the first meeting since the report was presented, that it be held over.until next Monday evening for the regular meeting of Council. FINAL REPORT COUNTY Mayor Kay: Are there any com- FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES ments of Council regarding the receiving of the final report regarding fire protection services from the County? Councilman Brown: The Fire Department Report indicates it will cost us City) twenty-one cents (.21) more to take County Fire Department services and they anticipate the construc- tion of two fire stations, which will be built out of monies of West Covina, but -2- z Adj. C.C. 3-3-58 Page three . FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES - continued the stations will be outside the City of West Covina. I do not see where using their services would lower the insurance rate in the City, and as to the'Class' in our City we have dropped from Class 7 to Class 5. Councilman Pittenger: If we went into the district we would be expected to furnish the equipment which they would take in lieu of support of that fire district. Yet if we ever went out of the district we would get nothing bask. They are picking up quite a bit of equipment practically free. Even if the 'rig' was the same, unless we tied in with, them in- definitely and take our chances, I can't see where we Nva old come out better on it at all. Councilman Mottinger: I would like to acknowledge the fact that the County has in their consoli- dated fire district, 97 stations, 114 engine companies and so on down the line, which is quite a substantial amount of strength. However, there Is one thing that we have already started, and maybe we • can continue in the future, and that is the cooperation of neighboring cities regarding fire protection. We agreed to support them in emergency situations and they the same with us, so we are not by ourselves in fire protection. Furthermore, the County report has stated, in writijag, that for an average home of $)<6,000 it is going to. cost titer- home owners $12.00 more per year for such service. • I would like to make my own personal observation in that if my home were not on the side of the street that it is, my fire insurance would cost almost double. I save 55% by being in the City of West Covina as against across the street from my home, which is in the County, .and that is without benefit of recent Board changes. Also there is the difference of twenty-one cents (.21) in the two rates which would pay for a lot of capital improvements for our City if we wanted to go ahead with the additional expense. I think that with every due consideration in the interests of economy of the City and its citizens I would retain our Fire Department as it stands and reject the consolidated fire district of the County. Councilman Pittenger: The twenty-one cents (.21) difference in rate would bring in $1.06,000 more a year and that is $35,000 or $45,000 more than the cost of the two (fire) stations they propose. -3- a Adj . C.C. 3-3-55 Page four COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION - continued Mayor Kaye The raising of taxes for fire protection twenty- one cents (.21) per hundred would produce over $100,000 a year and since it would be a lease purchase over a 10 year period if we raised our rate to the rate of the County, and this is not a recommendation to do so, it is just to point out we could raise over a million dollars. With the Class 5 we now have in the City it was very noticeable that the County did not propose they could drop our fire rating and fire protection to our citizens is based on the National Fire Board Ratings. I would personally concur with statements of members of Council. • Motion by Councilman Brown_, seconded by Councilman Mottinger that the Los Angeles.Fire Department District be notified that the City of West Covina does not wish to negotiate a contract with them at this time. Motion passed on roll call as follows: Ayes: Councilmen Noes: None • Absent: None FINAL REPORT COUNTY POLICE DEFT. SERVICES Barnes, Brown, Mottinger, Pittenger, Mayor Kay Councilman Barnes: In answer to the four questions, the only thing I could see: was extra monies added for certain other services which were not covered by the $74, 000 per car per unit around the clock. 1 do not think I would want to go into County Police se"i.ces at this time. Councilman Brown: The first report presented showed they could give us the same protection we were getting for $30,000 less, but' in this new report that has come in they come up with bookkeep- ing, desks, etc., and you find that in the fina.l.a.nalysi.s when breaking it all down, it will cost us more for less protection than we are now getting. Although it is not mentioned specifically there has been the issue regarding money involved from Fine and Forfeitures --- whether they keep it or whether we get it back. It would cost us $105,000 or more.a year under those considerations, if we take on their services. Councilman Mottinger: In the original report it was indicated • this matter would more or less break even according to the Sheriff's Depart- ment analysis. However, in the -4- Adj. C.C. 3-3-58 Page five • supplementary report before us we still would have to share in facility expenses and as pointed out it is evident, because of the avoidance of the issue, we will be losing Fines and For- feitures making it a losing proposition financially for the City. There is another important factor in that our own Police; Department can give a more personalized service. People in the community recognize our police as individuals, a great many of them live in the City and, of course, work here day after day which cannot be assured under -the Sheriff's Dept. services. I see no advantage financially, or otherwise, to jo:¢,r the Sheriff's Department. Councilman Pittenger: I would concur with the statements is already presented. I notice one phrase which constantly recurs, "no services shall be performed unless the City has available funds to cower the cost" but just how soon that we might get those ser f,ces they are taUd.ng of is a question. We might get them with our own Police Department. The Fines and Forfeitures matter is something to ccnsider. • I would be against going in at this time. Mayor Kay: I would concur with the statements made by Council, also. If you count up the number of men they would supply for our City, as against what we already have, you would find that we have • ten (10) more men on our payroll than the.County would propose to give us. I do not think we would even get the level of service from the County that we presently have in the City. Councilman Barnes: There is to be a, Fire and Police Sub -Com- mittee meeting this Thursday night to go over what we have received back, but plans were that if some indications were not received by March 1, we would go ahead with it. Councilman Mottinger: I think it is in order, since this matter was brought up, that the Police and Fire Sub -Committee was organized to study capital improvements and the Chairman of that committee acknowledged that fact. They were interested in this as citizens but the committee was not directed to study County Services • Program, -5- Adj. C.C. 3-3-58 Page six • Councilman Brown: I think the Committee got started on this particular phase due to the fact that it seemed that the total cost to the City would be Fines and Forfeitures money only and since that time the County has not found it equitable. I think the League of California Cities is looking into just such matter, and that there might be a possibility that if we took on such services it might.be ruled unconstitutional. Motion by Councilman Barnes, seconded by Councilman Brown that the Los Angeles County Police Services are not to be accepted at this time for the City of West Covina. Motion passed on roll call as follows: Ayes: Councilmen Barnes, Brown, Mottinger, Pittenger, Mayor Kay Noes: None 40 Absent: None RETIREMENT PROGRAM Mayor Kay: Regarding the retirement program for City Employees, I wish to report that I had a conference with the Ron Stevers Company who are running an actuarial Friday and I will meet with them at that time. • The initial studies indicate that it will be possible for a private plan to compete, both financially and as to benefits, with the State Plane They will explain their proposal in further detail when I meet with them. • Councilman Pittenger: Councilman Brown,`Mr. Johnson and my- self met with Mr. Erwin and discussed some of the matters that would be of interest to our community, particularly the Badillo Storm Drain, County participation in Walnut Creek Wash bridges and other matters that should be partially supported by the County within the City Limits. Councilman Brown- Assemblyman Erwin is going to set up a meeting with the State Highway Com- mission to enable us to go over the matter of some of the interchanges in the City again. Possibly it will be set up for sometime this month. • There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 P.M. -6-