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".
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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
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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.
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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
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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,
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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.
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