[00:00:03] >> PRESENT. [CALL TO ORDER] >> PRESENT. >> PRESENT. >> CITY COUNCIL WILL MEET IN CLOSED SESSION FOR THE FOLLOWING. CITY ATTORNEY, HALL BARLOW, [CLOSED SESSION TOPICS ] PLEASE READ THE CLOSED SESSION ITEMS FOR THE RECORD AND LET US KNOW IF THERE WILL BE ANY REPORT OUT AFTERWARDS. >> YES, SIR. WE HAVE A CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS, PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54957.6 NEGOTIATORS, RATHER, CITY MANAGER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, AND CITY ATTORNEY, EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATIONS, LA VERNE CITY EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION, LA VERNE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, LA VERNE POLICE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, LA VERNE POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, LA VERNE FIRE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, AND ALL UNREPRESENTED EMPLOYEES. WE HAVE CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EXISTING LITIGATION, PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54956.9 D1, TWO CASES, THREE CASES, ACTUALLY. GONZALEZ VERSUS CITY OF LA VERNE, LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT, 24STCV34625, NATIONAL OPIOID SETTLEMENT, PURDUE PHARMA, LP, US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO, MDL NUMBER 20804, AND NATIONAL OPIOID SETTLEMENT: ALVOGEN, AMNEAL, APOTEX, HIKMA, INDIVIOR, MYLAN, SUN, ZYDUS US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO, MDL NUMBER 2804. I DO NOT EXPECT ANY REPORTING ANSWER. >> THANK YOU, ATTORNEY BARLOW. COUNSEL, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS? THAT WOULD BE NO. WE'RE GOING TO OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENTS. ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME WE'LL RECESS AT 5:31 P.M. AND RECONVENE AT 6:30 P.M. AT OUR REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING. ADJOURNED. RECESS. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. [REGULAR AND JOINT PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY MEETING AT 6:30 PM] GIRLS, GOOD EVENING. >> GOOD EVENING. >> THAT'S THE ONES WE CARE ABOUT. OKAY. WAIT, ONE MORE TIME. GOOD EVENING, U10 GIRLS. A SUCCESSFUL TEAM. >> GOOD EVENING. >> OKAY, THAT'S BETTER. WELCOME, EVERYBODY. WE'RE REALLY GLAD TO SEE THE GIRLS HERE AND ALL THE PARENTS. WHAT A WONDERFUL NIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 6:31 P.M. AUGUST 4TH. I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT FOR THE CITY'S RULES OF DECORUM, ALL SPEAKERS, MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES WITH DECORUM AND NOT TO ENGAGE IN CONDUCT THAT INTERRUPTS THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. ALSO, PUBLIC COMMENTS THROUGH ZOOM MAY BE ACCEPTED FOR THE AGENDA ITEMS LISTED WITHIN THE CONSENT CALENDAR, PUBLIC HEARING AND DISCUSSION CALENDAR SECTIONS OF THE AGENDA. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE MEETING BY THOSE PHYSICALLY IN ATTENDANCE AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. WE ALSO HAD A CLOSED SESSION. ATTORNEY BARLOW, DO WE HAVE ANYTHING TO REPORT OUT? >> THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THERE WERE TWO ITEMS OF EXISTING LITIGATION, WHICH WERE INCLUDED ON OUR AGENDA RELATING TO NATIONAL OPIOID SETTLEMENTS. ONE IS FOR PURDUE PHARMA, AND ONE IS FOR EIGHT OTHER MANUFACTURERS, ALVOGEN, AMNEAL, APOTEX, HIKMA, INDIVIOR, MYLAN, SUN AND ZYDUS. THOSE CASES HAVE COME TO A SETTLEMENT, AND ANY JURISDICTION WHICH WISHES TO PARTICIPATE IS REQUIRED TO OPT IN AFFIRMATIVELY, AND SO ON MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER LAU, THE COUNCIL APPROVED THE CITY'S PARTICIPATION IN THOSE SETTLEMENTS ON A FIVE TO ZERO VOTE. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. >> THANK YOU, ATTORNEY BARLOW. TONIGHT, WE'RE VERY PLEASED TO HAVE LIFE SCOUTS, SEBASTIAN PERLA FROM BOY SCOUT TROOP 411 TO CONDUCT THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. MR. PERLA, PLEASE COME FORWARD. >> FIRST RESPONDERS, CAN YOU PLEASE RENDER A SALUTE? ALL OTHERS, PLEASE PLACE YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART AND JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. >> MR. PERLA IF YOU COULD PLEASE STAY THERE FOR A SECOND. SEBASTIAN, NICE TO MEET YOU, SEBASTIAN. THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT HERE TODAY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING YOUR TIME TO COME HERE AND START OUR AMAZING CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE THAT WE HAVE OUR CITIZENS HERE IN LA VERNE, [00:05:02] AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING NOW FOR A YEAR HAD THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOME AMAZING CITIZENS LIKE YOURSELF. PLEASE, WE'D LOVE TO KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT YOU. I SEE THE PATCHES ON HERE. SORRY, I'M NOT AS EDUCATED TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THAT, BUT SOME OF THE FOLKS HERE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AND LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND ABOUT THE COMMUNITY YOU SERVE. >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I AM A BOY SCOUT IN TROOP 411. WE DO THE 4TH OF JULY PANCAKE BREAKFAST EVERY YEAR, WHICH I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT. WE ALSO DELIVER WATER DURING THE FIREWORK SHOW. WE GO CAMPING ON A MONTHLY BASIS, HOLD MEETINGS EVERY MONDAY. I'M ALSO A PART OF THE AREA COUNCIL, THE TAKUT LODGE, THAT IS A SELECT FEW BOY SCOUTS GET INDUCTED INTO THAT EVERY YEAR, AND I AM AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THAT. THAT'S WHAT THIS PATCH IS FOR. I ALSO RUN TRACK AT BONITA HIGH SCHOOL, AND I'M GOING INTO MY SENIOR YEAR. [APPLAUSE] >> BONITA, MY ALMA MATER. GOD BLESS IT. NOW, A QUESTION FOR YOU: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AFTER SENIOR? >> I'M HOPING TO [INAUDIBLE] MY TRACK AND FIELD JOURNEY. >> AWESOME. [APPLAUSE] THAT'S GREAT. I LOVE THESE STORIES. I LOVE THE STORY. YOU'RE SKINNY TOO, SO IT'S GOOD. I GOT TO MAINTAIN THAT. KEEP IT UP. THE CITY OF LA VERNE, CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION PRESENTED TO SEBASTIAN PERLA. THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED ON BEHALF OF THE LA VERNE CITY COUNCIL TO LIFE SCOUT SEBASTIAN PERLA, OF BOY SCOUT TROOP 411 WITH SINCERE GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION FOR YOUR DEDICATED SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. GOD BLESS YOU. [APPLAUSE] GOOD JOB. [APPLAUSE]. >> READ IT HERE, AND THEN WE'LL GO DOWN. >> MR. DOMER, ROLL-CALL, PLEASE. >> THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY. >> HERE. >> COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNSON. >> PRESENT. >> COUNCILMEMBER LAU. >> PRESENT. >> MAYOR PRO-TEM KASHIFALGHITA. >> HERE. >> MAYOR HEPBURN. >> HERE. >> ALL PRESENT, SIR. >> OKAY. PRESENTATION TONIGHT. [PRESENTATIONS] MOVING ON TONIGHT, WE WILL RECOGNIZE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE LA VERNE U10 GIRLS SOFTBALL ALL-STAR TEAM. ROUND OF APPLAUSE. [APPLAUSE] WE DO HIM. WE'LL DO HIM NOW. WE'RE GOING TO DO. HOLD ON TO THAT APPLAUSE. OUR CONGRESSMAN, MR. GIL CISNEROS JUST SHOWED UP. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL PRESENTATION FROM CONGRESSMAN GIL CISNEROS, AND HE'S HERE TO PRESENT AN AWARD AND WITHOUT TAKING ANYTHING FROM THE CONGRESSMAN ABOUT THE AWARD AND HIS RECIPIENT, MR. CISNEROS, WOULD YOU PLEASE COME FORWARD TO MAKE YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT. YOU HAVE PERFECT TIMING, SIR. >> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. GOOD EVENING THE CITY COUNCIL, MR. MAYOR, AND ALL OF YOU. THANKS FOR GIVING ME A FEW MINUTES HERE TODAY TO PRESENT AN AWARD. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. >> THIS IS OUR WONDERFUL CONGRESSMAN, GIL CISNEROS. [APPLAUSE] >> I AM GIL CISNEROS AND I'M VERY HAPPY TO REPRESENT ALL OF YOU HERE IN THE 31ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. IT DEFINITELY IS MY HONOR TO DO THAT. BUT TODAY, I HAVE THE HONOR OF PRESENTING AN AWARD TO A MEMBER OF THE LA VERNE CITY COUNCIL. I'M A MEMBER OF MANY CAUCUSES IN CONGRESS. THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS, I THINK THE BASEBALL CAUCUS, THE HISPANIC CAUCUS, ASIA PACIFIC ISLANDER CAUCUS. BUT ONE OF THE CAUCUSES I'M VERY PROUD TO BE A PART OF IS THE DAD'S CAUCUS, WHICH IS A GROUP OF CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS WHO ALSO HAPPEN TO BE FATHERS, WHERE WE ADVOCATE REALLY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. WE JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, INTRODUCED A SERIES OF BILLS THAT ARE WORKING TO GIVE SOME TARIFF RELIEF TO A LOT OF [00:10:02] THE SAFETY EQUIPMENT THAT FAMILIES DEPEND ON WHEN THEY'RE HAVING NEW CHILDREN, EVERYTHING FROM HIGH CHAIRS, THE CRIBS, THE BABY SEATS. A LOT OF THAT, THOSE GOODS ARE IMPORTED FROM OVERSEAS INTO OUR COUNTRY. I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHO HAVE CHILDREN AND HOW EXPENSIVE THEY CAN BE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE STARTING OUT, YOU GOT TO GET ALL THAT NEW EQUIPMENT. >> WHAT ABOUT GRANDCHILDREN? PLEASE. >> THOSE TOO, YEAH. I'M NOT AT THAT PART, YET. >> NO, YOU'RE NOT. ONE DAY YOU WILL BE, HOPEFULLY. >> BUT WE ALL KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE CHILDREN COULD BE, AND SO WE ADVOCATE DEFINITELY FOR TRYING TO KEEP THE COST DOWN AND TO PROVIDE FAMILIES RELIEF AROUND TAX CREDITS AND DIFFERENT THINGS TO HELP THEM OUT. BUT WE DO GIVE AN AWARD AS WELL. WE HAD A SERIES OF AWARDS AROUND FATHER'S DAY. ONE OF YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, OUR MAYOR PRO-TEM MESHAL KASHIFALGHITA. I'VE BUTCHERED IT, I'M SURE. >> THAT'S WHY WE CALL HIM KASH. >> THAT'S WHY WE CALL HIM KASH. YEAH. KASH IS A FAMILY MAN, A FATHER, HE'S ALSO A LIEUTENANT COLONEL IN THE ARMY RESERVES. HE WORKS IN THE PROBATIONARY WORLD THERE TRYING TO HELP THOSE GET BACK ON TRACK WITH THEIR LIVES WHO MAY HAVE FALLEN OFF WITH SOME MISSTEPS. HE IS A DEDICATED INDIVIDUAL, AND EVEN DESPITE THAT, TOO, HE FINDS TIME TO SERVE HERE ON THE CITY COUNCIL IN LA VERNE. WE NOMINATED YOU FOR THIS AWARD. YOU WERE SELECTED AND YOU WON. >> THANK YOU. >> IT IS MY HONOR. YOU WERE NOT THERE, YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT OUT AROUND FATHER'S DAY, I UNDERSTAND YOU, BECAUSE YOU HAD TO BE HERE WITH YOUR FAMILY. BUT I ACCEPTED THE AWARD ON YOUR BEHALF. IT IS A LONG TIME OVERDUE, AND I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO GO INTO THE STORIES OF WHERE THIS AWARD WENT AND THE DIFFERENT HOW IT GOT LOST IN THE MAIL AND EVERYTHING, BUT EVENTUALLY WE GOT IT HERE. IT IS LONG OVERDUE TO GIVE IT TO YOU, BUT I WANTED TO BE HERE TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT IT TO YOU IN PERSON. >> THANK YOU. >> WITH THAT, IF YOU WANT TO COME ON DOWN. THERE YOU GO. [APPLAUSE]. >> THANK YOU. >> YOU'RE A DAD AMBASSADOR. >> AWESOME. >> MY HONOR TO GIVE THAT TO YOU AND A GREAT HONOR TO NOMINATE YOU AS WELL AND WELL DESERVED. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND DESPITE ALL THAT, YOU STILL FIND TIME TO BE A GREAT DAD AS WELL, SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT. >> THANK YOU, CONGRESSMAN. APPRECIATE IT. [APPLAUSE] ONE THING ALSO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR GOOD CONGRESSMAN, HE'S A VETERAN. UNITED STATES NAVY SERVED. THAT'S RIGHT, YOU GOT ANOTHER NAVY VETERAN RIGHT THERE. WE FINALLY GOT SOMEBODY. THANK YOU, CONGRESSMAN. I APPRECIATE IT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DO JUST LOCALLY FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS I AM A VETERAN, I STILL SERVE. I ENCOURAGE THOSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THAT JOURNEY TO SERVE IN OUR GREAT NATION. I HAVE A GREAT HONOR OF GOING OUT TO THE SCHOOLS AND TALKING TO THE KIDS IN VARIOUS HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT AND GIVE THEM THE GUIDANCE THAT THEY NEED. WE'LL BE HOSTING AN EVENT COMING UP SOON A FEW MONTHS FROM NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HOPEFULLY COME OUT TO THIS GREAT EVENT. WE'RE GOING TO DO A RECRUITING. A GIANT RECRUITING EVENT, ALL THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF SERVICE TO GET THE FINE MEN AND WOMEN IN THIS CITY A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. THAT'S ALL WE'RE TRYING TO DO. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT I TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN BEING A LA VERNE KID, GREW UP HERE AND ALL THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, AND SO ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP OUT OUR COMMUNITY, I ALWAYS WILL. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU FOR NOMINATING ME AND I'M GOING TO ACCEPT THIS WITH ALL HONOR. I APPRECIATE YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR COMING OUT. [APPLAUSE]. >> THANK YOU. >> I'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU HERE. YEAH, COME ON. YEAH. [LAUGHTER] [00:15:22] >> HOLD IT. THEY'VE HAD A TURN. [APPLAUSE] THANKS, EVERYBODY. [APPLAUSE] >> YOU GUYS DIDN'T WANT TO SIT ANYMORE, DID YOU? NO. U10 GIRLS SOFTBALL. ALL STAR TEAM. THE TEAM COMPLETED A RECORD 23, 12, AND TWO DURING THE ALL STAR SEASON. THEY WON THE CHINO HILLS TOURNAMENT, PLACING FIRST OUT OF 17 TEAMS. [APPLAUSE] THEY PLACED FOURTH IN THE NORTHERN B DISTRICT TOURNAMENT, WHICH QUALIFIED THEM FOR THE B STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. AT THE B STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, THE TEAM WENT 5-2 FINISHING SEVENTH OUT OF 42 TEAMS, WHICH QUALIFIED THEM FOR NATIONALS. THE TEAM THEN TRAVELED TO ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA TO COMPETE IN NATIONALS, WHERE THEY WENT TWO, THREE, AND ONE. AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS. A LOT OF TRAVELING. AROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THE FAMILIES. [APPLAUSE] THE TEAM WAS MANAGED BY NICK. I'M GOING TO SAY THIS. RAPINE. ONE MORE TIME. WHAT'S HIS LAST NAME? >> RAPINE. [OVERLAPPING] >> RAPINE. MANAGED BY NICK RAPINE, AND COACHED BY [BACKGROUND] >> RAPINE. IS THAT BETTER? NICK RAPINE. NOW THEY'RE LIKE, NO, SEE? COACHED BY JEREMY JUAREZ, ERIC LOGAN, ASHLEY LOPRESTO, JOSH CARILLO, AND JAMES POLVER. I'D LIKE TO CALL UP THE MANAGER AND COACHES TO ASSIST WITH THE PRESENTATION OF THE CERTIFICATES. WE WILL ANNOUNCE EACH PLAYER'S NAME AT THAT TIME. PLEASE COME UP AND GET YOUR CERTIFICATE, THEY'RE ALREADY HERE. COACHES COME ON UP, AND LET'S START THIS. >> GET THE COACH. [BACKGROUND] >> TO THE HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE LA VERNE CITY COUNCIL AND EVERYONE PRESENT HERE IN THE ATTENDANCE. BEHALF OF LVGSA, I'D LIKE TO EXTEND OUR HEART FIELD APPRECIATION FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT OF YOUTH SPORTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE PROUD TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF LA VERNE AND CARRY ON A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE. THANK YOU FOR INVESTING IN OUR PROGRAMS AND HELPING CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR YOUNG ATHLETES TO THRIVE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO BUILDING ON THIS SUCCESS AND CONTINUING TO MAKE OUR CITY PROUD. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HAVING US, FOR SUPPORTING US. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT WAS A GREAT RIDE. I CAN CONFIRM THERE WAS A LOT OF FRIENDSHIPS AND GREAT MEMORIES CREATED RIGHT HERE. IT WAS AMAZING RIDE FOR ALL OF US. ON WITH THE CERTIFICATES. FIRST UP IS REESE HAWKINS. [APPLAUSE] REEN JUAREZ. [APPLAUSE] PIPER RAPINE. [APPLAUSE] OUR PITCHER, HELEN POLVER. [APPLAUSE] AUDREY GARCIA. [APPLAUSE] TAYLOR LOGAN. [APPLAUSE] PENNY ST. PIERRE. [APPLAUSE] OBS, OBREY CORIO. [APPLAUSE] RILEY HESLA. [APPLAUSE] NORAH YAO. [APPLAUSE] ELLE NAVA. [00:20:05] [APPLAUSE] ALLISON WISER. [APPLAUSE] WANT TO SAY THANKS TO MY COACHES, ERIC LOGAN, JAMES POLVER, JEREMY JUAREZ, JOSH CARILLO, AND ASHLEY LOPRESTO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT FROM LINDA LOGAN, ALSO FROM LIZZIE, AND THE PEOPLE THAT NOTIFIED US THAT THIS WAS GOING ON, AND I KNOW THERE WAS FUND RAISING GOING ON. I KNOW IT WAS A TOUGH ROAD TO ROSEVILLE, IT WAS A LOT OF MONEY. BUT LET US KNOW, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF YOUTH SPORTS IS OUR KIDS AND THE FAMILIES AND THE RELATIONSHIPS YOU BUILD OVER THE YEARS. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME ISSUES WITH SOFTBALL, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S OVER. WE ARE LIKE THIS TEAM IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHEN FAMILIES GET TOGETHER AND WHEN ALL YOUR FAMILIES, MEET FAMILIES, AND THESE ARE LONG LASTING RELATIONSHIPS FOR AT ALL TIME. I'M SERIOUS. I'VE HAVE PEOPLE IN COUNCIL AND PEOPLE THAT WE'VE BEEN. AS LIZZIE WOULD KNOW, THE BEACH, YEAH, 30 YEARS. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU GUYS, AND THANK YOU. WE'RE JUST EXCITED THAT THE KIDS HAD A GREAT ENVIRONMENT, HAVE GREAT FAMILIES. ALL THE FAMILIES THAT DID THIS WERE SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS. WE'RE JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT YEAR, AND WHEN YOU GUYS JUST KEEP KICKING MAJOR LA VERNE BUTTON, AND WE LOVE THAT. [APPLAUSE] [BACKGROUND] >> THANK YOU GIRLS. [APPLAUSE] >> ABSOLUTELY GIRLS, GOOD JOB. THANK YOU FOR EVERY TALENT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> GOOD WORK. >> BROTHER, GOOD WORK. NICE TO MEET YOU. >> HELLO, BROTHER. >> I WANT BARE MINIMUM, YOU WANT TO COME BY. [LAUGHTER] BROTHER, GOOD WORK. [BACKGROUND] THANK YOU. >> OH, YES, YOU DID IT. >> I WAS HOPING THERE WAS SILENCE. [BACKGROUND] >> SIGN AROUND HERE. >> ONE YEAR I'VE BEEN. [BACKGROUND] >> PUT IT ON. >> CONGRATULATIONS. >> THANK YOU, BRIAN. >> LET'S GO AGAIN. >> I LOVE YOU. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT. >> BUT IT'S REALLY CUTE. >> CAN WE PUT IT IN THE. >> ON THE WALL. >> WE NEED A WALL. >> YOU HAVE A WALL RIGHT HERE OR THIS STUFF. >> THEN WE DO EVERY YEAR. [00:25:05] >> WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ANNOUNCEMENTS RIGHT NOW. [ANNOUNCEMENTS OF UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS] WE'VE GOT A COUPLE PEOPLE HERE, I DO WANT TO MAKE MENTION IN THE BACK OF THE AGENDA. THERE'S ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY. NOW TOMORROW NIGHT IS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT 4:30. IS GOING TO BE A GREAT NIGHT. I WOULD SUGGEST EVERYBODY COME OUT. IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL EVENING, THE WAY THEY SET UP ON THE PARK. COME ABOUT 5:30, THE BREEZE STARTS BLOWING ALL AROUND. IT'S GOING TO BE A REALLY NICE NIGHT. THERE'LL BE TONS OF THINGS TO DO AND SEE OUR WONDERFUL POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. MR. CROSBY. >> I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THIS FRIDAY. THE CITY OF LA VERNE PUT ON THE LUE DANCE FOR THOSE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. OUR NEW PARKS AND COMMITTEE. THEY PUT ON THIS DANCE EVERY YEAR. IT'S AMAZING TIME. LAST TIME THEY HAD OVER 300 PARTICIPANTS AT THE DANCE. BUT IT'S THIS FRIDAY, IT IS $8 FOR PRE-SALE AND $10 AT THE DOOR, SO GET YOUR TICKETS IN AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. >> ALSO, GO BACK REAL QUICK. WE HAD OUR LAST FINAL MOVIES IN THE PARK. INSIDE OUT TWO WAS THIS LAST, HOW DID IT GO? HOW DID INSIDE OUT TWO GO, THE MOVIES IN THE PARK? >> IT WENT VERY WELL. >> THAT'S WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. >> IT WAS A GREAT SHOWING. I WAS THERE TOO, AND HAD A GREAT TIME BY A BUNCH OF KIDS AND A LOT OF PRIZES THAT WERE HANDED OUT. I. >> HEARD THERE WAS A TON OF PRIZES, SO THAT'S GOOD. >> AGAIN, THANKS TO THE LA VERNE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE ASSOCIATION FOR REALLY PARTICIPATING IN REGAL, HELPING OUT WITH ALL THE KIDS OUT THERE, AND IT WAS A FUN NIGHT. >> ALSO, OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT WOULDN'T HAVE WITHOUT THAT, SO THANK YOU TO THEM. BUT ALSO NEXT SUNDAY, STARTING AT 6:30 PM IS THE FINAL CONCERT IN THE PARK, AND THAT WILL BE THE WELL RENOWNED THE ANSWER, WHICH THEY DO JUST AN AMAZING JOB. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THAT THEY'VE PERFORMED IN OUR CITY, BUT IT'S GOT TO BE 10-20, IF NOT MORE, MAYBE MORE THAN THAT. WITH THAT, I HAVE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE CARDS HERE. THIS IS ONLY FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS OF UPCOMING EVENTS. MR. ROMERO O'BRIEN. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND STAFF. I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE A FEW EVENTS. THEY'LL BE TAKING PLACE AT LA VERNE LIBRARY THIS MONTH. THIS WEDNESDAY AT 5:00 PM WE'LL BE HOLDING A PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AGES 6-12 CALLED BUBBLE GORE. DURING HIS PERFORMANCE, CHILDREN WILL BE SHOWN THE SCIENCE OF BUBBLES AND BE GIVEN A DISPLAY OF DIFFERENT DESIGNS OF BUBBLES. THIS PROGRAM WAS FUNDED BY FRIENDS OF THE LA VERNE LIBRARY. THIS THURSDAY AT 1:00 PM WE'LL BE HOLDING AN ART PROGRAM FOR TEENS, AGES 13-17. DURING THIS PROGRAM, TEENS WILL LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MEXICAN AMATE BARK PAPER PAINTING, WHICH HAS BEEN USED IN MEXICO FOR CENTURIES. AFTER THE PRESENTATION, TEENS WILL BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO RE CREATE THEIR OWN SPECIAL AMATE ART PAINTING. ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, AT 11:00 AM, WE'LL BE HOLDING A TODDLER PLAY DAY WHERE TODDLERS CAN ENJOY SOME PLAY TIME, AND PARENTS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO A HEALTH EDUCATOR WHO FOCUSES ON ORAL HEALTH. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, SIR. I APPRECIATE THAT. >> ADRIAN. >> MAYOR, WE HAVE ANOTHER SPECIAL GUEST HERE THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME TALK TODAY. I SEE TWO AMAZING GENTLEMEN COMING TOO. WANT YOU GUYS COMING UP AND WE'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO PRONOUNCE. >> WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO TALK ABOUT? >> HELLO. I'M COHEN, AND I GO TO DAMIEN HIGH SCHOOL, AND I'M IN THE DAMIEN'S PARK REGIMENT, WHICH IS THE MARCHING BAND. >> I'M GARY. I ALSO GO TO DAMIEN. WE'RE DOING A CAR SHOW THIS WEEK, OH WAIT, NEXT WEEK? WE'RE DOING A CAR SHOW ON AUGUST 9TH, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE HERE TO COME. >> WE'D LIKE TO INVITE EVERYONE THAT'S PRESENT HERE TO COME SUPPORT US BECAUSE ALL OF THE PROCEEDS WILL GO TO US GOING TO THE MACY'S PARADE IN NEW YORK. >> NICE. >> IT WILL BE A REALLY COOL EXPERIENCE, AND WE'LL BE REALLY FUN. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FOOD. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BEER GARDEN ENTERTAINMENT. JAZZ BAND IS GOING TO PLAY THERE. [LAUGHTER] >> I LIKE THAT. >> WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BUNCH OF CARS, [00:30:01] AND THERE'S GOING TO BE TROPHIES FOR CARS THAT WIN AWARDS AT THE SCHOOL DAMIEN. >> I UNDERSTAND, WE NEED $100,000 TO GET, WHICH IS A PRESTIGIOUS HONOR TO BE IN THE MACY'S DAY PARADE, NOT EVERYBODY GETS THAT HONOR. I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A TRIFECTA OF CAMPUSES, WHICH WOULD BE DAMIEN, ST. LUCY'S, AND POMONA CATHOLIC. I WAS PAYING ATTENTION. I WASN'T I ANDREW? THEY'RE AMAZING. WE DID DO A MINUTE WITH THE MAYOR, ANDREW MCKINLEY, AND ALSO THIS YOUNG LADY OVER HERE THAT'S, HOW IS OUR FUN, AND YOUR NAME IS AGAIN? LAURI YOUNG. SHE'S THE BOSS. ANYWAY, HOW MUCH HAVE WE RAISED SO FAR, DO YOU KNOW? WE NEED TO GET THAT UP THERE. WHATEVER YOU CAN DO, DONATE LITTLE, BIG, SMALL, WHATEVER, BUT THEY NEED ALL THE HELP. ARE YOU FULL NOW AT THE CAR SHOW? >> COME ON. COME ON UP. >> YEAH. THIS IS IMPORTANT. >> YES. GO AHEAD. READ THAT PART RIGHT RIGHT THERE. >> WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO REGISTER ON THE DAY OF, IT'S GOING TO BE $50. >> THERE'S LIMITED SPOTS. SO ANYTIME AFTER 7:30 SATURDAY, YOU CAN COME IF YOU WANT TO DO DAY OF REGISTRATION. WE'RE CLOSE TO A HUNDRED PARS, THAT WAS OUR GOAL, BUT WE CAN GO OVER A LITTLE BIT MORE. IT'LL BE FROM 9:00-2:00 IS THE ACTUAL EVENT. THERE'S NO CHARGE FOR THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND. LIKE THEY SAID, WE'LL HAVE FUNNY ENTERTAINMENT. THESE BOYS WILL BE PERFORMING AS WELL AS THE JAZZ BAND, RAFFLES, VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CARS, AWARDS, YOUR GARDEN ACTIVITY. AGAIN, ALL PROCEEDS GO. THESE KIDS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD TO GET TO MACY'S IN NOVEMBER. IF YOU GUYS AS A COMMUNITY AND THE COUNCIL COULD HELP US TO GET THEM THERE, WE'D REALLY APPRECIATE. >> IT GOES FROM WHAT TIME TO WHAT TIME ON SATURDAY? >> 9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM. >> 9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM. THE CARS THAT CAN ENTER OUR MUSCLE CARS, CLASSIC AND WHAT ELSE? JUST ABOUT ANYTHING, I THINK. >> EXOTICS. >> EXOTICS ANTIQUES. >> ANTIQUES. >> REALLY ANY CAR, WE'RE NOT GOING TO RUIN ANYWAY [INAUDIBLE] >> HOW ABOUT A HISTORICAL SOCIETY TRUCK? I JUST JUST THROW IT OUT THERE. [LAUGHTER] WE'LL GET THAT POSTED UP. DID YOU GUYS BRING ANY FLIERS WITH YOU? WE'LL GET THAT PUT OUT THERE. >> THANK YOU. >> QR CODE. YOU CAN SCAN THE QR CODE TO GIVE YOU ALL THE INFORMATION FOR DONATION, WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO HELP THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN GET TO THAT WONDERFUL MACY'S DAY PARADE. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] >> GENE QUINN. NEIGHBOR. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR HEPBURN, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. MY NAME IS GENE QUINN. I LIVE ON VIA DEL SAL LA VERNE. I'VE BEEN LA VERNE RESIDENT FOR 38 YEARS. I DON'T REALLY HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT I FOUND OUT SOMETHING MAYBE COMMON KNOWLEDGE TO ALL OF YOU, BUT I JUST FOUND OUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. FOR ALL YOU PATRIOTS WHO HAVE LIKED TO FLY THE FLAG, AFTER A WHILE, THE FLAGS GET USED UP AND THEY NEED TO BE DISPOSED OF, AND YOU DON'T WANT TO THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE. THERE'S A CERTAIN PROTOCOLS TO DO IT. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS TAKE YOUR FLAG TO THE VFW HALL RIGHT HERE ON WHEELER AND BONITA. THERE'S A MAILBOX THAT LOOKS LIKE A FLAG. IT'S A FLAG MOTIF. JUST DEPOSIT IN THERE AND THEY'LL TAKE CARE OF IT FOR YOU. I THOUGHT I'D MENTIONED THAT. IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TIME TO MENTION IT RIGHT HERE. >> THANK YOU, GENE. APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] ANY OTHER HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS ON UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT WE'D LIKE TO TALK? ANITA. MS. BOCHAM? >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I WANTED TO REMIND THE RESIDENTS THAT LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING TOMORROW MORNING 9:30 AM. YOU CAN GO TO THEIR WEBSITE BOS.LACOUNTY.GOV AND TALK TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE. OUR DISTRICT IS KATHERINE BARGER ON THE NORTH LA VERNE, AND SOUTH LA VERNE IS HILDA SOLIS. THEY RECENTLY MADE A DECISION THAT USURPED THE AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF TORRANCE. CITY OF TORRANCE COUNCIL VOTED AGAINST HAVING A HOMELESS HOUSING PROJECT TURNED INTO FROM AN OLD HOTEL, [00:35:02] AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FOUND IT NECESSARY TO OVERRIDE THEIR DECISION. THAT COULD EASILY HAPPEN TO US. WE HAVE SEVERAL COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS HERE THAT ARE VACANT AND HAVE BEEN VACANT FOR A LONG TIME. I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE RESIDENTS NEED TO TAKE SERIOUSLY AND VOICE THEIR OPINION AGAINST. THE OTHER SERIOUS ISSUE IS THAT UNFORTUNATELY, SCOTT WIENER OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO HAS AUTHORED A BILL AB 495. THIS PUTS EVERYONE'S CHILD IN JEOPARDY. IT ALLOWS A COMPLETE STRANGER TO NOT SHOW IDENTIFICATION AND PICK THEM UP FROM SCHOOL. THERE'S A LOT MORE DETAILS IN IT, BUT THAT'S THE GIST OF IT, AND WE NEED TO TALK TO OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ABOUT VOTING NO CONFIDENCE IN THIS. AS A DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL, YOU NEED TO SEPARATE YOURSELVES FROM THOSE WHO ARE IN FAVOR OF THIS AS WELL. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR YOU TO VOTE NO CONFIDENCE AS WELL. PLEASE ATTEND THAT MEETING AND LET YOUR SUPERVISORS KNOW YOUR STANCE ON THAT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MS. BOCHUM. [APPLAUSE] ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? SEEING NONE, WE'LL CLOSE ANNOUNCEMENTS. THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING. WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. [CONSENT CALENDAR] ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR OR RUTINA WILL BE ENACTED BY ONE MOTION UNLESS A MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL OR MEMBER OF THE AUDIENCE REQUESTS SEPARATE DISCUSSION OR JUST WANTS TO MAKE STATEMENT ON ONE OF THE ITEMS. COUNCIL, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO PULL ON THE REQUEST ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR? >> NO, MAYOR. >> MR. DOMER, I THINK WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF THINGS PULLED, IS THAT CORRECT? >> YES. MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, ITEMS NUMBER 2, 6, 7, AND 9 WERE PULLED BY THE CROWD. >> WE'RE GOING TO VOTE ON EVERYTHING, BUT WHICH ONES WERE THE ONES THAT WERE PULLED? >> SO 2, 6, 7, AND 9. >> I MOVE TO APPROVE BESIDES 2, 06, 7 AND 9, APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR. >> SECOND. >> MOTION. VOTE, PLEASE. YEAH. THANK YOU. >> THE ITEMS THAT WERE NOT PULLED WERE APPROVED FIVE WITH MEMBER CROSBY MOTION LOW SECOND. >> NUMBER 2. MR. SELMER? >> YES. THIS ITEM WAS PULLED BY RESIDENT RICK BOWEN, IF THERE'S ANYTHING RICK YOU WANT TO SAY? >> MR. BOWEN. ITEM NUMBER 2. [2. Register of Audited Demands in the amounts of: Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Fiscal Year 2025-2026 $679,175.55 dated 06/25/25 $35,060.40 dated 07/01/25 $517,888.94 dated 07/02/25 $4,711,426.39 dated 07/09/25 $728,344.44 dated 07/09/25 $1,408,533.81 dated 07/17/25 $656,470.90 dated 07/16/25] >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. COUNCIL. CITY MANAGER. I ASKED FOR THIS TO BE PULLED BECAUSE NUMBER ONE LAST MEETING, THEY SAID, WELL, THERE WASN'T ENOUGH ACTIVITY TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING, BUT THERE'S 20 PAGES OF CHECKS THAT WERE WRITTEN DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, EQUATING TO OVER $8 MILLION. IF YOU READ THE 20 PAGES, IN FACT, I ASKED CITY MANAGER TO HAVE THEM AVAILABLE. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE. >> THEY'RE ALWAYS AVAILABLE. >> NO FOR HERE TONIGHT. >> NOT ON SCREEN, BUT THEY'RE BIG STACK. PEOPLE CAN'T REALLY SEE THEM. MY MAIN QUESTIONS WERE, WE'VE RECENTLY HIRED A NEW CITY WORKS DIRECTOR TO THE TUNE OF $210,000, I BELIEVE HIS SALARY IS, AND HE RECEIVED A PAYMENT ON THE 625. AUDITED DEMAND FOR $2,100. NOW, I WILL SAY THAT MR. DOMER AND I HAVE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT, AND APPARENTLY IT'S SOME INSURANCE PROGRAM. BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE INTERESTING THAT THE CITY PAYS INSURANCE, BUT HERE WE'RE WRITING A CHECK TO AN INDIVIDUAL THAT'S JUST BARELY GOING TO WORK HERE. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PAYMENTS TO RETIRED EMPLOYEES AND WE'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION IN THE PAST TWO IS MANY OF THEM ARE PAST MEDICARE AGE, BUT THEY'RE RECEIVING PAYMENTS FOR HEALTH CARE IN THE TUNE OF 25 $2,600, AND APPARENTLY IT'S PER QUARTER. MY QUESTION IS, WHY? I'VE ASKED THAT QUESTION FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AND STILL CANNOT GET AN ANSWER. WHY WE'RE PAYING THESE RETIRED EMPLOYEES THIS EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT. EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE OF MEDICARE AGE. AGAIN, THE CITY IS TIGHTENING ITS BELT, AND WE CAN TELL BY TONIGHT, [00:40:02] AS YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY CUTTING BACK ON ELECTRICITY FOR THE AIR CONDITIONING, AND THAT'S A JOKE. IN THE JPIA, YOU LOOK AT THE JPI PAYMENT. IT WAS I THINK 3,100,000 PLUS, AND THEN THERE'S OVERAGE OF JPA FOR ANOTHER 26,000. SO WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT THE DETAIL, IT JUST BECOMES VERY ODD. WE'RE PAYING A LOT OF ATTORNEYS. WE'RE PAYING SUPERIOR COURT FEES, AND IT JUST SEEMS TO BE GROWING EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT CUTTING BACK, WHEN TALK ABOUT BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. BUT WHEN YOU READ THESE 20 PAGES OF CHECKS, IT DOESN'T QUITE LOOK THAT WAY. I WAS HOPING WE COULD IDENTIFY SOME IN PARTICULAR, BUT I'VE GIVEN YOU A COUPLE TO TALK ABOUT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MR. BOWEN. >> MR. DOMER. >> ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS OR JUST. >> ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM NUMBER 2? >> WE'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'LL GO TO DISCUSSION ITEM 2. >> SURE. AS YOU KNOW, THE REGISTERED DEMANDS OR REGISTERED AUDITED DEMANDS ARE AFTER THE FACT PAYMENTS FROM THE CITY. THE REASON THAT THERE'S ABOUT SEVEN TO EIGHT WEEKS ON THIS ONE, SO THAT'S WHY IT'S SO MUCH MORE AND SO MUCH BIGGER BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE A MEETING. MR. BOWEN IS CORRECT ON THAT. THE OTHER THING IS THAT RIGHT NOW WE ARE ALSO DOING TWO THINGS. WE'RE AT THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR, AND WE DO, NOT A CASH BASIS, BUT AN ACCRUED BASIS FOR THAT. WE HAVE DIVIDED INTO FISCAL YEAR. 24-25 AND 25-26. SOME OF THE BIGGER PAYMENTS THAT MR. BOWEN TALKED ABOUT, I DO HAVE AN E MAIL THAT I'M NOT SURE IF HE'S READ YET, BUT THE ONE ON THE JPIA IS OUR ANNUAL YEAR PAYMENT GOING FORWARD FOR OUR LIABILITY IN WORKERS COMP. THAT'S A HUGE CHUNK THAT WAS WELL OVER $3 MILLION THAT GOES TO THE JPIA FOR THE INSURANCE. THAT'S ABOUT THE EXCESS LIABILITY PROGRAM ALSO AND WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT, I BELIEVE IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO THAT WE DID A REVIEW AND I'VE BROUGHT AN ITEM ABOUT. I'VE DISCUSSED THIS WITH MR. BOWEN ALSO AND WITH THE FINANCE DIRECTOR, WE'RE GOING TO DO ANOTHER REVIEW BECAUSE BASED ON SOME OF THE CASES THAT WE'VE HAD, WE NEED TO LOOK ONCE AGAIN AS TO WHETHER THIS EXCESS LIABILITY PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR US. ORIGINALLY, THE CITY WOULD PAY A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR OUR REGULAR LIABILITY PROGRAM, AND THAT WOULD THEN GIVE US FOR ANY COVERAGE FROM THE FIRST CLAIM THEY WOULD COVER. WHAT THE CITY DID IS AN APPRAISAL IN A REVIEW PROBABLY NOW SIX YEARS AGO, THEY SWITCHED THE EXCESS LIABILITY BECAUSE IT WAS CHEAPER FOR THE CITY. IT SAVED THE CITY ABOUT 1.7 MILLION DOLLAR THE INITIAL YEAR. WE HAVE BEEN SAVING WITH THAT PROGRAM. BUT PART OF IT IS EVERY MONTH, THEY'RE REPLENISHING A CHECKING ACCOUNT FOR $25,000 THAT THEY'RE PAYING THE LAWYERS AND OTHER FOLKS AND THE THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATORS FOR PROCESSING ALL THAT STUFF. THAT'S WHAT THAT $25,000 IS. IT COULD BE UP TO $25,000, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE. HOPEFULLY IT'S LESS, BUT IT JUST DEPENDS ON THAT ACTIVITY DURING THAT MONTH. THE ITEM ON THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WAS THAT HE RECEIVES A PPO. WE DID NOT HAVE A PPO AT THE TIME. WE DO NOW AS OF JULY. PART OF IT WAS WE ASKED WHETHER WE SHOULD PAY THE PPO PROVIDER. OR IF HE THOUGHT A REIMBURSEMENT. THE REIMBURSEMENT WAS THE EASIEST THING, SO THAT'S WHAT THAT MONEY IS FOR THERE. WAS A REIMBURSEMENT TO HIM FOR PAYING OUT OF POCKET FOR HIS INSURANCE UNTIL THE CITY WAS ABLE TO START THEIR INSURANCE PREFERRED PROVIDER OPTION. WHAT ELSE. BUT AS THE MAYOR KNOWS, BECAUSE HE COMES INTO THE OFFICE BEFORE THE MEETINGS AND THERE'S STACKS AND STACKS AND STACKS OF RECEIPTS AND ALL STUFF THEY ARE OPEN. KRISTIE JOKED ABOUT ROLLING THEM OUT ON A CART, AND FOR THIS ONE, IT WOULD BE ROLLING THEM OUT ON THE CART. SHE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE ALL OF THEM, BUT WE'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HAVE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC COME INTO THE OFFICE, WE WILL SET UP A ROOM AND IF YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH ALL THE BILLINGS, YOU CAN. A SUMMARY IS ON THE AGENDA. THAT'S JUST A SUMMARY OF ALL THE FINDINGS AND HAS THE NAME AND ALL THAT STUFF, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE THE DETAIL, THE RECEIPTS AND ALL THAT STUFF, BUT THAT IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC IF THEY WANT TO COME IN AND THEY WANT TO LOOK AT IT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE THEM. >> WELL, I WILL COMMENT TO THAT MANY OF THESE PAYMENTS BECAUSE WE DOUBLE EMPLOYEE PAYROLL, THAT'S 700,000 PLUS. YOU'VE GOT TWO WASTE MANAGEMENT, WHICH IS 283, [00:45:01] YOU'VE GOT TWO WATER, WHICH ARE $483,000 EACH. YOU COMBINE ALL THOSE ALONG WITH THE JPIA PAYMENT, WHICH IS NORMAL FOR A YEAR, WHICH IS THE 3 MILLION SOMETHING $3 MILLION PLUS SOME CHANGE. IT DOES WHEN YOU COMPILE THEM ALL, IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY, WHICH IS A LOT OF MONEY, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN THE CITY. AS FAR AS THE ONE HE SAID FOR DIRECTOR WU, OBVIOUSLY, WE'VE RESOLVED THAT ISSUE, BUT LIKE SAY, ANYBODY CAN LOOK AT THESE, IN COMING ANY TIME. REALLY EXCITING. BUT YOU ALSO SEE THE FACT THAT THERE'S A QUESTION, YOU JUST SEE WHERE THESE COME FROM, WHAT WE PAY FOR I KNOW MORE ABOUT ACRE FEET AND HOW MUCH WE PAY FOR AN ACRE FOOT OF WATER, AND WHAT WE PAY FOR OUR WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, WHAT WE PAY FOR OUR EMPLOYEES FOR THE PAYROLL, OR ALSO FOR THEIR BENEFIT PACKAGES, AND ALSO FOR THEIR RETIREMENT. IT JUST ADDS UP VERY QUICKLY AND THEN ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT CHECKS, SOME OF THE SOME ARE SMALL AND BIG. PLUS THE TWO AGENCIES, LA CLEAR AND LA IMPACT, WHICH WE ARE THE FIDUCIARY FOR THAT, THOSE ARE ANOTHER REASON FOR THAT ALSO, ARE SOMETIMES AND THE HUNDREDS TWO, THREE, $400,000 DEPENDING ON THEIR PAYROLL DEBT THAT THEY HAVE AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO FOR SERVICING THAT DEBT. YOU HAD SOMETHING, MR. CROSBY? >> NO. >> I JUST MOVE TO APPROVE IF THERE'S NO MORE COMMENTS. THE NUMBER TWO REGISTER OF AUDITED DEMANDS. >> GOT A SECOND. >> SECOND. >> SECOND. >> ITEM NUMBER 2 OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR WAS APPROVED 5:0. MOVED BY CROSBY, SECONDED BY KASHIFALGHITA. >> THANK YOU, MR. DOMER. WE MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER 6. [6. Agreements Relating to Housing Project at 3960 Fruit Street (Lutheran High School Site) - Villages at Legacy Green Project. LSA Associates, Inc. (LSA) is under contract with the City of La Verne to prepare technical environmental studies for a proposed residential project on the former Lutheran High School site. City staff recently directed LSA to expand the scope of work to include two City-owned parcels totaling approximately 0.15 acres for the development of two affordable housing units. As a result of this change, LSA has submitted a contract amendment for additional costs and Staff is also proposing a Reimbursement Agreement with Lewis Management Corp.] MR. DOMER, WHAT'S THE AGREEMENT RELATING TO THE HOUSING PROJECT AT 39604 STREET LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL SITE, VILLAGES AT LEGACY GREEN PROJECT. WE'LL OPEN A PUBLIC COMMENT ON THAT. MR. BOWEN, YOU HAD THE QUESTION, PLEASE? >> I GUESS YOU'LL SEE ME A FEW TIMES THE EVENING. I KNOW YOU LOVE THAT. THIS ONE I WAS INTERESTED IN BECAUSE I'VE BEEN TO SOME OF THESE MEETINGS, AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE OPEN MEETINGS. WE'VE HAD PEOPLE HERE. WE'VE HAD PEOPLE UP AT THE SCHOOL. THIS ONE INDICATES THAT THERE'S TWO PARCELS THAT ARE OWNED BY THE CITY, WHICH I THOUGHT AS PART OF THIS DEAL, THEY WERE OVER TO THE CITY. MAYBE I'M NOT CLEAR ON THE WHOLE THING. BUT NOW THEY WERE GOING TO BE PARKS, THEY WERE GOING TO BE SOMETHING. NOW SUDDENLY THEY'RE GOING TO BE TWO PARCELS FOR HOUSING. MAYBE I DIDN'T CATCH THAT ONE, BUT I SAW THIS AND LOOKED IT LOOKED A BIT ODD VERSUS THE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST. >> THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON ITEM NUMBER 6? >> YES. CHERRY BEST. >> MR. MAYOR, REAL QUICK, THESE ARE NOT THE PARCELS ANYWHERE ON THE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL. THESE ARE THE TWO PARCELS ON FIRST STREET, WHICH WERE THE CITY HAS BOUGHT WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGH A RECEIVERSHIP BECAUSE THERE ARE CODE ENFORCEMENT ISSUES. >> THANK YOU. I LOOKED THROUGH THE PACKET, AND I HAD A LITTLE CONFUSION WITH THE SITE MAP THAT WAS PART OF THE PACKET. THE PARTICULAR SITE MAP THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE PACKET HAS THE GREEN SPACE ADJACENT TO THE BEHIND THE GYM. THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL SITE MAP THAT THERE WAS DISCUSSION WITH THE PRIOR DEVELOPERS, AND THEN THE SITE MAP THAT CAME OUT LATER HAD ACTUALLY THE PARK AREA THAT WAS TO THE RIGHT OF THE GYM, IF YOU'RE FACING THE GYM AREA, STANDING ON FIRST STREET. I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT SITE MAP ARE WE REFERRING TO WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> THANK YOU, CHERRY. MISS GABDON. >> I WASN'T PLANNING ON EVEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT TWO THINGS, ONE, NOBODY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS YET BEEN NOTIFIED CONCERNING ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE EIR AND THE SQA. BY NOW, WE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE INTERNAL MEETING. YOU GUYS KNOW IN THE PAST, I'VE RUN A WHOLE BUNCH OF THESE. SOMEBODY SHOULD BE NOTIFYING US RIGHT NOW. TWO, WE'RE GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE AGAIN, JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE OTHER PROJECT ON FRUIT. THE WAY THE TRAFFIC'S GOING TO BE ANALYZED ISN'T GOING TO BE CORRECTLY BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT TWO PROJECTS ON THE SOUTH END OF TOWN, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT A BIG PROJECT. THIS IS A REALLY BIG PROJECT GOING INTO A REALLY SMALL AREA THAT'S GOING TO HUGELY IMPACT FRUIT AND AMHERST. THAT SIGNAL WHERE THERE'S ACCIDENTS. THIS HAS GOT TO BE SEPARATED. [00:50:02] I DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU GUYS, AND I KNOW WHY YOU'RE DOING THIS IS TO TRY TO SAVE MONEY. I WOULD DO TWO DIFFERENT CONTRACTS, AND PLEASE SEPARATE THE PROJECT THAT'S BY MY NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THIS ITEM AND COME BACK UP. MR. DOMER, YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN THEM. THANK YOU. I KNOW CANDACE IS AROUND TO JUST IN CASE I DO NOT DO A GOOD JOB ON EXPLAINING THESE ITEMS, BUT YES, DO APOLOGIZE FOR SOME OF THE CONFUSION. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOR THE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL AND WHAT'S GOING TO BE DEVELOPED THERE. IN FACT, THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY NOTIFICATION. IT'S BEEN DELAYED. THIS IS NOW GOING TO BE THE RESTART OF IT, AND THE CITY HAS BEEN WAITING FOR NEW PLANS FROM THE CURRENT DEVELOPER OF IT. THE TWO PARCELS, AGAIN, IN QUESTION ARE TWO SMALL LOTS ON FIRST STREET THAT THE CITY HAS PURCHASED WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUNDS, AND AS PART OF THE REQUIREMENT TO DEVELOP THE HOUSING, THERE IS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENT FOR THE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL SITE. I USE THAT LOOSELY, IT'S VILLAGES AT LEGACY GREEN NOW, BUT IT'S EASIER TO SAY LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL SITES. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE IT'S AT. WE HAVE ASKED THE DEVELOPER TO MAKE THOSE TWO UNITS ON FIRST STREET AND INCLUDE THEM AS PART OF THE PROJECT. THEY'RE GOING TO BE BUILDING THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE CITY, AND IT WILL HELP SATISFY SOME OF THEIR REQUIREMENTS, SO THERE'S NOT AS MUCH ON THE SITE THERE. BUT IT DOES HELP THE CITY BY DEVELOPING THOSE INTO TWO GOOD HOUSING TYPES THAT FIT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BECAUSE PRIOR TO GOING THROUGH THE RECEIVERSHIP PROCESS, THERE WAS A PROPOSAL FROM SOMEBODY TO BASICALLY GET THAT SITE AND BUILD UP THE 6 UNITS ON A VERY SMALL PARCEL. THE COUNCIL DECIDED THAT WAS NOT THE BEST FOR THAT COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING DOWN THIS PATH. THIS IS TO AMEND THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENT SO THAT THEY JUST INCLUDE THOSE TWO SITES AND LOOK AT THEM. THEY'RE STILL GOING TO BE DOING EVERYTHING SEPARATELY FOR THE LUTHERAN HIGH SITE. THE MAP THAT IS IN THERE IS FROM A DOCUMENT THAT IS AUGUST 2025. ON THIS AUGUST. IT WAS A WHILE AGO. WAS THE ORIGINAL OCTOBER 1, 2024, AND REVISED OCTOBER 3. SO IT WAS BEFORE ANY REVISED BEFORE THAT CHANGE TO THE GYM AND THE PARK, BECAUSE ORIGINALLY WHEN THEY WERE GOING THROUGH THEIR COMMUNITY MEETINGS, THEY THOUGHT, HEY, WE COULD PUT A PARK BEHIND THE GYM. THE CITY REALLY DIDN'T LIKE THAT BECAUSE OF VIEW ISSUES AND ALL THAT STUFF, AND SO WE'VE WORKED WITH THE DEVELOPER. CANDACE, CAN YOU COME UP HERE AND GIVE US AN UPDATE ON NOW THAT ONCE THIS ITEM IS APPROVED, OR IF IT IS, THEN WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE, AND WHAT COULD THE COMMUNITY LOOK FOR IN NOTICES ABOUT MEETINGS AND ALL THAT STUFF FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS? >> THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE THE SCOPING SESSION. WE WOULD SEND OUT A NOTICE TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAD NOTICED FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WORKSHOPS THAT WE HAD. IT WOULD BE A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING STYLE, BUT IT WOULD COUNT AS OUR SCOPING MEETING, AND WE WOULD EXPLAIN ALL OF THE PROCESS THAT'S GOING TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT AND THE PROJECT, THE NEW SITE PLAN, AND GIVE THE COMMUNITY ALL OF THE NEW INFORMATION. AFTER THAT COMMUNITY MEETING, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL START ALL OF THE PREPARATION OF THE NOTICING AND EVERYTHING RELATED TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT. EVENTUALLY LEADING TO A DRC DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING, A PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, AND A CITY COUNCIL MEETING, BUT THAT'S VERY FAR MONTHS AND MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD. >> [OVERLAPPING] QUESTION. BY THIS ITEM HERE, WE IN OCTOBER 24 APPROVED THE PLAN TO CHECK THE SQUARE ON THE LA VERNE LUTHERAN PROPERTY. THIS ITEM IS ONLY ADDING THE OTHER TWO PIECES. THIS IS NOT SAYING NO TO THE LA VERNE LUTHERAN PROPERTY BECAUSE THAT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED LAST OCTOBER. >> CORRECT. >> THANK YOU, CANDACE. WITH THAT, ALSO, THAT THOSE TWO THE PIECE OF PROPERTY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WAS ACQUIRED BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THAT ORIGINALLY LIVED THERE WAS LET'S JUST SAY IT WAS A HORRIFIC SITUATION AND WE WERE ABLE TO THROUGH SOME GREAT ATTORNEYS AND BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE THAT PROPERTY, [00:55:02] AND THAT'S GOING TO BE RESIDENCES NOW AGAIN THAT ARE LAW ABIDING CITIZENS. I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, BUT WE WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL AT IT. I THINK IT REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THAT COMMUNITY. BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE, AS MOVING FORWARD, WE ALSO THAT THE PLOT PLANS AND EVERYTHING. ONCE WE DO MOVE BACK INTO FALL ON GOING ON THIS PROPERTY, THAT EVERYTHING'S CORRECT AND THAT THERE'S NO COMMUNICATION OR NO PROBLEMS WITH WHAT DRAWINGS WE HAVE. WITH THAT. ANY MORE DISCUSSION. I'LL TAKE A MOTION. ITEM 6. >> MOTION APPROVE. >> ITEM 6. SECOND. >> SECOND. >> PLEASE. [INAUDIBLE]. I'M OUT. [OVERLAPPING] [LAUGHTER] >> ITEM 6 WAS MOVED BY CASTAL GIA, SECONDED BY LAU, AND APPROVED 5. >> MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER 7, [7. Authorization to Execute a Renewed Agreement for City Attorney Services. Consideration of a renewed agreement with Jones Mayer for City Attorney services, continuing the engagement of Kimberly Hall Barlow. The proposed update replaces the 2023 version and reflects current legal standards, service rates, and best practices.] WHICH IS THE AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE A RENEWED AGREEMENT FOR CITY ATTORNEY SERVICES. WE'RE GOING TO OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT, MR. BOWEN. ALSO, OUR ATTORNEY HAS RECRUITED HERSELF DUE TO THIS ITEM. >> I WANTED TO PAY A COMPLIMENT. I HEARD SHE'S A SINGER IN A ROCK BAND SOMEWHERE. >> THAT IS CORRECT. >> LOVE TO HAVE HER SING ONE DAY. IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THEM GETTING A CONTRACT AGAIN. IT'S JUST THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT RENEWALS, NON-BID RENEWALS FOR 10 YEARS. IT JUST HAPPENS EVERY YEAR, EVERY YEAR. THE LAST MEETING WE HAD, I THINK THEY DID A BID ON ARBORIST AND GOT A BETTER DEAL. AS FAR AS I REMEMBER, WE'VE HAD THE CONTRACT WITH THIS ORGANIZATION NOW THROUGH PREVIOUS CONTRACT THAT ROLLED OVER FOR WELL OVER 30 YEARS. THAT IT JUST SEEMS CRAZY THAT WHEN THINGS LIKE THIS COME UP, WE'RE NOT AT LEAST INVESTIGATING, WE SEE THE ISSUES WITH FINANCES COMING UP. THE FACT THAT WE DON'T EVEN LOOK INTO IT, AND MAYBE YOU DID, BUT I CERTAINLY DON'T SEE ANY BID PROCESS ON THIS. AGAIN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR 20 YEARS NOW, OR 10 YEARS NOW. THIS AGAIN LOOKS LIKE A NO-BID, SIGN A NEW AGREEMENT, AND MOVE FORWARD, AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE WE HAD TO PUT A LITTLE MORE EFFORT INTO IT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MR. BOWEN. ANYONE ELSE WANTS TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? ITEM NUMBER 7. WE'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. DOMER. >> CERTAINLY, MR. MAYOR. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE 30 YEARS, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THE FIRM, JONES MAYER, BOUGHT OUT A FORMER CITY ATTORNEY'S CONTRACT WHEN HE WAS ANNOUNCING HIS RETIREMENT. I WAS NOT HERE DURING THAT PROCESS TO INTERVIEW CITY ATTORNEYS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IF CITY COUNCIL WANTS, THE CITY ATTORNEY IS THE ONLY OTHER EMPLOYEE DIRECTLY APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL. I'M IN THE FUTURE, WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, WE CAN DO AN APPRAISAL PROCESS EVALUATION, MUCH LIKE THE CITY COUNCIL DOES FOR ME. DO KNOW THAT WE DID LOOK AT OTHER FIRMS AND THE AMOUNTS AND THE RETAINERS, AND THEY'RE ALL MUCH HIGHER? NEXT TIME, WE'LL PROVIDE A MUCH BETTER IN SUMMARY OF ALL THOSE COSTS SOMETIMES BECAUSE CITIES WILL HAVE A GENERALLY A CONTRACT, SOMETIMES AN IN-HOUSE CITY ATTORNEY FIRM. THEN YOU ALSO, MUCH LIKE WE DO, HAVE A SPECIALTY FIRM FOR HR, WATER RATES, OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT. SOMETIMES, TRYING TO GET THE BOTTOM LINE OF THE LEGAL COSTS ARE DIFFICULT. BUT THEY ARE VERY AFFORDABLE. HIM, AS A CITY ATTORNEY, HAS BEEN HELPFUL IN THE PAST BECAUSE OF CONFLICTS WITH OTHER CITIES AND DIRECTORS WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE GETTING INFORMATION. IT USED TO BE EASY WHEN THE CITY ATTORNEY LIVED IN TOWN, AND THIS WAS HIS ONLY JOB. WE DO HAVE DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEYS WHO WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL THE OTHERS, INCLUDING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, FIRE DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS. IF IN THE FUTURE, THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS US TO DO AN EVALUATION PROCESS WITH THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, THE CITY COUNCIL. HAPPY TO DO THAT. WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT OTHER COSTS ARE AND BRING THAT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR DECISION. >> I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT, AS ANYTHING LIKE MR. BOWEN MENTIONED. ANYTIME WE HAVE A REVIEW OF A CONTRACT, [01:00:01] AND WE LOOK AT THE COMPETITIVENESS OR ALSO THE STAFF'S REQUIREMENTS, AND THE STAFFS RECOMMENDATIONS. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT VALUE SERVICES WE'RE GETTING, OUR DIRECTORS AND OUR EMPLOYEES ARE HAPPY WITH THE SERVICES, BUT ALSO JUST THE FACT THAT WE'RE GIVING A SCHEDULE OF RATES THAT WE KNOW WHAT WAS COMPARATIVE. WE'RE NOT ALWAYS DON'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS GO AFTER THE CHEAPEST. WE GO AFTER WHAT'S SERVING OUR COMMUNITY BETTER. I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK THAT'S THE BASIS POINT OF THIS IS THAT WE'VE MENTIONED IT IN THE BASIS, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY FIGURES, AND I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WE HAVE FIGURES AND WHO THESE AGENCIES ARE. THERE'S PLENTY OF AGENCIES THAT WORK FOR CITIES, AS WE KNOW. BUT I THINK ALSO AN EVALUATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO GET OUT TO OUR DIRECTORS AND YOUR STAFF TO SAY HOW THEY'RE PERFORMING FOR THEM ALSO. CITY ATTORNEY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. IT KEEPS THE CITIES OUT OF HOT WATER. >> I WILL WORK ON THAT AND PROVIDE A PROCESS AND TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT THAT. THEN IT'S IMPORTANT ALSO TO NOTE THAT, YES, THE CITY WOULD HAVE AN EXTENSIVE ANNUAL AGREEMENT PROCESS, AND IT WOULD ALL GO THROUGH ON ONE, AND WE'VE BEEN BREAKING THAT UP, AND MR. BOWEN IS RIGHT, THIS TIME WE WENT OUT FOR THE TREE TRIMMING CONTRACT. WE'VE DONE THAT FOR A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO WITH THE STAFF TIMING AND ALL THAT'S GOING ON TO SCHEDULE OUT THE BIG ITEMS. SO WE DO LOOK AT THAT FOR SOME OF OUR OTHER SERVICES COMING UP. >> WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, LIKE I SAID, I'LL JUST LEAVE IT THAT THE ATTORNEY SERVICES ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. IN THE PAST, WE'VE HAD SOME ISSUES THAT PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED DIFFERENTLY. WE'RE LIVING WITH SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS, BUT HER FIRM HAS DONE A GOOD JOB. BUT WE DID MARRIAGE THEM ONTO KRES AND HIS FIRM WHEN THE PARTNER DIED. SO WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE REVIEW IT PROPERLY AND MAKE SURE WE HAVE COMPETITIVE QUOTES AND BIDS AND AN EVALUATION PROCESS. WITH THAT, LIKE TAKE A MOTION. >> MOTION TO PROVIDE THE NUMBER 7. >> SECOND. >> SECOND. >> [INAUDIBLE] PLEASE. >> ITEM 7 OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR WAS MOVED BY CASTAL D A GITA, SECONDED BY LAU, AND APPROVE 5. >> THANK YOU. WE MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER NINE. [9. Special Assignment Stipend for Exempt Employees for Specialty Assignments Request for City Council authorization for the City Manager to develop an Administrative Regulation establishing a Special Assignment Stipend for exempt employees assigned to City-designated projects that require duties beyond their regular responsibilities. The policy will initially support the City’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) financial systems software implementation effort] SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT STIPEND FOR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES FOR SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS. OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT, MR. BOWEN. >> I CAN FEEL THE COOLNESS THAT'S COMING A LITTLE BIT. >> WELCOME BACK. >> THANK YOU. >> I MENTIONED THAT I HEARD YOU WERE A SINGER AND A ROCK BAND, SO CONGRATULATIONS. THIS ONE NUMBER NINE, I READ THIS THREE OR FOUR TIMES, AND I JUST HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT MEANS. IT LOOKS LIKE WELL, IF SOMEBODY'S DOING THEIR JOB, BUT THEY HAVE TO SPEND MORE TIME DOING THEIR JOB FOR A SPECIAL PROJECT THAT YOU WANT TO PAY THEM DIFFERENTLY THAN THEIR SALARY. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT EXPLAINS IT TO ME OR NOT OR TO ANYBODY READING IT, BUT IT DOES SAY THE POLICY WILL INITIALLY SUPPORT THE CITY'S ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING, FINANCIAL SYSTEM SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION EFFORT. THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE AGAIN, FOR MANY YEARS NOW THAT THE CITY'S FINANCE HAS BEEN VERY OLD SCHOOL, TO SAY THE LEAST. I THINK THE FIRE CHIEF HAS TALKED ABOUT AND STAMPING TIME CARDS AND OTHER THINGS, AND NOT HAVING THE PROPER RECORDS. I BELIEVE YOU'RE NODDING YOUR HEAD SAYING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS AND THAT RECORDS ARE HARD TO FIND, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS NEW PROGRAM. BUT IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE NOW YOU'RE SAYING, WELL, WE'VE GOT THE MONEY FOR IT, WE PUT THAT MONEY ASIDE, BUT NOW WE HAVE TO ADD MORE MONEY TO IT TO HAVE PEOPLE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT IT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MR. BOWEN. ANYBODY ELSE WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE ON THIS ITEM NUMBER 9. GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. GILMER. >> YES. I'LL BRING KRISTIE UP JUST BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THIS MORE, BUT MR. BOWEN IS CORRECT. HE SAID IT SIMPLY. WE HAVE A LOT OF EMPLOYEES WHO ARE DOING A LOT OF WORK, THE ENTERPRISE RESOURCE SOFTWARE, WHICH IS OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM SWITCHING OVER AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT FIRE IS NOW PROBABLY A MONTH INTO AUTOMATIC TIME CARDS? >>I KNOW WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF TESTING. >> TESTING STILL. [01:05:02] >> YES. >> WE'VE BEEN DOING IT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. THEY'VE BEEN FILLING OUT PAPER AND THEN THE AUTOMATIC JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CORRECT. >> ASSISTANT. >> THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF A LOT OF WHAT HAS TO GO ON. OUR STAFF WHO WORK A 36 HOUR WORK WEEK, SO IT'S MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. WE DO RUN THIN, BUT WE'RE GETTING TO A POINT IN THE ERP WHERE WE'RE GOING TO NEED THOSE STAFF AND THEIR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES SO THEY DON'T GET OVERTIME. IF IT'S AN OVERTIME STAFF, IT'D BE SIMPLE SAYING, YOU'RE GOING TO WORK TWO HOURS EXTRA THIS WEEK AND DO THAT. BUT IT IS A MATTER OF MAKING SURE THAT THIS VERY EXPENSIVE SYSTEM THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN IS TESTED AND PROCESSED AND THE INFORMATION IS TRANSFERRED OVER. I LET KRISTIE SPEAK MORE TECHNICALLY TO IT. >> YES. AFTER THE ITEM WAS PULLED, I DID PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER SO I COULD MAKE SURE THAT I COVER ALL OF THE AREAS. AT THE END, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THEN I CAN DEFINITELY ANSWER THOSE. TONIGHT, I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF MAJOR CITY PROJECTS WHILE RECOGNIZING THE EXTRAORDINARY EFFORTS OF EXEMPT EMPLOYEES ASSIGNED TO THOSE EFFORTS. WHILE THIS WILL APPLY TO A SPECIAL PROJECT AS IDENTIFIED BY THE CITY MANAGER, SO IT IS DEPENDENT ON THE CITY MANAGER IDENTIFYING IT AS A SPECIAL PROJECT. THE DRIVE BEHIND THIS NEW ADMIN REGULATION IS THE FINANCE SYSTEM. ON JANUARY 21ST OF THIS YEAR, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE PURCHASE OF A NEW ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING OR ERP SYSTEM. THAT STAFF REPORT NOTED THE POTENTIAL NEED TO RETURN TO COUNCIL FOR AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL COMPENSATION TO EMPLOYEES ASSIGNED SIGNIFICANT IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITIES. THE ERP PROJECT IS A SUBSTANTIAL UNDERTAKING. IT REPLACES A SYSTEM THAT UPDATED IN 1999 AND IMPACTS NEARLY EVERY DEPARTMENT. IT ALSO MARKS THE FIRST MAJOR PROJECT LED BY THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT SINCE I BEGAN WITH THE CITY NEARLY 20 YEARS AGO. WE'VE NEVER DONE SOMETHING OF THIS SIZE. THE IMPLEMENTATION DEMANDS SIGNIFICANT TIME AND EXPERTISE FROM EXEMPT STAFF WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR OVERTIME COMPENSATION. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT GENERAL STAFF ASSIGNED TO THE PROJECT WILL DEVOTE BETWEEN 7-10 HOURS PER WEEK TO PROJECT RELATED WORK. JUST THIS LAST WEEK, MYSELF ALONE I HAD FOUR MEETINGS. EACH OF THOSE MEETINGS WAS TWO HOURS. OUR PAYROLL SPECIALIST HAD THREE MEETINGS. EACH OF THOSE MEETINGS LASTED BETWEEN 1-2 HOURS DURING A PAYROLL WEEK, WHICH IS NOT IDEAL. TO RECOGNIZE THIS WORKLOAD WHILE STAYING COMPLIANT WITH LABOR REGULATIONS, STAFF IS RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL BE AUTHORIZED TO IMPLEMENT AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION, ESTABLISHING A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT STIPEND FOR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES. WHILE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS FALL UNDER THE CITY MANAGER'S AUTHORITY BECAUSE THIS POLICY PROVIDES ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION. STAFF AND ALSO WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY, FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BRING THIS ITEM FORWARD TO COUNCIL FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT. THE PROPOSED POLICY INCLUDES SEVERAL SAFEGUARDS, INCLUDING THAT THESE ITEMS ARE NOT PENSIONABLE. WE WILL NOT BE PAYING ADDITIONAL COSTS ON TOP OF THESE WORK HELPERS. THEY'RE NOT HOURLY BASED BECAUSE IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LEGALLY DO THAT BASED ON EXEMPT STATUS FOR THESE EMPLOYEES, AND EACH STIPEND WILL REQUIRE PRIOR WRITTEN JUSTIFICATION, OUTLINING DUTIES, SCOPE, AND THE METHOD OF PAYMENT. ALL APPROVALS WILL REMAIN AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CITY MANAGER, AND THE PROCESS WILL BE REVIEWED BY HUMAN RESOURCES AND FINANCE TO ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY AND DOCUMENTATION. IMPORTANTLY, THE STIPEND AMOUNT WILL NOT EXCEED EXISTING APPROPRIATIONS. WE STILL NEED YOUR AUTHORITY IN ORDER TO EXPEND THESE FUNDS. FOR THE ERP PROJECT, WE ANTICIPATED IN MY REPORT, THE COST BETWEEN $86,000 AND $120,000 DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF TIME AND PARTICIPATION REQUIRED. THESE COSTS WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY REEVALUATED THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT TO ENSURE THEY REMAIN REASONABLE AND WITHIN BUDGET. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE. CURRENTLY WE ARE WORKING ON THE HR PAYROLL PORTION OF IT AS WELL AS THE GENERAL LEDGER, WHICH THOSE ARE REALLY FOUNDATIONAL PIECES. BUT STARTING IN DECEMBER, JANUARY, WE WILL WORK ON SECURITY FOR THE USERS. AT THAT TIME, WE WILL LOOK AT WHO IS GOING TO BE REQUIRED TO WORK ON THAT PIECE, AND THEN WE WILL IDENTIFY IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL TIME NEEDED, THEN WE WILL LOOK AT A STIPEND FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS. [01:10:04] TONIGHT, STAFF RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION TO PROVIDE A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT STATEMENT FOR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES AND RECEIVE AND FILE THIS REPORT. I DO ALSO WANT TO IDENTIFY THAT ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND I'LL BE WORKING SOME SIGNIFICANT TIME ON THIS, I WILL NOT BE TAKING A STATEMENT. THIS WILL ONLY BE FOR MID MANAGEMENT STAFF WHO IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR OVERTIME. WHAT WE'VE TRIED TO DO WITH OUR CONSULTANTS IS MOVE A LOT OF THESE TRAININGS ONTO FRIDAYS IF WE CAN IN THE EARLY MORNING SO THAT WE CAN GO THROUGH THE TIME WITH THE STAFF BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS IF WE DO HAVE THOSE TRAININGS PLANNED DURING THE WEEK, THEN THAT WORK JUST EXTENDS BEYOND AND WE END UP HAVING TO WORK AFTER LATE NIGHTS OR ON FRIDAYS. STAFF IS ALREADY WORKING EXTRA. WELL, WE DON'T HAVE A SLOW SEASON ANYMORE. BUT DURING BUDGET, WE WORK A LOT OF EXTRA HOURS AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR YEAR END. HAVING THIS ADDITIONAL PROJECT IS A BIG UNDERTAKING. I CAN SPEAK FROM A LITTLE BIT OF EXAMPLE WHEN MY LITTLE PIECE OF TIME WHERE I WAS IN THE CITY OF ONTARIO, THEY WERE GOING THROUGH THIS IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS AS WELL. THEY HAD A FULL TEAM OF EIGHT INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE FROM THE CITY OF ONTARIO THAT WERE ASSIGNED FULL TIME TO THEIR PROJECT. ADDITIONALLY, THEY HAD AN ADDITIONAL CONSULTANT THAT WORKED WITH THEM. HAVING OUR STAFF WHO HAS REGULAR DUTIES, THIS IS GOING TO BE A LOT FOR THEM. COMPENSATING THEM FOR THE EXTRA TIME IS WHY WE ARE BRINGING THIS FORWARD. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M DEFINITELY READY TO ANSWER THEM, HOPEFULLY. >> THANK YOU, KRISTIE. I THINK YOU'VE PRETTY MUCH EXPLAINED IT. BASICALLY WE'RE COMPENSATING OUR EMPLOYEES ABOVE AND BEYOND THEIR WORK DAY, AND I THINK THAT'S FAIR. I ALSO THINK THAT WE AS A COUNCIL PROBABLY DON'T NEED TO KNOW ALL THE FUNCTIONS OF OUR CITY MANAGER AND THE EMPLOYEES, AND I THINK IT'S NICE THAT THEY BROUGHT IT TO US, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE TRUST OUR CITY MANAGER AND OUR STAFF TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS AND TAKE CARE OF THE EMPLOYEES INTERNALLY AS LONG AS IT'S NOT AFFECTING THE OVERALL BUDGET. MOVING FORWARD, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU MANAGE THE EMPLOYEES IF WE HAVE NEW SYSTEMS THAT NEED THE EMPLOYEES TO DO THAT, AND THERE'S A STIPEND TO BE HAD, AND YOU BE COMPENSATED FOR THE TIME PROPERLY. >> APPRECIATE THAT. DURING MY DAYS IN HUTCHINSON BEACH, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD A FULL FLEDGED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT, HAD TO DO THE SIMILAR THING FOR A MAJOR PERMIT PROCESSING REPLACEMENT THERE, SO IT'S A COMMON FEATURE. >> I THINK WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE GET PAID FOR WHAT THEY WORK. VERY IMPORTANT. >> I AGREE WITH THAT AS WELL. I DO WANT TO THANK THE CITY MANAGER FOR BRINGING THIS ONTO THE AGENDA TODAY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S PART OF THE SCOPE THAT NOT, BUT JUST MAKING SURE THAT IT'S OUT THERE. BUT WE SHOULD BE PAYING EMPLOYEES FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. IF THEY ARE GOING ABOVE AND DOING MORE ON TOP OF THEIR TIME, THEY SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR THAT. >> I AGREE. WITH THAT, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A MOTION? >> I MOVE TO APPROVE NUMBER NINE SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT STIPEND FOR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES FOR SPECIALTY ASSIGNMENTS. >> SECOND. >> SECOND. >> VOTE PLEASE. ITEM NUMBER 9 OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR WAS MOVED BY CROSBY, SECONDED BY KASHIFALGHITA AND APPROVED FIVE ALL. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. BOWEN. WITH THAT, WE MOVE ON. [PUBLIC HEARINGS] THERE IS ONE ITEM TONIGHT. CITY MANAGER DOMER, PLEASE CALL FOR THE STAFF MEMBER WHO WILL REPORTING ON THE PUBLIC HEARING. >> I THINK I'M GOING TO BRING FORWARD THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE LA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BASICALLY, AS YOU REMEMBER A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE COUNCIL WENT THROUGH AND DID A NOTIFICATION, BUT JUST TO GIVE A QUICK UPDATE. >> GOOD EVENING. >> HOW ARE YOU. >> I'M THE NEW INSPECTOR WITH THE WEED ABATEMENT DIVISION. I'VE BEEN WITH THE DIVISION FOR FOUR MONTHS. I'VE COME IN DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE SEASON. I'VE BEEN GIVEN A REAL CRASH COURSE ON WHAT THIS DIVISION DOES. >> SECOND. >> YES. >> HE MIGHT HAVE A CONFLICT, SO JUST EXCUSE US FOR ONE SECOND. [01:15:08] MR. JOHNSON, YOU HAVE A RECUSAL REQUEST? >> YES. I HAVE A RECUSAL. ADDRESSES WEREN'T POSTED ITEM CODE IN THE PAST, I HAVE HAD A LOT THAT'S RIGHT NEXT TO MY OFFICE PART OF THAT. I WILL RECUSE MYSELF FOR THIS ITEM. >> THANK YOU, MR. JOHNSON. WE'LL WAIT TILL HE LEAVES AND THEN YOU CAN CONTINUE. >> WELL, WELCOME TO LA VERNE. >> WELCOME. >> THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOUR GUIDANCE, AND THIS IS MY FIRST COUNCIL MEETING. >> [LAUGHTER] DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. IDENTIFY YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD. >> NANETTE CARDENAS. UNFORTUNATELY I CAN'T SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE AS FAR AS THE HISTORY OF LA VERNE, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD IS THAT LA VERNE IS REALLY GOOD AS FAR AS DOING THEIR BRUSH CLEARANCE FOR THE VACANT PARCELS THAT ARE DECLARED BY US. I CAN ALSO ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT THIS YEAR, LA VERNE IS ON A GREAT START AS WELL. LAST YEAR I BELIEVE THE PERCENTAGE OF CLEARANCE WAS 90% OF PARCELS THAT WERE IN COMPLIANCE, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY DID THEIR WEED AND BRUSH CLEARANCE. THIS YEAR WE'RE AT 93% OF PARCELS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN COMPLIANCE. THOSE ARE REALLY GOOD NUMBERS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THIS IS THE A DECISION ON THE INITIAL INSPECTION FEE AND THOSE FEES ARE THEY FLUCTUATE OVER TIME FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT. I GUESS WE'LL BE VOTING ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU ACCEPT THOSE FEES FOR THIS YEAR. I WAS TOLD TO COME AT THE LAST MINUTE, SO I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I'M NOT VERY PREPARED AS FAR AS GIVING A WHOLE LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT WE DO, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. >> NO, I THINK IT'S PERFECT. THANK YOU. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME. WE APPRECIATE HAVING YOU, WELCOME. >> THANK YOU. >> WE DO AN AMAZING JOB IN OUR CITY. ESPECIALLY LATELY WITH OUR CHIEF NIGG, OUR PUBLIC WORKS. ALSO WITH OUR VENDORS WHO MAKE SURE THEIR AREAS ARE CLEARED BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, WE'RE 24/7/365 NOW FOR FIRE. WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU GUYS BECAUSE IT WORKS REAL WELL, WORKS BOTH WAYS. THANK YOU. >> YES. >> WE'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. WE'LL BRING YOU UP. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> RIGHT NOW, WE'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT INSIDE A MINUTE YOU WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS? >> IF YOU COULD JUST ADDRESS US. >> I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT AREA SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. I LIVED UP IN LA VERNE HEIGHTS, AND WEED JUST RECENTLY, I WOULD SAY ABOUT A MONTH AGO, THEY CAME AND CLEARED, BUT THEY DIDN'T PICK UP THE STUFF. THE WEEDS WERE ABOUT THIS HIGH. THEY CAME AND WHACKED IT ALL. THEY WERE THERE PROBABLY ABOUT TWO OR THREE DAYS THE STUFF DISPLAYS THERE SO CONCERN. >> WHAT IS YOUR PHYSICAL ADDRESS? YOU WANT TO GIVE THAT TO THE CITY MANAGER AND WE'LL CHECK WHAT ZONE YOU'RE IN? >> WE'RE IN THE LA VERNE HEIGHTS, WHICH WE PAY I THINK, 700 OUT OF OUR TAXES EACH YEAR TIMES 186 HOMES UP THERE. >> DO WE HAVE THAT MAP. >> YES, SO THE QUESTION I'D HAVE FOR YOU IS, DID YOU RECEIVE A NOTICE IN THE MAIL THAT SAID YOU WERE BEING ASSESSED A CHARGE? >> NO. >> THIS IS NOT YOUR PARCEL. BUT IF YOU GIVE ME THE ADDRESS THAT YOU'RE AT I'LL LOOK AT THAT PARCEL BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN DOING A TON OF CLEARANCE ALL OVER I DON'T KNOW CLEARLY MAYBE SOME PILES WERE LEFT BEHIND, BUT I'LL GET THAT ADDRESS FROM YOU AND THEN WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY COLLECTS THE DEBRIS. >> THE FIRE MARSHAL CAME AND I MET WITH THE FIRE MARSHAL AND ONE OF THE CITY MEMBERS HERE. THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO GET BACK TO ME ON HOW THEY'RE GOING TO HANDLE IT. THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THE CITY ACTUALLY TOOK OVER. WE USED TO HAVE LA COUNTY COME FROM WHAT ONE OF THE WORKERS SAID TO ME THAT THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO PICK UP ALL THE CUTTINGS THAT THEY DID. TO ME I HAD TO TALK WITH THE FIRE MARSHAL. I DON'T KNOW IF HE WAS A FIRE MARSHAL WITH THE FIRE ASK OF CONCERN BECAUSE I I'M TWO HOMES FROM THE CANYON. >> LUCKY FOR YOU, THE FIRE MARSHAL'S BOSS, THE FIRE CHIEF IS HERE. I'M GOING TO HAVE HIM TALK TO YOU. >> THAT'S GREAT. >> WE'LL GET YOUR ADDRESS, AND WE'LL LOOK TO COME OUT THERE AND LOOK AT THE SITUATION. >> PERFECT. THANK YOU. >> APPRECIATE IT. CAN WE HAVE A BREAKDOWN? [01:20:03] IS THERE ANYWHERE I CAN GET A BREAKDOWN OF THE COSTS AND SERVICES IN EACH YEAR? BECAUSE I'VE LIVED THERE FOR 30 YEARS, AND TO BE HONEST, I DIDN'T SEE THE FIRST 15, MAYBE 20 YEARS, JUST STARTED SEEING THIS THE LAST 5, 8 YEARS. OUR WATER IS CUT OFF. THERE'S NO WATER UP THERE ANYMORE TREES ARE FALLING. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF THERE WAS A BREAKDOWN IF SOMEONE HAS A BREAKDOWN SO I CAN READ IT. A LOT OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR ASSOCIATION WOULD LIKE THAT TOO. >> ABSOLUTELY. WE'D LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU BECAUSE WE ARE CONSOLIDATING THE WEED ABATEMENT IN THE FUEL MODIFICATION PROCESS UNDER THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. WE LOOK TO GET OUT THERE EVERY YEAR. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE BEFOREHAND. WE'RE ALSO PURSUING GRANTS FROM THE STATE IN ORDER TO DO THAT AND THEN WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON OUR EMERGENCY HAZARD MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TO LOOK AT THAT ONGOING BASIS SO WE'LL GET THERE. >> I ASSUME I'VE BEEN THERE 30 YEARS. I ASSUME YOU GUYS KNEW ABOUT THIS WHEN YOU WERE BUILDING THESE HOMES THERE AND THEY WERE, REQUIREMENTS THERE. I KNOW SOME OF THE HOMES HAD TO BE SPRINKLERS IN THEIR HOME OVER 4,000, I GUESS SQUARE FEET. BUT THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE WITH HIM IF THERE'S ENOUGH WATER THAT WE'VE SEEN AT [INAUDIBLE], WHAT HAPPENED IF THERE'S ENOUGH WATER AND HOW IS IT PUMPED UP THERE FOR ALL THESE HOMES. >> WHAT WOULD BE GREAT IS GET YOUR INFORMATION TO THE FIRE CHIEF THEN LET'S ARRANGE WITH YOUR HOA OR A GROUP OF RESIDENTS JUST TO GET THE FIRE MARSHAL BACK UP THERE, TALK TO EVERYBODY. GET THE INFORMATION OUT, WE ARE DEVELOPING OUR WEBSITE A LITTLE BIT BETTER TOWARDS FUEL MODIFICATION. BUT THIS INFORMATION IS GOOD AND WE WANT TO GET OUT THERE AND TALK. ALSO, HE CAN TALK ABOUT THE WHAT'S THE NAME KASH? WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE PROGRAM? THE COMMUNITY WILDLIFE? >> FIREWISE. >> YEAH FIREWISE PROGRAM, WHICH REALLY IS RESIDENT BASED TO DRAW ATTENTION AND ALSO REDUCE YOUR. >> MR. SWAIN KNOWS ABOUT THAT STUFF. >> MR. SWAIN BACK THERE. YOU GOT A LOT OF RESOURCES HERE. >> FIRE DEPARTMENT SO I CAN. >> THE GENTLEMAN IN THE CORNER WITH A BADGE. >> OVER THERE. >> TALK TO HIM FIRST AND THEN. >> RAYMOND DOESN'T BRING AS BAD. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> THIS MIGHT BE LIGHTING LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE DISTRICT NUMBER 4. JUST MAKING A POINT OF THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, SIR. NO. COME ON UP. >> I GOT A QUESTION. IT MIGHT BE ANSWERED ALREADY. BUT THESE KIDS ON MINI BIKES? >> WAIT. WE'RE NOT PUBLIC COMMENT THAT'S AT THE END. UNLESS THEY'RE CARRYING WEEDS WITH THEM, WE DON'T YEAH. >> WAIT. >> IF THEY'RE NOT CARRYING WEEDS FROM THE WELL, I CAN'T EVEN SAY THAT, CAN I? JUST LEAVE IT ALONE. ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT. NEVER MIND ABOUT THAT WEED. WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND BRING IT UP. DO YOU HAVE A MOTION? SECOND. >> SECOND. >> VOTE PLEASE. >> ITEM NUMBER 10. MOVED BY LOW, SECONDED BY CROSBY 4-0 WITH COUNCILMAN JOHNSON RECUSING HIMSELF. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> COMES TO WEED ABATEMENT. >> WHAT WEED ABATEMENT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? >> THEY DID A LOT OF WEED OIL ABATEMENT JUST LAST WEEKEND. NO KIDDING. >> WE WILL MOVE TO DISCUSSION CALENDAR. [DISCUSSION CALENDAR] THERE'S ONE ITEM TONIGHT ON DISCUSSION CALENDAR. IT'S THE AUTHORIZATION TO INITIATE THE PROPOSITION 218 PROCESS FOR WATER AND SEWER RATE ADJUSTMENTS. CITY MANAGER DON, PLEASE CALL FOR THE STAFF MEMBER WHO WILL BE REPORTING. >> THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO HAVE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR DANNY WOO BEGIN THIS PRESENTATION. >> THANK YOU. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS. AS COUNCIL IS AWARE, WE'VE REACHED A MAJOR MILESTONE IN THE WATER AND SEWER RATE STUDY TONIGHT WITH THE ADVICE AND INPUT OF THE WATER AND SEWER AD HOC COMMITTEE. STAFF IS REQUESTING COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION TO INITIATE THE PROPOSITION 218 PROCESS FOR PROPOSED WATER AND SEWER RATE ADJUSTMENTS, INCLUDING SETTING THE REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARING DATE. THIS REQUEST MARKS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN A COST OF SERVICE RATE STUDY THAT WE BEGAN LAST SUMMER TO ENSURE THAT [01:25:04] OUR WATER AND SEWER OPERATIONS REMAIN FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE AND ABLE TO MEET OPERATIONAL MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL NEEDS. AS YOU RECALL, LAST SUMMER, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT RETAINED [INAUDIBLE], FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS INCORPORATED, AN INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL CONSULTANT TO CONDUCT A FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PREPARE A RATE STUDY FOR THE WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS. CONSISTENT WITH INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES, THE FINANCIAL REVIEW, ANALYZED OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE COSTS, CURRENT AND FUTURE INFLATIONARY FACTORS, SUCH AS LABOR, MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION, AND WATER SUPPLY COSTS, AS WELL AS FUTURE CAPITAL REPLACEMENT, AND REHABILITATION NEEDS OF OUR SYSTEMS. THE COST OF SERVICE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT WATER AND SEWER RATE INCREASES ARE RECOMMENDED TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUNDS ARE ABLE TO CONTINUE PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM SERVICES. THIS EVENING, WE ARE REQUESTING ACTIONS THREE FOLD OF THE CITY COUNCIL. FIRST, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION INITIATING THE PROPOSITION 218 PROCEEDINGS BY SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING DATE OF NOVEMBER, 3RD 2025, FOR THE PROPOSED WATER AND SEWER RATE ADJUSTMENTS. SECOND, TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED PUBLIC NOTICES UNDER PROPOSITION 218. THIRD, TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION UPDATING OUR PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING THE PUBLIC HEARING AND MAJORITY PROTEST PROCESS, INCLUDING THE NEW EXHAUSTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE REMEDIES, REQUIREMENT PURSUANT TO AB 2257. THESE STEPS ENSURE THAT THE CITY REMAINS COMPLIANT WITH STATE LAW AND IS TRANSPARENT WITH OUR CUSTOMERS AND RATE PAYERS. BY WAY OF SOME BACKGROUND, THE WATER AND SEWER OPERATIONS ARE FUNDED THROUGH SELF SUPPORTING ENTERPRISE FUNDS, ENTIRELY SEPARATE FROM THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND WITH RATES DEDICATED SOLELY FOR PROVIDING THESE SERVICES, AND ALL REVENUES ARE REINVESTED INTO OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, AND RESERVES, NONE FOR PROFIT. THE CITY HAS NOT UPDATED OUR WATER AND SEWER RATES SINCE 2018, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TRUE COST OF SERVICE STUDY THAT THE CITY HAS EVER UNDERTAKEN. RATE REVENUES ARE RESTRICTED AND CAN ONLY BE USED FOR OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE, AND REPLACEMENT ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CITY'S WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS. OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, THE CITY HAS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT INFLATION COSTS TO PUMP AND TREAT OUR DOMESTIC WATER AND PURCHASE IMPORTED WATER, INCREASES IN DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE COSTS A GROWING BACKLOG OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT NEEDS, AND AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, REQUIRING UPGRADES AND NEW REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. WITHOUT ACTION, OUR RESERVES WILL CONTINUE TO DECLINE AND OUR ABILITY TO OPERATE THESE SYSTEMS RESPONSIBLY WILL BE COMPROMISED. THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, THE WATER AND SEWER RATE AD HOC COMMITTEE HAS BEEN A KEY PARTNER THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. I WANT TO ESPECIALLY THANK CHAIRPERSON RAYMOND SWAIN WITHIN THE AUDIENCE IN THE BACK, ALONG WITH MEMBERS DANIEL SMITH, DANITA BUCHA, JAIME RILEY, AND RICHARD BOWEN, FOR THEIR TIME AND DEDICATION IN PROVIDING VALUABLE INPUT THROUGHOUT THE RATE STUDY PROCESS. CHAIRPERSON SWAIN, I BELIEVE WE'LL SAY A FEW WORDS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. AGAIN, SINCE OCTOBER OF 2024, THE COMMITTEE HAS PARTICIPATED IN 12 MEETINGS THIS PAST YEAR, INCLUDING A JOINT STUDY SESSION WITH CITY COUNCIL ON APRIL 7. THEY'VE BEEN INVITED TO TOUR OUR WATER AND SEWER FACILITIES, INCLUDING OUR LIFT STATIONS, OUR MAINTENANCE YARD, AND REVIEWED FINANCIAL DATA AND OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM NEEDS. AFTER CAREFUL DELIBERATION, THE COMMITTEE VOTED LAST WEDNESDAY TO RECOMMEND ON THE 3-2 VOTE A 50% WATER RATE INCREASE EFFECTIVE JANUARY, 2026, FOLLOWED BY SMALLER ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS, EFFECTIVE JULY 1 OF EACH YEAR THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 29/30. FOR THE SEWER RATES, THE COMMITTEE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY 5-0 IN FAVOR OF A 15% INCREASE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, [01:30:05] 2026, WITH SUBSEQUENT 15% INCREASES, EFFECTIVE JULY 1ST OF EACH FISCAL YEAR THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 29/30. THE COMMITTEE'S INPUT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN SHAPING THESE RECOMMENDATIONS. AT THIS POINT, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO JEREMY TAMARGO, OUR PROJECT MANAGER WITH [INAUDIBLE], WHO WILL WALK YOU THROUGH OUR COST OF SERVICE STUDY, THE PROCESS AND ITS FINDINGS, THE PROPOSED RATE SCENARIOS, INCLUDING THE AD HOC COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDED SCENARIO 5, THE ANTICIPATED CUSTOMER BILL IMPACTS FOR TYPICAL WATER AND SEWER CUSTOMERS, AS WELL AS RATE COMPARISONS WITH OUR SURROUNDING CITIES. FINALLY, THE PROP 218 TIMELINE LEADING TO FINAL COUNCIL ADOPTION OF THE NEW RATES. >> THANK YOU, DIRECTOR WU. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU THIS EVENING. MY PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION WILL BE PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE RATE STUDY PROCESS AND THE KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS STUDY. I WILL TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED RESULTS IN TERMS OF THE WATER AND SEWER ENTERPRISE. TALK ABOUT HOW THAT IMPACTS CUSTOMER BILLS. PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE TIMELINE AND THE NEXT STEPS IN TERMS OF THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER PROP 218. BUT I'M REALLY SEGUEING TO CHAIRPERSON RAYMOND, AS WELL AS THEIR OTHER MEMBERS OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE WHO'VE BEEN WORKING OVER THE PAST YEAR TO HELP GUIDE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS. I CERTAINLY WANT TO LEAVE TIME FOR THEM TO PROVIDE THEIR COMMENTS AND INPUT AS WELL. WITH THAT, I'LL PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE RATES THAT YOU PROCESS IN GENERAL SINCE THE RATES HAVEN'T BEEN ADJUSTED SINCE 2018, AND THEN WE'LL NARROW IN TO SPECIFICALLY THE WATER UTILITY AS WELL AS THE SEWER UTILITY. IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS, STEP 1 IS WHAT WE CALL SETTING THE FRAMEWORK. IDENTIFYING THOSE FINANCIAL GOALS, PRICING OBJECTIVES, AS WELL AS LOOKING AT RATE STRUCTURE ALTERNATIVES FOR EVALUATION. NEXT, WORKING WITH CITY STAFF AS WELL AS THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, WE DEVELOP WHAT WE CALL A FINANCIAL PLAN. THAT IS EVALUATING THE COSTS, OPERATING CAPITAL COSTS, AND CONDUCTING A CASH FLOW ANALYSIS, BASICALLY INS AND OUTS FOR EACH OF THE UTILITIES. THE THIRD STEP IS KNOWN AS RATE DESIGN, WHERE WE CONDUCT THOSE CALCULATIONS IN ORDER TO DETERMINE IN TERMS OF FIXED AND VARIABLE COSTS, HOW MUCH REVENUE SHOULD BE RECOVERED, AS WELL AS LOOK AT WHAT THOSE CUSTOMER IMPACTS WOULD BE BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THAT STUDY. >> THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF WE HAVE THOSE DRAFT RATE RESULTS, AND THEN THE FOURTH PART IS THE STUDY DOCUMENTATION. BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM TONIGHT, WE'LL PUT TOGETHER THE FULL BOTH THE NOTICING REQUIREMENTS ON THE PROP 218 SIDE, AS WELL AS THE TECHNICAL REPORT, DOCUMENTING ALL FACETS OF THE STUDY FOR BOTH THE WATER AND THE SEWER SIDE, AND THAT WILL UNDERGO A THOROUGH REVIEW BY CITY STAFF AS WELL AS LEGAL COUNSEL TO MAKE SURE IT'S MEETING ALL THOSE REQUIREMENTS. THEN FINALLY, AND I'LL TALK A BIT MORE ABOUT THIS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. WE'RE ASKING COUNSEL TO SET THAT PUBLIC HEARING DATE FOR NOVEMBER 3RD. THAT IS WHEN THE RATES WOULD ACTUALLY BE ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL, SO THAT'S WHEN THE ACTION TAKES PLACE. IN THE INTERIM TIME PERIOD, THERE'S THAT MINIMUM 45-DAY NOTICING PERIOD WHERE ALL CUSTOMERS RECEIVE THAT NOTICE OF THE PROPOSED RATE ADJUSTMENTS. AS WELL AS IN ADDITION TO BEFORE THAT PUBLIC HEARING, WE HAVE, AS PART OF THE OUTREACH PLAN, THERE'LL BE THREE VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSES AS WELL AS ONE IN-PERSON OPEN HOUSE FOR ALL RATE PAYERS. COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO COME HAVE THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED, TALK THROUGH WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED. ALL OF THAT IS IN ADVANCE OF THE NOVEMBER 3RD DATE IN WHICH THE COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER THE ADAPTION OF THOSE RATES AND CHARGES. JUST TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF OVERVIEW, BOTH FOR THE COUNCIL AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY HERE. THE WATER DIVISION. IN TERMS OF WHERE THE WATER COMES FROM, THERE'S LOCAL GROUNDWATER PROVIDES A LITTLE LESS THAN A QUARTER OF THE WATER SOURCE FOR THE CITY OF LA VERNE. SOME OF THE FACILITIES INVOLVED WITH THAT OPERATION IS EIGHT WELLS, [01:35:03] FOUR BLENDING FACILITIES, 10 RESERVOIRS, AND TWO WATER TREATMENT PLANTS. THEN THE OTHER THREE QUARTERS IS IMPORTED WATER, SO PURCHASED WATER. THAT WATER IS BLENDED AND TREATED AT THE MIRAMAR TREATMENT PLANTS. CITY STAFF ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE WATER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS, AS WELL AS THEY HAVE THE MAINTENANCE AND READING OF THE WATER METERS. ON THE SEWER SIDE, THE CITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLLECTION SYSTEM THAT COLLECTS WASTE AND CONVEYS IT TO THE LA COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT FOR TREATMENT AND DISCHARGE. THE CITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING OF THOSE COLLECTION SYSTEMS, WHICH INCLUDES 112 MILES OF SEWER MAIN LINES, AS WELL AS TWO SEWER LIFT STATION. AGAIN, I KNOW DIRECTOR WU SPOKE ON THIS A LITTLE BIT, BUT I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE IN TERMS OF BOTH THE WATER AND THE SEWER UTILITY, THEY ARE NOT FUNDED THROUGH GENERAL FUND OR TAXES, THEY ARE FUNDED SPECIFICALLY THROUGH THE WATER AND SEWER ENTERPRISE FUNDS. THOSE FUNDS, THE PRIMARY REVENUE SOURCE IS FROM CUSTOMER RATES. THOSE FUNDS, WHAT IS COLLECTED FROM THOSE CUSTOMER RATES CANNOT LEGALLY BE USED TO FUND OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICES, SUCH AS PARKS OR PUBLIC SAFETY, ANY OF THAT. WHAT WAS COLLECTED FROM WATER RATES, GOES TO THE WATER UTILITY, WAS COLLECTED FROM THE SEWER RATES, GO SPECIFICALLY TOWARDS THE SEWER UTILITY. JUST TO SUMMARIZE BIG PICTURE, RATE STAYS ARE CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THOSE RATES KEEP UP WITH THE COST OF PROVIDING THAT SPECIFIC SERVICE, WATER SERVICE AND SEWER SERVICE, RESPECTIVELY. THE RATE STUDIES ARE PARAMOUNT TO ENSURING THAT THE UTILITY'S FINANCIAL HEALTH IS MAINTAINED, AS WELL AS SETTING THAT COURSE TO MEETING FUTURE FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS. CALIFORNIA, THIS IS KNOWN AS PROP 218, THOSE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS IN THE PROCESS. THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, SO LEADING UP TO THIS POINT AS WELL AS THROUGH THE NOVEMBER 3RD HEARING, THE CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE INPUT IN THIS RATE SETTING PROCESS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE NOVEMBER 3RD MEETING. SPECIFIC TO THE CITY OF LA VERNE RATE STUDY, I JUST WANT TO WALK THROUGH SOME KEY CONSIDERATIONS THAT WERE DISCUSSED WITH CITY STAFF WITH THE AD HOC COMMITTEE TO HELP US GET TO THIS POINT IN THE PROCESS. I AM NOT A LAWYER, BUT THIS IS SUMMARIZING IN TERMS OF THOSE PROP 218 REQUIREMENTS. THE REVENUES THEMSELVES CANNOT EXCEED THE FUNDS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE. AS I MENTIONED, THOSE REVENUES ALSO CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN TO PAY FOR THE SERVICE FOR WHICH IT'S CHARGED. WATER FUND TO REFUND. THE AMOUNT OF THAT FEE CANNOT EXCEED WHAT'S CALLED THE PROPORTIONAL COST OF PROVIDING THAT SERVICE. A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE PRESENTATION, I'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT WE CALL THE COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS. THIS IS WHERE WE PROPORTIONALLY ALLOCATE THOSE COSTS OF THE UTILITY TO THE VARIOUS CUSTOMER CLASSES. OUR TASK, THE CITY STAFF TASK IS SETTING RATES THAT ARE PROPORTIONAL TO THE COST OF PROVIDING THAT SERVICE BY ALLOCATING THOSE COSTS AMONGST THE GROUP RATES THAT ARE USING THE SERVICE. THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE STUDY, WE'RE RELYING ON CITY-PROVIDED DATA IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS, IN TERMS OF CONSUMPTION IN ORDER TO INFORM THE MODEL AND TO DEVELOP THE RATES THAT YOU'LL SEE HERE TONIGHT. IN TERMS OF THE FUNDING OF THOSE ENTERPRISES, AGAIN, THE CITY OF LA VERNE THOSE RATES HAVE NOT BEEN ADJUSTED SINCE 2018, AND THE BASIS OF THIS RATE STUDY IS MAKING SURE THAT THE RATES THEMSELVES KEEP UP WITH THE COST TO OPERATE THE ENTERPRISES. THAT IS SPECIFICALLY COMING FROM THE CUSTOMER RATE REVENUE. THE ENTERPRISES THEMSELVES ARE NOT EARNING PROFITS ON THE SERVICE, CALIFORNIA LAW IS REQUIRING THAT THOSE RATES ARE BASED SPECIFICALLY ON THE COST TO SERVE THE CUSTOMER CLASSES. I MENTIONED STEP 2 IN THE PROCESS WAS DEVELOPING THAT FINANCIAL PLAN. THIS IS WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT BOTH THE REVENUES AND EXPENSES TO ASSESS ESSENTIALLY IF THE DELTA, BETWEEN THE REVENUES AND THE EXPENSES IS [01:40:02] SUFFICIENT TO FUND THE OPERATION OF EACH OF THOSE UTILITIES. IF NOT SUFFICIENT, MORE RATE REVENUE IS NEEDED TO FUND THOSE COSTS. FOR EACH OF THESE UTILITIES, THERE ARE THE O&M COSTS. THOSE ARE THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONAL COSTS TO KEEP PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES, 24/7/365. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT GO INTO THOSE O&M COSTS ARE THE COSTS OF CHEMICALS, THE COSTS OF LABOR, COST OF PARTS, COST OF SUPPLIES. YOU ALSO HAVE YOUR CAPITAL PROJECTS. THOSE ARE YOUR LARGE PROJECTS FOR BOTH REHAB AND REPLACEMENT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ARE NEEDED ON AN ONGOING BASIS. THEN SIMILAR TO YOUR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET, YOU WANT SOME MONEY IN THE BANK. WE CALL THAT THE RESERVES, IN ORDER TO FUND EITHER O&M EXPENSES, CAPITAL, OR EMERGENCY REPAIRS THAT COME UP FOR EACH OF THE UTILITIES. A QUESTION THAT OFTEN COMES UP AND WE PUT TOGETHER THIS LITTLE DOLLAR BILL GRAPHIC IS THE COST BREAKDOWN OF YOUR UTILITY EXPENSES. THIS ONE IS SPECIFIC TO THE WATER ENTERPRISE, WHERE A LITTLE BIT OVER HALF IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WATER PRODUCTION COSTS. THAT'S ESSENTIALLY YOUR SOURCE OF SUPPLY IN ORDER TO PRODUCE THAT GROUNDWATER AS WELL AS PURCHASE THAT IMPORTED WATER. THAT A LITTLE MORE THAN A QUARTER IS GOING TO THE CASH FUNDED CIP. THEN MUCH SMALLER PERCENTAGES, YOU'RE LOOKING AT TRANSFERS, TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION, 5% ON YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNCTIONS, AGAIN, METER READING, OTHER CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNCTIONS, 5% IS GOING TOWARDS ADMINISTRATIVE COST, AND THEN 1% THE DEBT SERVICE, THE EXISTING LOAN OBLIGATIONS FOR THE UTILITY. I WON'T GO INTO ALL THE DETAILS HERE, WE WILL POST PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE, AS WELL AS DURING THOSE OPEN HOUSES GET INTO THE DETAILS AS MUCH AS ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO IN TERMS OF HOW THE COST OF SERVICE IS DEVELOPED FOR EACH OF THE UTILITIES AS WELL AS THE RATE DESIGN. THERE IS A LOT OF MATH INVOLVED IN IT, BUT IF I COULD SIMPLIFY IT, WE'RE DEVELOPING THAT REVENUE REQUIREMENT FOR EACH UTILITY IN THE FINANCIAL PLAN UNDERSTANDING HOW MUCH TOTAL REVENUE IS REQUIRED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. BASED ON THAT NUMBER, WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE USERS OF THE SYSTEM. THAT'S NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS, THAT IS TOTAL CONSUMPTION IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH WATER, FOR INSTANCE, IS BEING USED. WE LOOK AT CAPACITY DEMANDS ON THE SYSTEM, FOR A PEAK MONTH OR A PEAK DAY, HOW MUCH IS THAT DEMAND COMPARED TO THE AVERAGE USE ON THE SYSTEM. WE TAKE ALL OF THOSE, WE FUNCTIONALIZE, WE CLASSIFY, AND THEN WE ALLOCATE THOSE COSTS AMONG THE DIFFERENT USERS IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THE RATES THAT ARE PAID BY THE CUSTOMERS. AGAIN, DURING THE OPEN HOUSES OR ONCE THE FULL REPORT IS POSTED, WE'D BE HAPPY TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON HOW THOSE COSTS OR THE SPECIFIC RATES ARE DEVELOPED. LOOKING AT THE NEED FOR THE RATE STUDY, I THINK WE ALL KNOW PARTICULARLY RECENTLY HOW COSTS HAVE INCREASED JUST FOR GENERAL GOODS AND SERVICES. MY BROTHER WAS JUST IN THE FAMILY GROUP CHAT TALKING ABOUT MAYBE THIS IS DATING MYSELF HERE, THEY USED TO HAVE THE $5 FOOT LONG AT SUBWAY. THEN WE WERE TALKING 12 TO $14 FOR WHAT HE WAS LOOKING AT AND HE'S LIKE, THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME RING ANYMORE, A $14 LUNCH SANDWICH. I THINK WE'RE ALL COGNIZANT OF HOW DIFFERENT COSTS ARE. THIS GRAPH JUST ILLUSTRATES IN ADDITION TO THE NORMAL CPI WATER OR COSTS RAISING FOR GOODS AND SERVICES. YOUR WATER AND WASTEWATER COSTS HAVE GONE UP CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN EVEN WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON CPI. SINCE 2009, WE'RE LOOKING AT OVER 80% INCREASE IN COSTS IN TERMS OF WATER AND SEWER SERVICES. AGAIN, IN TERMS OF THE CHEMICALS, IN TERMS OF LABOR COST SUPPLIES, THESE UTILITIES ARE NOT IMMUNE FROM THOSE COST INCREASES. AS DIRECTOR WU MENTIONED, THE STUDY KICKED OFF ABOUT A YEAR AGO. WE'VE HAD THE AD HOC COMMITTEE PART OF THE PROCESS AS WELL. IN TERMS OF COMMENTS, STUDY, AND GUIDING THE PROCESS, THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, CITY STAFF, THE RATE CONSULTANT TEAM HERE AT RIF PELLIS, AS WELL AS RATEPAYERS ARE ASKED TO PROVIDE THEIR INPUT. THEN ULTIMATELY US BEING HERE TONIGHT IN TERMS OF ASKING FOR THE COUNCIL ACTION FOR [01:45:04] THE RECOMMENDED NOTICING ON BOTH THE WATER AND THE SEWER SIDE IN ADVANCE OF THAT NOVEMBER 3RD MEETING, WHERE THE DECISION WILL ULTIMATELY BE IN THE HANDS OF THE RATEPAYERS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROTEST BALLOT PROCEDURE, AND THEN THE CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE DECISION IN TERMS OF THE RATE ADJUSTMENTS. I KNOW THAT WAS HIGH LEVEL AT THE END, CERTAINLY OPEN QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THAT, BUT NOW I WILL SUMMARIZE A BIT OF THE PROCESS SPECIFIC TO THE WATER RATES AND THE SEWER RATES. BEFORE THEN I'LL GIVE THAT OVERVIEW OF THE LEGAL PROCESS IN TERMS OF PROP 218 AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO SOME OF OUR AD HOC COMMITTEE MEMBERS BECAUSE AGAIN, I REALLY WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEIR PERSPECTIVE AND COMMENT. ON THE PROPOSED WATER RATES, WE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF SCENARIOS, BUT IN CONJUNCTION WITH CITY STAFF AND THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, THERE WERE FIVE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT WERE SERIOUSLY VETTED AND DISCUSSED WITH THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. WITHIN THAT LITANY OF THE FIVE SCENARIOS, THEY REQUESTED A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS OF WHAT WE'RE CALLING HERE TONIGHT SCENARIOS 2 AND 5. WE LEFT THE NAMES UNCHANGED, JUST TO NOT CONFUSE FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. BASED ON THAT ANALYSIS, THE AD HOC COMMITTEE HAD A VOTE AND PROVIDED DIRECTION TO CITY STAFF IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING THE RECOMMENDED WATER RATE ADJUSTMENT FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. I KNOW THIS IS A BIT OF A REPEAT, BUT IN TERMS OF THE SPECIFIC INFLATION CONSIDERATIONS, ONE, THE RATES HAVE NOT BEEN ADJUSTED SINCE 2018. THE WATER UTILITY ITSELF HAS BEEN OPERATING IN THE RED AND DEPLETING THOSE RESERVES. FROM 2018 UNTIL NOW, THE CPI JUST BY ITSELF HAS INCREASED BY 28%. THAT'S FORMING THE BASELINE IN TERMS OF HOW COSTS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THAT LAST ADJUSTMENT. ON TOP OF THAT, UTILITY RATES THEMSELVES TYPICALLY INCREASE BY 2% MORE THAN CPI PER YEAR, WHICH WOULD ADD ANOTHER 15% ON TOP OF THAT, 28% AS THE BASELINE THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT DRIVER THAT WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS, AS I MENTIONED, THE CITY IS PURCHASING ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WATER THAT IS BEING SUPPLIED TO CUSTOMERS. THE COST OF THAT TREATED WATER AT MWD HAS RISEN BY OVER 50% IN THE SAME TIME FRAME SINCE THE LAST RATE ADJUSTMENT FOR THE CITY OF LA VERNE CUSTOMERS. >> THE SCENARIO 1 IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS BEING CONSIDERED AS AN OPTION TONIGHT, BUT I JUST WANT TO USE IT TO SET THE CONTEXT. THIS IS THE STATUS QUO IF THERE WAS NO ACTION, SO NO RATE REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE FIVE YEARS. THE TOP GRAPH IS A SUMMARY OF THAT FINANCIAL PLAN WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT REVENUES AND EXPENSES. THE BOTTOM IS LOOKING AT THE FUND BALANCES IN TERMS OF THE RESERVES. THE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THESE SLIDES IS THAT, THE STATUS QUO, THE DO NOTHING OPTIONS, THE EXPENSES WILL CONTINUE TO EXCEED REVENUES FOR ALL THE YEARS. THE RESERVE FUND BALANCES ARE DEPLETED COMPLETELY BY FISCAL YEAR '27 NOT SUSTAINABLE IN TERMS OF A TRAJECTORY FOR THE WATER UTILITY. THE ONLY POSITIVE IN TERMS OF THE TAKEAWAY RIGHT IS THAT THE CUSTOMER BILLS REMAIN UNCHANGED. BUT IN TERMS OF VIABILITY FOR THE SYSTEM, THIS WAS DEEMED NOT AN OPTION, BUT THIS IS JUST THE CURRENT TRAJECTORY, WITHOUT RATES BEING ADJUSTED SINCE 2018. SCENARIO 2 WAS AN INITIAL SCENARIO THAT WAS VETTED BY THE COMMITTEE. IN TERMS OF THE RATE REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS, THIS IS LOOKING AT 35, 30, 20,15, AND 10 AS THE CEILINGS THAT ARE SET OVER THE FIVE-YEAR HORIZON. THIS WAS SHARED WITH THE COMMITTEE ON MAY 27. CITY STAFF, AS WELL AS RAFTELIS AND THE COMMITTEE, WE'RE REALLY ENGAGED WITH TRYING TO SEE HOW TO LESSEN THESE IMPACTS TO THE RATE PAYERS. THIS ADJUSTMENT SCENARIO IS LOOKING AT USING $4 MILLION INTER-FUND LOAN FROM THE SEWER FUND. [01:50:04] TAKING OUT THAT LOAN IN '26 AND THEN REPAYING IT BACK TO THE SEWER FUND BETWEEN FISCAL YEAR '28 AND '30. THE EXPENSES DO EXCEED THE REVENUES FOR FISCAL YEAR '26, BUT IT IS POSITIVE OPERATING CASH FLOW ALL OF THE OTHER YEARS OF THE STUDY. ONE DRAWBACK ON THIS ADJUSTMENT SCENARIO IS THAT THE RESERVE FUND BALANCES DO DIP BELOW THE RECOMMENDED TARGETS IN FISCAL YEAR '28 AND '29. THEN, I WILL FLIP OVER AND SHOW YOU THE CUSTOMER BILL IMPACTS ON THE NEXT SLIDE. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SHOW ALL OF THE IMPACTS HERE TONIGHT, BUT WE ARE WORKING WITH CITY STAFF ON DEVELOPING A RATE CALCULATOR ESSENTIALLY. WE'VE DONE THIS IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. THERE'LL BE A WEBSITE. YOU CAN PLUG IN YOUR INFORMATION, WHAT'S MY METER SIZE, WHAT'S MY USE, AND THEY'LL CALCULATE YOUR SPECIFIC BILL UNDER THE CURRENT RATES AND THE PROPOSED RATES. BUT THIS SHOWS A RANGE OF BIMONTHLY. BIMONTHLY EVERY TWO MONTHS, CUSTOMERS ARE RECEIVING THAT BILL IN TERMS OF WHAT THOSE BILL IMPACTS WOULD BE. I WILL EMPHASIZE THAT EVEN THOUGH IN THIS SCENARIO, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT FIRST YEAR IS THAT 35% ADJUSTMENT. BECAUSE THE CITY HAS NOT ADJUSTED RATES SINCE 2018 AND HAS NOT PERFORMED THAT TRUE COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS, IT'S NOT A 35% RATE INCREASE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ALL CUSTOMERS. BASED ON ACCOUNTS, DEMAND FACTORS, DIFFERENT THINGS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE UNEQUAL IN TERMS OF THOSE RATE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE FIRST YEAR, AND THEN YEARS 2-5, IT IS ACROSS THE BOARD IN TERMS OF THOSE PERCENTAGES. I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT BECAUSE AS YOU SEE HERE, THOSE BILL IMPACTS IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGES ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON YOUR USAGE FOR THE CUSTOMER CLASS, AND THAT'S JUST THE REALLOCATION OF COSTS BETWEEN THOSE FIXED AND VARIABLE COMPONENTS. FOR AN ANNUAL AVERAGE USER WITH A ONE INCH METER, THIS SCENARIO, YOU'RE LOOKING AT APPROXIMATELY $25 ON YOUR BIMONTHLY BILL, SO $12.50 ON A MONTHLY BASIS IN TERMS OF THAT ADJUSTMENT, FOR SCENARIO 2. THIS IS JUST THE RATE TABLE. IF THERE ARE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, I COULD GO THROUGH IT IN DETAIL, BUT THERE ARE THE BIMONTHLY SERVICE CHARGE, THAT IS YOUR FIXED CHARGE BASED ON YOUR METER SIZE. THERE ARE VOLUMETRIC RATES, BASED ON THE USAGE AND THOSE VARY BASED ON YOUR PUMPING ZONE. THERE IS A FIXED IF YOU HAVE AN ADU ON A BIMONTHLY BASIS, AND THEN IF YOU HAVE A SEPARATE FIRE METER. WE ALSO ARE UPDATING THOSE CHARGES AS WELL, BASED ON THE COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS. WHY WE HIGHLIGHTED THE CITY HAS OVER 5,000-ONE INCH METER, THAT IS THE PREDOMINANT METER SIZE AND YOUR MOST COMMON SIZE FOR YOUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS. SCENARIO 5 WAS THE RECOMMENDED SCENARIO ON THE 3-2 VOTE FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. THAT IS THE 50, 25, 15,10, AND 10 AS THE MAXIMUM RATE ADJUSTMENTS OVER THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD. SIMILAR TO SCENARIO 2, IT HAS THE $4 MILLION LOAN FROM THE SEWER FUND THAT IS THEN REPAID IN YEARS '28-'30. THERE IS STILL, EVEN WITH THIS ADJUSTMENT, A NEGATIVE NET OPERATING CASH FLOW IN FISCAL YEAR '26, BUT THEN THERE IS THE POSITIVE CASH FLOW IN '27-'30. CONTRASTING WITH SCENARIO 2. IN THIS SCENARIO, THE RESERVE FUND BALANCES DO MEET THOSE MINIMUM RECOMMENDED TARGETS FOR ALL FISCAL YEARS IN THE RATE STUDY. THE CUSTOMER BILL IMPACTS, WE'LL TALK ABOUT ON THE NEXT SLIDE. AGAIN, THE LOAN IS REPAID OVER THREE YEARS, SO THE LOAN WILL BE PAID BACK TO THE SEWER ENTERPRISE BEFORE THE END OF THE FIVE-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD. FOR SCENARIO 5 IN TERMS OF THOSE BILL IMPACTS, SIMILAR TO SCENARIO 2, WE LOOKED AT THE ONE INCH METER FOR A RANGE OF USES. THE CURRENT BILL BEING JUST SHORT OF $106 BIMONTHLY FOR THE ANNUAL AVERAGE, [01:55:07] PROPOSED BILL WOULD THEN BE $152.38. THE IMPACT WOULD BE $46.50 ON THE BIMONTHLY BILL. A LITTLE MORE THAN $23 INCREASE ON A MONTHLY BASIS FOR THIS SCENARIO. AGAIN, THIS IS JUST SHOWING THE TABLE IN TERMS OF THE ONE INCH METER THAT FIXED CHARGE, THE INCREASE THAT YOU'D BE SEEING THERE. AGAIN, THE RATES FOR THE VOLUMETRIC, THOSE COMMODITY CHARGES, AS WELL AS THE FIRE PROTECTION AND ADU RATES WOULD ALSO BE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY. ONE THING WE LOOKED AT, AND THANK YOU TO THE CITY STAFF FOR PUTTING TOGETHER SOME OF THESE COMPARISON CHARTS, THE CITY OF LA VERNE HAS A CONSEQUENCE OF NOT ADJUSTING THE RATE SINCE 2018, COMPARED TO OTHER UTILITIES IN THE REGION. WE JUST LOOKED AT THE BIMONTHLY METER CHARGE, THAT FIXED CHARGE BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED, THERE ARE A WIDE RANGE OF ACTUAL COMMODITY USAGE. ONE WAY WE'RE LOOKING AT IT IS THE FIXED CHARGE THERE. THE CITY OF LA VERNE, YOU CAN SEE CURRENTLY AT THE BOTTOM IN TERMS OF THE BIMONTHLY ONE INCH METER CHARGE. EVEN WITH THE 50% INCREASE, SO THE HIGHER, THE SCENARIO 2 THERE, THAT IS WHERE IT WOULD PUT THE ONE INCH METER COMPARED TO THE NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES. STILL WE MOVED UP ONE SPOT ON THE LIST, SO THAT WOULD MOVE IT TO $72.95. THAT WOULD BE THE RATES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2026. THE PROPOSAL THEN IS TO PUT THE RATE INCREASES BACK IN LINE WITH THE FISCAL YEAR CALENDAR ADJUSTMENTS, SO THAT NEXT INCREASE WOULD BE JULY 1 OF 2026. EVEN WITH THAT THEN ADDITIONAL 25%, SO THE SECOND YEAR ADJUSTMENT, THE CITY OF LA VERNE WOULD STILL BE AT $91.19, WHICH IS LOWER THAN ROWLAND, UPLAND. CITY OF UPLAND WERE JUST ABOUT TO GO THROUGH A RATE STUDY ADJUSTMENT PROCESS. I THINK PART OF IT BEING COGNIZANT OF ALL OF THESE RATES WILL CONTINUE TO BE ADJUSTED IN THE NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES TOO. THIS SNAPSHOT MAY NOT EVEN CAPTURE ALL OF THE ADJUSTMENTS. >> QUESTION. YOU JUST SAID THE SLIDE BEFORE IS THE RATE INCREASE OF JANUARY 1. AND THEN YOU SAID BY YEAR 2, BUT IN JULY, THAT'S SIX MONTHS, THAT'S NOT A YEAR. YEAR 2 IS INCREASING, NOT A YEAR. IT'S INCREASING MID YEAR? >> CORRECT. YES, BECAUSE WHERE WE ARE ON THE CALENDAR. OF COURSE, THE FISCAL YEAR IDEALLY, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTING JULY 1 OF '25 FOR THIS FIRST YEAR, BUT WE ARE ONLY GETTING THE SIX MONTHS NOW OF THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR IN TERMS OF THOSE IMPACTS. YEAR 2 WOULD BE STARTING, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION, JULY 1 OF '26. >> IS THAT WHY BOTH SCENARIOS 2 AND 5 ARE STILL IN A DEFICIT FOR YEAR 2, BECAUSE YOU DID NOT GET THE FULL YEAR FOR THE FIRST IMPLEMENTATION OF IT? >> CORRECT. YES, THAT IS THE REASON WHY THE RATES ARE BEING ADJUSTED BOTH IN JANUARY AND THEN JULY AGAIN BECAUSE DELAYING THAT FOR THE FULL YEAR WOULD ONLY BE ADDITIONAL LOST REVENUE FOR THE UTILITY ITSELF. I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION ON THAT. >> REAL QUICK ONE. I MAY HAVE MISSED IT, BUT ON YOUR BIMONTHLY ADDED UNIT CHARGE FOR ADU, YOU GO TO SCENARIO 2, WHICH IS LESS PERCENTAGE, BUT YET THE RATES ARE HIGHER THAN SCENARIO 5. ARE THEY IN THE WRONG CATEGORY? IS THAT BECAUSE OF DIFFERENCE? >> I WILL DOUBLE CHECK THAT, BUT IT SHOULD BE PROPORTIONAL TO THE RATE INCREASE THAT YOU'RE SEEING. BUT I WILL MAKE A NOT TO THAT AND WE CAN VERIFY IT. >> BECAUSE IT'S HIGHER FOR SCENARIO 2 AND IT'S LOWER FOR SCENARIO 5, WHICH DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. THE RATES DON'T MAKE A SENSE, BUT IT'S ALSO AS MR. CROSBY SPOKE, THAT IT'S MID YEAR. THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE MY CALCULATIONS AREN'T RIGHT ON THIS. >> NO. I WILL DOUBLE CHECK THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT IS ACCURATE. THANK YOU. [02:00:06] THIS IS JUST SUMMARIZING AGAIN, IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT THE BILL IMPACTS. WE'LL BE WORKING ON PUTTING TOGETHER THAT SPECIFIC BILL CALCULATOR SO THAT INDIVIDUAL RATE PAYERS CAN LOOK AT THEIR BILLS, BUT WE USE THE ONE INCH METER SCENARIO AS THAT IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE CUSTOMERS ARE FITTING INTO THAT ONE INCH RESIDENTIAL CATEGORY IN THE CITY. ON THE SEWER RATE SIDE OF THINGS, THERE IS ONLY ONE SCENARIO THAT WE'RE PRESENTING BEFORE YOU AS THAT WAS UNANIMOUS WITH THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. THIS MAXIMUM 15%, SO 15% OVER 5 YEARS ANNUALLY. THE RESERVE FUND BALANCES MEET THE TARGETS IN ALL OF THE YEARS '26-'30. THIS PLAN IS UTILIZING THE RESERVES TO FUND LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS, PARTICULARLY IN '28-'30, AND THOSE CUSTOMER BILL IMPACTS ARE SHOWN ON THE NEXT SLIDE HERE. BECAUSE THIS IS SPECIFIC TO THE COLLECTION SYSTEM COMPONENT, THERE IS A SEPARATE BILL FROM LA IN TERMS OF THE TREATMENT SIDE OF THINGS. THE CURRENT BIMONTHLY BILL IS $23.43 PROPOSED FOR THE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER. THIS IS 100% FIXED CHARGE. THAT WOULD BE $26.61 UNDER THE 15% REVENUE ADJUSTMENT. THE IMPACT ON THAT ON A BIMONTHLY BASIS IS $3.18. AGAIN, IN THAT FIRST YEAR, THE ADJUSTMENT ISN'T EXACTLY 15% JUST BASED ON THE COST OF SERVICE, DIFFERENT NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS, AND THE ADJUSTMENT ON THE CONSUMPTION RATES. FOR ALL USERS, THERE'S THAT BIMONTHLY SEWER CHARGE, THAT FIXED RATE, BUT FOR THE NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, THERE'S ALSO A VOLUMETRIC RATE, A COMMODITY CHARGE THAT IS ASSESSED, AND SO THAT'S BASED ON THE WATER CONSUMPTION ON THE BILL. BOTH OF THOSE ARE PROPOSED TO BE ADJUSTED OVER THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD BASED ON THAT RECOMMENDED 15% OVER THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD. I KNOW I'VE TALKED A LOT. AGAIN, I REALLY WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO THE AD HOC COMMITTEE TO SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVE, BUT I DO BEFORE I WRAP UP, JUST WANT TO TALK THROUGH THE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS. STAFF, THE COMMITTEE HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK LEADING UP TO THIS POINT, BUT THIS IS REALLY A MILESTONE IN THE ROAD. THERE'S STILL A LOT OF RUNWAY BEFORE WE LAND THE PLANE, I GUESS, THE ANALOGY. WHAT THE ASK IS TONIGHT IS FROM CITY COUNCIL TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUING OF THE PROP 218 NOTICES. AGAIN, THAT IS NOTICING ALL CUSTOMERS IN TERMS OF THE PROPOSED RATE ADJUSTMENTS. >> IF WE RECEIVE THAT DIRECTION TONIGHT, CITY STAFF WILL BE MAILING THOSE NOTICES NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 11TH. AT THAT TIME, AS WELL, THE COMPLETE RATE STUDY REPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE IN TERMS OF THE DOCUMENTATION SO PEOPLE ONCE THEY RECEIVE THAT NOTICE, IF THEY SO CHOOSE, CAN GO LOOK THROUGH THE ENTIRE REPORTS AND PREPARE FOR THE THREE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AS WELL AS THE IN-PERSON COMMUNITY MEETING IN WHICH CITY STAFF, AS WELL AS THE RATE CONSULTANTS WILL BE ON HAND TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE SYSTEM, THE NEED FOR THE ADJUSTMENTS. I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THESE COMMUNITY MEETINGS ARE ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT IS REQUIRED LEGALLY BY PROP 218. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE MANDATORY NOTICING REQUIREMENTS, THE LEGAL MINIMUMS. THIS IS CITY STAFF PROACTIVELY GOING OUT AND OFFERING THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE COMMUNITY TO BE INFORMED ON THE PROCESS. WE HAVE SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER FOR THOSE MEETINGS. PUBLIC HEARING WOULD BE SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 3RD, AGAIN, IN WHICH PROTESTS WOULD BE TABULATED OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN COMMENT ON THE ITEM IN TERMS OF ANYTHING PRO AGAINST THE RATE ADJUSTMENTS, AND THIS WOULD ALL BE LEADING TO THOSE RATES BEING EFFECTIVE ON JANUARY 1ST OF 2026. LAST SLIDE FOR ME, I PROMISE. LEGALLY, THE CITY IS REQUIRED TO SEND THAT RATE NOTIFICATION TO ALL THE PROPERTY OWNERS, THE CUSTOMERS RECEIVING THE BILLS. [02:05:03] THE STATE REQUIRES A MANDATORY MINIMUM OF 45 DAYS NOTIFICATION FROM WHEN THAT IS MAILED OUT BEFORE THE PUBLIC HEARING. ONE KEY CONSIDERATION WHEN DEBATING THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS IS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CANNOT ADOPT ANY RATES ABOVE WHAT WAS PUBLISHED. THE COUNCIL ALWAYS HAS THE DISCRETION DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING TO ADOPT SOMETHING LESS THAN WHAT WAS NOTICED. BUT IF WHATEVER THE NOTICE IS THAT'S SETTING A CEILING, ESSENTIALLY. THE HIGHER RATE SCENARIO WOULD SET THE CEILING IF FIVE, WAS THE RECOMMENDED ADOPTION. IF SCENARIO 2 WAS NOTICED, THAT BECOMES THE CEILING IN TERMS OF THE RATE ADJUSTMENT. SOMETHING THAT WAS TALKED ABOUT OVER THE COURSE OF THE STUDY, AGAIN, I'M NOT THE LAWYER, BUT WHATEVER IS IN THE NOTICE SETS THE CEILING IN TERMS OF WHAT COULD BE ADOPTED THEN AT THE NOVEMBER 3RD HEARING. AGAIN, AS I TALKED ABOUT THE STUDY REPORTS, WE'LL PROVIDE ALL THE DOCUMENTATION THAT THOSE FEES BEING ADOPTED ARE NOT EXCEEDING THE COSTS FOR THE UTILITY. ALL OF THIS INFORMATION ON THE PROTEST PROCESS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THAT NOTIFICATION DOCUMENT, ALL THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, AS WELL AS IF FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS. THEY'LL BE ON THE WEBSITE, FURTHER GUIDANCE ON THE PROTEST PROCEDURE, AS WELL AS THEY'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AT THOSE OPEN HOUSES TO ASK QUESTIONS ON THAT. THIS IS JUST SUMMARIZING SOME OF THOSE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF WRITTEN PROTEST. >> ONE QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO. CAN YOU GO BACK TO SLIDE 29 IS THE COMPARISON CHART? >> SLIDES 29. YES, SIR [NOISE] >> THIS IS WHERE WE ARE NOW. BUT WE DO HAVE LA VERNE RESIDENTS, ESPECIALLY THE FOX GLEN RESIDENTS THAT HAVE GOLDEN STATE WATER DISTRICT THAT ARE VERY AT THE TOP. YOU MADE MANY COMMENTS THAT CITY OF LA VERNE HAS NOT RAISED AS WATER SINCE 2018. HOW MANY TIMES, OR HAS THE GOLDEN STATE WATER DISTRICT RAISED IT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT UNDER OUR ENTITY AS THEY DIDN'T COME HERE FOR THIS, BUT HAVE THEY RAISED SINCE 2018 DURING THAT TIME AS WELL? >> I DO NOT HAVE THAT OFFHAND, BUT I CAN GET YOU THAT ANSWER. >> WELL, IT'S 160. [OVERLAPPING] >> I BELIEVE THEY HAVE. BUT THAT THEY HAD TO COME TO THE CITY COUNCIL BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT UNDER US. [OVERLAPPING]. >> THEY'RE ALSO THREE PLUS TIMES MORE THAN WE ARE. >> IT'S CRAZY. >> WELL, ASK CLAREMONT TO. >> UNFORTUNATELY, HOW GOLDEN STATE WATER CUSTOMERS GET INCREASES IS GOLDEN STATE WATER GOES THROUGH THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION, AND SO UP IN SAN FRANCISCO. >> AND DOES THE THING. >> YEAH, GETS THEM THAT WAY. >> I JUST APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS PROCESS AND COMING TO OUR RESIDENTS AND COMING THROUGH HERE INSTEAD OF IT BEING JUST FORCED ON US AND US PAYING THOSE RATES THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE PAYING BECAUSE THEY'RE A FOX GLEN RESIDENTS. >> NO, ABSOLUTELY. I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO COMMENT ON THE NUMBER OF TIMES THEY'VE INCREASED SINCE 2018. I JUST DON'T HAVE THAT READILY AVAILABLE, BUT WE COULD CERTAINLY GET THAT TO YOU. BUT YES, AS THE MAYOR SPOKE TO, THEIR RATES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ALMOST IN EXCESSIVE THREE TIMES AS TIMES THE FARE FOR THAT 1 " METER. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. I'M GOING TO PASS IT OVER TO CHAIR PERSON. >> CHAIR SWAIN. I WANT TO RUN OF APPLAUSE FOR AD HOC COMMITTEE MEMBERS, PLEASE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH [APPLAUSE] >> I DON'T WANT TO FORWARD OR BACKWARD IN CASE YOU WANT TO. CHAIR SWAIN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, SIR. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY STAFF, BUT ESPECIALLY THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES OF LA VERNE. [02:10:02] LUCKILY FOR YOU TONIGHT, THREE SHORT PAGES, TWO SLIDES. [BACKGROUND] [LAUGHTER] AS USUAL FOR MY PRESENTATIONS. BUT AGAIN, I COME BACK TO YOU AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE YOU ON THE ACTIVITIES OF OUR AD HOC WATER AND SEWER COMMITTEE CULMINATING WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOU THIS EVENING. NOW AS YOU WILL RECALL, AND YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THIS, OUR COMMITTEE WAS INITIATED BY AN ACT OF THIS COUNCIL, AND WE HELD OUR FIRST MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2024. NOW, FOR THE PAST 11 MONTHS, OUR COMMITTEE HAS BEEN DILIGENTLY ENGAGED. OUR CHARGE WAS TO EXAMINE THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY CITY STAFF AND THE CONSULTANT RAFTELIS. ONE, TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESSES, PROCEDURES, REGULATIONS, AND LAWS UNDER WHICH THE WATER AND SEWER DEPARTMENTS OPERATE. NUMBER 2, UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE SERVING INFRASTRUCTURE, AS WELL AS THE FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN REQUIRED TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AN ADEQUATE AND SAFE WATER AND RELIABLE SEWER SYSTEM FOR THE RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES OF LA VERNE. NUMBER 3, UNDERSTAND THEN THE HOW AND THE WHY OF OUR CURRENT FISCAL STATUS FOR EACH SYSTEM. FOUR, DETERMINE THE BEST FISCAL PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS COUNCIL. THE RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENTED BY OUR COMMITTEE ACTUALLY COINCIDE WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE CITY STAFF PREPARED. THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WATER SYSTEM RECOGNIZES THAT THE OPERATIONAL AND CIP FINANCING HAS BEEN SEVERELY UNDERFUNDED FOR AT LEAST THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. THIS HAS CAUSED A LACK OF REVENUE TO SUPPORT THE ONE EXPENSES, DEBT SERVICES, AND CIP EXPENDITURES. THIS HAS PRODUCED A SITUATION WE CURRENTLY FACE. ONE, THERE IS A NEGATIVE NET OPERATING CASH FLOW. NUMBER 2, NEGATIVE BALANCES FOR BOTH THE WATER OPERATING AND CAPITAL RESERVE FUNDS. NUMBER 3, A MAJOR NEGATIVE VARIANCE FROM THE RESERVE TARGETS. NOW, THE COMMITTEE HAD TWO PRIMARY PRIORITIES DETERMINING OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. ONE, GET THE FISCAL STATE OF THE WATER FUND BACK IN THE BLACK AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO IT CAN OPERATIONALLY PERFORM ITS FUNCTION AND PROCEED WITH THE SCHEDULED CIP PROGRAMS. WE ALSO DILIGENTLY REVIEWED THE FISCAL IMPACT ON THE VARIOUS CUSTOMER CLASSES OF BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS. IN THIS REGARD, WE FOCUS ON THE TWO SCENARIOS THAT YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT. WE FELT THAT SCENARIO 5 PROVIDED THE BEST SOLUTION FOR FUNDING THE BUDGETARY NEEDS OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT, INCREASING THE RESERVE FUND TO ENSURE PREDICTABLE OPERATIONS AND BUDGETED CAPITAL PROGRAMS. THIS SCENARIO, THOUGH, HAS A HIGHER IMPACT ON RATES WITH ANNUAL INCREASES OF 50, 25, 15, 10, AND 10 OVER FIVE YEARS. THE OTHER OPTION WE FOCUSED ON WAS SCENARIO NUMBER 2. THIS SCENARIO WAS SLOWER TO ACHIEVE THE POSITIVE FISCAL RESULTS AS COMPARED TO SCENARIO NUMBER 5, WHILE ALLOWING THE RESERVE FUND TO GO BELOW TARGET FOR FISCAL YEARS '28 AND '29. THE RATE IMPACT FOR THE RESIDENTS RAMP UP AT 35, 30, 20, 15, AND 10. EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OVER THREE YEARS AS COMPARED TO 90% OVER SCENARIO NUMBER 5. THE COMMITTEE WAS DIVIDED BETWEEN THESE TWO SCENARIOS. THE MAJORITY CHOSE SCENARIO 5 AS IT FULFILLED THE FISCAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT, THE QUICKEST, WHILE THE THREE YEAR RATE DIFFERENCE OF 85-90% DID NOT JUSTIFY THE FISCAL DOWNSIDE OF SCENARIO NUMBER 2 TO THE WATER BUDGET. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS SCENARIO 5 WITH A SPLIT VOTE OF 3:2. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE CURRENT WATER RATES CHARGED BY THE CITY OF LA VERNE ARE AMONGST THE LOWEST IN OUR SURROUNDING GEOGRAPHY. EVEN WITH THESE NEW RATES, THE CITY WILL STILL BE OFFERING AS CUSTOMERS EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE RATES WHILE PROVIDING TOP QUALITY SERVICE. OUR COMMITTEE ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT THE SEWER RATE INCREASE OF FIVE YEAR ANNUAL INCREASES OF 15% BE ADOPTED. NOW, DURING THIS PROCESS, OUR COMMITTEE WAS GREATLY SUPPORTED BY CITY STAFF, ESPECIALLY ENGAGED WERE KRISTIE SANCHEZ, OUR SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANALYST, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, JO VERA, AND UTILITIES MANAGER, BRIAN CIATI. IN ADDITION, OUR CITY MANAGER, MR. DOMER, WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE AND IN OUR PRESENCE. [02:15:02] I THINK THE CITY WAS WELL SERVED BY A VERY DILIGENT COMMITTEE. I WANT TO THANK MY CO CHAIRMAN DANIEL SMITH, AS WELL AS COMMITTEE MEMBERS, DANITA BAUCHAMP, RICK BOWEN, AND JAIME RILEY, FOR THEIR DEDICATED SERVICE. THEN TO YOU, MY THANKS TO YOU FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THE CITY. THANK YOU [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU, RAYMOND. WE'RE GOING TO NOW OPEN UP. ANYBODY ELSE? ANY OTHER STAFF MEMBERS, OR I THINK WE SHOULD OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT. LET'S OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT. [PUBLIC COMMENTS] ANY WHO WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, MISS BAUCHAMP. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I AM SPEAKING AS A RESIDENT OF LA VERNE, NOT AS A COMMITTEE MEMBER, AS I WAS ONE OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO HELD OUT FOR THE LOWER INCREASE. MY CONCERN ABOUT INCREASING IT 50% OR EVEN HIGHER SHOULD THE COUNCIL SO CHOOSE, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE REWARDING BAD BEHAVIOR AND PENALIZING THE RESIDENTS FOR IT. THERE WAS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN THESE ACCOUNTS WITH PAST DIRECTORS OF PUBLIC WORKS AND PAST CITY MANAGERS, THE FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT WAS JUST EXTREMELY POOR AND THEY CONTINUALLY PUT OFF THE CPI, AND THIS IS WHERE IT BROUGHT US TODAY. I ALSO FEEL THAT THERE'S NO GUARANTEE WITH THOSE FUNDS THAT ARE GENERATED THAT THEY WILL BE USED FOR WATER AND OR SEWER. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT COVID OR NATURAL DISASTER SHOULD FIRES AFFECT US LIKE PALISADES OR EATON CANYON? THAT MONEY WOULD BE IMMEDIATELY USED FOR OTHER PROJECTS. I WOULD ASK THAT THIS COUNCIL CONSIDER THE LOWER INCREASE. IT DOESN'T GET US TO THE GOAL AS QUICKLY AS THE OTHER SCENARIOS, BUT IT DOES GET US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE, WHICH IS PAYING BACK THE SEWER WITHIN THE THREE YEAR PERIOD AND PUT US IN A POSITIVE CASH FLOW WITH POSITIVE RESERVES. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MISS BAUCHAMP [APPLAUSE] >> I WOULD BE VERY REMISS IF I DID NOT RECOGNIZE OUR PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBER ROB MCCARTY AT THE STAND RIGHT NOW. ALSO, OUR PREVIOUS PLANNING COMMISSIONER CHAIR, MR. GILEB. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, GUYS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE [APPLAUSE] >> HI. THANK YOU. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO RECOMMEND BEFORE THIS IS EVER TAKEN FOR A VOTE OR TO THE COMMUNITY, IS IF COUNCIL COULD DIRECT STAFF TO LOOK INTO ANY KIND OF WATER CONSERVATION PLANS. THE REASON WHY I SAY THAT IS NOT ONLY AS RESIDENTS THAT WE'D HAVE TO PAY THIS INCREASE, IT'S EVERYBODY THAT LIVES IN AN HOA. EVERYBODY WILL GET DOUBLE THE AMOUNT BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE OUR RESIDENTS IN OUR HOA MORE BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BE PAYING FOR ALL THE OPEN LANDSCAPE THAT WE PAY FOR IN OUR ASSOCIATIONS. OUR BILL IN MY ASSOCIATION IS $28,000 A YEAR, AND IT'S OUTRAGEOUS. THAT COST IS PUT ONTO OUR RESIDENTS, SUCH AS CASH, YOU'D BE CHARGED TO BECAUSE YOU PAID TWO HOAS. IF WE CAN LOOK INTO, WE DID THIS BACK WHEN WE RAISED THE FEES, 2016, THAT WE DID CONSERVATION IN THE STATE OFFERED SOME. BUT MAYBE THERE'S SOME GRANTS OUT THERE THAT WE COULD LOOK INTO TO SEE IF PEOPLE DO DIFFERENT CONSERVATIONS, LANDSCAPING, OR WHATEVER THAT COULD HELP SAVE SOME MONEY. THAT'D BE GOOD. >> THANK YOU. AGAIN, I WOULD BE VERY REMISS IF I DID NOT RECOGNIZE NORM FAUSTINI FOR BEING ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR MANY YEARS WITH MYSELF. THANK YOU, NORM. THANK YOU. OF COURSE, HIS WIFE IS THE BEST. ANYWAY, FORGET NORM, ANYWAY. ANYBODY ELSE WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? >> HELLO. ELIAS TOREDO. IT'S SEVEN YEARS, I WAS SURPRISED. THAT IS A LONG TIME NOT TO HAVE A RATE INCREASE. I UNDERSTAND AS A CITIZEN AND I UNDERSTAND YOU GOT TO RAISE THE RATES. EVERYTHING'S GONE UP IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, BUT THE 44% SEEMS LIKE, WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IS JUST WHO IT'S GOING TO IMPACT. ALL THE PEOPLE THAT MIGHT WE CATCH THEM OFF GUARD. I THINK THAT WAS THE RATE WE TALKED ABOUT, 44%. THAT'S GOING TO BE A REAL PUNCH. I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WAS ANYTHING IN THE STUDY THAT LOOKED AT SUBSIDIES OR SOMETHING TO HELP. [02:20:03] SOME OF PEOPLE WHO MAY NEED SOME HELP, JUST TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE EASIER ON THEM, EQUITABLE, THINGS LIKE THAT. SOME PROGRAM THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO GET HIT BY THIS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH MAYBE LOW INCOME. ALSO, I THINK WE PROPOSED THAT A LOW INCOME SUBSIDY OR A LIFELINE RATE OR SOMETHING. ALSO I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO GET MORE THINGS OUT AND WE'RE GOING TO START PASSING OUT MORE INFORMATION OUT THERE THAT NEEDS TO BE OUT THERE. MAYBE A DETAILED USAGE-BASED BILLING EXAMPLES THAT COULD GO OUT, MAYBE SOME WORKSHOPS OR SOMETHING BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER, SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP PEOPLE REALLY UNDERSTAND. I DID LIKE THE SUGGESTION OF MRS. CARTER ABOUT THE LOOKING AT CONSERVATION AND PROGRAMS LIKE THAT. I'M THINKING, IF THEY LOOKED AT ANYTHING ABOUT USING, WAS THAT GRAY WATER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT INSTEAD OF IN CERTAIN AREAS RECYCLED WATER, SOMETHING IN PARKS. >> PURPLE WATER. >> PURPLE WATER, WHATEVER COLOR YOU WANT. [OVERLAPPING] MAYBE SAVE US SOME MONEY THERE. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THOSE THINGS WERE EVER LOOKED AT. ANYWAY, THAT'S MY CONCERN. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> ALL RIGHT. >> THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] MRS. NEWLAND. >> [LAUGHTER] HELLO, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. KATHY NEWLAND FROM FOOTHILL TERRACE MOBILE PARK. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER THE SENIOR POPULATION OF LA VERNE WHEN VOTING ON THIS PERCENTAGE INCREASE ON OUR WATER. WE HAVE OLDER HOMEOWNERS AND THREE MOBILE HOME PARKS 55 AND OLDER TO CONSIDER. IN RETIREMENT, SOME OF US ARE LIVING ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND OR DISABILITY. MY SOCIAL SECURITY GIVES ME $35 PER MONTH PER YEAR RAISE, AND MY PARK SPACE GOES UP $30 PER MONTH PER YEAR. THAT GIVES ME A FIVE DOLLAR INCREASE EVERY YEAR TO MY INCOME. SOME OF US HAVE NO OTHER WAY OF EARNING AN INCOME, WE'RE EITHER TOO OLD, I'M DISABLED. ANYWAY, WITH THE SALES TAX HIGH AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THIS IS JUST GOING TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR SOME OF US. IF THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED IN YOUR DECISION. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, KATHY. [APPLAUSE] >> CYNTHIA GABALDON. THAT WAS ACTUALLY A VERY GOOD LEADEN. WHO ARE THE RESIDENTS OF LA VERNE? PLEASE REMEMBER MEDIAN IS NOT THE SAME AS AVERAGE. THIRTY-FOUR PERCENT ARE OVER 65 AND THEY HAVE THE SECOND LOWEST MEDIAN INCOME AND THEY ARE ALL BELOW 57,000. FORTY-THREE PERCENT ARE BETWEEN 45 AND 64, AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE THE HIGHEST MEDIAN INCOME, BUT THAT IS ONLY 139,000, AND 21% ARE BETWEEN 25 AND 44, AND THEY HAVE THE MEDIUM INCOME OF ABOUT 123,000. THOSE LAST TWO ARE FAMILIES, SO MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE. THE MEDIAN INCOME FOR CALIFORNIA PER MARCH 2025 IS ABOUT 96,000, AND THE OVERALL MEDIUM FOR THE CITY OF LA VERNE RESIDENTS IS ABOUT 101,000, BUT THAT HAS BEEN GOING DOWN AND BETWEEN LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, IT WENT DOWN OVER 5%. THAT IS A VERY BIG DROP FOR A CITY. MIDDLE CLASS, GENERALLY OUT HERE, AND I USE RIVERSIDE AND SANTANA IS 57,000-59,000. THAT'S WHERE YOU HIT MIDDLE CLASS. WE HAVE 44% OF OUR RESIDENTS WHO ARE BELOW MIDDLE CLASS. IN THAT COMPARISON TO STEP UP THERE, CUCAMONGA, ROLAND HEIGHTS, AND WALNUT WERE USED, THEIR MEDIANS ARE 140,000. WE'RE APPLES AND ORANGES TO THOSE RICHER CITIES. WE'RE NOT ONE OF THOSE CITIES. THEN I WENT THROUGH A TRANSPARENT CALIFORNIA THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. THE 2023 NUMBERS, WE HAVE 335 EMPLOYEES IN THE CITY, 152 YEAR ROUND FULL TIME. THEY RANGE, AND I ONLY USE THE FULL TIME PEOPLE, BETWEEN 26,000 AND 384,000 PER YEAR. WE HAVE EIGHT PEOPLE OVER 300K, 31 OVER 200K, 63 OVER 100K, AND WE HAVE 50 OF OUR EMPLOYEES HERE THAT ARE OVER THE 65-YEAR-OLDS INCOME UP TO ABOUT 100,000. WE HAVE 160 OF OUR STAFF MAKE JUST MORE OR UP TO 600% MORE THAN 44% OF OUR RESIDENTS. WE JUST GOT TO HAVE EVERYBODY REALLY THINK ABOUT THAT. WE CAN'T KEEP THINKING THAT MANDATING MORE TAXES AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS, [02:25:03] USER FEES ARE TAXES, IS THE WAY OUT. HOW CAN ANYONE AT THE CITY THINK IT'S OKAY THAT WE CONTINUE TO JUST RAISE TAXES OR RATES AND NOT EXPECT PUSHBACK? REMEMBER THAT ALL THOSE NUMBERS ON THAT SCREEN YOU'RE MULTIPLYING TIME SIX BECAUSE THAT WAS ONLY FOR A TWO-MONTH INTERVAL. WE NEED AN AUDIT, AND THE TRUTH HAS GOT TO BE COMING OUT FOR WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON. THE CITY SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAVING FOR CIP PROJECTS. THIS IS MY WORLD, ENGINEER, 30 YEARS, PUBLIC PROJECTS. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAVING THE MONEY. WHERE HAS ALL THE MONEY GONE AND WE DO DESERVE ANSWERS. FOR THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD, IT'S GOING TO BE $200-$250 MORE A YEAR, NOT SO MUCH WHAT'S ON THE GRAPH, BUT THE USERS, AND THAT IS LESS THAN THE INCREASE OF MOST OF OUR FIRE INSURANCE FOR THOSE WHO STILL HAVE IT. IT'S EQUAL TO OR MORE THAN MOST OF OUR CAR INSURANCE INCREASES. MINE WENT UP $300. IT IS ON PART WITH EDISON AND GAS COMPANY INCREASES. IT IS A MONTH OF A PRESCRIPTION DRUG. IT IS A PAYMENT FOR A SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER. IT'S A WEEK'S WORTH OF GAS FOR SOME OF US. FYI, WHEN YOU REDUCE THE COST OF YOUR USE, THE PRICES DON'T CHANGE. JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE USING LESS WATER DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GOING TO ACTUALLY HELP YOUR OVERALL COST. THAT'S ACTUALLY A FALLACY TO WATER CONSERVATION. THE ACTUAL UTILITY, THERE'S BASELINE FEES THEY GOT TO PAY FOR. WE ACTUALLY ALL SHOULD BE USING MORE MONEY, AND THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BRING DOWN YOUR GENERAL COST. THAT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST FALLACIES OUT THERE. I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 30 YEARS. I'VE ROUGHED OUT BECAUSE I WENT ONLINE BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A GOOD WEBSITE FOR ALL THIS. I ROUGHED OUT HOW MUCH MY FAMILY HAS PAID ON WATER BILLS AND THAT'S ABOUT $80,000. THE ACTUAL WATER USE COSTS WERE ROUGHLY, AND THIS IS REALLY ROUGH, ABOUT 29K. THAT MEANS THAT WE'VE PAID $50,000 IN OTHER FEES. NOW, HALF OF THAT IS THE WASTE AND THE SEWER, SO YOU TAKE THAT OUT. LET'S SAY THAT IT'S $21,600 OF THE WATER SERVICE CHARGE. LET'S SAY THAT HALF THE CITY HAS PAID THAT MUCH OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS. THAT WOULD BE 15,000 PEOPLE TIMES 21,600, THAT'S $324 MILLION IN WATER SERVICE FEES. WHERE HAS ALL THAT MONEY GONE? WHERE HAS IT GONE? WE'D LIKE TO KNOW. WHERE'S OUR AUDIT? IF THIS IS AN ENTERPRISE FUND AND IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN AN ENTERPRISE FUND, THERE'S GOT TO BE THE JUSTIFICATION FOR WHERE ALL THAT MONEY WENT. WE, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO HAVE LIVED HERE FOR A LONG TIME, AND THERE'S PLENTY OF US IN HERE, WE HAVE GOT TO DEMAND AN AUDIT OF THE CITY BOOKS. TAXES ARE 50% OF OUR GENERAL FUND, 63% OF THAT IS GOING TO PENSIONS. WE, THE RESIDENTS, HAVE ASKED FOR AN AUDIT NOW FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS. WE, THE RESIDENTS, HAVE WATCHED SALES TAX GO UP HERE IN TOWN, RATES, PROPERTY TAXES, INSURANCE COSTS ALL GO UP. IT'S TIME TO RIP THE BAND AID OFF AND BE TRANSPARENT WITH THE RESIDENTS. IT IS OUR MONEY YOU'RE SPENDING. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU, CYNTHIA. ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? MR. BOWEN. >> THAT ONE'S HARD TO FOLLOW. I WANT TO AGREE WITH DENITA ON MOST OF HER POINTS. I'M A BOTTOM LINE GUY, AND WE TALKED ABOUT PERCENTAGES. BUT KEEP IN MIND, IF WE DO A 50% INCREASE, SIX MONTHS LATER, AS MR. CROSBY POINTED OUT, WE DO ANOTHER 25. THEN A YEAR LATER, WE DO 15. IN A YEAR AND A HALF, IT WILL GO UP 212%, NOT TO 50, 25, AND 15 BEING 90 BECAUSE ALL THOSE INCREASES, OTHERS ARE GOING ON TOP OF THE INCREASES THAT TAKE PLACE. IN OTHER WORDS, $100, 50% GOES UP TO 150, 20% OF THAT GOES UP TO, I THINK 187, AND ANOTHER 15 GOES TO $212. THAT'S IN A YEAR AND A HALF. AS WE JUST HEARD, THAT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF MONEY TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. ALSO, THERE WAS ORIGINALLY A $500 FLOATING A SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR LOAN, AND WE WEREN'T TOLD, THE COMMITTEE WASN'T TOLD THAT THAT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE WE COULDN'T QUALIFY FOR IT. THE CITY COULDN'T QUALIFY FOR A SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR LOAN. WHEN YOU SEE THESE LAST PROPOSALS, IT'S BORROWING FOUR MILLION FROM INTERNAL. THAT'S WHY THE RESERVES GO DOWN. WE'RE BORROWING FROM THE FUND, WOULD BE LIKE ME NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE MY HOUSE PAYMENT, BUT I'LL GO TO MY BANK AND BORROW MONEY AND SAY, I'M OKAY. IT'S NUTS. ALSO, THE FACT IS WE DIDN'T USE THE CAPITAL MONEY. [02:30:06] AS MANY PEOPLE POINTED OUT, YOU HAVE CAPITAL PROJECTS, BUT THEY WEREN'T DONE. THEY USE MONEY. THEY USED THOSE CAPITAL MONEY FOR YEARS GOING BACK TO FUND THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF. YOU CAN SAY THESE ARE CAPITAL OUTLAYS, BUT THE PROJECTS WEREN'T DONE. SAYING AS DENITA SAID, BUT THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE. WHY? NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS COME IN. NEW CITY MANAGER COMES IN. THEY SAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO SPEND THAT CAPITAL ANYMORE. WE'RE JUST GOING TO US TO FUND THE DEPARTMENT LIKE WE DO NOW. NOTHING IN HERE CHANGES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. THEY CAN ALL, AGAIN, NOT DO ANY CAPITAL THINGS. WE HAVE AN INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS HAS BEEN VERY INTERESTING TO ME. THIS IS LIKE THE OLD SAYING, YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SAUSAGE OR LAWS BEING MADE. THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE. YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THE STUFF THAT THIS CITY COULD LOOK FORWARD TO. IT'S ONE THING WHEN THE ELECTRICITY GOES OFF. ANOTHER WHOLE THING WHEN YOU CAN'T FLUSH YOUR TOILET. AGAIN, THIS DOESN'T CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR. I WOULD SOMEHOW LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING LOCKED IN, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. THE VERY LAST THING, IT'S A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR CITIZENS. I WAS ON THE COMMITTEE. I VOTED FOR THE LOWER ONE JUST BECAUSE I SEE THE ACTUAL DOLLARS THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET HIT WITH, AND THEY WILL GET HIT HARD IN JANUARY, AND ABOUT THE TIME THEY TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY'RE GOING TO PAY THAT, SIX MONTHS LATER, THEY'RE GOING TO GET HIT AGAIN. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU GUYS, AND I SAID THIS EARLY ON. I SOLD STUFF MY WHOLE LIFE. I COULDN'T SELL THAT. GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MR. BOWEN. [APPLAUSE] ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? YES. >> GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MR. MAYOR. I WASN'T ON THE COMMITTEE, AND I LOOKED AT THIS SUMMARY, AND I HAD TO WALK AWAY AND LOOK BACK AT IT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT AS MR. BOWEN JUST POINTED OUT, THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE HIT AND LOOKED AT MY BILL AND LOOKED AT WHAT IT MIGHT BE WITH JUST KEEPING THINGS AS IS AND IT'S WORSE AND RIDICULOUS. I'M WORKING. I'M LOOKING TO RETIRE IN A YEAR. THIS MIGHT PUT IT OFF, ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE IS GOING OFF. PLEASE CONSIDER WHY DO WE HAVE TO HAVE A 50% RAISE THE FIRST YEAR? GRADUALLY MOVE IT IN, FIND OUT WHY THE HECK, AS THEY'VE BEEN SAYING. WHY ARE WE EVEN HERE? WHY ARE WE EVEN AT THIS POINT? I'VE BEEN IN LA VERNE FOR 30 YEARS, RAISED MY KIDS HERE. ALL OF THEM HAVE SUCCESSFUL ADULTS. I'M REALLY PROUD OF THEM. THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE. THIS IS GOING TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SETTLE DOWN BY SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. THE OTHER REASON, MOST OF US HAVE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. OUR WATER IS PROBABLY MORE THAN THE TOWNHOUSES, THE LOWER INCOME. WE WERE BUILT ON SPACE AND USE. DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T TRY TO CURTAIL OUR USE, BUT I'M JUST FLABBERGASTED WE'RE EVEN HERE. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [APPLAUSE] ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK? JAMIE. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR HEPBURN AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I DID GET THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING ON THE AD HOC SEWER RATE COMMITTEE AND I'D LIKE TO SHARE MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE PROPOSED RATE INCREASES. HARD WATER RATES HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2018. OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE COST OF TREATED WATER AND ELECTRICITY HAS RISED SIGNIFICANTLY. AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE AN AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND NEED TO RESTORE OUR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE RESERVES TO RECOMMENDED BASELINE. WE LOOKED AT DIFFERENT APPROACHES AND DISCUSSED THEM AT LENGTHS, PRIORITIZING COMMUNITY INPUT AND TRANSPARENCY THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. THE RATE CHANGES WE ARE RECOMMENDING WILL ALLOW US TO MEET THE RESERVE TARGET BY FISCAL YEAR 2026, INSTEAD OF FURTHER OUT. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY THAT WHEN WE SAY THE FIRST YEAR INCREASE IS 50%, [02:35:02] THAT DOES NOT MEAN DOUBLING THE ENTIRE BILL THAT COMES IN THE MAIL. THIS INCREASE APPLIES SPECIFICALLY TO THE FIXED METER CHARGE AND CONSUMPTION PORTIONS OF THE BILL, NOT THE TOTAL CHARGES, WHICH ALSO INCLUDE PARAMEDIC SERVICES, REFUSE SERVICES, AND SEWER. THE LATTER OF WHICH HAS ITS OWN PROPOSED INCREASE. RETURNING TO BREAK EVEN OPERATING EXPENSES AND ACHIEVING RESERVE GOALS SOONER IS CRITICAL TO PREVENT COSTLY BREAKDOWNS AND EMERGENCY REPAIRS AND CONTINUED DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. THESE RATE ADJUSTMENTS WILL ALSO SUPPORT ESSENTIAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING CONVERTING METERS TO IMPROVING BILLING EFFICIENCIES, WHICH HAS ALREADY STARTED IN THE CITY. UPDATES TO OUR WATER TREATMENTS, SYSTEMS AND REPLACING AGING PIPELINES TO ENSURE RELIABLE AND SAFE SERVICE TO OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. SAFE DRINKING WATER THAT IS DELIVERED TO OUR HOMES IS NOT A NICE TO HAVE. IT'S A NON-NEGOTIABLE UTILITY TO ME. I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T TAKE THE CHANCE TO TELL YOU WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE IN OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT OPERATES VERY EFFICIENTLY. WHEN EXAMINING THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT EXPENSES OVER THE FIVE YEARS, THEY HAVE BEEN MINIMAL. CITY STAFF SEEKS OUT ALTERNATIVES TO ENSURE THEY ARE GIVING THE BEST PRICE FOR ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVELS TO SUBTAIN THEIR IMPROVEMENTS. INFORMING OUR RECOMMENDATION, WE CONSIDERED HOW RESIDENTS WOULD BE AFFECTED. MOST RESIDENTS HAVE A ONE INCH METER, WHICH MEANS THEIR BILL CHANGES ARE ON THE LOWER END OF THE SPECTRUM. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONSUMPTION CHARGES Z1, WHICH IS FOR OUR RESIDENTS BELOW BASELINE IS ON THE LOWER END OF THE COST GRID. WE ALSO LOOKED INTO ACCOUNT UNIQUE BILLING SITUATIONS SUCH AS THE MASTER BILLING SYSTEM USED BY MOBILE HOME PARK RESIDENTS AND HOW THE IMPACT OF THESE COSTS COULD BE PASSED ONTO THOSE COMMUNITIES. TO ASSIST PEOPLE ON FIXED INCOME, WE SUPPORT CITY STAFF TO EVENTUALLY SWITCH TO MONTHLY BILLING TO MAKE THEIR BUDGETING PROCESS EASIER. WE ALSO CONSIDERED UPCOMING AND PROPOSED ADDITIONAL HOUSING UNITS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE COST OF MAINTAINING THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE FUTURE. WHEN WE COMPARE OUR ONE INCH METER CHARGE TO THOSE 11 SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, WE'RE CURRENTLY THE LOWEST AT 51 BIMONTHLY. WITH EVEN THE PROPOSED CHANGES, WE WOULD ONLY MOVE TO THE 10TH SPOT AT $72.95 BIMONTHLY OR ABOUT $36.48 PER MONTH, STILL KEEPING US COMPETITIVE IN THE REGION AND NUMBER 8 IN THE NEXT ADJUSTMENT AT ABOUT $45.59 PER MONTH. DELAYING THESE ADJUSTMENTS RISK HIGHER EMERGENCY REPAIR COSTS, SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS, AND GREATER LONG-TERM FINANCIAL IMPACTS ON RESIDENTS. THIS PLAN ALSO POSITIONS OUR COMMUNITY TO MEET FUTURE DEMANDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GOALS WHILE ENSURING THAT OUR FUTURE RESIDENTS INHERIT RELIABLE INFRASTRUCTURE. EVEN WITH THESE CHANGES, OUR RATES REMAIN THE LOWEST AMONG OUR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES. THIS PLAN ENSURES WE CAN MAINTAIN RELIABLE WATER SERVICE FOR EVERYONE. NO ONE WANTS THEIR COST OF LIVING TO RISE, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY'S MARKET OF OTHER COST INCREASE. I BELIEVE IT'S VITAL FOR THE CITY TO COMMIT TO MORE FREQUENT RATE REVIEWS, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY TO GET INVOLVED IN THESE DISCUSSIONS MOVING FORWARD. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY PERSPECTIVE AND CONSIDERING THE VOICES OF THE RESIDENTS WHO CARE ABOUT SAFE RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE WATER SERVICE. >> THANK YOU, JAMIE [APPLAUSE] ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, BRING UP THE DAYS. WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK FIRST ON THIS? MR. CROSBY. >> I'D LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE PRESENTATION. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS BETWEEN SCENARIO 2 AND SCENARIO 5 ON PAGE 23 OF THE PRESENTATION. IT JUST HAS THE PLAN GOING OUT. YOU WENT PAST IT. >> TWENTY THREE, YOU SAID? >> IT SAYS PAGE ON 23. RIGHT THERE. ON THE BOTTOM IT SAYS 23, SO THAT'S WHY. YOU SAID ON YEAR 28 AND 29 YOU HAVE THE LINE ABOVE THE MARK ON THE BOTTOM FUND BALANCES WHERE IT SAYS FIVE MILLION? THAT IS OUR RESERVES. ON THE PREVIOUS ONE, IT GOES WAY BELOW THAT. BUT WE'RE STILL IN A POSITIVE FUND BALANCE, BUT IT'S UNDER OUR PROJECTED. WHAT IS THE RESERVES THAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR? WHAT IS THE BLACK LINE? >> THE BLACK LINE IS THE TARGET BALANCE, SO THAT IS THE MINIMUM RECOMMENDED LEVEL. >> WHAT IS THAT PERCENTAGE? WHAT'S THAT? [02:40:01] >> IT'S A COMBINATION OF THINGS. IT'S A COMBINATION OF A 90 DAYS OF OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE EXPENSES IN THE BANK AS WELL AS A CAPITAL RESERVE TARGET AS WELL. >> I KNOW IN MY WORLD, I AM IN SCHOOLS AND THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE A 3% FOR FISCAL INSURGENCIES. THIS DOESN'T GIVE ME A NUMBER. IT SAYS THAT WE STILL HAVE $5 MILLION IN THE BANK. THEN AT THE VERY END IN YEAR 2030, WE HAVE $10 MILLION ABOVE IT, AND THEN SCENARIO 5, IT'S 12 MILLION ON THERE TOO. I KNOW IT'S BECAUSE OF COMPOUNDING EARLY ON, YOU GET BETTER SAVINGS AT THE END. BUT THIS IS WELL ABOVE YOUR LINE THERE. IS THERE A POINT WHERE WE HAVE TOO MUCH RESERVES AS WELL WHEN WE'RE NOT LIKE IN 2031, I KNOW YOU DON'T GO OUT THAT FAR. DOES THAT MAKE IT TO BE 15 MILLION BECAUSE THE HUGE JUMP BETWEEN 2029 AND 2030 IS A LARGE JUMP AS WELL? >> I HEARD TWO QUESTIONS IN THERE. HOPEFULLY, I'LL SPEAK TO THE FIRST ONE AND THEN THE SECOND ONE. IT IS A BIT OF A MOVING TARGET IN TERMS OF THAT TARGET BALANCE, THE MINIMUM, BUT ROUGHLY YOU COULD THINK ABOUT IT AS THE 90 DAYS OF O&M EXPENSES PLUS ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE CIP BUDGET. THAT IS REALLY A SAFETY NET BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT'S A BIMONTHLY BILLING CYCLE TO, AND SO THERE'S NOT AS MUCH REVENUE COMING IN AS IF IT WAS SAY ON A MONTHLY BASIS RIGHT IN TERMS OF THAT. THERE IS A BIT OF A LAG. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S AROUND THAT SIX MILLION TARGET OVER THE FIVE YEAR. >> THAT'S PRETTY FLAT. WHERE I SEE ALL THE GRAPHS, THERE'S SLOPES MORE THAN A FLAT. >> I'LL GET TO THE MOVING TARGET PIECE AND THIS TIES INTO THE 2030 QUESTION THAT YOU HAD. CITY STAFF IDENTIFIED SOME UNCERTAINTY ON THE PROJECT COSTS OUT BEYOND THE FOUR-YEAR HORIZON. WE WERE LOOKING AT THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR PLUS FOUR YEARS, WAS THEIR CURRENT CIP PLAN. THE NUMBER IN 2030 MAY BE HIGHER THAN THAT MINIMUM TARGET BECAUSE THEY DID NOT FEEL AND I COULD LET DIRECTOR WU SPEAK TO THIS, BUT THEY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THEY WERE CAPTURING ALL THE COST FULLY ON THE LONGER HORIZON. >> IN THIS SCENARIO, WHEN ARE WE PAYING BACK THE $4 MILLION BORROWED FROM THE SEWER FUND? I LIKE THE SCENARIO OF I TAKE MONEY OUT OF MY SAVINGS ACCOUNT FOR MY CHECKING ACCOUNT. I WANT TO PAY BACK MY SAVINGS ACCOUNT BECAUSE I WANT TO FOR MY RESERVES AND KEEP UP. I'M NOT TAKING OUT A LOAN FROM THE BANK BECAUSE IT COSTS WAY TOO MUCH MORE MONEY THAN DOING THAT. >> THIS IS THE SAME IN BOTH SCENARIO 2 AND 5. THE REPAYMENT IS YEARS 28 THROUGH 30 ON THE INTERFUND. >> IT'S STILL PAYING OUT. NOW, COULD WE PAY OUT LESS IN 2028 AND '29 TO RAISE THAT AND PAY A LITTLE MORE IN 2030 SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE THOSE RESERVES AT THE TARGET LINE? >> WHY THAT DIDN'T OCCUR WITH WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING HERE IS BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL PROJECTS ON THE SEWER SIDE, SPECIFIC TO THE REIGNING PROGRAM THAT STAFF ANTICIPATES COMMENCING IN 28. THAT IS WHY THE REPAYMENT IS AS SUCH BECAUSE THOSE SEWER CAPITAL PROJECTS WILL BE COMMENCING. BUT VERY GOOD QUESTION. >> COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY AND ONE OF THE DEPARTMENT STAFF MAY COME UP TO ELABORATE ON THAT. JEREMY ALIGHTED TO IN 2030 WE'RE LOOKING AT A FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. 2030 DOES NOT REALLY HAVE ANYTHING IN IT. THAT'S WHY THE RESERVE LEVEL IS SO HIGH BECAUSE THERE'S NO FUNDING PUT TOWARDS ANY OF THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS THAT WOULD BE PROGRAMMED IN THAT YEAR BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY LOOKED OUT FIVE YEARS. WE DEBATED IF WE EVEN INCLUDE THAT BECAUSE IT DOES HAPPEN. >> DOES THAT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE [OVERLAPPING] >> WE'RE GOING TO BE GENERATING A LOT OF MONEY AFTER THAT. BECAUSE THERE'S NO PROGRAM CIPS IN THAT YEAR. >> THEN GOING BACK TO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS FROM THE RESIDENTS ABOUT THE MONEY BEING SPENT ON WATER AND SEWER, IT CAN'T GO AND PAY YOUR SALARY. >> CORRECT. >> IT COULD PAY THE SALARY OF OUR WATER PEOPLE. >> CORRECT. >> WATER IN THE APARTMENTS. >> DO YOU HAVE A DIRECT NEXUS? THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT IF THERE'S A ALT DINA OR PALISADE STYLE FIRE, THEN WE WOULD DIVERT. NO. IT CAN ONLY BE FOR THE WATER AND SEWER. [02:45:01] I WOULD OPENLY ASK ANYBODY WHO SEES US DOING OTHERWISE TO CHALLENGE US BECAUSE IT CANNOT BE. LEGALLY, IT IS AN ENTERPRISE FUND. IT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR THOSE WATER AND SEWER FUND PROJECTS. >> I JUST APPRECIATE ALL THE TIME AND EFFORT THAT EVERYBODY ON THE COMMITTEE HAS PUT INTO THIS AND APPRECIATE THE DISPLAY AND ALL OF THIS FOR US TO GO THROUGH. IT'S ABOUT TIME. I THINK THAT WE GOT THIS DONE. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT RESIDENTS TO FIXED INCOMES IN THE MOBILE HOME PARKS AND IN OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN A MOBILE HOME TO BE LIVING ON LIMITED RESOURCES. THAT DOES CONCERN ME, AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT EFFORTS WE CAN PUT IN TO HELP ALLEVIATE THAT. I KNOW WHEN THE LANDSCAPING DESIGNS FOR WATER SAVINGS CAME OUT INITIALLY, I DID TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. WE TOOK OUT ALL OF OUR LAWNS. WE CHANGED EVERYTHING TO DRIP IRRIGATION AND OUR WATER USAGE WENT DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. I KNOW IT IS POSSIBLE. IT STILL IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A NICE LANDSCAPE YARD WITH VERY LOW WATER USAGE. THOSE ARE EFFORTS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN A PROGRAM THAT WE COULD TRY TO HELP PEOPLE SAVE WATER AND SAVE THAT RESOURCE. >> I JUST WILL COMMENT BECAUSE I DID HEAR ONE COMMENT RELATED TO YOUR BILL IS UNCHANGING BASED ON YOUR WATER USE, AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, THERE IS A FIXED COMPONENT, THE METER CHARGE THAT DOESN'T CHANGE. BIMONTHLY, THAT WILL BE THE SAME. BUT THERE'S ALSO WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE COMMODITY RATE, THE VOLUMETRIC RATE, AND THAT RATE DOES CHANGE BASED ON HOW MUCH WATER YOU USE. TO YOUR POINT, IF YOU WERE TO CUT BACK, PARTICULARLY ON OUTDOOR IRRIGATION IS USUALLY THE BIGGEST VARIABLE IN TERMS OF WATER USAGE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. YOUR BILL WILL GO DOWN. IF YOU HAVE THE ZERO SCAPE OR THE LOW WATER USE IRRIGATION, YOU WILL SEE A DECREASE IN YOUR BILL IF YOU'RE USING LESS ON THE COMMODITY SIDE OF THINGS. TO THE OTHER COMMENT REGARDING THE LOW INCOME AND SENIORS. PROP 2 AND 218 IS VERY PRESCRIPTIVE IN TERMS OF THE COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS, AND SO IT DOESN'T ALLOW ON THE COST OF SERVICE SIDE OF THINGS, ONE USER CLASS TO SUBSIDIZE ANOTHER USER CLASS. IT IS STRICTLY BASED ON COST OF SERVICE. IN TERMS OF AN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THAT WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM NON-RATE REVENUE IN ORDER TO OFFSET THOSE COSTS. IF THERE'S A NON-RATE REVENUE, FUNDING OPTION OR SOME PLACES USE GENERAL FUND DOLLARS TO SUBSIDIZE THOSE COSTS, BUT LEGALLY THE CITY CAN'T USE ONE RATE REVENUE FROM ONE CLASS TO SUBSIDIZE ANOTHER CUSTOMER CLASS IN TERMS OF THE RATE FOR THAT. CITY STAFF AND THE COMMITTEE, WE'RE VERY COGNIZANT OF THAT, BUT THERE ARE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AS TO HOW THOSE REVENUES CAN BE UTILIZED IN TERMS OF THE RATES. >> TRUSTEE LAU. >> MY QUESTION IS ON THE FUND BALANCES THAT ARE DISPLAYED IN BOTH SCENARIOS 2 AND 5. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS CONTEMPLATES WHAT WE WOULD BE EXPENDING BASED ON THE PROJECTS THAT ARE PRESCRIBED FOR THOSE PARTICULAR YEARS. DOES IT ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT LIKE SOME CATASTROPHIC EVENT? I KNOW SOME OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TO WATER AND SEWER IS 100-YEARS-OLD. THERE'S OBVIOUSLY CONCERNS IF THAT GOES SOUTH, IT WOULD BE MORE COSTLY IN AN EMERGENCY REPAIR. IS THERE SOME, I DON'T KNOW, CUSHION THAT'S LIKE IMPLEMENTED IN HERE OR SOME FORMULA THAT ACCOUNTS FOR WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WORST HAPPENS? >> WE HAVE AN EXPERT, DIRECTOR WU HERE, BUT I WILL TRY TO COME ON FIRST AND YOU COULD LET ME KNOW IF I'M TOTALLY OFF. PART OF THE CAPITAL THE CIP PROGRAM ON THE FIVE YEAR BASIS IS LOOKING AT THE ASSET LIFE, [02:50:01] FOR YOUR TRANSMISSION MAINS, YOUR TREATMENT PLANT, AND YOU'RE BUILDING IN A REPLACEMENT LIFE, WHETHER IT'S 30 YEARS, 50 YEARS, 100 YEARS FOR THE UTILITIES. PART OF DIRECTOR WU AND HIS STAFF IS PLANNING ON THE ONGOING REPAIR, REHAB, MAINTENANCE IN ORDER TO TRY TO FEND OFF, JUST REPLACING THINGS AS THEY'RE BREAKING. THAT'S NOT THE IDEAL SCENARIO THAT I UNDERSTAND FROM A PUBLIC WORK SIDE OF THINGS, BECAUSE THEN IT'S MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE, YOU'RE REACTIVE RATHER THAN PROACTIVE. THAT'S THE CIP PLANNING PROCESS, THE FIVE, THE 10 YEAR, THE 20 YEAR MASTER PLANNING EFFORTS. PART OF BUILDING UP SOME RESERVE THOUGH IS THINGS BREAK UNEXPECTEDLY, AND SO PART OF THE FINANCIAL PLANNING PROCESS IS NOT ONLY PAYING FOR YOUR O&M, OF COURSE, KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON, PAYING FOR THOSE CAPITAL, THE ONGOING REGULAR MAINTENANCE PROJECTS, BUT ALSO HAVING SOME RESERVES ON HAND FOR IF SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN, IF A WATER MAIN BREAKS, WHATEVER IT MAY BE THAT THE CITY IS ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT AS WELL. THOSE ARE THE DIFFERENT PILLARS THAT ALL GO INTO THIS PLANNING PROCESS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO FULLY FUND THE UTILITY AND ITS OBLIGATION. >> THANK YOU. >> COUNCILWOMAN LAU, ON PAGE 3 IS THE WATER ENTERPRISE FUND RESERVE POLICY. IT DOES GO INTO WHAT'S TERMED AN OPERATING RESERVE, 90 DAYS OF FUNDING, AND THEN ALSO A CAPITAL REPLACEMENT RESERVE, WHICH IS, YOU LOOK AT THAT FIVE YEAR CIP AND YOU WANT TO BE AT A 50% LEVEL OF WHAT THAT IS, AND THEN A DEBT RESERVE. IT DOES EXPLAIN THAT WITHIN THERE. >> OF THE REPORT? >> REPORT. >> THEN MY OTHER, I GUESS QUESTION SLASH COMMENT IS, I KNOW I HAD MENTIONED THIS TO YOU WHEN I HAD SPOKEN TO MR. DOMER. I THINK WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IS IF WE COULD PUT UP AN EXEMPLAR OF AN ACTUAL BILL BECAUSE I APPRECIATE THE NUMBERS THAT ARE IN HERE. BUT I THINK FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS JAMIE THAT MADE THE POINT THAT YOU GET YOUR WATER BILL AND YOU CALL THE WATER BILL, AND IT'S NOT JUST WATER. IT'S BROKEN DOWN. IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PERCENT INCREASE, IT'S ONLY ON THE PART THAT'S FOR THE WATER. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT. I KNOW THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT HEARINGS FOR PEOPLE OR AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE FOR WHAT THE RATE INCREASES MIGHT LOOK LIKE SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO DO THAT, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THE FOUR HEARINGS, THREE ARE VIRTUAL, ONE'S IN-PERSON. I DID CHECK THE IN-PERSON ONE, THAT'S ON A SATURDAY. BECAUSE I LOOKED AT THE TIME AND I SAID, IF PEOPLE ARE WORKING, THEY'RE NOT COMING AT 10:00 IN THE MORNING. I APPRECIATE THAT THAT WAS PURPOSELY SET FOR A SATURDAY, BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE OUTREACH, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THIS COMMUNITY HAS NOT SEEN A RATE INCREASE IN OVER EIGHT YEARS. I THINK IT'S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU'RE USED TO THINGS INCREASING ON A REGULAR BASIS AND YOU TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED VERSUS IT'S BEEN EIGHT YEARS AND YOU'RE TELLING ME, IT'S THE SHOCK VALUE. PERFECT. >> THERE'S FIVE DIFFERENT ZONES IN LA VERNE, GOING FROM THE SOUTH OF LA VERNE, ALL GOING UP, AND THE RATES GO HIGHER BECAUSE OF PUMPING WATER UP THE HILL. >> TO ADDRESS THE BILL IMPACT, DEFINITELY THIS WAS AN AREA THAT STAFF WAS VERY COGNIZANT ABOUT, AND WE DID HEAR A LOT OF INPUT FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON THIS. ON THE SCREEN, YOU'LL SEE MOCK UP BILLS TO REALLY SHOW THE IMPACT AND HOW THEY'RE AFFECTING BOTH THE FIXED COST AS THE SERVICE CONNECTION COST AND THE VOLUME METRIC RATE TO ACTUALLY SHOW BASED ON USAGE WHAT THAT NET IMPACT IS TO A BILL. WE DID THAT FOR VARIOUS ZONES. >> LIKE I SAID, I THINK IT'S GREAT FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE AND FOLKS THAT HAVE ACCESS TO THIS, BUT I THINK AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE COMMUNITY HEARINGS, THAT PEOPLE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT THAT MEANS. BECAUSE WHEN YOU JUST HEAR 44% OR 50% OR WHATEVER IT IS, AGAIN, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE BILL AND YOU'RE LIKE, THIS IS MY WATER BILL? IMMEDIATELY, YOU'RE DOUBLING IT, YOU'RE WHATEVERING IT, AND YOU'RE FREAKING OUT. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EDUCATING AND BEING TRANSPARENT ALONG THE WAY. I THINK JUST THE LAST COMMENT I'LL MAKE, I KNOW THERE'S OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WILL WANT TO SPEAK, BUT I DO WANT TO THANK THE STAFF AND THE CONSULTANTS AND OUR COMMITTEE FOR MEETING AND GOING THROUGH THIS. I KNOW YOU HAD MULTIPLE MEETINGS THAT LASTED QUITE A FEW HOURS, INCLUDING TOURS OF OUR FACILITIES AND EVERYTHING ELSE. I KNOW THAT'S A LOT OF TIME OUT OF YOUR DAYS, YOU HAVE JOBS, YOU HAVE LIVES. YOU PROBABLY LEARNED MORE ABOUT WATER AND SEWER THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO KNOW, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. I ALSO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THE COMMITTEE TOOK A LOOK AT THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE, [02:55:01] AND I THINK THAT WERE TARGETED IN LOOKING AT THIS IS THAT WHAT IS SET ASIDE FOR THE UNFORTUNATE EVENT IF THE WORST CASE SCENARIO WERE TO HAPPEN BECAUSE THAT HONESTLY IS WHAT CONCERNS ME WHEN I HEAR, WE HAVE 100-YEAR-OLD INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAS BEEN REPAIRED OVER YEARS. I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S STURDY AND I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE OKAY, BUT I'M ALSO PRETTY PRACTICAL THAT THE WORST COULD HAPPEN AND THE COST OF AN EMERGENCY REPAIR IS GOING TO BE MUCH THAN IF WE'RE PREPARING FOR IT NOW. THANK YOU TO STAFF AND TO OUR COMMITTEE AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT HAS WEIGHED IN ON THIS. >> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER, LAU. MAYOR PRO TEM KASH. >> THANK YOU, MAYOR. MY GREAT COLLEAGUE, WENDY, JUST BROUGHT SOMETHING THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT, AND IS, DO WE HAVE A COSTS, AS IN OUR BREAKDOWN EXACTLY, WHAT DOES IT COST TO REPLACE CERTAIN EQUIPMENT THAT'S NEEDED IN ORDER TO PUMP THE WATER FROM THE SOUTH ALL THE WAY UP TO THE NORTH END OF LA VERNE? JUST IN SEEING THAT BREAKDOWN, LISTEN, EVERYBODY ELSE, I HATE TAXES. I ABSOLUTELY DO. ANYTIME THERE'S AN INCREASE, IT BOTHERS ME BECAUSE I DO THINK ABOUT OUR SENIOR CITIZENS IN THE COMMUNITY AND THOSE ARE IN FIXED INCOME WITH THE DISABLED VETERANS, SENIOR CITIZENS THAT ARE ON A STRICT FIXED INCOME. ANOTHER THING I WAS LOOKING INTO, I WAS LOOKING INTO THE DIFFERENT GRANTS THAT'S THERE. I KNOW COUNCILWOMAN CARTER BROUGHT THAT UP. I WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH EARLIER. THERE'S A LITTLE POT OF MONEY LEFT IN THE STATE AND A LOT OF IT WAS EARLIER PART OF THE QUARTER THAT MOST OF IT HAS BEEN DRIED OUT. BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT IF I CAN DIRECT STAFF TO LOOK INTO THE DIFFERENT WATER CONSERVATION GRANTS THAT'S AVAILABLE. I PULLED UP A COUPLE THAT I'VE SAW, IF YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT IF WE DO GET SUCH A GRANT, CAN WE USE THAT GRANT TO OFFSET SOME OF THE FEES FOR OUR CITIZENS? I DON'T KNOW. BUT THAT'S WHY I ASKED. >> LEGALLY, AS LONG AS THEY ARE SPECIFIC TO WATER OR SEWER, EITHER CONSERVATION OR INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY COULD BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. TYPICALLY, THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY A SMALL AMOUNT COMPARED TO THE LARGE OPERATING BUDGET AND THE LARGER CAPITAL PROJECTS, BUT THERE CERTAINLY WOULD BE SOME BENEFIT OF THAT. >> THANK YOU. I THINK BENEFITS TO THOSE THAT ARE IN A LOWER INCOME BRACKET AND WE CAN BENEFIT FROM SOME OF THE GRANTS THAT MAYBE WE CAN RECEIVE IF WE PROVIDED TO THEM IF THEY WERE TO DO SOME WATER CONSERVATION THERE. FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, ON A CHANGE OF TOILET, WHATEVER IT IS. >> I KNOW THAT THERE ARE CERTAINLY THOSE KINDS OF THINGS STILL AVAILABLE. THE COG HAS A LOT OF PROGRAMS LIKE THAT THAT PROVIDE SOME INDIVIDUALIZED BENEFIT TO PEOPLE THAT WILL HELP THEM REDUCE THEIR USAGE AND IN TURN THE COST. >> THEY HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A WATER WISE PROGRAM WHERE THEY GIVE REDUCED VALVE AND ADDITIONS AND SHOWER HEADS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I USED TO BE THEY USED TO PUT A BAG IN THE TOILET TANKS, BUT THEY'RE MOSTLY ALL ENERGY EFFICIENT NOW, BUT THEY DO HAVE PROGRAMS FOR THAT THAT ASSIST WITH WATER CONSUMPTION. >> THERE ARE VARIOUS CONSERVATION PROGRAMS THAT THE STAFF MONITOR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AS WE LEARN ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS, WE DO POST THAT INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT SOME OF THESE REBATE PROGRAMS THAT ARE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE STATE. >> THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, EVERYONE. I TOO, I DO NOT LIKE INCREASES, BUT I ALSO LIKE A WELL RUNNING SYSTEM. BEING IN THE CONSTRUCTION, YOU DON'T WAIT TILL IT BREAKS. YOU FIX IT AND REPAIR IT. YOU DON'T FIX IT, YOU REPAIR IT BEFORE IT'S BROKEN. I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THAT WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL IN 2015, MY BIGGEST CONCERN WAS, AND ONE OF MY CONCERNS, AND ROBIN CARTER WAS THERE ALSO WITH ME IS THE FACT THAT, ARE WE CHARGING ENOUGH FOR OUR SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FUNDS ARE HEALTHY? WE JUST WENT THROUGH A FEW MONTHS AGO ON OUR LIGHTING AND LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE DISTRICTS. THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE UNDERFUNDED. WE WENT TO A PROCESS AND THE VOTERS VOTED IT DOWN. WHAT THAT MEANS IS IS THAT YOUR LANDSCAPE AREAS ARE GOING TO BE LESS MAINTAINED UNDER WHAT MONIES WE HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR THEM. I'M LOOKING BACK AND I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THIS. OUR PREVIOUS MANAGEMENT TOLD US EVERYTHING WAS FINE, AND IT WASN'T. [03:00:05] WE TRUSTED THEM. WE HAD A PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, WE ALSO HAD A CITY MANAGER, AND WE DID NOT ADDRESS THESE RATES AS WE SHOULD HAVE. WE DID A ONE TIME, MAYBE A FEW TIMES, BUT THAT THE RESERVES WERE FINE, AND THEY REALLY WEREN'T. NOT SEEING WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, WITH THE COSTS OF DOING BUSINESS IS FAR EXCEEDS ANY OF OUR EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT THE COSTS OF DOING BUSINESS IS. CONSTRUCTION HAS GONE UP, 35, 40%, RAW MATERIALS, AND LET'S NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT TARIFFS. WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THERE'S ARE GOING TO BE, AND IT'S CHANGING DAILY. I JUST DID A LITTLE QUICK LITTLE MATH. IF IN 2016 OR '17, IF WE HAD DONE A SIMPLE 15% INCREASE, OUR RATES RIGHT NOW CURRENTLY, WOULD BE WHERE WE NEED TO BE FOR THE FUTURE FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS $135.62 ON A SIMPLE 15% INCREASE, WHICH IS NORMAL, AND WE WOULD STILL BE UNDER. WE WOULD BE PROBABLY RIGHT NOW IN THE CITY OF GLENDORA'S REALM, WHICH WE'RE NOT AT THE TOP, BUT WE'RE PROVIDING CLEAN WATER. WE'RE PROVIDING A CIP PROJECT AND PROGRAM THAT'S GOING TO FUND SYSTEMS, AS COUNCILMEMBER LAU SAID, THAT ARE OVER 100 YEARS OLD. WE HAVEN'T ADDRESSED THOSE. WE STILL HAVEN'T DONE OUR SLEEVING PROJECT ON A SYSTEM THAT'S OVER 100 YEARS OLD. THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE. OUR NEW MANAGEMENT NOW HAS COME IN UNDER OUR DIRECTION TO SAY, WE NEED TO REVIEW EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RATES WE ARE CHARGING ARE COMPENSATING FOR THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. YES, IT'S HARD FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE ON A LIMITED BUDGET. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE TRYING TO RUN A MORE EFFICIENT, A BALANCED BUDGET, AND IF WE ARE DOING NEGATIVE ON THESE DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING SERVICES FOR ON OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS. YES, MY CONCERN IS THE MONEY THAT IS RAISED FOR THAT IS SPECIFICALLY USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. WE MUST HAVE A RESERVE IN ORDER TO AFFORD THE AGING SYSTEM WE HAVE. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO PROVIDE GOOD WORKING SYSTEMS, SEMI-STATE OF THE ART AS HIGH AS WE CAN GET AND STILL KEEP WITHIN OUR COST STRUCTURE. WHETHER IT BE AUTOMATIC READING, WHETHER IT BE NEW PUMPS, I SEE THE AUDITED DEMANDS. WE GO THROUGH VERY EXPENSIVE TIMES. WE HAVE FAILURE OF EQUIPMENT, FAILURE OF PUMP SYSTEMS, AND THEY'RE VERY EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN, AND ESPECIALLY OUR PURIFICATION SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE. IT'S EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. WE CARRY 24% OF OUR OWN WATER. THAT'S HUGE. WE'RE A SELF-SERVICE CITY IN CERTAIN EXTENT. WE HAVE 70 PLUS PERCENT, WE GO FROM OTHER AREAS. BUT WE ARE WAY BEHIND THE CURVE, AND I HATE TO SAY IT. I'D LIKE TO SEE A LESS OF A RATE. WE NEED TO CATCH UP, I DON'T LIKE BORROWING MONEY FROM THE FUNDS AT ALL. I DON'T LIKE IT. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE TO, BUT WE CAN CATCH UP WITH THAT WITH THIS. I KNOW IT'S A 50% INCREASE. I'M GOING TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS. I THINK I'M IN ZONE 5 OR 6. I'M AT THE HIGHEST ZONE YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE LEFT THIS TO NEW CITY MANAGEMENT, OUR COUNCIL, TO MAKE DECISIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FUNDED CORRECTLY. IF WE DON'T START NOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THIS THREE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD AND GO, WE ARE OUT OF MONEY. WE CAN'T REPLACE 100-YEAR-OLD PIPE THAT GOES UP THE HILL THAT PROVIDES SERVICE TO OUR RESIDENTS. THEN WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO PROVIDE A TEMPORARY SIDELINE PIPE TO FEED OUR UP RESIDENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT OUT OF WATER. AS MR. BOWEN SAID, WITHOUT SEWER AND THE SEWER RATES, THAT'S A DECENT RATE. 15% IS EASY. IT'S STILL AN INCREASE, BUT IT'S GENTLE. I KNOW 15% INCREASE IS TOUGH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED TO CATCH UP WITH OUR SERVICES THAT WE'RE GIVING, AND WE'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT NOW. I'M VERY FRUSTRATED WITH OUR PREVIOUS MANAGEMENT. I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. THEY DIDN'T LOOK AT THE SYSTEM. THEY DIDN'T TELL US THE TRUTH ON WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSING THIS BEFORE. IT'S LEFT IN MR. DOMER'S HANDS AND OUR HANDS TO COME TO YOUR RESIDENT AND SAY, YOU GOT TO DO 50% INCREASE. IT'S EMBARRASSING. I'LL JUST SAY IT. IT'S EMBARRASSING TO ME. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I APPRECIATE WHAT OUR COMMITTEE HAS DONE. YOU GUYS HAVE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB. I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS TRANSPARENT TO OUR RESIDENTS, TO OUR AD HOC COMMITTEE TO SAY WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW, HOW WE'RE DOING OUR BUSINESS, GET TO KNOW ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS, TO KNOW HOW THESE SYSTEMS WORK, AND SEE HOW DELICATE THEY ACTUALLY ARE. WATER IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CITY BESIDES FLUSHING THE TOILETS. BUT WATER IS IMPORTANT. WITHOUT CLEAN WATER, WE DON'T SURVIVE. NONE OF US DO. I JUST WANT TO SAY YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB. I AM GOING TO SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDATION BY THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. AGAIN, YOU'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB. IT'S NOT AN EASY PILL TO SWALLOW, [03:05:01] BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IN ANOTHER YEAR OR TWO, WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION. WE'VE GOT TO STOP THIS. WE'RE DOING IT NOW, GOING THROUGH EVERY SINGLE THING WE'RE DOING ON THE CITY, MODERNIZING, BRINGING IT UP TO SPEED, OUR ARCHAIC OLD SYSTEMS. AS COUNCILMEMBER LAU SAID, WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU AS RESIDENTS AND MYSELF AS A RESIDENT, HAVE CLEAN WATER, HAVE GREAT FIRE, HAVE GREAT POLICE, HAVE GREAT PUBLIC WORKS, HAVE GREAT COMMUNITY SERVICES, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE POSSIBLY CAN. I WILL SUPPORT THIS. I WOULD LIKE A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? >> I'LL MOVE. >> DO I HAVE A SECOND? >> SECOND. >> VOTE, PLEASE. >> THAT ITEM WAS MOVED BY LAU, SECONDED BY KASHIFALGHITA. WE'VE GOT A 4-1 VOTE WITH CROSBY DISSENTING. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR AD HOC COMMITTEE AND ALL OF OUR STAFF THAT DID THAT AND ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS FOR SITTING THROUGH THIS. WE HAVE A FEW MORE ITEMS TO GO THROUGH. WITH THAT, WE ARE MOVING ON TO- >> MR. MAYOR. >> DO WE NEED ANYTHING ELSE? >> WELL, ON THE SCRIPT, I WANT TO THANK THE COMMITTEE. >> HOLD IT. BEFORE THE COMMITTEE, WE'D LIKE TO SEE THE COMMITTEE BEFORE. IF YOU COULD ALL COME UP HERE, PLEASE. WE HAVE SOME CERTIFICATES. >> WE CAN GO? >> WE GOT IT DOWN TO 74 DEGREES IN HERE. >> I FELT IT. >> FEEL A LITTLE BIT BETTER. >> I WANT TO FIRSTLY THANK THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE WATER SEWER AND AD HOC COMMITTEE WHO'S SPENT ALMOST LAST YEAR WORKING WITH STAFF, THE CONSULTANT, LEARNING ABOUT WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS MUCH MORE THAN PROBABLY ANTICIPATED TO LEARN. I KNOW IT WASN'T AN EASY DECISION TO COME TO THE RESIDENTS, AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT. FINALLY, COMING TOGETHER WITH THE PAST WEEK TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO US. NOT A SMALL TASK, BUT EACH OF YOU DEDICATED YOUR TIME, YOU DEDICATED EXTRA RESEARCH AND OPENLY COMMUNICATE YOUR CONCERNS VERY OPEN AS WE APPRECIATE THAT. AGAIN, IT'S A TOUGH THING TO SELL TO THE RESIDENTS, BUT WE DID OUR JOB AND WE APPRECIATE IT. I WANT TO THANK FIRST OF ALL OUR CHAIR, RAYMOND SWAIN. [APPLAUSE] DANIEL SMITH IS NOT HERE TONIGHT, BUT AGAIN, A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR DANIEL SMITH. [APPLAUSE] DANITA BAUCHAMP, RICK BOWEN AND JAIME RILEY. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, GUYS, AND WITH THE PRIDE OF CERTIFICATE. LET ME HAVE YOURS. YOU READ IT? THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED ON BEHALF OF LA VERNE CITY COUNCIL TO COMMITTEE MEMBER, MR. RICHARD BOWEN, AND ALL OF THE MEMBERS FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE AD HOC WATER AND RATE STUDY COMMITTEE. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE, GUYS. [LAUGHTER] >> THANK YOU FOR COMING. >> NOW THE LA VERNE COUNCIL WILL RECESS TO MEET THE LA VERNE JOINT PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY FOLLOWING THE CITY COUNCIL WILL IMMEDIATELY RECONVENE. THERE IS ONE ITEM, THE RESOLUTION IS ADOPTING BUDGETS FOR THE LA VERNE MOBILE COUNTRY CLUB, MOBILE HOME PARK, AND VALLEY RANCHO MOBILE HOME. WE ARE RECESSING AT 9:38 PM, THEN WE RECONVENE BACK. MR. DEM, PLEASE CALL FOR THE STAFF MEMBER WE ARE REPORTING ON THE MOBILE COUNTRY CLUB, MOBILE HOME PARK AND THE VALLEY RANCHO HOME PARK. >> I'LL TAKE THIS ITEM, SIR. [03:10:03] >> THANK YOU. >> ANNUALLY, THE LA VERNE PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY REVIEWS AND APPROVES THE OPERATING BUDGETS FOR THE TWO CITY-OWNED MOBILE HOME PARKS. THE BUDGETS DO NOT REFLECT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS AND ARE ATTACHED FOR REVIEW AND INCLUDED WITH THE AGENDA ITEM. THIS YEAR'S PROPOSED BUDGETS HAVE SUFFICIENT REVENUES GENERATED TO SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES AND ALLOW EACH MOBILE HOME PARK TO FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT SUBSIDY FROM CITY SOURCES. IN THE CASE OF LA VERNE MOBILE COUNTRY CLUB, THIS IS YEAR 29 OF THE 30-YEAR BOND THAT WAS ISSUED BACK IN 1996. THERE WE DID AN ASSESSMENT STUDY OF BASICALLY WHAT THE PARKS' NEEDS ARE FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS, SO THAT WE CAN START MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THOSE MUCH LIKE THE PREVIOUS ITEM WAS TALKING ABOUT, PUTTING THAT TYPE OF PLANNING TOGETHER. THERE ARE SOME LARGER PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING SUPPORTED THIS YEAR, INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CLUBHOUSE, AS WELL AS SOME ASPHALT OVERLAY PROJECTS, AND THEN SOME EXTERIOR WALL REPAIRS. AS PART OF THE BOND FINANCING, HOMEOWNERS COUNCIL WAS CREATED, AND THEY ALSO HAVE A FIVE-PERSON REPRESENTATIVE BODY THAT HAVE REVIEWED THE BUDGET FOR THIS PARK, AND THEY ARE IN SUPPORT OF IT AS PROPOSED. MR. CROSBY AND MR. HEPBURN ALSO SERVE AS LIAISONS FOR THE MOBILE HOME PARKS, AND WE'RE ABLE TO REVIEW AND COMMENT ON THE BUDGET BEFORE COMING TO THE FULL BOARD. VALLEY RANCHO IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT OF A PARK. IT'S GOT A MIX OF RVS AND NOT AS HIGH REVENUE-WISE BECAUSE IT'S A MUCH SMALLER PARK. BUT THE REVENUES, JUST LIKE LA VERNE MOBILE, WILL SUPPORT SOME PROJECTS GOING ON IN THAT PARK, AND THEN A BIG THING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAS BEEN THE UTILITY REPLACEMENT WITH SOCALGAS AND EDISON, THAT PROJECTS ACTUALLY COMING NOW TO CLOSE. HOPEFULLY, WITHIN THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, THEY JUST GOT DELAYED A LITTLE BIT ON SOME OF THE METERS AND THE PEDESTALS AND THINGS BECAUSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD. AS FAR AS THE FISCAL ANALYSIS, AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ARE SUPPORTED INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE RESPECTIVE SPACE RENT REVENUES AND DO NOT IMPACT THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND WHATSOEVER. THE RECOMMENDATION TONIGHT IS TO ADOPT THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION TITLED A RESOLUTION OF THE LA VERNE PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY, ADOPTING A BUDGET FOR LA VERNE MOBILE COUNTRY CLUB, MOBILE HOME PARK, AND ADOPT THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION TITLED A RESOLUTION OF THE LA VERNE PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY, ADOPTING A BUDGET FOR VALLEY RANCHO MOBILE HOME PARK. WITH THAT, I'D ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY. >> THANK YOU, JAY. I THINK WE'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ONE. ANY WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? THAT WILL BE A NO. WE'RE GOING TO BRING IT BACK UP FOR THE DAYS. ANY COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? >> YES. I KNOW WORKING ALONG WITH YOU, MR. MAYOR, AND WITH BOTH LA VERNE MOBILE COUNTRY CLUB AND VALLEY RANCHO, THAT THEY'VE BEEN PROPOSED THESE BUDGETS ALREADY, AND THEY KNOW ABOUT THESE BUDGETS GOING FORWARD. WORKING WITH THAT, I AM FOR ADOPTING BOTH OF THESE BUDGETS. >> ANYONE ELSE WE SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? DIDO. I AGREE. APPRECIATE IT, JULIAN. THEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MOBILE HOME PARKS. WE'LL BE MAKING SOME CHANGES, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT [INAUDIBLE] NEW MANAGEMENT COMPANY ALSO. WITH THAT, I NEED A MOTION, A RESOLUTION OF THE LA VERNE PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY, ADOPTING A BUDGET FOR LA VERNE MOBILE COUNTRY CLUB MOBILE HOME PARK, AND A RESOLUTION OF THE LA VERNE PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY ADOPTING A BUDGET FOR VALLEY RANCHO MOBILE HOME PARK. >> I MOVE TO APPROVING BOTH BUDGETS FOR ONE FOR LA VERNE MOBILE COUNTRY CLUB AND ONE FOR VALLEY RANCHO. >> SECOND. GO, PLEASE. >> MOVED BY CROSBY, SECONDED BY JOHNSON, IT WAS APPROVED 5-0. >> WE ARE GOING TO GO OUT OF OUR FINANCING AUTHORITY AT 09:43 PM AND RECONVENE INTO OUR REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING. WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS. THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS TONIGHT, SO WE MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENTS. THIS IS THE TIME SET ASIDE FOR ANYONE WISHING TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL ON ITEMS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA, BUT IN THE SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THE BROWN ACT PROHIBITS THE CITY COUNCIL FROM ENGAGING IN DISCUSSION ON ANY ITEM NOT ON THE POSTED AGENDA. YOUR CONCERNS REFERRED TO STAFF OR PLACED FOR DISCUSSION AT A LATER DATE. [03:15:02] WE ARE RUNNING LATE. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A THREE-MINUTE TIME LIMIT FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS. AT THIS TIME, THOSE WISHING TO SPEAK CAN COME TO THE PODIUM. WE HAVE ANDREW MCKINLEY. I HAD TO MOVE A FOR PICTURE. >> IT'S ALL GOOD. MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY LEADERSHIP, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK HERE TODAY. MY NAME IS ANDREW MCKINLEY. I'M THE PRESIDENT OF LA VERNE POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE OUR OFFICERS COMMUNITY NEED YOUR SUPPORT. RIGHT NOW, YOUR POLICE OFFICERS ARE WORKING WITHOUT A CONTRACT. WE'RE CURRENTLY RANKED 11 OUT OF 14 IN PAY COMPARED TO OUR SURROUNDING CITIES AND AGENCIES. THIS JUST ISN'T A NUMBER. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE CITY HAS SEEN OR DEPARTMENT HAS SEEN HALF OF THE DEPARTMENT TURN OVER IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. EVERY TIME AN OFFICER LEAVES, THE BURDEN ON THOSE THAT REMAIN GET HEAVIER. MANDATORY OVERTIMES BECOME UNSUSTAINABLE, AND IT HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON OUR MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE THE CITY EVERY SINGLE DAY. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS PAST MONTH, I HAD OVER 55 HOURS OF OVERTIME WITH TWO SHIFTS THAT I WERE ORDERED IN. I ALSO HAVE MANY ADDITIONAL DUTIES. I'M THE HEAD DETECTIVE, THE TERRORISM LIAISON OFFICER. I'M IN CHARGE OF INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN INVESTIGATIONS. I'M PART OF OUR AREA D AND EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER. I DRIVE AND ENSURE THE COMMAND POST IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR CITY EMERGENCIES, AREA EMERGENCIES AND FSAT OPERATIONS. I ORGANIZE THE HONOR GUARD. I'M A FIELD TRAINING OFFICER. I MANAGE MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENT COMPLIANCES. I'M A LIAISON FOR THE LEARN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, A CORPORAL AND A POA PRESIDENT. IT MUST BE SAID THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY OFFICER THAT'S BURDENED WITH MANY COLLATERAL DUTIES. THERE ARE MANY MORE JUST LIKE ME, AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE LOST SOMEBODY BETTER. DESPITE THESE CHALLENGES, YOUR OFFICERS CONTINUE TO DELIVER RESULTS. IN JUST THE PAST FEW MONTHS, WE'VE ARRESTED DANGEROUS JEWELRY STORE OR ROBBERY SUSPECTS, TAKING A CHILD PREDATOR INTO CUSTODY WHO WAS SECRETLY LIVING NEXT TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND RESPONDED TO COUNTLESS CALLS INVOLVING DANGEROUS CRIMES. THESE ARE NOT EASY CALLS, BUT YOUR OFFICERS CONTINUE TO ANSWER THEM DAY AND NIGHT BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY MATTERS TO US. WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE SUPPORT OUR CHIEF. WE SUPPORT OUR DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY. TOMORROW, YOU'LL SEE OUR OFFICERS SMILING AT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, SHOWING OFF THEIR EQUIPMENT AND CONNECTING WITH THE PUBLIC. WE ARE PROUD OF THE WORK WE DO AND THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE. BUT THE TRUTH IS, WE'RE TIRED. OVER TIME HAS NOT SLOWED DOWN, AND I CANNOT CONTINUE THIS WAY FOREVER. WE NEED A BENEFIT PACKAGE THAT WILL RETAIN OUR AWESOME OFFICERS. WHAT WE'RE ASKING IS FOR A REAL SEAT AT THE TABLE, NOT A ONE-SIDED PROPOSAL, NOT A PROCESS WITHOUT DIALOGUE. WE JUST NEED MEANINGFUL NEGOTIATIONS BECAUSE OUR OFFICERS DESERVE IT AND BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE ANY MORE OFFICERS. WE LOVE THIS CITY. WE WILL NEVER STOP COMING WHEN OUR CITIZENS CALL FOR HELP. BUT NOW WE'RE CALLING FOR HELP FOR YOU. PLEASE COME TO THE TABLE. WORK WITH US. LET US FIND A SOLUTION THAT KEEPS OUR OFFICERS HERE AND KEEPS THE CITY SAFE. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, ANDREW. [APPLAUSE] PAT, WHITE OFF. WE DON'T. >> I'M HERE TONIGHT TO TRY TO FIND OUT A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PICKLEBALL COURTS FORMATION AND HOW IT WAS CONSTRUCTED. GOT FOUR SIMPLE, EASY QUESTIONS. YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE PRETTY SPECIFIC, BUT SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TELL ME OR AT LEAST WHERE TO GO TO FIND THEM. MY FIRST QUESTION IS, I'D LIKE TO KNOW IN APPROXIMATELY WHAT MONTH AND YEAR WAS A DECISION MADE TO BUILD THE PICKLEBALL COURT. IF NOBODY KNOWS THAT, IF YOU COULD TELL ME, I TRY TO GET ONLINE, COULDN'T FIND STUFF. >> WE CAN'T ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW TO YOU, BUT WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU. >> ACTUALLY, I'VE READ ALL OVER THE BROWN ACT, AND YOU CAN'T DISCUSS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. BUT THE BROWN ACT SAID YOU'RE ALLOWED TO ANSWER MY QUESTION. JUST ON WHAT I READ LEGALLY ON THE BROWN ACT. >> UNDER THIS. >> I SHOULD CONTACT THE CITY MANAGER. >> WHY WON'T YOU FINISH WITH WHAT YOUR REQUESTS ARE, AND THEN, CITY MANAGER [OVERLAPPING]? >> FAIR ENOUGH. I DIDN'T KNOW. [03:20:01] THEN, ALONG WITH THAT, DEPENDS ON THE CONSTRUCTION PART. BUT I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS A CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES SOME OF THIS. WAS THERE AN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY DONE BEFORE THE PICKLEBALL COURTS WERE BUILT? CERTAIN THINGS THAT CALIFORNIA STATE REQUIRES THAT THERE HAS TO BE AN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY ON. I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF THAT WAS DONE. THEN EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHEN WAS THE DATE FINISHED WHEN THE COURT WAS FINISHED? THEN I WENT IN THE RABBIT HOLE, TRIED TO FIND OUT ABOUT ALL THESE ORDINANCES, FOUND OUT STATE ORDINANCES, LA COUNTY ORDINANCES, ON NOISE CONTROL. COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ON LA VERNE. I DON'T KNOW IF THE LA COUNTY NOISE CONTROL CONTROLS LA VERNE. IF SOMEBODY CAN LET ME KNOW WHAT LA VERNE APPLIES TO FOLLOWING NOISE CONTROL. YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR OWN? I JUST COULDN'T FIND IT. NOW MY LAST THING IS NOT A QUESTION. BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT AND I'VE MAILED YOU GUYS SOME THINGS BEFORE. I GOT THIS CHEAP SOUND METER THAT OBVIOUSLY IS EVEN UNDER $100. I DON'T KNOW HOW VALUABLE IT IS. BUT WHEN I PUT IT IN MY BACKYARD, THE DECIBEL LEVELS ARE HIGHER THAN THE NOISE ORDINANCES OF LA COUNTY. AGAIN, I CAN SEE THAT THIS IS NOT SCIENTIFIC, SOME LITTLE CHEAP THING I GOT OFF AMAZON. BUT ALSO I CAN MEASURE THE DECIBEL LEVELS IN MY HOUSE. THEY ARE A LOT LOWER THAN THEY ARE OUTSIDE, OF COURSE, BUT THEY CAN BE HEARD IN MY HOUSE. I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU. IT'S EXPENSIVE TO HIRE SOUND ENGINEER TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT THOSE PICKLEBALL NOISES ARE, 130 FEET FROM THE COURT. THANK YOU. IF YOU COULD TELL ME WHO TO CONTACT TO FIND OUT, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR HEPBURN, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. MY NAME IS RORY MCNAIR, AND I AM NOT A RESIDENT OF LA VERNE. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE THE CRISIS OF GOVERNANCE IN SAN GABRIEL VALLEY IS NO LONGER A LOCAL ISSUE, TIED TO TEMPLE CITY. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF ONE OF YOUR OWN RESIDENTS, RICK BOWEN. FOR SEVEN YEARS, HE'S BEEN ASKING ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. FOR SEVEN YEARS, THE COUNCIL HAS RESPONDED WITH SILENCE FOR SOME GOOD REASONS, I'M SURE. IN MY OWN WORK IN TEMPLE CITY, A SIMILAR CULTURE OF SECRECY HAS RESULTED IN THE CITY'S FILE, INCLUDING THEIR CHAOTIC MISMANAGEMENT OF FEDERAL ARPA FUNDS BEING FORMALLY SUBMITTED AND NOW INTO THE POSSESSION OF FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS. THAT'S THE PLAYBOOK. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. TONIGHT OR MAYBE NEXT MEETING. I DON'T KNOW. MR. BOWEN MAY QUESTION YOU ABOUT THESE TWO BIG ISSUES. FIRST, YOUR CITY'S HANDLING OF $50 MILLION IN PANDEMIC RELIEF FUNDS. SECOND, YOUR USE OF A $5.5 MILLION IN PUBLIC INSURANCE MONEY TO SETTLE A LAWSUIT THAT ALLEGED ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE AND DESTRUCTION OF EVIDENCE. THESE INQUIRIES EXTEND BEYOND LOCAL CONCERN. THEY FORM THE FOUNDATION FOR A POTENTIAL FEDERAL CASE. THIS IS NOT AN INSURANCE CLAIM AS IS CLAIMED. IT WAS A HUSH MONEY PAYMENT, AND TAXPAYERS IN 120 OTHER JPI MEMBER CITIES PAID FOR IT. YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES. YOU CAN EITHER PROVIDE MR. BOWEN AND THIS COMMUNITY HERE WITH THE TRANSPARENCY YOU'VE DENIED THEM FOR SEVEN YEARS, GIVE THEM AN AUDIT, OR YOU CAN PROVIDE IT UNDER OATH TO A FEDERAL GRAND JURY. IT'S YOUR CHOICE. BECAUSE WHAT TEMPLE CITY IS NOW IN THE PAINFUL PROCESS OF LEARNING, WE'LL QUICKLY BECOME YOUR REALITY IF YOU REFUSE TO COMPLY. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK ON PUBLIC COMMENT. MISS CARTER, COME ON UP. >> I WANT TO COMPLIMENT THE CITY ON TWO ISSUES. [03:25:01] IS ONE THING THIS BROCHURE CAME OUT TO OUR HOMES, PARKS AND REC. IT IS SO AMAZING, WHAT IS PUT OUT EVERY YEAR. I REALLY HOPE EVERYBODY TAKES THE TIME TO READ WHAT'S IN HERE. STARTING ON PAGE ONE FROM OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, EVERYBODY'S TALKING TO THE GENTLEMEN LEFT THAT WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT E-BIKES AND WHAT'S GOING ON BECAUSE THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. RIGHT IN HERE TALKS ABOUT THE CLINIC THEY'RE GOING TO OFFER PEOPLE TO COME, THE RULES. EVERYTHING'S IN HERE. THERE'S ACTIVITIES IN HERE FOR YOUNG OLD, DISABLED, EVERYBODY CAN GET BENEFIT. >> DON'T LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU SAY OLD, PLEASE. >> WE'RE THE SAME AGE, JIM. [LAUGHTER] BUT I JUST HAVE TO SAY WHAT THEY DO. I KNOW IT COST FOR THIS TO GO OUT EVERY YEAR, BUT WE TRIED ONLINE YEARS AGO, AND THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE THAT. THEY LOVE THIS BROCHURE. I HOPE YOU KEEP THIS GOING, AND I COMMEND THE PARKS AND REC DIVISION, AND ESPECIALLY YVONNE. SHE RUNS THAT DEPARTMENT SO WONDERFULLY. THAT'S ONE. THE OTHER THING IS THE CITY. I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING THE EAGLE SCOUTS TO DO PROJECTS WITHIN OUR CITY. ON SATURDAY, I WAS COMING HOME FROM PLAYING TENNIS AND DRIVING UP BY LIVE OAK PARK THERE. THERE WERE A BUNCH OF KIDS WITH SOME ADULTS, AND I STOPPED, I MADE A U-TURN, STOPPED, TALKED TO HIM, AND I SAID, "IS THIS AN EAGLE PROJECT?" ONE YOUNG KID CAME UP, HE'S 17, AND IT WAS. BUT THE CITY OF LA VERNE PROVIDED ALL THE MULCH, DUMPED IT THERE. I SAW IT THERE ON FRIDAY. DID YOU SEE A CASH? IT WAS JUST DUMPED THERE, AND I THOUGHT THEY'RE GOING TO SPREAD IT. BUT ACTUALLY, WHAT THEY DID, THE CITY WORKED WITH THIS EAGLE SCOUT. I ASKED WHAT HE HAD TO PROVIDE. HE SAID HE HAD TO PROVIDE ALL THE PLANS AND ALL THE IRRIGATION, BUT THE CITY WAS HELPING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS LAID WELL. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT'S A CITY EMPLOYEE ON A SATURDAY COMING OUT TO HELP AN EAGLE SCOUT. JUST HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR EMPLOYEES HELP OUR COMMUNITY GROW. THIS BOY AND ALL THE BOYS HE HAD HELPED HIM WERE JUST REALLY, REALLY HAPPY. I THANK YOU. I'M VERY PROUD TO STILL LIVE IN LA VERNE AND BE A PART OF THIS GREAT COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR ALL WHAT YOU GUYS DO. >> THANKS, ROBIN. APPRECIATE THAT. ANYONE ELSE WHO WISH TO SPEAK ON PUBLIC, MR. BOWEN. >> NUMBER ONE, I'M SURPRISED AT MR. RORY. HE REACHED OUT TO ME ABOUT ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WAS GOING ON IN TEMPLE CITY. I DISCUSSED SOME OF THE ISSUES HERE, NOT ISSUES, BUT THE FACT THAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT MONEY RECEIVED FROM FEDS, AND I SAID, WE GOT $15,000,000, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, I NEVER DISCUSSED MISUSE OF THAT MONEY. THE JPI EIGHTH SETTLEMENT, I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU PAY INSURANCE FOR. I WANT TO WALK AWAY FROM HIS COMMENTS FROM ME, AND I'LL HAVE THAT DISCUSSION WITH HIM AT A LATER DATE. I DO THINK HE'S FOUND SOME THINGS IN OTHER CITIES, BUT THAT'S THEIR CITIES, NOT OURS. NUMBER ONE, I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT THERE WAS RECENTLY AN HOA LAW PASSED AS PART OF THE BUDGET, AND I THINK IT HAS SURPRISED EVERYONE THAT LIVES IN AN HOA, AND IF THEY DON'T KNOW IT, THEY SHOULD. IT SOUNDS PRETTY MUCH LIKE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DO JUST DAMN NEAR ANYTHING YOU WANT. WE HAVE AN HOA LIAISON WITH THE CITY, CORRECT? MR. DOMER, WE HAVE AN HOA LIAISON. IF NOT, I'D LIKE TO HAVE ONE. LET ME PUT IT THAT WAY. >> I SENT YOU A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO TALK BECAUSE I WAS TALKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TODAY AND OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT ABOUT SOME OF THE CONCERNS YOU BROUGHT UP. >> IT'S PRETTY SCARY. >> I CAN ELABORATE AFTER YOU'RE DONE IF YOU DON'T. >> GREAT. LASTLY, I JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FORM FOR A MINUTE. I'M TAKING THE MINUTES, READING THE MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING, AND I THINK I MADE MY POSITION VERY CLEAR THAT 10:00 ON A MONDAY AT HILL CHRIS WAS NOT THE CONCEPT AT ALL. I'M READING THE MINUTES. MAYOR HEPBURN IS IN FAVOR OF A 630 TIME FRAME FOR THE COMMUNITY FORUM PROGRAM. YET IT'S ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS MONTH. AGAIN, 10:00 A.M. MONDAY MORNING AT HILLCREST. THAT'S WRONG. IT SHOULD BE WRONG. IT'S NOT THE IDEA BEHIND IT. IT'S NOT WHAT YOU AND I HAVE DISCUSSED, AND I FEEL A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY. THANK YOU. [03:30:05] >> THANK YOU, MR. BOWEN. MISS. [INAUDIBLE]. >> A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE. I DO WANT TO COMPLIMENT ALSO THE NEWSLETTER VERY NICELY ILLUSTRATED ON THE BUDGET. BUT I'M MORE OF A DETAILED PERSON, AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION. WHO DO I CONTACT? THIS IS THE THING. I DON'T KNOW WHY THE CITY HASN'T HAD AN AUDIT. HAS THE CITY EVER HAD AN AUDIT? IT HAS. WHAT YEAR? EVERY YEAR. HOW DO I? >> I'M SORRY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY YOU'RE REFERRING TO, BUT. >> ARE YOU THE CITY MANAGER? >> YES. >> NEWSLETTER, AND YOU SENT OUT A NICE ILLUSTRATION WITH THE BUDGET, AND THAT I JUST WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE DETAIL, MORE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS. >> CAN I GIVE YOU MY CARD, AND WE CAN CONNECT SO I CAN MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EITHER THE INFORMATION OFF OUR WEBSITE? >> WELL, I WONDER BECAUSE THE GENTLEMAN BEFORE SAID THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE AN AUDIT. I'M NEW TO THIS. THIS IS THE FIRST ACTUALLY TIME I'VE BEEN IN A CITY MEETING HERE. YOU SAID IT'S BEEN AUDIT? YOU SAY YOU DO IT EVERY YEAR? >> WE HAVE EXTERNAL AUDITS. WE HAVE A THIRD-PARTY EXTERNAL AUDITOR COMES IN AND AUDITS OUR BOOK. [OVERLAPPING] >> HOW DOES THE RESIDENT, HOW DO WE GET AHOLD OF THIS? >> THEY'RE ALL ONLINE. >> IT'S ALL ONLINE. >> CORRECT. >> THIS BUDGET HERE. >> THE BUDGETS ONLINE. >> I GO INTO DETAIL. WELL, THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION. THE OTHER THING, I GOT THIS LITTLE CARD HERE ABOUT THE ELECTION. WHY IS THIS ONCE AGAIN POSTPONED, ON THE GENERAL ELECTION HERE FOR THE CITY? >> CAN I ANSWER THAT, OR YEAH. >> THAT WAS MY OTHER QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I THINK WE PROLONGED THE ELECTION. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M NOT SURE WHO TO ADDRESS THIS TO. IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT I SAW THE OTHER DAY. I WAS OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE AND I SAW A STREET CLEANER GO BY. I NOTICED THAT THEY HAVE WHAT LOOKS LIKE A BIG TANK ON THE BACK SIDE OF IT. BUT IT WENT DOWN THE STREET AND ONLY CREATED A DUST. ALL THE WAY DOWN THE STREET, WHEN IT HAD TO GO AROUND A CAR. THIS POOR CAR. I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS ANYONE IN THE CAR. BUT WHEN IT PASSED IT, THE CAR DROVE AWAY. THE CAR WAS FILTHY WHEN IT DROVE AWAY BECAUSE IT MADE WENT BY MY HOUSE. I LOOKED, I THOUGHT, IF IT'S A STREET CLEANER, SHOULDN'T IT BE? IS IT DUSTING OR IS IT CLEANING? I'M NOT SURE. BUT THERE WAS DRIPLETS OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE EVIDENCE OF DRIPLETS OF WATER. NOT A WET STREET. >> NOT ON THE BRUSH, THERE WAS NO WATER. >> IF I GOT A SQUIRT BOTTLE AND WENT ALONG. I THINK THAT THAT NAILS MORE WATER THAN WHAT I SAW COMING OUT OF IT. THAT DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT TO ME, AND THAT'S NOT MY JOB. I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT WAS. >> WHAT DAY WAS IT? REMEMBER? >> I'M SORRY, I DON'T REMEMBER. >> THERE'S A SWEEPING SCHEDULE. THAT'S OUR ATHENS. ATHENS IS OUR SWEEPING SERVICE. NOT WELL, UNLESS IT WAS, IT WOULD BE ATHENS. ATHENS WERE CONTRACTED. >> I DIDN'T SEE ANY IDENTIFICATION ON THE VEHICLE THAT WAS MOVING. >> THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ATHENS. [OVERLAPPING] CHECK IT OUT. CYNTHIA, GIVE HIM SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, BECAUSE IT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE WE HAVE A CONTRACT. WE DO HAVE A CONTRACT. >> YEAH. IT JUST CREATED DUST, AND I THOUGHT, THAT'S WEIRD. I ALWAYS REMEMBERED SEEING IT MOIST ON THE STREET. THERE WERE DUST DROPLETS. >> I COULD HAVE BEEN A CONTRACTOR. THANK YOU, CYNTHIA. THANK YOU. MR. IVY. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILY, THE WHEATLEY FAMILY, AND EVEN OUR CAST MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF CAR WHEATLEY, GREAT MAN, 30-YEAR FRIEND OF MINE, [03:35:01] AND THIS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR ME. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT HE WAS A GREAT MAN. LOVE THE CITY, LOVED THIS GOD, AND WAS GREAT LEADER OF THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR ADJOINING THE MEETING IN HIS HONOR. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MR. IVY. SORRY FOR ALL OF OUR LOSS. ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? MISS BOCHE. >> I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG MEETING, BUT I'M GOING TO END THIS ON A REALLY GOOD NOTE. I LOVE THIS INSTAGRAM VIDEO WITH IVON DURAN. [LAUGHTER] DO YOU GUYS SEE THIS VIDEO? [OVERLAPPING]. YOU GUYS HAVEN'T SEEN THIS VIDEO. YOU NEED TO SEE IT. IT IS THE CUTEST THING EVER. >> WHAT IS IT? >> YES. IT'S A VIDEO ABOUT COYOTES, AND A LOT OF RESIDENTS HAVE CALLED IN, AND THERE'S THIS FLYER AND THERE'S COYOTE WHISTLES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED, AND THEY'RE AT THE FRONT DESK, SO I JUST WANTED TO [OVERLAPPING]. NOW THIS WAS GREAT. I WATCHED THIS 20 TIMES. IT'S GREAT. IF YOU NEED TO LAUGH OR SMILE, YOU'RE HAVING A BAD DAY, WATCH THIS VIDEO. >> THE STAR IS BORN. >> THANK YOU, IVAN. WE LOVE YOU. >> THANKS TO. [LAUGHTER] ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISH TO SPEAK ON PUBLIC COMMENT? WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. [COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONFERENCE/MEETING REPORTS] [INAUDIBLE] LOU. >> SURE. WE'RE A YEAR, A MONTH TO THE DAY THAT WAS FOURTH OF JULY. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS ALREADY A MONTH AGO NOW. BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ABLE TO STAY IN THE CITY AND PARTICIPATE IN THE PARADE OR HAVE PANCAKES WITH OUR BOY SCOUTS OR DO THE FIREWORK SHOW, I JUST WANTED TO SEND A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS, STAFF, AND THE NUMEROUS VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE PART OF FRIENDS OF 4 JULY COME BECAUSE WITHOUT THESE PEOPLE, THE EVENTS WOULD NOT HAPPEN. I KNOW THAT WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW HOW THINGS WORK, BUT 4 JULY EVENTS ARE NOT OTHER THAN THE STAFF TIME THAT'S PROVIDED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. IT'S FUNDED THROUGH DONATIONS. IT'S FUNDED THROUGH SPONSORSHIPS FROM BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY FROM INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THE PLANNING, A LOT OF IT IS DONE AT A VOLUNTEER LEVEL, AND OUR STAFF GIVE SO WILLINGLY OF THEIR TIME AND THEIR EFFORTS ON THIS BIG HOLIDAY TO MAKE THE DAY REALLY FUN. LOT OF PEOPLE. IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTAKE, I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO NEXT YEAR, AND I WISH THAT OUR BOY SCOUTS WERE STILL HERE, BUT I KNOW IT'S LATE. BUT LIKE HE SAID, THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PANCAKE BREAKFAST EVERY YEAR. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE SELLING WATER. THIS YEAR, OUR FIRE EXPLORERS WERE PART OF THE RAFFLE, AND THEY MADE, I THINK, A TIDY SUM OF MONEY, IF I REMEMBER, ROBIN, OVER 1,500. THEY MADE 1475. THANK YOU. YES. 1,400. DOING GREAT. AGAIN, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE FOLKS THAT WERE INTEGRAL TO MAKING IT HAPPEN. THAT WAS A HUGE THING. THEN I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERESTED IN HISTORY. GRAYSON POLITANO DONATED HER LEGISLATIVE ARCHIVE. TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE. THEY'RE ON DISPLAY AT THE HARRIS ART GALLERY ON CAMPUS AS WELL AS WITHIN WILSON LIBRARY. THERE WAS AN EVENT ON JULY 12 WHERE FOLKS GOT TO COME AND HEAR HER SPEAK AND GET TO KNOW SOME OF THE LONG-STORIED HISTORY OF HER POLITICAL CAREER, WHICH IS PRETTY AMAZING. I THINK SHE'S 88 NOW. THAT'S PRETTY PHENOMENAL. BUT IT IS THERE. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT SOME OF THE STUFF THAT SHE DID FOR OUR REGION AND OUR AREA, PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME TO LEARN SOME HISTORY. THEN, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I KNOW WE ARE ADJOURNING IN MEMORY OF CAROL. I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE COOL THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN A SMALL COMMUNITY, AND IT'S ONE OF THE COOL THINGS ABOUT BEING INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY IS GETTING TO MEET PEOPLE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE MEET. CAROL WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. HE WAS AN ATTORNEY. I FELT LIKE HE WAS BROTHER IN ARMS IN A LOT OF WAYS, BUT ALSO HIS PASSION FOR MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS LOOKED AFTER, THAT THE RESIDENTS HAD WHAT THEY NEEDED. HIS PARTICIPATION IN ALL COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES WAS GREAT. IF YOU EVER HEARD OF HIM TALK ABOUT HIS WIFE, HE LOVED HIS WIFE A WHOLE LOT. IT'S JUST SAID TO KNOW THAT HE'S GONE BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS BARELY TWO MONTHS AGO THAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, I'VE BEEN BATTLING CANCER, BUT I THINK I'M DOING BETTER. THEN TO FIND OUT THAT HE PASSED, IT REALLY SUCKS. I'LL JUST CLOSE IT WITH, REMEMBER TO BE ONE ANOTHER. LIFE IS NOT PROMISED, OBVIOUSLY. THERE'S AN EXPIRATION DATE FOR ALL OF US. JUST REMEMBER TO BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. >> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER LAU. LET'S SEE. COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY. [03:40:01] >> THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I WANT TO THANK THE LEVARNE POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION. LAST NIGHT FOR THE MOVIE NIGHT IN LA VERNE. THEY HELPED SPONSOR THAT OUR PARKS AND REC AND REGAL CINEMAS. BUT LVPDOA JUST THERE REPRESENTING AND REALLY GIVING THEIR TIME FOR OUR RESIDENTS. IT WAS A REALLY FUN NIGHT TO APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. I KNOW THAT'S NOT A PART OF YOUR AGENDA, BUT STILL GIVEN UP YOUR TIME. REALLY APPRECIATE THAT AND GIVING BACK. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL AGAIN. I KNOW WE RECEIVED IN THE MAIL. I KNOW THIS IS A LARGER VERSION OF IT ABOUT COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEES BEING OPEN. MR. DOMER, AFTER MY COMMENTS, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE COMMITTEES THAT ARE OPEN TO OUR RESIDENTS? I KNOW MR. BOWEN ASKED A WHILE AGO, TOO, IF WE HAVE OPEN COMMITTEE PUTTING THEM ON OUR AGENDA. I KNOW WE ADDED ON OUR UPCOMING EVENTS ON OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS AMAZING THAT THINGS HAPPEN. BUT IF WE HAVE ANY OPENINGS, SO THAT ANY RESIDENTS CAN FIND THAT AS WELL TOO AND HAVE THAT, SO THAT WE KEEP THAT OPEN, SO WE GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED. THE AD HOC COMMITTEE'S TIRELESS TIME AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THEY PUT IN. THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF PEOPLE, AND WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE IN OUR CITY THAT WOULD WANT TO BE PART OF THESE COMMITTEES. I THINK JUST REALLY MAKING SURE. BUT REALLY, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING IN THE MAIL AND GET IT TO US SO EVERY RESIDENT GETS THERE TOO THAT CAME IN THE WEEK. IT WAS A HALF SHEET, DIDN'T REALLY LOOK LIKE THIS, BUT THEY MADE IT FOR ME AS WELL. AGAIN, JUST I KNOW MR. WUDIF HAS COME A COUPLE OF TIMES ABOUT PICKLEBALL COURTS. JUST LOOKING INTO I KNOW WE SPOKE ABOUT THERE'S NOISE REDUCTION THINGS THAT CAN BE PUT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PICKLEBALL COURTS. ALL IT HAS TO BE IS FACING ONE SIDE TO THOSE RESIDENTS OF JUST WHAT COSTS THAT MIGHT BE, AND HOW MUCH THAT THEY MIGHT REDUCE SOUND, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN HEARING A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM THE ONE STREET RIGHT BELOW THE HIGH SCHOOL THERE. THEN CAROL WHEATLEY IS A PILLAR. I JUST WE COULD BE HALF OF WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE STANDS FOR, WE'D ALL BE REALLY GREAT. THANK HIM FOR BEING IN OUR LIVES AND REALLY SHOWING US WHAT WE COULD DO SPORTS, ADVOCATES FOR ALL TO DO, AND EVERYBODY BE INVOLVED. REALLY APPRECIATE HE WAS JUST HERE TWO MONTHS AGO AND AT OUR CHAMBERS AND RECEIVING. I JUST APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE HONORING HIM TONIGHT. >> THANK YOU, MR. CROSBY, MR. JOHNSON. >> EXCUSE ME. JR AND I ATTENDED A MEETING AT THE JPIA PAST MONTH. IT'S AN AMAZING INSTITUTION THAT WE BELONG TO THE JOINT POWERS INSURANCE AUTHORITY. RICK, YOU'VE BEEN ON THAT COMMITTEE. >> THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE. >> GLAD TO FILL IN FOR YOU. BUT IT'S AN AMAZING ORGANIZATION THAT THAT REALLY HELPS OUR CITY OUT. THE COST WOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IF WE HAD TO GO THROUGH PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES. TO HAVE THIS JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY WORKING FOR US, I THINK, IS A TREMENDOUS DEAL. I DO WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR POLICE OFFICERS BECAUSE WE DO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR ALL OF OUR CITIZENS WITHIN THE CITY. YOU'VE HAD SOME AMAZING ARRESTS RECENTLY THAT WORKING WITH LA IMPACT AND THE COOPERATION WITH THE CITY OF LA VERNE HAS MADE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE KNOW THAT HIGHER COUNCIL APPRECIATES EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR US EVERY DAY. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MR. JOHNSON. MAYOR PRO TEM KASH. >> THANK YOU MAYOR AND THANK THE CITY STAFF FOR THEIR DILIGENT WORK THEY DO THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE YEAR. [03:45:03] REALLY SINCE 4TH OF JULY, EVENTS THAT WE HAD HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT SUCCESS. I WANT TO THANK OUR ENTIRE CITY STAFF FOR HELPING PUTTING IT TOGETHER AND THE FRIENDS OF 4TH OF JULY THAT REALLY WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE GETTING OUT THERE ON THEIR BIKES, ON THE SURRON ELECTRIC BIKES, WITH NO PEDAL, LIKE A MOTORCYCLE. I SAW THIS ONE KID GOING A LITTLE FAST. I GIVE A GOOD LITTLE ARMY COUNSELING, JUST TO LET HIM KNOW. >> [INAUDIBLE]. >> [LAUGHTER] THAT'S ANOTHER ONE. I WORRY. AS A DAD, I JUST WORRY. I JUST WAS HOPING THAT MAYBE IF WE CAN PUT OUT SOME MORE EDUCATION JUST TO THE PARENTS. I'M NOT SAYING THE SITE THESE KIDS TAKE THEIR BIKES, DON'T DO THAT STUFF. I JUST WORRY ABOUT THESE KIDS, BECAUSE I SEE MORE AND MORE ALL NIGHT. THE KIDS HAVING A GREAT TIME, IT'S SUMMERTIME. JUST BE SAFE. THAT'S THE MORAL OF THE STORY. JUST BE SAFE. PLEASE. WEAR YOUR HELMET IF YOU GOT IT, BE ON THE CURVE IF YOU NEED IT. USE OUR TRAILS IF YOU NEED IT. WE'VE GOT SOME AMAZING TRAILS. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE HIKING ALL THE TIME TAKING THEIR DOGS. PLEASE, JUST BE SAFE. THAT'S ALL WE'RE ASKING FOR. STILL ON THE VECTOR CONTROL BOARD. HEY, WE'VE GOT MOSQUITOES. THEY'RE STILL OUT. PLEASE, GET RID OF ANY STANDING WATER. DO YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH MOSQUITOES AND YOU SEE AN ABUNDANT MOUNTAIN IN YOUR AREA. LET ME KNOW, SO I CAN GET SOME VECTOR CONTROL FOLKS TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. AGAIN, DAMIEN HIGH SCHOOL, MARCHING BAND. I'M GOING TO BE THERE, MACY'S PARADE. I WAS TALKING TO FOLKS WHO SAID THREE SCHOOLS, I THINK OUT OF THE NATION GET SELECTED. TO HAVE OUR CITY REPRESENT BE THERE. LET'S GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF SUPPORT. I'LL DEFINITELY BE THERE. THEY HAVE A BEER GARDEN. [LAUGHTER] I MAY BE IN DISGUISE. I WILL NOT BE WEARING THE LEBRON SHIRT. I WILL BE THERE. I GOT TO SUPPORT THESE AMAZING KIDS TO GET OUT THERE, REPRESENT OUR CITY. WE'RE ALL WE GOT. LET'S DO GOOD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. >> THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM KASH. WELL, AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. IT WAS A LOT OF WORK, AND IT REALLY BROUGHT SOME GREAT STUFF TO US. THANK YOU FOR OUR COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR THE CITY MANAGER. MR. DOMER, I THINK WHY DON'T I LET YOU HAVE YOUR COMMENTS BEFORE I FINISH OUT HERE WITH THE COUNCIL AND STAFF COMMENTS ON THE FIRE ISSUE. >> THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND TO THE RESIDENTS. AS HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE PAPERS, LA COUNTY FIRE IS GIVEN NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF ITS FIRE SERVICES CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF POMONA, AND THAT'S EFFECTIVE APRIL 16TH, 2026. A LITTLE LESS THAN A YEAR, BUT COMING UP SOON. AS YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S FIRE DEPARTMENT IS UNIQUE IN THAT WE HAVE AN AUTOMATIC AID AGREEMENT WITH THE LA COUNTY FIRE, AND THE DEPARTMENT GOES INTO THE CITY OF POMONA ON MANY, MANY CALLS. THERE IS MUTUAL SUPPORT THAT GOES BOTH WAYS BETWEEN THE CITIES, AND THEREFORE, THE TERMINATION OF POMONA'S FIRE SERVICES CONTRACT BY LA COUNTY WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR FIRE AND EMS, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES DELIVERY BOTH IN THE CITY OF POMONA AND THE CITY OF LA VERNE. HENCE, CHIEF NIGG AND HIS EXECUTIVE TEAM HAVE BEEN MONITORING THE ISSUE CLOSELY AND KEEPING IN CONTACT WITH EACH SIDE. ON JULY 7TH, POMONA CITY COUNCIL GAVE DIRECTION TO ITS CITY MANAGER TO EXPLORE SEVERAL OPTIONS TO INCLUDE TO REMAIN AND PAY OVER $8 MILLION MORE FOR THE LEGACY LA FIRE CONTRACT TO RE-ESTABLISHED THE POMONA FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT WAS DISBANDED IN 1994, AND THEY JOINED LA COUNTY OR TO TRANSITION TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME REGIONAL COLLABORATION. CHIEF NIGG AND I HAVE HAD INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WITH POMONA STAFF ABOUT ALTERNATIVES AND POTENTIAL COLLABORATION ON ALL THREE OPTIONS. GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS HIGH QUALITY REGIONAL FIRE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AND THAT OUR LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS PROVEN THEY ARE A HIGH QUALITY AND CAPABLE DEPARTMENT. THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP RESHAPE FIRE AND EMS SERVICES HERE AND AROUND US. WE'LL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AS NEEDED TO THE CITY OF POMONA AS THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS. THE POMONA CITY COUNCIL IS RECEIVING AN UPDATE IN SEPTEMBER ABOUT THEIR OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES AND AT THAT TIME, I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR CHIEF NIGG TO COME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL AFTER THAT, PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS VERY IMPORTANT REGIONAL ISSUE. AGAIN, I CAN'T STRESS THAT FIRES REALLY ARE NO BOUNDARIES, NO BORDERS. YOU GO BACK AND FORTH AND SO THE IMPACT OVER THERE IS VERY CRITICAL AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL. THAT'S THE UPDATE ON THAT. AFTER YOUR COMMENTS, I CAN GIVE OTHER UPDATES ON QUESTIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP. [03:50:03] A COUPLE OF THINGS REAL QUICK ON ASSEMBLY BILL 130, AND THIS TRULY IS, YOU'VE HEARD OF THE SAUSAGE MAKING OF LEGISLATION AND ALL THAT STUFF. THIS IS TRULY A GREAT EXAMPLE BECAUSE YOU HAD A SENATE BILL 681 THAT WAS DEALING WITH HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATION REFORM ON HOW THEY CAN ASSESS PEOPLE FOR PENALTIES OR FOR VIOLATIONS OF HOA GUIDELINES. BUT IT CLEARLY WAS FACING A LOT OF OPPOSITION. IT WAS SNUCK INTO A BUDGET TRAILER BILL THREE DAYS BEFORE THAT BUDGET TRAILER BILL WAS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR, AND THEY CALL THAT SOMETIMES A GUT AND AMEND OR THERE'S ANOTHER PROCESS FOR IT. BUT A BUDGET TRAILER BILL TYPICALLY IS TO IMPLEMENT THE BUDGET. I'M NOT SURE HOW AB 130 OR THE ELEMENTS OF THE HOA IMPLEMENT THE BUDGET, BUT BASICALLY WHAT IT DID IS IT SETS FORTH NEW GUIDELINES FOR HOAS IN WHICH THEY CANNOT FINE A RESIDENT FOR A VIOLATION, MORE THAN $100, COULD BE LESS. IT'S AFTER AN EXTENSIVE PROCESS THAT IS PUT IN PLACE AND RECORDED. BASICALLY, IF SOMEBODY PAINTS THEIR HOUSE IN AN HOA COMMUNITY, BRIGHT PINK, AND IT GOES AGAINST HOA GUIDELINES, THERE'S A LENGTHY PROCESS THAT THE HOA WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH IN ORDER TO EVEN LEVY THAT FINE AND MAYBE SEEK CHANGE. WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO OUR AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODES WITHIN AN HOA GATED COMMUNITY. WE REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH BECAUSE WE HAVE TO SEE IT FROM THE PUBLIC VIEW AND THOSE ARE PRIVATE STREETS. OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT DOES NOT GO INTO AN HOA COMMUNITY TO ENFORCE THOSE CODES. IT'LL BE INTERESTING. I PREDICT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF LITIGATION, BUT WE'LL TRY TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON THIS BILL JUST BECAUSE WE KNOW WE DO HAVE HOA COMMUNITIES AND I'LL LET THE CITY ATTORNEY BECAUSE SHE'S ACTUALLY AN ATTORNEY. >> I'M GOING TO JUMP RIGHT IN HERE BECAUSE I LOOKED AT THIS THIS WEEKEND. THE CRITICAL PIECE IS THAT HOA BOARDS ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE DETERMINATIONS AS TO RULES THAT ARE HEALTH AND SAFETY DRIVEN, SO THAT THE LIMITATION OF $100 FINE WILL NOT APPLY TO THOSE RULES THAT ARE DRIVEN BY HEALTH AND SAFETY. FIRE SAFETY, RUSH, THAT TYPE OF THING. BUT THAT WILL PUT THE OWNERS ON HOA BOARDS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PROCESS, TO LOOK AT THOSE ASPECTS OF THEIR RULES THAT ARE HEALTH AND SAFETY VERSUS AESTHETIC AND DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THEM FOR PURPOSES OF ENFORCEMENT. >> REAL QUICK TO FOLLOW UP ON THE ELECTION DATE CHANGE. ON MAY 19TH, THERE WAS AN AGENDA ITEM THAT CAME TO THE CITY COUNCIL. IT WAS A PROPOSAL TO MOVE CURRENTLY OR IN THE PAST. YOU'RE CORRECT, THE CITY USED TO HAVE ELECTIONS IN ODD NUMBER OF YEARS. THERE WAS AN ASSEMBLY BILL A LONG TIME AGO THAT SAID, YOU CAN'T DO THAT IF THE VOTER TURNOUT IS LESS THAN A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE. THE CITY SWITCHED TO THE MARCH TIME FRAME IN EVEN YEARS, WHICH COINCIDED WITH THE STATE WIDE PRIMARY ELECTION. THEN THAT WAS CHANGED AGAIN BECAUSE THE STATE WANTED TO HAVE A MARCH AND JUNE TIME FRAME. NOW THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ELECTED TO MOVE IT TO THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION TIME FRAME. THAT COINCIDES WITH THE GENERAL ELECTION WITH WHAT THE MAJORITY OF LA COUNTY CITIES DO. IT'S FOR CONSISTENCY AND STATISTICS SHOW THAT IT INCREASES VOTER TURNOUT BASICALLY FROM ABOUT 30% TO OVER 60%. BUT IT THEN ALSO PUTS US ON A NORMAL CYCLE RIGHT NOW WHEN IT'S MARCH, JUNE, WHERE SWEARING IN PEOPLE AT DIFFERENT TIMES ARE COMING IN RIGHT WHEN THE BUDGET IS PASSED. IT'S NOT EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE FOR NORMAL GOVERNMENT. WHEN I DO TALK TO YOU, I CAN PROVIDE YOU THAT AGENDA REPORT AND ANY OTHER INFORMATION AT THAT TIME. I THINK THAT WAS THE COMMITTEE. >> THE MOST IMPORTANT. YES, THERE WAS A MAIL. THIS IS ONE OF THE MAILERS THAT WE NOW DO ANNUALLY, AND ON THE ONE SIDE, IT TALKED ABOUT HELPING GUIDE THE CITY'S FUTURE. IT ADDRESSES THE FACT THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ALSO JUST RECENTLY REORGANIZED [03:55:02] OUR CITY COMMISSION AND CREATED A COUPLE OF NEW ONES, MADE SURE THAT THE RESIDENT BASED ADVISORY COMMISSION. WE NOW HAVE THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSION. BASICALLY THAT IS LIKE THE COMMISSION THAT WILL OVERSEE PUBLIC WORK. EARLIER, WE TALKED ABOUT THE CONCERN THAT THE CITY OR CITY STAFF OR WHOEVER'S IN PLACE COULD PUT TOGETHER A CIP PROJECT, BUT THEN GO AWRY AND ALL THAT STUFF. THIS IS THE COMMITTEE THAT WILL WORK WITH STAFF ON THE CIP REVIEW EVERY YEAR. THEN THERE'S GOING TO BE THE FINANCE COMMISSION. I REALLY THINK THAT'S A VERY CRITICAL ONE BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO LOOK NOT JUST TAKE OVER THE MEASURE LV CITIZEN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE WORKING WITH OUR EXTERNAL AUDITING FIRM. IT'S GOING TO BE WORKING AND LOOKING AT THE BUDGET BEFORE IT COMES TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS, THE NEW PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION, THE CITY USED TO HAVE ONE MANY YEARS AGO, AND NOW WE WILL HAVE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION BECAUSE PARKS MAKES LIFE FUN. THEN THERE, OF COURSE, IS THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THEN THE SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THOSE ARE THE MAJOR COMMITTEES. BUT UP UNTIL AUGUST 28TH, WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS. I KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING THIS BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE ABOUT FIVE OR SIX APPLICATIONS IN. AGAIN, IF YOU GO TO LAVERNECA.GOV/APPLY, THAT WILL GET YOU TO THE APPLICATION SITE FOR THE CITY. AGAIN, TRY TO GET SOMETHING IN BY THURSDAY, AUGUST 28TH AT 5:00 PM IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING WITH THE COMMITTEE. >> MR. DOMER, MY QUESTION THOUGH, THESE ARE ALL THE COMMISSIONS, IS THERE OPEN POSITIONS IN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE COMMISSIONS? >> YES. SOME WILL HAVE FIVE LIKE THE PARKS AND REC COMMISSION. >> THAT'S A NEW ONE. >> SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE, I BELIEVE, HAS ONE. BUT AGAIN, WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO APPLY BECAUSE WE'RE ALSO MOVING TO THAT DIRECT APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR SOME OF THESE. EACH ONE OF YOU WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO SELECT SOMEBODY. BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE RESTRUCTURING PROCESS FOR A WHILE, SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY THEIR TERM EXPIRED MANY MONTHS AGO, AND SO THEY'VE BEEN ON A MONTH TO MONTH HOLD OVER. THOSE POSITIONS ARE OPEN. YES, THERE ARE POSITIONS OPEN ACROSS THE BOARD. I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBERS AT EACH ONE. >> ON THE WEBSITE, WHEN PEOPLE ARE APPLYING, DOES IT SAY HOW MANY POSITIONS ARE OPEN FOR THAT? I KNOW IF I'M ONE OF PLANING COMMISSION, THERE'S TWO SPOTS OPEN. DO I KNOW THAT? >> THERE'S ANOTHER PIECE OF INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE, IT'S THE MATT ACT FILING, AND THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE OPEN POSITIONS OR WHEN THEY DO OPEN. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW IS GET TO THAT CONSISTENT TIME FRAME. I BELIEVE I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT SAYS EXACTLY RIGHT NOW WHEN SOME OF THESE POSITIONS OPEN AGAIN BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE ON THE MONTH TO MONTH, BUT A MAJORITY OF THEM ARE OPEN, AND IT DOES SAY THAT ON THAT MATT ACT FILING. >> IF ON OUR NEXT AGENDA, WHICH IS PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE, IF WE CAN HAVE THE AMOUNT OF POSITIONS THAT ARE OPEN SO THAT IT'S KNOWN SPECIALLY BEFORE. >> WE WILL PUT THAT WITH THE EVENTS AND THEN LIST THE AMOUNT OF OPENINGS. >> PLUS, IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE, WE CAN EXTEND THAT. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO CUT IT OFF. >> HONESTLY, WITH THE DIRECT APPOINTMENT PROCESS, IF AN OPENING COMES UP, WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR A CERTAIN TIME. IF YOU'RE APPOINTEE AND SOMEBODY DROPS OFF, WE CAN RUN A QUICK PROCESS AND THEN AS LONG AS WE HAVE AN APPLICATION, THEY MEET THE BONA FIDE REQUIREMENTS, THEN THAT PERSON CAN BE APPOINTED AT THE MEETING. >> THANKS, [INAUDIBLE]. >> THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR POLICE CHIEF AND FINE WORK BY HIS STAFF ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES, WHETHER IT BE THE JEWELRY STORE OR THE LATEST, THE BIG BUST UP IN NORTH LA VERNE, IN LA COUNTY, THE $100 MILLION DRUG BUST OR THE HONEY OIL, WHICH IT WAS RELATED TO THE CITY OF LAWNDALE, AND THE CITY OF ALMONTE FOR THE DEATHS AND METH LABS. HOPEFULLY, CROSS OUR FINGERS, WE CAN TAKE THAT PROPERTY AND PUT IT UNDER ASSET FORFEITURE, WHICH WOULD BE A NICE CHUNK FOR OUR LOCAL AREA AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT. GREAT WORK TO ALL. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, LIKE I SAID, AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON OUR LAST CONCERTS THIS LAST WEEKEND AND GREAT JOB BY OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ON LVPOA FOR THEIR MOVIE NIGHTS. [04:00:05] BUT WITH THAT, TONIGHT, WE ARE GOING TO ADJOURN IN MEMORY OF HARRELL WHEATLEY. HARRELL WAS A BELOVED LA VERNE RESIDENT, COMMUNITY LEADER, AND DEVOTED FAMILY MAN. HE PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY ON JULY 14, SURROUNDED BY HIS LOVED ONES. ORIGINALLY FROM SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, HARRELL ATTENDED ELMHURST UNIVERSITY ON A BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP AND LATER RECEIVED THE DISTINGUISHED LINCOLN ACADEMY AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP AND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE. HE WENT ON TO BECOME A SENIOR PARTNER AT LAUGHLIN, FALBO, LEVY & MORESI LLP, WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WORKERS' COMPENSATION PROFESSIONALS. DEEPLY COMMITTED TO JUSTICE AND INCLUSION, HE SERVED ON THE LA VERNE CULTURAL AWARENESS COMMITTEE AND THE LOS ANGELES FAIRPLEX WATER TECH COMMITTEE WORKING TO EMPOWER YOUTH AND GIVE VOICE TO THOSE FACING DISCRIMINATION. HE ALSO SERVED ON THE BOARD OF HILLCREST, KNOWN FOR HIS KINDNESS, WISDOM, AND UNWAVERING SPIRIT. HARRELL CONTINUE TO INSPIRE OTHERS EVEN IN THE FACE OF ILLNESS, LEAVING BEHIND A LEGACY OF COMPASSION, RESILIENCE, AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO HIS COMMUNITY, OUR DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY. AGAIN, MAY HE REST IN PEACE AND OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY AND ALL HIS OUTREACH AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS. OUR NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 18TH, 2025 AT 5:30 PM. WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 10:30 PM. THANK YOU ALL. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.