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| JOHN ANDERSON people's Advocate mayor - City of Yorba Linda |
INTEGRITY
EXPERIENCE
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HONESTY
COMMITMENT
LEADERSHIP
INTEGRITY
EXPERIENCE
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HONESTY
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COUNCIL MEETING RECAPS
Council Meeting Recap – March 16, 2010
Fireworks
This was an agenda item that showed the cost of our annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show
would be $25,000 - money that we would mostly have to take out of reserves. The real cost
of the event, however, including personnel and other entertainment is closer to $60,000.
The Council voted 3 - 2 to go ahead and spend the money for the annual event. I voted
against the expenditure.
While I wanted the fireworks as much as anyone else in the city I could not justify spending
that much of our reserves in light of our staff reductions and furloughs and the continuing
economic downturn. Now that the fireworks have been approved I am sure the Council will
do all that it can to reduce the overall costs of the program. The motion to approve the
expenditure included direction to the city staff to reduce overall costs by 20 percent. There
was also $14,500 the city made by renting the corner lot at Imperial and Yorba Linda Blvd
for the pumpkin patch and Christmas Tree lot. Hopefully we can enlist many volunteers to
cut down on the sizeable personnel costs.
Council Meeting Recap – March 2, 2010
There have been some remarkable developments from the last couple of Council meetings.
At the March 2, 2010 meeting the Council dealt with some issues left to us from previous
Councils including remediation of pollution from the gas station the city purchased in 2004
as part of the Imperial Highway widening project and planning for future widening of
Bastanchury Road.
Old Ultamar Gas Station Remediation
We were forced to award a remediation contract in the
amount of $1,775,000.00 for clean up of the old Ultamar gas
station at the northeast corner of Imperial Highway and Lemon
Drive in the Town Center area. The City purchased the property in
2004 as part of the Imperial widening project. It was purchased with Measure M funds
for $500,000. Another $500,000 has already been spent on cleaning up the site.
Unfortunately, the scope and the cost of the clean up is much greater than originally
estimated. Nobody likes spending this kind of money that could be used for so many other
valuable projects. But now that we own the gas station (taken by imminent domain) we are
responsible for the clean up. The remediation process will take approximately five years to
clean up the site to a level that will allow for a parking lot to be built on the site.
Bastanchury Road Widening
As anyone who travel Bastanchury Road can see the road is
in serious need of improvements in many areas. We will have to
make some tough decisions in the future because there has not been enough money set aside
or required from developers whose projects are now impacting the road to fund the
necessary improvements. The estimated total for all needed improvements is
$14,725,000.00. There is no money set aside for this project. We should be able to fund
some of the project with Measure M highway improvement funds we will likely have to pay
for much of the project out of city reserves.
FEBRUARY 2, 2010 CITY COUNCIL MEETING
All City Council meetings are available on-line for viewing. The February 2, 2010, Council meeting and agenda
item reports can be found at: http://www.ci.yorba-linda.ca.us/~ci26/city-services/agendas/city-of-yorba-linda-
streaming-media-archive
I. EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY OF TRANSFERRING THE SEWER DISTRICT TO THE YORBA LINDA
WATER DISTRICT
The City Council decided on a three to two vote to examine the potential benefits of transferring the East-end
sewer system to the Yorba Linda Water District. I voted in favor of the motion along with Mayor Pro Tem
Nancy Rikel and Councilman Mark Schwing. Councilwoman Jan Horton and Councilman Jim Winder voted
against the motion. I will support the transfer of the system from one governmental agency (Yorba Linda) to
another (Yorba Linda Water District) only if it will save the East-end rate payers money and prevent a future
drain on our general fund reserves. City staff believes that the Yorba Linda Water District can provide the
same level of services for less money. If this is true it makes good business sense to examine the possibility.
The vote was only to look into the possibility not a final vote to transfer.
BACKGROUND
As a way to make our sewer service more uniform and cost effective our city staff has proposed that we transfer
the East-end sewer system from the city (a governmental body) to the Yorba Linda Water District (another
governmental body). This is what is known as an annexation, is often done in government, and typically does
not involve charging the receiving governmental body. This is so because the constituency - the rate payers -
does not change, just the agency overseeing the service.
According to our staff, “Yorba Linda is in a unique situation where two thirds of the city sewer system is
already maintained by the another governmental agency, the Yorba Linda Water District.” The staff
recommends that the sewer maintenance responsibilities be turned over to the Water District. Such a
consolidation would reduce duplication of effort and provide the public with a more efficiently maintained
sewer system throughout the entire city. Per the staff report on the item, “The consolidation of the sewer
system will also reduce overall costs for administration, maintenance service and oversight.”
Further, the staff accurately points out “that City of Yorba Linda and the Yorba Linda Water District serve the
same constituents. Maintenance of the sewer system should be administered in the most cost effective manner
to the benefit of the constituent, regardless of which agency operates the system. Selling the system to the
Yorba Linda Water District would be placing a financial burden on the same constituents that the city serves.”
I am a fiscal conservative and believe that government MUST live within its means and that cost effective
solutions to budget issues should be sought. Too often government’s solution is to raise “revenues” which is
just shorthand for new taxes instead of seeking cost savings solutions. There is a philosophical split on the
council now: Those who are hesitant to raise any fees in the middle of the greatest recession since the Great
Depression and those who insist that the city collect all possible revenues (i.e., taxes). Some good examples of
this philosophical split have surfaced in our city over the past couple of years.
First, there was the Landscape Maintenance Assessment District vote. When the city was facing increasing costs
the ONLY proposed solution by a majority of the prior council was to propose doubling the rates and putting
the issue to a vote. There were no cost savings plans proposed, but rather just a new money grab. Moreover, to
my way of thinking governmental inefficiency was going to continue, just subsidized to a greater extent by the
residents. Wisely, the residents of Yorba Linda voted three to one against the tax. Now the city is devising ways
to more cost effectively take care of the assessment districts.
Secondly, there was a move to impose a $200 inspection fee against several businesses in Yorba Linda. This fee
was to cover a new state mandated drain inspection that could occur while city inspectors were at the businesses
for other reasons. This was to me a clear example of a new tax and spend scheme.
Finally, the latest example was an attempt to impose a new $60 sewer rate increase on the East-end residents.
The system this year has an effective $30,000 shortfall but the district has $100,000 in reserves. In order to
recapture “costs” in a manner that we have never done before a proposal was floated to increase fees 400% or
to more than $80.00. Councilwoman Horton and Councilman Winder voted to impose the increase.
Councilwoman Rikel, Councilman Schwing and I voted against it.
MISREPRESENTATIONS & INCONSISTENCIES
Unfortunately a number of misrepresentations have been made recently regarding the sewer rate structure.
While I am hesitant to air these publicly I feel I must considering what is already out in the public domain. The
following are just some examples of the controversy that has arisen surrounding this issue.
1. Councilwoman Horton has repeatedly claimed that the council has saddled the West-end with new costs of
nearly $500,000 to subsidize the east end sewer system. Not so. There are no new fees but rather a new way that
she and Councilman Winder want to do accounting. Using the same accounting we have since the beginning of
the system there is only a shortfall around $30,000. For a PowerPoint presentation on this issue please click
here.
2. Councilwoman Horton and Councilman Winder wanted to impose a new tax of nearly $500,000 on East-end
residents. This is over and above the several hundreds of thousands they tried to impose on residents and
businesses for the Landscape Maintenance Districts and businesses for drain inspections. After Mrs. Horton
again said that the council majority on this issue has put the community in the hole $500,000 I again pointed
out that we are talking about an accounting procedure not a new cost. I gave Mrs. Horton the benefit of the
doubt and said that she must be making such false claims out of ignorance on the issue rather than making
intentionally wrong political statements. The fact remains that there is no new $500,000 charged to the west end
but rather no additional $500,000 that Mrs. Horton and Mr. Winder wanted to impose on east enders.
3. Councilwoman Horton said that the majority of the Council has compromised the health and safety of
Yorba Linda. This is a grossly irresponsible and untrue statement. Even when the falsity of this statement was
pointed by staff she continued to make it. There is NO change in the level of service rendered the East-end.
4. Councilwoman Horton accused those who voted in the majority of engaging in a massive campaign to twist
numbers to avoid doing the right thing. Instead of recognizing there is room for honest disagreement, finger
pointing and inflammatory accusations were hurled toward the other side of this issue. Yet the true deficit of
approximately $30,000 is beyond dispute.
5. Councilwoman Horton initially said we “wasted” $50,000 on a consultant’s report. She was corrected on the
cost at the last council meeting and told that the report cost around $30,000. Mrs. Horton was also informed
that the report can be used for future consideration of rate increases and that a new report would NOT have to
be generated. Yet she again continues to claim that the money was wasted.
6. Councilwoman Horton voted to increase sewer fees by $500,000 to recoup overhead costs and then argues
against transferring the system to Yorba Linda Water District because the Water District would look to recoup
their overhead costs. These are inconsistent positions.
JANUARY 19, 2010 CITY COUNCIL MEETING
All City Council meetings are available on-line for viewing. The January 19, 2010, Council meeting agenda
item reports can be found at: http://www.ylonline.org/export/MG72349/AgendaFrame.htm
I. ETHICS ORDINANCE
Yorba Linda’s new ethics ordinance was finally approved. This long awaited ethics ordinance was one of my
campaign promises and something I have vigorously fought for over the last two years. There has been
significant resistance to the ordinance by Councilwoman Jan Horton who in one form or another voted against
the idea of the ordinance or the ordinance itself more than five times. It was finally approved by a 3 to 2 vote.
Councilwoman Nancy Rikel and Councilman Mark Schwing joined me in approving it. Councilwoman Jan
Horton and Councilman Jim Winder voted against it.
The ordinance makes it illegal to:
A. Solicit campaign contributions from city contractors;
B. Vote on a project of someone who contributed $250.00 or more for a period of 12 months following
the contribution or to accept such a contribution from a person who came before the council for a
license, permit, contract, or land use entitlement for a period of one year;
C. Solicit the endorsement of city commissioners and contractors in election campaigns;
D. Hold a closed door ad hoc committee meeting;
E. Engage staff in political campaign activities.
The new ordinance also requires that all closed session Council meetings be tape recorded, yearly ethics training
be given for all Council Members, Commissioners, and city executive staff, and formalizes the Council’s intent
to enact a Whistle Blowers’s protection statute and a code of conduct for Council members, Commissioners,
and city staff.
II. FRIENDS CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL POWER POLES
Friends Christian High School asked for the council’s direction on whether it is required to underground high
voltage power lines that run along the southern border of the school site. The item was continued for further
research by the city staff.
III. THE LIBRARY’S 5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN WAS PRESENTED
A copy of the plan is available at:
http://www.ylpl.lib.ca.us/strategic_plan.pdf
IV. THE LAW ENFORCEMENT STUDY WAS PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED.
A future workshop will be held to give Yorba Linda residents an opportunity to review the comprehensive
report and consider its recommendations. A copy of the report can be found at:
http://www.ylonline.org/export/MG72349/AS72381/AI72403/DO72435/DO_72435.pdf
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