Joan Archer and John Scoles addressed the Council and thanked city staff for all the effort that went toward trying to get the access gate to the track field installed at Fillmore High School. Archer said she has spoken with others who have not been asked for their track club dues this year and wondered who was in charge of it.

With Council Members Patti Walker and Steve Conaway absent, some of the items on the October 11, 2011 Fillmore City Council Meeting’s agenda had to be held over until the next meeting. But the next scheduled meeting (Oct. 25th) was canceled and the next meeting won’t be until November 8th leaving only one meeting per month for November and December to complete this year’s items.

At meeting the names of the new members of the Planning and Film Commissions were announced, deciding the status of the proposed side access gate to the running track at the high school, approving next year’s City Council Calendar, an announcement that the 2011-2012 budget had been completed and three presentations; one on tobacco sales in Fillmore, one on the Towne Theatre and one by the Ventura County Sheriffs Department.

There was little discussion on the new appointees to the Planning and Film Commissions and the Council went quickly over the names; except to thank all those that submitted an application. The applicant chosen for Film Commission was Carrie Broggie and for the Planning Commission: Christopher Hoy, Robert Smith, Mark Greenwell and Barbara Cobotti.

Captain Steve Wade from the Ventura County Sheriffs Dept. addressed the Council with a proposal to the City to jointly apply for a $125,000 grant available from California Emergency Management Agency. The California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) Initiative funds grant programs for anti-gang efforts at the local level and makes available other resources to at-risk youth, crime victims, law enforcement agencies and local communities. The grant period will begin January 1, 2012 and end on December 31, 2013. Only cities that do not have a current Cal EMA CalGRIP grant award may apply. The CalGRIP Program requires a dollar-for-dollar (100 percent) match of all funds requested. Applicants are required to distribute at least 20% of grant funds to one or more Community Based Organizations and must reflect this in their proposals. The deadline to apply is November 7th. Wade told the Council the Sheriffs Dept would manage the grant and the write the reports required to the State. The Council agreed that it would be a good move by both parties.

Members of the Fillmore Family Coalition presented a proposal regarding the regulation of tobacco products in Fillmore. Alejandor Elias from the Dept. of Public Health addressed the Council first, followed by Kathy Cook, Co-Chair Ventura County Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition and Christina Villasenor, Tobacco Control and Public Health Advocate.

Research and fieldwork has shown that 1 in 5 (21%) stores selling tobacco products in Fillmore are selling to minors, which is much higher than the State average of 5.6%, Villasenor stated. Therefore they are asking the Council to consider a proposal; that all retailers who choose to sell tobacco products in Fillmore obtain a Tobacco Retail License (TRL) and renew it annually.

The annual fee funds enforcement programs that prevent sales to minors. Villasenor went on to say that fines and penalties include suspension and revocation of the license and have proven to be an effective tool when used and sales to minors have decreased, often significantly, in communities that have implemented a strong TRL. There was no decision by the Council at this time.

Also on agenda, approving next year’s City Council Calendar. Mayor Gayle Washburn suggested that there be less meetings in the coming year. The Council Members participate on a multiple of Commissions, both formal and ad-hoc committees and serve as city representatives and liaisons to various organizations and outside agencies.
City Manager Yvonne Quiring informed the Council that a council member (no name was given) had come to her and suggested that if the agenda of a meeting had only a few items on it, that those items be held over to the next meeting so that that member would only have to attend one meeting instead of two. The revised meeting calendar has a total of 22 meetings and a “dark” period from mid-July to late August.

John Scoles and Joan Archer addressed the Council and thanked the staff for all the effort that went toward trying to get the access gate to the running field at Fillmore High School. The proposal was presented in 2009 to the Parks and Recreation and supported by a group of people from the Runners and Walkers Club. The Club had hoped to have the City “front” the $7,071 needed to install the gate, with the goal of repaying the City over a period of time using yearly dues of $25 per member. But the Club would need 100 members and at least 3 years to reimburse the City. Today’s City’s budget is in such dire straights that it could not supply any funding at this time. What the Council did suggest to Scoles and Archer was that if the Club could come up with 75% of the required monies, the Council would consider approving the remainder on the condition that the Club reimbursed those funds over time. Archer asked if the City’s website could advertise for members and informed the Council that she and others she’s spoken with have not been asked for their dues this year and wondered who was in charge of doing it. She added that the pool is costly but the track has very little overhead and informed the Council that when she called City Hall during the summer for information she received only excuses and very little cooperation and stated, “I will do all the promotion…we miss using it all this summer due to the delays” and “We will collect the dues and will be happy to work with anyone.”

Mayor Washburn, who chairs the Towne Theatre Subcommittee along with Councilmember Brian Sipes, gave the 20 in attendance a handout on the status of the Theatre. The Theatre owes over $400,000 to the General Fund and has seen a decline in revenues since 2005. Suggestions were a third party contract manager, non-profit take over the Theatre or sell the Theatre outright. The item needed to be brought back to the Council when all members are present.