Building official Michael McGivney and Stephen Stuart from Santa Paula addressed the Council with the most recent edition of the California Building Codes.

The March 22, 2011 Fillmore City Council Meeting continued on until half past eleven as Council grappled with discussions of the next 2011-2012 budget with its projected cuts to services. Also on the agenda were the new State Building Codes, Southern California Association of Governments Integrated Growth Forecasting, installing a side entrance gate for access to Fillmore High School’s running track, and a proposal for a town hall meeting.

The Council had their work cut out for them in tackling the midyear budget review and the upcoming Fiscal Year 2012. Some of what the Council can and cannot do pertains to Proposition 26 passed by California voters in November 2010. Proposition 26 changed the requirements when cities attempt to adjust certain fees and charges.

Fillmore like most California cities is facing budget problems. Financial Advisor Anita Lawrence, in her last work preformed for the City, presented the Council with the 2010/11 Midyear Budget Review, which was not good news.

The bottom line is the General Fund does not have sufficient revenue to support basic Public Safety Services, which means City service levels will have to change.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Contract with the City is expected to cost $3.4 million, an increase of 5%, plus other police Services and Fire Service each costing $800,000, bringing the total for Public Safety Services to $5 million.

The current 2010-2011 budget which ends June 30th will have a balance of $1 million to roll over to the next budget which starts July 1st. The debt service payments (money borrowed) are escalating leaving the General Fund with baseline expenditures over $7.4 million and expected revenues coming in to equal less than $4.2 million, resulting in a $3.2 million structural gap.

Council Member Steve Conaway told other Members he wants something done right away to address the ballooning deficit, “It is not acceptable to me (to wait until midyear), the sooner we take action the better off we’ll be.” This sparked a heated discussion between Mayor Pro Tem Jamey Brooks and Conaway, with Brooks accusing Conaway of blaming the Staff. Conaway then told Brooks, “I’m used to a staff that makes recommendations.” Conaway went on to explain what some of those recommendations he was referring to could be, such as cutting the School Resource Officer, Gang Officer or Motorcycle Officer.

Other cuts considered were the Towne Theatre Fund (cumulative deficit balance $382,000) which Mayor Gayle Washburn suggested could be sold or leased, Landscaping and Lighting, the Recreation Fund, Swimming Pool Fund (annual deficit $143,000) and raising the cost of traffic tickets. The value of these services has to be weighed against the value of basic services, such as Police and Fire.

Another problem facing cities throughout California is Governor Brown’s plan for the abolishment of redevelopment and the uncertainty of what Redevelopment funds will be left available.

Looking ahead, however, the City and Redevelopment agency must first reduce expenditures and reprioritize services to reflect the available resources. To assist in this process a survey is being developed for residents asking what services they consider more valuable and what they would consider cutting. The results will be presented to the City Council in late April. An online copy and printable version will be available to the City’s website. Hard copies will also be available at City Hall. All residents are encouraged to participate.
Building Official Michael McGivney and Stephen Stuart from Santa Paula addressed the Council with the most recent edition of the California Building Codes which include Residential, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, Green Building Standards, Energy and Fire Codes. These codes have changed and must be adopted every three years.
The City is requiring amendment for a higher standard building requirement due to Fillmore’s climate conditions where hot, dry Santa Ana winds are common and can cause small fires to spread quickly which are contributing factors to a high fire danger. Another factor is that the City is located in a Seismic Zone E. During an earthquake the public water system could be questionable leaving tall building vulnerable to uncontrolled fires due to lack of available water and an inability to pump sufficient quantities to the structure. These conditions lead the City to require a need for increased level of fire protection measures for multiple occupancy structures.

Also discussed was the need for Seismic upgrading of masonry buildings. The Council asked the expected cost for this upgrade and was told that the only figures available were from Santa Paula where 99 building had been Seismic upgraded at a cost of $10 million, adding that most of the masonry buildings on Central have already been upgraded. There are some, such as the Packing House which have not. Handouts on the new code adoptions and requirements are available at City Hall.

Joan Archer, member of a Runners/Walkers Club, spoke to the Council regarding the proposal for additional hours for use of the Fillmore High School Track and installation of a side access gate. She informed the Council that the proposed entrance to the track does not have lighting and many of those wanting to use it are elderly with visual disabilities. Archer and others told the council that the west side gate would be much more user friendly and she was willing to raise funds for the installation of the gate.

At this time it’s estimated the cost of the two key code readers is $3,900, plus the cost of hardware and $4,986 to move the gates. The cost per year to maintain and update the key code readers is $500 and the cost of a City representative to check the security of the gate each night is $1,000 per year. To minimize administrative costs, it is suggested that it be an annual fee which is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $100 per year with 15 people needing to participate to cover the annual cost.

At present the Fillmore School Board has concerns with liability, vandalism and adults gaining access to school property. Installing a gate at the parking lot is a solution but the school does not want it. There have been ongoing meetings between the School Board and Parks and Recreation, but the School Board will not budge on the issue.

Conaway said “I’m frustrated…I don’t feel we’re getting full access” and that Parks and Recreation were also confused and couldn’t understand why the School Board won’t let the gate be used.

Council Member Patti Walker stated “The public is hearing one thing, and the staff is hearing another….It’s very frustrating, we’ve worked so hard to have a dialog with the School District.” Archer told the council “I felt like a ping pong ball going back and forth.” Parks and Recreation will be attending the School Board meeting next Tuesday to plead their case. Members from the Runners/Walkers Club plan to attend also.

Fire Chief Rigo Landeros spoke to the Council about the Emergency Services available and how Fillmore residence will be notified in the event of a disaster. In an emergency the first in command is the City Manager, 2nd is the Fire Department and 3rd is the Police Department. The City has several ways of disseminating information in the event of an emergency situation. They are; Fillmore Emergency Access Radio AM 1620, Fillmore Access Cable Television Channel 10, Reverse 911 System, Fillmorefire.com and Fillmoreca.com. The Reverse 911 System calls all hard-line phone numbers in Fillmore informing them of the situation and what the residence should do. Cell phones can also be programmed to receive this service. Sandbags are available at the Fire Station with a limit of 10 per household.

Marie Wren asked about a siren that had been used years ago and was told the siren has been non-operational for about 5 years now. City Manager Yvonne Quiring responded that if repairing the siren is not a great deal of money she would see about getting it fixed, but if money is a factor it will have to be brought back to the Council. Wren also suggested having booklets made with information on what residence should do because not everyone has access to the internet.

Council Member Walker also wants to remind residents that this Saturday, March 26th is Fillmore Clean Up Day. The location is 728 Goodenough Rd between 8am and 2pm. The Hazardous Waste Clean Up is April 2nd between 9am and 12:30pm at Fillmore Public Works Department yard at the corner of A Street and Sespe Place.