Former Mayor Roger Campbell challenged the accuracy of statements made at the previous city council meeting regarding the Fillmore Business Park. Campbell explained the difference between residential, commercial, and industrial development which had been mistakenly misidentified earlier. He urged council to assist in ways to finance the Park and cited the need to have the site construction ready.

Announcements
Fire Chief Rigo Landeros announced that the Fire Department has updated the emergency preparedness information on the City website, where residents can now also register for reverse-911 alerts. He thanked Disaster Coordinator Patrick Maynard for his efforts in compiling the information and updating the site.

Councilwoman Laurie Hernandez urged local nonprofit groups to verify whether they should have filed IRS #99-09 forms. She also noted that Cabrillo Economic Development is looking for farm workers in need of affordable housing; there are units still open, and they are taking applications.

Fillmore Chamber of Commerce President David Crockett announced a public outreach meeting to be held Thursday, June 3, at 6:30 pm at the Senior Center. The event is meant to shed light on the project and allow citizens to hear both sides of the issue. Refreshments will be served and all Fillmore residents are invited to attend.
Citizen Norma Amaro presented her project of a large easel to be set up in front of Vintage Pleasures on Central Avenue to honor local members of the armed forces. She invites the community to bring in 2x3” photographs mounted on index cards with the branch, rank, and name of the individual listed beneath the photo.

Amaro also noted the disappointment registered by tourists who have noticed the dwindling number of vintage shops in Fillmore. She offered her experience and expertise to help individuals get such a business started. For those unsure of opening a shop of their own but still interested in a smaller venture, Amaro offers to make space in her own store.

Bruce Stenslie, president of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, introduced the organization, which offers expert, free, and confidential small business consulting. The collaborative also helps small manufacturers gain access to training in smaller-scale export-import trade, seeking to help them “find an edge to become profitable.” The EDC-VC already works with businesses in Fillmore and hopes to put on, in partnership with the City and Chamber of Commerce, workshops that address the needs of Fillmore’s small business community.

EDC-VC’s Special Project Manager Linda Pappas-Diaz added that they will be holding small business forums Monday, June 21, and Monday, June 28, 7-10 am at City Hall. The events are free and participants will be provided with a binder of materials. Covered topics will include marketing and financial planning. Although the events will be geared towards those already in business, those contemplating getting started are also welcome.
Fillmore resident Roger Campbell noted he helped KDF’s Ray Harper and Michelle Morgan raffle off a barbeque for Boys & Girls Club at the May Festival. The second- and third-place winners of monetary prizes generously donated their winnings to the Club, bringing their total revenue to $550.

Campbell then spoke to rectify misinformation regarding the Fillmore Business Park from an earlier Council Meeting. He stated that the I-Bank loan would only apply to the park of the business park that has not yet been constructed, and that all partners were in favor of the loan, as it is “so much less expensive than CFP financing.” Campbell clarified that real estate vacancies are judged on classifications: industrial, commercial, residential, office, etc. and the only relevant statistics are those that pertain to the type of buildings in the Business Park; the tenants in the vacant “office space” mentioned earlier was commercial, not industrial space. As of last week in the Ventura-Camarillo-Oxnard market, the vacancy rate of industrial space is 6.3%—the same as it was in better economic situations. Campbell said that Fillmore in ideal place for future economic growth, and hoped that the city would be prepared for the opportunity.

In an unrelated aside, Campbell proposed, “People should be judged by what they do when they think no one’s looking,” and mentioned that he had recently noticed someone picking up trash during her walk: City Manager Yvonne Quiring.

Preparations for November 2, 2010 General Municipal Election
The Fillmore City Council adopted resolutions Calling and Giving Notice of the Election, and Requesting Consolidation to allow the County of Ventura to conduct the election after adding the provision to authorize the City Board of Supervisors to resolve a tie vote by lot. A third resolution adopts regulations for candidates pertaining to candidates’ statements, costs, deposits, and related items, and establishes rules to govern submission of candidates’ statements.

The estimated cost to the City of Fillmore for the 2010 General Election is about $7,000, which will be included in the Fiscal Year 010/11 City budget.

Request to Form an Ad Hoc Committee to Expand Community Track Use
A group of runners appeared before the Council to request the formation of an Ad Hoc committee consisting of two City Council members, two School Board members, people who use the high school track to run, and District and City staff in order to expand the school district’s all-weather track’s accessibility to the community at large.
City Manager Yvonne Quiring said that although a quarterly fee of $25 had been established, there is no billing system to monitor fee collection. The City has accepted liability (runners sign waivers), and the costs of the program will depend on schools’ expansion of the track hours. According to the meeting’s agenda, “the cost could be minimal to approximately $6,400 for the summer.”

Fillmore resident Scott Lee gave a brief history of swimming pool bond; the community joined with the school to build the pool, tennis courts, and track. The operating and maintenance costs were included in the bond, but the track has a limited use for the community as a whole—6-8 am Tuesdays and Thursdays. “We’d like to see the hours expanded as the pool expands its hours in the summer,” Lee said, “and we’d like the ad hoc committee to focus on what happens in the fall.” The runners have met with Parks & Recreation and the School Board, and “the school is perfectly happy” to accommodate the runners, who “want a list of hours to avoid schedule conflicts with high school activities.” Lee reported that Tony Prado and Mike Saviers of the School Board have volunteered to sit on the committee. He also noted that Fillmore’s youth track members are currently going to Santa Paula to train as part of the Heritage Valley Track Club, but as Santa Paula has also passed a bond to get an all-weather track, “the youth will be displaced.”

Resident John Scoles called for greater public involvement, citing the passage of the bond as giving both students and the entire community “a reasonable expectation to use the all-weather track.” He encouraged the Council to adopt the recommendations to explore the possibility of expanding the track’s hours, with the ultimate goal of having another access point besides the current pool entrance. Scoles noted that the school is mainly concerned with two things: personal injury liability, property liability such as vandalism, but these issues have been addressed and the runners have shown a good-faith gesture of their commitment through their fee payments.

Resident Everisto Barajas stated that he runs along the track, not on it, and cited safety issues as his main concern. He feels it’s “a shame” that there aren’t more members of the community who can enjoy the beautiful facility. He also questioned whether the limited use of the track might amount to a betrayal of the public, who were told they were “going to get a complete facility here.”

Resident Manuela Twitchell stated her work schedule makes it difficult to take advantage of the track, and that “safety is an issue.” She now runs in the evenings, and noted that she has seen a group of chaperoned children also running on the levee. Twitchell volunteered to be part of the committee to help coordinate “a manageable schedule for all those who work out of town.”

Resident Tricia Armstrong also cited a busy schedule that limits her ability to use the track. She stated that when she walks with her mother, they take a golf club to fend off the dogs running loose in the streets. Armstrong also noted that her declining vision presents another concern. She would like to be able to use the track so she can feel safe.

Councilwoman Laurie Hernandez expressed her desire to come to an agreement, as did Mayor Pro-tem Gayle Washburn, who voiced her hope to find “a non-complex, non-costly solution.” Councilman Jamey Brooks moved to approve the recommendations, Hernandez seconded; passed 4-0. Councilman Brooks immediately volunteered to join the committee, and Mayor Patti Walker followed suit.

Introduction of Business License Fees
City Attorney Ted Schneider introduced an ordinance amending the Municipal Code sections regarding the payment, due date, and enforcement of business license fees. The current business license ordinance, adopted in 1947, provides for an annual fee to be paid regardless of when during the fee cycle the applicant receives the permit. As a measure designed to augment economic development, the council directed that the ordinance be amended to prorate the business license fees quarterly. Schneider noticed obsolete details in the Code—the City no longer has a city judge—and made appropriate adjustments. The fiscal impact of proration would be $6,790, a 5.8% drop in business license revenue.

The council decided to accept the amendments.

Council Announcements
Councilwoman Laurie Hernandez thanked the community members who showed up to the Grand Avenue Cleanup Day on May 23 and Jesse Amaro, who coordinated the event. She reported that they collected “a whole dumpster of garbage, and lots of glass.”

Notes
Councilmember Steve Conaway was absent. Also, the June 1st meeting is cancelled.