By Megan Miller, Special to the Independent
The Laguna Beach City Council unanimously approved a list of strategic initiatives Tuesday, earmarking funds for five programs and putting 11 more on the back burner.
The top five included: updated fire safety and staffing assessments, utility improvements along Laguna Canyon Road, climate change initiatives, additional resources for police, and the relocation of Fire Station 4.
The priorities are a result of the March 4 strategic planning workshop facilitated by UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education. In the near eight-hour meeting, councilmembers heard reports from each city department, a summary of the resident and business survey results, and a five-year financial outlook.
Councilmembers were then able to select items for prioritization using a color-coded dot system. Each was allotted one green dot which would automatically place an item on the top priority list.
The other 11 initiatives will be looked at by staffers to evaluate resources, funding, and timelines and will be brought back to the Council at a later date.
The plan, City Manager Shohreh Dupuis said, is to return to Council quarterly with updates on these unfunded priorities.
Two items from the high priority list are already funded after City Council approval on March 15.
The Laguna Beach Fire Department’s Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover, and was placed on the list by Mayor Sue Kempf after receiving public comments. The programs would increase Laguna Beach’s fire safety efforts, a hot topic among residents in light of the recent Emerald Fire.
The second funded initiative is the development of a Climate Action Plan, supported by Councilmember George Weiss.
City staffers have begun funding analyses for two other initiatives: the undergrounding of utilities along Laguna Canyon Road, put forth by Mayor Pro Tem Bob Whalen, and an initiative prioritized by Councilmember Peter Blake that would increase support for police “to address street crime from unsheltered individuals,” the staff report said.
Lastly, considerations for an alternate site for Fire Station 4 in South Laguna, supported by Councilmember Toni Iseman, are underway after the City’s $2.7 million purchase of the former Ti Amo restaurant garnered some resident backlash.
In regards to a new location for the station, Dupuis said, “We’ve been discussing possible other acquisitions with the City Council in closed session.”
Though the remaining 11 items were not selected for staffers to position for immediate implementation, some will require movement from staff to directly support the high priority initiatives.
For example, the search for grant funding was not selected as a top concern, but could be necessary in order to see the implementation of utility improvements along Laguna Canyon Road, Dupuis said.
Another 16 initiatives were not prioritized at all. Items on hold were color-coded red, and items under evaluation were identified with purple in the catalog.
Some have already been approved by the City Council in the past and are currently underway. The public can view the list of prioritized initiatives in the staff report.
In other business, Council voted to increase the purchasing powers of the City Manager and department directors. The ordinance passed unanimously on its first reading March 15, and following its approval Tuesday night, will allow directors to approve contracts totaling up to $30,000. They were previously allowed to sign for up to $10,000.
The City Manager can now approve up to $75,000, but larger contracts will still be subject to City Council approval. Dupuis was previously allowed to sign contracts for up to $30,000 without coucilmember oversight.
Councilmembers also approved spending up to $10,000 on adding the City seal in the Council Chambers. The original plan was to place the emblem on the back wall, but Iseman raised concerns over losing the clock currently displayed and taking up space that “historically has been used for design review papers.”
“This emblem is pretty, but this room is beautiful,” Iseman said, and asked if there was an alternate location available.
After a suggestion from Whalen, Councilmembers voted unanimously to add the emblem to the front of the dais.
Updates to the Council Chambers, including the addition of the city seal, are expected to start in two months.
