City Council recap for March 2, 2009

March 3, 2009 - 1:26 PM Compiled by ABBY SEWELL, staff writer Watch meeting online

BARSTOW • Among the other actions at Monday’s Barstow City Council meeting:

Brown Act • By request of Mayor Joe Gomez, the city attorney gave a review of the Brown Act, which governs the procedures for public meetings. Attorney Yvette Abich noted that there is a 90 day statute of limitations after an alleged Brown Act violation occurs for someone to file a request with the city to cure the violation. If the violation is not cured, the public officials may face civil or criminal penalties. Unpaid sewer and trash accounts • The Council held a protest hearing for property owners who have been notified of unpaid sewer and trash bills. The unpaid bills totaled $152,371.82. No one came forward to protest the assessments. The Council voted unanimously to place liens on the properties in question. Annexation • The Council voted unanimously to request that the Local Agency Formation Commission of San Bernardino County allow the annexation of a total of 1,317 acres of vacant land southwest of the city, known as the Martin Annexation. This is an amendment of an annexation previously approved by the Council. LAFCO requested that the city add 160 additional acres into the previously approved annexation to square off the boundaries. The Martin annexation was initially proposed by the property owners, who gave the city about $25,000 to cover the application fees, but no development is currently planned there. The annexation will ultimately go to the LAFCO board for approval. Wading pool at Henderson Pool • Along with other consent calendar items, which the Council passed unanimously, they approved plans to renovate the children’s wading pool at Henderson Pool and to advertise for bids on the project. The city has a $50,000 grant available for the project, which expires in September 2009. The total project cost is estimated at $117,346, and the city has already budgeted $60,000 in addition to the grant funds. Street projects • The Council voted to add five projects recommended by the street committee for inclusion in the 2008-09 Capital Improvement Program project list, in addition to the 17 already on the list. The additions were based on revised estimates of revenues and expenditures, which left a surplus of revenues for capital projects. The new projects added were Lenwood Road from Serrano Drive to Mercantile Way, Mercantile Way from Lenwood Road to the end of the street, Country Club Drive from Main Street to south of Capella Drive, a pavement preservation and maintenance program for all city streets, and videoing of sewer lines on streets within the CIP list. City staff have already obtained grants totaling $310,000 for the first two projects on the list. The vote was four to one, with Councilman Willie Hailey dissenting. Hailey questioned the priority of streets in outlying areas, like Lenwood Road and Country Club Drive, and said he would like to see the CIP list revisited by the current Council. Contract awarded • The Council awarded a contract of $144,000 to Hardy & Harper, Inc., for reconstruction of Citrine Road between West Main Street and Jasper Road and Barstow Road between Virginia Way and Grace Street. The vote was four to one with Hailey dissenting.