Loaded Study Session Planned For Tuesday

FULL STUDY SESSION AGENDA

Next Tuesday, May 8, 2012, the Costa Mesa City Council will hold a Study Session at which three very important items will be discussed.  This meeting begins in City Council chambers at 4:30 and is normally scheduled to run a couple hours.  Unlike regular council meetings, total public comments time is restricted to 15 minutes unless Mayor Eric Bever changes the rule.  Typically it is first come, first served and usually each speaker will get only two minutes.  If you have something to say, jump up early or be left out in the cold

I-405 FREEWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

The first item on the agenda is I-405 Freeway Improvement Project presentation by members of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) staff.  You can read that staff report HERE.  The project involves adding a new High Occupancy lane - perhaps a toll lane - to 405 and 73 freeways where they join in Costa Mesa.  This project has been in the works for a couple of years, as a review of the staff report will explain.  It is my understanding that there is a significant ground swell of opposition to this project from residents living in the north part of our city - the area that will be most directly affected by the lengthy construction.  I expect there to be a significant presence from that group of our neighbors to hear the OCTA presentation and, perhaps, express their views.  Don't be late...

SR-55 FREEWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Second on the agenda is the proposed SR-55 Freeway Improvement Project, Monument Signs Options.  This is another mature project that has been put off in order to better coordinate with the OCTA actions at the present terminus of the freeway at 19th Street.  Staff will be looking for direction concerning landscaping treatments and choices of a Monument Sign.  You can read the staff report, which includes examples of monument signs, HERE.

PRELIMINARY BUDGET REVIEW - WITH NO STAFF REPORT

The final item on the agenda, the Initial presentation of the 2012-2013 municipal budget, presently has no staff report available for review, only a placeholder page in the agenda.  It is my hope that sometime before the meeting a staff report will be made available for the public to review.  This is going to be a very complicated process this year and CEO Tom Hatch has set aside dates throughout the month for on-going budget discussions.  In addition to the meeting Tuesday, he also identified May 17th, 24th and possibly the 29th for additional meetings - maybe more. 

 RIGHEIMER'S WISH LIST

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer, at a meeting earlier this year, pulled numbers out of the air with no discussion by the council as to their appropriateness and has created a "5-year Plan" - a wish list against which they will now demand the staff prepare a budget to accomplish those wishes.  You can view that pipe dream HERE.   Unfortunately, in the case of the first year on that list - 2012/2013 - it looks like we will fall somewhere around $12 million short.  The only place any money can be found is in salaries and benefits of employees.  It's going to be a very interesting budget process this year.  If Finance and Information Technology Director Bobby Young pulls this off I'm going to ask him to turn water into wine next.

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING TO FOLLOW - A CLOSED SESSION
Following the study session there will be a Special City Council meeting - a closed session to discuss labor negotiations.  The public is not invited to that meeting.