Friday, February 12, 2016

Budget Review Tops Tuesday's City Council Meeting

THE NEXT INSTALLMENT...
The Costa Mesa City Council will meet again on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 beginning at 5:45 in City Council Chambers at City Hall.  You can read the agenda HERE.

HOW WE SPENT OUR MONEY
There are several interesting items on the agenda, but first we will give you a few interesting snippets of Warrant #2551, HERE, bills that have been paid.  These entries were plucked from the list just because I thought you might be interested, or because I was.
  • Apple One Employment Services - $3,034.80 - Temp Services, various
  • Clean Street - $57,299.98 - Street Sweeping Svcs, Dec 15
  • G4S Secure Solutions Inc - $54,706.68 - Jail Svcs, 11/30 - 12/28/15
  • Jones & Mayer - $148,314.04 - Legal Svcs, various
  • Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $56,746.51 - Legal Svcs, various
  • Accountemps - $2,179.20 - Temp svcs, Treasury
  • Benefit Funding Services Group - $6,250.00 - Retirement Pln Cnsltng 10/1-12/31
  • Bucknam Infrastructure Group Inc - $6,759.35 - Pavement Mgnt Prog
  • CSG Consultants Inc - $3,612.20 - Bldg Pln Rev, Pln Check/Inspct Svcs
  • Estancia TeWinkle School Foundation - $5,000.00 - 2015 Gala Sponsorship
  • Glenn Lukos & Associates, Inc - $2,574.00 - Biological Svcs 10/31-12/11/15
  • Government Staffing Services Inc - $5,958.75 - Temp Svcs, various
  • Scott Fazekas & Associates - $3,678.14 - Bldg Pln Check Svcs
  • Stantec Consulting Services Inc - $7,749.00 - Right of Way Services
  • City of Huntington Beach - $18,970.00 - Helicopter Svcs-Dec 2015
  • Civil Source - $131,143.00 - Project Mgt, various
  • Accountemps - $871.68 - Temp Svcs Treasury 1/22/16
  • CSG Consultants - $10,470.00 - Bldg Inspector 11/28-12/25
  • Government Staffing Services Inc - $3,094.00 - Temp Svcs Buyer
  • Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $3,542.50 - Legal svcs, various
  • Mercy House - $4.059.76 - 15-16 Subrecipient agreement
  • Mika - $3,000.00 - 15-16 Subrecipient agreement
  • Orange County Council on Aging - $2,500.00 - Subrecipient agreement
  • Scientia Consulting Group Inc - $5,504.00 - ProfSvcs Agreement 12/27/15-1/9/16
  • Stantec Consulting Services Inc - $922.75 - Right Of Way Services
  • Telecom Law Firm PC - $525.00 - Legal
So, we spent nearly $210,000 on legal services, nearly $165,000 on temporary services and project management.
STATE-MANDATED WATER EFFICIENT GUIDELINES
There is one (1) Public Hearing on the agenda, HERE.  This is the first reading of an amendment to the Municipal Code related to Water Efficient Landscape Plan and Related Guidelines.  These new rules are required by Governor Brown's Executive Order issued April 1, 2015 and must be in place by March, 2016.
 (Click on Image to enlarge)
CLOSING THE WALLS ON PROBLEMS
There is one (1) item of Old Business, HERE.  This deals with the request to close off seven (7) wall openings along Victoria Street and Dorset Lane.  The staff report provides a list of those locations.
ANOTHER SMALL LOT DEVELOPMENT ON THE WESTSIDE
New Business #1, HERE, is a screening request for the replacement of a single dwelling with detached garage with a 3-unit residential development at 1979 Anaheim Avenue.  This is just a screening of this project, which provides the applicant with feedback from the City Council and refine the development, if necessary.


BUDGET DISCUSSIONS
The final item on the agenda, New Business #2, HERE, is the Financial Update, including the Review of the June 30, 2015 CAFR; Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Mid-year Budget Report and the Five-Year Financial Plan.  This one could take awhile.  The total budget adopted last June was, $154,189,869, including the General Fund budget of $115,202,900.  The revised General Fund budget is $117,330,310 - see the staff report for the details on those changes.  According to Interim Finance Director Steve Dunivent's report, "Small deficits of 1.3 and 2.7% of general fund revenues occur and will be balanced during the annual budget processes."  It will be interesting to hear exactly how that works out.
WILL RIGHEIMER LOSE IT AGAIN?
I'm going to be very interested to see if Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer blows another gasket Tuesday night.  Last time he sucked up valuable Public Comments time with a rant following a comment by Costa Mesa Firefighters Association President Rob Gagne instead of waiting for his time during Council Member Comments.  He's such an arrogant, egotistical guy that he thinks the world revolves around him.  We'll see what provokes him this time.

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7 Comments:

Anonymous Arthur Nern said...

"Mensheimer" broke Costa Mesa.

2/12/2016 09:47:00 AM  
Anonymous Casual Viewer said...

Many of the new housing projects being proposed don't have to worry about the landscape guidelines because there's not room for landscaping.

2/12/2016 04:34:00 PM  
Anonymous Where's My Coffee? said...

Mensheimer's rants have become so predictable. Mensheimer (collectively) were caught in lies and he couldn't stand being called out for his crap. He whines, attacks, yells and screams and its all a waste of time, as no one with a right mind believes him anymore. He's been exposed.

That new project is about as ugly as they come. Is there some reason they all have to look like prisons? If you have to cram people in together, can't you at least give them something nice? A little style, at least? Are the architects being charged by the pencil line? These can at least be made pleasing to look at. Ugh! As for the landscape, that is another story. This whole project needs help.

2/14/2016 05:30:00 AM  
Anonymous Where's My Coffee? said...

Hey, did anyone ever discovery where the 6 iPads went last Christmas? Who ended up with them?

2/15/2016 07:16:00 PM  
Anonymous Heart for Costa Mesa said...



Renderings always look so much better, so much roomier than what gets built. Artist's conceptions. Exaggerated perspective.

Kind of like the word-picture some councilmembers paint about use of taxpayer money, AKA the City Budget. I'll be watching and probably rewatching the Budget hearing, studying the documents. For 8 years, I have not ceased to be amazed and concerned about the difference between what they say and what they do.


2/15/2016 11:35:00 PM  
Anonymous Where's My Coffee? said...

Heart, I'm always amazed at what they say and what is actually the truth. For instance, telling everyone we have a budget surplus, but only because they've raided other accounts, such as the self insured fund, to put the money there for display. Complete lie.

Where is the money really going?

2/16/2016 08:04:00 AM  
Anonymous davidonlorenzo said...

Ii it possible to see detailed invoices for the legal services? It would be interesting to see what we are paying for.


2/16/2016 11:30:00 AM  

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