(4/17/2010, Los Alamitos) Several items of interest are on the agenda for Monday night’s 7 p.m. Los Alamitos City Council meeting.
These include the appointment of Terrence Beaman to serve as the city’s Interim Finance Director following the Council’s apparent firing of Nita McKay in closed session two weeks ago. Mr Beaman will be paid at a rate of $70 per hour. He previously served as Los Alamitos’Finance Director from 1997 to 2003. His appointment is on the Council’s “Consent Calendar,” indicating routine approval unless the item is “pulled” by a Council Member for further discussion. Click here for the staff report on this item.
Los Al TV
An extension of the City’s Contract with John Underwood and the ongoing reorganization of LATV is on the agenda as a discussion item. Underwood is a long time producer for LATV and advocate of Community Television as well as a General Contractor. Last November the Council authorized $10,o00 for Underwood to refurbish the LATV Studio, as well as $12,500 for needed materials and equipment.
At the same time, Larry Strawther’s Community Schools Media Partnership (CSMP) was authorized to develop additional programming and advertising/sponsorship revenue.
Apparently left unaddressed were some underlying philosophical and programming differences between Mr. Strawther and Mr. Underwood, which the two television advocates hopefully have been able to work through in the last five months.
The staff report includes a two page progress report on the work of both Underwood and CSMP since November. It also recommends
- The extension of Mr. Underwood’s contract to complete the studio renovation beyond the current expiration date of April 30, 2010.
- That the Council direct their ad hoc TV subcommittee to meet with CSMP and Underwood to develop any needed recommendations to the Council related to the future of Los Al TV. (The ad hoc committee is made up of Mayor Pro Tem Stephens and Council Member Mejia). Alternatively, the council could discuss and take action on their own.
For the staff report on Los Al TV, click here.
Race on the Base to fund the Pool?
Also on the agenda for discussion is Parks and Recreation Director Angie Avery’s final report on the 2010 Race on the Base. Despite a decline in attendance due to rain on race day, the event netted a profit of almost $50,000. The staff report suggests the funds either be used to fund improvements at the Base Pool, or to offset the General Fund transfer for the pool.
I’m surprised that 100% of the funds raised by the Race be applied to the only recreation expenditure that has their own non-profit organization specifically created to raise funds for that item. It would certainly appear that there are many, many additional items in our parks that could use some of that improvement money. Adequate irrigation at Little Cottonwood Park, where 1/3 of the grass dies every summer, and treatment and replacement of diseased trees come to mind.
Additional agenda items include:
- Approval of $15,000 for temporary staffing in the City Clerk and Finance offices
- Changes in the City’s Conflict of Interest Code by updating affected staff members
- Earthquake Preparedness
For the complete agenda, click here.
As always, your thoughts, insights, and comments are welcome, especially if they’re diplomatically expressed.
Hopefully I’ll get a separate post up prior to the meeting for your reporting on what you observed at the meeting, but if I don’t, just post here. My time for writing is continuing to diminish, so this is one area where I need community members to let us all know what you saw & what you thought. That’s whether you were there in person or watched it on LosAlTV3 . You might want to set your DVR to record the 7 p.m. meeting so you can fast forward through the portions you don’t find interesting.
Related posts:
- Budget, Pool, Trash Contract on agendas for tonight’s 2 Los Al Council Meetings
- Monday, 4/18 Los Alamitos Council agenda includes City Employees Union contract & Trash suit
- Council Agenda for Monday, June 15, 2009: Waste disposal, Grose replacements, budget, pool & more!
- Tuesday, 7/5 City Council Agenda includes Medical Center sponsored pool shade
well it looks as though Troy has gotten rid of all the folks hired that were not on board with the “Good ol Boys” and while he boasts fiscal responsibility out one side of his mouth out the other side he is bleeding cash. Good job King Edgar now onto getting the Briggeman oh I mean Consolidated contract signed and your agenda will be complete…or is it?
So … hire two people to replace Nita?
So King tEdgar and his yes-man CM pick up a flunky Finance Guy? Poor choice!
CityofPlacentia faces $3.5 Million Deficit.
Tough times are hitting
everywhere including the City of Placentia, which faces $3.5 Million projected deficit for the current fiscal year ending June 30th, 2010.
Placentia City Administrator Troy Butzlaff issued memo to the City Council entitled “Mid-Year Budget Review and Budget Reduction Plan”. Mr. Butzlaff stressed to the council that the budget situation “requires immediate action”.
So now the Council, Edgar et.al, fire staff. To bad Austin didn’t win when she ran because things would be really in order by now. Council hires only a City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk, per the Charter. The City Manager hires/fires/reviews everyone else. So you apparently “know” that Ms. Mackay was doing a superb job and ordered terminated by the Council, King Edgar I think you said. Just like they must have fired the public works person, or any other employee for that matter. Why don’t you guys quit micromanaging the City and try to do something positive? Have you contributed to the fire works fund yet? Oh, that’s right, not necessary cuz good old Kenny bailed everyone out. Just don’t understand all the whining that goes on here, nothing but complaining and bit**hing. Does Austin even live in Los Al anymore? Hmmm
Hmmm, guess they can’t take credit for Todd then.
Um, we don’t have to go far to find the City Council lauding her for the fine job she did. Somehow, in less than a year Nita went from being the financial savior to being terminated. Talk about a fast fall from grace. Maybe someone should go make a copy of all the City Council meetings in which she was thanked for her fine work and make a youtube video that can be embeded here.
1) who is “you guys”?
2) I would like to think that people like Michelle have proven that they can do something positive. Unlike you she is willing to put her name on her posts. Additionally, thanks to her work on the Traffic Commission we have seen that she CAN do positive things (and I won’t even go into all the positive things she has done with all of her work at the PTA).
Why is it that every post you make is a personal attack on someone who is willing to stand up and be counted, and not hide behind anon posting? Have you no shame?
I’m sure you have, we can match your name here against the list of names that have given. Oh,that’s right, you’re an anon poster. Oppsie.
Actually, according to Madam Mayor, Kenny didn’t need to make a contribution, and in fact no one has to make a contribution. Because before anyone stood up and contributed a single penny she stated that it was all taken care of (as part of diffusing the public comment). You were there, weren’t you? You stood up to speak out, didn’t you? You stood up there and offered a contribution, didn’t you? And as Robert Graham showed, not everyone has to offer a financial contribution. Some can offer really good ideas on HOW we can potentially raise some additional funds at the event. I’m sure you can show a great list of all the ideas you proposed that night instead of offering money. Heck we can look at your posts here, on this blog to see where you offered up some great solutions to raise money at the event, can’t we? No? Say it isn’t so! You mean you can’t provide proof that you offered either financial incentives or ideas?
Why am I not surprised at this in the least?
Hmm, real people using their real names .v. anon posters attacking those people. And you talk about whining… I do wonder, will you ever post with your real name on this forum? Or are you one of the Newport Beach people that shows up here and post all the time adding nothing to the city or this blog?
I will second that! Thank you JM for clearing things up yet again. I am very concerned over the firing and what looks to be a swift hiring of a replacement for Nita. The record clearly shows what a great job Nita did for Los Alamitos,time and time again. She was praised for a job well done, over and over again, while serving as both the Director of Finance, and fill in City Manager by city staff as well as City Council. This sounds like a carefully planned out firing with no obvious cause, in an election year. I thought Los Al wanted to stop the revolving door down at City Hall? What is really going on down there? Why doesn’t our “Community Leader” Ken Stevens stand up and clear things up? Maybe he is not the Leader he claimed to be. He sure seems like a follower to me. What about the hand picked Zarrcos? Not much better, he is a follower also. Like I have said many times before, this town needs an enema!
Watch out Angie! Troy is compimenting you now maybe you are next to get the axe? That is the way it happened to Nita…