Just like their collegiate days, members of the City Council pulled an all-nighter again, tardily starting last night’s meeting at 7:30 and completing their business at 1:15 this morning.
After Chief Financial Officer Jeff Muir delivered a sobering report on the fiscal state of the city, Parks and Recreation Director Bill LaPointe was briefly hospitalized, two petitioners asking for financial breaks for their organizations were given good news, and the Council approved stringent new green-building standards.
For nearly three hours, the Council patiently listened and then quizzed staffers for more details about the economic downturn’s effect on Culver City, which likes to think of itself as insulated from the undesirable ways of the world.
The CFO, Mr. Muir, may connote an ideal image for presenting dark news. His sheer size is imposing, and as agreeable companion attributes, he is soft-spoken and easy-going, which seems to mean a softer landing for bad news.
A $4 million budget deficit has brought a stiffer-than-usual approach to spending, Mr. Muir said.
City employees may note a new scrutiny in their contract negotiations, and City Hall has pledged to be more resistant when community organizations ask for help in easing their financial burdens.
The tightening mode around City Hall probably will not be externally detected because no services, at least at this early stage, are likely to be affected.
In Quest of Relief
Elsewhere, hearings on requests by LaPlaya Nursery School in Lindberg Park and Temple Akiba for relief from the city’s recently increased fees-and-charges schedule were postponed for two weeks, until Monday, March 23.
The reason: To allow city staffers to further evaluate each case.
Both organizations complained that the hikes would hobble their already delicate financial structures.
While the Council put off a ruling, members did appear amendable to a scheme whereby the new fees would be gradually absorbed by community organizations over a period of 24 months.
Following several years of talk about developing tough green-building standards, the City Council approved a three-pronged plan that will bring separate sets of rules for new buildings below and above 50,000 square feet, and for established buildings undergoing major renovations.
The smaller buildings, for example, will be required to comply with 20 items on a 25-part list that includes stipulations such as this one for multi-story structures:
Separate trash chutes for recyclable and non-recyclable waste and materials.
In and Out
As for Mr. LaPointe, the Parks and Rec Director, he was watching the meeting in an ante room off Council Chambers when he felt sharply ill. He complained of chest pains. Shortly afterward, he was taken to Brotman Medical Center two blocks away, and subsequently released.
