Over the din of grumbling last night at the way the City Council handled its amorphous task of updating the role of the Civil Service Commission, cosmetic changes to three other community panels sailed through without a hiccup.
The Planning Commission, the Cultural Affairs Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission almost silently accepted the mostly nuanced adjustments.
What makes the attitude and responsibilities of the commissions more difficult to read is that, starting soon, they will be supervised by the City Manager instead of the City Council. This is according to the still like-new City Charter, voter-approved four years ago, but with gaping portions that have not yet been implemented.
Complicating the picture is that the new boss, incoming City Manager John Nachbar, still is working in a Kansas City suburb. He is not due to take charge at City Hall for three weeks, on Monday, Aug. 16.
Since government business, like the private sector, is heavily driven by personality, the outcome of negotiations between Mr. Nachbar and commissioners defies projection, except that Mr. Nachbar’s mediation ability has been heavily praised.
Will They or Won’t They?
Is the School Board going to move its meetings to City Hall, to accommodate larger audiences, to televise the sessions live, as the Council does, and to hike its prestige, as Board member Karlo Silbiger long has hoped?
The first incremental, tentative step has been taken.
Responding to a letter from the School Board, asking to meet with city staff to open a discussion of logistics and financial responsibilities, the Council unanimously nodded yes.
The Council expects at least one School Board meeting to be held in Council Chambers before the end of the year — which is scarcely half over — and it could be on a night other than Tuesday, traditionally the Board’s date night.
Postponement
In other business, to the relief of some hotel owners, a proposed 1 percent increase in Culver City’s Transient Occupancy Tax, from 12 percent to 13, will not appear on the November ballot. Unanimous Council approval was needed, and Vice Mayor Mehaul O’Leary dissented. He said it was not appropriate to raise taxes during such a steep economic downturn.
After earlier postponing a discussion of ambiguous changes in Civil Service Commission guidelines, Mayor Chris Armenta invoked “lack of sufficient public notice” for a second time last night.
During a debate over funding nine “moderate” and three “low-income” housing units proposed for 4043 Irving Pl., Mr. Armenta successfully sought a two-week delay on a final vote.
With Councilman Andy Weisman having recused himself, the four remaining members indicated they will approve the plan next month. There was a measure of confusion over whether city funds were underwriting the apartment-like homes.
It was explained that housing-set aside money, targeted specifically for these types of homes, was being used. The city is obligated to utilize the funds or risk losing them.
