Friday, July 5, 2013

City Council meeting, Monday, July 8, 2013


#5 Wired telecommunications carriers
Item 9.  "Can you hear us now?"
  The City economic plan is another tax
Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor.  Or, view on local channel 26, also live internet feed, pct26.com.  The meeting begins at 7pm, or shortly there following.  City council updates and archives are available on the City website.   

City Council Agenda, 7/8/13.  Items listed may include embedded pdf documents, illustration and photographs of interest. The information below is restated or summarized from the city agenda documents. Additional links or comments may be added. 

Closed session, 6:15 p.m. 
1).  CA government code, 54956.9(b).  Legal council, anticipated litigation, one potential case.
2).  CA government code, 54957.  Interim City Manager appointment. 

Consent calendar, 7:00 p.m.
1.   Approval of cash disbursements. 
2.   Approval of  City Council minutes,  6/24/13.
3.   Ongoing 4/7/10 proclamation confirming a local emergency from 4/7/10:  cliff erosion, revetment failure supporting city storm drain at 380, 400 Esplanade Avenue.
4.   PB&R child Care user fees adjustment, and request for State of CA subsidized fee formula modification.
5.   Planning Department request to submit an application requesting a climate change vulnerability and risk assessment (sea level rise adaptation) grant.
6.    Police request to participate in CA Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control grant:  Project < 21 COAST (Consumption of Alcohol Suppression Team). 
7.    Interim Human Resources Manager, Holly Brock-Cohn agreement, through 11/30/13.

Item 9.  City of Pacifica,
this is the only revenue plan you can come up with,
us again?
Consideration
8.    Resolution  asking voters to amend the City 6 1/2% Utility Users Tax (UUT) to add telecommunications services for a 10-year period.  
9.    UUT Ballot Measure consultant services to develop the UUT ballot measure and related information materials, effective 6/24/13, base fee $10,000. 
10.  City council will hold a public hearing 7/22/13 with regard to the abandonment of Pompeiian Way request.  Information only.

RelatedwiseGEEK.org, "What is Telecommunications? Telecommunications is a general term for a vast array of technologies that send information over distances. Mobile phones, land lines, satellite phones and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) are all telephony technologies -- just one field of telecommunications. Radio, television and networks are a few more examples of telecommunication."  Note: Verizon photograph from Business Insider,  graphic "buck stops here" from David Roberson.net. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

City still spending like a rich city:

1 21641 $500.00 04/25/13 01697 0 WATERWORLD CALIFORNIA CLEARED
500.00 01.800810.52398.0000.000 7/31/13 DEPOSIT 3-19-13

Anonymous said...

Ok the city is stuck on stupid. I get free virus scan with my ISP!

22116 $1616.00 06/14/13 00483 0 CDW GOVERNMENT, INC. OUTSTANDING
125.51 01.200210.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR CQ03556
31.38 01.220240.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
141.20 01.300345.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
407.92 01.500530.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
156.89 01.600630.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
78.45 01.660712.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
94.14 01.700723.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
31.38 01.700751.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
31.38 01.700780.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
329.47 01.800800.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
188.27 18.940741.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR
0.01 18.940741.52325.0000.000 MCAFEE END PROJ-2YR

Anonymous said...

1 21639 $2000.00 04/25/13 00886 0 CALIFORNIA'S GREAT AMERICA CLEARED
1000.00 01.800810.52800.0000.000 DEPOSIT-7/10/13 FIELDTRIP 3-13-13
1000.00 01.800810.52800.0000.000 DEPOSIT-8/7/13 FIELDTRIP 3-20-13

todd bray said...

Interesting, council is to supply the Yes on the UUT tax with a $10,000 war chest.

Anonymous said...

Now, Bray, surely you know the $10,000 must be part of the original $30,000+ of taxpayer funds our Council is using to get that campaign off the ground. I read the funniest thing on this blog, in one of the 164 posts generated by Hutchinson's LTE on the UUT measure. It was on 6/29/13 @1231pm by the anonymous UUT shill assigned to Fix. It said in response to a complaint that City money was being used for this campaign, "No, actually the city won't be paying for the "campaign". The city needs to be engaged at this time as it requires their action to have the measure placed on the ballot. After that takes place no city monies will be spent." That's no regular shill, that's the work of a Super-Shill.

Were they spinnin' and grinnin' or outright lying? Guess it all depends on when you say the campaign started. I say it started when Nihart and Stone came up with the idea. From that point on, it's been a campaign funded by taxpayer money.

Anonymous said...

$7500.00 06/17/13 MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP MAY 2013 POLICE DEPT STUDY

Another study?

$127.00 06/17/13 THOMAS FISH COMPANY RAINBOW TROUT

Really?

Alhambra Water $351?

Drink tap water


So much waste and un-needed expenditures

Chris Porter said...

I would assume these field trips are for Day Care.

Anonymous said...

Day care to watch city council?

Anonymous said...

$127.00 for rainbow trout.

Isn't Lake Merced still open

That is alot of trout.

I saw 4 for $12.00 the other day at Costco

Anonymous said...

1:45 you mean Mary Ann came up with the idea and told Len you will support this. Or else!

Hutch said...

I have a feeling the Financing City Services Committee is pushing this on council not the other way around. We saw how they stomped their feet when Mary Ann and Len refused to give their sales tax a green light last year.

Anonymous said...

If this is the same Thomas Fish Company they are in Florida and they don't even sell Trout. Even if they did why would you buy a cold fresh water fish from a salt warm water dealer?

Kinda weird.

http://www.thomasfishhouse.com/Menu.html

Kathy Meeh said...

Without a forensic audit, all these City expenses cited by Anonymous as potentially irregular, FMV appear to be reasonable business expenses. And that includes the professional 2 year anti-virus/cloud backup contracts covering each computer, bottled water (old buildings, old pipes), various field trips (not detailed in this report), etc.

But, without further explanation (item by item) from the city, "not stuck on stupid" Anonymous 3:53 AM could ask the city to do a forensic audit, outside the usual annual City audit. Cost for that consultant might be about $200,000. But should there be a potential item discrepancy, think of all the money we'll save!

Anonymous said...

Make no mistake this is Len and Mary Ann's baby. No way was Mary Ann going to run for reelection and support a tax at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 3:54 wrote: "1 21639 $2000.00 04/25/13 00886 0 CALIFORNIA'S GREAT AMERICA CLEARED
1000.00 01.800810.52800.0000.000 DEPOSIT-7/10/13 FIELDTRIP 3-13-13
1000.00 01.800810.52800.0000.000 DEPOSIT-8/7/13 FIELDTRIP 3-20-13"

Part of the summer programs for youth in Pacifica through PBR (that get covered through registration fees):


Summer Recreation Programs Come join us for the 2013 summer recreation programs!

Summer Out of Town Trips

June 26 Santa Cruz Beach oardwalk
July 3 Blackberry Farm
July 10 6 Flags Discovery Kingdom
July 17 Raging Waters
July 24 Great America
July 31 Waterworld USA
Aug 7 Great America II
Aug 14 Pump it up

Anonymous said...

Kathy

If you spent your money like city hall does you would be a regular at the bankruptcy court.

How do you justify 2000 dollars at river rock casino? How about the millions of dollars for consultants? How about blowing money on the Vreeland trail network?

How about pissing away millions of dollars in legal fees for Cecilia Quick to look through her rolodex.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 5:08pm "How do you justify 2000 dollars at river rock casino?"

Probably the senior field trip. As with the youth programs, the many seniors that enjoy attending these outings pay a registration fee.

Really appreciate that these events are arranged by Pacifica PBR so that the youth and seniors in town have something to share in and look forward to.

Anonymous said...

I say do a real independent audit of all city expenses and see what we find. What should be cut. Who if anyone is embezzling money or ripping off the city. Yes embezzling, It's happened before in Pacifica. That is one study I would be in favor of but it must be totally independent of any city influence and totally transparent. Any information would be immediately released to the public.

Kathy Meeh said...

Anonymous 5:08 PM, no, those were not the items I addressed, nor was I defending long-term spending by the city. Other than paying taxes, city accounting has no relationship to me whatsoever.

Further, in extending your speculation to blanket generalities without detailed description of each city expense item, what are you really talking about? And, are you suggesting that all consultants which bring-in a necessary higher level of expertise to the city are unnecessary or "bad"?

Anonymous 5:37 PM, someone in the city may be "embezzling money, ripping off the city", really? What indicates to you that may be happening? Did you see some real or imagined discrepancy? The city goes through a certified annual audit each year, conducted by an outside "consultant" agency. Not good enough for you, why?

Anonymous said...

I'm not whichever anonymous you're addressing, Kathy, but I do think the council spends ridiculous sums of money for consultants to do the jobs for which they were elected. We're already paying consultants to figure out how best to sell us council's UUT, for instance.

Kathy Meeh said...

Anonymous 6:32 PM, we agree. Paying consultants to sell us another tax to maintain our already low level of city services, does not appeal to me either.

Many of us are really tired of the ongoing merry-go-round of no sustainable future for this city.

Anonymous said...

Hutch, you can't possibly be serious. Did Nihart put a spell on you? A tax was always, always her preferred option, but not during an election year and not until she had her ducks in a row, ie, Ervin and Stone. She has no control over the other two, but she's got the three votes she needs with or without them. This so-called new council has some old habits when it comes to taxes. They believe in them as the cure all. Do your homework and see what these people are really about, where they stood on past critical issues. And wear some garlic, carry a crucifix, never look into their eyes, protect yourself.

Anonymous said...

Spewing out city check runs without detail serves no purpose, other than to reassure the city that you haven't got a clue about the many different types of services and functions carried out by a city of this size.

Anonymous said...

What is up with the check for Rainbow Trout? Appears in more than one month. I was looking for something else and noticed that same Trout payment in other months as well. Kind of fishy?

Anonymous said...

The weirder thing about the trout is when you look up that seller (Thomas Fish Company), the only one that shows up on Google is a business by that name in Florida. And it doesn't look like they sell any kind of trout.

Tilapia
Catfish
Mullet
Snapper
Grouper
Shrimp
Blue Crabs
Sheepshead
Hassa
Crawfish
Crablegs
Mackerel
Freshwater Bream
Gator
Froglegs
Quail
Oysters

Anonymous said...

Lunch or somebody at city hall has a weird aquarium. Cioppino!