Mayor Lance MacLean began the meeting by listing his goals for 2006. No surprises – the list included law enforcement, public safety, transportation, traffic, recreation and economic development – the stuff campaigns are made of.

MacLean appointed council members to serve on committees for 2006: Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency – MacLean (Reavis as alternate); Measure M – Reavis (Ledesma alternate); Orange County Vector Control – Reavis (Ury alternate); San Joaquin Hills TCA – Ury (Kelley alternate); California Joint Powers Insurance Authority – Ledesma (staff alternate); El Toro Reuse Planning Authority – Ledesma (Reavis alternate); Orange County Fire Authority – Kelley (MacLean alternate); Orange County Council of Governments – Ury (Kelley alternate); League of Cities – MacLean (Ury alternate).

Council Member Kelley put an item on the agenda to discuss joint use of sports fields between the city and school districts. The city stands to lose a soccer field with the expansion of the community center. Council Member Reavis mentioned the underlying problem that $1.5 million originally budgeted to move the field was reallocated toward construction of the building. Reavis encouraged revisiting ad hoc committees for both school districts for more equitable representation.

Council Member Ury proposed dividing the Planning and Transportation Commission into two commissions, saying the commissions had initially been separate but “were joined for political purposes” years ago. Other council members disagreed, saying the two commissions had been joined to cut bureaucracy and costs. Reavis stated that current council members had run on platforms of smaller government. Ledesma said the separate commissions had dealt with light agendas and taken an incredible amount of staff time. The motion died for lack of a second.

Ury’s other item on the agenda, goals for 2006, received mixed reaction. Reavis suggested that all council members should state their own goals. Kelley suggested the discussion should lead to a goals workshop. Ury said his items were unrelated to financial considerations, which raised additional questions. His goals included a regional sports complex for the city, with an obviously high price tag. Is it reminiscent of the city library, which now boasts approximately 125,000 cardholders in a city of 100,000 – where residents pay and nonresidents benefit?

MacLean proposed forming an ad hoc committee of two council members to address the city’s housing element and affordable housing goals. The proposal would disband the Planning Commission’s ad hoc committee and turn all its records over to the council ad hoc committee. Ledesma commented that the proposal undermines the work of the commission. The proposal would end the work begun by former Commissioners Bo Klein and Jack Anderson and continued by current Commissioners Brad Morton and Neil Lonsinger. The motion passed 3-2 (MacLean, Ury and Kelly for; Ledesma and Reavis against). MacLean appointed himself and Ury to the committee. The discussion implied that Ury has been talking about affordable housing on his own with the Pacific Law Center and others, and he apparently favors building a large affordable apartment project on a site south of Oso. Such a project would have less effect on city traffic than other possible sites, but its south Mission Viejo location would impact city services and Capistrano USD schools.