Council meeting summary
Staff editorial

Few residents attended the March 6 council meeting, and they left halfway through the four-hour meeting. Even diehards found no attraction in council members sniping at each other while sidestepping the city’s problems.

Those who watched TV coverage until the end saw a meltdown with Mayor Lance MacLean’s inflammatory remarks to Councilwoman Gail Reavis. She had attempted to promote a measure protecting residents from eminent domain, which got no support. Instead, MacLean enjoined City Attorney Bill Curley to explain why eminent domain isn’t a concern. If anyone isn’t concerned, it’s probably because Curley’s long-winded gibberish is incomprehensible.

As matters of record, the council approved by 5-0 the purchase of 221 Dell computers at $235,000, and the city will adopt a Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Battalion (5-0). Despite objections from residents at the public microphone, the council voted 5-0 to approve the highly controversial Aliso Ridge development agreement and zone change on the parcel next to Unisys.

Appearing disinterested in proceedings, Councilman Frank Ury leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, at times ignoring other council members or residents who spoke at the public microphone. Responding to Reavis’ reminder of Ury’s campaign promise not to decrease the city’s soccer fields, both Ury and MacLean brushed off campaign promises. Ury said, “Thanks for the stroll down campaign memory lane.”

Most of the meeting was spent on the mid-year budget review.

Senior transportation: after 3 1/2 years, Kelley has failed in her campaign promise to create an effective program, and the ideas presented March 6 were misleading. The false acclaim of a “pilot program” has no pilot and no plane .The concept of discounted taxi coupons for 269 of the city’s seniors who are at least 85 years old is projected to cost $317,000, or $177,000 if a portion can be recaptured. No one clarified the cost of a full-time employee to manage the program. The council voted 4-1 (Reavis dissenting) to spend $20,000 to “study the problem.”

Insurance issue at Marguerite aquatics facility: a $400,000 insurance payment became the focus regarding the $1.2 million fire at the swim club. Beyond $1.2 million in damages, the city attorney’s fees were $659,000. Total cost: $1,859,000. Net loss: $1,459,000.

Underfunded retiree healthcare benefits: an estimate of the current obligations runs between $2 million and $5 million. MacLean led the discussion to defer any payment until 2006. If the intent is to improve the appearance of the city’s balance sheet, one should consider that delaying payment significantly raises the price to pay off the obligation.

Unfunded pension liabilities: The council voted 5-0 to amortize the $3.8 million PERS unfunded pension liability over a 15-year period with a $316,000 down payment (8 percent). Reavis attempted to formulate a more aggressive plan.

Throughout the budget review, no one talked about the city’s balance sheet. Numbers have been bandied about, with some council members (three months ago) referring to $32 million in city reserves. The backup documents on March 6 mention $21 in reserves, with only approximately $500,000 in unencumbered funds that are not appropriated.