Council meeting summary, May 1
Editorial staff

The May 1 council meeting was a quiet one. The “elephant in the room” – the lawsuit against the city over affordable housing – went unmentioned except by a resident during public comments and a reference by the city attorney to the closed-session discussion.

Items pulled by the public included an amendment to the Marguerite Recreation Center (YMCA) contract. During public comments, a resident asked why the city would change the 30-year agreement regarding capital improvement projects or terms of operation. He said the 30-year contract should limit the city’s cost to $1.5 million and stop the “perpetual mechanism to tap the city.” Mayor Lance MacLean didn’t acknowledge the comments, and the item was carried over to the next meeting without action.

Another item pulled by the public was the replacement purchase of five police motorcycles. A resident suggested the use of motorcycles should be reevaluated for safety concerns and asked about the recent accident involving one of the city’s motorcycle patrolmen. The motion to replace motorcycles passed 5-0.

MacLean opened a hearing on an urgency ordinance extending the prohibition of establishing marijuana dispensaries in any zoning district within the city. No resident spoke on the issue, and the item was carried over to the next meeting.

Another hearing addressed ordinances amending municipal code regarding 1) massage establishment regulations and 2) nuisance abatement. A resident at the public microphone asked why nuisance abatement was lumped with massage regulations. She said the nuisance issue arose from a single complaint from a resident about a neighbor’s skateboard ramp. She suggested creating ordinances is not the best means of dealing with an individual’s complaint against a neighbor. The motion to amend ordinances passed 5-0.

The council voted 5-0 to proceed with the audit of Capistrano Unified School District taxes and 5-0 to proceed with the elimination of permit fees for energy-efficient construction improvements. The council also received the Community Services Master Plan.

Regarding the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 budget review, Council Member John Paul Ledesma suggested priorities for the budget revision program of fixing potholes, building a restroom facility at Melinda Park and grading Oso Viejo Park for a soccer field. Councilwoman Trish Kelley added the $200,000 cost of a senior transportation pilot program. Councilman Frank Ury said he didn’t think the council should list projects, but Kelley read the second sentence of the agenda item to him, which asked for priorities. The council approved the revisions and suggestions for priorities 5-0.

Two residents at the public microphone asked for restroom facilities at Melinda Park during the discussion of the restroom master plan item. In contrast with the city’s estimated cost of $500,000 to $600,000 per facility, a resident provided information on a prefabricated restroom costing $13,000 to $50,000. He suggested the city hadn’t done its homework. The council agreed Melinda Park was the top priority and asked staff to pursue the prefabricated restroom designs.