BY JENNIFER MADRIGAL
Eastvale – This month there were two City Council meetings. The first meeting was held on August 13 at Rosa Parks Elementary. All Council members were in attendance and the meeting started at 6:30 p.m. Pastor Rob Norris from The Crossings church led the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by new council member, Joe Tessari.
There were no presentations or announcements. During the public comment section of the meeting, Cynthia Ravaro, a resident of Eastvale, addressed the council. Ravaro has lived in Eastvale for many years and has been the victim of excessively loud noises coming from parties held at a home in her neighborhood. These parties have been going on for three years and she felt the Police Department should be doing more about it. The decibel level is reportedly so high in her house that even with the television on high and all her windows shut, she can still hear the noise. She pleaded with Council to help her find some type of resolution
Todd Corbin with JCSD reported to the Council about actions that would need to take place in response to the recent state drought regulations passed by Governor Brown. JCSD will need to come up with a water shortage plan and an ordinance to comply with these regulations. More information about this issue can be found on their website at http://www.jcsd.us. Once JCSD prepares their plan, it will be brought back to Council for review.
The Consent Calendar was approved 5-0, with the exception of item 5.3, an update on the City’s Strategic Plan. The item was pulled because new information was recently requested and staff needed time to update for accuracy.
There were no Public Hearings or Old Business Items.
The New Business section of the meeting included Item 8.1, which was tabled for discussion at a later date. Items 8.2 through 8.4 were passed, 5-0. Item 8.5, the approval of the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan was also approved, 5-0. This resolution is for Eastvale’s eligibility for state and federal funding in the event of a major disaster. Even though the City is in the process of updating the plan, the approval was needed to ensure coverage for Eastvale. Item 8.6 was for the purchase of a Paramedic Squad for Eastvale Fire Services in the amount of $151,565. The cost was already included in the 2013-2014 budget, and the Item was approved, 5-0.
For Item 8.7, Temporary Signs in the Public Right of Way, an ordinance was passed earlier this year outlining guidelines for when and where signs may be placed on public property. This ordinance applies to campaign signs as well. There have been some issues with this as candidates who are not well known rely on signage to get their names out into the community. After much discussion, the ordinance will remain as is until another solution can possibly be found.
Item 8.8 discussed the Chain of Command in the City of Eastvale. It was decided that in the event the City Manager is unable to accomplish assigned duties due to an emergency event or vacancy, the City Attorney will be the next in command.
Item 8.9, called for an amendment to the 2014-2015 budget to fund crossing guards for the intersections at Peach Blossom and Scholar Way, as well as Scholar Way and Baltimore Street. This item passed, 5-0. Items 8.10 through 8.12 also passed, 5-0. There was not a City Manager’s Report.
In Council Communications, council members Tessari and Welch expressed their condolences over the passing of Lt. Patrick Libertone. The Meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
The second City Council meeting of the month was held on August 27, with all council members present. The invocation was led by Pastor Tim Eaton of Edgewater Lutheran Church. There were a few presentation’s given by the City. Certificates of Appreciation were given to the National Night Out Participants: WOLFF, Target, Eastvale Community Foundation, Tequila 88, and the volunteers from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. Rollin Edmunds gave a presentation regarding school boundaries in the Corona-Norco Unified School District. Sharyn Link, with the Eastvale Community Foundation, gave an update and announced the two newest board members. City Manager, Carol Jacobs, gave an update for the Public Safety Commission, as they were unable to attend.
During the Public Comment/Citizen Participation section of the meeting, Dickie Simmons asked the Council to reconsider making any decisions regarding the City Manager position so close to an upcoming election. Mr. Simmons cited that many cities have a policy of not making decisions concerning City Managers within 60 to 90 days of an election.
Mangie Rios with the 88 iMPACT Foundation thanked the community for attending the first annual iMPACT Festival. They had over 30 vendors, 400 participants, and are excited to be working on several other future events. They also presented the Military Banner Program with a check for $1,419.76, enough to pay for eight more military banners.
The Consent Calendar was approved, 5-0. There were no Public Hearings.
In the Old Business Section of the meeting, Items 7.1 through 7.5 were approved, 5-0.
In the New Business Section of the meeting, Item 8.1, an agreement to enter into a professional agreement for Architectural and Engineering Services with WLC Architects for Eastvale Fire Station 2, in the amount of $436,000, was approved, 5-0.
For Item 8.2, staff asked the Council permission to close City Hall on Columbus Day to allow the staff a day for Records Retentions. With the amount of plans and other public record items increasing, staff felt the need to take an entire day to concentrate on organizing and properly handling the items. Council asked them to consider doing this on a Friday when the office is already closed to the public. The Item was continued to the next meeting.
Items 8.3 through 8.8 were also discussed. After brief comments and exchanges between the council members and the City staff, the meeting was adjourned. For a more in-depth look at the agenda please visit http://www.cityofeastvale.com.
