Pond 20, Redevelopment and 'In God We Trust' at Wednesday City Council Meeting

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. but closed door meetings will begin at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the Bikeway Village redevelopment project and the case of former Southbay Drugs Shawki Bachoua.

Upon request from Councilwoman Lorie Bragg, the City Council will discuss whether or not to discuss at a later meeting putting the nation's motto "In God We Trust" on-display in council chambers. This is agenda item 6.12.

Port of San Diego commissioners voted at their Jan. 12 meeting to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the cities of San Diego and Imperial Beach and the port to develop Pond 20, a plot of 95 acres that sits in San Diego on Palm Avenue, a portion of which is part of the IB redevelopment zone.

Development ideas will come from discussions with the public and stakeholders. The MOU will last 24 months.

This is agenda item 6.11.

Agenda item 6.13 asks the City Council to approve retaining the services of DKC Associates and Doug Clark.

Clark has served as the city's Assistant City Manager, but director of the Community Development Department Greg Wade will assume these responsibilities in the future.

At a cost of $30,000, City Manager Gary Brown said he wants to keep Clark around to help with issues related to insurance.

After a judge determined it lawful to dissolve redevelopment agencies, council voted at their Jan. 5 meeting to begin to shift duties and obligations to the Imperial Beach Housing Authority. That process will continue with votes to take place at Wednesday's meeting in agenda item 6.4.

As part of the agreement, $15,000 will be transferred from the housing authority to the city every month to pay for services.

Agenda item 6.5 requests the city accept an annual report from the state controller's office related to community development, housing and financial transactions by redevelopment agencies. The report covers transactions ending in June 2011.

Agenda item 5.1 will change city policy regarding fees charged to groups who rent the Marina Vista Community Center and the Community Room across from City Council chambers.

Agenda item 6.1 will authorize Public Works Director Hank Levien to sign the 2010-2011 fiscal year Tijuana River and San Diego Bay watershed urban runoff program.

Agenda item 6.2 will require City Councilmembers follow City Council Policy 116 that would require they follow a process to recommend an item appear on meeting agendas. A draft of the policy is included in the agenda packet.

No policy currently exists. The new policy proposed by staff asks that Councilmembers submit written requests to the City Manager, then if it is determined at a meeting that a majority of Councilmembers agree the item should be discussed, it will appear on a future meeting agenda.

Grants paid for by the EDCO Community Grants program and awarded by the City Council await approval for a total $10,000 over 2011-2013 fiscal year to local nonprofit organizations that support youth, senior, neighborhood or cultural programs.

Money will go toward groups like YMCA Camp Surf, Optimist Club of I.B., South County Economic Development Council, Friends of the IB Library and others.

This is agenda item 2.3.

Council will also be asked to ratify two letters by Mayor Jim Janney about air traffic in agenda items 2.5 and 2.6.

One letter is in support of Assemblyman Ben Hueso's amendments to Air Installation Compatible Use Zone Programs and would require air traffic from military installations receive public scrutiny the same as civilian air traffic.

The other letter is in favor of the Cross Border Terminal project, which proposes a pedestrian bridge from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry to Tijuana International Airport. The letter was sent to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and the San Diego City Council, who heard about the project at their Jan. 10 meeting.

Mayor Janney and the South County Economic Development Council (SCEDC) believe the project would support economic development for both sides of the border.

Imperial Beach Patch and the City of Imperial Beach are members of the SCEDC.