City Council Preview for Aug 4 - Part 2

Yesterday we discussed the new proposed guidelines for the sale of off-site alcohol. Today we’ll discuss some of the other agenda items -

TRAFFIC ADVISORY GROUP

We started talking about the Traffic Advisory Group (TAG) in April, and now 4 months later we’re getting around to the interviews. I’m assured by people in the know that this represents an impressive speed record for government work.

Nine people applied prior to the deadline, to fill 7 seats. Each one will be allowed 3 minutes to talk to the Council, and then the Council, at its discretion, may ask additional questions.

I’ve asked the City Clerk to make the process completely transparent so that it will be apparent who voted for whom.

The TAG is scheduled to meet on the 4th Tuesday of the month and their first meeting is scheduled for August 25th.

CROSSING GUARDS

The City provides 23 crossing guards in 20 locations throughout the City. Most locations have a single guard, but 3 locations have an additional guard –

· Ridge Route/Jeronimo

· Ridge Route/Serrano

· Fawn Ridge/Saddleback

Over the next three years, this will cost $808,293. The City received 2 bids. All City Management had the lowest bid and the highest evaluation. Although the company is in Santa Fe Springs, they employ Lake Forest residents, although this is not part of the contract obligations.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

The City proposes to provide “Kid’s Factory After School Programs” at 8 elementary school sites (Foothill Ranch, Gates, Lake Forest, La Madera, Olivewood, Portola Hills, Rancho Canada, and Santiago) for a cost of $1,474,855 over the next 3 years .The program is active for 35 weeks during the school year, and runs until 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. It is estimated to serve about 550 children per day. Prior to 2015 it was free. Beginning in January 2015, the Council imposed a $25 per semester fee.

The City only sought one bid for this contract as the staff believed that no other organization could provide the service, given the School district’s facilities.

COMMENTS

It came to my attention that at times the COMMENTS section of the Patch doesn’t work. I have no control over this. I can neither enable nor disable the Comments section nor can I delete or edit other people’s work. If you encounter this problem, please notify the Patch. If you want to discuss the issues raised in these articles you’re welcome to join more than 300 of us at Lake Forest Town Square, or you can e-mail me individually, come to my office hours, or attend my Town hall meetings.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 3 pm to 5 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every month. The next meeting will be on August 15 at 2 pm at the El Toro Public Library.

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