City Council Preview - Sept 19 (Part 2)

Yesterday we discussed the recall of Andrew Hamilton. Other items on the agenda are…

PAYOFF UNFUNDED PENSION LIABILITY

A few years ago we were 100% funded, but the inability of the PERS system to keep up with their expectations means that we now owe an additional $2.4 million to get back to 100% funding. Meanwhile PERS charges us interest on this “debt” and over the course of the next 30 years this will amount to $3.4 million in interest alone. Since we have sufficient funds in our reserves, and they are earning much less interest than the amount being charged against us by PERS, the best course of action is to pay up.

PURCHASING POLICY

A few weeks ago we recommended that the city add “piggybacking” to our options for hiring contractors. “Piggybacking is a contracting method in which a public agency utilizes the procurement of another local public agency which has secured the same services through a competitive procurement process.” The benefit is that it saves time. The problem is that we rely on the work done by another agency, which might be biased or flawed.

What’s missing from the purchasing policy is “Put Lake Forest First”. Unlike many other cities, Lake Forest gives no priority to local businesses. I have been asking for this for years, and will ask again.

COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANT PERFORMANCE

Here are our results for the past year.

• Assistance was provided to 4,092 individuals through seven nonprofit programs providing services such as food pantries, primary health care services, counseling/advocacy and referral services for fair housing, case management services for seniors, and before and after-school care programs for children. Total expenditures for these activities were $59,857.
• Through the Neighborhood Pride Paint Program, five homes were professionally prepped and painted. This included one mobile home and four single-family residences whose owners were all income-eligible and selected through a lottery system. Total expenditures for this activity were $27,285.
• Eleven income-qualified homeowners (five more than the anticipated goal for FY 2016-2017) received loans and completed needed repairs and improvements (e.g., roofing, plumbing, electrical, and flooring) through the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program. Total expenditures for this activity were $249,585 (which included $144,174 in Revolving Loan repayment funds).
• Phased implementation of the ADA Sidewalk Access Ramps Improvement Program continued. Total expenditures for Phases 8, 9 and 10 were $163,310. For FY 2018-2019, City Council has directed staff to explore funding of ADA compliant improvements in City parks, such as play equipment.
• Staff administered the CDBG program consistent with HUD guidelines. The City is allowed up to 20 percent of grant funds for program administration. FY 2016-2017 expenditures for this activity totaled $53,000 (10.4 percent of grant and revolving loan funds).

Remember - Council meetings now start at 6:30 pm.

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 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be on Dec 2 at 2 pm at the El Toro Public Library.