Some Projects for 2018

Last week I spent some time talking about what we achieved in 2017 (Click Here) and what we needed to do to perform better (Click Here). I even included a cautionary note (Click Here). Most of that discussion centered on process items, but I know that most people are more interested in the specifics. I covered a few of them previously (Click Here) but they were mostly internal Council items

• Anti-gang measures, such as (a) an Ordnance to rotate Mayor, (b) an ordinance prohibiting companies with city contracts giving money to council members, (c) ordinances to change the way we appoint commissioners and (d) how we select replacements for Council members who resign
• Revisions to pay for Council members
• Code of ethics revisions

So here are some broader specifics I believe we need to focus on in 2018.

CIVIC CENTER

For years we have been the only city in Orange County without our own City Hall and Senior Center. We spent millions in rent, but now we are investing $70,000,000 to build our own campus, and this will be our single most important project. These types of construction projects are fraught with problems: witness all the things that have gone wrong with the Village Pond Park renovation, which is tiny compared to the Civic Center project.

We’ve engaged a project management firm on top of the project management associated with the construction. This should help. It will cost $350,000 extra, but we need to be sure that all the right decisions are being made.

So far we are on schedule.

TRAFFIC AND PARKING

We need a Commission devoted to helping solve our traffic and parking problems. When I first proposed this commission years ago, along with Councilman Adam, Nick, my colleagues on the Council voted against it and instead set up a “Traffic Advisory Group” which did such a poor job it was disbanded. So I tried again, with the help of Mayor Pro Tem Basile, but all I could manage was to get my colleagues to agree to adding “traffic” to the Planning Commission. More than 6 months later, this has been a fruitless exercise, with no observable results.

I can only hope that now, in light of all these missteps, my colleagues will at last see the need for a dedicated Traffic and Parking Commission. Some of the areas they should look into include –

• Better enforcement of city code to address the parking problem. Right now all the Police do is give out tickets for out-of-date vehicle registrations, which doesn’t address the parking problems at all.
• Street sweeping enforcement that will identify abandoned cars and get them off the streets.
• Creation of parking areas, such as the bottom of Regency Park and the empty street at the end of Ridge Rte.
• Permissive left turns
• Structural changes to street flows into El Toro Rd to alleviate the crowding.
• Pilot project to bus students to traffic-impacted schools (e.g., FHR, Serrano)

Keep in mind the previous City Councils approved nearly 5,000 new homes and we have only built and occupied less than half of these. That's thousands of more homes with all the extra vehicle traffic associated with it.

PAY OFF OUR BOND

Two years ago I complained about how little interest we got from our investments, so we set up a Committee, made some changes, and doubled our interest income. Last year we paid off our pension obligations, saving us millions of dollars in payments. Now we need to pay off the city’s bond of $6,655,900 (from 2011 Alton Pkwy Improvements), a measure that will save us about $1,000,000 in lease interest costs.

DISTRICT ELECTIONS

In 2018 we will vote by districts. In addition, the Council plans to place on the ballot (a) how many districts we should have and (b) whether or not we should have a Mayor elected city-wide. We will need to spend time educating people about this process so that people can make an informed decision.

MOBILE APP

One of my major concerns has been getting a new mobile app off the ground. Last year we launched the “Shop and Dine” mobile app, but the new one will be far more meaningful in helping residents communicate with the city. OTOH I have been very concerned with the quality of our work, and I’m not sure that we can increase demands on the staff with an app that will increase communication.

This is a vital element to create, but I’m not sure now is the time to do it.

LOCAL NO-KILL SHELTER

There is a real opportunity that we will be able to transition away from the County and establish our own no-kill shelter here in Lake Forest. In 2017 we managed to get two pet rescue groups off the ground, and in 2018 I will propose using a local Vet hospital as our shelter. The County will continue to handle animal control, but once animals are picked up, they will go to our local animal hospital instead of the County shelter. I originally proposed this project in 2016, but it was defeated 3:2. I believe we are in a position to reconsider the project before the end of 2018.

Right now the Pet Adoption Center is not functioning at a level where we can make the transition, however, they are continuing to improve. Meanwhile we can explore and put in place the necessary steps to make the move when we are ready.

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 twitter handle is @DrJimGardner. 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 Thursday Feb 15 at 7 pm at the Beach and Tennis Club.