Lemon Grove City Council Meets Tonight: Nov. 1

Tuesday's agenda features a handful of housekeeping items, a recommendation to buy a spare fire engine at the cost of $9,142, and a discussion of strategies that would reduce the city pension liability by paying down its California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) side funds, resulting in medium- and long-term savings.

Because the city has less than 100 employees, it participates in the CalPERs pool program. Through the pool, according to a staff report, Lemon Grove shares benefits and liabilities associated with the pension costs with other government agencies with less than 100 employees. Side funds are the actuarial liability calculated for the city through the pool program.

Also tonight, staff is recommending the city purchase a reserve fire engine from El Cajon at a cost of $9,142. The city currently has two primary engines and one reserve. Over the past several years, however, it has undergone several repairs and has been recently deemed no longer fit to serve as the reserve engine.

The council will consider three options:

• Purchasing a new fire engine and designating its 1997 Pierce engine as the reserve engine,

• Function without a reserve fire engine, or

• Purchase a used fire engine from the El Cajon for $9,142.

A new engine would cost the city from $500,000 to $600,000.