Residents Speak Out Against Pension Proposal, ACC Membership at Council Meeting
The council tabled both issues as well as another regarding license plate scanners.
After cancelling a meeting earlier this month and holding a short special meeting last week, the Fountain Valley City Council decided Tuesday night that it still needed extra time before making decsions on its three biggest agenda items.
The council was to consider a resolution that would have reverted to the city's older—and higher—pension rate for the city's next fire chief, and another that would have installed automated license plate readers in at least two of the city's police cars. The council was also set to address whether the city would renew its membership in the Association of California Cities-Orange County.
All three issues were set over until the next council meeting Feb. 7, but members of the public expecting decisions on those issues were allowed to make public comments before the council.
Roy Reynolds, speaking against the city's membership in ACC, referred to his recently published blog on Fountain Valley Patch, adding that, he thought, there was no real value in the city's relationship with ACC.
"I have a real problem with the city taking direction from the ACC when they don't allow participation from ordinary citizens," he said.
The council also heard from Jeannie Gallindo, who spoke out against the pension issue. The city recently reduced its pension rate to 2 percent, but was deciding whether to revert to 3 percent for the next fire chief.
"Why are we not using our new contract for an employee who could be employed for many years?" Gallindo said. "We are increasing our unfunded mandate. This is a big position. It pays a lot of money. It's going to cost us more money."
The council did complete its appointments to the city's various commissions. Incumbents Margie Drilling, Ron Walker and Brad Gaston were all reappointed to the Planning Commission, with Stephen Brown taking over as the alternate. Michael Wellborne and Kimberly Adessian were appointed to the Housing and Community Development Advisory Board, and Mark Nix, Cheryl Norton and Yvan Cao were appointed to the Fountain Valley Community Foundation.
CriticalThinkerInFV
7:17 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Fire chief makes $155,000 to $189,000 a year, screw his or her pension.
CriticalThinkerInFV
7:21 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
That goes for the chief of police and other high ranking public officials as well. Please, lets see all city employees pay and benifits Justin. Good story!
PBC
8:50 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The prime 'excuse' is that govt. employee's SHOULD equal the PRIVATE sector workforce/etc. does NOT really fly so well,especially these days when so VERY many of us in the PRIVATE SECTOR DO NOT HAVE SUCH HIGH GUARENTEED COMPENSATIONS !! It is NOT a wonder that our economy has been put asunder with far too many FAR TOO GREEDY as well as absurdly OVER REACHING as they stuff their coffers at the taxpayer's expense while we ordinary folks are further fleeced and NOT even getting BASIC SERVICES that ZSUPPOSZZEDLY our taxed dollars were SUPPOSEDLY for !! Name the 'basic' service...we are FEE'd as well as taxed for the 'services' !! WE DO NOT HAVE EVER DEEPER POCKETS TO DIG OUT FURTHER $$$$ which is something 'they' fail to realize as they continue to shuffle the costs and that brings further consequences to ALL and is FAR from serving the TRUE greater common good of ALL !!
Roy Reynolds
10:07 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
On last night's Agenda, it appeared to me -- tho I can't prove it -- that this issue was snuck in and buried in the documentation with the hope of getting it passed without discussion or vigorous public comment. Even tho our bumbling Mayor thoroughly screwed up the public comment cards and the order of speaking, and (I don't think deliberately) caused a commenter to almost not make it to the podium, enough discussion was heard to put the item forward to the 2/7/12 council meeting. Hopefully, that's enough time to bring more people to it to comment on how inappropriate these gold-plated deals really are -- it's time for Fountain Valley to take the lead and put its employees on the same 401k and social security systems we plebeians must endure. There's more on this in my column yesterday: http://fountainvalley.patch.com/blog_posts/spiking-the-pension-football. Better yet, let's outsource the Fire Department and make it the County's problem.
Bo Bo
10:53 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Well spoken Roy.