Block Grants, Firefighter Pensions on City Council Docket

The Fountain Valley City Council will consider on Tuesday the proposed budget for more than $270,000 in community development block grant money for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

According to city documents, the 2012-13 grant money is about 14 percent less than this year's. The proposed budget would allocate about $49,000 for administration, about $195,000 for neighborhood preservation, $75,000 for Americans with Disabilities Act improvement, and $68,000 for code enforcement.

Among the entities seeking funding are Alzheimer's Family Services, the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley and Elwyn California.

The council will also consider an urgency ordinance that would finalize an amendment to the city's contract with CalPERS to reduce the pension rate for newly-hired firefighters from 3 percent to 2 percent.

At its Feb. 21 meeting, the council adopted a resolution of intention to reduce the pension rate. Newly-hired sworn fire department employees now will receive the 2-percent-at-50 formula, while the removal of the cost-sharing provision for 3-percent-at 50-formula will apply to current fire employees. The change is expected to save the city 1.7 percent to 3.3 percent of payroll.