City Council OKs Funds for Improvement Projects

The voted unanimously Tuesday night to immediately use state funds for high-priority redevelopment projects.

Among the approved allocations was $46.1 million for the design-build contract, $21.2 million for affordable housing projects and $12.4 million for Colorado Esplanade improvements.

Meanwhile, the council delayed its decision on $46.8 million for seismic retrofitting and other improvements to the .

The Civic Auditorium item was brought before the council due to the ongoing state-budget crisis. In January, said he would eliminate redevelopment agencies in California in time for the 2011-12 budget.

State legislators are still deliberating as to how the law will be adjusted, but as of May 13, no decisive action had yet been taken. City of Santa Monica staff and the council seemed to agree that allocating the funds now would be prudent, so as to help to secure the dollars later.

Some of the council members balked at the figures that were presented. They raised questions about the flexibility of uses at the post-renovation , voicing concerns about the long-term self-sustainability of that facility. They also scrutinized the projected cost of the Palisades Garden Walk.

Councilman Bob Holbrook said that, for a regionally, nationally or internationally lauded park, $46 million is a hefty price for the Garden Walk.

City staffers said the price per unit of space is considerably lower than estimates for parks of the same size and scale, and they repeatedly reminded the council that community wishes had led them to the developing design at its projected price-point.

Still, the colossal figures and list of projects were daunting.

“In my experience on the council, this is by far the largest amount of discretionary money that the council ever has spent," Councilman Bobby Shriver said. "And I was a little stunned by that as I was reading over these documents over the last several days."

As the discussion wore on, options for the Civic Auditorium ranged from full restoration to mothballing the facility for a year or more, until sufficient design consensus and funding could be secured. Staff will be asked to present alternatives to the pending auditorium funding when the item is revisited on Thursday.

During the budget study session, the council heard presentations from City Manager Rod Gould and his staff on the general direction of the City’s finances and the strategies that were employed in drafting and balancing the proposed budget.

Prudent financial planning and conservative use of community financial reserves were among the core efforts made on the City’s part to help offset a lack in the general fund. New revenue sources like the transactions and use tax approved in November have helped Santa Monica weather the budget crisis that has more severly impacted neighboring cities.

Gould also mentioned the willingness of City employees to endure hour reductions and furloughs. He said the returns on one-time use funding and keeping expenditures low, without compromising services, have also helped.

The council also heard individual reports from the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, , Community and Government Relations, and the proposed Office of Emergency Management.

The new office, Gould said, would help the City improve its emergency preparedness, providing groundwork to help minimize the financial, emotional and physical tolls in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.

The council also adopted three ordinances: a Municipal Code amendment governing the size, shape and nature of signage in the City; a Municipal Code amendment governing campaign contributions for City Council candidates; and an amendment eliminating emeritus positions on various City commissions.

The council will reconvene Wednesday and Thursday for further reports and discussion of the proposed budget, in preparation for a vote to approve the budget on June 21. Wednesday’s discussions will include reports from the and departments, the program and the Public Works Department, as well as reports on the Capital Improvement Program and the Housing and Economic Development Department.

Councilman Terry O’Day was not present for Tuesday’s meeting and is expected to miss the rest of the week’s scheduled meetings due to an emergency appendectomy surgery he underwent Tuesday.