News-Text/City-Spending-Spree.htm

La Habra Heights, CA - Residents here are just learning about unprecedented cuts to the City’s contract with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services. The savings are earmarked to be used to fund additional staff positions, to replace 5 year- old computer equipment and to fund a $20,000 study that could lead to a New City Hall Complex for the cash strapped community of 5,200. The City, that has seen a dramatic downgrade of its fire suppression ability by the Insurance Service Office, eliminated all fulltime fire related positions. Is now ready to settle for a lower level of law enforcement for the approximately 6 square miles that is La Habra Heights. This, as a result of the June 9^th City Council meeting where City manager Shauna Clark made a rather odd and abrupt suggestion as to how to erase the red ink in the City’s budget. Her plan was to negotiate a reduction in the $840,600 contract amount with the County Sherriff’s Department for public safety services. Lt. McBride, with the Sheriff’s Department, was present for the discussion and made it clear it was not wise to discuss service reductions in public. The city council voted 3/2 to pursue cutting as much as $200,000 from the law enforcement contract, but it remained unclear if the item would come back to the council to be approved. In an agenda report released in advance of the August 11^th City Council meeting titled “Budget Adjustments”, the City Manager discuses the financial reduction in the Sheriff’s contract but not as to how it will impact public safety. The City only has part-time law enforcement and the hours of patrol are closely guarded. The reduction of service totaling $175,000 is speculated to reduce patrolling by as much as 5 hours per day. The exact level of service reduction was not disclosed nor was the effect on the community. Lt. McBride had recently reported an increase of burglaries in La Habra Heights. The report went on to list all the projects the City could now afford as a result of the savings in law enforcement expenditures. These included $40,000 for a new financial accounting system, $25,200 in new laptops and peripherals and $24,000 to renovate a meeting room. Not listed are continued funding of an intern, and the hiring of an hourly fire marshal to engage the community in weed abatement issues. Some may be surprised to find that Mayor Bergman, Councilman Westerhoff and residents Ray Fernandez and Paul Spothelfer are serving on a volunteer group charged with assessing the condition of the existing Civic Center. The group is making a recommendation for the City Council to spend $19,235 on a facility condition assessment. Yet, according to the August 11, 2011 Council agenda report, “ It was felt by some that the assessment would be unproductive as the buildings have already exceeded their useful life. In which case, a look towards the future was needed.” Among other recommendations, the report includes a suggestion to permanently move City Hall to the City of La Habra. When the City finishes it’s shopping and hiring spree less than $10,000 of the law enforcement savings is expected to remain. EOM Readers are invited to join the discussion at: Topix La Habra Heights Readers are also advised to stay informed by following us on Twitter. http://twitter.com/LaHabraHeights EOM
				Story by: George Edwardz

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