PICO RIVERA : Council Weighs Fewer Meetings to Save Money

The City Council is considering whether to cut back on regular meetings to save money.

The council meets on the first and third Monday of each month, but Vice Mayor Garth G. Gardner has proposed that the council meet every three weeks or once a month during a six-month trial period.

He also has suggested that the Redevelopment Agency reduce its meetings from twice a month to once a month, and that the Housing Assistance Agency meet once every three months instead of once a month.

Gardner and Councilman Gil De La Rosa will study how much the financially strapped city could save by holding fewer meetings and will also solicit residents’ opinions. The study was approved last week by Gardner, De La Rosa and Mayor Beatrice Proo. Council members John G. Chavez and Helen O’Hara were absent.

Gardner and De La Rosa are scheduled to present their findings at the council’s Nov. 14 meeting.

About a dozen city staff members attend the council meetings. Some are paid overtime to attend and others are given time off afterward. Gardner said he thinks the city could save $500 to $1,000 a month in staff expenses and printing costs by holding fewer meetings.

Activist William Pinkerton, who attends council meetings regularly, condemned the proposal. “They have their minds made up and they don’t want to hear from us,” he said.

This year, the city’s $22.7-million budget has no funding for residential street repairs. Funding for park and recreation services was cut by $150,000.