Balancing the budget, expanding drinking water resources and cleaning Avalon Bay were among the goals council members said they would like to achieve in two years at the special Wednesday, April 23, City Council meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to hold a workshop to discuss and prioritize the goals of the council.
City Manager Ben Harvey moderated the discussion.
He said the new council members would be working together for at least the next two years.
Balancing the budget, expanding drinking water resources and cleaning Avalon Bay were among the goals council members said they would like to achieve in two years at the special Wednesday, April 23, City Council meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to hold a workshop to discuss and prioritize the goals of the council.
City Manager Ben Harvey moderated the discussion.
He said the new council members would be working together for at least the next two years.
He asked council members to imagine that it was 2016 and to write down the goals that they wanted to achieve.
Mayor Anni Marshall apparently wanted to improve Avalon’s water supply. She said she didn’t want people bringing towels, sheets and bottled water from the mainland. She said she wanted “to figure this whole water mess out.”
Harvey suggested the council direct staff to aggressively pursue more water resources.
Newly-elected Council Member Joe Sampson said Avalon could dredge the existing aquifers so they work more efficiently and hold more water. Sampson said this was something you do when there is little rain.
He said the expense was in disposing of the dredged soil, which is considered hazardous waste.
Sampson also said drilling new aquifers below existing aquifers scared him because there was a possibility of losing the existing water supply.
Avalon Bay
Drinking water wasn’t the only issue on the council members’ minds. Council Member Cinde Cassidy said she would like to meet the Cease and Desist Order.
This was a reference to the state government’s order that Avalon upgrade its sewer system and improve the quality of the water in Avalon Bay.
Chief Administrative Officer/City Clerk Denise Radde said there would be a symposium about Avalon Bay’s water on May 16 in the City Council Chambers.
Budget
Council Member Oley Olsen said that he would like for 2016 to be the second anniversary of Avalon having a balanced budget.
Mayor Marshall said she would like better streamlining processes for in the Finance Department.
Harvey said those were related but separate goals.
Marshall said they went hand in hand. She said that by the end of two years, she wanted the city to have a smooth-running Finance Department.
Olsen said that the city’s subsidized housing would be lost in 2016. He said individuals now living in Section 8 housing who are paying $400 a month would have to pay market rates for their homes.
Sampson said people need dignified, affordable housing. He said he would like to focus on housing for single families. Sampson was concerned that residents were sacrificing time with their families working multiple jobs in order to pay for their families’ homes.
Cassidy said that in two years she would like the city to have a plan for low to moderate-income housing.
Recreation
Sampson also said Avalon residents needed more recreation. He said he would like to improve access to the Interior. He suggested providing trips to the Interior once a week.
Cassidy said the Catalina Island Conservancy had a program called Families in Nature.
Harvey said Avalon staff was working with Supervisor Don Knabe’s office to get grant money to provide for a monthly visit to the Interior.
Hospital
“We need to work on the hospital,” Marshall said.
John Friel, chief executive officer of Catalina Island Medical Center, confirmed that the center has a state-mandated 2030 deadline to meet earthquake standards for hospitals. He said many California hospitals need to meet the standards. He estimated that the cost of building a hospital would average $1 million a bed. The Medical Center is a 12-bed facility. He said the hospital was working on a needs assessment.
City Attorney Scott Campbell said the city owns the hospital building.
