The Avalon City Council voted unanimously at the Tuesday, May 6, meeting to continue a city hiring freeze that has been in effect since March. The council members agreed to allow the city to employ individuals to fill three full-time positions that have become vacant, but keep the hiring freeze in place.
The council also looked at removing abandoned vehicles from Catalina Island.
Hiring freeze
City Manager Ben Harvey had proposed rescinding the freeze on hiring full-time employees.
The Avalon City Council voted unanimously at the Tuesday, May 6, meeting to continue a city hiring freeze that has been in effect since March. The council members agreed to allow the city to employ individuals to fill three full-time positions that have become vacant, but keep the hiring freeze in place.
The council also looked at removing abandoned vehicles from Catalina Island.
Hiring freeze
City Manager Ben Harvey had proposed rescinding the freeze on hiring full-time employees.
“Since the time of the implementation of the full-time employee hiring freeze, a review of full-time staffing needs has been undertaken with consideration for the impact to the city budget,” Harvey wrote in his staff report to the council.
According to Harvey, the review determined that rescinding the freeze would not increase the budget deficit and would allow Avalon to maintain services. Rescinding the hiring freeze would allow Avalon to offer a job to a candidate for the recreation assistant position, as well as to recruit an administrative assistant for the Harbor Department and to hire a firefighter. The firefighter job has been open since February.
According to Harvey, all three positions have been budgeted.
The proposal to rescind the hiring freeze was originally on the Consent Calendar, but was removed for discussion at the request of Council Member Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy. Council Member Cassidy said she was happy to vote to rescind the hiring freeze, but she did not want to see new positions created.
Harvey said 60 percent of Avalon’s staff was full-time and 40 percent part time.
A motion was made to rescind the freeze, but Council Member Oley Olsen proposed a substitute motion to fill the three positions, but leave the hiring freezing in place.
Removing abandoned vehicles discussed
The council also discussed the problem of removing abandoned vehicles from Catalina Island.
According to the staff report by Audra McDonald, administrative analyst, Avalon did not renew its storage impound contract two years ago because there wasn’t enough money available.
Recently, according to McDonald’s report, Kruger Tow offered to provide impound and storage service to Avalon for free. Rich Coffey of Catalina Freight Lines offered Avalon the use of two flat beds for free for the first round of removing abandoned vehicles from the Island.
According to McDonald, future removals would have to be included in the city budget.
Her report said that a tow costs $50 and loading charge for vehicles is $50 each. “The cost for a flatbed and driver for subsequent round-ups is approximately $300-500,” McDonald wrote.
Harvey told the council that the city wouldn’t be recovering fees for many of the vehicles.
Mayor Anni Marshall asked if it was realistic to attempt enforcement during the summer season.
Harvey said he believed it could be done.
City Attorney Scott Campbell said that if the owners want the vehicle back, it is not an abandoned vehicle any more.
He said if the vehicle becomes a nuisance, the city could go after it as a nuisance.