WHAT HAPPENED The City Council approved a...

WHAT HAPPENED

The City Council approved a plan to set aside $250,000 in expected

grant funding to be used to make the Civic Center more

handicap-friendly. Councilwoman Pam Julien Houchen was absent.

WHAT IT MEANS

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocates

funds annually to the city’s Community Development Block Grant

program.

The $250,000 will come out of money that was allocated for

projects, but not used.

Proposed changes will include improved access to City Hall from

handicapped parking spots. Restrooms and drinking fountains will be

made more handicap-friendly and disabled seating in the Civic Center

will be upgraded.

WHAT HAPPENED

The City Council approved $250,000 in funding to hire a property

manager to assist with property tax refunds.

WHAT IT MEANS

The city could have to pay as much as $27 million in refunds for a

tax it collected illegally to help pay employee benefits. More than

39,000 property owners have already filed claim forms for refunds,

which the city plans to finance by issuing bonds.

City staff members recommended hiring a project manager to help

process and examine refund claim forms and to help issue refunds.

Kathryn Beseau, an employee from the firm Moreland and Associates,

was chosen by a panel of city employees to serve as the project

manager. The panel included the city treasurer, the finance officer,

the director of information services and the city’s principal

administrative analyst.

The company was chosen for its low wages and previous experience

processing property tax refunds.

Officials plan to have all refund claims entered into the database

by April and hope to start issuing refund checks by July.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The City Council approved funding to pay attorney’s fees to the

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. and Huntington Beach resident

Chuck Scheid filed a lawsuit in 1999, alleging that the city was

illegally collecting a property tax to pay for employee benefits.

A superior court judge sided with the taxpayers group in 2001, and

this summer, an appellate court upheld the ruling.

Like the refunds, the city plans to finance the $250,000 in

attorneys fees through bonds. Payment is due March 1.

-- Jenny Marder