HOUCHEN REPLACEMENT The council must decide how...

HOUCHEN REPLACEMENT

The council must decide how it will fill Councilwoman Pam Julien

Houchen’s seat following her resignation on Sept. 1.

Houchen’s departure is problematic because the city charter states

that if it is more than 60 days to the election, the council must

replace her seat before the upcoming election. If she would have

waited two days longer, the council could have simply left her seat

vacant until the election was over.

The council now has two choices: appoint someone to fill Houchen’s

seat or call a special election, which couldn’t happen until March.

WHAT TO EXPECT

A special election won’t work to fill the seat, since a council

person will be elected on Nov. 2. A special election would be

expensive and simply delay the vote and leave the seat open longer.

A more likely scenario is that the council appoints a new member

to serve the remaining four meetings until the election occurs. Even

that solution is problematic since a new council member would have to

go through an application process and complete interviews to get on

the council. That could take precious time away from council

business, which is about to lose Councilwoman Connie Boardman after

she announced that she doesn’t plan to seek reelection.

CIVIL FINES

Police Chief Ken Small is asking the council to retract increases

for civil fines and municipal code violations.

In June 2003, the City Council approved an increase in fines for

various code violations like excessive noise.

The fees went up to $250 from $100 for the first offense, $500

from $250 for the second offense, and $1,000 from $500 for the third

offense.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The item is on the consent agenda, which gives it a high

probability of passing. Chief Small said the increased fine has also

increased the number of peoples who appeal their fines, which often

has made it costly for the police and district attorney to prosecute.

WALGREEN’S APPEAL

The council will consider an appeal of a Walgreen’s drive-through

pharmacy project slated to be built on the corner of Brookhurst

Street and Garfield Avenue.

Councilwoman Connie Boardman is appealing a recent Planning

Commission approval of the project after planning staff members

recommended the project be denied. Staff members took issue with

project’s location of the storefront in the back of the lot and its

parking area running along the street. The city’s Urban Design

Guidelines call for the store to be closer to the street for

aesthetic reasons.

WHAT TO EXPECT

At its last meeting, the council inadvertently approved a home

conversion that had been appealed because residents complained that

it didn’t meet certain design guidelines. The council also instructed

city staff members to come up with language that would better help

them enforce stricter design guidelines.

This atmosphere might make it difficult for Walgreen’s to secure

approval for a project that doesn’t adhere to standards set forth by

Planning Department staff members.