Commission seeks input on park restrictions

The Charter Review Commission is taking a look at the most recent addition to the City Charter — Measure C.

The commission is looking for resident input on Section 612, Measure C, of the City Charter during its Tuesday meeting. The City Charter hasn’t been reviewed in more than 20 years, and the commission is reviewing the charter for provisions that are no longer current, said Senior Administrative Analyst Pat Dapkus.

Measure C, the section titled Public Utilities and Parks and Beaches, is a citizens initiative that limits development on parks and beaches owned by the city. The section states that the area can’t be sold, leased or exchanged without a majority vote by the City Council and the residents.

The section also calls for a vote of the people on any golf course, driving range, road, building more than 3,000 square feet or structure costing more than $100,000 to be built on a park or beach. The law doesn’t apply to libraries or piers.

The commission will look specifically at whether the cost of a structure that triggers a vote should be changed. The $100,000 minimum was determined in 1990 and is now out of date, Dapkus said. The commission will look at whether that number should be tied to a costing index, which would move the number up as costs or inflation rise.

There will be a two-part meeting on Measure C starting with public testimony Tuesday. On Dec. 15, the commission will discuss the issue and make a straw vote, Dapkus said.

The commission is scheduled to complete its review in March. The straw votes for the entire charter will then be voted on by the City Council before being put to a vote of the people in November 2010.

The commission will review the section at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers at the Civic Center on Main Street.

— Britney Barnes