Police contract, medical marijuana and affordable housing up for Costa Mesa council vote or talk Tuesday

Costa Mesa’s rank-and-file police officers have been on the job without a contract for more than 600 days, but City Council members have the chance to end that streak at their next meeting.

Council members are expected to vote Tuesday on whether to approve a new contract between the city and the Costa Mesa Police Assn. that would give officers a pay increase while requiring them to pay more into their pensions.

A second public hearing on the contract is scheduled during the meeting.

The proposed agreement, which would run through June 2018, would give police officers three raises totaling 9% by 2017.

Officers also would be required to contribute 14% of their pay into their pensions — a 5% contribution they stopped paying in February 2015 and an additional 9% by 2017.

The contract, which covers 127 people, also proposes various cuts to officers’ vacation and sick hours.

Costa Mesa police officers approved the pact in January.

“This is a new era,” association President David Sevilla said in a statement at the time. “Ultimately, we believe the contract is fair and demonstrates the city’s value of our officers. If it is approved, it will bring a huge sense of relief for our officers.”

The contract received mixed reviews during a public hearing at the March 15 council meeting. Some called it a fair deal for officers who risk their lives to keep residents safe. Others said they don’t think it does enough to address the city’s pension debt.

Councilman Gary Monahan described it as a “compromise,” while Councilwoman Katrina Foley said she thought “both sides are somewhat unhappy with the outcome.”

Foley added that the contract would not add to the city’s unfunded pension liability.

If approved, the deal is expected to cost $26.6 million next fiscal year and, in total, is projected to cost taxpayers $1.8 million more through June 2018 compared with the previous agreement, which expired in June 2014.

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Another medical marijuana ballot measure?

The council also will discuss the possibility of adding a competing initiative about medical marijuana dispensaries to November’s ballot.

Costa Mesa has banned dispensaries in the city since 2005, but two initiatives already on the ballot would allow a small number — either four or eight — to open. Both measures also propose a 6% tax on medical marijuana businesses.

The council has a couple of options for a competing ordinance. It could take another look at a proposal unsuccessfully spearheaded by Monahan in 2014. That measure would not have capped the number of dispensaries that could open in Costa Mesa but would have restricted them to commercial or industrial areas and required 24-hour security.

The council also could draw up a new initiative.

Council members had been scheduled to discuss a possible city-sponsored initiative on April 5 but pushed the item to Tuesday’s meeting.

Should multiple medical marijuana measures pass this year, the one receiving the most votes would become law.

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Affordable housing ordinance to be discussed

Foley has requested that the council consider whether to develop an “inclusionary housing ordinance” to promote development of more affordable housing in Costa Mesa.

Such an ordinance could require developers to incorporate affordable units in their projects or pay fees to the city if they don’t.

Several cities and counties in California already have such measures, according to city documents.

Affordable housing has been a topic of discussion at recent council meetings. Council members voted earlier this month to place a $20-million bond for affordable-housing projects on the Nov. 8 election ballot.

Tuesday’s meeting will start at 5:45 p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.