Council nixes infrastructure charter amendment

Kenneth Ma

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Members of the Infrastructure Advisory Committee are

unhappy the council rejected plans last week to place an amendment to the

city’s charter on the fall ballot. The amendment would have created an

infrastructure fund with an oversight committee to ensure the money was

used for its intended purpose.

The council also voted against another charter amendment for the city to

continue spending 15% of its general fund on infrastructure needs, such

as streets, sewers and sidewalks.

Around $1.3 billion could be needed over the next 20 years to repair or

replace everything from streets and sewers to sidewalks and storm drains.

The 35-member advisory committee has been laboring for two years to

create a plan for fixing the aging infrastructure, which will be

presented to the council July 10. Nearly $15 million from the general

fund is now being spent on infrastructure.

The council voted 5 to 2 to reject the amendment recommendation. Council

members Shirley Dettloff and Peter Green, the council liaisons to the

committee, voted in favor of it. Charter amendments can be placed on the

ballot either by the council or a resident-sponsored initiative.

“They basically destroyed the Infrastructure Advisory Committee,”

committee member Chuck Scheid said. “Most of the people [on the

committee] regarded it as slap in the face.”

Scheid said the council’s rejection of the committee’s charter amendments

will discourage future council-appointed resident committees to work on

infrastructure issues.

“I was very disappointed,” Green said. The committee “worked on it for 27

months. We have a committee of citizens that have expertise on a wide

variety of issues, and the council more or less dismissed it.”

Dick Harlow, the committee’s chairman, said more money will be required

aside from the general fund to support infrastructure needs and that an

oversight committee is needed to ensure the money is not taken out of the

infrastructure fund to spend on other things.

“I think [the recommendations] were well thought out proposals,” Harlow

said. “Our strategy is to do it now and go forward with a program to

advise the community of what is going on.”

Councilman Ralph Bauer said he wants to see the plan’s final version

before voting on charter amendments.

“Before we fiddle with the charter, we need to see [the committee’s]

final report,” Bauer said. “I think the citizens did a magnificent job,

but there are some issues on the expense and income side.”

Mandating a 15% portion of the general fund for infrastructure will not

work because the amount needed will change in the future, he said.

Councilwoman Pam Julien said the public should be educated first before

such an amendment is considered. Julien said she also agrees with

Councilman Dave Sullivan that there should not be two items regarding

infrastructure on the November ballot.

Last week, the council approved a ballot measure requiring companies that

own power plants in the city to pay the same utility tax as businesses

and residents. The initiative will accompany an advisory measure that

surveys residents on whether the tax should be used for infrastructure

needs.

Scheid said the city’s infrastructure is in urgent need of repairs.

“It may break today or tomorrow -- who knows?” he said.

Bauer said the council will review the committee’s plan and may consider

such options as putting a bond on the ballot to pay for infrastructure or

using other city funds.

The council ordinarily hears preliminary ballot proposals in June and

makes final decisions in July, City Administrator Ray Silver said. To

make it onto the November ballot, the council must approve the ballot

measure’s language and forward it to the city clerk by mid-July.