Handing over the gavel

Ellen McCarty

On Dec. 7, Fountain Valley Mayor John Collins will pass the gavel to

Councilman Guy Carrozzo. Collins sees a few points as key during his

tenure, and a few issues of particular importance in the city’s future:

* The battle for water will be fierce in 2000 when Fountain Valley may

join Huntington Beach’s lawsuit against the Irvine Ranch Water District.

This year, Irvine told the Orange County Water District that it has a

right to the aquifer that provides water to Fountain Valley and

Huntington Beach. Even now, Fountain Valley has to import 25% of its

water, Collins said, and costs could skyrocket if Irvine dips into the

city’s limited resource. “The city will try to forestall a lawsuit

because nobody wants a long, expensive court battle,” Collins added. “But

this issue must be resolved.”

* The only ordinance that restricts RV parking on residential streets is

the parking code that requires a car to be moved every 72 hours. Fountain

Valley’s RV owners have technically obeyed the law, by moving their

recreational vehicles a foot every few days, but not with “the spirit of

the law,” Collins said. “Hopefully we can restructure the ordinance so

that it’s fair for everyone.”

* Plans for the Newhope extension, which will give the city a grand

entrance from the San Diego Freeway and relieve congestion on local

streets, will kick into high gear next year, Collins said. “We’re almost

finished bartering with the current property owners and when the plans

are finalized, the extension will be a beautiful introduction to the

city, with landscaping and water fountains.”

* The Neighborhood Improvement and Community Enhancement (NICE) program

was launched this year in the La Colonia Juarez neighborhood to bring

houses up to code and lend financial assistance to residents who cannot

afford to improve their homes. “The program has definitely had its ups

and downs, but overall, it was a total accomplishment,” he said. “Now the

city will find other neighborhoods in the city that need assistance.”

* “It’s not sexy, but I tend to think in terms of financial stability,”

Collins said. In early 1999, the council decided to refinance the city’s

$24.2 million Redevelopment Agency Bond at an interest rate of 4.45%,

said City Treasurer Liz Fox. The original interest rate on the 1985 bond

issue was about 9%. The new interest rate cuts the city’s rate of debt in

half and will save the city $11.7 million for the life of the bond, which

was purchased to make improvements throughout the city.