WHAT HAPPENED: The City Council approved an...

WHAT HAPPENED:

The City Council approved an agreement with U.S. Bank to establish

a Surf City Huntington Beach Credit Card, bearing the city’s logo and

benefiting the its coffers.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The Surf City credit card, which should be available in August, is

expected to generate $100,000 to $200,000 annually for the city.

The revenue will benefit the city’s cultural, library and

recreation and parks programs. Of the funds, 20% will be used for

parks and recreation, 20% for libraries, 20% for cultural programs,

15% will go to the general fund and 20% will be used to pay for

ongoing advertising in city publications such as Sands and Community

Connection, HBTV-3, water bill inserts and fliers. The remaining 5%

will go to the city’s agent, Public Enterprise Group, which will

oversee the program.

The city will receive $20 for each account opened and $1.40 for

every $1,000 charged to a card.

WHAT WAS SAID:

“Our part in this program is to promote this on an ongoing basis.”

Don Schulte, CEO of Public Enterprises.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council approved a 3% increase in rates for Rainbow Disposal’s

trash collection services.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Rainbow Disposal collects commercial, industrial and residential

refuse from the entire city and sorts it for recycling.

The rate for residential collection increased from $16.83 to

$17.44 a month.

The residential service rate is reviewed annually and the increase

is determined by three variables, the Los Angeles Consumer Price

Index, the County of Orange landfill tipping fee and the price of

diesel fuel. Although landfill fees remained the same, consumer price

index rates increased by 2.96% and diesel fuel costs increased by

10.08%. Therefore the city decided on a 3.06% rate increase.

Rates for commercial and industrial, which are decided by Rainbow,

not the City Council, also increased by 3.06%.

The agreed upon rate increase was far less than city staff

recommended.

The council chose to hold off on increasing the administrative fee

by 68 cents as proposed by staff, until a full study on the city

administrative costs is completed in August. The administrative costs

component covers the cost to the city of processing payments,

accounting functions and citywide overhead for the refuse program.

Council members felt that they needed more information on the costs

of these services before making a decision.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council voted to build a 6-foot fence around the parking lot

to the Huntington Central Park Sports Complex to deter athletes from

parking in the library lot and will charge $1 for parking at the

complex.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Library volunteers spoke out against metered parking in the

complex, arguing that people would opt to park in the library lot to

avoid paying, thus overflowing parking at the library.

To minimize the chances of this, the council decided to authorize

construction of a 6-foot chain-link fence with an emergency access

gate that will remain closed. The fence, which will cost $45,000 to

construct, will stretch around the perimeter of the sports center

parking lot.

They also agreed to charge $1 a day for parking at the complex.

Councilman Dave Sullivan was opposed.