Blog #17 - Town Council Action from March 3, 2010 Meeting

The Town Council met on March 3rd and discussed and took the following actions:

The Town Council took public testimony for 90 minutes regarding the Ross Valley School District plans to possibly house about 120 students at the existing Deer Park school site. Most of the speakers were opposed to the idea because they do not want to see the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center moved from the site. For the past 28 years the Children’s Center has been operating at the Deer Park site and currently has about 125 children in their program. After testimony ended the Town Council appointed Mayor Lew Tremaine and Councilmember John Reed to a subcommittee with two school board members to discuss a plan that will address the rising student population and how to house this increase. A plan that will work for all the students in the school district will be the primary goal of this subcommittee.

Other actions taken at the March 3, 2010 Regular Town Council Meeting:

• Adopted a Resolution approving a garbage and recycling rate increase of 3.18% beginning May 1, 2010.

• Adopted Ordinance 749 revising the Animal Control Ordinance Fee Schedule.

• Adopted Ordinance 750 amending the contract between the Town and the Board of Administration of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System to reflect the change to 2% at 55 retirement for newly hired miscellaneous members.

• Discussed web-casting and/or televising Town Council meetings and possibly other public meetings. Directed staff to trench and install a fiber optic line from the Youth Center to the Women’s Club on Park Drive. Council will consider this item again at the April 7th meeting when more specific costs will be known for the actual web-casting or televising of meetings.

• Discussed considering an MOU with the Marin Energy Authority (MEA) for a $100,000 loan guarantee. After some discussion the Town Council voted to support, in concept, a guarantee to the MEA and directed staff to return at the April 7th meeting with a final draft of the MOU. The Town only has to guarantee the $100,000. There is no actual loan to the MEA and the MEA would only receive the guarantee if MEA defaulted on its loan. The Town will receive $7,368 per year for guaranteeing the money for a maximum of five years. Should MEA pay off their loan before the five years the guarantee from Fairfax will terminate.