Municipal code to be amended

DOWNEY - After an open discussion of the merits of the amendments to the Downey Municipal Code proposed by staff, the Council agreed to introduce an ordinance adopting code amendment which amends various sections of Article IX of the Downey Municipal Code (relating to such sundry matters as signage, vehicle parking, estate sales, domestic animals, various permit fees, and updates of residential, commercial, and industrial guidelines, etc.)-but without the portion devoted to dance studios (regarding parking requirements mostly).Staff was instructed to look into this further, while allowing the members of the Council more time to study the full ramifications of the proposed amendments. These matters will be taken up at the next Council meeting. Since the consensus was that Vehicle Parking District No. 1 has served its purpose (it was formed in 1962) and that it has in recent years met only sporadically, the Council passed an ordinance, on staff's recommendation, to dissolve same. The district had been authorized to operate public parking operations on acquired land and also issue 19-year term bonds to finance operations, maintenance and capital improvements within the district. The bonds were fully paid and retired in January 1984. The dissolution of the district would also for all intents and purposes mean the disbandment of its complementary arm, the Parking Place Commission, but Guerra wondered aloud if the pertinent functions of the two bodies can't somehow be later combined. In other action, the Council: •Endorsed the Planning Commission's resolution adjusting their meeting start time from 7:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; the commission's scheduled meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of each month remain unchanged; •Accepted the improvements and the maintenance responsibility in connection with the construction of the Columbia Memorial Space Center under Cash Contract No. 665 performed by Tower General Contractors, Inc.; and despite all the change orders reflecting additional constructions in critical areas, the city still realized a net surplus of $340,338.25, drawing congratulations especially from Councilman David Gafin and Mayor Mario Guerra; •Upon staff's recommendation, set a public hearing for Aug. 11 to consider city fees related to solar panel permits; •Adopted a resolution adopting modified salary ranges and class specifications for the positions of budget analyst and fire prevention technician, as well as an upward adjustment of the salary range for the position of Finance Director anticipating additional responsibilities which will be precipitated when the assistant city manager retires later this year; •Adopted a resolution establishing a 20-minute parking restriction on the north side of Dinwiddie St., west of Old River School Road; •Adopted a resolution approving appointments/reappointment to boards, commissions and committees for Council District 5: thus, the following will serve in their respective appointments till their term expires in December 2012: Mario Trujillo, Art in Public Places Advisory Committee; Nick Adams, Traffic Committee; Ernest Garcia, Water Board; and Jack Horvath, Personnel Advisory Board; Charles Hutchinson's reappointment term with the Downey City Hospital Commission will expire on January 1, 2011; •Introduced an ordinance amending Section 3155.2 of the Downey Municipal Code relating to the designation of angled parking on Clark Ave. between James Street and Lakewood Blvd.; and adopted a resolution establishing stop controls at the intersections of the Discovery Sports Complex and Columbia Memorial Space Center parking lot at Clark Ave. and Cong. Steve Horn Way/ Ardis Ave., all this resulting from exhaustive studies made of traffic safety/parking configurations in the area; also, the idea of supplanting the above-named stretch of Clark Ave. with the designation "Columbia Way" was again brought up, with staff instructed to frame the appropriate resolution by October; •Adopted an ordinance amending Section 3186 of the Downey Municipal Code relating to the speed limit for Imperial Highway, based on the requisite Engineering and Traffic (E&T) survey in accordance with California Vehicle Code requirements; the speed limit established for "those portions within the city of Downey between the west city limit and east city limit" shall be forty (40) miles per hour"; and The next regular public City Council meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 28 at City Hall, 11111 Brookshire Ave.

********** Published: July 17, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 13