(Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures which appear on the upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agenda. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the city council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.)

By Kevin Ueda
Special to the Daily Press

COUNCIL CHAMBERS — Officials plan to spend close to $3.6 million tonight for city staffing, new street lights, police cars, functional parking equipment and pay increases for certain city employees, according to city staff reports.

The city’s building and safety division tops the expenditure list with a $1,044,270 request for a contract it holds with JAS Pacific and California Code Check, according to the staff report. The two outside companies provide extra help with administrative services — such as building inspections, plan checking, consulting and code enforcement — during periods of high work demand to ensure consistent levels of customer service.

The city has utilized outside contractors for additional help in past years, according to the staff report. Down the road, city officials may hire extra staff rather than turn to outside companies. However, the hiring of extra staff requires budget adjustments, approved job descriptions and recruitment, and still contracting in the meantime.

ANSWERS IN BLACK-AND-WHITE

Prisons and convicts aren’t all that Folsom has to offer for police officers.

About $1 million in contributions from the city’s Vehicle Replacement Program funds will provide Santa Monica police with 40 new Ford Crown Victoria squad cars from Folsom Lake Ford, according to city staff reports.

As the lowest bidder, Folsom Lake Ford is to furnish the cars, which officers use for day-to-day business, investigations, patrolling and emergency response, the staff report read. The $1.017 million tally includes sales tax.

NEW PARK TAKES SHAPE

City officials plan to establish a $684,206 contract with Thomsen Landscape to complete the Euclid Street Neighborhood Park Project. The project will utilize 15,000 square feet of space at 1523-1525 Euclid Street to provide a small park for nearby residents, according to the city staff report.

Given the park’s limited space, designers will look to create a “backyard” neighborhood theme for the park, according to the staff report. Community design began in September 2004, when a survey was sent to more than 3,000 residents by mail and e-mail, according to the staff report. Catering to more than 250 resident responses, the park will contain a children’s play area — with swings and climbing equipment — a garden area, three circular-shaped seating areas, two small green lawn areas and entrances designed to promote park usage, according to the staff report. Residents reported public safety and homelessness as the top two potential problems.

Thomsen Landscape was chosen in favor of two other bidders, the most expensive of which bid at $726,738, according to the staff report.

The name of the park will be discussed at a subsequent City Council meeting.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Residents may be in a New York state of mind. Then again, classic Corsican might be the ticket. The answer should come to light this fall when residents of two city districts will pick the new design of their street lights — Aegean and Corsican, New York style, or the standard street poles.

Residents petitioned for a public hearing to discuss the installation of street lights on 30th Street, between Pico Boulevard and Pearl Street, and Georgina Avenue, between Fourth and Seventh streets, according to the staff report.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $444,000, which includes $220,000 in estimated property owner assessments and $224,000 in estimated city contributions, according to the staff report.

A public hearing will take place Sept. 12 to discuss the project.

PARKING METERS PETERED

The Civic Center Auditorium’s parking systems, which rakes in about $1 million annually, are missing the necessary reporting and tracking controls required by staff to manage parking, according to city staff reports.

City officials standardized its parking equipment with SkiData equipment, distributed only by Sentry Control Systems, and will consider utilizing $231,761 to update three parking areas at the Civic Center, according to the staff report. The equipment will include ticket spitters, gates, cash registers and computers to assist management, said a spokesperson from the Civic Center.

Two temporary parking areas will feature parking equipment that city employees may access with a keycard, to accommodate overflow from the Civic Center, the staff report read. One of the lots is located at Ocean Avenue and Vicente Terrace and the other, on Main Street, across from City Hall.

FIXING TIRES AT FLAT RATE

City officials plan to replace its vehicles’ faulty tires through a $160,000 contract with Tarulli Tire Inc., according to the staff report.

The Fleet Management Department requires city vehicles to get replacement tires as part of routine maintenance, according to the staff report. Tarulli Tire Inc., the lower of two bidders, will provide new or recapped tires as city vehicle tires wear out or become damaged. Recapped tires are used, when appropriate, to conserve natural resources, according to the staff report.

The contract features two one-year renewal options, although costs are subject to price increases, the staff report read.

RAISING SMILES

The Executive Pay Plan is being amended to provide a cost-of-living adjustment for all department heads, as well as an equity adjustment of 3.75 percent for the director of planning and community development to make that pay scale competitive with other municipalities.