City Hall thinking of buying more recycling bins, legal aid
(Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. 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.) CITY HALL Exiting the city-owned parking garages in Downtown Santa Monica could get a lot easier if the City Council tonight approves a contract to install a series of automated credit card machines in the structures, enabling drivers to pay their fares without interacting with cashiers.
The estimated $560,000 contract is part of more than $1.8 million in spending items — from new recycling bins to legal services for employment law — that the council could authorize city staff to expend at its meeting tonight.
Staff is recommending that an existing agreement with Payment Resources International, which handles credit card transactions for parking citations and business license payments, be modified to include a provision that would allow the company to supply automated credit card services at the parking structures.
The parking garages in the downtown area, many of which are concentrated on Second and Fourth streets, accommodate more than 3.6 million visitors a year, bringing more than $5.4 million in revenue in the 2007-08 fiscal year. Some of the challenges with the garages have been congestion during peak exit times. By allowing customers to pay with credit cards, drivers will be able to leave the garage through the express lane, bypassing a cashier. The credit card option will also be beneficial for customers that might not have enough cash on hand, according to the staff report.
“The two most significant operational challenges at these facilities are accommodating peak exit demand and ensuring the integrity of the revenue collection,”according to the city staff report.
FINDING THE HEAD HONCHOS Searching for the best man for the job isn’t always easy, but the process could get a lot simpler for City Hall if the council awards a contract tonight to Teri Black & Co. LLC to provide recruitment services for executive positions.
The firm was chosen for this fiscal year to search for qualified personnel to fill the positions of assistant director of planning and community development, housing manager and employment services manager. Teri Black & Co. was also tapped to perform two more anticipated searches.
City staff is asking council to authorize a continuation of services for an amount not to exceed $150,000.
NEW CENTER FOR THE YOUTH After moving out of its former digs off the corner of Lincoln and Pico boulevards, the Pico Youth & Family Center (PYFC), which provides after school services to Santa Monica teenagers, has re-emerged about a block west.
The council gave a one-time assistance fund of $50,000 to the PYFC last summer to help with the move to 715 Lincoln Blvd., but because of necessary upgrades at the new site, such as plumbing and improvements to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, youth center officials are asking for an additional $31,000. The center has already identified matching funds of $27,000 from other non-City Hall affiliated sources.
Construction at the center is expected to be completed in May.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.