(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 Much like regular folks, City Hall has to make money to spend money.
Sandwiched in a lengthy City Council agenda in which officials will be asked to spend roughly $3.7 million tonight is an item that could bring in nearly $40,000 in the next fiscal year.
Aside from expenditures that include a new contract for para-transit services and a new crime-mapping software, the council could adopt a revenue-maker in a fee schedule for surfing instruction and camps on Santa Monica State Beach.
The council opted for more regulation of commercial surfing instruction and youth camp at the beach in January, approving a measure that would require permit holders to pay a fee and/or percentage of gross receipts to City Hall, according to a staff report. The staff with the Community and Cultural Services Department is seeking a permit fee of $150, an amount based on staff time to evaluate and process applications.
“The proposed fee is similar to the fee charged by Los Angeles County for surfing instruction permits throughout the rest of LA County,” the staff report states.
The new fee structure is expected to bring in roughly $39,700 for the 2008-09 fiscal year, approximately only one-third of which will be collected in the current fiscal year because of its late adoption.
The council will be asked to approve a series of police department-related items, ranging from adjusting the equity level in the contract for the Santa Monica Police Officers Association, to purchasing a new crime mapping supplement to an existing software application.
The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) is seeking a contract with The Omega Group to provide and maintain the CrimeView Web and CrimeView Community software applications, a five-year agreement that would cost up to $120,130.
The CrimeView mapping system, which the Crime Analysis Unit has used since 2001, helps authorities identify crime trends in the city.
“The CrimeView Web will allow for all police department staff to perform their own queries, thereby permitting Crime Analysis staff to focus more on the analysis of data versus producing maps and reports for others,” the staff report states.
The SMPD could also get some new equipment if the council decides to appropriate approximately $194,000 in State Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) funding to purchase digital records, license plate readers and a new recording system for the Crisis Negotiation Team.
COPS grants are used for expenditures that are otherwise not included in the general fund budget process.
The council will also be asked to give the police officers union a 1.74 percent equity adjustment in its contract, resulting in an additional $276,000 cost to City Hall during the current fiscal year. This possible action will also include an increase to City Hall’s contribution to medical insurance premiums, resulting in an approximately $169,000 increase for the next budget year.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 25, 2008. Read the original PDF.