Tuesday, March 21, 2006

The council approved seeking reimbursement for legal costs from a Swinerton lawsuit defense, passing 5-3 with Mayor Anderson, Griffin, and Marquez voting no. The city spent money defending against a lawsuit filed by the construction company and now wants to pursue getting those legal fees paid back.

The council approved $200,000 funding for Black on Black Crime Summit recommendations to reduce violence in neighborhoods. The Richmond Improvement Association presented community-developed solutions and requested the funding to implement their proposed programs.

New council meeting rules and procedures were adopted to establish official protocols for public comment, meeting format, and council procedures. The policy passed 7-1 with McLaughlin voting no after a standing committee reviewed current meeting operations.

The council approved a policy requiring agenda placement before members can request code violation investigations. Previously, individual council members could ask staff to investigate potential violations at any time, but now these requests must be discussed and approved during meetings, passing 6-2 with Rogers and Butt voting no.

The council approved 16 routine items on consent, including a $750,000 construction management consulting contract, $19,547 for Panasonic Toughbook laptops, and increasing Police Officer Trainee salary from $2,493 to $4,000 per month. Discussion of revising the City Council Expenditure Policy was continued to a future meeting.