Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The council rejected the city's 2013-14 and 2014-15 operating budgets in a 4-3 vote, with Beckles, Butt, McLaughlin, and Rogers voting no. The failed budget covered daily operations like police, fire, and parks, plus a 5-year capital plan for major infrastructure projects.

The council also voted down the 2-person Chevron committee that handled matters involving the oil company. The committee of Mayor McLaughlin and Councilmember Butt needed formal reapproval to continue working on Chevron issues.

Despite rejecting the budget, the council approved setting the legal spending limit for the 2013-14 budget as required by California law, with only Bates voting no. This limit is calculated based on population and inflation.

The council approved creating a 2-member committee with Tom Butt and Nat Bates to review city employee performance. The city previously had no formal council committee overseeing employee evaluations for at-will employees like department heads.

The council unanimously supported the West Contra Costa school district's plan to add 2 additional safety officers for schools. The district makes its own budget decisions but sought the city's formal backing.