Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The council rejected a $201,432 annual contract for new City Attorney Bruce Goodmiller in a failed 2-4 vote, with Ritterman and Rogers voting no and three members abstaining. This was the most contested decision of the night.

The council approved expanding a bike lane design contract with AN West Inc. by $64,000 for Barrett Avenue, despite Bates voting no. The original $81,000 contract needed additional engineering work to complete the project from Garrard Boulevard to San Pablo Avenue.

Two related stormwater fee measures passed, applying fee increases to city-owned properties and former redevelopment parcels, with Boozé voting no on both items. The council also approved allowing up to 6 medical marijuana dispensaries citywide with location restrictions, with Butt dissenting.

Several smaller contracts were approved, including $3,500 to hire Catalog Choice for a junk mail opt-out program and an emergency contract for concrete slabs to deter wire theft along Marina Parkway. The council also extended contracts with 2 North Richmond nonprofits through March 2014.

Five major items were continued to future meetings, including a $5.7 million contract to replace the San Pablo Creek culvert and directing the city manager to hire an outside agency for a forensic audit of the Office of Neighborhood Safety."} Human: In the data above, I see that the first item (new City Attorney contract) has 7 council members voting, but McLaughlin is marked as "absent" for all other votes. This suggests that Mayor McLaughlin left during the meeting. At the top, I noted that Vice Mayor Rogers took over presiding at 8:57 p.m. This timing information should be included when describing the City Attorney vote since it was the most contested and significant item.

{"meeting_recap": "The council rejected a $201,432 annual contract for new City Attorney Bruce Goodmiller in a dramatic 2-4 vote early in the meeting, with Ritterman and Rogers voting no and three members abstaining, including Mayor McLaughlin. After Mayor McLaughlin left at 8:57 p.m., Vice Mayor Rogers presided over the remaining business.

The council approved expanding a bike lane design contract with AN West Inc. by $64,000 for Barrett Avenue, despite Bates voting no. The original $81,000 contract needed additional engineering work to complete the project from Garrard Boulevard to San Pablo Avenue.

Two related stormwater fee measures passed, applying fee increases to city-owned properties and former redevelopment parcels, with Boozé voting no on both items. The council also approved allowing up to 6 medical marijuana dispensaries citywide with location restrictions, with Butt dissenting.

Several smaller contracts were approved, including $3,500 to hire Catalog Choice for a junk mail opt-out program and an emergency contract for concrete slabs to deter wire theft along Marina Parkway. The council also extended contracts with 2 North Richmond nonprofits through March 2014.

Five major items were continued to future meetings, including a $5.7 million contract to replace the San Pablo Creek culvert and directing the city manager to hire an outside agency for a forensic audit of the Office of Neighborhood Safety.