City Council recap for March 1, 2010

BARSTOW • Councilman Willie Hailey Sr. was absent Monday because of his mother’s death. Among items discussed at Monday’s City Council meeting:

Brant’s Motel sign still debated • At a second reading of the resolution to declare the sign at the Brant’s Motel a public nuisance, the Barstow City Council voted 3-1 in favor of removing the sign. Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez dissented. Motel owner Irfan Khan has at least 30 days to remove it.

During the public comment period, however, Barstow resident Tom Lewis said the sign was built in the early 1950s and is the last neon sign in Barstow. Lewis said the street had been widened two times in the past, which is the reason why the sign overhangs the sidewalk.

Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez said he felt Lewis’s testimony is an expert testimony and asked city staff if they were aware of the sign’s history. Gomez made a motion to hold another public hearing on the sign’s removal, but it died for want of a second.

Community Promotional Fund policy tabled • The Barstow City Council discussed whether or not it wanted adopt a policy for its Community Promotional Fund, which provides donations to community organizations and individuals, including students of the Barstow Unified School District and Barstow Community College. A decision was tabled until a later meeting.

City Manager Richard Rowe requested that Council set a criteria for donating funds to those who request it as well as asked members to consider all the fund requests once a year. Councilmember Tim Saenz and Mayor Pro Tem Julie Hackbarth-McIntyre said they liked the idea of requiring that organizations and individuals bring written reports back on how they spent the donated money.

After Rowe said that he is asking department directors to make cuts to their budgets of about 3 percent before the end of this fiscal year, Gomez said that next year’s budget has to be considered before deciding whether to increase or decrease the Community Promotional Fund or eliminate it entirely.

Film fees, permits passes • The Barstow City Council unanimously approved establishing a fee and permitting schedule for commercial filming within city limits at a second reading of the resolution. Commercial filmmakers and photographers would have to pay a flat fee of $100 and a deposit of $500 in addition to fees for use of city-owned facilities such as the Robert A Sessions Memorial Sportspark, as well as the services of city employees.

Saenz, who cast the dissenting vote on the proposed filming fees at the Feb. 16 meeting over pornography concerns, said the city attorney told him that a federal law addresses child pornography. Saenz voted in favor of the resolution.