20120723 Regular City Council Meeting - MinutesMINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF
THE CITY OF VERNON MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012,
IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY HALL LOCATED
AT 4305 SANTA FE AVENUE, VERNON, CALIFORNIA
MEMBERS PRESENT: Davis, McCormick, Ybarra
MEMBERS ABSENT: Maisano
The meeting was called to order at 12:40 p.m. by Mayor Pro-Tem
Davis.
Legal Counsel Dana Reed announced that there were no changes to
the agenda.
Reed announced that this was the time allotted for public
comment. Mayor Pro-Tem Davis inquired whether anyone in the
audience wished to address the City Council. No one responded.
CLOSED SESSION
At 12:41 p.m., it was moved by McCormick and seconded by Ybarra,
that the City Council go into closed session to conduct
interviews for the Health Director position pursuant to the
following item. Motion carried, 3-0.
1. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT
Government Code Section 54957(b)(1)
Title: Health Director
At 4:37 p.m. it was moved by McCormick and seconded by Ybarra,
that the City Council exit closed session. Motion carried, 3-0.
The City Council recessed until 5:00 p.m. and advised that the
closed session report out and remaining open session agenda
items would be addressed at that time.
At 5:01 p.m., the City Council reconvened in open session, all
members present prior to the recess again being present.
Legal Counsel Dana Reed reported that the City Council conducted
interviews of potential candidates for the Health Director
position and voted unanimously, 3-0, to appoint Leonard
Grossberg as the Health Director, effective July 23, 2012.
RESOLUTIONS
In response to concerns raised by members of the public and
business community regarding the limited time frame to review
some of the proposed resolutions, City Administrator Mark
Whitworth recommended the. City Council defer Resolutions 1 and 2
to the August 7, 2012 meeting. Whitworth reported on the
continued progress of the good governance reforms represented by
the proposed resolutions, but added that adequate time for
public review of all such documents was an important part of the
process.
Marisa Olguin of the Vernon Chamber of Commerce, concurred with
the City Administrator's recommendation to defer Resolutions 1
and 2. She expressed her satisfaction with the proposed
selection of the City Attorney, but was concerned with the
Special City Council Meeting Minutes
July 23, 2012
limited time availability of documents and some
miscommunications experienced earlier in the day relating to the
special meeting, stating the perceived lack of transparency
created as a result.
Reform Monitor John Van de Kamp also concurred with the City
Administrator's recommendation to defer Resolutions 1 and 2. He
questioned whether there might be any Brown Act issues relating
to the availability of the proposed contracts, but took some
responsibility for their rushed nature as it may have related to
their incorporation in his July report. He summarized the
progress the City was making relating to the hiring of qualified
executives, including the City Attorney, Health Director, HR
Director, Finance Director, and Police Chief, and appreciated
the need for expediency to get things done, but emphasized the
importance of the process and procedural compliance.
Lisette Gavina of F. Gavina & Sons, echoed the comments made by
Marisa Olguin. She thanked the Council for listening and stated
the business community's interest in participating in the
process. Deferring the resolutions would enable that
participation.
There were no further comments on the proposed resolutions.
It was moved by Ybarra and seconded by McCormick, to defer
Resolutions 1, 2, and 3 to the August 7, 2012 meeting. Motion
carried, 3-0.
1. A resolution appointing a City Attorney and approving a
related employment agreement. (Deferred to August 7, 2012)
2. A resolution approving an employment agreement for the City
Administrator/Fire Chief. (Deferred to August 7, 2012)
3. A resolution indemnifying current employees and authorizing
reimbursement of certain fees respecting their
representation relating to determinations resulting from
the Ca1PERS public agency review of the City of Vernon as
reflected in the CalPERS Report dated April 27, 2012.
(Deferred to August 7, 2012)
4. Resolution No. 2012-145 - A resolution approving an
agreement with Hearing Officer Debra Wong Yang for services
as Hearing Officer for an election contest.
It was moved by McCormick and seconded by Ybarra, to
approve Resolution No. 2012-145. Motion carried, 3-0.
There were no further items on the agenda.
At 5:16 p.m., it was moved by McCormick and seconded by Ybarra,
that the meeting be adjourned. Motion carried.
ATT S
DanWeed
Acting City Clerk
William J. Davis
Mayor Pro-Tem
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