818 Roundup: Burbank approves utility rate increases; Glendale proposes $800M budget

Good morning, 818! Today is Friday, May 22, 2015. Temperatures for today are forecasted to reach a high of 69 degrees and a low of 56 degrees with a 20% chance of showers during the day and mostly cloudy skies in the evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Here are your local headlines:

• Following a contentious debate about utility rates, Burbank City Council members on Tuesday voted 4-1 to raise the rates for water, power, sewer and refuse services.

• A budget of nearly $800 million is proposed for the 2015-16 fiscal year, one a top city official says will include a small surplus, but the years following will entail some uncertainties stemming from a legal battle with the state as well as ongoing increases in paying for employees’ retirement costs.

• Memorial Day will bring a series of events to the Glendale area that will give local citizens the opportunity to pay respects to veterans, including those from the area who perished in battles overseas.

• Two years ago, Glendale Community College officials embarked on a multimillion-dollar endeavor to reduce energy costs, and their efforts appear to be proving successful.

• Coach Louie Bilowitz and former Spartan Josh Henderson — whose prowess on the soccer field earned La Cañada High School national honors in 1995 — will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony Sunday.

• The Arroyo & Foothills Conservancy will host a guided walk through the Rosemont Preserve on Saturday aimed at teaching participants about the medicinal and food uses of native plants.

• A cell phone store owner from Burbank pleaded not guilty this week to charges that he, along with his business partner, scammed an insurance company out of more than $1.3 million after allegedly filing fraudulent claims, officials said.