Santa Clarita Council Agendas Available to Home Computer Users

The Santa Clarita City Council has joined the elite ranks of the Red Baron and Managing Your Money.

Beginning today, the council’s agenda will be accessible by home computer, providing residents with a chance to savor local politics between playing computer games and organizing personal finances.

“Before this, someone would have to come in during working hours to pick up an agenda,” said Carolynn Deller, Santa Clarita’s data processing manager.

The agendas will be available via computer at least 72 hours before the council’s twice-monthly meetings, generally held Tuesday nights.

With the aid of a modem, computer users can order a search for particular issues on the agenda, such as water conservation or a certain housing development, Deller said. The day after the council meets, a brief account of its actions will also be available by computer.

But those eager for armchair access might encounter a problem: There is only one telephone line for the home computer users, and officials expect it to be busy frequently.

Santa Clarita’s on-line service is far less extensive than those in other cities, such as Santa Monica, where computer users can send complaints to City Hall and learn where to get a parking permit, among other things. Deller said Santa Clarita might expand its network if it proves popular.

There are an estimated 20,000 computers in businesses and residences in the city, and more than a dozen locally run computer bulletin boards, said Gary Johnson, an official with the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce who owns a computer business.

Anyone with a computer and modem can use the free service by dialing (805) 253-0429 and entering the password “CITY.”

To prevent computer hackers from getting into private files or introducing “viruses” into the system, users cannot insert data, Deller said.