Alhambra : Financial Law Approved

An ordinance requiring city staff to present all new, or increased, “unfunded liabilities” to the City Council was given final approval Monday.

According to the staff report, unfunded liabilities are financial obligations for which the city has not set aside sufficient money.

Finance Director Derek Hanway said the main examples are sick pay and vacation pay, which cities have traditionally dealt with on a pay-as-you-go basis, without specifically setting aside funding.

The council approved the ordinance unanimously and without comment Monday.

When Vice Mayor Talmage Burke proposed the ordinance earlier, he said other cities have gotten in financial trouble by not keeping a close watch on these often-forgotten obligations.

In addition, the Planning Commission’s decision to end dancing at Sugar Baby’s Diner was given final and unanimous approval by the City Council Monday, but the decision allows the business to still sell alcohol.

The decision to partially revoke the establishment’s conditional-use permit came after neighbors complained of late-night noise and fighting in the parking lot of the business in the 200 block of East Main Street and after a police investigation determined that alcohol was being served to minors and that the business had live entertainment, which was forbidden by its permit.