AGOURA HILLS : City Balks on Hiring Transit Consultant

The Agoura Hills City Council has postponed a decision on whether to join 11 other cities in funding a transportation expert to work with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on improving transit service in their areas.

The council fears it might be a waste of money because the Los Angeles County division of the League of California Cities is considering creating a similar position, said Agoura Hills City Councilwoman Fran Pavley, who is also the league’s president-elect.

“It might be somewhat redundant,” Pavley said. “I don’t know if all the cities out here would want to pay twice.”

Pavley said the league may hire a full-time staff person to represent the 88 cities in the MTA’s service area, which is divided into four corridors. The league’s transportation committee is scheduled to meet Feb. 2.

Meanwhile, 10 cities from the MTA’s north county corridor, including Calabasas and Westlake Village, have already accepted Glendale’s invitation to help hire a full-time consultant to work with the MTA. Agoura Hills is the only city in the corridor that has not signed on to the plan.

“We believe that hiring a full-time staff person for our corridor is essential to adequately represent our interests to the MTA,” Glendale City Councilman Larry Zarian wrote in a letter to the other north county corridor cities.

Zarian, who also serves as vice chairman of the MTA’s board of directors, is scheduled to meet with the Agoura Hills City Council to discuss the matter.

Under his plan to hire a consultant, cities pay based on their population. Agoura Hills, with a population of 21,000, would pay $1,859 if it joined. By comparison, Glendale, with 190,000 residents, would pay $16,833. Lancaster, with 115,500 residents, would pay $10,222.

Other participating cities are Burbank, La Canada Flintridge, Malibu, Palmdale, San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Hidden Hills.

Under the plan, Glendale will administer the position and provide office space and support staff. The consultant would be paid about $50,000 a year.