Council Votes to Cut City Maintenance

Despite objections from nearly two dozen employees of the city’s public-works maintenance department, a divided City Council has voted to proceed with a plan to eliminate the department and turn over street repairs and traffic-light maintenance to a private contractor.

When they drew up the 1997-98 budget in February, council members said the plan could save the city $430,000. But the contractor with whom the city is negotiating now puts the savings at only $370,000. Charles Abbott Associates Inc. of Torrance did commit, however, to finding jobs for displaced city workers with either Abbott or its subcontractors.

Councilman Jim Dahl voted against entering into an exclusive contract to negotiate with Abbott. He predicted that service would drop drastically and said more innovative management could have the city doing the job more economically.

Company President Charles Abbott countered that his company will provide more service for less money.

Councilwoman Lois Berg, the other dissenter in the 3-2 vote, asked, “Why should there be savings that our own city can’t do?” Her comment elicited a shout of “Go get ‘em, Lois!” and long applause from an overflow crowd of about 85, many of them city employees clad in their orange or blue work shirts, their spouses and children by their sides.

City Manager Mike Parness said the city will negotiate a contract with Abbott during the next month and try to find ways to trim $60,000 more in expenses. Funding for public works was cut by Proposition 218, a statewide measure that limits how municipalities can raise revenue.

Parness said he understands workers’ concerns about security, pay and benefits. The other option, though, would be to lay off workers with no promise of future jobs, he said.

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t in crisis mode,” Parness said after last week’s council meeting.

Larry Lykins, senior employee relations administrator with the Orange County Employees Assn., spoke on behalf of the San Clemente City Employees Assn.

“We understand the city has a budget problem,” Lykins said. But “contracting out should be the last option, not the first and only. . . . You should be filled with shame looking at the men and women who have worked for this city longer than most of you.”