STANTON

After agreeing last month to close a 4-foot-by-6-inch hole in a wall along Cerritos Avenue and Courson Drive, the City Council unanimously decided Tuesday to let property owners fill the gap.

Public Works Director Michael Kim said the Public Works Department surveyed residents and presented the findings to the Council in early January. Council members then voted 3 to 2 to allocate $1,500 from the city’s general fund to close the hole.

But at Tuesday’s meeting, City Manager Terry Matz said the city had received letters from residents who said they would also like to have the height of the wall raised 3 feet; Kim said that would cost an additional $6,000. City Atty. Thomas W. Allen then pointed out that the city does not have the authority to do work on private property at the public’s expense unless officials can find a “public purpose.” Most of the wall, which spans 134 feet, is on private land.

Ultimately, closing the gap “doesn’t serve any real purpose,” said Councilman Brian Donahue, who along with Bill Estrada voted against funding the project last month. The opening was created in 1956 to allow for a gutter to drain water from the homes to Cerritos Avenue. But when a storm drain project was completed last year, the gap was no longer needed.