City Council meetings are on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm. Upcoming agenda information and streaming video of meetings are available at http://www.cityoffullerton.com. City Hall is located at 303 W. Commonwealth, Fullerton. Contact Council at (714) 738-6311 or council@cityoffullerton.com

At the 4:30 session, Parks Junior High students will give a presentation on tiny houses.

The regular agenda has only two items, one of which was brought back from April 16. Four presentations are also included, so the first hour or so will undoubtedly be packed with people.

Item 10 is a Revised Paramedic Subscription Program. The only significant thing here is that it will be changed to an opt-in program, meaning that when paying your utility bill, if you want to subscribe to these services, you have to add $46 (annual fee) rather than subtract to opt-out. This is not a fee increase, just a switch from the current opt-out to opt-in. The switch will begin with the May/June billings. According to the agenda packet, this is what the fee covers:

Enrollment only waives eligible out-of-pocket expenses related to emergency medical services provided by the Fire Department. The program does not waive fees for basic ambulance transportation or mileage charges.

Item 11 concerns street sweeping and enforcement. It was held over from the April 16 meeting because only three members were present when it came up (Dunlap and Jung were absent). Four alternatives are proposed. The staff recommends no change.

Previous comments: As to the street sweeping and enforcement alternatives, some alternatives have been mentioned: 

1) stop enforcement, which brings in about $100,000 a month. 

2) move to alternate side sweeping, for instance, south side one day, north side another. Parking is prohibited for 5 hours weekly in entire city segments, creating hardships for maintenance, cleaning, healthcare, and construction workers. Allowing parking on one side at all times would eliminate that problem. There is an additional cost to sweeping in that manner (15%), plus costs involved in changing signage ($350,000). 

3) another alternative is to move to alternate week sweeping (savings of 35%), with a minimal change in signs. Residential streets do not need weekly sweeping. 

4) Also a possibility although not mentioned is reducing the time needed for scheduled sweeping. Streets in Belmont Shores in Long Beach, for instance, prohibit parking for only 2 hours at a  time. 

If you have an issue with the current or proposed policies, now is the time to contact your council member. You can request letters to be read into the record. There is no reason why this essential activity needs to be burdensome.  It feels like the current policy is designed more for the convenience of the sweeping company and less for the residents and businesses of Fullerton. Enforcement is essential, but it is understandable why some find it predatory.