With the 5-0 approval of the plan, which lists potential hazards to the city and identifies who will do what in the case of those events, the city remains eligible for federal disaster-relief funds.
“I think the council has no option to not approve this,” councilman Ken Palmer said. “We need to help the citizens in any way possible, and this is one of those possibilities.”
Following a county-wide online survey carried out last March to solicit public input, the city lists four potential hazards of primary concern: earthquake, wildfire, dam failure and flooding, with earthquake and flooding as “major” disasters. Just 31 of the 510 survey respondents were from Solvang.
A few of the council members voiced disappointment with the lack of public participation regarding the plan. Noting that she found inaccuracies in the organizational flow chart, councilwoman Joan Jamieson said the lack of input from the public “led to some issues,” and commented that the plan was “lacking.”
Likewise, councilwoman Tara Wood commented that she was “saddened by the lack of participation.”
Still, the members each voted for the plan, saying that it was necessary to remain eligible for federal funds in the event of a disaster.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the council went over the city’s detailed financial report for the 2010-11 fiscal year with outside auditor and CPA Terry Kreig. The report, supported by Kreig, suggested the city was in strong financial health, with its spending almost equal to its revenues.
The report can be read in full online by clicking the “city council” and “agenda packets” tabs at www.cityofsolvang.com or it can be picked up at City Hall.
The council members praised the city’s financial department for the report’s clarity and readability.
“My last finance class was in high school, and you can tell how long ago that was,” Palmer joked as he explained his ease in comprehending the presentation.
Additionally, the council adopted an ordinance forbidding the use of “electronic personal mobility devices” on sidewalks in the downtown area. Excluded in the ban – which was brought to the table after the city gave approval last month for a company to operate Segway tours in the city – were authorized law enforcement and disabled people. The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 13.