By Carol Murota, LWVDV Lafayette Observer
Running a city is a complicated business. A recent Lafayette City Council agenda included discussions of funding of school crossing guards, felons’ ownership of dogs, the complexities of the PG&E bankruptcy and City agreement, especially as pertains to tree removal, and the unexpected need to replace a Lafayette City Council member.
On first glance, the crossing guard discussion seemed limited to safety, but the city’s contribution actually affects educational programs. Richard Whitmore, Superintendent of the Lafayette School District, came before the City Council to request an increase in Lafayette’s contribution to pay for crossing guards. He identified crossing guards as the most important and immediate safety need; as such, the school district recently increased the number of crossing guards to assist students going to and from school. This expansion of coverage, plus rising labor costs and inflation, reduced the city’s historical share of costs from 50% to closer to 27%. Generously, the City Council voted unanimously to return to their previous level of 50% funding for the foreseeable future. This continued partnership allows the school district to redeploy funds for educational programs while continuing to ensure safety for school children. A win for education, the city, and the school district.
As we are discovering, government is run on ‘norms’ and habits. When the unexpected occurs, we don’t always have ready tools. This happened to the Lafayette City Council when faced with the unexpected need to replace councilmember Mark Mitchell. Remarkably well-qualified citizens stepped up to serve. Lafayette citizens were passionately engaged in the replacement process. The City Council had to figure out how to replace Councilman Mitchell without benefit of pre-determined process. Obviously, this was a difficult and vocal process as the overriding concern was for transparency. Two things that stood out were the persistence of Lafayette residents and the dedication of the Lafayette councilmembers to make a decision based on their best judgement in the best interest of the city. The City Council is determined to create a process in the unlikely event that this situation re-occurs. Time to move forward.
You can be a League observer like Carol – learn how at our March meeting!
