Drama at the Lompoc Council

The Lompoc City Council may be poorly attended but it is not without drama.

Tuesday night’s agenda appeared routine, boring even. After three Flower Festival Queen candidates departed, there seemed be nothing earth-shaking to wait around for.

Management Services Director Christie Donnelly took the podium and launched into an 18-page screen presentation titled “Enterprise Reimbursement Cost Allocations: History and Methodology.” A snooze-fest title but a message that is often needed in a small city that owns its own utilities and often wages war over the budget.

Donnelly had lots of bullet points and charts, and after a while, say 30 minutes, one could deduce that the city has enterprise funds that focus on public safety response, use of governmental facilities, and right-of-way maintenance. They reimburse the General Fund for specific, measurable impacts.

The hefty report seemed to be a clear defense of the nine-year-old system of budgeting. That deduction became obvious when I looked around to stretch and beheld a wall of blue standing against the back wall. Standing elbow to elbow when plenty of seats went unused, there stood 25 uniformed first responders. There was a message here for somebody. “We learned there was going to be a presentation by Christie and a possibility of 12 positions being cut,” explained Vincent Magallon, president of Lompoc Police Officers Association (LPOA), this Wednesday morning. “We went to show our interest and support for Christie’s recommendation for no change.”

The current contract between LPOA and the city expires at the end of June. “That could have a big impact on our negotiations if we had 12 positions cut just in the police department alone,” Magallon added. “But the main reason we were there was enterprise budgeting being presented. We definitely got our point across.”

Donnelly explained afterward why her long report was appropriate at this time by hanging responsibility on Mayor James Mosby. “The mayor asked for a report,” she said “And Mr. Starbuck a couple meetings ago asked, why do we even have enterprise funds? Maybe we should get rid of them.” The customarily silent Dirk Starbuck is often an ally of the mayor.

Donnelly’s final recommendations were straightforward, headed by, “Stay the course and follow the plan.” “I decided I needed to say something,” she added.

Mosby denied interest in abandoning enterprise budgeting, saying he only sought more awareness of the system. He said he was not sure why police and firemen attended in such numbers. “I don’t know,” Mosby said. “We’re in negotiation; maybe that’s it.”

He beamed when asked about a separate matter: final passage of new, far lower development fees for developers. “That’s a $40,000 rebate,” he pointed out “Just $3,100 for a single family.” The big change passed unanimously without debate on the Consent Calendar. It ranks among the biggest changes for Mosby’s new term as mayor.

More drama may fill those seats.