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Politics & Government

City Council: Vandalism Concerns, Budget Report and Church Development Comment

Mayor David Shuey and Hank Stratford were absent from Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Vandalism in Clayton

Police Chief Dan Lawrence reported on the ongoing vandalism problem in Clayton.

“Since June 30, 2010, we’ve had 42 vandalism cases, 13 of them to public properties," Lawrence said.

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Because most cases of vandalism have no witnesses, catching the vandals is tricky, he said, and offering a reward to tipsters might help.

“Other cities have reward programs and our staff feels this program could work if the reward were significant enough," he said. 

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The city is considering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspected vandal.

Lawrence also suggested that security cameras in key locations might deter vandals.

Councilmember Julie Pierce expressed concern that a reward might lead to false reports, but supported the idea of security cameras.

“I believe the cameras really do work and I would defer to the police department on the best locations,” said Pierce. “I’d rather invest in this than on people snitching on one another.”

Direction was given to Lawrence to come back to the board with specifics about the cost and proposed locations for security cameras. 

2011/12 Budget Status

City Manager Gary Napper gave a PowerPoint presentation on the 2011-12 budget.

“Overall, our budget is $14 million," he said. "It means we will have no reductions in our services or programs."

Councilmember Julie Pierce commended Naper on his work on the budget and for maintaining a budget surplus.

“Our budget is tight, but we’re fine. We have a balanced budget,” Pierce said. “We’re in really good shape, considering what condition our colleagues are in. Sure it’s tight, but there’s a reason why we’re not going above our means. We are keeping our budget under tight rein.”

Redevelopment Problem Remains

City Manager Napper also talked about the state budget’s impact on Clayton.

“The State is still battling its budget. Governor Brown is trying to have redevelopment agencies be eliminated,” he said. “And then restore them with reforms. June 15 is the new deadline."

Public Comment on Church Proposal

Clayton resident Mary Motts made a public comment on a non-agenda item, the proposed Clayton Community Church development downtown.

“We have organized a group and our website will be live at the end of this week. Go to www.saveclayton.com, thank you,” Motts said.

Another Clayton resident, who has lived in the city for eight years, explained her opposition to  on the property next to the Clayton Community Church across the street from Skipolini’s in downtown Clayton.

“The story poles are very disturbing to me. They are completely out of place, the mere size of them,” she said. “And it will take up 250 parking spots. A lot of my mom friends are opposed to this as well.”

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