Signal Hill Mayor Tina Hansen (left) presents a proclamation of appreciation to MariaElena Gonzalez, owner of Signal Hill Florist, during the Aug. 14 Signal Hill City Council meeting’s “small-business spotlight.”
The council also authorized contracts to install and maintain an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the city’s civic center that can charge up to four vehicles at once.
Proposition opposition
The council adopted a resolution opposing Proposition 6, the Voter Approval for Future Gas and Vehicle Taxes and 2017 Tax Repeal Initiative, which has qualified to appear on the statewide voter ballot in November.
If passed, Prop. 6 would eliminate Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which increased gas-and-vehicle taxes to fund statewide transportation infrastructure improvements. The state projects SB 1 to generate $52 billion over the next 10 years, $15 billion of which will be directly allocated to cities.
The state legislature passed SB 1 in response to the 2016 California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment, which identified more than 1,600 structurally deficient bridges and overpasses and found that 89 percent of roads needed repair and were causing hundreds of fatalities.
Signal Hill itself has identified over $10 million in needed road repairs over the next 10 years and has factored $207,439 from SB 1 funds into its 2018-2019 fiscal year capital-improvement budget.
Charlie Honeycutt, city manager, said that the proposition, funded in large part by the California Republican Party, is primarily a political ploy to sway voters.
“It’s a conservative group [behind it] that’s– from my perspective– looking to gain a political advantage in the upcoming state elections and using this as a kind of tool for that,” he said.
A chart from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) shows projected revenues from SB 1 fuel-and-vehicle tax increases over the next two years, earmarked for transportation infrastructure repair. If passed in November, Proposition 6 would eliminate $5.1 billion annually two years from now, the LAO estimates, reducing statewide highway and road maintenance-and-repair funding, as well as transit programs.
The three council members present at the meeting unanimously approved the resolution, though with mixed reactions.
Vice Mayor Larry Forester expressed strong approval of the opposition.
“We grew a lot faster than people thought,” he said of the state of California. “We didn’t maintain [roads]. I would say the State has a fault in it but [SB 1] was a logical way of getting it done.”
Councilmember Lori Woods considered the impact on vehicle owners having to pay more for gas and also vehicle registration fees as a result of SB 1.
“I have to say– I’m conflicted on this,” she said. “I know that we can definitely use the funds [but] we’re all personally going to be affected greatly and it’s a shame that over the years– the decades– the State hasn’t directed the taxes and the funding the way they should have done.”
EV charging
The council also authorized contracts with two companies to install and operate an EV charging station in the upper parking lot of the civic center.
ABM Electrical & Lighting Solutions, Inc. (ABM) will install the infrastructure for a cost of $52,335, and ChargePoint, Inc., an EV charging-station operator, will then run the system through a subscription service.
The station, expected to be installed in November, will have two dual-port chargers for four vehicles to charge at one time and be fully charged in three hours.
The council will incur electricity costs of approximately 19 cents per kilowatt hour, according to the staff report, and will approve public charging-session rates at a later date. Ten percent of that revenue will go to ChargePoint.
“The ChargePoint infrastructure offers the most economical option on a per-port basis,” Public Works Director Kelli Tunnicliff said. “[It] offers the ability to: track energy usage, cost, and revenue; send user notifications on the status of the charge; [offer] virtual queueing when charge points are full and notifications if the car is unplugged unexpectedly.”
Tunnicliff explained that the City’s budget of $75,000 for an EV charging-station project is fully funded by two grants– a Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC) grant for about $50,000 and subvention funds from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) for $25,000.
The council also agreed that the $22,664 in remaining funds will cover unforeseen circumstances as well as Southern California Edison’s cost to upgrade electrical service at the station from 100 to 200 amps.
Tunnicliff said that the new library budget also includes a charging station for two EVs. Honeycutt noted that Mother’s Market has charging opportunities as well and that the City will continue to consider opportunities to install more in future development projects.
“Our strategic plan includes an objective to make Signal Hill more sustainable,” Tunnicliff said.
Presentations
Tunnicliff also shared an update on new library construction, which is scheduled for completion in March 2019.
“It’s starting to look like a building,” she said.
MariaElena Gonzalez, owner of Signal Hill Florist at 2099 E. Willow St., presented on her flower shop during the meeting’s “small-business spotlight” before Mayor Tina Hansen presented her with a proclamation of appreciation on behalf of the city, recognizing Gonzalez’s 20 years of ownership.
“I’ve gotten flowers from Signal Hill Florist, and they are always so beautiful and so fresh and they last for such a long time,” Hansen said. “[Gonzalez’s] attention to detail is evident in each of her arrangements, whether for a wedding, graduation, quinceañera, baptism, party or corporate event.”
Hansen also commended Police Chief Christopher Nunley on his department’s recent “National Night Out” community event and suggested more cooling refreshments and activities for next year’s event, such as a dunk tank and another snow-cone machine.
“It’s always a good event to see the police in a different light,” Nunley said in response. “Instead of an enforcement setting, it’s more of a fair setting. It also allows people to get to know their neighbors.”
The next Signal Hill City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, Aug. 28, at 7pm in the council chamber at 2175 Cherry Ave.
