It was a bittersweet Tuesday night as Signal Hill City Manager Charlie Honeycutt attended his final City Council meeting before his scheduled Nov. 1 retirement. Council members expressed appreciation for Honeycutt’s 32 years of municipal service.
The council also approved several city contracts, including one to survey residents about cannabis regulation.
City manager
Since Oct. 22 marked Honeycutt’s final council meeting before his retirement on Nov. 1, Mayor Lori Woods presented him a proclamation commending his 32 years of city service, beginning as a maintenance worker in the public-works department in 1987.
Woods recounted how Honeycutt moved up the public-works ranks to become that department’s director in 2002, then deputy city manager in 2007 and finally city manager in 2015.
“It’s definitely with mixed feelings seeing Charlie go,” she said. “Under his guidance, the city accomplished many achievements that made Signal Hill a highly desirable place to live, work, shop and play.”
Woods noted that in addition to serving on regional water and transportation boards, Honeycutt helped build the city’s new police station, EDCO recycling and transfer station, workforce housing, hilltop housing and trails, retail centers, dog park, recent new library and the widening of Cherry Avenue and Spring Street.
Councilmembers thanked Honeycutt for his integrity, commitment, leadership, teambuilding, mentorship and support, both professionally and personally, over the years.
“Charlie has contingencies for everything and a backup plan for his backup plan,” Councilmember Keir Jones said. “Nothing ever falls through the cracks and the city is taken care of perfectly.”
“You will be missed,” Councilmember Tina Hansen said. “But not forgotten.”
Cannabis survey
The council approved a contract with True North Research, Inc. for $27,350 to conduct a residential survey on cannabis that will include attitudes toward regulation and appropriate tax levels for diversifying and growing municipal revenue.
Elise McCaleb, economic-development manager, said that True North would conduct the 17-minute survey by phone and online in three languages– English, Spanish and Khmer. The company will collect a minimum of 300 completed surveys and analyze the results within the next two months, she added.
After questions from the council about surveying local businesses as well, True North President Dr. Tim McLarney said questions to businesses need to be tailored to them and therefore requires a separate effort.
Deputy City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn said staff will use the City’s permit database to email businesses after questioning residents.
City contracts
The council also approved four other contract-services agreements, one for project management and three for professional staffing and building plan-check services.
The council approved extending MCM Management Co.’s contract for project management related to the Los Cerritos Channel Sub-Basin 4 Stormwater Infiltration Project No. 111 through June 2020 for a total not-to-exceed amount of $1.21 million.
Public Works Director Kelli Tunnicliff said that work delays by one of its subcontractors, Mike Bubalo Construction, caused MCM to require more time to complete the project and also created litigation for the City.
“It is anticipated that the site work could be done as early as November and December, with final documentation, certification and litigation resolving itself within the following six months,” she said.
The council also approved three four-year consulting contracts, with Interwest Consulting Group, TRB & Associates and 4Leaf, Inc., for a combined total of not more than $200,000 annually.
Honeycutt said that the Community Development Department depends on such consultants for its building and oil-fields division and building plan-check services.
Planning Manager Colleen Doan said that retaining multiple firms under contract maximizes availability and increases responsiveness to fluctuations in need. The City will request specific services from these firms as needed.
“We [had] two firms under contract [before],” Doan said. “However, we were less than satisfied with some of the services– specifically the plan-check services– and we felt like we needed additional depth by adding at least one firm.”
Vehicle replacement
Finally, the council authorized the Public Works Department to replace five municipal vehicles– four for the Police Department and one for Public Works– for a total of $248,000.
Tunnicliff said that the City typically replaces police vehicles after four years or 80,000 miles and public-works light-duty vehicles after 10 years. The old vehicles will be auctioned off, except for one that Shin-Heydorn will use when she becomes city manager in November.
The council also approved upgrading two of the new police vehicles with eco-boost engines to improve fuel efficiency, for an additional cost of $5,000 per vehicle, despite Councilmember Edward Wilson’s concern that the City should calculate actual fuel costs in making such decisions.
He also suggested that the City look into alternative-fuel or hybrid vehicles for future replacements.
“We’re not moving away from gasoline-powered vehicles,” Wilson said. “We’re still just repeating the cycle.”
Small-business spotlight
Christi Wilkins, executive director of Dramatic Results at 3310 Lime Ave. in Signal Hill, presented on her education organization during the council meeting’s “small-business spotlight.”
Wilkins began her nonprofit 27 years ago in Long Beach but relocated to Signal Hill in 2006, she said. Dramatic Results helps K-12 students with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) concepts.
“What we are best known for is improving math scores– of all things, through the arts,” she said.
Wilkins explained that students who come to her program learn through hands-on activities, applying math to real-life projects in engineering, design, architecture and cooking.
She gave an example of kids making boats out of cardboard and duct tape from scratch, first designing in two dimensions on paper, then transferring that to 3D by scaling proportionally and calculating cubic feet and weight and then actually sailing in the boats they made at the beach.
“We gave them a paddle each and said, ‘Go,’” she said. “They had to launch from the dock, going from the dock around a buoy and back again, hopefully without sinking, and in most cases, they did exactly that.”
She also asked the audience for anyone in STEAM design fields who likes to work with children on Saturday mornings and summers to contact Dramatic Results at (562) 595-4600.
Other business
Jones and Woods reported about attending the League of California Cities annual conference in mid-October, attending several sessions including one on large-scale event planning by cities that create signature events such as art and lights during the winter holidays.
Jones invited residents to share ideas with the council for such events.
“We’re looking for sure for a signature event for our city,” he said.
Hansen noted that it was not only Honeycutt’s final meeting but also the final meeting for Finance Director Scott William, who will leave to serve another city closer to his home.
“You came to the city at a time when we really needed a leader to step up in finance,” Hansen told him. “You got the city through […] a difficult and painstaking and painful transition.”
Wilson also thanked and commended Williams on moving the city to a modern ERP (enterprise resource planning) system.
“We on the council […] recognize your contribution here,” he said. “We wish you […] the greatest success.”
The next Signal Hill City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7pm in the council chamber at 2175 Cherry Ave.
