Staff Editorial
With newly elected councilmembers serving our city, the Manhattan Beach City Council should prioritize partnering with the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, protecting the city’s environment and ensuring reasonable and logical government spending in the coming term.
The most recent City Council elections were decided on March 4. The residents of Manhattan Beach re-elected one council member, Wayne Powell, and two new members: Mark Burton and Tony D’Errico. These three members, as well as the rest of the Council, should strive to take a more active role in the community whenever they can.
Several years ago, the City Council made an unprecedented donation to MBUSD to pull the school district out of a financial bind. However, as fiscal uncertainties once again pervade the District’s budget, the city should offer financial support to MBUSD. While a direct donation or cash infusion may not be necessary as long as the district still has sizeable reserves, there are many other ways the city of Manhattan Beach can strengthen the financial health of our schools.
One opportunity the city has comes from the property and facilities, such as parks, the city of Manhattan Beach leases from MBUSD. The current agreement between the two parties limits the amount of money paid to the district for use of these parks. However, a draft report of the new agreement between the city and the district was discussed at the March 6 City Council Meeting. This new agreement recommends a new annual payment from the city to the district of $250,000, a dramatic increase from the current agreement. These payments exemplify the partnerships the new City Council can create.
Manhattan Beach City Council has already made great strides in its environmental agenda with initiatives such as the one banning the use of plastic bags in the city; however, more can be done to protect the beach environment such as placing nets on storm drains to decrease the amount of waste carried to the ocean. One opportunity the Council can pursue is an investment in placing solar panels on civic buildings. The forecasted 2012-13 city-wide budget predicted nearly $1.3 million in spending on electricity costs alone which constituted 1.2% of the city’s overall expenditures. While solar panels may represent a sizable initial outlay, they are an opportunity for the city to greatly reduce its carbon footprint and decrease the money it spends annually on electricity.
Additionally, the City Council should once again initiate an Environmental Task Force. The task force operated for two years in the city, but it does not still exist because it was not renewed. The expertise of these volunteers allowed previous councils to make informed decisions regarding environmental stewardship based on the opinions of residents, at minimal cost.
If the Council can successfully prioritize the issues of finance and environmental management, as well as MBUSD partnerships, then it will begin its term with a positive and meaningful impact on the city it was elected to serve.
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