Frustration with Washington Gridlock Infects Council Debate

On a night when the City Council approved $5.8 million for street resurfacing and accepted a $43,000 grant for terrorism preparedness, La Mesa leaders wrestled for more than a half-hour Tuesday over $3,675.

That was the gap between a “status quo” budget for local charities and what Mayor Art Madrid called a pragmatic approach to allocating federal funds under the community development block grant program—which targets low-income people, seniors and the disabled.

In the end, the council voted 4-1 to reduce its annual budget for groups like Meals on Wheels and the Alzheimer’s Association to $45,325 from $49,000. A fine-tuning vote could come May 10—depending on the federal budget tied up in Congress.

Councilman Dave Allan was the dissenting vote. Frustrated by Washington politics, he wanted the higher amount—rebelling against signals in President Obama’s budget to cut block grants by 7.5 percent or Republican moves toward a 25 percent cut.

“We’re talking about people’s livelihoods,” Allan said. “We can’t be waiting on what Washington does.”

The debate was over how much money to expect from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, whose community development block grant program has meant nearly $500,000 annually to La Mesa in recent years—with about $50,000 set aside for charities and the rest for capital improvements.

Patricia Rutledge, city coordinator for the federal program, actually set out five options for the council—from “status quo” to allocating nothing at all to charities, five of whom sent representatives Tuesday night to make the case for inclusion in the budget.

In a consent calendar vote, the council OK'd a bid from T.C. Construction Co. Inc. for  a major street resurfacing project that will lead to undergrounding of utilities on Normal Avenue. (See attached agenda for details on streets affected.)

Also approved was acceptance of a Department of Homeland Security grant that will give Heartland Fire and Rescue Department $23,600 for communications equipment and the Police Department $19,300 for mobile computers.

Earlier in the meeting, about a dozen local Korean War veterans were introduced and time given to hear them tell stories about their service—the latest salute of military veterans in the leadup to a ceremonial renaming of Fletcher Parkway as Veterans Memorial Parkway.

And Mayor Madrid introduced Katie Martin and Monica Popp—the new Miss La Mesa and Miss Teen La Mesa—and well presented gifts to the outgoing Miss La Mesa and Miss Teen La Mesa, Erynne Grecco and Danamarie McNicholl-Carter.