SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 

VOLUME 13 NO. 23

SIERRA MADRE CHAMBER TO HOST 
TOWN HALL MEETING

WHEN: MONDAY, JUNE 10TH

WHERE: SIERRA MADRE CITY HALL

TIME: 6:00 pm

TOPIC: NEW DOWNTOWN ASSESSMENT DISTRICT

2019-20 BUDGET BALANCED WITH A SURPLUS

Public Hearing Scheduled For June 11, 2019 

 While several local cities in the San 
Gabriel Valley are declaring fiscal emergencies, 
the City of Sierra Madre is proposing 
a 2019-2020 Fiscal Year budget 
that is balanced, with a General Fund 
surplus of more than $1.8M, which represents 
nearly 18% of General Fund expenditures. 
The City was able to reduce 
its main operating fund by more than 
10%, totaling $1.1M from the previous 
budget year. “The City Council has 
made incredibly tough decisions over 
the past three budget cycles,” said City 
Manager Gabriel Engeland, “but it was 
these difficult decisions that allowed the 
City to reduce spending for the third 
consecutive year, while increasing City 
services.”

 The total budget has a surplus of 
$2.7M, and represents a reduction of 
$1.7M from the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year 
budget. “When looking at these budget 
numbers, most would assume that we 
were decreasing services, which is just 
the opposite of what has occurred,” stated 
Mayor John Harabedian. “We have 
successfully continued to operate as an 
independent, full-service City, with our 
own full-time Police and Fire Departments 
and Water and Sewer companies” 
said Harabedian, “while also investing 
more in our infrastructure than we have 
in decades.” 

As indicated in the staff report:

The 2019-2020 proposed Fiscal Year 
budget results in Citywide expenditure 
reductions of more than $1.1M with a 
projected surplus of $2.7M (12.2% of 
total budget). This is the third consecutive 
year the budget was reduced from 
the previous year. In total, the Fiscal 
Year 2019-2020 budget calls for expenditures 
of $22.39M. 

 Similarly, the General Fund expenditures 
were reduced from $11.51M in 
Fiscal Year 2018-2019 to a proposed 
$10.22M in Fiscal Year 2019-2020. This 
reduction in expenditures is expected 
to lead to a General Fund surplus of 
$1.82M which represents 17.8% of all 
General Fund expenditures. 

 The Water and Sewer Funds are both 
balanced, with a projected surplus in 
each Fund, which represents the second 
consecutive year all three of the 
City’s primary Funds are balanced. As 
recently as Fiscal Year 2015-2016 each 
of these Funds was budgeted for a deficit. 
The Water Fund surplus is expected 
to be $1.65M, with an overall reduction 
in net position of $650,000 (discussed 
below), due to increases in infrastructure 
spending and depreciation. The 
Sewer Fund surplus is projected to be 
$136,000. Total allocations from the 
Water and Sewer Funds combined, were 
reduced from $1,301,600 in Fiscal Year 
2017-2018 to $691,100 in Fiscal Year 
20182019 to $609,000 in the proposed 
budget. 

 Personnel The proposed budget includes 
funding for three new fire-medic 
positions, which brings the total budgeted 
number of full-time employees 
in the Sierra Madre Fire Department to 
15.In the 2016-2017 Fiscal Year budget
there were four full-time fire employees. 
General Fund expenditures in Fire 
are budgeted to increase to more than 
$2.4M, which is more than double the 
General Fund budgeted expenditures in 
Fiscal Year 2015-2016, which included 
$1.1M in budgeted General Fund expenditures. 
The proposed budget increases 
Library staff by 1.27 positions 
and provides 1.5 new budgeted positions 
in the Police Department. 

 Infrastructure The Water Fund is budgeted 
to invest $2.3M in infrastructure 
in the proposed budget. This increase 
is nearly six times higher than in 2017-
2018 ($419,000). It is also an increase 
over the current fiscal year’s infrastructure 
investment which is budgeted at 
$2,094,000. The rapid increase in investment 
of water infrastructure will 
lead to a reduction of net position in 
the Water Fund of $655,000. The total 
surplus in the Water Fund is $1.6M, 
which includes increases in depreciation 
from $633,500 in the current Fiscal 
Year to more than $860,000 in the 
proposed budget. Staff will begin to 
monitor the cash balance in this Fund 
more closely to ensure an appropriate 
balance between cash reserves, operating 
reserves, infrastructure investment 
and capital outlay. Expenditures on debt 
payments in the Water Fund have been 
reduced by more than $100,000 annually 
due to Council’s action to refinance 
the Water Bonds in 2017.

The Sierra Madre City Council will be 
holding a public hearing on June 11th 
at 6:30PM in Sierra Madre Council 
Chambers to review the 2019/2020 City 
budget and proposed fee schedule to be 
effective July 1, 2019.

For More information, please contact 
Sierra Madre City Hall at (626) 355 
-7135 or visit www.CityofSierraMadre.
com 

CLIMATE CHANGE DISCUSSION

A panel discussion on Climate Change: Causes, Effects & Solutions will 
be held Wednesday, June 19, 2019 from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Sierra Madre 
City Hall Chambers, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. Panelists will 
include Melissa Aguayo, 5Gyres.org; Robert Haw, Citizens’ Climate Lobby; 
Marcel Schoppers, JPL; and Michael Zelniker, Climate Reality Project. This 
free event is co-sponsored by Sierra Madre Activists Rebuilding Together 
(S.M.A.R.T.) and the city’s Energy, Environment and Natural Resources 
Commission. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Seating is limited; please register at 
Eventbrite.com. 


LA COUNTY SUPERVISOR AND CITY COUNCIL HOLD 
ANNUAL SPECIAL MEETING

On May 30th, Los Angeles 
County Supervisor Kathryn 
Barger met with the Sierra 
Madre City Council and City 
Department heads at a special 
meeting to discuss a number 
of items that involve both the 
city and the county. 

The agenda included discussion 
of the Annual allocations 
of Los Angeles County 
Measure A: Safe, Clean 
Neighborhood Parks and 
Beaches Protection Measure 
of 2016. Also discussed were 
a Funding update for Los 
Angeles County Measure W: 
Safe, Clean, Water Measure of 
2018 a controversial unfunded 
mandate and various State 
Bills Mandating Affordable 
Housing Production.

City staff gave an update on 
the Kersting Court Redesign Project which has been in various stages of development for several years. The city has received 
a grant from the county for the project. Photo by Laura Aguilar


30+ makers, Artist contributions benefit 
Creative Arts of Sierra Madre. 
FOOD * LIQUADOS * EASY PARKING * FREE 
artonpalm.com 626/827-7870 
Saturday & Sunday, June 8 & 9, 2019 
579 W. Palm Street, Altadena 91001 
Art on Palm @ 
Loma Alta Park, Altadena
CONCERT IN THE PARK – MARK YOUR 
CALENDAR

Be sure to mark your 
calendar for Sunday, 
June 30th from 6:00 
to 8:00 PM for Sierra 
Madre Civic Club Concert 
in the Park featuring 
Decades of Rock 
with band members: 
Dan, John, Paul, Ron, 
Tom, and Veronica, 
who are well known to 
Sierra Madre. Decades 
of Rock is a classic rock 
and top-40 band from 
the LA area that appeals 
to every age. Tom Behrens 
of Decades of Rock, sometimes referred to as DORK, tells us: 
“We play a variety of rock songs from all decades featuring horn 
arrangements and an emphasis on vocals that is guaranteed to get 
the house rockin’! The well-received band has performed with rave 
reviews not only in Sierra Madre but throughout southern California 
and the San Gabriel Valley. 

In addition to a wonderful outdoor musical event, Susan Clifton, 
Event Chair and Sierra Madre Civic Club member, explained, “In 
honor of Civic Club's 75th birthday, free cake will be served to attendees.” 
Bring your own picnic, chairs or blanket for sitting, and 
celebrate our birthday with us! 

It all happens in the Band Shell at Sierra Madre Memorial Park 
located at 222 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre 
91024 and is free of charge. For more information 
about this Concert and others, contact the Sierra 
Madre Community Services Office at: 626-355-5278. 

See you there!

COUNCIL TO DISCUSS 

VOLUNTARY BAN OF THE USE 
OF GLYPHOSATE ON CITY 
PROPERTY 

The glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup was first 
developed by Monsanto in the 1970s.

Roundup Cancer Risk. Research shows that anyone 
who directly uses Roundup or lives in an area where 
Roundup is used frequently faces a risk of developing 
Roundup lymphoma, myeloma, or leukemia. For 
decades, Roundup has been in wide use by home gardeners 
and landscapers who unconsciously exposed 
themselves to a risk of developing cancer.

The use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in 
Roundup, is a widely used herbicide that controls 
weeds and grasses. It has been registered as a pesticide 
in the U.S. since 1974. In April of 2019, the 
United States Environmental Protective Agency 
(EPA) released the Glyphosate Proposed Interim 
Decision for public comment. As part of this action, 
the EPA continues to find there are no risks to public 
health when glyphosate is used in accordance with 
its current label and glyphosate is determined to not 
be a carcinogen. 

While the EPA has deemed the use of glyphosate 
poses no threat to public health, growing concerns 
over the potential health effects of glyphosate have 
lead the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to 
ban the use of glyphosate until further notice

Sierra Madre City Council will consider a voluntary 
ban on its use in the city at the June 11th City Council 
meeting.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com