LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss whether to put a rent control initiative for senior mobile home parks before city voters next year.
The council will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St., for a closed session beginning at 5 p.m.
During the closed session council members will discuss two potential litigation cases and discuss negotiations for price and payment terms on a property at 1025 Martin St.
The open session will begin at 6 p.m.
The council will receive and file Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley's certificate of examination of a senior mobile home rent control initiative petition that has received enough signatures to be placed on the November 2014 ballot, when the next municipal election will take place, as Lake County News has reported.
Lakeport resident Nelson Strasser, a member of the “Save Our Seniors” group, authored the measure
He initially had asked the city to consider taking up the issue but when that didn't happen he began the initiative process late last year and started signature gathering this spring.
Strasser's measure defines senior parks as where there is one inhabitant age 65 or older in 80 percent of the homes.
In such parks, the measure would roll back all rental rates to Jan. 1, 2012, requiring that future rent increases be based on the percent increase for Social Security benefits.
According to Administrative Services Director Kelly Buendia's report to the council, they have three options: adopting the measure within 10 days, voting to place it on the next city election or ordering a report from city agencies on the initiative's impacts.
“The City Attorney identified potential legal issues that could make the initiative invalid and unenforceable should it be adopted by the voters,” Buendia wrote.
For that reason, she said city staff is recommending the third option – that the council order a report on the measure's effects.
The report needs to be submitted no later than 30 days from the Aug. 20 meeting, according to Buendia.
Also on Tuesday, the Lakeport Main Street Association will present a donation to the city to defray costs of the annual July 4 fireworks display at Library Park.
There also will be presentations of certificates of appreciation to donors to the Westside Park’s Jane Barnes Field Project and acknowledgment of assistance from local agencies and businesses that participated in and contributed to the city of Lakeport’s inaugural National Night Out event on Aug. 6.
City Public Works Director Mark Brannigan will take to the council a request by Martha Munoz of Villa’s Snow Cones to sell snow cones at Westside Community Park in conjunction with Konocti Youth Soccer League matches.
The council also will consider two resolutions to be presented at the Sept. 18-20 League of California Cities annual business meeting and determine the city’s position on each, with direction to the city’s voting delegate to represent the city’s position at the meeting.
On the meeting's consent agenda – a slate of items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted on one vote – are ordinances, warrant register from July 24 to Aug. 7, minutes from the council's July 16 and July 23 meetings, July building permit reports, application 2013-016 for Lakeport Elementary School’s Halloween Parade and a resolution declaring certain property surplus and approving its’ sale.
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