Atwater council to resume meeting twice a month

The Atwater City Council will go back to holding two meetings a month, a divided council determined this week.

The council rejected a measure to hold only monthly meetings in a 3-2 vote. Mayor Pro Tem Larry Bergman and Councilman James Vineyard voted in favor of holding one meeting a month. The council was considering permanently reducing the number of meetings to save an estimated $57,000 a year.

But since the item failed, the council will return to two meetings starting in May.

The council voted in August to hold one meeting per month on a trial basis. City Manager Frank Pietro said the move saved the city $27,739 in staffing and resources costs over the past six months.

Bergman supported holding once-a-month meetings because of the city’s strapped budget. During the same council meeting, the city’s treasurer reported a $1.9 million general fund deficit.

“This budget is upside down. We’re not looking at a rosy next two fiscal years,” Bergman said. “We need to save every penny we can. This has worked, and it will continue to work.”

But the other council members said one meeting limits the public’s access to elected officials and results in longer meetings. The April 13 City Council meeting was five hours long.

The City Council also voted to permanently eliminate benefits and compensation for the mayor and council members, including health insurance, automobile and cellphone allowances.

The current council members and mayor have declined the benefits, but the ordinances establishing those perks had not been dissolved.

In the past, Atwater elected officials received a salary of $351 per month and $100 in cellphone reimbursements, in addition to automobile and medical allowances, according to city records.

Mayor Jim Price said he would “abolish” the ordinances that allow those benefits while on the campaign trail last year. “Anyone that knows me for the last 11 or 12 years knows this has been a quest for me,” Price said during the council meeting. “This was a promise I made during the campaign season.”

The council voted 4-1 to eliminate benefits for Atwater elected officials to scattered applause from the audience. Councilman Joe Rivero voted against the item, saying it was a pointless action because the current council doesn’t receive those perks.

“Other than a grandstand, it’s not saving the city a penny,” Rivero said.

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 8:56 PM with the headline "Atwater council to resume meeting twice a month."