A San Francisco Chronicle article written by Carolyn Jones on Piedmont’s not making annual $350,000 payments to Oakland for access to library services contains several significant errors and omissions.  Specifically, the writer fails to note that the City of Oakland:

• was not using the dollars from Piedmont residents to support Oakland libraries (instead, placing the monies in its general fund)
• recently decided to close the Piedmont Avenue Branch Library near Piedmont
• refused to utilize the dollars from Piedmont to pay the rent on the Piedmont Avenue Branch Library to keep it open
• attempted to charge Piedmont residents for library cards when it offers free Library cards to any California resident
• insisted that Piedmont pay 400% more per person than Emeryville > Click to read more…

The City of Piedmont has discovered it faces a $16 million unfunded liability for retiree health benefits which may require contributions of up to $1.6 million per year to fully fund – or 10% of the City’s total operating budget.  The City’s March, 2011 Audit Report reflects the City made a $1.8 million contribution in 2010 to begin funding this liability.

The City’s discovery of its unfunded liability resulted from a new law which forced it to hire an outside consultant to determine, for the first time, the true actuarial cost of the medical benefit it has promised to employees when they retire.  Previously, Piedmont has shown this benefit as a “pay-as-you-go” expense:  a $75,000 budget item for 2009-10, and less for prior years.

In March, 2010, using a conservative 4% future earnings assumption, the consultant reported Piedmont’s unfunded liability to be $16 million, requiring annual contributions of $1.6 million to achieve full funding.  Consultant’s Report, p. 4-8.

> Click to read more…

The Piedmont City Council is faced with many decisions.  To this end,  it is helpful to elected officials to have direct input from you, the residents of Piedmont.  In a democracy,  if you like or dislike decisions or want things to be different or stay the same, it is not only your right, but your responsibility to participate by telling  your elected representatives your opinions.  In Piedmont, our Council members make themselves readily available to residents.

You can contact your City Council members with your ideas using the emails below or by sending one email to the City Clerk at jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us addressed to the city council.

If you learn new or interesting things from your communications with your the City Council, PCA is eager to share the information.  You may send us your ideas or new information to editors@piedmontcivic.org.

A letter from a resident on the history of Moraga road accidents and traffic safety decisions

Having lived in Piedmont for 57 years, I am a first hand witness to the social, political and environmental facts that exist in our little Mayberry-USA.  The latest good deed is a scheme that involves the brilliant discovery of unknown land at Blair Park on Moraga Avenue.

Since the 1950’s, endless land developers have proposed free “gift” projects for this too-narrow strip of green open park space. The original Rockridge Payless Drug Store wanted to build there in the 60’s.  There have been many, many well intentioned proposals for condos, homes, townhouses, senior housing, strip mall stores, etc. at the Blair Park site. > Click to read more…

The results are out for the School Calendar Survey! Highlights include:

o   The majority of respondents with an opinion preferred a shorter summer (62%) while 38% preferred a longer summer.

o   80% of respondents with a preference and for whom it was applicable wanted to continue with the new collaboration day schedule.

o   Conference week:  respondents like the new schedule, and feel very strongly about keeping conferences.

Read the full 2011 Calendar Survey Report with more Graphs!

> Click to read more…

The Contra Costa Times provides a searchable database of public employee salaries.  It includes 2009 information on every city, county, school district and community college in the Bay Area, plus many special districts such as BART, AC Transit, and Port of Oakland.  The City of Piedmont and Piedmont Unified School District are included.  (Illustration of the database below – you must click on link below to use the database.)

Go to Searchable Salary Database

Correspondence from Timothy Rood, Piedmont Swim Club President, to the Piedmont Post

Re:  No record of pool decision or consultant hire

Dear Sir,

Your March 23 article, “Recreation Commission tests water on pool transition,” includes two incorrect statements. First, there is no record of a decision by the City Council on February 7, or any other date, to not renew the city’s lease with the Piedmont Swim Club. According to Article 2.07(c) of the City Charter, Council decisions require a majority vote, and no vote on the pool transition was publicly noticed or taken. Second, your article goes on to state that “Municipal Aquatics Consultant” Jeff Eorio “was hired by the city to facilitate the transition.” In fact, there is no public record of any aquatics consultant contract, and the Council did not allocate any funding for aquatics in the current fiscal year budget. According to Piedmont’s fundamental law, the Charter, “the City” can only make decisions or hire consultants by majority vote of the City Council. Our Council, City Administrator and City Attorney are surely aware of these Charter provisions, but routinely choose to ignore them.

Sincerely,

Timothy Rood
Piedmont resident

(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)

Highlights from the March 23, 2011 Board Meeting submitted by June Monach, Board of Education Trustee

Summary:

• Progress on District-wide Efforts Reviewed:
  • Diversity-Respect Task Force Mission Statement
  • 2011 Instructional Calendar Survey Results
  • Seismic Safety Bond Program Citizens’ Oversight Committee Report Reviewed
• Board Actions Taken:
  • Board Voted 4-0 to Use PEF Endowment Funds to Preserve Core Educational Program
  • Board Voted 4-0 to Adopt Resolution to Initiate Sale of $10 M in Qualified School Construction Bonds
• Board Direction Provided:
  • Board Requested Staff to Proceed with Beach Construction Based Upon the Cash Flow Analysis Presented by the Program Manager
• Other Business:
  • School Parcel Tax Levies
  • District Goals

> Click to read more…

At 2:30 a.m. on March 22, 2011 the Piedmont City Council voted to move ahead with building a sports complex in Blair Park on Moraga Avenue and adding night lighting and artificial turf on Coaches Field.    On a 4 -1 vote, with Garrett Keating voting no, the project proposed by Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization (PRFO) will move forward.  Keatting’s objection was over pedestrian and vehicular safety on Moraga Avenue based on his concern insufficient information in the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR).

Dozens of speakers presented the pros and cons of the project.  Con speakers described the environmental impacts, paricularly the destruction of 155 trees, fiscal liability to the City, pedestrian safety crossing busy Moraga Avenue, availability of Laney College fields as an alternate site for the Piedmont Soccer Club, indemnification of the City for potential legal costs, non-compliance with the City General Plan, fiduciary responsibility and litigation costs.  The Sierra Club, the Golden Gate Audubon Society, and many others pressed the Council to reject the project.  Pro speakers pleaded for more recreation space for children, the opportunity to accept private funding for the project, the need to use the space, the need to accept the original plan to avoid further environmental assessments, and a willingness to contribute to the cost of legal challenges. > Click to read more…

An official request for public records has been made to the City of Piedmont for information on the contract between the City’s consultant on the pool facilities, Jeff Eorio.  This request has been initiated by the Piedmont Swim Club President, Tim Rood.

This request comes on the heels of a previous objection by Tim Rood to the lack of a Council resolution and vote reflecting its direction to staff  to cease further lease negotiations with the Piedmont Swim Club and begin preparations to takeover the pool facilities.  The Council’s direction was provided to staff at the February 7, 2011 Council meeting.

Editors note: Under the Piedmont City Charter an affirmative vote by 3 members of the City Council is required for the Council to act.  

> Click to read more…