Joint City Council and Planning Commission Meeting
Bicycle Plan and Wireless Communications on Agenda –
The City Council and Planning Commission will hold a joint meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18, to discuss two important topics: a city bicycle plan and wireless communications. The meeting will be held in the Police Department Emergency Operations Center, 403 Highland Ave., which does not have broadcast capabilities.
The first item is consideration of expanding the scope of the City’s upcoming Bicycle Plan, and combining it with a Pedestrian Plan (including a Safe Routes to School section). The second item is a discussion of wireless communications facilities in the City, and whether or not the City should consider changes to its current procedures.
The City Council and Planning Commission may provide comments and direction on how to proceed on both topics. Staff reports will be available on the City’s website at www.ci.piedmont.ca.us on or about September 14. Citizens are encouraged to attend the September 18 meeting and express opinions and ideas. Email comments may be sent to jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us. Comments will be forwarded to the City Council and Planning Commission members.
Those interested in observing or hearing first hand what transpires at the meeting must attend the meeting, as the Emergency Operations Center, is not equipped for KCOM broadcasting.
The City Council’s FY 2012-13 budget sessions and the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee (BAFPC) meetings were also held in the EOC and were criticized for the limited seating and public access. The budget meetings were held in the EOC because all officials could sit around a conference table. Public requests to hold the meetings in Council Chambers with internet and KCOM facilities were declined. Video and audio records of those meetings were not kept.
There are also no public restrooms in the police station where the Emergency Operations Center is located. The closest options are City Hall (if open) or the gas station across the street.