Pasadena City Council meeting preview

There are a couple of interesting items on tonight's agenda. First, the council will likely approve an $11.6 million staff pay raise- not likely to be any discussion on this item, unless somebody comes in specifically to comment on it. For more details, see this post from Friday.

Next, the city is seeking another grant for river restoration projects along the Arroyo Seco. They are looking for about $3.7 million from a state grant program. One project will develop a stretch of the river along Berkshire Avenue, removing non-native trees, raising the bank, and improving a storm drain so less trash gets into the river. The second will naturalize a dam in the upper Arroyo Seco area to allow a seasonal pond to form and give fish a way to move between the pond and the river, depending on how much water is released. The city would have to contribute $150,000 in matching funds for the project.

The city will also release the count on a ballot process for the Annandale Canyon Open Space District, which would create a new taxation district for neighborhoods around the canyon. The ballots went out last month to 600 households around the area. Janette Williams wrote about the issue here.

Finally, the city has a public hearing on a 2007-08 report for distribution of federal CDBG grants to social programs, including housing and poverty groups.. The report, which is quite lengthy, can be accessed here.