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Preparedness Team, in collaboration with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, wants to teach new members how to get ready for an emergency. The group meets at 9 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month in the Atherton town hall at 91 Ashfield Road. The
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With total reimbursements of $1,227.36, however, she pushed ahead in the cost category as compared with the mayor’s $766 during his four-and-a-quarteryear tenure. Highlights: the Mount Olive Annual Crab Feed ($40); the San Mateo County/ Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau annual meeting
next meeting is set for Saturday, April 2. Contact Hanna Malak at hannajmalak@yahoo. com for more information.
Dancing at the library Who says libraries and dancing don’t mix? Not Menlo Park. On Saturday, April 2,
($65), and a State of the Valley conference ($150). City Manager Glen Rojas explained the council travel policy: A $10,000 fund covers travel costs for all five council members as part of the annual city budget. They can either ask the city to pay in advance, or request reimbursement. When the trip involves traveling out of state, the reimbursement must be approved, before or after the fact, by the council
the main library will host Joe Marchi from the Center for the American Musical to discuss choreography in American musicals. The presentation starts at 11 a.m. in the downstairs meeting room of the library at 800 Alma St. Free van service is provided for Menlo Park seniors and those with disabilities. Call 3302512 to schedule a ride. during a regular meeting. He said the council as a whole usually doesn’t spend the full $10,000; any leftover money returns to the general fund. Ms. Fergusson sounded irritated when the Almanac asked her about the expenses, and refused to answer questions about the D.C. trip, saying an expense report would be coming shortly. “It doesn’t seem like you cover actual news anymore,” she said. A
Soaring garbage rates back on council agenda By Renee Batti Almanac News Editor
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ow should the Atherton sees garbage collection services City Council proceed on most of the Peninsula. The with an inevitable gar- cost of service for the smallest bage rate increase — earlier garbage cans available — 20 proposed at 63 percent to 98 per- gallon and 32 gallon — would cent? The council will revisit that increase by 63 percent, with prickly question when it meets incremental increases for larger Wednesday, March 16. containers of up to 98 percent. The issue was put on hold last By comparison, rates in uninmonth, when a public hearing corporated areas in the West Bay on the proposed rate hike drew Sanitary District rose by 35.6 a crowd of unhappy residents, percent; Hillsborough’s rates and interim City Manager John are likely to rise by 25 percent; Danielson suggested that he tackle Redwood City’s rates rose by 18 some of the many questions raised percent; and Menlo Park’s rates about the uncommonly high rate- are likely to rise by 15 percent. hike proposal before the council Mr. Danielson said that in addivotes on new rates. tion to past garbage rates that Mr. Danielson will report on didn’t reflect the increasing costs what he and outside analysts of the service, Atherton is being learned from their investigation asked to pay higher rates because over the last few weeks. of its small number of households Also on the and its lack of agenda is possible commercial busiapproval of a setness, which typiThe town may also tlement agreement cally is charged with Pacific Penin- settle a lawsuit over a far higher rate sula Group, a large road-impact fees. than residences. development firm Recology’s fuel that sued the town to recover and employee costs to provide serroad-impact fees it paid before vice in Atherton must be covered the town stopped charging the by a smaller number of customers, fee. The council will meet in driving up the per-customer rate, closed session before the regular he noted. meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., to discuss and possibly sign off on Lawsuit settlement? The proposed lawsuit settlethe proposed settlement. ment with Pacific Peninsula Rate hike Group, which was hammered Mr. Danielson’s report to the out in mediation, is confidential council will address, among until approved by the council, other issues, questions pertain- Mr. Danielson said. ing to the $334,000 balance If the council signs off on it in the town owes to Allied Waste, its special, closed-session meetwhich provided garbage collec- ing, which begins at 5 p.m., it tion service for many years until will take an official vote on it Recology took over the contract during the public meeting, with in January. members of the public given the The report offers a breakdown chance to comment. There is of costs reportedly contributing to also a public comment period that debt, including higher-than- at the beginning of the 5 p.m. expected worker’s compensation special meeting. and other employee costs, and Pacific Peninsula sued the higher disposal fees charged to town to recover nearly $300,000 Allied by the county. in road-impact fees it claims it Mr. Danielson told the Alma- was charged illegally. nac that complicating the matter The council last year authois that, over the years, the town rized refunds of a portion of the “didn’t raise rates consistently and fees paid by builders before the concurrently with (Allied Waste’s) town abandoned the fee in late rising expenses.” 2009 due to controversy about He noted that an audit of Allied its legality. Pacific Peninsula’s Waste’s books is expected to be lawsuit aimed to force the town completed by September, at which to refund the fees it paid in their time the firm will have to justify entirety. its final charge to the town. The special council meeting The proposed rate schedule begins at 5 p.m. in the Town would make Atherton rates the Hall administrative office at 94 highest in the county, and the Ashfield Road in the Atherton percentage of the increase would Town Center. The regular meetfar surpass that of any other ing begins at 7 p.m. in the Town public agency in the 13-member Council Chambers, also in the joint powers authority that over- town center. A
14 N The Almanac N March 16, 2011