AgdaPkt 2004-07-12 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Kurt Edwards, Unit Director of the Boys and Girls Club on the Peninsula, thanked the Council and commended the wonderful job. He stated that the funding of the City has enabled additions to the teenage academic program. Renee Zimmerman, Executive Director of Family Connections, thanked the Council for the past and continued support of the HSFA program. She stated that the program is a great way to leverage funding and support all the human service agencies working to improve the lives of Redwood City residents. Douglas Styles, representing Youth and Family Enrichment Services, thanked Council for the generous support in the past and encouraged the continued support of these services. The Crisis and Suicide Prevention Center and the Your House South, a homeless youth shelter are the two programs he emphasized. Adrian Anderson, representing the Redwood City Firefighters, thanked the Council and staff for work that went into preparing the budget. He stated his hope that the recommended reductions to the Fire Department are indicative of the department being at the bottom of their barrel. He further stated that any cuts will impact staffing, which closes Engine 9 downtown and leads to a reduced level of service. In reference to neighboring cities' cuts, he stated that the downtown area lacking an engine reduces the firefighting capability and response time. He stated that cutting our city's level of service to match the other cities is not consistent with what should be done. J.P. Garcia, Chairperson of the Housing and Human Concerns Committee, reiterated the procedures that the HHCC underwent to bring the funding recommendations forward to the Council. He stated that the Committee sought to be fair and sensitive toward assisting the various organizations and highlighted various recommendations. Savera Keith, an attorney at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, spoke prior to the next study session. She stated that in 1990, the Redevelopment Agency entered into an agreement pertaining to the amount of funds to be earmarked for development of affordable housing. She stated that recently, this agreement has been re-interpreted after a series of audits. The result of this re-interpretation is that the level of funding dedicated to affordable housing will be cut by almost half. The Legal Aid Society is concerned that this major change will not benefit the needs of the community nor does it appear to be consistent with the City Council's concerns stated earlier this evening. As a signatory to this agreement, the Legal Aid Society requests access to the staff reports and supporting materials for this subject scheduled for consideration on June SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL, JUNE 21, 2004 COMMUNITY FACILITIES BOARD. PAGE 5 AND REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES --'