Foothills Sentry - February 2024

Page 7 Foothills Sentry February 2024 You can STOP the SPREAD Protect your oaks before the larvae hatch in March. Contact Mike Boeck at rockdad@cox.net for more information. Elks support Orange High youth Orange Elks Lodge 1475 donat- ed $1,475 to the academic team of Orange High's MCJROTC (Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) to at- tend the JROTC National Cham- pionship in Washington, D.C. The program is for male and fe- male students and helps them de- velop leadership skills, self-disci- pline and physical fitness. There are teams in drill, marksmanship, academic and cyber security that participate in local and national competitions. The academic team qualified for the JROTC National Championship; they will tour the Capital, visit the National Muse- um of the Marine Corps and meet members of Congress during the trip. Woman’s Club accepting entries for April flower show VP explores license plate readers The Woman's Club of Orange will hold its 85th Annual Flower Show "100 Years of Roses" on Thursday, April 4, from noon to 4 p.m. Entries of anything floral – prized plants, flowers or arrange- ments - are welcome and free, and will be professionally judged. A big section will be devoted to entries from preschoolers through high schoolers. For entry forms and more information, call (714) 617-0203 or email p3qees@att. net or see womanscluboforange. org. Entries will be accepted on Wed., April 3 from 2-4 p.m. and on Thursday, the day of the event, between 7:30 and 9 a.m. The event will be open to the public; admission is free. Vendor booths, including the Woman’s Club’s own Sweet Shoppe and Plant Booth will offer shopping. A light luncheon, beverage and desserts at the Garden Café. All proceeds from this annual event will benefit Woman’s Club of Or- ange philanthropies. by Andie Mills A Villa Park town hall meeting addressed License Plate Readers (LPR), Jan. 11. Led by Mayor Vince Rossini, the Orange Coun- ty Sheriff’s Department presented information and answered resi- dents’ questions about the tech- nology. The tool, which would in- clude fixed cameras at designated points of city egress and ingress, would be looped in to a real-time operations center, allowing law enforcement to proactively pro- file vehicles departing a crime scene and track their travel. Sheriffs already have in-car li- cense plate readers that search for stolen vehicles and outstanding warrants and, they said, neigh- boring cities, such as Anaheim and Orange, will utilize the tech- nology. The Friends of the Orange Public Library celebrated its 65th birthday with a ribbon cutting ceremony, Jan. 19. From left, Alisa Driscoll, Jim Dickenson, Kathleen Stevens, Mayor Dan Slater. Swing dancing to live music offered by Villa Park High A session of swing dancing will be offered to the public, Fri- day, Feb. 9, at the refurbished Villa Park High band auditorium. Live music will be provided by the VPHS Jazz Band. The event runs from 5 - 9 p.m. Free beginner swing lessons from pro teachers Cat and Adolfo start at 6 p.m. Free photos will be taken by Rick Goldsmith Photography. DJ Pete will take over when the band goes on break. Drinks will be provided, and dinner will be available for purchase between 5-7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door, or via Venmo to Villa-ParkIM; in- dicate Swing Event in the notes. All proceeds benefit the VPHS Instrumental Music program, di- rected by Ed Corbett. The auditorium is located at 18042 Taft Avenue "Trash rates" continued from page 1 “There has been no outreach regarding this new contract,” Michael Fisher pointed out. “It’s worth millions and affects ev- eryone in the city, but the no- tice had limited information and the contract was posted just five days ago. This looks like it was jammed through the holidays when no one was paying atten- tion. Rates for a three-yard com- mercial bin are going up 123%. This shouldn’t be rushed through without community input.” Contested contract “I object to the process,” Kate Bonnard said. “Why a new contract when the existing one doesn’t expire until 2025? We wouldn’t see these increases until then. We need more time.” “I’m interested in the thought process behind doing this early,” Gyllenhammer said. “We should wait for the contract to end. In- creasing the commercial rate overnight is hard for people to hear. This item needs to be con- tinued.” “I want an answer about why we are not waiting,” Gutierrez advised. “Why put an increase on residents next month instead of next year? Why is it negotiated now for 10 years, with an op- tion for another five? And I want to understand the increases after this year. I can’t understand the formula used to determine those increases; how will we know how much we have to pay?” “We’ve been having conversa- tions with CR&R about service and equipment issues over the last couple of years,” Cash ex- plained. “We need to memorial- ize quality control and adherence to new state legislation. The old contract didn’t have language to project compliance and protect the city. The rates we were pay- ing did not support the service we wanted and needed. Much of the restated contract is the same.” Aye, there’s the rubbish “Then why not amend what we need to?” Gutierrez came back. “Why add 10 years? And why are commercial rates so high?” Cash told her that the commer- cial rates are based on different tables, not just one, and reflect the same provision that’s in the current contract. He also noted that there is a step-up option wherein commercial rates would be increased by 50% this year and 50% next year. In that case, the initial road repair payment would be split over two years, $3 million each. The subsequent an- nual payments would be reduced to $1 million the first year, then jump to the projected $2 million thereafter. Councilmember Arianna Barri- os advocated the step-up process to ease the burden on commercial customers, but, she noted, “This isn’t a stand-alone issue. We’re looking at a deficit. It’s not pretty, and it’s not cheap. We asked what benefits the city could get, what could go back to residents. We need to improve our communica- tions with residents, make things more palatable for them.” Silver lining Denis Bilodeau also supported the step-up option, but reminded his colleagues and the audience that Orange ratepayers do not pay franchise fees. Other cities have a surcharge on the trash bill that goes straight to city hall. “The $6 million will go directly to city streets. Trash trucks cause wear and tear; we’re finally going to address this.” Both Gutierrez and Gyllenham- mer emphasized that increasing rates on Feb. 1 without notice is “irresponsible.” Gutierrez asked if the higher fees could be delayed by three to six months. Barrios suggested at least a one-month reprieve, depending on how that would impact total receipts. A CR&R spokesman in the au- dience told the council that the company would be OK with a one-month delay. A subsequent motion to approve the contract with the manure rates, commer- cial step-up and March 1 start date was passed, 5-2. Gutierrez and Gyllenhammer voted no. The city emphasizes that Or- ange’s trash rates remain in the lower one-third of surrounding cities. Residents’ concerns included loss of privacy, the number and cost of cameras, who would have access to the tapes, and account- ability and transparency, should the program be implemented. Citizens also questioned if the cameras could be used to monitor other activity, such as trash pick- up and home inspections. Rossini indicated that, before the city council can vote on the matter, an RFPwould be required, a vendor selected and costs deter- mined. The chosen vendor would work with the Sheriff’s Office to determine the most advantageous camera placements. With or without cameras, resi- dents were reminded that the Neighborhood Watch program, “If you see something, say some- thing” works, helping the city maintain a low crime rate. Sign up at villaparknw@gmail.com . Library friends host book sales The Friends of the Canyon Hills Library (FOCAL) will hold the first of its popular flash book sales for 2024 on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 21 and 22. There will be “special pricing” on the second day of the sale. The book sales have allowed FOCAL to sponsor a number of programs – Teddy Bear Picnic, Trunk or Treat, Santa in the Hills – and as- sist in the revamping of the library children’s area. Additional sales are slated for March 21 and 22, and April 23 and 24. All run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library is located at 400 S. Scout Trail in Anaheim Hills.