Glendale retains city’s help

“The amount is a very good contract for Glendale,” he said. “It’s comparable to communities like Santa Clarita and Pasadena. When we first started, the contract was cheaper than market level, costs have risen through the years, but it’s still a good amount. We’re not making any profit on this.”

Should Glendale find that private contractors are not the best option, they could renew their agreement with Burbank on one condition.

“If [they] want to come back, we would definitely want to have a long-term contract of 10 years or more,” Johnson said.

Regional partnerships are an intrinsic form of neighborly government, Assistant City Manager Mike Flad said.

“This is a pretty positive thing,” he said. “It’s really important for local governments to look at where it makes sense to partner regionally. This saves money, and doing things more efficiently is a goal of ours. It’s good government when we’re able to partner.”

Burbank also partners with Glendale for fire and ambulance dispatch services as well as a search-and-rescue helicopter program, Flad said.

If the contract with Glendale ends in June, Burbank does not expect to lay off any workers.

One traffic signal technician is expected to retire next June and others will be rolled into new positions at a traffic control building the Public Work Department is set to open next year, Johnson said.

“The timing is good because . . . we’ll have a position for someone to manage and maintain electronic devices, like traffic signals and cameras,” he said. “We’ll also get technicians who have worked in the field to come in.”