BURBANK — Changes to security at City Hall could be forthcoming as the city is about to enter into its annual budget negotiations.
In May, officials will start negotiating the city’s 2008-09 budget and funds for added security at City Hall figure to play a role in the negotiating process, Mayor Marsha Ramos said.
“I think it will certainly be a part of our budget discussions and appropriations,” she said. “We will likely include a line-item in the budget to enhance security one way or another.”
Adding a security element to the budget might push other programs out the door, Financial Services Director Bob Torrez said.
“We have revenues sufficient enough to pay for current costs, but not a lot for new programs,” he said. “There’s not going to be lot of recurring revenue. The council will have to do decide on a list of proposals by departments. It’s all a matter of prioritizing.”
The annual City Council goal-setting workshop, where the council’s priorities will be listed, is scheduled for May 3.
The issue of security has played a prominent role in Burbank since Feb. 19, when officials erected a metal detector outside the council’s chambers following a fatal shooting at the City Hall in Kirkwood, Mo. The return of Edwin Guerrero, a Burbank resident who was banned from the council for four years in 2004 after his aggressive conduct in the chambers, has also raised the ire of staff members who sit inches from the speaker’s podium. The metal detector, and two staff members from security firm Andrews International who operate the machine at each council meeting and at two Town Hall meetings the city held in March, has cost the city $12,500, City Manager Mary Alvord said.
The money comes out of a special, $75,000 city manager fund available for exigent circumstances, she said.
Any continuation of the metal detector, and other security enhancements at City Hall, would have to be approved by the council and discussed during budget negotiations. In the past, city officials have met with security experts who have recommended moving the public speaker’s podium farther from staff members and making City Hall offices less accessible, Alvord said.
On Tuesday, the council discussed security during its closed session meeting, but details of what transpired were not disclosed due to the nature of the talks.
