The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 14

INLAND EMPIRE The San Bernardino County Sun WEDNESDAY, July 2, 1997 B3 Redlands: City council Council approves 1997-98 budget Rialto Redlands city council The council on Tuesday also: Sitting as the Redevelopment Agency, agreed to spend $59,413 toward two low- and moderate-income houses off Brook side Avenue for as many as four disabled adults through the Homes for Living program. They also authorized the use of up to $700,000 from redevelopment funds for a proposed 62-unit expansion of the Casa de la Vista low-income senior housing complex. Because of anticipated interest in basin water storage, agreed to have Councilman William Cunningham replace Councilman Gilberto Gil as the alternate city representative to the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District's Advisory Commission. Mayor Swen Larson will remain the principal advisor. Unanimously adopted a specific plan amendment that will allow 24-Hour Fitness in the Citrus Village Shopping Center on Redlands Boulevard extended hours and to open for business at 5 a.m.

es. He agreed Tuesday that the amendment is an acceptable compromise. "The numbers will be tough to work with, but if the police continue on the track it's going, we will be able to turn a profit," said Paul Beagle of A Towing in Kedlands. "1 like the idea that we are more at an even playing field." Hyman said the city found that a police towing yard would have a negative impact. "It would have had a severe impact on the businesses, and that wasn't our goal," he said.

The towing amendment also updated regulations intended to provide the city more protection. The city had to jump through a few hoops in March before it could terminate its existing towing franchise with a company that police claimed had inade- fee schedules and operations conduct. It includes a revamped procedure for addressing violations. "The document was rewritten for more accountability," Hyman said. Teacher pay talks hit road block Council insists police monitor 'Run Whatcha Brung' car show, that city hire a code enforcement officer and that planning fees stay low.

By Steve Sebelius Sun Staff Writer RIALTO The City Council unanimously approved a $68. (i million budget Tuesday night, but not before council members did some last-minute tinkering. The council told administrators that they wanted funds to be available for police to monitor the annual "Run Whatcha Brung" car show, for another code enforcement officer and to keep fees in the Planning Department low. The budget increases spending $3.4 million overall from last year's $65.2 million. The general fund, however, actually decreases spending by $1.3 million from last year, to $26.6 million, said Andrew Green, director of administrative services.

Budget figures were harder to decipher this time because the city included administrative costs in some categories twice. Under Proposition 218, local governments can only charge fees that cover the costs of service they provide, but Rialto's budget software couldn't strip the costs from individual categories and leave them in a general account. Green told the council. New software planned for next year should fix the problem, he said. One of the budget's hardest elements was softened somewhat when Councilman Ray Farmer insisted that funds be available to police the "Run Whatcha Brung" car show, the city's most popular community event.

Funds for special-event security provided by Rialto police were cut, forcing event organizers to pay those costs. "Cutting that out of the budget, to me, is like cutting the tricts routinely grant some measure of release time for presidents of their teachers' unions. In Fontana, the school district pays the full salary of the president of the Fontana Teachers' Association. "When we're dealing with problems, that person is available to us and that means we don't have to pull somebody out of the classroom," said Patricia Peoples, Fontana's assistant superintendent of personnel. "We have felt that that kind of role has been of benefit to our district." The San Bernardino City Unified School District receives $80 a day in compensation from its teachers' union whenever the president is not teaching.

"It's a hell of a good subsidy for the union and it may even violate the government code," said San Bernardino district spokesman Joe Woodford, noting a portion of state law prohibiting employers from contributing financially to labor unions. Woodford, an assistant to superintendent E. Neil Roberts and a district negotiator, thinks release lime is important to maintaining a stable learning environment for students. "In the old days we got lots of parent complaints," he said. "The disruption to the classroom is really a significant problem in my opinion." Continued from B1 iimiin of :) vehicles towed per month, but the police department towed more than 100 vehicles the first quarter of this year, said C'apt.

Clettis llyinan. The city will get $175 per police-authorized tow when the vehicle is impounded for 30 davs and $10 for all other tows. The money will help offset the costs of increased inspections and paperwork, llynian said. The Kedlands Police Department last spring started looking into creating a police impound lot with the idea of generating new city revenues. But local towing businesses complained that the yard would cut into their profits.

Harold Anderson of Towing was among the business owners who opposed the city going into the storage business- KVCR Continued from B1 about 39 percent of the stations' budgets. Television station manager and 20-year colleague Lew Warren credited Little's ability to withstand the funding fluctuations as his biggest contribution. "He's always kept the stations moving forward," said Warren. Fund-raising and membership drives weren't needed in 1963 when Little started as a producerdirector. Now a critical part of the budget, paid membership this year reached 12,712 and fund-raising and corporate underwriting drew $335,550 for the stations.

Little taught communication broadcasting at Valley College from 1907 to 1974. He became station general manager in 1975 and has held the post since then, with a hiatus in American Samoa from 1977 to 1979 working as director of television operations and general manager of KVZK-TV in Pago Pago. Little's first big project at KVCR-TV was obtaining a grant and changing the station to color television in 1975-76. Over the years, he used grant money and matching funds to move the station's transmitter to Box Springs Mountain and to purchase new cameras and editing equipment. His successor's biggest challenge will be converting the TV station to a digital television format, which will cost more than $1.8 million.

Little has started a contingency fund containing $500,000 to be used toward that goal. Digital television has a wide-screen format and surround sound capabilities and will allow two to four channels for broadcasting non-digital programs. Little said the station will need to focus more on getting corporate donations to make changes, as well as to move the station to another location. A recent engineering report recommended that Valley College relocate several buildings on campus because of their location on the San Jacinto fault. North Hall wasn't one of those buildings, but Little believes the future is elsewhere, possibly in the district offices.

KVCR-TV Channel 24. in addition to providing national programs such as "Sesame Street," "Mystery" and "This Old House," offers locally produced programs such as "Dialogues" and "Impac-to." KVCR-FM 91.9 is the only radio station in the area that plays classical music as well as offering such programs as "Morning Edition" and "Fresh Air." ILLI0N Fourth of rrD crossing guards out. I think it will come back, as a council, to haunt us," said Farmer. "I just don't want to see it go by the wayside." In the end. the council agreed that it would step in to field officers if events were in danger of being canceled because of a lack of security.

The Police Department, meanwhile, will add two new officers, thanks to federal grants, and a sergeant's position. When the Planning Department was discussed, Councilman Ed Scott reacted harshly to a proposal that would have seen some planning fees increase to cover flagging budgets. Overall, the city had to make up a $3 million gap in the general fund, forcing some programs to search for ways to become more self-sufficient. "I would hope that raising fees is not part of our new business-friendly program, Mr. Taylor," Scott said to Development Services Director Rod Taylor.

"I'm not convinced that our costs of service are accurate." Scott also weighed in about restoring a code enforcement position in the Fire Department's budget that had been left vacant to save money. "I didn't think we could have enough code enforcement officers in this town," Scott said. Code enforcement positions can generate money through fines from citations to cover the officer's salary. Despite the cuts that had to be made, the budget is good news for Rialto, Green said. "The Rialto economy is starting to stabilize," he said.

"We're finally starting to see a sustained increase." Sales taxes in the city, for example, have gone up 10 percent on the average in the last four quarters, providing more money to address the budget deficit. to 44 Over 50 styles on sale now! Choose from over 800 fashion fabrics. I'pfirudc to our finest fabrics. utclv FREE! No Monthly Payments, No Finance Charges for One Full Year! icltcn puitl in full per terms shmvH jcw00 Teachers and the district are at odds over who will pay the teachers' union president. By Aldrin Brown Sun Staff Writer I ALTO Less than a month after Rialto teachers declared an impasse in salary negotiations with the district, trustees relented this week and offered teachers the 4.21 percent increase they want.

But Tuesday there was still no deal and the two sides seemed again to be struggling this time over who will pay the salary of Kialto Education Association President Barry Thompson when he is away from the classroom on union business. Trustees, citing the fact that the president doesn't teach classes, are demanding the association pay the full cost of his salary, estimated to be as much as $63,000. Union officials are willing to pay the cost of a substitute teacher, about $85 a day, but said they can't afford to pay Thompson's full salary. "It's very frustrating," Thompson said. "That's just not the way it's done throughout the area and the state.

"In other districts, it is realized that having a full release time president is as beneficial to the district as it is to the association." By serving on various district committees and heading off teacher complaints, the union president serves an important role in the district, above and beyond his duties as head of the union, Thompson said. "The ability of the district and the association to work out differences before they become ma- BKart' How to succeed in business without sucking up. In color. On die Business page. Fvcrv The Sun San Bernardino County's Newspaper July Celebration I quate equipment and didn't have required inspection paperwork.

The new agreement specifies the equipment to be used, the number and type of trucks required, storage specifications. jor problems is beneficial to everyone." Some board members disagree. "I see him as being minimally valuable to the district," board President John Kazalunas said. District money should not be used to subsidize the teachers union, he said. "The kids can't afford to have that kind of money coming out of the classroom to support the teachers union," Kazalunas said.

"How can I justify telling a parent, 'Hey, your kid doesn't have air conditioning in his classroom, but we're giving this guy $63,000 to work as union Rialto's impasse has again exposed fissures between several trustees and some district administrators who think that it hurts students to put the union president in the classroom and then pull him out repeatedly during the school year to attend to union and district business. "Before there was presidential release time, there were many times when it was necessary for the president of the association to be called out of district spokeswoman Marilyn Cardosi said. "It was not good for the instructional program of kids." Some of the larger county dis Save 15 to 44 Sarah 85" Sofa only $599" Custom 13 mmHHfftrxn SAVE 1 5 IIIIMIMMIMIMI Fabric Upgrades 0 li rm Call jor Special Prices, You Won't be Sorry! Dancing Bilcttainment Fri 6 Sal 9lm-2am ImKnnd 'I 1045 Parkford Drive. Redlands fist nit right on Ford SI, right to Parkfnrd Dr. for Reservations 909793-2221 rani ihrma Save 15 to 33 Brookhurst Sofa only $899" i jj Ddlon's is Now Open Sanintiys for Lunch Corkttib 0fn I Tired of Lifting That Heavy Door? GENIE $OKQ 13 HP w2 Trans.

MfJU Iri.ulH Colors Available Financing Available nmdam at additional cost 1MV Call Crafted Moreno Valley: 12125 When You Want the A Silent Steel Sectional Garage Door $499s 7k $. Eg oac Inc. Tax Haul Away of old door Since 1986 Expires 7897 'Free fabric upgrade offer does not apply to leather. "For approved purchates made through July I 1997 when you ute or promotional period, but paymenti will not be required If you pay the purchate in full wtthrfi thu penod. the finance charge! 21.

15 APR 33 down payment recfutred. Minimum monthly finance charge $1 00. Credit tubfect to approval by Monogram open a Krautei credit card charge account Finance char get on your promotional purchaiet wilt be attested during the will be credited to your account you fail to tjtitfy thu condition, you will be retponnWe for thete finance charges Credit Card Bank of Georgia Offer not good on prior order or tn combination with other ducountt -BEST GARAGE DOOR Day Street 68-1 3900 Serving You Store Hours 1 0AM-9PM Weekdays Sat, I0AM-4PM and Sun. 1 1 AM-7PM San Bernardino: 1930 South Street 824-9572 Montclair: 5505 Moreno 9'i6-9082 800-606-3667 or 909-797-0756 1 Visit our Showroom Also Open Sat. 9-1 pm 33092 Yucaipa Blvd.

Yucaipa.