Walnut City Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall on Nov. 14 and voted unanimously to approve the council consent calendar. They also discussed different city events.
One of the items that was approved was Resolution No. 18-62 – Salary Schedule/Position Authorization Change which will result in the city saving $71,719 which gives sufficient funding for the 2018-19 budget.
Another item approved was the addition of 10 motion detection cameras being installed around the city. They first approved 11 cameras on April 26 of last year, but the Walnut Sheriff’s Department requested additional cameras.
The cameras take photos of vehicles license plates and stores the photos on a thumb drive, projecting around 260,000 images of license plates each week.
These images are saved for 60 days and are released to the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies for further criminal investigation.
The cameras will cost around $21,500 for equipment and installation, and $14,500 in staff resources.
The additional cameras will cost $36,000 in total which will be funded by the Citizens Options for Public Safety Grant Fund Reserve.
The council also approved the parks and recreation commission’s recommendation to approve biannual use agreements from January until July 2019.
The 5-0 vote allowed for $15,000 in annual revenue, and provides access to Butterfield, Creekside, Snow Creek, Suzanne, and Walnut Ranch Park to local organizations for practices and games.
There will also be a veteran’s memorial on Nov. 28 at City Hall before the city council meeting. Council member Bob Pacheco said he will give out 100 new American flags in exchange for old worn out flags, so that he can retire them properly.
“I think they deserve better recognition,” council member Mary Su said about the veterans event.
On Oct. 20, the first annual music and arts block party was held at Walnut Hills Plaza from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. on the corner of Amar and Nogales.
It was a free event which included a car show, food trucks, live entertainment, a beer garden, and other activities.
NexGen Collaboration Group wants to engage with Walnut residents aged 20-40, and get them more involved in the community.
“It’s really exciting that young people are getting involved in the community,” Mayor Mary Tragarz said.
The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will be held on Wed, Nov. 28 at City Hall at 7 p.m.
