The City just received delivery of $398,000 worth of Meridian Barriers meant to protect pedestrians from vehicle intrusion in the Plaza. The $398,000 purchase hastily approved by a majority of the Orange City Council two months ago is roughly 50% of the barriers needed to protect events in the Plaza.
These new barriers, along with others rented from Meridian will protect the plaza during this weekends 30th Annual Orange Plaza Rotary Car Show. These barriers are proven to be effective in stopping cars and trucks during accidental and purposeful intrusions into protected areas.
The problem is not that they don’t work, or aren’t needed. The issue many residents are questioning is why the purchase was made by the city during a time of severe budget cuts, with more to come.
District 1 Council Member Arianna Barrios, whose District includes the Plaza tried to stop, or at least delay the purchase to explore other outside funding for the barriers, including a possible Congressional earmark. Her colleagues ignored her common sense pleas and voted to spend the money anyway.
While the city maintains that the funds for the purchase of the barriers comes from an account that requires the money to be spent on ‘traffic safety” projects or equipment, many wonder why barriers that virtually nobody wanted or needed were chosen for these funds. The money could have been spent on a wide variety of projects and equipment that are arguably more needed and urgent.
Events that need the barriers have rented them from Meridian at their own expense for years. Most events are put on by non profits like the Orange International Street Fair, Inc. which is now Orange Plaza Traditions, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. None of these event organizers appear to have wanted, or asked the City of Orange to purchase the barriers.
Given that the city has purchased roughly 50% of the barriers needed for a typical event, one would think this would save the events 50% of the usual rental costs. That is not the case according to event promoters who report minimal savings on their rental costs for the remaining 50%. Additionally, city staff will now have to deal with the delivery, pick up, maintenance, and storage of the barriers. Not optimal for a city that is facing bankruptcy should significant additional revenue not be found according to the City Manager.
No City official would answer our questions as to who pushed for this purchase, and why these barriers are being provided to event producers, who generally produce a profit, at no cost. Except to the tax payer of course. The city could have chosen to charge for the barriers use, at the very least until the purchase price was recouped. No clear answers exist as the whether the city will charge for their delivery and set up either.
The City Council is poised to discuss placing a whopping 1% sales tax increase that will raise an estimated $37 million in much needed new revenue on the November ballet at the next council meeting. At the last meeting it was discussed that the city would initially spend $95,000 tax payer dollars to educate the same tax payers as to why the city needs more money. Yes, a broke city wants to spend money to educate you on why it needs more money. Perhaps the city needs educating on being better stewards of tax payer money before we vote to give them more?
While our Editorial Board recognizes the dire need for more funds, and supports a yes vote on a 1% sales tax increase should it be placed on the ballet, the City Council has to prove to the voters that they will not just waste the extra tax money and come back begging for more later. The city spent money on a consultant to ask residents if they would support the tax increase. According to city staff, “after educating residents on the need for the tax increase 58% said they would vote yes if the initiative was placed on the ballot”. Our internal, non scientific polling of 112 registered voters produced a result of approximately 70% saying they would vote no if able.
Our Public Safety Departments, as well as all the rest, are underfunded and the employees are underpaid relative to virtually all other Orange County cities. Orange faces the continued loss of skilled employees to other cities that will only increase if we do not properly fund the city and demand it put in place strict fiscally conservative guardrails.
