The City Council has a full agenda for their regular meeting Monday night. Here’s a few of the items your community leaders will be discussing:
Could this be a twist of fate for the ill-fated Red Barn? City staff will be presenting a report on their assessment of the existing Red Barn within Christmas Hill Park – a facility the City has approved for demolition due to the large number of nesting bats and birds and the disrepair of the building. Then, the floor will open to the public for a hearing on what community members think could be done to save it.
At the Dec. 2 meeting, Councilman Perry Woodward requested the City hold off on plans to demolish the building until the public had a chance to speak up. The demolition plans came to a halt after Connie Rogers, president of the Gilroy Historical Society, told City Council that a 2004 report recommending modest repairs to save the structure was not considered by the Historic Heritage Committee – a group who first recommended demolition of the aging structure in 2005.Â
Read more about the Red Barn here.
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Deadline on appeal for denied public records requests
The City Attorney’s Office recommended that the existing Open Government Ordinance be amended to include a 10-day window for appeals of denied requests.
No time frame currently exists for appeals, and if approved by City Council, someone who filed a request that was denied would have 10 days from the date the request was denied to appeal to the City Administrator and 10 days to appeal to the Open Government Commission.
City Attorney Linda Callon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether the deadline, if approved, would apply retroactively to all records requests or just to requests filed after the ordinance is approved.
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Update on homelessness initiatives
Gilroy Police Chief Denise Turner will be presenting a report on what the City has done to address homelessness in the community. City Council approved a 15-step plan in July to address the homeless, and her report will mark six months since the plan was initially approved.
According to Turner, City staff encountered approximately 30 illegal homeless encampments in 2013. Police received 446 calls for service involving homeless individuals and a majority – 42 percent – involved a call of a homeless person trespassing, she added.
Turner is expected to present long-term goals designed to help Gilroy deal with the homeless population in the future, including advocating to Santa Clara County the need for a full-time case worker, mental health professional or clinician in Gilroy, who would work either individually or with a team to assist those in need.
Monday night’s City Council meeting is slated for 6 p.m. in council chambers of City Hall, located at 7351 Rosanna Ave.
