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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplemental Information - Letter from Bill Orton to City Council re: Seal Beach Trailer Park03/26/1996 03:01 .1111111001W .fi jd,qlvp-,C— I CARLOS PENILLA Bill Orton J� (-,2 k // n A Seal Beach, CA T� PAGE 01 NOU-09-2000 11:31 lmmmmmkw. 97% P.01 03/26/1996 03:01" qtr Bill Orton November 9, 2000 Hon. Patty Campbell Mayor City of Seal Beach 211 Eighth Street Seal Beach, CA 90740 Hon. Paul Yost Chairman Seal Beach Redevelopment Agency 211 Eighth Street Seal Beach, CA 90740 Dear Madame Mayor and Mr. Chairman I would like to thank the Members of the Council and Agency, for the support and interest that you displayed at the most recent joint hearing concerning the Seal Beach Trailer Park. I remain concerned about the manner in which the Residents Association has conducted the process surrounding the purchase of the park and find it disheartening that it took &joint public hearing of the Council and Agency to air essential details of this proposed purchase. The first responsibility of an elected official is to be honest. I do not feel that the Board of the Association trusts residents enough to talk honestly and openly with people. Regardless of the details or Association's conduct, however, it is wonderful to see such strong support from Council and Agency members. As a 20 -year resident of the SBTP, I would like to thank the Councilmembers for your votes in support of the park residents. Further, I would like to thank Mayor Campbell for the conduct of the joint heating. Everyone had the chance to speak. Questions were posed and addressed. And if things were not exactly as a book of rules may have dictated, any errors were on the side of openness. That is the true spirit of goverment. Sincerely, Mr. Bill Orton Seal Beach, CA ;! INNOW Scal Beach, CA 1� NW -09-2000 1131 9E> P.02 November 9, 2000 Hon. Patty Campbell Mayor City of Seal Beach 211 Eighth Street Seal Beach, CA 90740 Dear Madame Mayor and Mr. Chairman: Bill Orton Hon. Paul Yost Chairman Seal Beach Redevelopment Agency 211 Eighth Street Seal Beach, CA 90740 PAGE 01 I would like to urge Members of the Council and Agency to reject the proposed buyout of the Seal Beach Trail" Park before you on November 13. 1 have long said that it is better to have no deal than a bad deal. City officials are to be commended for your collective fine effort in trying to bring about a favorable outcome for Park residents. I would like to commend the Mayor, the Chairman, the Members and city staff for steadfast interest and support. Briefly, my profound reservations about the current proposal we: 1. Purchase Price: The purchase price is too high. Proponents may say that it is the best deal possible, but in my view, one should not buy a Rolls Royse if you can only afford a Chrysler. 2. Financitte: Interest rates are remarkably good, owing to a favorable financing package. But I doubt that the people living in this park will be able to easily sustain the long-range costs of the loans involved. If the MPROP funds were a grant and not a loan, maybe things would be different. But between the state loan and the city bridge and the bond debt, I think there is simply too much debt for residents to pay. 3. Govemeneee Items one and two might be acceptable, if the residents themselves were to actually be the controlling agent of the park, but that is far from the case. According to statements by Mr. Johnson, just two members of the seven -member governing board will be park residents. This means that we will have no direct control over the park or how future rent levels are proposed. 4. Tazpaver Subsidies: Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be paid out over a three-year period to subsidize rents. This is a generous offer by the Council and you deserve to be thanked for your kind consideration of the plight of residents. But I don't feel that it is proper or honorable for the Residents Association to request these subsidies. If the price and financing are too expensive, then we shouldn't buy the park. I generally support a purchase of the Park but I cannot in good faith endorse the ctirrent proposal. The price is too high, there is too much debt, residents will have no direct control and rent subsidies will dishonorably disguise a bad deal. I urge your'fio' vote on the measure before the Council and Agency. Sincerely ill Orton �, Seal Beach, CA NOU-09-2000 1157 =000ft 9Ei P.01