Ridgecrest council approves agenda, consent calendar and $64,000 budget amendment for road project planning

At the Ridgecrest City Council meeting on Oct. 15, councilmembers approved the meeting agenda, adopted the consent calendar and voted to increase appropriations to the fiscal year 2025-26 budget to place about $64,000 of auction revenue into an expense account for road-safety work.

Acting City Manager Travis Reid told the council that the city had auctioned surplus equipment through a government auction website and received about $64,000 in revenue. He said the money had been recorded as revenue but not allocated for expenses and that the council was being asked to place the funds into an expense account to complete bid documents for a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) project. Reid noted timing was critical so work could be performed over summer when Los Flores School is not in session; the work includes preparing a bid package for a HAWK pedestrian signal in front of Los Flores School.

Reid said the funds would not cover the entire project cost and that, "If we do award a contract, obviously, we will come back to council to award that contract." Councilman Gorman asked whether the HAWK signal near Los Flores School was the only intended use; Reid said that currently it was the single project planned for the funds because of timing constraints.

Council action: - Approval of meeting agenda: Motion and second; recorded outcome: 5 ayes, motion carries. - Adoption of consent calendar (four items): Motion and second; recorded outcome: 5 ayes, motion carries. - Resolution to increase appropriations to the FY 2025-26 budget by placing about $64,000 of surplus equipment sale revenue into an expense account for HSIP bid preparation (including HAWK signal at Los Flores School): Motion and second; recorded outcome: 5 ayes, motion carries.

Ending: The council approved the appropriation and will consider any contract award in a future meeting before committing construction funds.