Votes at a glance: Hawaiian Gardens council approves right‑of‑way for regional fiber, employment‑agreement amendment and several council directives
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Summary
The Hawaiian Gardens City Council on Sept. 24 approved a right‑of‑way agreement for a regional fiber network, amended the city manager’s employment agreement, and directed staff to research nonprofit capacity building and form an ad hoc investment advisory committee.
The Hawaiian Gardens City Council took a series of unanimous procedural and substantive votes on Sept. 24. Key outcomes, as recorded in the meeting, are listed below.
Right‑of‑way agreement for regional fiber optic network The council approved a right‑of‑way use agreement with the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (COG) to allow COG to install, maintain and operate regional fiber optic lines within the City of Hawaiian Gardens’ rights of way. City staff said COG will fund construction through state and federal grants, will manage the work and be responsible for installation and maintenance; the city will have access to the installed fiber for future expansion or municipal uses. The council approved the item on a separate motion (roll call vote: Farfan — yes; Roa — yes; Vargas — yes; Mayor Pro Tem del Rio — yes; Mayor De Pala — yes). Staff said Hawaiian Gardens’ portion of installation is scheduled to start in October and to be completed in one to two months.
Consent calendar remainder Council approved the remainder of the consent calendar by roll call (same yes votes reported above).
Amendment No. 2 to the city manager employment agreement The council approved Amendment No. 2 to the employment agreement with City Manager Ernesto Marquez. Staff summarized key changes: a renewed four‑year term through 2029; severance increased from six to 12 months for some separations; a new base salary described in the report as $234,800 effective July 1, 2024 (transcript lists the numeric string as "2.22, 348,000" then a clarified figure), cost‑of‑living escalators aligning with other city employees, revisions to the 457 plan (3% employer compensation plus a 3% match), and memorialization of discretionary incentive pay. The motion passed on a roll call vote: Farfan — yes; Roa — yes; Vargas — yes; Mayor Pro Tem del Rio — yes; Mayor De Pala — yes.
Nonprofit capacity and civic league research The council directed staff to conduct additional research into strategies to assist local nonprofit groups and to report back at a future meeting. The direction grew from the mayor’s request to revive or replace a former civic‑league mechanism to build nonprofit capacity; the motion passed unanimously.
Ad hoc investment advisory committee appointments Council approved the formation of an ad hoc investment advisory committee and appointed Council member Victor Farfan and Council member Luis Roa to serve on it. The committee will work with staff to review the city’s investment policy, strategies and related financial matters. The motion carried by unanimous roll call.
How votes were recorded Where a roll call was recorded in the transcript, the council answered yes to each listed motion: Council member Farfan — yes; Council member Roa — yes; Council member Vargas — yes; Mayor Pro Tem del Rio — yes; Mayor De Pala — yes. No recorded motion failed or was tabled during the meeting.
What the agreements and votes mean for the city City staff said the regional fiber will be owned and maintained by COG initially but the city will be able to use and expand the network. The employment agreement amendment updates compensation and benefits to align the city manager’s contract with current management‑level provisions. The nonprofit research direction and the ad hoc investment committee are staff‑directed follow‑ups; both require further staff work and future council review. No budgetary appropriations beyond those already noted in staff reports were authorized at the Sept. 24 meeting.
