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Commission agrees to return draft minutes after dispute over wording about revenues
Summary
The Redondo Beach Budget and Finance Commission voted to bring draft minutes back for revision after a treasurer said draft language inaccurately described revenues as "declining." Commissioners asked staff to consult the City Clerk on how to amend the May 8 minutes and to return all draft minutes at the next meeting.
The Budget and Finance Commission of Redondo Beach voted to bring draft minutes back for revision after a dispute over language in the May 8 draft that attributed the phrase “revenues have been declining” to the city treasurer.
The motion to bring all minutes back for further review and possible revision passed by voice vote after discussion. Eugene Solomon, Redondo Beach City treasurer, attended the meeting and said he had sought correction of the attribution in the minutes. “The only issue… was the language, the attribution within the minutes,” Solomon said, asking that the minutes be corrected to match the transcript.
Commissioners spent more than an hour reviewing the exchange from the May 8 meeting, during which members examined a transcript excerpt and a blue-folder addendum highlighting the treasurer’s statements. Commissioners and staff agreed the treasurer did not use the word “declined” in the recording; rather, the treasurer described uncertainty about future revenues and said some revenue sources “might be reduced” or could come in later than expected. One commissioner said she had summarized the meeting by describing revenues as not “on par” with expectations and acknowledged she had used the word “decline” in the prior meeting’s summary.
Staff said they would consult the City Clerk’s office about procedures for amending minutes, and the chair asked that the corrected language or an addendum be returned for approval. The commission then moved and approved a motion to table the three sets of minutes (May 8, a special meeting, and June 12) and bring them back at the next meeting so members could review the proposed revisions.
The commission’s action was procedural: no policy or budgetary change was adopted. Commissioners emphasized the importance of an accurate public record — noting that many people rely on minutes rather than video — and asked staff to present options for how to reflect the corrected attribution in the minutes (for example, by revising the draft or appending the transcript excerpt).
Looking ahead, staff said they would discuss with the City Clerk how best to amend or annotate the prior minutes and return the items for formal approval at the next meeting.
