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South Pasadena council approves permitting software, public‑art handbook and code changes; several consent items pass unanimously
Summary
At its Nov. 19 meeting the council approved a professional services agreement with OpenGov to replace permitting software, adopted a public art policy handbook, passed an ordinance revising commissions rules (term limits, meeting frequency and youth member provisions), and approved multiple consent items including an impact fee study contract.
The South Pasadena City Council approved several staff proposals and routine items on Nov. 19.
Permitting software — OpenGov: Community Development Director Erica Ramirez recommended replacing the city's existing permitting and land‑management system with OpenGov, citing out‑of‑the‑box reporting, simultaneous plan review via Bluebeam integration, mobile inspection capability and a public user portal. Staff proposed to fund the first year from the permit technology surcharge and department budgets, with the remainder covered by the surcharge in years 2–6. Jack Cohen, OpenGov's permitting representative, confirmed reporting, mobile and nightly financial export capabilities. The council approved the professional services agreement and related appropriation by roll call vote.
Public art policy handbook: The council adopted the Public Art Policy Handbook (Resolution No. 7956) after a presentation from the community development director and public comment in support from the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation. The handbook formalizes roles, selection criteria and optional review processes for voluntary public art on private property. Councilmembers discussed funding and next steps for curating projects, and staff said the handbook will be posted online and used to update the public‑art application.
Boards and commissions ordinance: The council adopted an ordinance (summary read aloud and approved) that revises Chapter 2 of the municipal code governing boards and commissions. Key changes include clarifying residency/quorum language, standardizing term calculations to prevent excessively long holdovers (6 years in an 8‑year period), setting objective absence rules for vacancies (e.g., three consecutive regular meetings or one‑third of meetings in 12 months), requiring commissions to adopt a regular meeting schedule by resolution, and adjusting meeting frequency and membership counts for several commissions (moving some to a five‑member model over time and shifting some commissions to bi‑monthly meetings). The council also approved an amendment to ensure a 12‑month waiting period before an individual who has reached the term limit can be reappointed to any commission. Council discussion covered youth‑member transitions and planning/design‑review workload; the ordinance includes uncodified provisions to manage the transition.
Other approvals: The council approved professional services and capital items on the consent calendar (including authorization for a development impact fee study and upgrades to the War Memorial Building AV system and other CIP items) and heard a thorough quarterly CIP update from public works.
Votes: Roll calls recorded unanimous approval on the listed items (votes shown as 'Yes' for Council member Ferguson, Council member Permit/Perriman, Council member Cacciootti, Mayor Pro Tem Rossi and Mayor Braun).
