3 Key Issues on City Council Agenda

The City Council will meet tonight to consider whether to place soda vending machines in a park, sell off surplus city vehicles and extend its current contract with cable television provider Time Warner for three months until a new agreement can be reached.

The council has met in private sessions recently to negotiate a new agreement with Time Warner, but a number of points--including how long the cable provider’s new contract should last--have caused delays in the process, said San Fernando City Councilwoman Joanne Baltierrez.

Baltierrez would not comment on other points of dispute because the council wants to work out the matter in private, she said.

To help remedy the situation, the council will consider whether to extend the current contract for three months, with negotiations continuing and perhaps ending before the possible extension expires.

“We’re looking at hopefully coming to an agreement within a month,” Baltierrez said.

The council also will consider whether to place two Coca-Cola vending machines in Pioneer Park. Under the proposed agreement, 20% of the revenues--an estimated $1,400 to $2,000 a year--would help fund youth programs of the Recreation and Community Services Department, according to the city.

And the city has a number of vehicles it seeks to sell. The council will consider whether to authorize the sale of four old autos and two pieces of old maintenance equipment.

The council meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month, in its chambers at 117 MacNeil St.