Beaumont City Council Meeting: What Did We Learn? – March 26, 2019

WRCOG is a Perfect Example of a Bureaucracy: It Starts Out as One Little Thing, then it Expands.

Western Riverside Council of Governments was formed to collect Mitigation Fees to build Regional Roadways.

WRCOG Presentation

TUMF – Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees

City of Beaumont Embezzled $42 Million in TUMF Fees then Quit/was thrown out of program.

$3 Billion in Transportation Improvements and Open Space Acquisition.

Largest Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Fee Program in the Country.

Nearing the $1 Billion Mark in Fees Received.

Nearly 100 Projects Completed.

Also responsible for Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency,

Manager 40,000 Acres with Endangered Species: Stevens Kangaroo Rat.

Coming Soon: Regional Streetlight Program.

Purchase 50,000 Streetlight from SoCal Edison & Convert to LED.

$60 Million ‘Savings’ over 20 year period.

April 2020 Launch Date.

Community Choice Aggregation: Another JPA [Joint Powers Authority]

Purchase Energy on behalf of Local Governments.

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Relevant Issues

A Clear Conflict of Interest
The City of Beaumont's contract with Urban Logic presents a significant conflict of interest and therefore must be terminated.
Favoritism and Cronyism
The City of Beaumont, under Urban Logic and City Manager Alan Kapanicas, has consistently demonstrated favoritism and cronyism in the awarding of pubic contracts.
Cost to Taxpayers
Urban Logic's contract with The City of Beaumont which allows it to profit from each approved development, along with their on-going practice of awarding high-dollar public contracts to a small group of friends and associates instead of to the lowest bidder, have cost Beaumont taxpayers millions.
Impact on Existing Businesses
The policies of Urban Logic and City Manager Alan Kapanicas ignore the needs of existing businesses in favor of new development and big box stores.
Quality of Life
Urban Logic and City Manager Alan Kapanicas have damaged our quality of life by failing to uphold high development standards, depleting local resources, making local government less accessible to residents, and by destroying the small town feel of the City of Beaumont.
Tactics
Urban Logic protects its ability to extract money from the City of Beaumont at all costs, resorting to intimidation and threats when necessary.