What started out as a short agenda and a peaceful meeting turned out to be anything but peaceful. However, first things first.
Following the usual opening invocation and flag salute came roll call. The Council approved Karlee Meyer’s absence, then came communications from the public which were mild.
PRESENTATIONS:
1. April proclaimed Autism Awareness Month.
2. April proclaimed Earth Day Month.
RECEIVE AND FILE:
1. Received and filed the City of Hemet Warrant Registers Dated March 09, 2023, for $2,789,242.37 and the Payroll Period of February 20, 2023 – March 05, 2023, in the amount of $836,174.50.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
Approved as follows:
A. The Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 28, 2023.
B. Waived further reading and adopt Ordinance 2010, an Ordinance of the City of Hemet, California, amending Section 2-44 of the Hemet Municipal Code related to City Council member residency requirements.
C. Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, accepting the 2021-22 State Citizen’s Option for Public Safety (COPS) and Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Subaccount and Growth Special Account Allocation for $214,008.06 and authorizing the Finance Department to establish an Expenditure Account and Budget for the Grant Activity Period.
D. Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, approving the service agreement with the Institute of Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv) for technical assistance on the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Funds from the Board of State and Community Corrections in the amount not to exceed $254,800.00 and authorize the City Manager to execute all documents; and waive the procurement procedure and contract with EcoCiv for services of Mr. Stewart Wakeling for technical assistance.
E. Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, to Process the Refund Request for Development Impact Fees (Water and Sewer) for property known as TR29129-9 Lots 1-22, TR 29129-7 Lot 8, TR29129-8 Lots 1-7, 26-29 and TR29129-1 Lot 29 for a total amount of $25,655 to Jeffery MDM Partners VII, LLC.
F. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, authorizing the City Manager to enter Settlement Agreements with Entities Within the Opioid Pharmaceutical Supply Chain.
DISCUSSION – ACTION ITEMS:
A. Approved receiving and filing the update on the pooled cash of all City Funds, including general funds from Public Trust Advisors.
B. Approved adopting a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, establishing an Investment Policy and Rescinding Resolution No. 2021-135.
C. This was the discussion as to whether the City Council would discuss the Riverside University Health system Recovery/Wellness Village Project and consider authorizing the Mayor to send the proposed letter addressed to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors expressing the City of Hemet’s opposition to the project, which the Council has been against from day one.
Representatives from Riverside University Health System’s Recovery/Wellness Village gave an excellent 20-minute Dissertation on the advantages of the project.
The Council has repeatedly said the citizens are opposed to it. Imagine the bombshell when more than two dozen Hemet Citizens showed up in support of the Village and in no uncertain terms, accused the City of being snobbish with a NOT IN MY BACKYARD attitude.
One lady who lives in the proposed area said, “The Village would be a big improvement over a lot of weeds,” which is the current condition of the location.
Both women and men, citizens of Hemet, declared that the matter of mental illness is already filling the streets of Hemet because they have no local place for treatment in this area. Some detractors claimed it would bring the mentally ill to Hemet for treatment. Still, the majority reminded the Council that it was our mental people who were going to other communities miles away for treatment, often out of state. Others stated a fact that most of us in Hemet already know, it starts with drugs in high school and ends up with mentally ill addicts with no place to go but the streets,
Others who were victims of mental illness or had mental illness in their families pointed out that the streets are crawling with mentally ill young people. The problem is here, they declared, but the treatment is not.
One after another, they paraded to the podium to beg the Council to change its mind but to no avail. Ultimately, the Council voted 3 to 1 to send the refusal letter. Only Mayor Pro Tem Lilienthal voted no. As a counselor, he would probably be the only one on the Council who deals with the problem on a daily basis.
With everyone worn to a frazzle, the remaining reports were continued until the next Council meeting—the wisest decision of the evening.
Time for the citizens to come out in force, either for or against the Village. If the demand is anything like tonight, we can guess the public’s attitude. Just sayin’
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I am opposed to this facility being built within the City of Hemet’s city limits. I feel this is a wonderful first step idea to help those that WANT help, but it should be built on land owned by and policed by Riverside County. There is a great deal of vacant land away from any of our cities! From the info I read about the project; treatment is Voluntary. The homeless, drug addicts and mentally ill can check themselves out & leave the Programs and facilities anytime they want. Where do you think they are going to end up?…Right in our streets! I have lived in Hemet for over 45 years. I am now a senior citizen. I absolutely do not go out at night any more because every shopping center parking lot is Full of homeless people, many drugged out, drunk, or obviously mentally ill.
What don’t you get? They are already there. Refusing to offer accessible treatment is literally what had caused the problem to spiral out of control. You people are too stupid to vote in your own best interest.
The mental health facilities that were closed in the 70’s and 80’s left the void. Followed up by disregard of vagrancy laws and inability or unwillingness to be tough on those unwilling to get help. There are only 3 options: Accept assistance and get back to living, placement in a facility if there are any, or jail, or scoop up tent and all and transport to the desert or island.
I would like the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s to stepup and run out this council mentality here. I’m a senior citizen that lives here, and the council, city manager and that office seem to have milk toast agenda for a city in need of strong positive informative intelligent forward looking progressive “get it done” now mentality.
I’m sorry but that is the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard take it out of city of Hemet but put it in Riverside county where do you think city of Hemet is!!!
Like another commenter posted people in hemet have nowhere else to go they’re going to other cities you’re worried about people coming here but our people are going there
I don’t know about you but I’d much rather
have people in a facility getting help then on
the streets where their conditions continue to deteriorate and thats where innocent people become victims especially innocent children walking home from school.
THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK
Georgia M you cannot be more right I 100,000% agree with you get rid of the old bring in the new
obviously as you can tell the old counsel has not done a damn bit of good and it’s time to clean house start fresh out with the old in with the new and only people who are interested in making hemet it better people who actually lived through their whole life who actually have interest in this town becoming better and are not just here for a
paycheck
That area of Hemet, Menlo and State, is already overrun with homeless. Why make it worse, probably much worse. The owners in that area need to clean up their properties and report the trespassers. Hemet shouldn’t tolerate the vagrants. I’d rather have my taxes go for fixing/paving roads.
As the “spray house” phenomena grows, silent run cache system moving toxic waste streams, converted to spray a mix of polyacrylamide into a pressure line, floated to air currents; almost anyone can be made mentally ill in seconds. People have been bought and paid, few can afford housing, only this group of silent in the ‘dark’ system or group seems to be buying, strategic to air current upon which this toxic warfare is conducted.
The real problem is that 90% of all homeless are nor even from California. The come because of our climate and stay because our taxes support them. Typical “liberal” thinking is to take more of others money and spend on potential votes. Like the last days of Rome when citizens were paid for their vote. What’s next welfare for illegal aliens? AZ Jefferson said “He who governs least, governs best”. Stop using our money to water your weeds, if you are truly liberal, open you own house.