By Julie BUTCHER

“What if I told you that I think the [electric] rates are just too damn high? That you should roll them back to 2020 levels. Is that a fantasy?” asked Mayor Ara Najarian of Glendale Water and Power general manager Scott Mellon. He was being only slightly rhetorical on Tuesday night during the Glendale City Council’s deliberations about spreading out the pending electrical rate increases over three years or allowing the full previously-approved 11% increase to go into effect on Nov. 1.

Mellon explained the way rates are set based on actual costs and candidly answered the mayor that Glendale rates are higher than similarly situated municipal utilities. He added this is because “we’re doing more; we’re building utility infrastructure. This is the world we’re living in – we’re paying for building out infrastructure – we’re paying for Grayson and Scholl and solar installations inside the city and we’re also catching up on the maintenance and improvements required to the grid that really didn’t get taken care of in the past 10-15 years.”

In consideration of concerns raised about the increased and increasing rates, city staff proposed to defer the July 1, 2025, 11.3% rate increase to Nov. 1, 2025, and to redistribute future increases: 5% effective Nov. 1, 2025; 2.95% effective

Nov. 1, 2026; and 2.95% effective Nov. 1, 2027.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian questioned previous decisions, claiming that the rate increases add up to a doubling of electricity costs. The total of the rate increases approved in 2023 is 43.6%.

The Council will vote at a future meeting on the spreading out of the rate increases over the coming three years.

The Council rejected a request from the owner of a proposed residential development at 441-445 W. Glenoaks Blvd., near Pacific Avenue, for density bonuses that would allow for a new four-story apartment building of 43 units. Mayor Najarian bristled at the request.

“I have a hard time going to 43; I have a hard time going to 36 but I have no ability to touch that. To go from 36 to 43 is just putting salt in the wound – the wound of losing local control and local discretion over the type of housing – this is a very dense project that includes some very small units – a 500-square-foot studio? I had a dorm room larger than that,” the mayor commented. 

Councilmember Dan Brotman issued the one vote in support of the bonuses requested. 

He observed, “It’s hard when we lose these older courtyard apartments that we know and love and are part of the Glendale fabric.” However, he added, that “is not a choice before us.” 

“It is privately owned and by right they can tear down what’s there and build up to 36 units without us granting any discretionary bonus,” he said. “So the idea that we can somehow preserve what’s there – I wish there were more mechanisms to do that but there aren’t; that’s not the decision before us.”

Earlier in Tuesday’s Council meeting, Mayor Najarian reported on his recent trip to Armenia (at no expense to the public, he noted) including a visit to Glendale sister city in the central core of Yerevan where he observed great public art and mini parks. 

“They’re pushing to have all sort of activities in the smallest parcels of land,” he said.

Mayor Najarian shared a reminder about the Montrose Oktoberfest celebration slated for Saturday, Oct. 4 starting at noon. 

“You know what that means,” he quipped. “Lots of pretzels.” Information on Saturday’s celebration can be found at https://montrosechamberofcommerce.org/montroseoktoberfest/.

Councilmember Elen Asatryan and several mothers of children with autism requested a discussion of fully fencing Glendale playgrounds to make them safer for children with special needs. One mom explained the request “for children like my son who may not recognize danger.” She noted that research shows that one in 36 kids is diagnosed with autism and that one of the most significant safety concerns for children on the spectrum is wandering or elopement. Half of children with autism attempt to wander, the mom added.

In other Council business, ongoing discussions about changes to the city’s charter were deferred to Nov. 4. The Charter Reform Committee appointed by the Council in 2023 has made several recommendations to the Council, rejecting proposed districts and the direct election of the city’s mayor. Read the latest report from the charter committee at https://glendaleca.primegov.com/viewer/preview?id=0&type=8&uid=9b736b6e-f68f-4a40-bced-a2adc439af6e.

At the beginning of the meeting of the Glendale City Council, the Council issued proclamations recognizing Sept. 27 as Native American Day, “honoring the enduring culture, traditions and contributions of native Americans,” and the month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month to honor “the history, culture, and many contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities that continue to enrich our city – from music, arts, and cuisine to leadership, innovation and labor – Glendale celebrates the vibrancy and strength of our Latino heritage.”