Mayor Travis Padden, a self-proclaimed budget hawk, said his research skills and ability to work with numbers will give him the ability to make the most of Hanford’s resources.
“All the city’s budget comes from taxpayers and we need to make sure that the city’s budget is spent wisely,” said Paden, who was elected in November. “I am the father of her six children. With my personal budget, it is very important to maximize my income potential. We need to maximize the city’s income potential.” .”
Padden, who was born and raised in Hanford, said he loves the city for its proximity to the mountains and coast, the quality of the local schools, and the historic nature of the community. teaches mathematics and science. He said he ran for Hanford City Council after realizing that his numbers-focused, systematic approach to problem-solving meant there was something to be gained. rice field.
“As a math and science teacher for the past 26 years, I’m good at numbers,” says Paden. “When you’re dealing with a $100 million budget, the numbers are there.
Purden believes it is very important to hear the public, and recent changes allow the public to speak not only before staff reports, but after staff reports during study sessions. Parden said he wants to keep it accessible and has enjoyed being a member of the city council so far.
“I think this will be a great council,” Padden said. “I think we can get along very well together and we can accomplish a lot. I’m really excited to do it.
After being sworn in in December, one of the council’s first significant decisions was to place a roundabout at the intersection of 7th Avenue and Douty Street and at the intersections of Douty and 6th Avenue and Douty and 8th Avenue. was to approve two stop signs. The proposal was approved by his 4-1 vote, and Paden voted in favor of the project.
Upon entering the first study session, Padden said he was against the original plan for three roundabouts and leaned toward the idea of four-way stops at each of the three intersections. However, after more research between study sessions, he said he came up with the idea of having one roundabout and one stop sign at the two intersections.
“My focus was what else could we do with that $4.4 million,” Paden said, referring to the cost of the first three roundabout proposals. “At the last study session, I asked the engineer how much the roundabout would cost and he said just over a million. This leaves him with $3.4 million to do the ADA. [Americans with Disabilities Act] Improvements, roads, sidewalks, lighting, historical design. “
Because the project’s consultant engineers refused to approve stop signs as a safe and effective alternative to existing traffic lights, Padden said that going against the engineers’ recommendations would expose him to legal liability arising from the lack of design immunity. Said it would be imposed on the city. Design immunity is a legal concept that protects public authorities from lawsuits if competent expert witnesses agree that the design is legally reasonable.
“Our insurance doesn’t cover it and it will come out of the General Fund,” Padden said. It’s taken away from everything that’s going on and then if you lose the lawsuit you’re going to have to spend a million dollars to put up a roundabout that’s out of the general fund if you don’t put it in there then next accident will also be held responsible.”
