The Marysville Monthly - August 2019
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TOP STORIES:
- Another successful National Night Out!
- Council approves the 2017-18 Audit
- Day of Rememberance, September 11, 2001
- 86th Annual Marysville Stampede is just a few weeks away!
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SAVE THE DATE - UPCOMING EVENTS
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Community Events:
- September 11, 2019 - Day of Rememberance, September 11, 2001, hosted by The Yuba-Sutter Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society, Washington Square Park, Marysville, 9:00 am
- September 14-15, 2019 - 86th Annual Marysville Stampede, Beckwourth Riverfront Park, all day
Upcoming City Council Meetings:
- September 3, 2019 - Regular City Council Meeting
- September 17, 2019 - Regular City Council Meeting
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NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
It was another successful National Night Out in Marysville on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 with five events around town, lots of food and great support from the City Council, Police and Fire Departments and the community!
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RECRUITMENT
City Manager's Office is currently recruiting for an Assistant to the City Manager/City Clerk. A new appointment is expected by late September.
City Manager's Office also anticipates starting a new recruitment for the Community Development & Services Director position by late September with an appointment in place by November.
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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & SERVICES
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'SMALL TOWN, DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND' PROJECT
Michele Reeves of Civilis Consulting is coming back to town in September and October to help the City explore inexpensive ways to revitalize the downtown. By enhancing retail store windows and creating pop-up shops, Michele will demonstrate relatively easy and cost effective ways to improve the business, shopping and community experience in Marysville's Downtown. She will also address the importance of downtown parking, building capacity and seed money to continue retail store window improvements after the initial pilot project is complete, as well as using seasonal pop-up shops to help develop permanent businesses and fill retail vacancies.
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ROAD IMPROVEMENTS AND PAVING PROJECTS
The City is currently in a bid process to hire a contractor to complete approximately $300 K in road improvements throughout the City. Next year, the City will explore options for leveraging future years of SB 1 and General Fund monies (similar to what the County did this year) in order to complete more road improvements and paving projects in a shorter amount of time.
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CALTRANS ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING (ATP) GRANT
The City is preparing to circulate a Request for Proposals to hire a construction contractor to implement the City's ATP grant. The design and construction project will include bicycle lane striping, new bicycle racks and sidewalk and pedestrian improvements. Implementation will begin in the spring of 2020.
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DECOMMISSIONING WASTEWATER TREATMENT PONDS
Now that the City has connected its sewage pipeline to the Linda County Water District, it is focused on decommissioning its wastewater treatment ponds (as mandated by the State). The City is currently applying for State grant funding in order to complete the project by December 2021.
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SEWAGE RATE STUDY AND INCREASE
On September 17, the City Council will consider the final step in approving a sewage rate increase that would become effective October 1, 2019. The rate increase is crucial in order to bring the City's Enterprise/Wastewater Fund into compliance with its bond holders, as well as fund future sewage related planning and infrastructure projects both within the City limits and with the City's partner across the river, the Linda County Water District.
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CD&S DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY - JULY 2019
In July, the Community Development & Services Department processed 44 building permits, conducted 143 building inspections, initiated 40 code enforcement investigations, received and completed 56 public service requests, and executed 16 transportation or encroachment permits.
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FINANCE & HUMAN RESOURCES
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FISCAL YEAR 2017-18 AUDIT
The 2017-18 Audit was approved at the August 13 City Council meeting. As a result, the City is back on schedule with its audits and anticipates the 2018-19 audit to be completed by December 2019.
LABOR NEGOTIATIONS
The City is currently in labor negotiations with all three of its bargaining units - Marysville Police Officer's Association, International Association of Fire Fighters, and Teamsters. The City hopes to have agreements in place with all three bargaining units by the fall of 2019.
RECRUITMENT
The Finance Department is currently recruiting for a new Senior Accountant. Interviews are underway and an appointment is expected by mid-September.
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BOND ISSUING AND REISSUING
Working with its Financial Advisors, the Finance Department and the City Manager's Office is working diligently to re-issue its 'B Street Property' Bond, as well as issue a new Pension Obligation Bond (POB) to reduce the cost of the City's unfunded pension liability. Total savings to the General Fund will be publicly announced in September after both bonds have closed and the new interest rate has been 'locked in.'
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FINANCE DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY - JULY 2019
During the month of July, the Department processed 417 accounts payable and receivable, 52 animal licenses, 215 business licenses, and 533 cash receipts.
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CALLS FOR SERVICE
As the 'fire season' gets underway, Firefighters have been busy, especially with vegetation fires in Thorn Tree and Hollywood Park, as well as a structure fire on D Street. The Fire Department also responded to a water rescue under the 5
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Street Bridge that required mutual aid to safely and quickly respond to the incident. There have also been several vehicle accidents on State Highways and city streets including one fatality on Highway 70.
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FIRE APPARATUS
Temporary reduced staffing levels in the Fleet Maintenance Division have required deferred apparatus maintenance and sending vehicles to Sacramento for repairs on an an as need basis and as urgent circumstances demand.
The newly acquired Quick Attack's Ford F550 chassis is scheduled to arrive from the manufacturer at the end of August. Department staff continue to work with the City's Oregon vendor to design and construct the body configuration. The owner-builder concept will save the City's General Fund approximately $40,000. The new apparatus will be completely constructed and delivered to the Fire Department by the first quarter of 2020.
The new Fire Engine's specifications will be complete by October. Department staff will visit Wisconsin one more time next month to finalize the Engine's design. Shortly thereafter, construction will begin and the Fire Engine is expected to be complete and delivered to the City by April 2020.
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PROACTIVE WEED ABATEMENT & VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
Starting August 1, Fire Prevention staff conducted a second survey of vacant city lots for potential grass/weed regrowth. Late rains resulted in rapid regrowth. That said, most vacant lots in the city limits are in compliance with the City's weed abatement codes; and property owners have been maintaining their vacant parcels.
We have reached out to PG&E for assistance in a vegetation management program in the Hollywood Trailer Park area. We having meetings scheduled to discuss options of clearing under the transmission and distribution lines through the area with hand crews and chippers. So far, they are very appreciative of us reaching out to them in collaboration in an attempt to reduce vegetation and fires near power lines.
We are continuing to complete vegetation management in the Thorn Tree area as well with conducting control burns to eliminate dry vegetation. So far we have burned approximately five acres on the south end and this will help reduce the threat to the community along 14
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street as we progress through the summer months and the north winds set in.
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COST RECOVERY - FIRE RECOVERY USA
As of August 1, the Department instituted a fee recovery program for fires and emergency medical services through Fire Recovery USA. Through this program, the City is able to charge insurance companies, other agencies/companies and individuals for a portion of the cost for the Fire Department to respond to fires and emergency medical services. The Department is tracking the program's success, including the types of relevant incidents that cost recovery can be instituted, the type and volume of incidents, and the portion that insurance companies will pay for a given incident. Once the Department has sufficient data and conducted further analysis on the program, it will report back to the Council in the last quarter of 2019 with recent results and any further staff recommendations for continued program implementation and success.
SEASONAL HIRES
With temporary, seasonal hired help over the next three to four months, the Department plans to staff a second vehicle thereby enabling more response to concurrent calls. Seasonal hires began August 1 and are funded through November 2019. The Department's experience with this year's seasonal hires will provide good data for evaluating the future success of the program and response times to concurrent calls.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY - JULY 2019
Firefighters responded to 334 calls for service in the month of July - an average of 10.8 calls per day. The Department received 219 Rescue and Emergency Medical Calls, 26 Fire Calls and 89 other calls. The Fire Department
responded to 1,843 calls for service from January 1 to July 31, 2019. In July, the Department experienced 87 concurrent calls and so far this year there has been 377 concurrent calls, which means the Department was not able to respond to 25% of July's 911 calls. In 2018, the Department experienced 357 concurrent calls for the entire year and, as of July 31, the Department has exceeded that number.
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PROBLEM-ORIENTED POLICING - ELLIS LAKE
Department personnel have increased patrols and enforcement around Ellis Lake. Several citations have been issued, shopping carts removed, and code violations have been addressed. As a reminder, Ellis Lake Park is closed from 11pm to 5am daily for maintenance and watering.
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VEHICLE ABATEMENT
Parking and Abatement officer marked and provided notices on 30 vehicles for abatement. Out of the 30 vehicles marked, only five resulted in towing nad storing. The remainder were 'self-corrected' by the owner.
Please contact the Marysville Police Department regarding abandoned and blighted vehicles, so the Department may investigate and assist in mitigating this issue around the city.
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ANIMAL CARE SERVICES (ACS)
ACS partnered with Field Haven and conducted an overnight feline trapping event on August 1. On August 2 and at an on site mobile clinic, a total of 42 felines were cared for.
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ACS also completed a vaccine and microchip clinic on August 4. Below, are the event satistics:
- 30 cat rabies vaccinations,
- 48 dog rabies vaccinations,
- 36 cat microchips,
- 56 dog microchips, and
- 2 rabbit microhips.
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NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
The 2019 National Night Out was a huge success. Five events were scheduled and attended by the City Council, City staff and many community members. It was a great opportunity to support our community groups who work in partnership with the City to make Marysville a safer place to live, work, and play.
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GRANTS
The Department’s Drone program for emergency response just received its certification. PD personnel are scheduled to train the first week of September as part of the Tobacco Education and Enforcement Program grant. As part of the program, Officers will target adults purchasing tobacco for minors.
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NOW HIRING!
The Department is currently holding interview panels for the vacancies of patrol officer and public safety dispatcher. Seven applicants were interviewed for Dispatcher and up to 15 will be interviewed for the Patrol Officer position.
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POLICE DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY - JULY 2018
In July, 1,882 calls for service were received, 1,073 reports were prepared and processed, and 131 arrests were made. In Dispatch, 1,472 911-calls were received, and more than 5,586 non-emergency calls were processed.
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