THE MARYSVILLE MONTHLY - January 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2018 City Highlights - Year in Review Hired Several New Employees in All Departments. Overcame Significant Budget and Audit Challenges. Completed Long Awaited Linda Main Connection to Linda County Water District. Executed Long-Term Franchise Agreement with Recology for Garbage Removal and Street Sweeping. Launched City's first Animal Care Services Division (in PD). Received Substantial Grant Funding in Police, Fire and CD&S Departments. Achieved Significant Progress in Implementing Cannabis Ordinance. Played Key Role in Bi-Countywide Homeless Initiative.

CITY MANAGER'S MESSAGE

2018 was a pivotal year for the City of Marysville and City Hall. It focused on stabilizing City departments and finances, responding to deferred financial maintenance, and bringing greater overall transparency and structure to the organization. The first half of the calendar year focused on filling several crucial positions, including the Chief of Police, Fire Chief and City Clerk. The City's 2016/17 Audit and the 2018/19 budget were also very high priorities that required a little more time to complete than originally anticipated. That said, both were completed and presented to the City Council in September and October 2018, respectively. The 2018 year closed with the following management appointments: Chief of Police, Christian Sachs Fire Chief, Ron Karlen Interim Finance Director, Jennifer Stysczynski Assistant to the City Manager/City Clerk, Persephonie Riley With Council authorization and through the budget process, the following department level appointments were also made: City Manager's Office: Administrative Assistant; Community Development & Services: Assistant Director of Community Development & Services and City Building Official; Finance Department: New Interim Finance Director, Interim Senior Accountant and long term temporary Accountant; Fire Department: New Captain, Engineer, Administrative Assistant, Fire Inspector/Engineer (pending) and Firefighter (pending); and Police Department: Two Lieutenants, Community Support Services Manager, Police Officers, Police Reserves, and animal care services provider. Fiscal Health & Compliance Finally, 2018 was a watershed year for dealing with numerous financial related matters and all without a Finance Director. From January 1, 2018, the department was behind the eight ball without a completed (let alone even started) 2016 financial audit. There was also no one to prepare the 2018-19 fiscal year budget due by July 1, 2018. As the year progressed, staff also learned of several over due filings of State mandated financial statements, finance consulting contracts that had expired, and significant deferred financial maintenance at all levels of the City's Finance Department, due in large part to the City's vacant Finance Director position (that had languished unfilled for more than a year), as well as a lack of financial controls and oversight. Fast forward to today, the City is nearly caught up on its auditing and has a Council approved 2018 budget; its completed and up-to-date with its financial filing requirements; it has renewed its fiscal consulting contracts and started restructuring its finances; and has made considerable headway in cleaning up many of its long deferred financial maintenance issues.

Upcoming Events: Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at 6:00 PM - Special Study Session on City Finances Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 5:30 PM - Study Session on City Fire Services and Fire Department Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 5:30 PM - Joint City Council and Planning Commission Study Session on General Plan Update

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & SERVICES

New Hires - Assistant Director of Community Development & Services and Interim Chief Building Official With limited funding for staff resources and the retirement of the City’s Building Inspector this past year, the Community Development & Services (CD&S) Department was challenged to meet customer service expectations and execute City Council priorities. In response to these challenges, CD&S moved forward with aggressive efforts to recruit individuals with a high level knowledge and experience within their respective disciplines. The result was the successful fall 2018 hire of Steve Prosser and Gary Eide, Assistant Director of Community Development & Services and City Building Official, respectively.   Steve Prosser, Assistant Director of CD&S, will assist the City with Economic Development efforts and complex city planning projects. Steve comes from the City of Lincoln where he was the Planning Manager. Prior to that, he worked in the planning field for Sacramento County and the City of Campbell in the Bay Area. Steve holds a Master of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning from San Jose State University The CD&S Department also welcomed Gary Eide as the City's part-time Interim Building Official. Gary assists contractors with their proposed building improvements, inspections and plan checking. Gary is a retired Building Inspector from the City of Lincoln and, in his short tenure, has already made a tremendous difference building inspection processes and Code Enforcement. Gary is excited to join the team and help make a difference in Marysville. Linda Main Connection/ Sewage Connection Throughout 2018, the CD&S Department was focused on completing the City's long awaited $15 million infrastructure improvement project to connect Marysville's wastewater treatment plant to the Linda County Water District's (LCWD) facility.  Under a State mandate to complete this seven year old project by December 31, 2018, the CD&S Department completed it early with a few weeks to spare. The project's complexity was further underscored by the Army Corps of Engineers' construction permit deadline to complete all construction in the confluence of the Yuba-Feather Rivers by October 15, 2018. There were many moving parts to this project that required coordinating with multiple jurisdictions and contractors to complete it and guarantee on-time delivery. Through the summer months, s teady progress continued as the bulk of the pipe was placed underground and the contractor prioritized specific areas for completion, including the cut through on the south levee on the 'Linda side' of the project, construction near the southern homeless respite site, and major infrastructure work at the existing facility.  In December 2018, the City's contractor completed work on the pipeline connection and on December 31, 2018, Linda County Water Agency began servicing the City of Marysville. Moving forward in 2019 and 2020, the City will focus on decommissioning the treatment plant and its sewage ponds.

Code Enforcement The City made huge strides to prioritize its Code Enforcement program. Over the past several years, the City has provided limited staffing for this important community initiative. In early 2018, the City hired Jessica Martinez as its Code Enforcement Officer. Jessica comes from the private sector with experience enforcing private, HOA communities. Over the year, the program has seen much success improving the quality of life in our community. The Code Enforcement program handled hundreds of cases, securing excellent results. As a result of the strong collaboration between CD&S, the City Attorney's Office, and the Police Department, the City was able to secure voluntary abatement of a nuisance property from its owner that included debris, trash, and furniture stored in the front yard. Cleanup of the property was achieved in under three hours and all costs associated with it were charged to the property owner.

12 th Street Improvement Project In August of 2015, the City was awarded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for Capital Improvement Projects. At the time of the award, up to $1,395,395.00 was allocated for street improvements in the 12 th and J Streets area. The project was submitted to CDBG for grant funding to resolve the long-standing drainage issue in the area, repair deteriorated streets, and improve pedestrian and vehicle safety through installation of curb, gutter, and sidewalks that had not been improved in this area before. In the summer of 2018, the City’s contractor commenced construction to replace much needed infrastructure that serves this area. Early on in construction, Cal-Water partnered with the City and completed its meter replacement program as the first phase of the project. Construction continued throughout the summer months and this long awaited project was completed in September 2018. As a result, neighborhood residents and visitors experience the benefits of improved drainage, streets and sidewalks.

Cannabis Ordinance Implementation During the first half of 2018, the City’s Cannabis Ordinance and commercial development experienced delays and uncertainty as the City terminated its relationship with one of the two selected medical cannabis dispensaries. After a long solicitation process, the City chose Northstar Marysville (to replace the previous licensee) and awarded its remaining dispensary license to operate at 1109 Chestnut Street. Coupled with this solicitation, the City continued to improve and model its cannabis ordinance with the latest regulatory standards approved by the State of California. The year ended on a high note with River City Phoenix completed its building inspections and held its grand opening on January 24, 2019 with Northstar Marysville close behind and scheduled to open by early February 2019. Parks & Open Space Master Plan The City launched its first parks and open space master planning effort to identify park programming options and recommendations for the City's open space areas. Results to be completed and presented to the Council in spring 2019. Ellis Lake Fountain After a long hiatus, the Lake's fountain was repaired and up and running by the spring of 2018. Solar Project at City Hall New solar panels were installed at City Hall and the fire station that will result in an estimated City cost savings of $750,000 in electricity bills over the next 20 years.

CD&S Department Activity, 2018

CD &S Activity : In 2018, the Community Development & Services Department processed 575 building permits, conducted 639 building inspections, initiated 230 code enforcement investigations, received 174 and completed 145 public service requests, and executed 172 transportation or encroachment permits.

FINANCE

Recology Agreement The City negotiated a 10 year agreement with Recology for improved collection services and controlled rate increases. All future increases will be held to a maximum of 3%, using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the adjusted index. Contract improvements include: Added residential food waste recycling; Added multi-family housing and commercial recycling programs; Decreased rates on 64 and 96 gallon containers to encourage proper use of recycling bins; Added illegal dumping clean-up; Added a review of the street sweeping performance on an annual basis; Added a Community Partnership Agreement bringing $34,970 to the City in additional revenue; and Added a full time Recology staff member for Recycling Education. First Annual Measure C Report As mandated by the voter approved Measure C ballot initiative, the City completed and released its first Annual Measure C Report for the 2016-17 fiscal year. Hard copy reports are available in the City's Administration office and will be posted on the City's website soon.

Finance Department Activity, 2018 Finance Activity: During 2018, the department processed 5,251 accounts payable and receivable, 409 animal licenses, 892 business licenses, and 793 sewer payments were processed. In addition, 4,456 cash receipts were generated.

FIRE

Firehouse Rehabilitation The long awaited rehabilitation of the City's firehouse started to take shape toward the end of 2018. Sheet rock was installed and the building is starting to look like a firehouse again. Through numerous obstacles, City staff have worked diligently to ensure that the firehouse will be highly functional and at a price point the City can afford and the insurance will cover. As a result, several code upgrades have been instituted that will ensure the building is better suited and more efficient for operations. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of April 2019.

Hiring In the second half of 2018 and due to the departure of several Fire Department employees, the Department promoted Tony Cuppoletti to Fire Captain and Roberto Heimlich to Engineer. In addition, a new Administrative Assistant was hired, and a Fire Inspector/Engineer and Firefighter positions are pending hire.

Strike Teams The Department's Strike Team members responded to seven large California wildland fires in the summer of 2018. Fire season started early with a County fire burning near Capay Valley down to Winters in early June. Personnel responded to some of the largest, most devastating fires in state history including the Carr Fire in Redding, Mendocino Complex, and Camp Fire near Paradise. As part of the California Master Mutual Aid System, personnel were committed and responded to several d ays of fires throughout the State while concurrently covering fires in the City of Marysville and maintaining a strong local presence at the firehouse.

Training Fire Department staff attended training in hazardous materials and water rescue. These are two critical elements to the daily operations of the fire department, especially since Marysville participates in the region's Yuba/ Sutter Hazardous Materials Team. They also received Emergency Medical Care training with Naloxone, better known as Narcan; a medication used for people who overdose on narcotic drugs. This life-saving medication is now available on emergency calls.

Grants The Marysville Fire Department relies heavily on grant funding to purchase new equipment. In 2018, the Department received a $59 K Homeland Security grant to purchase water rescue equipment, portable radios, and upgrade a breathing air fill station on the hazmat unit. They applied for several other grants to replace fire apparatus, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses and radio equipment. The Department also applied to 'Assistance to Firefighters' FEMA grant for nearly $1 million.

Fire Department Staff's Due Diligence Pays Off! Dixon Fire Department donated a Polaris off-road vehicle to the City. While initially non-operational, the City's talented staff was able to diagnose the problem and spent $45.00 to get it running. It will be used to negotiate difficult areas including the Thorn Tree, Hollywood Park and river bottom areas.

Fire Department Activity, 2018

Fire Activity: Firefighters responded to a total of 2,991 calls for service in 2018. Of those, 2,348 calls were EMS related. There were 127 debris fires, 91 vegetation fires, 74 building fires and 26 vehicle fires. There were 26 hazardous material related calls for service as well.

POLICE

EVENTS

New Hires   The Marysville Police Department hired two Lieutenants, one Support Services Manager, four full time officers and three reserve officers. The Department’s 911 dispatch center filled three dispatch positions, added one full time dispatch position, and also filled one reserve dispatcher position.

Grants   The Department was awarded the following grants: $6,800 Ballistic Vest Partnership Grant to assist with purchasing ballistic vest. $84,000 A two year grant from the State of California for tobacco enforcement and education. $23,000 Department of Homeland Security Grant to purchase Mobile Data Terminals for patrol vehicles. $5,000 Yuba County Water Agency Grant for purchase of drone and training for new drone program.

Community Outreach The Department participated in several community outreach events throughout 2018. There were a record number of attendees for the Annual Police Citizen’s Academy. The Department hosted 12 Coffee with a Cop events, along with a summer series of Badges and Basketball with area youth. The Department also coordinated and participated in several other events such as the Bok Kai Parade, Peach Festival, Marysville Stampede Cattle Drive, Veteran’s Parade, and Christmas Parade.

Fleet The Department received its new vehicle fleet consisting of 2017 Ford Explorers in early 2018 to replace the existing deteriorating fleet of Ford Crown Victoria’s. The Department also added a new Community Service Officer Vehicle assigned to parking enforcement.

Animal Care Services The City of Marysville added the Animal Care Services Division under the direction of the Police Department. The Department started by developing the program with the new ACS Officer hire and purchasing a truck to transport the animals. This past year, Animal Care Services provided two low cost vaccine and microchipping clinics to area residents and have held several community meetings recruiting volunteers to assist with the Trap/Neuter/Release (TNR) program for felines. The Department also partnered with Field Haven to assist with care, adoption, and medical services for felines.

Police Activity: In 2018, more than 20,135 calls for service were received, nearly 8,244 officer initiated responses were undertaken, 7,446 reports were prepared and processed, and more than 1,325 arrests were made. In Dispatch, nearly 15,700 911-calls were received, more than 56,340 non-emergency calls were processed and PD encountered 6,400 face-to-face intercom interactions.

Marysville City Hall Phone: (530) 749-3901 Email: Contact@marysville.ca.us Website: www.marysville.ca.us

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