03/12/2021 City Manager’s Update

CITY MANAGER'S UPDATE (pdf)
March 12, 2021

Greetings, all.  As COVID metrics improve, we at City Hall are preparing to open lobby doors by moving staff back into areas to support the public in person. Once open, we will maintain safety protocols by continuing to require masks and social distancing. Only one person in the lobby will be permitted at a time, so appointments will still be encouraged for the Building Division and to see other staff.  We strongly encourage that utility payments continue to be dropped into the drop box while we work toward online billing and payments. Following server and software upgrades, we are configuring our phone system to reflect current staffing to make it easier to reach us by phone.  We appreciate your patience as we organize ourselves to better serve the community.

COVID-19

• ♦Tracking how our COVID Tiers are assigned has become a more complicated task; the good news is that the Yolo County metrics are trending in the right direction, so we are rapidly approaching entering the Orange Tier, which will hopefully be authorized by the State in the near future. Orange allows for more indoor occupancy, more sports, and more fun. Stay tuned as more information becomes available.
• ♦While the vaccine roll out is picking up pace, Health Officials at all levels still strongly recommend, and mandates require, mask wearing and social distancing, even if people have been vaccinated. In addition, while research shows the vaccines are highly effective in preventing illness, research is still underway to understand how effective the vaccines are against the spread of virus. Vaccinated people may be asymptomatic and still be able to spread the virus. It is critical that even vaccinated people continue to get tested to help prevent infecting others.
• ♦Mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing are still the primary ways to prevent the spread of COVID while we collectively work toward a sufficient level of herd immunity to control the virus spread. Please continue to wear masks in public places and avoid indoor gatherings with unvaccinated people or those outside of your household bubble.
• ♦For more information about testing locations, please see the link here. Free testing is still available at the Community Center on Fridays, no appointment necessary.
• ♦For information about vaccines, vaccination sites and who is currently eligible, please see the link here.

Please Note:

• ♦The City’s building and code enforcement division is staffed by Mark C. Woods as interim building official and Dan Cahill who provides inspection and permit technician services. Both are part of the Bureau Veritas team under a contract approved by the City Council to provide services following recent staff vacancies.

Mark is a certified Building Official with over 36 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors, including ten years working for small agencies in Sonoma County.  Dan retired in 2018 from Sonoma County following 30 years of service in Building and Code Enforcement. He is a certified building and plumbing inspector and most recently assisted the City of Santa Rosa with post-fire recovery and rebuilding following the Tubbs Fire as part of a Bureau Veritas service contract.

• ♦The Building Division provides services Monday – Thursday and is currently available by appointment by calling (530) 794-6708 or by emailing division@cityofwinters.org.
• ♦Help keep Winters blight free! Please report graffiti on public property by contacting Public Works at 530-795-4291. We ask that graffiti on private property be removed / painted over within 48 hours to avoid attracting any more “tags.”

Don’t Miss Out!

• ♦That State of California will open a competitive grant opportunity to support non-profit cultural institutions impacted by COVID-19 on March 16 for one week only! Funds are through a new relief package that includes a $50 million allocation for non-profit cultural institutions. More information is available at the link here. Information regarding free webinars for potential applicants is available here.

Thank you to the Winters Chamber of Commerce for sharing this information. For more information about technical assistance, grant opportunities and the such, please visit the Chamber website at www.winterschamber.com.

• ♦Yolo County is hosting a virtual job fair series on March 23 and March 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to help connect job seekers with potential employers. For more information and to register, visit YoloWorks.

Did You Know?

• ♦Did you know that Winters’ municipal water supply is from wells? The Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency (YSGA) manages underground water resources and is developing a plan to ensure groundwater sustainability in Yolo County from now until 2042. The plan will describe the current state of the groundwater basin and illustrate how sustainability will be achieved moving forward. The plan is due January 31, 2022.

One of the draft chapters is now available for public review at the link here. YSGA is soliciting feedback on Draft Chapter 2 – Basin Setting – through a survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KB7DXYV. The survey will be open until April 12, 2021. Questions, comments, concerns, and general feedback can also be provided via e-mail at info@yolosga.org.

• ♦The Winters Fire Department has begun a monthly newsletter that provides information on monthly call activity, equipment updates, and staffing information. Newsletters are available at http://www.wintersfire.org/newsletters/ .
• ♦The Winters Police Department reports recent scam activity by individuals indicating significant sums of money are owed to a government agency. Please do not fall victim to anyone who calls or emails requesting money!

Upcoming Council Meeting

• ♦The March 16 Council meeting is full of honorary presentations. Please join us to recognize two recently retired staff, Karla Ferguson and Tracy Jensen, who will receive proclamations for their years of dedicated service to the community. The Council will also recognize public safety employees Miguel Zaragoza, Kitsia Pelayo, Sgt. Kelly McCoy, Ofc. Darin Cueto, and Ofc. Thomas Letterman for their exemplary service. New officers Kyle Shadman and Brandon Kennedy and Community Service Officer Andrea Gonzalez will also be sworn in by the City Council. Please join me in recognizing these employees for their service and welcoming our newest staff into the Winters’ family.
• ♦Under the Consent Calendar, the Council will also consider agreements with Telstar Instruments for well repairs and Van Lant and Frankhanel for audit services, a grand deed for the dedication of Right-of-Way for the Winters Highlands (Stones Throw) subdivision, Phase II, and an amendment to the Conflict of Interest Code reflecting position changes and adding the Building Official. There are no discussion items scheduled.

Woot Woot!

• ♦A guerilla gardener shared that the Community Center is another location for their flower bombing. The daffodils and tulips are coming up. The daffodil variety is none other than “Trumpets of Hope!” Here’s hoping we can return to some semblance of normal soon!

To learn more about our new officers Shadman and Kennedy as well as CSO Gonzalez, please visit the Departments Behind the Badge landing page at http://www.winterspolice.org/behind-the-badge-who-we-are/