07/30/2021 City Manager’s Update

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
July 30, 2021

Greetings, all. The City Council conducted goal setting on July 23 and 24 at the Public Safety Facility. All councilmembers were present for the first time since the pandemic began, as well as senior staff. It was very nice to see everyone, albeit behind masks. A number of goals and priorities were discussed under adopted focus areas of Fiscal Sustainability, Community Engagement, Community Development, Economic Development and Organizational Excellence. A new focus area of Environmental Sustainability was also discussed. Only two members of the public were present. The final goals will be brought back to Council in September with some implementation information.

COVID-19
❖ Pandemic news is back in the lead…Please see the link here for this week’s press release about the rising presence of the Delta variant in Yolo County, which is surging. Particularly at risk are the unvaccinated and the immune compromised, even if fully vaccinated. Masks are now required while indoors in public, unless actively eating and drinking. For more information about Yolo County’s COVID-19 vaccine program and opportunities to get vaccinated, visit www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus-vaccine. The door service to be vaccinated at home or work has been extended through August 30.

Please Note:
❖ Work is scheduled to replace aging playground equipment, beginning August 10 in Valley Oak Park and August 16 in Blue Oak Park. Funded through a state grant, the new equipment will offer different play activities for both younger and older children. A half basketball court will also be installed at Blue Oak Park.
❖ Work continues at the new developer-installed Three Oaks Park in the Winters Highland subdivision. The futsal court has been painted for both futsal and basketball as a joint use amenity. Trees continue to be planted and walnut shells spread around the new small and large dog parks. Irrigation is being controlled through battery operated power until PG&E can bring power to the site later in August. Once construction is complete and all landscaping installed, the developer is obligated to maintain the area for a 90-day period to ensure the landscaping gets established. Public access will be limited during the establishment period.

City of Winters
❖ The Yolo County Board of Supervisors is continuing to discuss updating its commercial cannabis regulations for the unincorporated areas. A revised draft ordinance was presented at the July 27 Board of Supervisors meeting. Final action, including the certification of the EIR, and final direction related to implementation, is anticipated to be scheduled for the September 14 Board meeting. Information related to the July 27 presentation is here. For any questions or provide -comment, please reach out to Supervisor Saylor’s office. Contact information is available at https://www.donsaylor.org/ . Please note: these commercial cannabis regulations do not change the City of Winters’ ban on commercial cannabis activity within the city limits.
❖ At the July 20 meeting, the City Council approved a summer street rehabilitation project which will repair and slurry a variety of streets throughout the community, including East, West, and Main Street. The map is available here.
❖ PG&E is gearing up for potential power safety shut off events (PSPS). More information is available here. Make sure you sign up for notifications and follow the tips to be prepared. PG&E is expecting more PSPS events; however, the shut off zones are not expected to be as big as they were in 2019 due to line hardening and other work PG&E has completed. The City of Winters is not in a high priority PSPS zone; however, unincorporated areas in and near the hills are.

Don’t Miss Out!
❖ Advance notice: On August 3, the Yolo Community Foundation, Arts Alliance Davis, and YoloArts are hosting a webinar to explore the impact of the pandemic on arts & culture, and how reopening and recovery might look. To register, click here. Questions: please contact holly@hollywongconsulting.com
❖ Winters HealthCare is working with hospitals, health groups, and community health centers and Yolo County to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment, which is coordinated every three years.
This survey provides important information about community health needs, so it is critical to help distribute the survey, especially to underrepresented groups. Please see more information here. The survey is in English and Spanish. And please forward to your employers’ HR offices, friends, and associations. Surveys must be submitted by August 25, and the random lucky respondent could win a $100 gift card!

City of Winters

❖ Planning for the Carnitas Festival de la Comunidad is underway. This local favorite will be held Saturday, September 25, from 5:00 – 10:30 p.m. in Rotary Park. Sponsored by the Hispanic Advisory Committee and the City of Winters, applications to be a vendor or to compete in the carnitas competition as a cook are available online at the City’s website: https://www.cityofwinters.org/carnitas-festival/. This family friendly event includes amazing food, music throughout the event, children’s activities, and local beer and wine. Rumor has it there is a lot of dancing, so kick up your heels and get ready to dance like no one is watching.

Upcoming Council Meeting
Council was very busy last week. Our next meeting is August 3rd. The packet is available here. Items of potential interest include several public hearings related to delinquent water, sewer and trash bills – the final step before delinquent accounts are forwarded to the County Tax Collector’s Office for collection. The Final Map for Winters Highland Subdivision Phases III, IV & V is on the consent calendar. Finally, the City Council will consider an urgency ordinance establishing a 45 day moratorium on grading permits to allow staff to prepare a comprehensive Grading Ordinance for Council consideration in September, which would delineate requirements and a process for proceeding with grading operations. Finally, we may cancel the August 17 meeting as there are no items currently scheduled, although staff is working to confirm one potential item. Stay tuned. That information may be available for an oral update at the 8/3 meeting.

Woot Woot!
The Winters Fire Department deployed OES strike teams comprised of staff and volunteers: Captain Schechla, Firefighters Luis Herrera and Miguel Zaragoza were deployed to the Beckwourth Fire (7/10 – 7/18) and Captain Baugmgart, Engineer Marquez, and Firefighter Cody Tscharner were deployed to the Tamarack Fire (7/18 – 7/25).

Our fire fighters put their lives on the line at these fires, leaving their families behind often for weeks at a time. We owe them our gratitude and support for their selfless dedication to not just our community but to communities around the State and throughout the Western US. This has been an extraordinary start to fire season. May everyone stay safe out there.