10/01/2021 City Manager’s Update

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
October 1, 2021

Greetings, all. Tonight will be popping on Main Street with music and dogs of all kinds, edible and canine. Come on down to visit with friends and family, support local businesses, and enjoy the sunset. It doesn’t get any better from a Main Street pergola.

COVID-19
❖ Yolo County has begun administering Pfizer booster shots to eligible residents. Booster shots are available for people 65+, who reside in a long-term care facility, or age 50-64 with an underlying medical condition. Recipients must have completed their first round of vaccination 6 months prior. More information is available in the Press Release.

Please Note:
❖ The pool heater is currently not working, even by turning it on and off manually. We’ve called for service and replacement parts. We will share more information when available, and in the meantime, we  apologize for the colder water. Lifeguards will continue to tarp the pool at the end of every day to help manage water temperatures.
❖ The City has issued a temporary certificate of occupancy for the Chevron Station on Grant since the property owner has received his permits from Caltrans to complete frontage and median improvements. Work is scheduled to begin next week and includes a lane closure on Grant Avenue. The new median will required night work and is set to begin in several weeks. A final certificate of occupancy will be issued when the required improvements are completed. In the meantime, please swing by to pump some gas and buy a snack to help kick start the reopening of the expanded station and mini-mart.
❖ Vintage Paving will grind and pave beginning October 13, beginning on Railroad, then Russell, East Street and Morgan. The streets will be striped following the completion of work. Please note grinding will be louder than the slurry operation. Construction work is allowed in the Code to begin at 7 a.m. and our goal is to get off Railroad as quickly as possible. Traffic will be detoured during work.

Don’t Miss Out!
❖ On Monday, October 4, Yolo County Library will virtually screen the documentary Not if, But When: Wildfire Solutions, from 7 – 8:00 p.m. This 40-minute film delves into the controversial world of wildfire solutions with their pros and cons and their successes and challenges. The film includes expert interviews, drone footage, historical data and maps. This event is generously sponsored by the Friends of the
Davis Library.Zoom Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71587167061?pwd=TzdZNis5SklJTjFGTGJndjZNU1Yxdz09
Zoom Meeting ID: 717 8716 7061; Zoom Passcode: 8niYbT

City of Winters
❖ Speaking of Friends of the Library keeping the intellectual gears spinning, please see the link below for the newsletter from the Friends of the Yolo County Archives. From one history buff to all the others, Emily Hoppin is particularly inspiring, page 1.
https://www.friendsyca.org/news/newsletter.
❖ On Monday, September 25, the City hosted a community forum on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors redistricting process. Thank you to Redistricting Commissioner Mia Durham for presenting. The redistricting process occurs every ten years following the decennial census and is an important part of our democratic process. Representation is based on geographic boundaries. More information regarding how the county supervisor district boundaries are drawn is available here. The next meeting of the Advisory Redistricting Commission is October 18 at 5 p.m.

Did You Know?
❖ October is the Scarecrow Festival! Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, skeletons and scarecrows are beginning to pop up around town. For more information on how to participate and VOTE for best in
various categories, click here. Bragging rights are important and the bar is set very high in this town. The competition ends November 1. Ballots are available at participating businesses.
❖ Don’t recall if I shared this previously…The Dicennial Census information is dribbling out. For quick facts about the City of Winters, click on https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/winterscitycalifornia. According to the Federal Government, on April 1, 2020, the city had about 7,115 people, which is lower than what the State had estimated (7,315). About 54% of the community identifies as Hispanic. We’ll share more demographic information as it becomes available.

Upcoming Council Meeting – October 5
❖ Our next Council meeting is Tuesday, October 5th, beginning at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. The agenda is available here. In addition to some consent calendar items, Council will discuss whether to hold meetings in the future in person or via Zoom. Staff needs to make some adjustments to the hybrid configuration before that is an effective option.
In large part, the meeting will be devoted to strategic initiatives as a wrap up to Council goal setting earlier this summer and the close out of the FY 20-21 budget. In the ultimate of ironies, we have closed the books with a $470,000 surplus – revenues over expenditures – in large part due to the accelerated building activity and escalating home prices. Building fees and property taxes account for the majority of the surplus. Staff has made some recommendations on how to utilize the excess revenue as well as a first round of projects for American Rescue Plan funding. Three items on the agenda in the discussion section relate to confirming strategic initiatives, the Economic Development Advisory Committee Report of 2019, and budget related items.
This would be a good meeting to attend if you would like to learn more about the City’s operations and Council’s strategic initiatives.

Woot Woot!
A hearty welcome to our new Senior Planner Kirk Skierski, who begins on Monday, October 4. Kirk is coming to us from Siskiyou County where he was formerly the Planning Division Director. He will oversee all planning, housing and economic development activities. He is a graduate of UC Davis and is looking forward to getting back into the area after spending a good portion of his college days in Winters. Welcome, Kirk!
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make a big difference, like surprise goodies in the staff kitchen, flowers on doorsteps, and an unexpected kind word received just at the right time to lift the spirits. It takes a team at work, and a village in life. So for all those moments we give to others, thank you for paying it forward.
Thank you, Mary Lou Mendoza, Luis Herrera and Ramiro Becerra for City Hall’s seasonal contribution. We went the skeleton route in front of City Hall. Checkout my favorite planter pot at the front door.