11/05/2021 City Manager’s Update

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
November 5, 2021

Greetings, all, and a hearty, solemn, grateful recognition to all those service members and veterans out there, as well as their families, in honor of Veteran’s Day next Thursday, November 11. Thank you for your service.

COVID-19
❖ The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for children as young as five years of age. Parents with questions can find answers in the COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet for ages five to 11 and find County clinic locations on myturn.ca.gov or www.yolocounty.org/getvaccinated.
❖ In partnership with the Winters JUSD, Healthy Yolo continues to offer COVID-19 saliva testing in front of the library on Railroad on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11:15 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1:45 – 2:45 p.m.) More information is available here.

Please Note:
❖ City Hall will be closed for Veteran’s Day next Thursday, November 11, as well as our regular closed Friday on the 12th. There will be no Friday Update next week as a result. We appreciate being able to take this little break.
❖ The Valley Clean Energy Board recently voted to adjust rates effective November 1. The rate change will result in about 2% higher bills for residential customers (about $3-4 more per month on average). Small business customers will see about 2% increase, while large business and industrial customers will see about a 2.5% increase on their electric bill. More information is available here (October 21 meeting).

❖ A tree near Rotary Clock at Railroad and Main (not the holiday tree) needs to be removed. Its roots are causing damage to the water and irrigation lines. Public Works expects to remove it next week.

Don’t Miss Out!
❖ The Rotary Club of Winters and Winters Historical Society are working with the Lest We Forget Project to sponsor a lunch at the Opera House in honor of Winters Veterans and to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Space is limited so reservations are required. Donations will be accepted at the door. To reserve your spot, please visit www.wintersmuseum.org/respond.

❖ The first salmon of the season have been spotted at the Putah Diversion Dam!! Head out to the creek to see if you can find them, and remember to tread lightly and pack out what you packed in.
❖ The Winters Museum is pleased to announce that local historian Floyd Shimomura will serve as guest docent at the Museum on Saturday, November 6, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.

❖ The Yolo County Library system is celebrating Native American Heritage Month with an array of programs, activities, and suggested readings. For more information, please click here.

Did You Know?
❖ The Winters JUSD is committed to the well-being of its students, staff, and families to create a safe and healthy learning environment. In support of the District’s ongoing commitment, the WJUSD has partnered with Care Solace to provide an additional layer of care for our community. Care Solace is an online resource with a live 24/7 assistant meant to help individuals find local mental health-related programs and counseling services. Care Solace is now available for use by district families and staff at no cost. More information is available at www.caresolace.com/winters or by calling (888) 515-0595. The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, so thank you to the WJUSD for providing this extra layer of support to the community.
❖ The Arce family shared this photo of the new playground equipment at Blue Oak Park; it’s open for business! Pathway lighting will be installed shortly.
The play equipment at Valley Oak Park is still awaiting a replacement part; unfortunately, the manufacturer sent another defective part hence the delay.

Upcoming Council Meeting – November 16, via Zoom
Several items are tentatively scheduled for the agenda:

• The formation of the Climate Action Commission (we’ll recruit for members so watch for an upcoming announcement);
• A discussion on recently approved housing bills and the impacts to the Winters community;
• The introduction of an updated solid waste ordinance as required under SB 1383, including a discussion of the various mandates related to mandatory organics recycling for businesses and residents, the recovery of edible food waste for people in need, and mandatory procurement of compostable material (CalRecycle has determined that the City of Winters must “procure” 300 tons of compost / mulch; how we do that remains to be seen….);
• Revisiting the Main Street weekend closure for the winter months; and
• An update on the City’s unfunded CalPERS and OPEB liabilities.

A closed session has been scheduled at 5:30 p.m. to discuss my first year with the City. Both agendas will be posted next week.

Woot Woot!
While the Chief has been getting some much needed fresh air in Big Sky Country, Shelly Gunby and I had the honor of helping to swear in our newest police officer Adrian Ramirez. Officer Ramirez was also a volunteer fire fighter with the Winters Fire Department so is a dedicated public safety professional committed to our community. Please help congratulate him on becoming our newest police officer!