• City Council Meeting June 2019: Special Meeting Budget

Before the two hour meeting started, Wildomar's new police motorcycle was revealed. After the meeting the council posed for a group shot around it.

Mayor Marsha Swanson sits on the new City of Wildomar Police motorcycle. From left to right: Councilmember Ben Benoit, Mayor Pro-Tem Dustin Nigg, Councilmembers Bridgette Moore and Joseph Morabito.

The key agenda items included the CR&R rate increase and the coming two year budget.

background information on the CR&R item

2.1 CR&R Annual Rate Adjustment
There were 17 emailed protest letters. The protest letters were part of the Prop 218 format that allows rate payers to weigh in on the matter. (12:20 mark of the video)

Thought on Prop 218
I learned years ago that the requirements of Prop 218 make it next to impossible to stop a rate increase. It takes 50% of the ratepayers (one per household) to send in their protest to stop a rate increase.

The 50% threshold might as well be on the moon. I can't imagine ever amassing even half that number, even if the public were well organized and very determined.

The trash rates are pegged to the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and go up almost every year. The key difference this year is that the CPI used had been changed.

The previous CPI was called: Los Angeles/Anaheim/Riverside Metropolitan Area

That CPI was changed to two different CPIs. The LA CPI became Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim Area (which carried over the existing historical data), and a new one, Riverside/San Bernardino/Ontario (which was given a new baseline of 100), came into existence.

There were three public speakers, two had donated time from others. The key topic of "senior rates" was brought up and later incorporated into the process when CR&R's Alex Braicovich said they'd be happy to sit down to negotiate a senior rate, as soon as possible. 

I anticipate this coming online sooner than later (that's as close to a pinpoint that I can confidently post at this point).

When it was my turn to speak, I read from my prepared comments:

Uh oh, he's at it again... lol.

Let me state this: I understand the need for inflation-based rate increases and have never had an issue with them, inflation is a fact of our monetary system.  

My primary concern had been regarding which CPI to use this year. 

It was based on the fact that the previous CPI had been changed so that Riverside County was put into a new one, which appeared to be roughly 30% lower than the LA-Long Beach-Anaheim CPI we previously were part of, and that caused the initial stir.

I’ve spent many hours on this topic. I’ve met with residents and I had a meeting with CR&R’s Alex Braicovich to discuss it. 

I was willing to make a big stink about this issue, and then more facts were presented. 

First, at the meeting I had with Alex, and then an email from the BLS (bureau of labor statistics) which confirmed that the new Riverside CPI didn’t have enough data points for year over year comparisons yet, that won’t happen until January 2020. 

Also, nearby cities that have been dealing with the same new CPI, have defaulted to the legacy CPI for this year.

Once I learned that info, I saw more of the picture, and understood better the choice that was made for this rate increase. 

Could it have been more clearly stated from the start? Yes.

Could the mailer have been less confusing, all three times it was sent out? Yes.

But when it comes to the nuts and bolts of the yearly, inflation based rate increase, it’s no different than any other year. 

3.1 Biennial Budget
I love traditional baseball stats and can balance a checkbook, but unless you're a CPA type (which I'm not even close) budget meetings can glaze over one's eyes in no time. 

The preponderance of the budget is to keep the city working. There is very little significant change year over year, so I will be focusing on the eight "decision packages" that were put before the council.

This is a scan of my scoresheet.

All of the items were touched on, but most didn't generate much discussion. Items 1, 3, and 4 were things either already in the works (1 and 3) or things we are compelled to do by the state (4).

Item 2 CDBG
This is where the city is allocated money to distribute to grant funds to local nonprofits (CDBG - Community Development Block Grant). This year there were three applicants: Assistance League, HOPE and Merit Housing (Wildomar Assisted Senior Living).

There was a little over $17,000 available and it was split evenly between HOPE and the Assistance League. 

Item 5 was adopted, but pushed off until the second year of the two year budget.

Item 6 sign code update
This is something I've wanted to see since before I even started this blog. My aim in promoting this is to de-junk-ify Wildomar's main corridors where advertisements are posted at intersections, on fences or just in the public right of way with H-wire frames... feather signs were mentioned too.

We'll see about that.

We currently do not have a temporary sign ordinance and Councilmember Benoit suggested that a subcommittee be formed to work with staff to put together an ordinance that best reflects the needs and desires of the community. 

Let me just say...

I fully support the success of our local businesses, and I know that signage is important in getting your name out there. 

The disconnect comes from a very small percentage of businesses that have chosen to post banners and signs at key intersections. Those signs make our city look shabby. There is also the copycat effect as shown by the following image.

There were no signs here in 2015, and within a few years it's gotten completely ridiculous. What will it be like if we don't demand some standards?

Often times the signs are left up so long that they become frayed or faded, exacerbating the problem.

Item 7 RV Parking Ordinance 
I wasn't sure what was going to become of this item. In many parts of the city, where the residents are part of an HOA, RVs, trailers, boats and abandoned cars are already addressed (or should be). 

In the rest of the city, it's a matter of residents calling in violators of such codes. That's fine, but it hasn't worked all that well in practice.

The original decision package suggested 4 hours a week to look for illegally parked RVs. As much as I wanted this taken care of, I thought it a bit overkill.

Before I had a chance to chime in on the item, Mayor Pro-Tem Nigg suggested an alternative. Basically, instead of 4 hours looking for RVs, he suggested 10 hours of an additional code enforcement officer. 

As with the new motorcop (Officer Hansen) that will be coming online next week, that will systematically address the traffic hotspots in town, I'm envisioning these new hours to be dedicated towards looking for obvious disregard of community standards. A proactive approach to the problem, which would include RVs, and not be focused on them.

It'll cost more than the original proposal, but nice things cost money, and I'm ready for Wildomar to start looking nicer where it's previously needed some TLC.

Item 8 Sedco Basin Park Rehab (1:48:30)
This was not adopted. The $22,000 figure was just to gather information. 

There were plenty of other noteworthy items but I've run out of time for this blog.

I suggest that if you'd like more than my brief recap, please watch the video starting at the 45 minute mark.

Below is the video for the entire meeting. Note, the first seven minutes are dead air.

•                •                •

True, a little bit of wisdom may be a dangerous thing, but a great deal of ignorance is usually fatal.

– EG Marshall CBSRMT 1975

Contrary to popular speculation, Wildomar Rap isn't usually fatal.

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