The Meeting started with a presentation honoring LEUSD Teacher and Board Member Stan Crippen for all his years of service to the community.
Stan Crippen and Mayor Pro-Tem Ben Benoit
TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING
Final hurdles out of the way for 2021 Brewfest at Marna O'Brien park this October
City Council Meetings to find new 6:00pm time slot
Measure AA Committee welcomes Kathleen Kovich to the group
Subcommittee of Mayor Nigg and Mayor Pro-Tem Benoit to look over possible direct election of Wildomar's Mayor
City Manager Gary Nordquist's last day set for Jan 31, 2022
Police Department Update
Only 1 citation was written.
I was a bit surprised to see this year's number of fireworks calls doubling last years. I would have wagered that there were 100 calls from a handful of residents alone. Then again, posting on Facebook about an issue has never been factored into actual police stats.
opinion time regarding illegal fireworks
I'm a realist first and foremost.
Therefore, when it comes to fireworks, littering, running stop signs in neighborhoods, etc. I recognize that there is no way that enforcement alone will do anything more than chip off a few percentage points of scofflaws that simply do not care about community standards.
Such people know that the odds of being caught are minimal (like speeding on the freeway), and with California's new soft approach to prosecuting law breakers, they know that even if caught they'll most likely get no penalty of consequence.
The key is in the hands of today's parents, to instill in their children that community standards are important to respect.
In the meantime, knowing that we have neighbors that confuse celebrating liberty with shooting incendiary devices over our rooftops at 1am, it's best to find ways to cope.
Also in the Police Department Update was news regarding the rash of 8 smash and grab break ins that occurred after 2am on July 5th. It was a spree that included 40 known incidences that appeared to begin in Temecula and finish in Hemet.
All the suspects have been identified, and one arrest has already been made. (This is at the 20 minute mark of the video below).
Deputy Dallin Chambers was introduced and is now part of the Wildomar special enforcement team.
Library Update
On July 28th they are celebrating their 28th anniversary and invite you to come on down for a cup of Starbucks coffee. They open at 10am and close at 6pm.
There is also a bookmark contest, so if you're an artist, or one in the making, please consider entering the contest. 😊
Be sure to stop by and see what's happening this Summer.
Code Enforcement Reinvigorated
As many of you already know, long time code enforcement officer Keith Ross passed away earlier this year. There has been a big hole to fill but now Wildomar is back up to full strength, and then some, when it comes tothis department.
You may disagree with the idea of code enforcement in li'l ol' WillyMar, but 95% of the rest of us don't.
If you're one that has been pushing the limits with code issues, take this as a friendly reminder to clean up your act. If not, the new officers are coming with the ferocity of a pitbull (and I'm not apologizing to pitbull owners if that comparison offends you).
If you get cited, send your complaint letters to jmorabito@cityofwildomar.org and I'll nominate you for the inaugural hardhead of the year award.
1.8 Baxter Village Medical Office Building Site
Grading is scheduled to begin "September to October time frame". The owner of the property will be securing the perimeter once grading has occurred to keep illegal dumping and trespassing in check.
I guess that Baxter Off Road Park will finally be a thing of the past... but I'll only believe it after I see it. In the meantime, let's stroll down memory lane which includes images of the vaunted Brown House in this timeless parody video.
3.1 Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Education Foundation Special Event Memorandum of Understanding
This was on the agenda of the last meeting, but the wording of the item left a lot to be desired, so it was tabled.
From the agenda:
City participation would include, but not limited to providing the following and related services: perimeter fencing, restroom facility rental, janitorial services, security services, trash collection bins, traffic control, traffic barriers, on- site EMT/First Aid, parking, and shuttle service.
The cost to the general fund for this event will be up to $15,000
If there are any funds remaining from the cost of facilitating the event at Marna O’Brien Park, the remaining amount will be used to promote and market the event through a plan developed by the Economic Development Department.
I see this as a win for the city. I think it’s good for a city to have a signature event, and though not all will support a beer festival (not everyone drinks alcohol), I’m sure that not everyone in Gilroy is excited about being known for garlic.
Before Wildomar I lived in San Clemente, and they had their “Ocean Festival” where the main streets were blocked off for a 5-K and then a huge block party that went all the way down to the pier. I remember the first year that I encountered it, I couldn't get across the street and was mad about it. In later years, after I'd had kids, I realized it was a great thing for the community.
Though it’s not for everyone, it’s still good for the city.
—Councilman Joseph Morabito comments at the meeting
3.6 Establishment of an Ad-Hoc Re-Districting Subcommittee
Quick rundown on what this is about.
First, after each census the political district lines get redrawn and the five districts that comprise Wildomar City Council need to be updated.
Second, last year the Mayor suggested we look at going from five council districts and rotating the title of Mayor to four districts and a Mayor that the entire city votes for.
I can see both good and bad things coming from that.
On the good side is that the voters would now have two people they could vote for instead on just one. There would be consistency with one mayor instead of constantly having to adjust to a new style.
On the negative side if the elected Mayor is headstrong or difficult, doesn't seem to be putting in enough time, or is actually on the inept side there is nothing that can be done about it until the term is finished and the voters choose again.
The way it currently is set up, the Mayor is there for a year (usually) and then hands the gavel over to the next person in line (that's how it is in most smaller cities. In our area, only Menifee bucks that trend). If a mayor is in over his or her head, it would have less impact in the course of a year than over the long haul of four years.
A novel idea was floated out by Kenny Mayes during his public comment.
He suggested keeping the five districts and then having a Mayor with limited powers that is voted in by the entire city.
I don't know if it's doable or if it's permissible under California law, but if it is, I love that idea. Way to go Kenny, you knocked that one out of the park.
The next issue would be who should decide such a thing?
Should that be the five city council members, or should it be put to a vote of the people?
There are arguments on both sides, but without some very persuasive reasoning against it, my stance is that it needs to be put on the ballot, and then retroactive term limits must be put on the ballot too; twelve years is enough.
If in the end this goes forward, I have the perfect candidate for Wildomar's first elected Mayor. If that person isn't interested, then I'll throw my hat into the ring... seriously.
The subcommittee will be comprised by the Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem. I wanted to be on the subcommittee, but was happy to step aside for the two chosen. The big reason to not push wanting to be on the subcommittee was that it was the idea of the Mayor in the first place, and he should be on it for that reason. Also, because of the Brown Act, I couldn't have been on with the Mayor or Mayor Pro-Tem.
This will take more than one public meeting, so please give it some thought, talk it over with your neighbors and plan on actively participating in this decision.
3.7 Approval of Master Equity Lease Agreement and Maintenance Agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management
The blog is getting long by this time so let me sum this up.
We need city vehicles.
Should we buy or should we lease?
I can't imagine how leasing is a better move than purchasing. Which is the case in normal years. Thing is, this hasn't been a "normal year" and there are issues in the supply chain that is making new vehicles more difficult to obtain.
In the end it was a 5-0 vote to approve the item which will be to lease the vehicles.
I argued against the idea of leasing, but under the circumstances, understood that our back was to the proverbial wall and we needed the vehicles.
My vote went from a no to a yes after I asked if this was a one and done vote, and it was established that it will be reviewed with each new budget. I'll be willing to look at the numbers at that time, but if they don't clearly show a savings by leasing over purchasing, my 2021 vote will be a NO from here on out.
It wasn't really highlighted at the meeting, but the city manager is in the last year of his contract and he was planning on retiring last year but agreed to stay on another year to help guide the city through the Covid state of emergency. His last day is slated to be January 31, 2022.
The task of looking for the next city manager will begin shortly.
• • •
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” – Bertrand Russell Wildomar Rap wants to know if Berty used to kiss his mom with that potty mouth?
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Following my dear grandmother's sage advice, I will only be making complimentary statements about the new signs. No negative comments. No sirree... not from me. Please take a look at some of the new signs that have been installed. They are sure to make the local residents stand up straight and thrust their chests out with a pride of ownership feeling reminiscent of when we got our first cars!
This is the new sign. It's brown and has a compact cowboy style font.
The new signs are like works of art. As with other works of art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... and they are something to behold alrighty!
This is the old sign. It was green with a large, very basic font.
Had I been the one tasked to oversee this project, being the persnickety artist that I am, I probably would have opted for something a bit my eye popping and tad easier to read from more than 30 feet away. Maybe next time.
Our new Wildomar Trail signs are so cute. They're sure to put a smile on your face just by looking at them. You couldn't ask for more complimentary colors than those. I bet they're awesome with a nice sunset behind them too. ☺
Though my first preference would have been better legibility, these new signs are sure to get the residents talking about the new name of the street for years to come.
This is an artsy-fartsy photo of both the old and the new signs. Pretty cool, huh?
Down comes the Central sign.
Up goes the Wildomar Trail sign.
Uh oh, looks like the photos are out of sequence. This sign was changed before the other one.
The good news is that Wildomar Trail is scheduled for proper road repairs "after the rainy season" (not sure what that means, but we'll eventually find out). The project will go from Grand Ave to Palomar. No timetable as of yet for the part of Wildomar Trail that goes east from Palomar to the freeway.
This rugged part of Wildomar Trail will soon be nothing more than a happy memory.
For those that haven't seen Gramps argue with his grandson about Wildomar Trail... hurry up already and watch it... even if you hate cartoons, just do it.
I was able to post a whole blog about these new signs while being positive. My grandmother would have been extremely proud and impressed at the same time. It was no easy feat to be sure.
• • •
To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.
– Marilyn vos Savant Wildomar Raphas done so much observing that there is now too much wisdom on board, and it's crashing around the friendly confines my skull looking for a way out.
This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links).Link to proper format.
CHANGING BAXTER ROAD TO WILDOMAR TRAIL:
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TIMING
A still shot from the promotional videos that will be released soon. If you're wondering. The series of promotional videos are being donated by Third District City Councilman, Joseph Morabito.
APPROVED FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BY: Gary Nordquist, City Manager Date: February 27, 2020 WILDOMAR, CA – ‘Where is Wildomar?’ is a question all too familiar to its residents and
businesses. Nestled in between Lake Elsinore and Murrieta and only 11 years old, this fantastic
city is getting ready to let the world –or at least Interstate 15 travelers– know just where Wildomar
is. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is in the process of updating and installing
new freeway signs on the I-15 from Rainbow Valley Blvd. (just south of Temecula), heading north
through Wildomar. Part of this process will include Baxter Rd changing its name in the city of
Wildomar to “Wildomar Trail.” The idea has been a long time in the making, but the timing of its execution could not be better.
Originally, replacing the freeway signs alone was going to cost Wildomar over $300,000.
However, city staff worked with Caltrans’ predetermined schedule to replace aging freeway signs
and was able to have the signs created and replaced at no charge. “Timing is everything,” said Wildomar Mayor Dustin Nigg. “This change will really help to put
Wildomar on the map, literally, and at a very minimal cost to the city.” With the freeway signs taken care of, Wildomar still had to figure out the cost to replace street
signs and applied for various grants to do so. The Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of
California (PARSAC) offered a grant to update and replace non-reflective street signs within city
jurisdiction and so Wildomar took that opportunity. PARSAC will be paying $14,500 to replace the
street signs throughout Wildomar, with only $19,000 coming from the city’s general fund over the
past several years. The name change will affect five contiguous, differently named streets within Wildomar and
combine them into a consistent name that will take you from one end of the city to the other uniting
the east and west sections of the city. Shopping Center, George Ave, Porras Rd, Baxter Rd and
Central St will all be changed to Wildomar Trail; not only adding to the consistency, but also
increasing public safety by alleviating the confusion that the I-15 Baxter Rd freeway exit in
Wildomar is somehow related to the “other” Baxter Rd in Murrieta, which is east of the I-215
Freeway and the location of Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta. “Any time we can take advantage of an opportunity to increase our brand identity, create more
consistency and improve public safety in the city, that is something we want to do,” Mayor Nigg
said. “Council and staff are very excited about this change.” So, as you head out on the I-15 freeway, keep your eyes peeled for the “Baxter Rd” that was once
between Clinton Keith Rd and Bundy Canyon Rd; when you see “Wildomar Trail,” you will know
the answer to that all-time question, ‘Where is Wildomar?’ For
more information regarding the City of Wildomar, visit www.cityofwildomar.org.
For additional information, please call Kimberly Davidson at 951-677-7751, Extension 215, or
email kdavidson@cityofwildomar.org
The key takeaways from this meeting include shade structures at two of our parks, and the tabling of changing Wildomar Road's name to Old Wildomar Road, but let's begin by highlighting the presentations. Proclamation: David Lower’s 100th Birthday. He's lived in Wildomar since 1987, and is both a WWII and Korean War veteran.
R to L: Joseph Morabito, Marsha Swanson, David Lower, Ben Benoit, David Lower's daughter, Dustin Nigg and Bridgette Moore. Photo courtesy city of Wildomar's facebook page. Original caption: Tonight, we celebrated Mr. David Lower’s 100th birthday. He served in both WWII and the Korean War. Happy birthday, young man... and thank you for your service!
Mr. Valdez gave a presentation of happenings at William Collier Elementary School.
There was also mention of a Community Candlelight Tribute (19th annual ceremony is set for November 30th, sorry not sure of the details) and an Acknowledgement that Wildomar is a Purple Heart City. Items 3.1 and 3.2were GPIPs (General Plan Initiation Proposal). I love every chance I get to dust off my old Mario and Peach cartoon to illustrate what a GPIP is... so here goes.
I see a GPIP as asking if you can ask, because if you were actually asking in the first place, you'd go directly with the GPA (General Plan Amendment).
In the end, both applicants were given the green light to position themselves for a full GPA (General Plan Amendment) in the future. One GPIP asked if they could change an old approved plan of 108 single family homes to 288 apartments.
The key concern from the council was the traffic impacts.
The other GPIP dealt with a 3+ acre property on Grand that asked to be subdivided into four lots, all greater than half an acre. Neither were given unanimous attaboys, but enough encouragement to reach for the next level. I don't anticipate seeing either project come back for at least six months, more likely a year. 3.3 First Quarter Budget Report The important news from this item involves the sidewalk project along Mission Trail in the Sedco Hills part of the city. Councilmember Ben Benoit asked if this will finish the sidewalk project all the way to Malaga Park, and that was confirmed. I had asked in an email what the estimated start/finish dates are and the answer I received was: Estimated start date is January 6th and the estimated completion date is February 7th. 3.4 Award of Construction Contract – Installation of Park Shade Structures at Wildomar Parks Project This was approved by unanimous vote, but not without discussion. What started out in 2018 as a $50,000 project, morphed into $157K.
Artist's rendition of Marna O'Brien park's play area.
Reminder/Disclaimer Being a member of the city council makes being a blogger difficult in situations like this. I want to tell you how I saw it, but I'm not here to "throw shade" in any direction. I want to maintain a good working relationship with all that are part of the city machine. So, out of an abundance of caution and respect for others that don't have their own blog to give you their "side", I won't be getting into specifics here. If you'd like to see the video below at the 1:28:30 mark for this item.
The good news is that there will be shade structures at both Marna O'Brien and Windsong parks before next Summer. 3.5 Santa Rosa Plateau Special Event There was an agreement to hold the SRPNEF brewfest event at Marna O'Brien park for the next two years. It was also reiterated that Santa Rosa Plateau is CLOSED for all uses... so please don't even go up there if you don't live in one of those communities.
3.6 2020 Parks Special Events Calendar Below is the tentative 2020 city event calendar. I asked if we could add an Earth Day event/recognition, and Mayor Pro-Tem Dustin Nigg suggested the same thing during future agenda items.
Might as well mark your calendars now... I have. ☺
3.7 Resolution to Change the Name of Wildomar Road to Old Wildomar Road Remember that green box up above with the reminder? Yep, it sort of applies here too. In the end, this item was tabled. As for me, I was against changing the name of Wildomar Road to Old Wildomar Road without direct input from the residents on that street. Councilmember Ben Benoit, who represents the district that Wildomar Road is in, also wasn't in favor of this the way it was presented, and he motioned that we put this off for a month to get more information.
3.8 Business Registration Program Amendment This was supposed to be an easy item, but I didn't like the way part of it read. The part I didn't like was removing the exemption for some home based businesses. Since I have a home based business that got the exemption, I spoke with the city attorney before the meeting to see if there was a conflict of interest for me to be part of this item. It was determined not to be a problem so I played my part. If you watch the video, you'll see that I was primarily concerned with very small home based businesses. Businesses that don't have employees, customers, inventory etc. Imagine a house cleaner that lives in Wildomar but works in other cities, or someone that sells crafts on Etsy. To me, it would be better to offer business registration at a reduced rate, than have them skip it because they'd rather save the $75 or $50. I compared other public things, like RTA, where the fare they charge does NOT cover their overhead. The same applies to parks too. They cost us, but are a benefit to the community. I was trying to suggest that keeping track of smaller home based businesses, through a low cost registration for those that qualify, would be a good way to keep track of such businesses. My suggestion continued that by removing the exemption, we were disincentivizing very small home based businesses from participating.
I'm not the most articulate person when doing public speaking, and it showed as I failed at conveying that point.
• • •
The last bit of news came during the future agenda items portion of the meeting. I asked for a future agenda item where the city council can discuss citywide clean up days where volunteers can help keep the city clean. That seemed to get a majority of the council to give a head nod. I then asked for a future agenda item where the city council could discuss the merits of using the city's email and social media to advertise/promote local, approved, nonprofits and their events. Three of us agreed, and it should be coming to a future city council agenda. The last news nugget came when Councilmember Bridgette Moore asked that there be a special meeting to discuss commercial cannabis. I quickly agreed, but there wasn't a third member that wanted to see it happen.
Green box reminder time again... I'm going to try and give an opinion, but I'll be pulling punches and going with kid gloves here. I'm still new to being on city council, and I'm still somewhat of an idealist when it comes to my approach to the job. For me, if one of my colleagues were to ask for a future agenda item that I didn't get, or did get but didn't support, I'd STILL approve it to be on a future agenda. Again, perhaps I'm being idealistic, but there should always be room for more discussion. Discussion doesn't equate to support.
Note: the meeting doesn't start until about the 4:30 mark of the video.
• • •
"Consider the postage stamp, son. It secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there." – Josh Billings Wildomar Raphas always been delivered without postage of any kind.
This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.
It was a relatively short meeting, adjourning by 7:45pm. The key topics from my perspective were agenda items 1.6 (not discussed), 1.7, 3.1 and 3.2. Before any of those items, there was a presentation where 2018 Mayor Ben Benoit handed the gavel over to 2019 Mayor Marsha Swanson.
Item 1.7Amendments to Personnel Rules This dealt with increasing the amount of sick time city employees can accrue. This starts at the 31:00 mark in the video below. Council discussion begins at 42:20. This was a very heady item that ended up being voted on separately (from the rest of the consent calendar). The key sticking point for me was boosting the accrued sick time that an employee can bank went from 320 hours to 640 hours. In the original language an employee could cash out 50% of 320 hours and the proposal was to bump that to 100% 0f 640 hours.
One thing to keep in mind here is that if a person uses their sick time, then there is no accrued sick time to bank.
The idea is to use the banking of sick time as a carrot to persuade an employee to not call in sick if they can work through a time they aren't feeling 100% on a given work day.
The difference between cashing out unused sick leave the year it is earned, and waiting until the end of an employee's tenure with the city is that it will be paid based on the final wage/salary they were earning, not the wage/salary of the year the sick time was originally earned.
The rationale is to remain competitive with other local cities, and what they offer. That way we don't lose quality personnel to other municipalities that can offer a better compensation package.
I used a sports analogy. (Better get used to it, because I like to do that a lot... even from the dais) ☺
There was a chart that showed how this is addressed in Eastvale, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta and Temecula.
Comparative chart with other local cities.
The sports analogy was that we, Wildomar, will always be a "small market team"(think Minnesota Twins or Pittsburgh Pirates)and we can't compare ourselves to the New York Yankees or LA Dodgers (Temecula, etc).
We'll never be able to compete with those other cities when it comes to what we can offer employees.
What we can offer is a fair compensation package and a different pace, but if a larger city can offer more money (like the Yankees or Dodgers can), and top dollar is the key factor for a said employee, then they'll understandably take the better offer. That's just life in a small market.
There was a distinction made between the executive and management employees, and the rest of the city employees. The proposal is to allow the executives and management to get 100% cash out from day one. The other city employees follow the table below.
Longevity has its advantages.
When it comes to the regular employees, it would take someone being continuously employed by the city for 15 years to get to the 100% mark.
Maybe it's because I've never been an executive/manager (I've been my own boss since I was 22), but I don't see why a distinction should be made.
If the idea is to incentivize the NON use of sick leave, then why wouldn't we extend that to everyone?
We have a small staff, and we prefer it when they don't feel compelled to use the sick time that they might otherwise exercise.
It could be argued that allowing them to accrue sick time over that span would work as an incentive for them to avoid using sick time over their career when they're feeling subpar, but still able to work. A bonus of sorts. Bonuses are good things. Who out there doesn't like to have them offered for work well done? The vote was 3-2 to table the item.
A motion was made by Councilmember Ben Benoit and seconded by Councilmember Joseph Morabito. The keys of the motion were to have staff present a chart with, not only the sick time hours, but also those of vacation time to better compare and understand where we're at compared to other cities.
There was an explanation as to why this type of item was on the consent calendar and not a regular agenda item: This type of item has been brought to the city council 11 times since incorporation, and other than when it was being created as an ordinance, it's been on the consent calendar. I respect protocol, but as I stated from the dais, I'd prefer this type of item (that deals with proposed changes in monetary outlay) to be a regular agenda item with a staff presentation. I need to know what I'm voting on. Item 3.1 Resolution of Intention to Change the Name of Five Contiguous Interior Residential Streets to One Continuous Street Name: Wildomar Trail
As of today, there is no date set for when this name change will occur. Item 3.2 FY 2018-19 Mid -Year Budget Report The key notes are that we voted to add to our first responders in the 2019-2020 fiscal year are as follows.
• For Police, the addition of a motor officer and a community patrol officer. Proposed FY 2019-20 cost would be $565,000; • For Fire, the addition of a Medic Squad. Proposed FY 2019-20 costs for three additional staff for the Medic Squad would be $783,700; • One-Time Costs for Police would be the purchase and equipping of a motorcycle. Proposed FY 2018-19 cost is $50,000. • One Time Costs for Fire would be the purchase of the Medic Squad vehicle and related equipment. Proposed FY 2018-19 costs is $225,000
•
The video feed begins well before the meeting started. Skip to the 14:45 minute mark to get to the beginning of the meeting.
Bookmark the following link that leads to the City of Wildomar's video page:
Note: these early video feeds are still in the beta stage of things. The camera was a temporary camera (as seen in the photo below) and a permanent camera will soon be installed. The live feed will eventually include the presentations that can be seen on the four monitors in the council chambers.
Red arrow indicates temporary camera location. Kenny Mayes decked out in solidarity with his "French brothers" protesting high taxes.
Which was the basis for the line of the night uttered by resident Monty Goddard when commenting on the proposed traffic patrol officer in item 3.2:
"This is one of the rare occasions when... the protestor from France and I are in disagreement."
That bit of levity can be seen at the 1:08:30 mark of the video.
• • •
What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. – Pericles Next on Wildomar Rap'sto do list: learn how to weave.
This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.
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