• City Council Meeting January 2019

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. 

This is a screen capture from the live video.

Item 1.6 
2 Vacancies on the Measure Z committee.

Link to Measure Z page on city website.

This is a great chance for you to get more involved in your community!

Link to application

Link to Measure Z calendar.

Item 1.7 Amendments 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: 

https://livestream.com/accounts/26084177/Wildomar

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's to do list: learn how to weave.

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