• City Council Meeting December 2019

The meeting started almost 15 minutes late due to a longer than anticipated closed session meeting. 
 

Top News From the meeting

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• Wildomar Trail sign design chosen
• Park shade structures to be installed beginning in January. Windsong park is first.
• City Manager pay increased to $219,000
• Dustin Nigg selected to be 2020 Mayor and Bridgette Moore as Mayor Pro-tem

Meeting Recap
Boy Scout Troop 332 led the group in the pledge of allegiance.

Local Boy Scout Troop 332 leading the pledge of allegiance.

Presentations 
Richard and Sharon Heil for all their years of service to the Wildomar community.

Mayor Marsha Swanson poses with Richard and Sharon Heil, as the rest of those in attendance gave a standing ovation.

Eagle Scout Chris Ramos was honored. (Link to blog regarding his Eagle Scout project) 

Left to right: Vic Ramos, Mayor Marsha Swanson, Chris Ramos, Casey Dever of Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's office, and Glenn Miller from the 28th district senate office. 

Holiday Lights Contest Winners 
There are a countless numbers of nicely decorated houses throughout the city. Be sure to take a drive around to enjoy these winners and the others too.

Quarterly Fire Department Update

The original graphic was illegible. I fixed it here and hope that future reports are likewise as easy to read. ☺

3.1 Sidewalk Vending Code Amendment
Back story: The state has overridden many local laws/rules/codes when it comes to Sidewalk Vending, even when it comes to food. This item was making sure that Wildomar's ordinances were in line with the state's new rules. 

Sidewalk vendors will be required to get business registrations, and if they're selling food they'll need to get through the health department rules too.

However, this has nothing to do with the trucks that park throughout the town (usually near Clinton Keith and Palomar) looking to haul junk.

Looks like this guy chose a new spot on Palomar from which to solicit business.

3.2 City of Wildomar Master Drainage Plan
This was a very important item, but for those that aren't keen on such things (my hand is raised) it's a lot like watching concrete harden. It's a good presentation with plenty of slides. It's in the video at the bottom of the blog, starting at the 1:10:00 mark.

The opening slide to a very heady topic.

3.4 Travel Reimbursement Policies
When council members or city staff travels on city business, the city pays the freight. This was an urgency ordinance to repeal an older urgency ordinance from many years back. It was basically a general housekeeping item. 

3.5 Resolution Approving Increase in City Manager Pay ($9,000 per year) 
This was approved 4-1. I was the lone dissenting vote. 

There were three comments, one of which was mine (the text of it is below). One interesting thing, to me anyway, was that within 4 seconds of the final syllable leaving my mouth, a motion was made to approve item 3.5, without any comment on what I had said.

"Let me start by saying that we have a great staff, led by a solid and steady city manager.

They are all very professional, good at what they do and a pleasure to work with. 

They are also well compensated. 

Both in actual salary and again in benefits.

When I have to tell a resident that their road can’t be fixed because we have no money, or any other need that has to be tabled, which, unfortunately, there are many, I have to pause at that.

Remember all those years of just hanging on by our fingertips?

With just a quick drive around the city one can see that it needs a lot of TLC just to get back up to the baseline… and with that actuality, I can’t justify a yearly raise of $9,000, which is on top of last year’s $9,000 increase, and a similar increase the year before that, to our city manager.

Are those figures small potatoes? 

Is that being penny wise and pound foolish? 

Or, is that the reality on the ground in a small budget city like Wildomar?

One risk in not approving yearly raises is the real possibility of turnover. 

Do we want turnover in key positions in our city?

Of course we don’t. 

Should we offer generous compensation packages in order to prevent or stave off turnover? 

Sure, but I already think that we do offer generous salaries and compensation packages.

However, being that we are a small budget city, akin to a small market sports team, we have to accept the reality that we can’t compete with large budget cities… large market teams if you will… not on this footing anyway.

We must understand that like with other small budget operations, we may very well work as a farm system, a pipeline, for larger budget operations. 

Where talented individuals come to Wildomar, put in several years here, hone their craft, and then (unfortunately for us) opt to sign elsewhere, as a free agent so to speak —where more money, and more impressive benefits, can be freely offered.

Is that ideal? 

Of course not, but it is Wildomar.  

We have a slower pace of life here, and a smaller budget. 

That’s the same thing I remind the residents when they press me about an issue that we seem unable to address. 

I tell them, “You chose Wildomar as your home, knowing what Wildomar was like.” That we, “aren’t a bigger city. That we can’t provide what bigger cities can provide.

That’s part and parcel of being in a smaller city… with a slower pace of life…and a small budget.”

If that applies to the residents that live and pay taxes here, it’s completely fair to say that the same applies to our staff… no matter how much we personally like them and love the job they’ve been doing.

To retain staff we have to rely on things beyond remuneration. 

The intangibles. 

The fact that we aren’t a big city, with the big city problems, and the big city demands and pressures… our slower pace of life… is appealing to many. 

 

To conclude, let me go with the baseball analogy you’ve all been anticipating from me (or dreading). 

It starts with the name of a hall of famer: Tony Gwynn.

He opted to stay in his hometown, leaving a ton of potential money on the table, to remain in a market that was almost never going to compete for a championship… but it was his home, so the choice was easy for him, and what he didn’t get on his paycheck, he made up for in quality of life, respect and adoration.

On the other hand there’s Bryce Harper. A longtime Washington Nationals star. 

After many years in that organization, he chose to go free agent, and sign with a cross division rival for a record breaking contract. 

What happened the following season? 

The team he went to, after investing all that money, broke even with a .500 record. The team he left? They won the World Series.

Wildomar is looking for the Tony Gwynns out there, while understanding we can’t meet the ambitions of the Bryce Harpers and hold no grudges when they opt to leave for greener pastures.

That’s my philosophy on the subject. I love Gary [Nordquist], but I can’t justify the raise so I’m not in favor of it." 

Joseph Morabito on Item 3.5, December 11, 2019

Below is the entire thirteen minute video of item 3.5.

3.6 Wildomar Trail Sign Design

The council was presented with 9 designs. Really more like 5 choices, with one option with a long rectangular sign (traditional) and another option with a half moon top as you can see in the image below. 

I wasn't a fan of any of them, but voted for option 7 if they could open up the kerning a bit (the space between the letters). 

What appears to be lines are just the reflective material reacting to a flash. The top image was chosen if we could get the kerning changed. Otherwise, the bottom image was selected as a backup. Thing is, the bottom image doesn't give a real idea of what the sign might look like since we aren't going with "Wildomar Ave".

The street signs will be changed once Caltrans installs the freeway signs. That's anticipated to be within the first quarter of next year. 

3.7 Appointment of Mayor and Mayor Pro-tem

Our 2020 Mayor will be Dustin Nigg (district 2), and Bridgette Moore (District 4) will serve as Mayor Pro-tem. Both of their seats will be on the ballot next year.

3.8 City Manager Report
The two bits of news included when the first of the park shade structures will be installed, and a presentation about a mobility plan for Wildomar (check the 2 hour mark of the video). You can use this link to learn more. www.WildomarMobilityPlan.com

Below is the link to the video. The action begins at the 8 minute mark of the video. 

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You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.
  
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe  

 Wildomar Rap can easily judge the character of people that seem to be blessed with more than one visage.

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