Saturday, June 13, 2020

• City Council Meeting June 2020

There were several noteworthy items that came from the three and half hour, June 10th city council meeting.
Meeting Recap 

2.1 Large Family Day Care Home Code Amendment
This item was mostly to acknowledge new state rules. It removed some hurdles for family daycare business that serve between 7 and 14 children.

BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION: (details from the agenda)

On September 5, 2019 Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 234 (SB 234), referred to as the “Keeping Kids Close to Home Act.” SB 234 is intended to ease the process for family childcare homes located in residential zoning districts. This new law went into effect on January 1, 2020. Before the enactment of SB 234, state law, authorized a city to either classify “a large family daycare home” as residential use of the property or to provide a process for applying for a permit to use the property as a large family daycare home. This bill now requires a large family day care home to be treated as a residential use of property for purposes of all ordinances. 

Family daycare homes are licensed in two categories: large family daycare homes, which may care for 7 to 14 children and small family daycare homes which provides family day care for 1 to 6 children. Procedurally, large family day care homes currently require a plot plan application and processing fee in accordance with Section 17.212 of the municipal code. After an application is deemed as complete, the Planning Director has 30 days to schedule the time and date on which the Department’s decision on the application is to be made. No less than 20 days prior to the decision date, the Planning Department sends out a notice to surround property owners that a large family day care home application is being considered. Surrounding property owners may request a Director Hearing in writing. If no request for a hearing is made, then the planning department is required to approve, conditionally approve, or deny the application. The decision of the Planning Director shall be considered final unless within 14 days of the date of the notice of decision to the applicant an appeal there from is filed.

Under SB 234, large family daycare homes that provide childcare will now receive the same land use and zoning and permitting exemptions small family daycare homes receive. Therefore, all family based childcare options beginning January 1, 2020 are now considered a residential use and cannot be considered a change of use for building or fire code purposes. They also cannot be made subject to a business license, tax, or any other fee. This means the city can no longer require a business registration for large family day care homes. State law had also given some property owners the impression that absent a written agreement with a licensed childcare provider, they can refuse to rent or sell a home to childcare providers. SB 234 clarifies that childcare providers can have remedies and procedures available to them under the Fair Employment and Housing Act. This bill further clarifies that licensed family daycare homes are allowed to operate in apartments and other types of multifamily units.

2.2 Urgent Care CUP Code Amendment

Without adopting this code amendment, an urgent care that would like to open in Wildomar could have done so "by right" and now they'll have to get a Conditional Use Permit first. There is an urgent care in the process of getting ready to open in Wildomar Square.

2.3 Trash Collection Services Liens
This is pretty much a yearly item. In short, ALL residents are required to be part of trash service even if you are willing to cart your garbage to the dump yourself. When I first learned of this I thought, "That seems unAmerican to me." 
Before you go off on a "How dare they tell me I have to pay to get my garbage hauled away" rant, the rationale makes sense. If it wasn't mandated, so the story goes, many people would illegally dump their garbage or just stack it up in their backyards. It's a health issue and they are contracted to pick up your trash if you pay them or not.
Long story short. If you don't want to show up in a city council agenda for being a deadbeat, and worse, having a lien against your property, pay your bills. There is one homeowner that has amassed an unpaid bill of $2,371.94 so far. Congrats... I guess. 

Here is a link to the agenda packet if you want to see if you're on the list. We have more than 10 people that owe over $1000, and I think I know at least two of those names... YIKES! Skip down to page 357 and it goes to 365.

Do you rent your property out? 

If you were wise you would pay the trash bill yourself and then just add it to the rent. Otherwise, if they try to skip out on their trash bill, the trash haulers will be coming after you anyway, not them.

3.1 FY19-20 4th Quarter Budget Report
There will be a special budget meeting on June 24th to go over this in detail. Due to the Covid19 economic fallout, we are looking at cutting the budget. The question is were, and how much. 

3.3 Public Works Maintenance Annual Report
Call outs: Responded to approximately 20 after-hour calls for service for collisions, spills, fallen trees, roadway debris and other incidents 
Recap Items:
• 11,000 SF of potholes repaired, approx. 66 tons of AC cold mix used
• 165 New signs installed or replaced, including new Vehicle Regulation, Wildomar Trail & No Trespassing signs
• 80 Hrs of graffiti removal completed o Approx. 225 Hrs spent removing illegal dumps from ROW and roadway
• Approx. 92,260 LF of ROW cleared of weeds & tumbleweeds (approx. 17.5 miles)
• Trimmed 220 trees blocking signs & sidewalks o Refreshed approx. 50 Stop bars & legends
• Installed new Palomar & McVicar/Frederick crosswalk
• Conducted striping & stenciling work citywide as requested o Refreshed red & white curb along school & hospital zones
• Completed citywide catch basin cleaning
• Completed citywide arterial sign inventory o Completed School zone sign inventory
• Conducted several storm patrols during various weather events
• Conducted non- glysophate pre and post emergent weed spraying along ROW citywide
• Addressed sidewalk complaints at Marna O’Brian and Windsong Parks
• Addressed sinkhole issues as requested
• Removed weeds along Grand Ave Trail & ROW 2
• Repaired fencing as requested o Cleared mud & debris several times after storms
• Boarded up abandoned house as requested o Utilized Hot mix crew to address issues citywide as directed
• Utilized equipment to repair wash out on Cottonwood, importing 40 tons of rock base.
• Graded both Cottonwood & Lost Roads twice o Restrung approx. 50 sections of rope at Grand Ave trail

• Began cataloging info on new Collector App

The part I am most eager to share is the new way to report issues in Wildomar. You'll be able to attach photos starting July 1st. 
Use this link to report an issue in town
Remember, this is your city too, and if you see something you want addressed, to wait around for others to report it... and then whine that an RV has been in a field for months when you should have reported it long before. 

I plan on doing a stand alone blog regarding this shortly.

3.4 Establish Speed Zones on Various Streets: Phase III and Final City-Wide List of Streets
Some of the speeds seem far higher than they should be, but the city does NOT have the discretion to put up any speed limit we'd like. There is a prescribed method of doing speed surveys that must be adhered to in order for the limits to be legal. 

I was taken aback by the speed limit on Gruwell St. After reading the legal speed limit in the agenda (see above) I went over and drove it heading east from Grand. With my normal driving habits, I barely got to 40 MPH. 

This road is going to be a ZERO TOLERANCE speed zone. Other roads you can expect a cushion of a few MPH over the limit and still not get cited for speeding... but not here, or on Union St. 

Last note on this item. 

Councilman Ben Benoit spoke about potential legislation from Sacramento that may make it easier for local jurisdictions to set speed limits that don't rely solely on speed surveys. Let's hope that gets through.

I don't get how we would be setting speed limits based on the fact that many drivers are speeding. Then again, when has government mishmash made sense?

Below is the video of the entire meeting, including the second reading of the commercial cannabis ordinance which was covered in its own blog. LINK 
  

•                •                •

When we're young we're tempted to leave it up to time to correct mistakes, and when we're old the temptation is to lapse to that bittersweet attitude of remorse — if only we could go back.

– EG Marshall (CBSRMT)

Wildomar Rap chooses bittersweet remorse over milk chocolate remorse every time.


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