[11:44] Okay, we are going to call this meeting
[11:47] to order.
[11:54] Could
[11:55] you lead us in
[13:05] Roll call, please.
[13:08] >> Council member Odbe
[13:09] >> here.
[13:10] >> Council member FSY
[13:11] >> here. Council member Call
[13:13] >> here. Vice Mayor Pimentel
[13:15] >> here.
[13:16] >> Mayor Hernandez
[13:16] >> here. There are no agenda changes at
[13:20] this time. Any council member, authority
[13:22] or staff who has a direct conflict of
[13:24] interest on any scheduled agenda item to
[13:26] be considered is to declare their
[13:27] conflict at this time.
[13:31] Seeing none, we are going to move ahead
[13:33] to public comment. At this time, members
[13:35] of the public may comment on any item
[13:37] not appearing on the agenda and within
[13:39] the subject matter jurisdiction of the
[13:40] city council L board. Individual
[13:43] comments will be limited to a maximum of
[13:44] three minutes and time cannot be yielded
[13:46] to another person. Under state law,
[13:48] matters presented during public comment
[13:50] cannot be discussed or acted upon.
[13:53] Mayor, we have Julia Hernandez.
[13:57] [clears throat]
[14:06] All right.
[14:08] I think so. Oh, there it is. Okay. I'm
[14:11] naturally a loud person, so I'll try not
[14:12] to hurt anybody's ears. All righty. Um,
[14:15] hello everyone. My name is Julia
[14:16] Hernandez. I recently stepped into the
[14:19] position of facilitator at Sierra House.
[14:21] So, I just wanted to take some time to
[14:23] come down here tonight when we're all in
[14:24] one place to introduce myself. So, you
[14:26] know, you know my face, I know yours.
[14:29] Um, I wanted to also speak about my
[14:31] goals to discuss making a positive
[14:33] impact on the unhoused population in our
[14:35] community um through our services at
[14:36] Sier House. So, I was born and raised
[14:39] here in the Central Valley. Growing up
[14:40] in Modesto and studying at Fresno State
[14:43] to earn my bachelor's in psychology and
[14:45] after graduation, I felt that natural
[14:47] pull to come on back to the Modesto and
[14:49] Riverbank area that, you know, so many
[14:51] of my friends and family felt as well.
[14:53] This is my home. And I wanted to give
[14:55] back to the community that raised me.
[14:57] Throughout my life, I volunteered with
[14:59] various organizations including the
[15:00] North Modesto Kuanas Club to provide
[15:02] support to those in need. And after
[15:04] conducting some community outreach in
[15:06] Turlock over at WCare, I felt a pull to
[15:09] make a difference in the lives of our
[15:10] unhoused population. I wanted to be able
[15:13] to make a difference and so I was so
[15:15] excited for the opportunity to
[15:16] contribute to Cambridgemies and their
[15:19] mission through Sierra House here in
[15:20] Riverbank.
[15:22] And so in that, you know, in my in my
[15:23] role as facilitator at re in the restart
[15:26] program, I am happy to share that over
[15:28] the month that I've been here, we've
[15:29] been able to secure employment for three
[15:31] of our four residents after focusing on
[15:33] resume and cover letter building as well
[15:35] as job interview preparation and
[15:36] essential skill building. We are now
[15:38] working on helping them develop
[15:40] financial literacy, preparing them for
[15:42] their life and success beyond the
[15:43] program. And one of our residents is
[15:45] even enrolled in a peer support group.
[15:48] um he is working to become trained in
[15:50] becoming a peer sport person to help
[15:52] people kind of get back on the right
[15:54] track as he was able to do for himself.
[15:55] So it's really really amazing he's set
[15:57] to graduate late next month. We are very
[15:59] proud of him. So I wanted to share that
[16:00] as well. It's been amazing to see the
[16:02] growth in these men in the first month
[16:04] that I've been on site and in the coming
[16:05] months I'll be getting out into our
[16:07] community myself connecting with other
[16:09] organizations and recruiting for our
[16:10] third cohort that we have set to begin
[16:12] April 1st. Um, we are looking for
[16:15] candidates that with the right support
[16:16] that have the potential to become the
[16:18] person that achieves their goals. I do
[16:20] have a strong desire to help the youth
[16:21] of our community and help them prevent
[16:23] living a life on the streets. Um,
[16:25] through our career and personal
[16:26] development, I will be beginning to
[16:28] teach in April. I would love to meet
[16:30] with anyone that wants to know more
[16:31] about our programs so we can continue
[16:33] working together to reach those in need.
[16:35] I'm excited to see what we can
[16:36] accomplish while I'm in this role. Um,
[16:39] and you know, we're so thankful to the
[16:40] city of Riverbank for your continued
[16:42] support of our efforts. of course.
[16:43] Please don't be a stranger. I'm there
[16:45] Monday through Friday. I'd love for you
[16:46] guys to stop by. Um, get to know each
[16:48] other. Connection is very important to
[16:49] me. So, yeah, see me anytime. Thank you,
[16:58] mayor. That is all we have for general
[17:00] public comment in the chamber. I'm not
[17:02] sure if there's anyone online, but I
[17:04] don't see anyone.
[17:06] >> Eight. Any other public comment?
[17:10] If not, we are going to move on to the
[17:12] consent calendar. Um, items 9.1 to 9.5.
[17:17] Is there any discussion or a uh motion?
[17:24] » I make a motion we approve items 9.1
[17:26] through 9.5.
[17:28] >> Second.
[17:28] >> Roll call, please.
[17:31] >> Council member Da.
[17:32] >> Yes.
[17:32] >> Council member FSY.
[17:33] >> Yes.
[17:34] >> Council member Call.
[17:35] >> Yes.
[17:35] >> Vice Mayor Pimementel?
[17:37] >> Yes.
[17:37] >> Mayor Hernandez?
[17:38] >> Yes.
[17:38] >> Motion passes. is 50
[17:41] public hearing. So we have item 10.1, a
[17:44] resolution to adopt new fee schedule of
[17:46] park amenities, rentals, recreation
[17:48] programs, and events for city of
[17:50] Riverbank.
[17:51] >> Mayor and council, Michael Patton, your
[17:54] director of parks and recreation will
[17:55] provide this report.
[17:58] >> Good evening, mayor and city council. So
[18:02] we'll wait for Norman to get the
[18:03] presentation up and we'll get get
[18:05] started.
[18:07] Awesome.
[18:14] So, we as a park recreation department
[18:16] are here to um seek approval from the
[18:19] city council to updating our fee
[18:21] schedule for the parks and recreation
[18:22] department.
[18:24] Um kind of give you a little bit
[18:25] background why we're doing this. Um as
[18:28] uh you guys know from our last city
[18:30] council meeting, the department
[18:31] completed a financial sustainability
[18:33] study that was presented to you two
[18:35] weeks ago. Um in this study the
[18:38] consultants reviewed with staff um the
[18:40] financials of the department um and some
[18:43] of the key findings is our department is
[18:46] doing about 16% cost recovery. Um the
[18:48] consultant shared in the last meeting
[18:50] that that is below the state average. Um
[18:53] I do know that the national average
[18:55] listed by the national recreation park
[18:56] association is 25%. So we are on the
[18:59] national side with different markets
[19:02] compared to again other organizations in
[19:04] the nation we are a little bit more
[19:05] behind. Um so we use this information in
[19:08] the study and we reviewed our current
[19:10] fees related to the offerings of parks
[19:12] and recreation
[19:14] in order to find a few things. One is
[19:16] how we can increase our revenues, how we
[19:18] can reduce our expenditures and how can
[19:20] we modernize our department fees.
[19:22] Meaning how can we simplify them to
[19:24] where it's easier to understand for our
[19:26] residents. it's not confusing,
[19:29] convoluted, and we'll point out some
[19:30] examples as we go through the fee
[19:32] schedule, what kind of things we're
[19:33] changing there. Um, the proposed fees
[19:37] have been reviewed by city sta or parks
[19:39] recreation staff. We've looked them over
[19:42] um looked at our participation numbers,
[19:44] looked at different ways on um how we
[19:48] can how to make the fees make sense.
[19:50] We've discussed them with our finance
[19:52] department, had gave them opportunity to
[19:54] ask questions. Uh we've also presented
[19:57] to to the parks and recreation advisory
[19:59] committee which is made up of five uh
[20:01] local residents that were appointed by
[20:03] US city council members to provide
[20:05] guidance. Um the fees were presented to
[20:08] him twice in two different meetings and
[20:11] it was a unanimous uh vote by them to
[20:14] recommend the fees to you guys for
[20:16] adoption. Uh so you have staff support,
[20:18] you have community representation
[20:20] support on these fees.
[20:23] Um so as we go
[20:26] One sec here. My clicker decided to not
[20:29] work anymore.
[20:32] It's delayed. Um, so for the proposed
[20:35] fee areas, we do have about four main
[20:37] categories. We have our parks, our
[20:40] recreation programs, our events, and our
[20:42] facilities.
[20:43] Um, one thing as we go through them, I
[20:45] want to note, um, I think will make it
[20:47] easier for us is there's a lot of
[20:49] changes we're proposing here. Um, so one
[20:52] thing I would ask from council and even
[20:54] residents that are in attendance of
[20:55] viewing this. Um, if you have questions
[20:57] or comments, we ask that you save them
[20:59] to the end. At the bottom right hand
[21:00] corner, we do have a p a slide number.
[21:02] So if you do see a question you have,
[21:05] just write down notes slide five
[21:07] question this so when we come back we
[21:08] can refer back.
[21:11] Um, so we're going to go over our parks.
[21:13] Um, so for our park facilities, we do
[21:16] have pavilions and gazeos out there that
[21:18] people can rent for birthday parties,
[21:19] gatherings. Um, we do have a resident
[21:22] rate that the currently is $110 per day,
[21:25] a non-resident rate that's $135. We're
[21:28] proposing that rate stay the same. The
[21:30] only change we're doing is we do require
[21:32] um our policies require deposits from
[21:34] those that rent the facilities. The
[21:36] deposit is is not in the current fee
[21:38] schedule. So, we're just implementing it
[21:40] in there. Uh the traditional fee that
[21:41] we've been charging is $100 for a
[21:43] deposit. um that is fully refundable
[21:45] dependent on the facility being left in
[21:48] good condition, no damages, not a hot
[21:50] mess for our staff to deal with after
[21:52] the weekend.
[21:54] We also char uh have uh pavilions and
[21:57] facilities available for rent at Jacob
[21:59] Myers Park. Those fees are a little bit
[22:01] different. Uh we look at our Oak Grove
[22:04] and our Rotary area. Again, 110 for
[22:07] residents. Uh for non-residents, it
[22:09] currently is at 150. We're proposing to
[22:11] remain that the same. And the deposit
[22:13] we're throwing in there as again $100.
[22:16] Um, we do have our Bernie pavilion,
[22:18] which is the big pavilion right there,
[22:19] right next to the playground. For
[22:21] residents, it's 150. We're proposing to
[22:23] keep it the same. Uh, for non-residents,
[22:25] here's our first change. We go, we're
[22:27] recommending from going from $250 to
[22:29] $300. And then we do charge for
[22:32] additional for electricity, which is
[22:34] $25, which we're going to keep the same.
[22:36] Then again adding the deposit. Um, as we
[22:38] get further into Jacob Myers space, I do
[22:40] want to note um, one thing we noticed in
[22:42] the past two summers about 87 to 88% of
[22:45] those that attend the park when we do
[22:46] charge are non-residents. They are those
[22:49] are attending from visiting from
[22:50] Sacramento, San Jose, Stockton. And so
[22:53] when we start talking about fees, um,
[22:55] it's one common question we get from
[22:56] residents on how can we charge a fee to
[22:58] go to Jacome's Park. Um, again, it's to
[23:00] help subsidize so that the general fund
[23:02] isn't covering it. Again, with about 88
[23:04] to 90% of those that attend the park
[23:05] that are not residents, you mean your
[23:08] tax dollars aren't covering for someone
[23:09] else to have fun that's not even from
[23:10] the area that's contributing. Um, so
[23:13] going to their Jacob Myers fees. So we
[23:16] charge months of April through
[23:17] September, Fridays, Saturdays, and
[23:19] Sundays and on holidays. So Monday,
[23:21] Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, we do not
[23:23] charge. The current resident fee is $7.
[23:26] We are proposing to keep that the same.
[23:28] The non-resident fee is $10. We are
[23:30] proposing to jump that to $12. Uh we
[23:33] looked at last year's numbers. Um had we
[23:35] charged this $12 fee last year, we would
[23:39] have made additional about $19,000,
[23:41] which goes back into park maintenance
[23:43] and upkeep. Um give you example, we just
[23:45] did some tree cuts at Jacob Myers Park,
[23:47] cutting down the trees, making sure no
[23:49] slims fall on any cars or any people out
[23:50] there. That cost around $19,000. So that
[23:54] kind of stuff helps out a little bit
[23:55] there. uh from previous city council
[23:57] member uh city councils, they worked
[24:00] with the department to create um a fee
[24:02] for those that wanted to visit the dog
[24:04] park or use a trail for 1 hour parking.
[24:07] Um in our fee schedule, we don't have
[24:08] anything listed in there. The policy we
[24:11] have been doing, it's $0 for a free oneh
[24:13] hour parking pass for those that again
[24:16] residents that just want to use the
[24:17] trail and use the dog park. For those
[24:19] that are there that pass that one hour,
[24:21] we do charge for that. Uh we do also you
[24:24] charge for the wedding gazebo that's out
[24:25] there. Um we don't really get since I've
[24:28] been here we've had had any calls on it
[24:30] but we do have there that's available.
[24:32] So it's $500. We're going to keep the
[24:33] same as 500.
[24:35] A new thing that we were looking to add
[24:36] is with the veteran presence and active
[24:39] military presence here in Riverbank. Um
[24:42] we implemented just for a little bit
[24:43] last year and received great feedback.
[24:45] We want to do some sort of military
[24:47] first responder discount. Currently,
[24:49] there's no fee for that, but we're
[24:51] proposing is kind of a $2 discount. So,
[24:53] if you're a resident, that's a first
[24:54] responder, active military, veteran, it
[24:58] would be $5. And if you're a
[24:59] non-resident, um, coming from that would
[25:01] be $10.
[25:04] We do offer season passes at Jacob Myers
[25:06] Park. So, for residents, it's $35, which
[25:08] is equivalent to five visits. So, we're
[25:11] going to keep that fee the same. And for
[25:13] non-residents, we're moving from $50.
[25:14] We're proposing $60. again going from
[25:17] five visits times $12 be $60 there.
[25:22] Another thing we're proposing is we do
[25:23] have the McRichi campground which we do
[25:25] not um offer up to the community. It's
[25:28] only mainly for those like nonprofit
[25:29] organizations like the Boy Scouts and
[25:31] Girl Scouts to use. Uh we are interested
[25:34] in looking see if there is a want to
[25:37] reserve that space for big path g as
[25:39] there is fire pits picnic areas nice
[25:42] shaded area a little bit away from the
[25:44] river but we just want to see if there
[25:45] is some sort of want there and so we're
[25:48] proposing a new rate of $200 for the day
[25:50] use nonprofit organization like the Boy
[25:52] Scouts and Girl Scouts they've been
[25:53] charged $50 continue using that fee and
[25:56] then a deposit of $100 we'll keep that
[25:58] going
[26:00] miscellaneous across our parks So, we
[26:03] have a bounce house permit. So, if
[26:05] someone wants to rent our parks and they
[26:06] want to bring in a bounce house, there
[26:08] is a permit for that. We do charge $25
[26:10] for that. We're proposing to keep that
[26:12] the same. We also do a special event
[26:14] permits. So, we do have lots of
[26:16] organizations that come in that have
[26:18] great ideas for special events. There's
[26:19] an application they fill out. Um, it is
[26:22] a lot of admin work as we go gather
[26:24] signatures from all the department heads
[26:26] approving the permit, communicating with
[26:28] department heads on what the event is.
[26:30] Um, so on the application it does say we
[26:32] charge $35, but again it's not in our
[26:34] fee schedule. So we propose to have that
[26:36] in our fee schedule. So when we charge
[26:38] people this $35, we don't feel like
[26:41] we're going behind city council's back
[26:42] on this. Uh, so we're seeking for that
[26:44] approval there. One other thing that we
[26:47] are seeing very frequently is uh we are
[26:52] proposing a facility rental and special
[26:53] event permit application laty. So in our
[26:56] applications, our policies, if you
[26:59] submit your documentation or your
[27:00] application 30 days before the event,
[27:03] it's great. But if you do it within like
[27:05] a after the 30 days, um we our policy is
[27:10] that we decline your event, you decline
[27:12] or your reservation or whatever that may
[27:14] be. That causes a lot of heartache and
[27:17] heartburn on our end where if you tell
[27:18] someone, hey, you didn't give us your
[27:19] documentation in time, so we can't have
[27:21] your wedding that you've been playing at
[27:22] the at this facility. There's not a lot
[27:24] of happy people with that and so but it
[27:27] is more burden on our staff to now we
[27:29] are in a scramble to try and make sure
[27:30] we get all the documentation. So we're
[27:32] proposing a late fee for those that are
[27:33] late that we can accommodate. We are
[27:35] capable of doing it but I think there
[27:37] needs to be some some sort of monetary
[27:38] compensation for our time for your lack
[27:42] of preparation.
[27:44] The last thing we're proposing is at
[27:45] Jacob Myers Park, we do have uh on-site
[27:49] security guards that go around in the
[27:50] park, look for park violations, and they
[27:52] hand out citations. The typical citation
[27:55] that they've been accustomed to offer or
[27:57] sending out is $100. Again, it's not in
[27:59] our fee schedule. It's just been policy
[28:02] that previous administrations are like,
[28:03] "This sounds good." So, we want to make
[28:05] sure we have it in there to where again,
[28:07] if we do issue citation and someone's
[28:09] like, "Well, where is this in your fee
[28:10] schedule?" We have it set up there. Uh
[28:12] this goes for parking violations. For
[28:14] those that bring alcohol on site, that
[28:18] use drugs on site, anything that's a
[28:19] park violation, they can offer that
[28:20] citation.
[28:23] For recreation programs, we'll start
[28:25] with our camps. So, we um offer a
[28:27] variety of camps. One is an all day
[28:29] summer camp. Um in the past, we've
[28:33] offered a $125 for residents and offer a
[28:37] discount for a second child of 115. Um,
[28:40] and then for non-residents, it's $135
[28:42] and again a discount or for second child
[28:44] it's 125. We're proposing a new fee of
[28:47] $125 just for every child that's
[28:49] involved. Um, whether you have a second
[28:51] child, third child, fourth child, keep
[28:53] the same and then a new a non-resident
[28:56] fee of 13750.
[28:59] We are looking at a 10% increase
[29:01] difference between a resident and
[29:02] non-resident rate. Um, so that's why you
[29:05] get that weird 13750 in there. As far as
[29:08] our mini camps go, we've charged $45 for
[29:11] resident and non-resident. We're looking
[29:14] at keeping the the resident rate $45 and
[29:16] then the non-resident rate 4950. Again,
[29:18] that 10% of of 45. We also do offer a
[29:23] camp time extension. So, we do like for
[29:26] example start camps at 8 pm or 8 am. If
[29:28] a parent wants to drop off their kid at
[29:30] say 7:30 a.m. because they have to go to
[29:32] work or something, they cannot pay 20
[29:34] extra $25 and they can drop that kid off
[29:36] early 30 minutes before uh before the
[29:40] camp each day. Um looking at our
[29:42] staffing costs because we have to have
[29:44] staff there to take in the kid and
[29:45] monitor them. It we operate a loss
[29:47] offering that. So, we are proposing to
[29:49] increase it to $50 to where we at least
[29:51] break even on that on that offering to
[29:53] parents that participate.
[29:55] As far as classes go, we do have a Zumba
[29:57] Gold program um $3 drop in or propose to
[30:01] keep it the same. We do also have an
[30:03] archery program that um we are looking
[30:06] to get start up again in March. The
[30:08] current fee is $30 for a six week
[30:11] session. Um individual drop in is $25 a
[30:14] day. U we're looking at kind of flipping
[30:17] that a little bit. So, we want to do $25
[30:18] per registered class and a $30 drop in.
[30:21] Zumba, we'll keep the same with $5 drop
[30:23] in with a five keep that the same. Uh,
[30:26] one thing we're looking to add is u we
[30:28] do get lots of requests for new programs
[30:30] and new classes and we do start them up
[30:33] um try and start them up here. One thing
[30:35] we do not do not want to do is
[30:37] continually update this and go to city
[30:39] council, hey, we have this brand new
[30:40] program we want to do. We don't know if
[30:41] it's going to be good or not. Um, so
[30:44] what we want to do is get that in place
[30:45] where we have a range where we can
[30:47] charge between a minimum and a maximum
[30:50] and if we decide that the program is
[30:51] successful, we want to bring it back.
[30:53] The next time we come back with the fee
[30:55] schedule, we'll propose that specific
[30:56] program. The idea for parks and
[30:58] recreation is we want to keep this
[31:00] schedule up to date as much as possible
[31:03] with the hope of coming back annually.
[31:05] So, if we start a new program, let's say
[31:06] next month, um, come beginning of 2027,
[31:10] we'll come back with that new program
[31:12] with its own set fee schedule right
[31:14] there based on the feedback we get.
[31:19] Other recreation programs, so we do have
[31:20] our swim team. Um, we do charge $135 per
[31:25] participant. Second child is 125. The
[31:27] new proposed fee we're we're asking for
[31:29] is $150 per kid. Um, and then for
[31:33] non-resident, it was the same fee. Um,
[31:36] last year we're proposing to make that
[31:37] 165 per child. Uh, we do have staff that
[31:41] are certified lifeguard instructors. And
[31:44] so from time to time, depending on their
[31:46] schedules, we do have them teaching
[31:47] lifeguard first aid classes. Um, we did
[31:51] that last year. We didn't have a set in
[31:53] the fee schedule. If we were do that
[31:55] again, we want to set at $250, which is
[31:58] great deal.
[32:00] And then we do rent out our community
[32:02] pool. Um, and a lot of these fees are
[32:06] staying the same with how our pool does
[32:09] it. It's a two-hour minimum. And we
[32:11] charge based on the number of guests you
[32:12] have. And that's because that dep
[32:14] determines how many lifeguards we need
[32:15] to have on site. So the more people you
[32:16] have on site, the more lifeguards we
[32:18] required to have, which means more
[32:19] staffing costs we incur. And so for the
[32:23] residents that have one to 60 guests,
[32:25] it's $150 an hour. We're going to keep
[32:27] that the same. For non-residents, it's
[32:29] 170. We'll keep the same. For rentals
[32:32] that are 61 people to 90 people. For
[32:35] residents, it's 170. We'll keep it. For
[32:38] non-residents, it's 190. We'll keep the
[32:40] same. Uh for those that are 91 to 120
[32:43] people attending this this rental, for
[32:45] residents, it's $190 per hour. We'll
[32:47] keep the same. The only little minor
[32:49] difference is for the non-residents,
[32:50] it's $200 an hour. We're proposing $210
[32:52] an hour
[32:54] for our pool. So, we do have a pool pass
[32:58] u which is $30 which gets you access to
[33:01] pool as many times as you want as an
[33:03] individual. We'll keep that the same.
[33:05] And then it's also for a family of four.
[33:07] We uh had it set for $100 for a family
[33:11] of four with $20 for each added person.
[33:14] So, if you have a family of five, so we
[33:16] $120 and we're supposed to keep that the
[33:18] same. And similar to with the new
[33:20] programs, we have our special evented
[33:22] programs and classes in the pool. We
[33:24] want to set up a minimum and maximum to
[33:26] where our minimum is $0 to $100. And
[33:29] again, if we have a awesome event that
[33:32] happens at the pool that is very well
[33:33] attended and we want to bring back
[33:34] again, um we bring it to the new fee
[33:37] schedule in 2027 when we propose what we
[33:40] want to do. Then
[33:42] as far as our events go, um we'll go
[33:45] through our special events. We have our
[33:46] haunted hay. Um our current fee is $12.
[33:50] The new fee we're proposing is 15. Uh
[33:52] for those that saw our our uh event this
[33:55] past year, um we had to close the gates
[33:58] within 30 minutes of opening up just
[33:59] based on how packed it got. And so with
[34:02] the high demand, we figure that we can
[34:04] charge a little more to offset our cost
[34:05] because we do pay staff to overtime to
[34:08] be present to drive the vehicles and it
[34:10] does get costly in that sense. Uh for
[34:12] those that are ages 3 to 12, we have
[34:14] charge $6, supposed to increase it to
[34:16] 10. And then for those age ages zero to
[34:20] three, we don't charge for that one.
[34:22] For our Christmas parade, we do have a
[34:24] parade entry $25. We'll keep it the
[34:26] same. We do have booth fees for vendors
[34:29] that are out there. It's usually $50. We
[34:31] supposed to keep the same for our Dia de
[34:33] los Muertos event. Again, if you guys
[34:35] were there for that event, that was very
[34:37] well attended. Um because of the high
[34:39] demand, high attendance, we can now
[34:42] raise our fees and for the vendors, it
[34:44] becomes more worth it because we can
[34:45] prove that the put traffic's there. Uh
[34:47] so for a 10 by10 craft boot, we've
[34:49] charged $50. We propose 55 for a 10 x10
[34:52] food booth. Again, $50. We propose 65
[34:55] for food truck. $50 to 150. The reason
[34:58] for the food truck being so much
[35:00] different is the amount of square
[35:01] footage they take up. Also, the required
[35:04] lot of permitting that the county
[35:05] requires us to give as well to have the
[35:07] food truck there. And so that cost of
[35:09] having the food truck there offsets that
[35:10] cost. We also charge an alter fee for
[35:13] those that want to have an alter. It's
[35:14] $25. Plan on keeping that the same.
[35:17] As far as our cheese and wine festival,
[35:19] um again, for those that have attended,
[35:21] it's been rocking the last couple years.
[35:24] Uh we'll do a presentation next uh next
[35:27] city council, which I'll be gladly to
[35:29] report, give you guys a sneak peek. Uh
[35:32] we
[35:34] uh when we presented the budget, we were
[35:35] looking at trying to break even. We were
[35:38] profitable $8,500 this past year. So,
[35:41] uh, again, with the high demand that
[35:43] we're able to show, with the high
[35:44] attendance, we can now alter our fees to
[35:47] charge more since we're kind of getting
[35:48] that traction going in the right
[35:50] direction. So, for a 10x10 retail space,
[35:53] the fee is $75. Currently, we propose a
[35:55] move to $85.
[35:57] And for a 10 x 20, 150 to 170 and then
[36:00] 10 by30 retail, 225 to 255.
[36:04] For the food part of it, so 10 x10 food,
[36:07] it's currently 125. We're proposed to go
[36:09] to 130. 10 by 20 uh was 250 go to 260.
[36:14] And then 10 by 30 food 375. We proposed
[36:18] 390.
[36:19] Uh one big change we're looking at is
[36:21] last time we were here, we had to
[36:23] outline what each sponsorship tier level
[36:25] was. Um we have a lot of people wanting
[36:28] to sponsor help out with the event, but
[36:30] don't fit within those exact tiers. We
[36:32] have someone that say, "Hey, I
[36:35] um you have a tier for $1,000. I can
[36:38] give you uh something adds up to about
[36:41] $1,100. So, do I go into the next high
[36:44] tier or do I go into the lower tier
[36:46] right there at the thousand? And so, it
[36:48] kind of is a little bit convoluted there
[36:49] for us. And so, we proposed kind of a
[36:52] range to where it gives us the the
[36:53] flexibility to alter sponsorships in a
[36:56] way that um best the department sees
[36:58] best fit. Um similar to the cheese and
[37:01] wine programming, we do have new
[37:02] programs that we throw out, new ideas,
[37:04] new activities. Some are hits, some are
[37:07] duds. And so again, it gives us the
[37:09] flexibility to create new and if it's a
[37:11] hit, bring it back. And we can set
[37:13] established fee there. Um that's could
[37:16] be longterm as opposed to us kind of
[37:18] being this unknown area of what do we
[37:21] charge for this new thing we want to do
[37:23] without getting approval. And similar to
[37:25] merchandise as well, if we do decide to
[37:26] sell merchandise, we can figure out our profit margin, what we want to make
[37:31] on that. And again, we the goal is not
[37:33] to keep on coming back to the council
[37:34] with every single item we want to try to
[37:37] do.
[37:39] Um, other events we have our polar bear
[37:40] plunge that's been we've done this for
[37:42] the past two years. It's been a
[37:43] successful event. Um, so again, similar
[37:45] to what we've been saying, if it's a
[37:47] good event, we'll bring it back to the
[37:48] fee schedule. Uh, polar plunge doesn't
[37:50] have its own area, so we want to throw
[37:51] it in here for $5. That's what we've
[37:53] been charging. And then we have our my
[37:56] little one and me dance, which this next
[37:58] Saturday will be our third time doing
[37:59] it. Uh we charge 25 or $45 per ticket
[38:03] which includes a ticket for an adult and
[38:05] a child. And then for additional tickets
[38:07] it's $15.
[38:09] And then our food truck Fridays. Um
[38:12] again that's been a success. We want to
[38:14] make sure it has its own area in the fee
[38:16] schedule. So for a 10 by10 booth it's
[38:19] $45. For a food truck it's $65. And then
[38:22] we have a floating pumpkin patch event
[38:24] which is $10 at the pool.
[38:28] Uh for our facility rentals, this is
[38:30] where we get get spicy here, get some
[38:33] fun in here. Um this is going to be an
[38:36] example what I mentioned before of we
[38:38] have very
[38:39] um convoluted pricing for our facilities
[38:42] and we're trying to simplify as best we
[38:44] can. So I'll start with the current
[38:46] fees. So for the community center, um
[38:48] our current fee is based on depending on
[38:50] what you're doing. So if you're a
[38:51] resident, it's $1,700 for the entire
[38:53] day. For a non-resident it's $2,000, but
[38:56] if you're a nonprofit, it's $600. But if
[38:58] you're doing a memorial service, it's
[38:59] $400. We also have in there for like a
[39:02] meeting rate, too. If it's $50 an hour,
[39:03] if you want to do meetings and so we try
[39:06] to talk with people about what are you
[39:08] doing, it's
[39:10] a lot of questions to figure out, okay,
[39:12] what's the true price point for you? And
[39:14] when we're trying to get that
[39:14] information out to residents or people
[39:16] that want to use a facility, it's a lot
[39:18] of information to go through that makes
[39:19] sense. And so, we propose to kind of
[39:23] make that very simple. Uh so we propose
[39:25] a residential rate which is $150 per
[39:28] hour and for a non-resident rate it's
[39:30] $200 per hour. Um we solve two issues
[39:33] with that. One is um we're able to cut
[39:38] our expenditures a little bit. So for
[39:39] our all day rentals we do have staff on
[39:41] site all day which if someone's there
[39:43] for half day obviously we don't spend
[39:46] that much but if we have an all day
[39:47] rental we actually start losing money.
[39:49] Um so this per hour covers us to where
[39:52] we charge for when they're using the
[39:53] facility. No, we start making money on
[39:55] that side. The other thing, too, is we
[39:57] get a lot of questions on people want to
[39:59] use our facilities, but they don't want
[40:00] to pay $1,700 for a half day event. So,
[40:03] with this, it kind of makes it more
[40:04] accessible to where if someone wants to
[40:05] use a half day at the community center,
[40:07] we have that available now where they
[40:08] can pay by the hour. Uh, with that said,
[40:11] we'll be limiting the service group
[40:12] rate. So, we won't be offering a rate
[40:14] for nonprofits
[40:16] um and or memorial services. Um the idea
[40:19] behind that is with last year city
[40:21] council approving a fee waiver
[40:23] application for nonprofits. We've had
[40:26] multiple nonprofits apply. I think all
[40:28] but one have been approved. The one that
[40:30] did not get approved was a they want to
[40:31] do a private event. Nothing for public
[40:33] benefit. Um so that's available to
[40:36] nonprofits that want to use our
[40:38] facilities. Um since we have that
[40:40] mechanism there. We also do have
[40:42] amenities at the community center that
[40:44] people can rent. The stage is $200.
[40:45] We'll keep the same sound system $100.
[40:47] keep the same. We also have a microphone
[40:50] that people can rent. We th $50 for the
[40:52] microphone. We have a podium which is on
[40:55] the fee schedule. People charge $25 for
[40:57] the day use. And then for those that
[40:59] serve alcohol on site, our policies that
[41:01] we require security on site and we
[41:04] contract out with security usually for
[41:06] that. Uh we use the cost to pass along
[41:09] to the renter. So it's an additional
[41:12] cost on top of their fee. Uh right now
[41:15] onel is charging us $38 an hour for to
[41:17] have a guard on site. So to pass on the
[41:20] cost to the renter that will will get
[41:22] onel out there for their event.
[41:25] For Scout Hall, currently we charge $35
[41:29] per uh for the day for the residents,
[41:31] 400 for non-residents. We're looking to
[41:33] break that turn that to a per hour rate.
[41:35] So $75 per hour and then $100 per hour
[41:38] for non-residents. Keep the deposit the
[41:41] same. And then again, we'll have the
[41:42] security rate there.
[41:44] uh teen center in the current schedule.
[41:46] We have it available for rent uh for
[41:48] rentals. We don't do it that way because
[41:50] we do have some of valuables in there.
[41:53] Computers, games that we don't want
[41:55] damaged, misused, stolen. Um however, in
[41:58] case something does come up, we figure
[41:59] no issue of keeping it in there. In case
[42:01] something does come up, that's worth exploring. Uh the only addition
[42:05] that we have there is a deposit there.
[42:09] Uh we do have our gym rental. We do uh
[42:12] have a partnership with the car with the
[42:14] Riverbank Unified School District to use
[42:16] the Cardoo gym. Um we do have groups
[42:20] that use the facility every day of the
[42:22] week usually for volleyball programs,
[42:24] adult basketball,
[42:26] um mainly adult basketball. Uh we look
[42:30] at um they pay about $50 a day. Um and
[42:34] that's usually about four hours use. we
[42:36] start looking at that is a loss of city
[42:39] money as we do have a staff member on
[42:40] site that's costing us around $20 an
[42:42] hour. Um, one thing we started noticing
[42:46] is we do have groups that are open to
[42:47] the public so anyone can come
[42:48] participate. We also have groups that
[42:50] are closed off to the public, meaning
[42:52] they just have their friends come
[42:54] together and they play basketball
[42:55] without having that access. And so we're
[42:58] proposing a change in that dynamic to
[43:00] where if we're using taxpayer dollars to
[43:02] subsidize, it should be available to the
[43:03] public. And so we're going to try to
[43:05] change the use to public use and private
[43:06] use. If your program that you're
[43:08] offering is available to the public,
[43:10] you're not going to turn anyway unless
[43:11] you hit capacity or if there's violation
[43:14] of city rules, we propose a $15 per hour
[43:16] fee. And that's kind of in line with
[43:18] what the current measures are paying um
[43:21] for private use. for those that are
[43:22] using the facility for their own friends
[43:24] groups to go play at the facility and we
[43:27] proposing $100 per hour which is our
[43:30] cost recovery to operate the facility
[43:31] with the utilities with staffing um and
[43:34] also a little bit of profit there as
[43:35] again it's closed off to the public. We
[43:39] do require a deposit of $250 and then
[43:41] for those that want to use the
[43:42] scoreboard it's $50.
[43:44] Uh for the sports complex uh the current
[43:47] fee is $25 an hour. We plan on keeping
[43:49] that the same. We also we plan on
[43:52] increasing the deposit here from $250 to
[43:54] 300 for those that use the facility. Um
[43:57] oftent times there's trash left behind.
[43:59] It's just a big field to where it's hard
[44:00] to really clean everything up all at
[44:02] once. And so we have to propose a
[44:05] increase that to again if we have to
[44:06] withhold deposit money we're able to do
[44:08] that. Uh staffing we do charge for a
[44:10] staff member specifically to be on site
[44:12] for that. Pass fee schedule is $20 an
[44:15] hour with minimum wage increases our
[44:18] costs go up a little bit. So we're
[44:20] proposing $22 per hour. Lights per field
[44:23] is $30 per hour. $35 per hour.
[44:26] Scoreboard rental will keep the same.
[44:28] And then snack bar rental will keep the
[44:30] same.
[44:32] I believe this is our last slide here.
[44:34] So we have a Castleberg Park ball
[44:35] diamonds. Um we do charge for that. Uh
[44:38] we do field use uh $30 per hour. We
[44:42] wanted to clarify it a little bit, make
[44:44] it more clear. We are proposing $30 $30
[44:48] per hour per field as $30 does not
[44:51] encapsulate both the two fields are out
[44:53] there. Uh we currently do not charge a
[44:56] deposit or it's not in the fee schedule.
[44:58] So we want to put it in there. The
[45:00] lights are saying they're not in the fee
[45:02] schedule, but we want to include it in
[45:03] there. $35 per hour per per field. I
[45:06] think in the in the schedule it either
[45:08] has it for both fields. We want to kind
[45:10] of identify it's per field.
[45:13] site monitor. It's $20 an hour. Again,
[45:15] with the minimum wage increases, we want
[45:16] to bring up to $22 an hour. Uh, one
[45:19] request we've gotten from our local
[45:22] baseball group is to drag the field.
[45:25] Again, with our staffing time with
[45:26] full-timers and machinery and equipment,
[45:29] we've estimated it's about $75 per field
[45:31] to do. And then concession stand uh to
[45:34] kind with this to what we're doing at
[45:36] the sports complex. $200 a day. We
[45:38] figured it would be the same charge $20
[45:40] per day at the at the at Castleberg. And
[45:43] then lastly, we have the Zurel Park
[45:44] tennis courts. We do have a key to the
[45:47] tennis court. We do lock it up. Um and
[45:50] so we do charge $5 for that key. We will
[45:53] add that to the fee schedule. And then
[45:54] if we do want to go down the course of
[45:56] having our courts rentable for the
[45:58] public as we do have pickle ballers that
[46:01] like to be on the courts on the weekends
[46:03] and use all the courts if someone wants
[46:04] to rent, you know, reserve a spot so
[46:06] that way they don't they can play with
[46:08] their friends and family and not be
[46:10] overtaken by
[46:12] pickle ballers, they can do that as
[46:14] well. And we're proposing $10 per hour
[46:16] per court.
[46:19] Um so that that was a mouthful. a lot of
[46:21] changes that were that we're proposing
[46:23] and so I'm available for questions if
[46:25] council and the public have any.
[46:27] >> Thank you. I will bring it to council
[46:29] first. Are there any questions or
[46:31] comments?
[46:33] >> Okay. So, I'll go first. See if I got my
[46:35] notes correct. So, slide five. Michael,
[46:38] >> you're making me go back a long way
[46:39] here.
[46:40] >> You said you said write down the slides.
[46:41] >> All right. Let's hear it
[46:42] >> and we'll ask you questions. Uh just
[46:44] curious. So for the Jacob Myers park, do
[46:46] we have any signage as far as when we
[46:48] actually charge there at the dropboxes?
[46:50] >> Yes, we have a sign right at the very
[46:52] front and we also have an iron ranger
[46:53] which is located by the restroom where
[46:55] those that um when we do charge and
[46:59] they're not there to collect the money.
[47:01] They can go there and drop in uh money
[47:04] in the envelope. We do have a sign there
[47:06] that does state when fees are accepted.
[47:08] >> Okay. I would I would just suggest maybe
[47:10] adding it to the actual Dropbox because
[47:12] I It's on there.
[47:14] cuz cuz I looked for it the other day
[47:15] and I I couldn't find it. So maybe you
[47:17] have Ranger and then right behind is a
[47:18] big sign. That's
[47:20] >> okay.
[47:21] >> So I I have noticed some residents um we
[47:23] were there November and I was watching
[47:26] some residents they were dropping stuff
[47:28] in there. I'm assuming they were paying
[47:29] so maybe.
[47:31] >> Yeah. No, absolutely.
[47:32] >> Uh if we can go to slide 13.
[47:38] So, for the sponsorship, you said it was
[47:42] uh you guys are trying to be more
[47:43] flexible with the cheese and wine
[47:44] sponsorships there. Third line from the
[47:45] bottom there. [clears throat] Uh is it
[47:46] going to stay tiered or can you explain
[47:48] that a little bit?
[47:49] >> So, yeah, we still plan to keep it
[47:50] tiered.
[47:50] >> Okay.
[47:51] >> Um
[47:52] >> one of the things we've been seeing,
[47:54] like I said, people have different
[47:55] offerings. So, I'll give you a great
[47:56] example. Last year, um Raising Canes
[47:59] came in with a sponsorship of $1,000
[48:01] cash, which was a tier level. The next
[48:03] level up was 2500, but they were willing
[48:05] to offer us free meals to our city
[48:07] staff, all volunteers that day and gift
[48:10] gap baskets for raffles. And so trying
[48:12] to figure out, okay, does it does not
[48:15] quite meet the cost of the 2500 tier,
[48:17] but not the thousand tier. So where do
[48:19] we fit in all this?
[48:20] >> Yeah.
[48:20] >> And so we don't want to offset, hey,
[48:23] you're stuck to the thousand though.
[48:24] You're giving us so much great things.
[48:26] And so it gives us flexibility to kind
[48:27] of figure out what we want to do there.
[48:28] And so that's something staff. We're
[48:30] actually meeting tomorrow to kind of
[48:32] talk about this coming 2026 and how we
[48:34] plan on doing that. So I think as we
[48:36] come to to the next city council, we're
[48:38] going to talk to you guys about our plan
[48:40] for 2026. We'll kind of outline
[48:41] sponsorships there. Gota kind of get
[48:43] that flexibility there, what we're
[48:45] thinking, right? We do plan on keeping
[48:46] it tiered in a sense. So we might
[48:48] increase it a little bit, maybe move
[48:49] things around. Um, but again, we don't
[48:51] want to be tied down to something where
[48:54] say come August, we have to switch
[48:55] things up and it's like we're kind of
[48:57] hands behind our back here.
[48:58] >> Gotcha. Okay. Uh, jump to 14. So, the
[49:02] food truck fee. Uh, second one from the
[49:06] bottom. Just kind of curious why that
[49:08] one is a lot lower than the than the D
[49:10] loss muertos one.
[49:11] >> Yeah. So, this is per week. So, food
[49:13] truck fries goes for all the fries in
[49:15] May. So, you have four Fridays there. So
[49:17] the TIFF they use supply to the county
[49:19] is good for whatever the event is in
[49:21] general. So they don't have to keep on
[49:23] submitting TIFFs every single time.
[49:24] >> So the 150 is for the one day, this is
[49:26] for four weeks.
[49:27] >> Yeah. So 65 is for one day. So 65 times
[49:30] 4 if they tend to be there the whole
[49:31] time is 250 some odd dollars there.
[49:34] >> Got it. Uh two more. Uh slide 15. So the
[49:37] next one there. Um did did for the
[49:41] community center did you guys ever
[49:42] consider maybe like uh maybe minimum
[49:45] hours for that or is there no minimum
[49:47] hours for that?
[49:48] >> So we have it set to where if it's one
[49:51] hour we're going to make money off of
[49:52] it. Okay.
[49:53] >> And so if someone wants to use it for
[49:54] the one hour um again increase
[49:56] accessibility. So one of the biggest
[49:57] complaints we hear from the public is we
[50:00] have two main rental facilities. Scout
[50:01] Hall which the capacity is around 50
[50:03] people and then community center which
[50:04] is 300. So for those that want to do
[50:06] like a 150 people but aren't able to
[50:10] afford $1,700 for that much,
[50:12] >> right?
[50:12] >> This gives a little bit more
[50:13] flexibility. It's like, hey, you can do
[50:14] a, you know, middlesiz group, but you
[50:17] like half day instead of paying $1,700,
[50:19] you can pay $750 instead. And so as far
[50:24] as the minimum goes, we don't need it.
[50:26] We have the staffing capabilities for
[50:27] it. And again, if they do one hour, we
[50:29] have we're gonna make money off of it.
[50:31] >> Okay, cool.
[50:31] >> So you touched on cost recovery. My last
[50:33] question. So slide 17. So is there cost
[50:36] recovery at that 15 bucks per hour? So
[50:38] that
[50:39] >> so it's not it the city will still be
[50:42] subsidizing it.
[50:43] >> Okay.
[50:43] >> Um it's I think we looked at our current
[50:45] renters. It's maybe additional $10 a
[50:48] month.
[50:49] >> Um but again that our perspective is if
[50:51] it's available to the public again we're
[50:53] not charging we're not running the
[50:55] program ourselves. It becomes worth that
[50:58] subsidizing because it's for the public
[50:59] good. Um so that was kind of the thought
[51:02] process there. We do have again senior
[51:04] basketball. We do have women's
[51:06] volleyball,
[51:07] um basketball again on Sunday, Sundays.
[51:09] So there's just a lot of good things
[51:10] that are offering that if we try to do
[51:12] it inhouse, we'd be spending a lot of
[51:14] money on staffing and all that kind of
[51:16] stuff. And so um so we figured it's
[51:19] worth to have some sort of subsidizing
[51:20] there. Um again, if it's open to the
[51:22] public. Thank you.
[51:26] >> Eight. So this is a public hearing, so
[51:28] we're going to open it for public
[51:30] comment. any comments or online.
[51:36] » Mayor, we did not receive any comment
[51:37] cards or written public comment and I do
[51:40] not see anyone on Zoom wishing to speak
[51:42] on this item.
[51:45] » May I say one thing though? I see that
[51:49] we so the parks and recreation
[51:52] department I do want to make a note of
[51:54] this real quick. So what is what we have
[51:57] here is what the fee schedule will be.
[51:59] So, we did not include items that are
[52:02] being crossed out um that are not being
[52:04] taken in consideration or that have been
[52:06] going on that we are plan on
[52:08] eliminating. So, one of the comments
[52:09] that I've received today and kind of be
[52:11] transparent with the city council is at
[52:13] Jacob Myers Park um we do get um one of
[52:17] the fees that we do offer is if you have
[52:19] a handicap placard um there is no charge
[52:22] to enter the park. um we are proposing
[52:24] to eliminate that that they are taking a
[52:27] parking space at the park and they're
[52:29] using the amenities that we do charge
[52:30] them the the rate that we charge
[52:31] everyone else. So that is one other
[52:33] change that's not listed here as we are
[52:35] planning on taking that out.
[52:39] » No public comment
[52:42] I will close the public hearing and
[52:45] bring it back to council. Is there any
[52:46] more comments or questions? Any motion?
[52:51] I'll make a motion to approve item 10.1.
[52:55] >> I second.
[52:56] >> Roll call, please.
[52:58] >> Council member,
[52:59] >> yes.
[53:00] >> Council member FSY,
[53:01] >> yes.
[53:02] >> Council member Call,
[53:03] >> yes.
[53:03] >> Vice Mayor Pimementel,
[53:05] >> yes.
[53:05] >> Mayor Hernandez,
[53:06] >> yes.
[53:07] >> Motion passes 5-0.
[53:09] >> Thank you. Item 10 or 11.1. We have a
[53:13] presentation by Chief Reinower on
[53:15] current staffing allocations and a
[53:16] five-year plan for Riverbank Police
[53:18] Services and to consider a resolution
[53:21] authorizing the reallocation of one
[53:22] community resource deputy position to a
[53:25] patrol deputy position.
[53:28] >> As stated in the title of the present of
[53:30] the item, Chief Ridau will provide this
[53:33] presentation.
[53:37] » Good evening, Mayor and Council. So
[53:40] tonight we're going to talk about uh you
[53:42] know the staffing of Riverbank Police
[53:43] Services as it sits today and then the
[53:45] future moving forward.
[53:50] So in summary, the three items I'm going
[53:51] to cover tonight is going to be the
[53:53] proposed recommend um reallocation of
[53:56] our currently requested additional CRD
[53:58] uh to patrol operations and then I'm
[54:00] going to talk about um the future
[54:02] staffing recommendation coming forward
[54:04] at budget year and then also provide you
[54:07] with a five-year staffing plan.
[54:11] So this is a organizational chart for
[54:13] our sworn personnel at Riverbank Police
[54:16] Services. So on both sides of the the
[54:18] slide here, you have our patrol on our A
[54:20] squad and a B squad. And that represents
[54:23] the first half of the week, which is
[54:24] staffed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, every
[54:27] other Wednesday, and the second half of
[54:29] the week, which is Thursday, Friday,
[54:31] Saturday, and every other Wednesday.
[54:33] Those are all 12-hour shifts, and that's
[54:35] how we maintain coverage 247 for patrol.
[54:38] when you call 911 that we have someone
[54:40] to respond. So then when you look below
[54:41] those areas they mirror on both sides,
[54:44] our patrol deputies, we have two
[54:45] dayshift deputies, a swing shift deputy
[54:48] and two graveyard deputies. We do have
[54:50] in our contract that we always will have
[54:52] at least two deputies on to answer calls
[54:54] for service at all times. So there's
[54:56] backfill behind those if someone's out
[54:57] for vacation, training, sick, whatever
[54:59] it may be. The swing shift position,
[55:02] however, is not backfilled and that's
[55:04] why I have it in gray there. So, that is
[55:06] a spot that is filled occasionally, and
[55:08] we'll get into later slides how often
[55:09] that is and is not filled and why that
[55:12] is the way it is covered. So, again, I
[55:14] mentioned those are 12-hour shifts. Our
[55:16] dayshift operations are from 7:00 a.m.
[55:18] to 7:00 p.m. Uh, swing shift is 300 p.m.
[55:21] to 3:00 a.m. and graveyard is 7:00 p.m.
[55:24] to 7:00 a.m.
[55:26] Now, down the middle is our
[55:27] administrative division. Uh, you guys
[55:29] all know Sergeant Hickman who runs that
[55:31] portion of it. Uh this is typically our
[55:33] guys that are working those business
[55:35] hours that Monday through Friday um
[55:37] generally hours. So we have three
[55:39] detectives, we have three traffic
[55:41] deputies, of course we have one
[55:43] community deputy now and one more that
[55:45] has been requested and that shows you
[55:47] where that vacancy at is highlighted
[55:48] there in the blue color and then our
[55:50] school resource officer. So with all our
[55:53] positions, we're currently allocated 23
[55:54] swarm positions. And that provides us a
[55:57] ratio of 088 per 10,000 residents with a
[56:00] current population of roughly 26,000
[56:02] residents in Riverbank.
[56:07] So our first recommendation tonight is
[56:09] going to be reallocate the already
[56:10] requested CRT position to patrol. Uh
[56:13] this will ensure that we have three and
[56:15] sometimes four deputies uh available for
[56:18] calls or service during our peak hours
[56:20] during outside of our norm normal
[56:22] business hours.
[56:26] So right now I kind of remind everybody
[56:27] what the community resource deputy
[56:29] position is. Um is one of our very
[56:32] important positions because they focus
[56:33] on those quality of life issues, things
[56:34] that they have a little more time where
[56:36] they're not handling calls for service
[56:38] per se. They don't have a case load, per
[56:40] se, but they have time to focus on the
[56:42] issues around our community, whether
[56:43] it's a neighborhood watch program going
[56:45] on. Maybe it's blight, maybe it's
[56:47] graffiti, um working with our in-house
[56:49] folks. So, we made this request for an
[56:52] additional deputy because it was very
[56:53] successful back in beginning of 2024
[56:56] around March with a two to three year
[56:58] recruitment trying from the sheriff's
[57:00] office to hire, train, and get us a
[57:03] deputy down the road. So, right now,
[57:05] we're sitting almost two years in that
[57:07] position.
[57:09] So, I'll kind of get in the reason why
[57:10] that position was requested back in
[57:12] 2024. So, in 2024, beginning of that, we
[57:16] were under the Supreme Court ruling.
[57:18] They basically said, the Ninth Circuit
[57:20] said that when you have an unhoused
[57:22] person that was in public areas, whether
[57:24] it's a park that's enforced by community
[57:27] guidelines, rules, the park must be
[57:28] closed at night. You were not allowed to
[57:30] move trespass violations. You couldn't
[57:32] enforce a trespass violation unless you
[57:34] had a bed to move somebody who had low
[57:36] barriers. So obviously the county
[57:38] struggled AC across the state actually
[57:39] right you saw we had encampments going
[57:41] up and down um our highways throughout
[57:44] the communities. So our CD often find
[57:46] themselves spending almost all their
[57:48] time engaging our homeless folks or
[57:50] unhouse folks. I remember I was going
[57:52] out there daily when we had all our
[57:53] folks that were living in our parks and
[57:55] engaging those folks and getting the
[57:56] resources they need and it was very
[57:57] labor intensive. Um but it didn't allow
[58:00] our CRD to focus on other issues in our
[58:02] community. So that's why we requested
[58:03] that additional position back in March
[58:05] of 2024.
[58:09] So moving forward, um the US Supreme
[58:11] Court heard the case and they decided
[58:13] that this was
[58:16] you could go back to enforcing trespass
[58:18] again, right? They basically said it
[58:20] wasn't legal to not enforce for unhoused
[58:23] folks to take over public spaces, not be
[58:25] for trespass violations um simply
[58:27] because you didn't have a place to put
[58:29] them. Right? they made it a crime again
[58:31] to be trespassing in parks after hours
[58:34] uh making a campus on longer public
[58:36] access areas. So when that changed it
[58:39] immediately empowered all of our sworn
[58:41] staff um in Riverbank and across the
[58:44] street the state to enforce trespass
[58:45] violations. So that freed up our
[58:47] community resource deputy to now focus
[58:49] on other issues in our community besides
[58:51] just the unhoused folks. And now you see
[58:53] that they still do with a lot of their
[58:55] time with their own house folks. They
[58:56] know them all. they still connect them
[58:57] with resources the same they were before
[58:59] but now there's this understanding that
[59:01] hey you can't you can't just camp in
[59:02] this park all day long right it's open
[59:04] for all of our residents not just a
[59:06] particular group and I think we have a
[59:08] pretty good relationship with those
[59:09] folks now especially with the Sierra
[59:10] house we have a great working leadership
[59:12] with them and Julia and we have good
[59:15] plans in place for that
[59:20] so that kind of brings me back to why we
[59:22] want to reallocate this position so
[59:24] right now again to go back to patrol we
[59:25] have those two squads I spoke about
[59:27] earlier uh outlining their shifts again
[59:30] on this slide and I show how the swing
[59:32] ship position is often not filled
[59:37] and a reminder that we do have that
[59:39] required two deputies staffed at all
[59:40] times.
[59:43] This kind of shows you our calls for
[59:45] service going back to 2020 to 2025.
[59:48] Um, our river, our city has grown and
[59:50] continues to grow and our daily swell of
[59:53] population that comes into our
[59:54] communities to shop at our shopping
[59:55] centers also increases. Um, I don't have
[59:58] a good way to measure that, but we do
[1:00:00] see the increase of population coming
[1:00:01] from outside Riverbank to come use our
[1:00:03] shopping centers. And plus, you have the
[1:00:05] traffic as we're located in a major
[1:00:07] thoroughare from up in the mountains,
[1:00:08] people coming through. So, we see a lot
[1:00:10] of traffic through our community. So,
[1:00:11] our folks are staying very busy
[1:00:13] throughout the day with calls for
[1:00:14] service. So we averaged right around
[1:00:16] 11,10,500
[1:00:18] calls for service um for the first four
[1:00:21] years there and then in 2024 and 25 we
[1:00:24] see a spike and now we're closer to
[1:00:26] 12,500 creeping up to 13,000 calls for
[1:00:29] service in the air. So we're increasing
[1:00:32] in our in our workload um as we move
[1:00:34] forward with the with the growth and
[1:00:35] that kind of corresponds with how we've
[1:00:37] been growing and the new stuff that's
[1:00:38] occurring in our community.
[1:00:43] So this slide, there's a lot going on
[1:00:44] here, but this is regarding retail
[1:00:46] theft. So there's two columns. On on the
[1:00:48] far left is a chart that kind of shows
[1:00:50] you the number of incidents of theft
[1:00:52] that's reported to Riverink Police
[1:00:54] Services. On the right is the the
[1:00:56] reported loss of goods from those
[1:00:58] incidents. So the red correlates to how
[1:01:01] many incidents were reported to us in
[1:01:04] 2024 and and 25 respectively. And the
[1:01:08] blue line shows the value for each year.
[1:01:10] So, you see both that we're trending
[1:01:12] upwards from 2024 to 2025. Even with the
[1:01:16] new law changes, we're still seeing
[1:01:18] repeat offenders. Um, however, we are
[1:01:20] making large strides and and breaking
[1:01:22] down like the retail theft, not just the
[1:01:25] people that are stealing the stuff, but
[1:01:26] where it's going, right? The fencing
[1:01:27] operations they're supplying. We have
[1:01:29] another one we're working on right now.
[1:01:30] And last year, we were very successful.
[1:01:32] I think we got almost $25,000 just at
[1:01:36] one location of items out that we
[1:01:38] recovered. So, it kind of shows you
[1:01:39] idea, but this is that goes back to
[1:01:42] increased calls for service for our
[1:01:44] deputies, right? We we provide what I like to rec call is a high level
[1:01:48] of customer service. If you call 911 um
[1:01:51] for somebody who shoplifted, we're going
[1:01:52] to respond. Some of our neighboring
[1:01:53] agencies don't do that. Um they refer
[1:01:57] people to online reporting centers. We
[1:01:58] still respond. We still take those
[1:02:00] reports. And because of that, we're very
[1:02:01] successful in locating responsibles and making arrests in those cases.
[1:02:08] So swing shift like I was mentioned
[1:02:09] earlier about how it's vacant. So I went
[1:02:12] back and looked at our staffing schedule
[1:02:13] for 2024 and 25 and it's pretty much on
[1:02:16] point between each year. Um in 24 there
[1:02:20] was 156 times that shift was left
[1:02:22] vacant. In 25 158 so pretty much neck
[1:02:26] and neck the same time. But that's
[1:02:27] almost half the year that that spot is
[1:02:29] left unfilled. And the reason being is
[1:02:32] specifically for our graveyard folks.
[1:02:33] There's only there's only two of them.
[1:02:35] And the pool to backfill that with is is
[1:02:37] really those are the only folks working
[1:02:39] because everybody else has worked during
[1:02:40] the day already. So we can take our
[1:02:42] sling shift and when those graveyard
[1:02:44] vacancies are there, we can push them in
[1:02:46] to fill that vacancy. During the day is
[1:02:48] not an issue because as I mentioned
[1:02:49] earlier, we have all those detectives,
[1:02:51] traffic, community resource deputies
[1:02:53] that we can immediately fill those
[1:02:54] resources with on duty staff and also
[1:02:56] helps us not incur overtime. But some of
[1:02:59] these shifts are also backfilled not
[1:03:01] just with swing shift but also with
[1:03:02] overtime as well. Um some of the reasons
[1:03:05] is uh the trainings that deputies
[1:03:07] required. Every deputy is required u
[1:03:09] ongoing and mandatory trainings. They
[1:03:11] have vacations and there's also sick and
[1:03:13] family bombing time.
[1:03:18] So I want to talk about our response
[1:03:19] time. This kind of helps show a picture
[1:03:21] of the difference between what I'm going
[1:03:23] to talk about is our normal business
[1:03:24] hours where we have all that additional
[1:03:26] staff that's working. um that Monday
[1:03:28] through Friday when we have all of our
[1:03:29] detectives, our traffic folks are here,
[1:03:31] our community deputies here, um the
[1:03:33] school resource deputies here, we
[1:03:35] average about 3.6 minute average
[1:03:37] response time during those hours. And
[1:03:40] our calls for service and activity is
[1:03:41] generally busier during this time of the
[1:03:43] day, right? That's when people are
[1:03:44] shopping in our shopping centers
[1:03:46] heavily, right? That's when people are
[1:03:48] commuting through our communities.
[1:03:49] That's when businesses are open. We can
[1:03:51] do follow-up from our investigations.
[1:03:52] So, it it does correspond with the
[1:03:54] amount of staff working those hours.
[1:03:56] makes sense that they're working during
[1:03:57] those hours just because that's normal
[1:03:59] business hours people operate for
[1:04:00] followup and schools and then you also
[1:04:04] got to remember like I mentioned earlier
[1:04:05] we generally have 8 to 10 deputies
[1:04:07] working any given time Monday through
[1:04:08] Friday 8 to 5
[1:04:11] when you look at the non- business hours
[1:04:13] which is anything that's after 5:00 pm
[1:04:15] Monday through Friday and then all day
[1:04:16] Saturday and Sunday uh we have a 60%
[1:04:19] increase in response time and now we're
[1:04:21] averaging 5.7 minutes to respond to a
[1:04:24] call and typically there's there's only
[1:04:26] two deputies available because that
[1:04:27] swing shift's not there. That's further
[1:04:30] reduced when either we make an arrest or
[1:04:32] we transport somebody to the hospital or
[1:04:34] maybe it's behavioral health. Um that
[1:04:35] deputy is now out of the community or
[1:04:38] there's another incident that may be
[1:04:40] just outside of city limits that we're
[1:04:41] assisting with that could have no
[1:04:44] deputies in the city during those time
[1:04:45] periods.
[1:04:50] This chart shows the difference between
[1:04:52] business and non-b businessiness hours
[1:04:54] just showing that difference and and it
[1:04:56] kind of also shows you per month over
[1:04:58] the last year um how the calls for
[1:05:01] service and the response times do
[1:05:03] fluctuate based upon a variety of
[1:05:04] reasons, right? It could be weather
[1:05:06] related, people are staying more indoors
[1:05:08] or outdoors or people take advantage of
[1:05:09] the fog, more thefts are increasing. But
[1:05:11] it does show that consistently our
[1:05:13] response times are always longer in that
[1:05:16] non-b businessiness hours just because
[1:05:18] we have less staff working.
[1:05:23] So if we were to reallocate that
[1:05:25] community deputy position, this kind of
[1:05:27] shows you where that moves. It goes from
[1:05:29] that center column at the bottom where
[1:05:31] they would be and we put them on that B
[1:05:33] squad. Again, the B squad is the later
[1:05:35] half of the week, the Thursday, Friday,
[1:05:37] Saturday from that 3 pm to 3:00 a.m.
[1:05:40] shift. So that would in at times during
[1:05:42] those busy peak hours we would generally
[1:05:45] have four deputies on the handle calls
[1:05:46] for service. Granted the swing shift
[1:05:48] still may be used to cover a graveyard
[1:05:50] shift that would allow us to have three.
[1:05:52] We would never get rid we would never go
[1:05:53] down to zero swing shifts at this point.
[1:05:55] We would always have it mandatory filled
[1:05:57] at one. Um and that's simply done by
[1:05:59] staffing to make sure we allocate it
[1:06:01] that way.
[1:06:03] Uh our staffing ratio wouldn't change
[1:06:05] because it's still 23 to total sworn
[1:06:07] staff. We're not changing that. We're
[1:06:09] just moving it from the community deputy
[1:06:11] position over to a patrol uh swing
[1:06:13] shship position.
[1:06:22] All right. So then it goes into my uh
[1:06:24] second recommendation. This is going to
[1:06:25] be um talking about for a future future
[1:06:28] budget item but getting the presentation
[1:06:30] to your to you guys tonight. So my my
[1:06:34] other request is that we would request a
[1:06:36] second deputy for patrol now. And just
[1:06:39] remember that when we request that
[1:06:40] position from the sheriff's office,
[1:06:41] we're looking at that 2 to three year
[1:06:42] fulfillment time. But we also got to
[1:06:47] looking forward, right? So if we we
[1:06:48] ordered it now, we're talking 20 28 29
[1:06:52] before we actually see that that deputy
[1:06:54] actually come out to us. This would be
[1:06:56] an increase in funding, right? because
[1:06:57] this will be a new position to the city
[1:06:59] riverbank and that roughly is 160,000
[1:07:01] per year which in covers all the the
[1:07:03] benefits and rollups that come with that
[1:07:06] employee cost as well. If we were to
[1:07:09] approve this deputy it would bring us up
[1:07:11] to 24 sworn staff right for our 26,000
[1:07:14] residents which increased our ratio to
[1:07:16] 0.92 deputies per 1000 residents.
[1:07:22] And this kind of shows you where we put
[1:07:23] that second spot which we move it to the
[1:07:25] A squad. So now you would have those two
[1:07:27] swing shifts on both A squad and B
[1:07:30] squad. And this this staffing model that
[1:07:32] we're showing here is very similar to
[1:07:34] what we run uh in the city of Patterson,
[1:07:36] which is a city that's much like size to
[1:07:38] us and call volume. So it's very similar
[1:07:41] to how they run operations as well. So
[1:07:43] this is not something that's totally
[1:07:45] abnormal. It just makes sense to have
[1:07:46] somebody that's working. So when someone
[1:07:48] calls 911 or calls for help that we have
[1:07:50] somebody to respond to you um in those
[1:07:52] after hours.
[1:07:57] So quickly, we have a five-year staffing
[1:07:59] plan here, but just just be mindful kind
[1:08:01] of like when I spoke earlier about we
[1:08:03] requested a community resource deputy
[1:08:05] that that was what was needed at that
[1:08:06] time. So this is kind of like looking at
[1:08:08] today based upon current legislation,
[1:08:10] current trends, looking at future growth
[1:08:12] of our city is what the wish list would
[1:08:15] be to add deputies in there. So
[1:08:18] obviously the first requested was the
[1:08:19] one I just requested which is that uh
[1:08:21] had that additional deputy. Hopefully we
[1:08:23] can consider that at fisc or at budget
[1:08:25] year and then going forward would be
[1:08:27] bringing back that community deputy uh
[1:08:28] additional deputy because I still think
[1:08:30] that's an important item for our
[1:08:31] community and then after that would be
[1:08:34] increasing another traffic deputy. Uh as
[1:08:36] it is now we do have three traffic
[1:08:37] deputies for the city of riverbank which
[1:08:39] is which is fairly good for a city of
[1:08:41] our size. But it's one of those things
[1:08:43] where I talk about you can't always just
[1:08:45] go by just the size or a certain ratio,
[1:08:47] right? We see a lot of traffic in the
[1:08:49] city of Riverbank. Oakdale's a community
[1:08:51] that's roughly populated similar to us,
[1:08:53] but we have much more traffic, believe
[1:08:55] it or not, coming through our tooth than
[1:08:57] they do. And we see a lot more traffic
[1:08:59] incidents than they do.
[1:09:01] And then going beyond that, we're
[1:09:03] looking at detectives. And the reason I
[1:09:04] put detectives in there, again, I'm
[1:09:05] looking so far out. You're talking about
[1:09:07] filling these in 2031 32. I can only
[1:09:09] believe that technology continues to be
[1:09:11] the future and with technology yes it
[1:09:13] does help us but it takes a lot of
[1:09:14] people investigators to extract that
[1:09:16] information and make arrest. So
[1:09:18] hopefully that's the idea but any
[1:09:20] positions that we request down the road
[1:09:22] my recommendation we request a deputy
[1:09:23] from the sheriff's office and then as it
[1:09:25] gets closer we can decide that hey we
[1:09:27] want that to be a community deputy want
[1:09:29] to be the traffic deputy. we can choose
[1:09:31] as it's closer to that time period
[1:09:32] because we need to be working in the
[1:09:36] moment, right? Being fluid and reactive
[1:09:37] to what's going on in our community.
[1:09:42] And generally the benchmark for a city
[1:09:44] site is that one one sworn deputy per
[1:09:46] 10,00 residents, right? So today we're
[1:09:48] sitting at 26,000 people. So you're
[1:09:50] looking you would roughly want 26 sworn
[1:09:53] staff. Um again being mindful that's not
[1:09:55] like a hard set number but that's a
[1:09:57] general general idea to keep you a
[1:09:59] balance of ideas especially for our city
[1:10:00] or our size it makes sense the further
[1:10:02] you grow you start uh scaling that back
[1:10:04] and you also got to look at you know
[1:10:05] what is our training numbers doing are
[1:10:06] we going up in cost for service are we
[1:10:08] staying stagnant are we seeing an
[1:10:09] increase what is legislation change so
[1:10:11] there's a lot more to that but currently
[1:10:13] speaking I think that's a good way to
[1:10:15] staff our community
[1:10:21] and that was uh I went quickly clear
[1:10:23] everything. So, I'm sure there'll be
[1:10:24] questions and we can go back and revisit
[1:10:25] items.
[1:10:27] >> Thank you so much. Yes, that was that
[1:10:29] was great. Um, is there any comments or
[1:10:31] questions right now from council
[1:10:35] >> if we were to move the uh CRD position
[1:10:40] requisite to a patrol deputy? How
[1:10:43] quickly would that position get filled
[1:10:44] at that point?
[1:10:45] >> So, I did call the main sheriff's office
[1:10:47] today to kind of find out where we're at
[1:10:49] in that two to three weight period. We
[1:10:51] are sitting at number one of the list
[1:10:52] right now. Um, we do have a large
[1:10:54] meeting tomorrow. So hopefully after
[1:10:56] getting through tonight's decision and
[1:10:57] figure out how we're going to allocate
[1:10:58] that that I can get that position
[1:11:00] recruited and hopefully get it filled in
[1:11:02] the the near future. We do have 10
[1:11:03] people coming out of the police academy.
[1:11:05] Um, granted, even though they come out,
[1:11:07] they have about three months of training
[1:11:08] before they hit the streets, but
[1:11:10] hopefully they have it filled in the
[1:11:11] near future. Our shift change is at into
[1:11:13] April and typically is that's when we
[1:11:15] see a new position. It's just a good
[1:11:17] timing to transition someone in. So it
[1:11:18] could be as soon as April.
[1:11:20] >> And then I know there may be concerns
[1:11:23] with the community resource deputy
[1:11:26] requisite going away. Um and so I kind
[1:11:29] of wanted you to talk about the care
[1:11:30] team a little bit and the access that we
[1:11:33] have in Riverbank to the care team from
[1:11:34] the sheriff's department because they
[1:11:36] can kind of help with some of that
[1:11:37] outreach that previously in 2024 that
[1:11:40] the CRD was doing.
[1:11:41] >> Yeah. So we're not getting rid of a CRD,
[1:11:43] right? So we're keeping the same CRD
[1:11:45] that we have today, right? We're just
[1:11:47] not adding an additional one as their
[1:11:48] recommendation. But the county care team
[1:11:50] is the team that does we work very
[1:11:53] closely with them like handinand um the
[1:11:55] point in time count coming up pretty
[1:11:57] soon. We're already working with them to
[1:11:58] tell you know hey these are where our
[1:11:59] inhouse folks are at um different
[1:12:01] locations but they have all the tools
[1:12:04] and resources from the county to provide
[1:12:05] people with the the documents they need
[1:12:07] that housing um training all those
[1:12:11] things. So we work very closely with
[1:12:13] them and we do tell them where our
[1:12:15] unhoused people are located and they
[1:12:16] regularly come out. We have them set at
[1:12:18] least once or twice a month that they
[1:12:19] come out and engage those folks. So
[1:12:20] nothing would change there. So that same
[1:12:22] engagement would continue. It's just we
[1:12:24] wouldn't bring the recommendation is not
[1:12:26] to bring an additional CRD because we
[1:12:28] can we can basically use the resources
[1:12:30] we have available.
[1:12:33] >> Any other questions?
[1:12:38] I just want to comment. I'm really happy
[1:12:39] to see the presentation and the response
[1:12:41] times. And I also just want to note as
[1:12:44] I'm driving around in the community, I
[1:12:46] do see sheriffs and that's nice to be
[1:12:48] able to see them out there um in the
[1:12:50] community and I appreciate the service
[1:12:52] that you guys are providing. Um doing a
[1:12:55] great job. I love that you're taking
[1:12:57] down these people that want to just go
[1:12:59] in and grab. Um I'd like to see that
[1:13:01] more. I like to see videos. Yeah. Um but
[1:13:03] I appreciate your service.
[1:13:05] >> Thank you.
[1:13:06] And I'm going to just add to that. I
[1:13:08] speak from experience. So I work in
[1:13:10] Modesto and so when we do get calls for
[1:13:13] theft or anything like that. Uh we do
[1:13:15] get oh maybe in two hours or sometimes
[1:13:17] they don't show up at all. So the
[1:13:19] customer service that you guys are
[1:13:21] providing I I see a ton of value in
[1:13:22] that. So I appreciate you guys for
[1:13:24] everything you're doing. Uh you made a
[1:13:25] comment at the end there. Um I think you
[1:13:27] were talking about maybe like the
[1:13:28] population growth. You said the further
[1:13:29] you go you scale back. So are you saying
[1:13:33] like as your population grow the metrics
[1:13:35] evolves or
[1:13:36] >> what I'm saying is so as a as a
[1:13:38] community grows right let's say you get
[1:13:39] to you know a city of 300,000 people
[1:13:41] you're probably not going to have 300
[1:13:42] police officers right it starts getting
[1:13:44] you start having the resources you're
[1:13:46] more condensed and you have more focused
[1:13:48] eventually get to a point where you have
[1:13:49] enough people to respond to things 247
[1:13:51] >> you have other metrics right like
[1:13:53] technology and stuff like that when
[1:13:54] you're a smaller community you're trying
[1:13:55] to do a lot with little right so our
[1:13:57] guys our detectives they're not just
[1:13:59] specialized in one area like other
[1:14:00] cities Your detectives may specialize in
[1:14:02] just gangs or they may just be retail
[1:14:04] theft or they may just be homicide. Our
[1:14:06] detectives do all those things. Child
[1:14:08] crimes, homicide, they do all of it. So,
[1:14:12] you're doing more with less right now.
[1:14:14] And as you grow, you have more of those
[1:14:15] issues. So, then you reallocate those
[1:14:17] resources elsewhere to focus on whatever
[1:14:19] is going on in your community at that
[1:14:21] time.
[1:14:21] >> Yeah. No. And shout out to you guys uh
[1:14:23] responsiveness wise, like that's a huge
[1:14:25] thing. Um I had a a chance to meet with
[1:14:27] four residents uh yesterday. Um they
[1:14:30] kind of shared a bunch of security
[1:14:31] concerns in town. Um they wanted to
[1:14:33] restart a neighborhood watch in their
[1:14:35] area. So I want to give a shout out to
[1:14:37] Tina who's in the audience uh for for
[1:14:39] setting up that meeting. Um I I
[1:14:41] forwarded all those concerns to you guys
[1:14:42] and you passed that on to Deputy Tovar
[1:14:44] CRD and connected uh connected them
[1:14:47] immediately. And so thank you guys for doing that and just showing why it's
[1:14:51] important to have a CRD as well. So
[1:14:53] thank you.
[1:14:54] >> And I appreciate you um mentioning what
[1:14:57] the moment's calling for. And so this
[1:14:59] makes sense um especially with the
[1:15:01] increased traffic from all the
[1:15:03] construction that we're seeing. So that
[1:15:04] transition would make a lot of sense as
[1:15:07] we approach the budget talks um in a
[1:15:09] couple months. Could you bring data that
[1:15:12] uh disagregates what the calls for
[1:15:14] service are? Would you be able to do
[1:15:16] that
[1:15:17] >> as far as like what type of calls for
[1:15:19] service?
[1:15:20] >> Yeah, we can bring something that's very
[1:15:21] similar what's in the year report. Is
[1:15:23] that what you're referring to? Like show
[1:15:24] >> or if you could just forward it to us.
[1:15:26] Yeah,
[1:15:26] >> directly. Yeah, absolutely. check that
[1:15:28] out. Definitely.
[1:15:32] » So, as council is aware, we do prepare a
[1:15:34] year-end report and so all of those
[1:15:36] statistics will be included there as
[1:15:38] well.
[1:15:38] >> Thank you. Um, are there any comments
[1:15:42] from the public
[1:15:44] or online?
[1:15:46] >> Mayor, I do not receive any comment
[1:15:48] cards and I do not see anyone on Zoom
[1:15:50] wishing to speak on this item.
[1:15:52] >> All right. I will bring it back to
[1:15:54] council for any more comments or a
[1:15:56] motion.
[1:15:58] I'd like to go ahead and make a
[1:15:59] resolution authorizing the reallocation
[1:16:01] of one community resource deputy
[1:16:03] position to patrol deputy position.
[1:16:06] >> And I'll second it.
[1:16:07] >> Roll call, please.
[1:16:10] >> Council member Odiva.
[1:16:11] >> Yes.
[1:16:11] >> Council member FSY.
[1:16:12] >> Yes.
[1:16:13] >> Council member Call.
[1:16:14] >> Yes.
[1:16:14] >> Vice Mayor Pimementel.
[1:16:18] >> Yes.
[1:16:18] >> Mayor Hanned.
[1:16:19] >> Yes.
[1:16:20] >> Motion passes 5-0.
[1:16:21] >> Thank you.
[1:16:23] All right. 11.2. to the adoption of a
[1:16:26] groundwater use management program in
[1:16:28] the Modesto groundwater subbasin.
[1:16:31] >> Mayor and councel, public works director
[1:16:33] Cody Bridgewwater will provide this
[1:16:35] report.
[1:16:39] » Mayor, members of the council.
[1:16:41] This presentation and the following have
[1:16:44] to do with our groundwater um
[1:16:48] sustainability plan that was submitted
[1:16:50] in 2022 as part of a requirement of
[1:16:53] Sigma which is the sustainable
[1:16:55] groundwater management act. So 11.2 is
[1:16:59] the Modesto subbasin groundwater use
[1:17:02] management program.
[1:17:05] In September of 2014, Governor Brown
[1:17:08] signed legislation creating the
[1:17:10] Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
[1:17:12] or SIGMA to provide local groundwater
[1:17:15] sustainability agencies within with the
[1:17:19] authority and technical financial
[1:17:20] assistance necessary to sustainably
[1:17:23] manage groundwater.
[1:17:25] February of 2017, Sturgba or the Stannis
[1:17:29] Losi Regional Groundwater Basin Alliance
[1:17:31] GSA was formed with Riverbank Oakdale
[1:17:35] Waterford Modesto uh Modesto Irrigation
[1:17:38] District and Oakdale Irrigation
[1:17:39] District. The groundwater sustainability
[1:17:43] plan or GSP was submitted to the
[1:17:45] Department of Water Resources on January
[1:17:47] 31st of 2022.
[1:17:51] And January 18th, 2024, the DWR issued
[1:17:54] an incomplete determination letter to
[1:17:57] the Modesto subbasin.
[1:17:59] That letter included three items. The
[1:18:02] two there in bold refer to the
[1:18:05] groundwater use management plan and the
[1:18:07] third item, the well mitigation program
[1:18:09] that will be on the following uh
[1:18:11] presentation. So the first two items
[1:18:14] would be include reasonable means to
[1:18:16] arrest groundwater level declines and
[1:18:18] stop overdraft in the subbasin and
[1:18:21] provide pumping management framework or
[1:18:23] groundwater allocation and pumping
[1:18:25] management program.
[1:18:29] So the Modesto groundwater subbasin
[1:18:38] is a high priority basin of
[1:18:40] approximately 245,253
[1:18:43] acres in size bounded by Stannos River
[1:18:47] on the north, Talami River on the south,
[1:18:49] Sanwaqin River on the west and the
[1:18:51] crystalline basement rocks of the Sierra
[1:18:53] Nevada foothills on the east. The
[1:18:56] subbasin itself relies on two primary
[1:18:58] sources of water supply. Both surface
[1:19:00] water from the Santa Loss and Towi
[1:19:02] rivers and groundwater pumped from the
[1:19:04] principal aquifers described in the
[1:19:07] groundwater sustainability plan.
[1:19:10] It's about 64% agricultural land, 13%
[1:19:14] urban and then 23% non-ag non-errigated
[1:19:17] undeveloped and surface water area. In
[1:19:20] 1996
[1:19:22] we were approximately 40% agricultural.
[1:19:25] So over the last 20 years you've had a
[1:19:26] 40% increase in irrigated a land
[1:19:32] and this is just a review of the
[1:19:35] previous slide. So the Modesto subbasin
[1:19:37] was broken up into management areas.
[1:19:41] You have there in the blue that's the
[1:19:43] Oakdale irrigation uh management area.
[1:19:46] In the green Modesto irrigation
[1:19:48] management area, the kind of orang-ish
[1:19:50] color off to the east that's the
[1:19:51] non-district east management area. And
[1:19:54] then the management area which city of
[1:19:55] Riverbank is part of is non-district
[1:19:57] west which is the yellow that kind of
[1:19:59] borders the east or sorry the west side
[1:20:02] and the north and the south.
[1:20:07] So the purpose of the groundwater use
[1:20:09] management plan is to respond to the
[1:20:12] department of water resources incomplete
[1:20:13] determination letter
[1:20:16] by arresting groundwater level declines
[1:20:18] and stopping overdraft and providing
[1:20:20] pumping management and demand reduction
[1:20:22] framework.
[1:20:25] So why the demand management is needed
[1:20:27] long-term groundwater declines in the
[1:20:29] non-district east and Oakdale areas. So
[1:20:32] you have supply project timing and
[1:20:34] funding uncertainties and then the
[1:20:36] groundwater use management plan serves a
[1:20:38] backs stop to protect sustainability
[1:20:40] goals.
[1:20:44] The framework you have equitable
[1:20:45] distribution of sustainable yield and
[1:20:47] based on measurable groundwater pumping
[1:20:50] volumes and adaptive and updated over
[1:20:52] time. So the goal of the framework is to
[1:20:55] equitably distribute the sustainable
[1:20:57] yield to each management area throughout
[1:20:59] the subbasin and allow the management
[1:21:00] area stewards to decide how to implement
[1:21:03] components of the framework in their
[1:21:04] respective management areas as needed to
[1:21:07] operate within those allocations.
[1:21:13] So in your Modesto management area you
[1:21:15] have Modesto Irrigation District, city
[1:21:16] of Modesto, city of Waterford. Oakdale
[1:21:18] management area is Oakdale Irrigation
[1:21:21] District and city of Oakdale.
[1:21:23] Non-district west management area is
[1:21:25] Stannis Los County and city of riverbank
[1:21:28] and nond district east manage management
[1:21:30] area is Stannis County and Tommy County
[1:21:33] GSA.
[1:21:36] Sustainable yield is defined under sigma
[1:21:38] as the maximum quantity of water
[1:21:40] calculated over a base period
[1:21:43] representative of long-term conditions
[1:21:45] in the basin including any temporary
[1:21:47] surplus that can be withdrawn annually
[1:21:49] from the groundwater supply without
[1:21:51] causing an undesirable result. So the
[1:21:54] calculated sustainable yield for the
[1:21:56] Modesto subbasin is 267,000 acre feet
[1:21:59] per year and that was based on long-term
[1:22:01] modeling and this ensures the avoidance
[1:22:04] of undesirable results under sigma.
[1:22:09] There are special considerations
[1:22:11] integrated into the plan. Uh so these
[1:22:13] developed water supplies are credited to
[1:22:16] importing entities and dimminimous uh
[1:22:19] water users that use less than 2 acre
[1:22:21] feet per year are exempt from reductions
[1:22:24] and municipal users such as the city of
[1:22:25] Riverbank are capped at historical
[1:22:27] pumping levels. So just a 4-year average
[1:22:30] for the city of Riverbank we did
[1:22:31] approximately 4,250
[1:22:33] acre feet per year.
[1:22:39] The GSA designated municipal water users
[1:22:42] as a special case and limited their
[1:22:43] future groundwater use to their
[1:22:45] historical groundwater use. And this
[1:22:47] decision was supported by several local
[1:22:48] and state requirements for implementing
[1:22:51] water use efficiency programs. So we
[1:22:53] currently have the making conservation
[1:22:55] as a California way of life requirement
[1:22:57] that the state of California passed and
[1:23:00] that's a regulation that establishes
[1:23:01] efficiency goals and urban water use
[1:23:03] objectives for urban water suppliers to
[1:23:06] reduce municipal demands. The regulation
[1:23:08] requires urban suppliers to determine
[1:23:11] their water use objectives and
[1:23:12] demonstrate compliance annually
[1:23:15] growth obligations. So municipalities
[1:23:17] have statemandated housing and
[1:23:19] population growth targets that drive
[1:23:20] water demand. public service
[1:23:23] constraints. Cities or nonprofit
[1:23:24] entities that typically operate with
[1:23:27] limited flexibility and pricing for the
[1:23:28] purchase of water supplies and supply
[1:23:31] limitations. Groundwater supplies are
[1:23:32] limited in meeting future demand will
[1:23:35] require surface water development,
[1:23:36] recharge projects, additional
[1:23:38] conservation or purchased allocation
[1:23:40] credits.
[1:23:44] So the groundwater use management plan
[1:23:47] lays out the allocations as follows. Uh
[1:23:50] I'm just going to focus on the
[1:23:51] non-district west being that that's what
[1:23:53] the city is a part of. [clears throat]
[1:23:56] So our total allocation is 11,500 acre
[1:24:00] feet of water per year. Our total
[1:24:02] historical pumping in non-district west
[1:24:04] is 15,100.
[1:24:07] So we are expected to reduce by 3,600
[1:24:10] acre feet. Now that's both the city and
[1:24:12] the county as well. That's not just a
[1:24:15] responsibility of the city. That's of
[1:24:16] the management area in whole.
[1:24:22] We are looking for an average basinwide
[1:24:25] reduction of approximately 16% with the
[1:24:28] largest reductions coming from the
[1:24:29] non-dist area and the Oakdale management
[1:24:33] area benefits from developed surface
[1:24:35] water supplies providing an excess
[1:24:37] allocation of 22,700 acre feet per year.
[1:24:41] So oid has offered this excess spread
[1:24:43] among the management areas for the 2027
[1:24:47] through 2031 water years at no cost to
[1:24:50] the management areas.
[1:24:53] So then the adjusted groundwater
[1:24:55] allocations, Riverbank moves from the
[1:24:58] base allocation of 11,500
[1:25:01] and oid is providing us an additional
[1:25:03] 1,900 acre feet per year for the
[1:25:06] non-district west management area which
[1:25:09] equates to a total of 13,400 acre feet
[1:25:11] per year for our management area.
[1:25:14] So you would see overall we have an 11%
[1:25:17] reduction in lie of the 26%.
[1:25:23] So local implementation by management
[1:25:25] area stewards these allocations are will
[1:25:28] be distributed by January 31 of 2027
[1:25:32] and annual monitoring of sigma reporting
[1:25:34] will be required.
[1:25:36] Non-compliance with these criteria may
[1:25:38] trigger other additional management
[1:25:40] strategies. And should groundwater data
[1:25:42] and parameters such as groundwater
[1:25:44] levels indicate that a particular
[1:25:45] management area is not achieving their
[1:25:47] sustainable management objectives, then
[1:25:49] management area stewards will develop a
[1:25:51] management area action plan for Sturgway
[1:25:54] GSA approval.
[1:25:59] So with the response levels we are going
[1:26:01] to implement the ground implement the
[1:26:03] groundwater use management plan and then
[1:26:06] the stewards of the management areas
[1:26:07] develop and implement the management
[1:26:09] area action plan if those allocations
[1:26:10] are not met and that's presented to the
[1:26:14] GSA for approval. If they're unable to
[1:26:17] comply then the GSA develops implements
[1:26:20] an action plan of their own for the
[1:26:21] management area.
[1:26:24] Cody, since you don't have slide
[1:26:25] numbers, can we ask you questions now?
[1:26:27] >> Sure. Go ahead.
[1:26:27] >> Okay. Can you go back to slides
[1:26:31] uh right there? So, uh so you said there
[1:26:34] was going to be some uh fees from the
[1:26:36] state. So, so are we talking about that?
[1:26:38] Is it the 55 per pumped acre foot of
[1:26:41] water? So, does that apply to the the
[1:26:43] 1,900 difference that we have to make up
[1:26:46] for?
[1:26:46] >> Um I'm not familiar with the the fees
[1:26:49] that you're
[1:26:50] >> So, state fees. So, I don't know if this
[1:26:52] is part of the well mitigation or if
[1:26:54] this is part of the the state fees for
[1:26:56] this. So, I've been going back and forth
[1:26:58] with both of these. Uh, so, and I was
[1:27:00] watching the county. So, they passed
[1:27:01] their they implemented theirs today as
[1:27:03] well and they stated that the state fees
[1:27:04] were going to be 300 per well and up to
[1:27:06] $55 per pumped acre foot of water. So, I
[1:27:09] was just kind of curious if that's what
[1:27:10] you were referring to uh if we didn't
[1:27:12] meet those new base allocations if we're
[1:27:15] going to be fined for that difference.
[1:27:17] >> I I apologize. I'm not familiar with
[1:27:19] those numbers. so I can look that up and
[1:27:20] get back.
[1:27:21] >> Okay, appreciate it. And could you go
[1:27:22] back? I think it was Go back one more.
[1:27:25] No, one more.
[1:27:27] Okay. So, I I lost the slide. You can
[1:27:30] continue.
[1:27:31] >> Yeah.
[1:27:33] You can continue, Cody. Sorry about
[1:27:34] that.
[1:27:35] >> Okay.
[1:27:36] >> Yeah.
[1:27:40] So, the management action or management
[1:27:42] area action plan development process.
[1:27:44] Step one would be the GSA identifies the
[1:27:46] need and parameters for an action plan
[1:27:48] in one or multiple management areas
[1:27:51] based on monitoring data and or
[1:27:53] exceedence of the management area
[1:27:56] allocation according to the groundwater
[1:27:58] use management plan. And then the
[1:28:00] stewards of the uh [clears throat]
[1:28:02] applicable management area or areas
[1:28:05] develop the action plans in
[1:28:07] collaboration with the GSA. And then
[1:28:09] these plans are submitted to and
[1:28:11] approved by the GSA.
[1:28:14] And then the action plans included in
[1:28:15] the annual report and are implemented by
[1:28:18] the applicable management area stewards.
[1:28:22] So some content to the action plans. Uh
[1:28:26] we would need to determine a response
[1:28:28] level. So the GSA will identify
[1:28:30] conditions and determine appropriate
[1:28:32] allocations and restrictions and they
[1:28:34] will notify stewards of response level
[1:28:36] and the need for an action plan. In the
[1:28:39] preparation of the action plan, you'd
[1:28:40] set achievable goals for implementation,
[1:28:43] identify and document corrective
[1:28:44] actions, submit to the GSA for approval
[1:28:47] and coordinate with GSE means and
[1:28:48] objectives.
[1:28:51] And you would develop a plan to collect
[1:28:53] and evaluate groundwater level data and
[1:28:56] provide implementation approach and
[1:28:58] schedule of proposed actions and meet
[1:29:00] reporting requirements submitted to and
[1:29:03] approved by the GSA
[1:29:09] to aid the management area stewards with
[1:29:11] adaptively managing their areas. The
[1:29:13] following is a list of some potential
[1:29:15] strategies that may be employed to help
[1:29:16] reduce groundwater use and support
[1:29:19] achieving the subbasin interim
[1:29:20] milestones and ultimately groundwater
[1:29:22] basin sustainability.
[1:29:25] So you would have implementation of
[1:29:27] voluntary or mandatory conservation
[1:29:29] measures such as land repurposing to
[1:29:32] enhance groundwater recharge, habitat
[1:29:34] restoration or cleaner energy incentives
[1:29:36] such as solar fields, replacing high
[1:29:38] water use crops with low water use
[1:29:40] crops. Following groundwater extraction
[1:29:43] fees, increased groundwater use
[1:29:45] reporting requirements, prioritization
[1:29:48] of implementation of supplemental
[1:29:49] projects,
[1:29:51] incentivization
[1:29:52] of surface water deliveries, recycled
[1:29:55] water use or inlue recharge, pumping
[1:29:58] restrictions in areas where minimum
[1:30:00] thresholds have been exceeded, flow
[1:30:02] monitoring on extraction wells,
[1:30:06] and then implementation schedule for the
[1:30:08] plan itself. Uh 2027 we would arrest
[1:30:11] overdraft and groundwater de level
[1:30:13] decline. Hopefully by 2032 achieve
[1:30:16] minimum thresholds. 2037 raise
[1:30:20] groundwater levels to halfway between
[1:30:22] minimum thresholds and measurable
[1:30:24] objectives and by 2042 reach measurable
[1:30:27] objectives.
[1:30:30] So a little bit of information regarding
[1:30:32] non-district east management area. They
[1:30:34] will begin the groundwater use
[1:30:37] management plan phase one implementation
[1:30:39] period in the phase 2 response level.
[1:30:43] Therefore, we'll require preparation of
[1:30:44] a management area action plan by
[1:30:46] November 1 of this year for the Sturggo
[1:30:50] GSA to re approve and initiate
[1:30:52] reductions in groundwater use following
[1:30:55] implementation of the groundwater use
[1:30:57] management plan and the non-dist
[1:31:00] on January 31, 2027.
[1:31:03] Reductions in groundwater extractions
[1:31:05] will ramp up in five-year increments as
[1:31:07] necessary to arrest overdraft and raise
[1:31:10] groundwater levels to the measure
[1:31:11] objectives identified in the GSP.
[1:31:15] So for non-district east management area
[1:31:19] between 2027 and 20203 or 2030 they're
[1:31:23] expected to have a 34 34% reduction in
[1:31:26] overall groundwater pumping.
[1:31:28] uh between 2030 and 2035 60% or 67%
[1:31:33] reduction and by 2040 100% reduction. So
[1:31:37] a total of their 58,000 reduction that
[1:31:40] they're acre feet per year that they're
[1:31:42] required to reduce. They have a target
[1:31:45] goal of 2040 for that 58,000 acre feet
[1:31:47] reduction.
[1:31:49] That's not total pumping. That's just
[1:31:50] their their allocation that they have to
[1:31:54] reduce by.
[1:31:57] So some key takeaways, the groundwater
[1:31:59] use management plan is required for
[1:32:01] Sigma compliance and it provides
[1:32:03] structured equitable demand management
[1:32:06] and the program adapts as projects and
[1:32:08] conditions change within the subbasin
[1:32:10] itself.
[1:32:13] So staff recommends that city council
[1:32:16] adopt the resolution authorizing
[1:32:18] collaboration with the Stannis Lawson
[1:32:20] and Towalami Rivers Groundwater Basin
[1:32:22] Association
[1:32:24] Groundwater Sustainability Agency its member
[1:32:28] agencies consultants stakeholders and
[1:32:31] the county of Towalami GSA to take such actions as may reasonably necessary
[1:32:37] to one approve and implement the
[1:32:38] groundwater use management program
[1:32:42] for the Modesto subbasin to ensure
[1:32:43] longterm groundwater sustainability and
[1:32:46] two develop action plans which ensure
[1:32:49] the demand management actions identified
[1:32:51] in the groundwater use management plan
[1:32:53] are under implementation beginning
[1:32:54] January 31 2027
[1:32:58] and the adoption of the groundwater use
[1:32:59] management plan fulfills commitments
[1:33:01] made in prior council actions and
[1:33:03] advances compliance with the sustainable
[1:33:05] groundwater management act or sigma and
[1:33:08] I would be happy to answer any questions
[1:33:10] that you may have.
[1:33:12] >> Thank you. Um, does the council have any
[1:33:15] questions or comments right now?
[1:33:19] >> Um, so I think it's important that you
[1:33:22] kind of gave us the download a few
[1:33:24] months back on Sergba um because we we
[1:33:28] knew that this it was leading to today's
[1:33:30] um decision. Could you just to place
[1:33:33] that a little bit more? You mentioned at
[1:33:35] the maybe one of the first slides that
[1:33:37] the um subbasin is 64% agg and 20%
[1:33:41] urban. How many people does the urban
[1:33:46] and do you know about how many each
[1:33:47] represent each body?
[1:33:49] >> Unfortunately, no I do not.
[1:33:51] >> I I mean it's urban is city of riverbank
[1:33:54] essentially and then agriculture
[1:33:55] individual farmers.
[1:33:56] >> Yeah, it would be um urban would be city
[1:33:58] of riverbank, city of Modesto, city of
[1:34:00] Waterford, city of Oakdale.
[1:34:02] >> Okay. And then um when you were talking
[1:34:06] about groundwater allocations,
[1:34:08] you mentioned I mean the state uh
[1:34:11] district or the department of water
[1:34:13] services stepped in, resources steps in
[1:34:15] when there's an undesirable result and
[1:34:18] that's essentially where we're at at
[1:34:19] this point. Um so you mentioned that
[1:34:22] there are going back if you could go
[1:34:25] back to the chart with the different uh
[1:34:33] yes
[1:34:35] >> this is the adjusted and this would be
[1:34:38] after 23
[1:34:39] >> and and just um for council as well we
[1:34:43] are I mean we've been pretty good
[1:34:46] stewards of of those allocations and um
[1:34:49] I think It is important to take a look
[1:34:51] at the different sections of the
[1:34:53] subbasin because we're looking at
[1:34:56] um nond district east for the management
[1:35:00] plan here for example. So they or maybe
[1:35:03] oh it is this one. Uh I mean the
[1:35:05] allocation's at 30,000 the furthest
[1:35:07] column to the right the allocation's at
[1:35:09] 30,100
[1:35:11] but the historical pumping has been at
[1:35:13] 89,700.
[1:35:15] And so I just want council to take into
[1:35:18] consideration, you know, I think it's
[1:35:20] great and and uh Sturga is doing what we
[1:35:23] need to do and what's being asked of by
[1:35:25] the state to uh mitigate these uh
[1:35:29] allocations or this pumping. Um but I
[1:35:32] just want us to know right now the
[1:35:35] differences in what that looks like for
[1:35:37] each part of the sections of the
[1:35:39] subbasin. Um,
[1:35:42] I had another question in that
[1:35:45] and maybe not right now. Are there any
[1:35:46] questions from council at this point?
[1:35:49] We'll go over to public comment.
[1:35:53] >> Mr. Wrangler Wheeler.
[1:36:01] » Uh, hi. Good evening, uh, council
[1:36:02] members and staff. My name is Wrangler
[1:36:04] Wheeler. Uh, I'm a hay and almond farmer
[1:36:06] from West Vanesto. Although I do not
[1:36:08] have the privilege of living in
[1:36:09] Riverbank, I do conduct business in and
[1:36:11] around your city limits. I'm here to
[1:36:13] discuss the potential effects and
[1:36:14] possible steps of action regarding the
[1:36:16] Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
[1:36:18] I would like to thank a few members uh
[1:36:20] of your staff and your mayor, Rachel
[1:36:22] Hernand Hernandez, for taking the time
[1:36:24] to meet with myself and a few other
[1:36:25] farmers from the non-dist last week.
[1:36:29] Stannis Loss County, in my personal
[1:36:30] opinion, has done a poor job of
[1:36:32] representing not only myself but the
[1:36:33] taxpaying citizens of Riverbank.
[1:36:36] Throughout continued negotiations
[1:36:38] regarding shared cost and management
[1:36:39] actions, Stansel County has failed to
[1:36:42] give farmers like myself within the
[1:36:43] non-district west and the city of
[1:36:45] Riverbank a proper seat at the
[1:36:47] negotiation table.
[1:36:49] The problem they are effectively trying
[1:36:51] to solve exists within the non-district
[1:36:53] east from farmers who have planted
[1:36:54] permanent crops with no access to
[1:36:56] surface water, creating a deficit from
[1:36:58] excessive groundwater pumping. We can
[1:37:00] all agree we do not wish to share the
[1:37:02] potential costs associated with solving
[1:37:04] someone else's problems. Through
[1:37:07] continued communication with Riverbank
[1:37:08] staff, I would like to propose a working
[1:37:11] group that includes affected parties
[1:37:13] within the non-dist including the city
[1:37:15] of Riverbank. We share common goals and
[1:37:18] understanding of keeping our own water
[1:37:20] costs manageable and affordable.
[1:37:24] With that being said, I do want to
[1:37:26] support the adoption of both 11.2 and
[1:37:29] 11.3 moving forward. I think it's an
[1:37:31] mutual benefit for uh everyone within
[1:37:33] non-district west. With that being
[1:37:35] included, I do want to acknowledge that
[1:37:37] looking at these numbers, um the city of
[1:37:40] Riverbank and the community of Del Rio
[1:37:42] are both extractors, right? So you guys
[1:37:44] are pulling more out of the basin than
[1:37:46] you are putting back in where us as
[1:37:49] farmers within the non-district west,
[1:37:50] we're all grouped together. We have the
[1:37:52] opportunity and potential to be a net
[1:37:55] positive, right? So I have other sources
[1:37:57] of potential water, whether that's um
[1:37:59] repairarian rights or potential other
[1:38:01] sources that we have the opportunity of
[1:38:04] recharging the groundwater. So I think
[1:38:06] it's in a a net benefit for the entire
[1:38:08] basin that we come together as nondist
[1:38:10] west and work together to um become
[1:38:13] sustainable and meet um our GSP um
[1:38:16] regulations and become sustainable
[1:38:18] within Sigma. Uh with that being said, I
[1:38:20] thank you for your time this evening and
[1:38:22] I look forward to the continued and
[1:38:23] growing relationship among the Nongish
[1:38:25] West.
[1:38:28] >> Thank you Mr. Bill Lions.
[1:38:36] Uh, mayor, uh, Councilman,
[1:38:39] uh, city manager, uh, I was here, I
[1:38:42] think, three or four months ago and
[1:38:44] talked about some of the issues that we
[1:38:46] saw coming and they're now here. I want
[1:38:49] to let you know that I've been very
[1:38:52] engaged in this issue for the last two
[1:38:54] years. Um, we own, uh, my family owns
[1:38:58] the center called River Heights, mostly,
[1:39:02] uh, you know, mom and pop operators. And
[1:39:05] one of my concerns is to being involved
[1:39:08] in this uh, process for two years is the
[1:39:12] potential costs that are going to be
[1:39:14] leveled on your city residents. As I
[1:39:17] followed this and you looked at the
[1:39:19] charts, there's one area that is not
[1:39:23] sustainable and that's the non-district
[1:39:25] east. I think you have to realize that
[1:39:28] they've been offered solutions. Just
[1:39:31] today, MID
[1:39:34] uh passed a water sale program provides
[1:39:38] 60,000
[1:39:40] acre feet to the nondist
[1:39:43] east, but it's up to them to take
[1:39:46] advantage of it. Now if they don't take
[1:39:48] advantage of it as a subbasin the nond
[1:39:52] district west which is basically
[1:39:54] riverbank del Rio and farmers could
[1:39:58] definitely get hurt by our ability to
[1:40:01] use water and by fees. So, I would say
[1:40:05] pass this issue, but be very cautious
[1:40:09] that your residents, some of my tenants
[1:40:13] don't end up paying to solve the
[1:40:16] problems in the non-dist
[1:40:20] farmers, but they went up there for
[1:40:23] business reasons, put wells in, put
[1:40:26] permanent orchards in in areas that did
[1:40:30] not have sustainable water. Um I do also
[1:40:35] today in NI share some of the same
[1:40:38] concerns that Mr. Wheeler does about the
[1:40:42] relationship transparency
[1:40:45] of the county with riverbank the
[1:40:48] non-district west farmers in Del Rio.
[1:40:51] Just today, a bunch of farmers on the
[1:40:54] west side received a letter from the
[1:40:57] Department of uh Environmental Services
[1:41:01] Stewart. No mention of Riverbank as
[1:41:05] their partner as a steward. He passed it
[1:41:08] to Toby and he hadn't seen it yet. So, I
[1:41:15] want you to take a look at this letter,
[1:41:17] especially page two, where they're
[1:41:20] basically saying, "We have an abundance
[1:41:24] of water. We are sustainable, but we
[1:41:27] need to share water with individuals
[1:41:30] that cause the problem.
[1:41:34] I appreciate your time and effort, and
[1:41:37] please watch out for your rate boos.
[1:41:38] Thank you."
[1:41:42] Uh, mayor, that is offer 11.2.
[1:41:47] » Is there anything online by chance? I
[1:41:49] >> I don't see anyone on Zoom wishing to
[1:41:51] speak on this item.
[1:41:53] >> Great. I'll bring it back to council for
[1:41:54] any more comments or questions.
[1:41:58] And if there's none, I um the similar to
[1:42:03] the next item, so I want to say it now
[1:42:05] because I will forget.
[1:42:08] >> Um,
[1:42:08] >> sorry to interrupt. Uh, we just have a
[1:42:11] resident that rose their hand on Zoom.
[1:42:13] >> Okay.
[1:42:15] >> Phone number ending in 3108. Can you
[1:42:17] please unmute?
[1:42:23] >> Please go ahead. Can you hear us? Yes.
[1:42:29] >> Okay. Um,
[1:42:33] >> Miss Hellbert, can you turn down your um
[1:42:35] TV in the back or your computer? We can
[1:42:37] hear an echo. No, it's clear.
[1:42:41] I just have a a a question if if if you
[1:42:44] would address the cost of this and who
[1:42:47] is going to pay it on both of these
[1:42:49] items. They list funding areas as being
[1:42:52] either from the uh
[1:42:57] this the funding coming
[1:43:01] from the STR GB GSA funds or from member
[1:43:05] agencies which I'm guessing you would be
[1:43:06] a member agency and uh other sources
[1:43:10] which they don't name but it also
[1:43:12] mentions the fact of using Prop 218 fees
[1:43:16] if they're going to use assessments fees
[1:43:18] or whatever
[1:43:20] Is that going to be coming from you from
[1:43:22] you taking out of ours? Is there going
[1:43:24] to be another uh one of these TR 218
[1:43:27] fees on our water and sewer again or
[1:43:29] wherever it's coming from? Um
[1:43:34] one way or the other and how much are
[1:43:37] these costs going to be?
[1:43:42] I just like to know how much that
[1:43:44] they're it appears that this is all
[1:43:46] going to come out of our pockets rather
[1:43:48] than the cities.
[1:43:50] And I'd like you, Patricia, you could
[1:43:52] address that and just a little more
[1:43:55] exactly how much is this going to cost
[1:43:57] us? Thank you.
[1:44:01] >> Thank you, Miss Hbert. Um, mayor, that
[1:44:03] is all.
[1:44:04] >> Thank you.
[1:44:06] >> Um, I will just say that at this point
[1:44:08] we don't know
[1:44:09] >> uh what the impacts are going to be from
[1:44:11] the plan. um we're right now we're going
[1:44:14] to approve and then send this approval
[1:44:16] to the larger uh uh organ collaboration
[1:44:20] as a whole. So so we're not sure but the
[1:44:23] I guess the assumption is correct and
[1:44:25] it's going to end up being a taxpayer um
[1:44:28] through the city um impact.
[1:44:32] >> That's correct, mayor. So, um through
[1:44:34] the development of the action plans for
[1:44:37] each of the management areas, we would
[1:44:39] determine if there's any fees that would
[1:44:41] be associated with that. Um but
[1:44:43] unfortunately, this is a state unfunded
[1:44:46] mandate um that we're required to comply
[1:44:48] with. And so, our water system um is
[1:44:52] dependent upon fees from our residents
[1:44:55] to help offset the costs of providing
[1:44:58] water, including meeting those unfunded
[1:45:01] mandates. And so yes, ultimately it does
[1:45:03] come from the rateayers.
[1:45:04] >> Thank you. And and that being said, um
[1:45:09] we're all facing as the council these
[1:45:11] decisions around um increased water
[1:45:15] rates with the study coming forward with
[1:45:17] the wastewater discussions that we're
[1:45:19] having. So um we want to appreciate
[1:45:22] Strugg Buffer taking the lead and as you
[1:45:25] know we have trusted them to do so with
[1:45:27] their consultants and everyone involved.
[1:45:29] Um but as we I would like to make a
[1:45:33] motion to to recommend this resolution
[1:45:36] but being clear and adding uh the
[1:45:38] following as well um in in a memo maybe
[1:45:42] as an attachment. Um, so it would be to
[1:45:47] that way we're clear uh as as a city
[1:45:50] that we want to protect our rateayers
[1:45:52] that we want to move forward in this
[1:45:54] collaborative approach but have an
[1:45:56] equitable uh strategy to get there
[1:45:59] because as we've seen it's we've been
[1:46:02] good stewards of our allocations. Um and
[1:46:05] so this memo would say uh or not uh
[1:46:09] would include requesting inclusion of
[1:46:11] the establishment of a north uh
[1:46:14] non-district west wall mitigation
[1:46:16] program committee and technical review
[1:46:18] committee to oversee the claims process.
[1:46:20] Um we've asked about the outreach uh
[1:46:24] that's going to be handinhand with the
[1:46:26] well mitigation and so
[1:46:30] >> here that sounds like um perhaps for the
[1:46:32] next item. Yeah. Yes. Uh I I mentioned
[1:46:36] that this would be great in just one
[1:46:37] memo, so I think I'm saying it all now.
[1:46:40] Um but but yeah, I'll repeat it for the
[1:46:42] next one. Um uh so for this item
[1:46:45] specifically, the memo would include um
[1:46:49] sharing a formal invitation uh as part
[1:46:52] of the non-dist work group. Um, I think
[1:46:55] it would be great to move forward with
[1:46:57] that suggestion so that we're the city
[1:47:00] of Riverbank is included in those
[1:47:01] discussions moving forward. Um,
[1:47:06] and then skipping ahead.
[1:47:10] Um,
[1:47:11] yeah, this that would be it for for this
[1:47:14] resolution. So, um, if the council would
[1:47:17] like to approve a motion to move forward
[1:47:18] with this resolution attaching a memo
[1:47:20] that's going to include in part, uh, the
[1:47:23] formal work group, uh, that we would
[1:47:25] like to be a part of to be able to take
[1:47:27] part of these conversations.
[1:47:32] » I'll second it.
[1:47:33] >> Roll call, please.
[1:47:38] » Just to clarify, we're adding the memo
[1:47:39] to this resolution, correct?
[1:47:41] >> Yes. Yeah, it sounds like she has two.
[1:47:43] So, just
[1:47:45] >> what she Yes. Yeah.
[1:47:46] >> Okay.
[1:47:47] >> Council member,
[1:47:48] >> yes.
[1:47:48] >> Council member FSY.
[1:47:49] >> Yes.
[1:47:50] >> Council member Call.
[1:47:51] >> Yes.
[1:47:52] >> Vice Mayor Pimento.
[1:47:53] >> Yes.
[1:47:53] >> Mayor Hernandez. Yes. Motion passes.
[1:47:55] 5-0.
[1:48:08] Oh. Oh, sorry. I was waiting for you to
[1:48:10] just start it. 11.3
[1:48:13] um adoption of a well mitigation plan in
[1:48:15] the Modesto groundwater subbasin.
[1:48:19] » Okay. So this will be the third portion
[1:48:22] to the letter that was deemed or the
[1:48:26] incomplete determination letter for the
[1:48:28] medicine subbasin by DWR and it will
[1:48:32] required us to provide a dry well
[1:48:34] mitigation program.
[1:48:38] So the purpose of the well mitigation
[1:48:41] program, it provides mitigation for
[1:48:42] drinking water wells that have
[1:48:44] experienced adverse impacts due to
[1:48:46] declining regional groundwater levels
[1:48:48] associated with groundwater pumping
[1:48:51] during the the GSP implementation period
[1:48:55] since January 31, 2022.
[1:48:58] So, an analysis was conducted that
[1:49:01] included all 4563
[1:49:04] water supply wells with available
[1:49:06] construction information in the subbasin
[1:49:09] and it showed potential impacts to water
[1:49:11] supply wells due to groundwater levels
[1:49:13] declining below established minimum
[1:49:15] thresholds or MTS.
[1:49:18] Potential impacts are expected to be
[1:49:20] limited to an interim period before
[1:49:23] planned projects and management actions
[1:49:25] are fully implemented
[1:49:27] which would be January 31, 2022 through
[1:49:30] the hopefully sustainable
[1:49:33] uh measurable objective year of 2042.
[1:49:38] It provides framework for the following
[1:49:40] elements. An application process and
[1:49:42] well mitigation program measures for
[1:49:44] impacted well owners. establishes well
[1:49:47] mitigation program committee and
[1:49:49] technical review committee to oversee
[1:49:51] the claims for impacted wells which
[1:49:53] would be made up of the GSA members and
[1:49:56] Sturgba will contract with self-help
[1:49:58] enterprises for the coordination of
[1:50:01] emergency water supplies well
[1:50:02] assessments and replacements if
[1:50:04] necessary.
[1:50:07] So there are local non-governmental
[1:50:09] programs that offer support for those
[1:50:11] affected by impaired access to drinking
[1:50:13] water within the Modesto subbasin and
[1:50:15] across the Sanwaqin Valley. You have the
[1:50:18] Valley Water Collaborative which was
[1:50:20] formed to address nitrate groundwater
[1:50:22] contamination in private domestic wells
[1:50:24] used for drinking water in the Modesto
[1:50:26] and Turlock subbasins.
[1:50:29] And the VWC provides well testing and
[1:50:32] replacement water or water treatment
[1:50:34] systems for nitrate contamination to all
[1:50:36] qualifying applicants regardless of
[1:50:38] income level. Then you have Self-Help
[1:50:41] Enterprises or SHEI who offers emergency
[1:50:44] drinking water supplies, long-term
[1:50:46] mitigation support, and well stewardship
[1:50:48] educational resources for those who
[1:50:50] qualify under their program in Stannis
[1:50:52] Loss County. They're a nonprofit in the
[1:50:55] Sanwaqin Valley that can provide water
[1:50:57] quality testing and emergency water
[1:50:59] service for eligible land owners.
[1:51:04] She establishes elig eligibility under
[1:51:06] their program by an application
[1:51:08] submitted to SHIE with for with
[1:51:10] information about the well, property and
[1:51:12] household including income. provide
[1:51:15] emergency water within 24 hours and then
[1:51:17] conduct on-site well assessment. And if
[1:51:21] replacement is warranted, grant
[1:51:22] agreement is completed between she and
[1:51:24] the well owner. Uh the income
[1:51:27] requirement is 80% or less of the mean
[1:51:30] household income and you are required
[1:51:32] not to sell your property or transfer
[1:51:34] ownership within a 5-year period after
[1:51:36] the weld replacement. And the grant can
[1:51:39] be funded up to $60,000.
[1:51:44] So some funding and anticipated costs.
[1:51:46] The well mitigation fund has been
[1:51:48] established to finance well program
[1:51:50] implementation.
[1:51:51] So the initial funding of this program
[1:51:55] is being funded by the Sturba GSA as
[1:51:57] part of their respective annual budgets
[1:51:59] and a portion between Sturga GSA using
[1:52:02] the existing annual budget allocation
[1:52:04] meth methodology. So we do have a
[1:52:06] current cost sharing agreement in the
[1:52:08] GSA that reflects 12 and a half% uh
[1:52:12] requirement of the agency members.
[1:52:16] The baseline fund will be the for the
[1:52:20] implementation of the program and
[1:52:22] Sturggo GSA has established a baseline
[1:52:24] well mitigation fund amounting of
[1:52:26] $300,000.
[1:52:28] The annual funding the Sturgeba GSA has
[1:52:31] agreed to fund the program on an annual
[1:52:33] basis as may be required to address the
[1:52:35] needs of the program until groundwater
[1:52:37] sustainability is achieved. The Sturgma
[1:52:40] GSA member agencies will meet and confer
[1:52:42] in good faith to determine the
[1:52:44] appropriate funding mechanism,
[1:52:46] replenishment amount, and Sturgma GSA
[1:52:48] member allocation methodology prior to
[1:52:50] fund replenishment.
[1:52:55] According to DWR's dry well reporting
[1:52:57] system, there are 15 domestic wells that
[1:53:00] were reported dry or failed since the
[1:53:02] GSP was adopted on January 31st of 2022.
[1:53:06] You had 13 in 2022, two in 2023, and
[1:53:10] zero in 2024.
[1:53:13] It's unclear whether these dry or failed
[1:53:15] wells were due to GSA management or
[1:53:17] ground of groundwater levels. And as
[1:53:20] such, it is not possible to estimate the
[1:53:22] number of future eligible claims and
[1:53:23] annual costs.
[1:53:24] >> Cody, the 15 is that is that countywide
[1:53:26] or is that in our district only?
[1:53:28] >> That's within the entire Modesto
[1:53:29] subbasin.
[1:53:30] >> Okay.
[1:53:31] >> So, uh just for reference, Turlock is in
[1:53:34] their own subbasin, but they are in
[1:53:36] Stannis County. So, this is in the
[1:53:37] Modesto subbasin alone.
[1:53:40] >> So, it's anticipated that the program
[1:53:42] funding will come from one or a
[1:53:43] combination of the following sources
[1:53:46] established by the parties. You have
[1:53:47] Sturba GSA funds, one or more Sturba GSA
[1:53:51] member agencies, funds generated through
[1:53:53] implementation of projects and
[1:53:55] management actions such as fines and/or
[1:53:58] penalties, uh, county, state, and
[1:54:00] federal funding as available and any
[1:54:03] other sources that may be identified.
[1:54:08] She provides a well modification
[1:54:10] replacement grant that was uh spoken
[1:54:12] about earlier. So there is that option
[1:54:15] that is there are actually grants funded
[1:54:17] by the state water resource sources
[1:54:19] control board. So if an applicant does
[1:54:23] not qualify for mitigation through stob
[1:54:25] GSA program then the applicant may be
[1:54:27] eligible through mitigation by she and
[1:54:29] it doesn't have to be necessarily uh
[1:54:34] related to the GSA or the mismanagement
[1:54:37] of the GSA. So say the GSA reviews it
[1:54:39] and said it's not a groundwater issue
[1:54:41] that was caused by mismanagement of the
[1:54:43] GSA, they can still apply for a program
[1:54:45] through sheet.
[1:54:46] >> So for example be like water quality,
[1:54:48] right? So like
[1:54:49] >> water quality could um be a an issue
[1:54:53] that was caused by mismanagement of
[1:54:55] groundwater. If you have a depletion of
[1:54:57] groundwater levels, the the level of the
[1:54:59] well may still be good, but you may have
[1:55:01] water quality issues as a result. So
[1:55:05] if it's not associated with the
[1:55:09] mismanagement, yes, water quality could
[1:55:10] be one, but maybe it's a failed pump,
[1:55:13] maybe it's, you know, a failed casing,
[1:55:16] uh,
[1:55:17] >> infrastructure issues. Yeah, there's still other mechanisms that can
[1:55:20] be used.
[1:55:20] >> Okay.
[1:55:24] So staff's recommendation is city
[1:55:26] council adopt the resolution authorizing
[1:55:28] collaboration with Stannis loss and
[1:55:30] twomi rivers groundwater basin
[1:55:32] association
[1:55:34] and its members stakeholders in the
[1:55:35] county of Tommy GSA to take such actions
[1:55:39] as may be necessary to approve and
[1:55:40] implement the well mitigation plan
[1:55:42] developed for meto groundwater subbasin
[1:55:45] and again adoption of the well
[1:55:47] mitigation plan by the sta GSA fulfills
[1:55:49] the commitments made in prior council
[1:55:51] actions and advances compliance with
[1:55:53] Sigma and I would be happy to answer any
[1:55:56] questions that you may have.
[1:55:59] >> Uh council, are there any questions or
[1:56:01] comments?
[1:56:04] >> Any from the public?
[1:56:06] >> Mayor, we have a couple in the chamber.
[1:56:08] Mr. Wrangler Wheeler,
[1:56:11] >> you're okay. Mr. Gary Pearson.
[1:56:21] » Good evening, council. Um, I'm Gary
[1:56:23] Pearson. I'm a resident of uh the city
[1:56:26] of Riverbank. Um, my comments are
[1:56:30] equally um I I support what's been said
[1:56:33] from our previous presenters. I'd also
[1:56:35] ask, what does it actually mean to me as
[1:56:38] a resident? I am considerably concerned
[1:56:41] about our future water security. I
[1:56:44] believe our city must actively engage in
[1:56:46] meaningful com conservation and
[1:56:49] long-term planning including expanding
[1:56:52] the cons conservation through graywater
[1:56:54] use uh condensate recapture and
[1:56:57] rainwater catchment systems. For
[1:56:59] example, at my house I collect over
[1:57:01] 2,000 gallons each winter cycle and I
[1:57:05] repurpose that within my landscape. Uh
[1:57:09] this does not impede the overall water
[1:57:12] use but improves our water use
[1:57:14] efficiency. Next um I know our city
[1:57:18] promotes drought tolerant landscaping by
[1:57:20] replacing traditional lawns with drought
[1:57:22] tolerant plants and also has an
[1:57:24] artificial turf program but I also would
[1:57:27] advocate we need to increase our shade
[1:57:29] trees to reduce that evapo transpiration
[1:57:32] and trees that are suitable for this
[1:57:34] part of the valley. So don't plant
[1:57:36] redwoods. Uh next, uh prioritizing
[1:57:39] groundwater recharge.
[1:57:41] I strongly urge that the current
[1:57:43] wastewater treatment facility proposal
[1:57:45] seriously consider how treated discharge
[1:57:47] water can be redirected for local reuse
[1:57:50] and recharge. I know that there's part
[1:57:53] of that system is for local farmers to
[1:57:55] reuse. I advocate yes, but there's still
[1:57:58] volume we could use to recharge the
[1:58:00] aquifer.
[1:58:02] Um then uh encouraging the regional
[1:58:05] agricultural sector which you've heard
[1:58:08] here to rethink its long-term water use
[1:58:10] practices. I as a longtime farmer and
[1:58:13] constant looking at the inputs to the
[1:58:16] farm and how I I can be efficient with
[1:58:19] our natural resources and water is one
[1:58:21] of those. Um, next I I really greatly
[1:58:25] appreciate hearing that we want to
[1:58:27] partner together and partner with
[1:58:29] Oakdale and Modesto. I'd also advocate
[1:58:32] we need to uh really think about our
[1:58:34] housing and truly get to that green
[1:58:37] housing and what we call lead inspired
[1:58:40] design standards. All new housing should
[1:58:43] be water efficient by design. Finally, I
[1:58:47] hate to say this, but we're going to
[1:58:48] have to put a moratorium on all new
[1:58:50] wells unless required for public safety.
[1:58:53] Every time we punch a well, we punch
[1:58:55] into that aquifer. I understand that
[1:58:58] that's has some issues. And then um all
[1:59:02] of this requires time, planning,
[1:59:04] participation, and partnership. But we
[1:59:06] must start now. We're in a long year.
[1:59:10] Thank you for your time.
[1:59:15] Mr. Bill Lions.
[1:59:21] » Yeah, thank you again. I'm just going to
[1:59:22] kind of follow up on the comments. I
[1:59:24] enjoyed your comments. Thought they were
[1:59:27] right on. Um, this is another project
[1:59:31] that I would urge the council to
[1:59:33] support. Yes, I think it's important. I
[1:59:36] think she will do a good job. I think
[1:59:39] there's a lot of criteria there to
[1:59:41] protect citizens of Riverbank uh tenants
[1:59:45] that I have when it comes to the
[1:59:47] $300,000.
[1:59:49] I think it's important that you also
[1:59:50] know though that those wells that are
[1:59:54] having problems are not in Riverbank and
[1:59:57] they're not in the nondist west. They
[2:00:00] are in the nondist east primarily. So
[2:00:04] even though the report may say
[2:00:06] countywide,
[2:00:07] it's really in one area. You have one
[2:00:11] management area out of four. It's got a
[2:00:14] problem. I really urge city council to
[2:00:19] be very cautious and to collaborate. And
[2:00:23] when you hear the word equitable,
[2:00:27] sounds really good. But if you have
[2:00:30] water like merch does, you don't want to
[2:00:34] be equitable that you give half of it to
[2:00:36] somebody else who's caused their own
[2:00:39] problem. So equitable ought to be in my
[2:00:41] position should be what you've done to
[2:00:45] protect your water resource in the
[2:00:48] non-district west. I see this bond
[2:00:51] between the non-district farmers, Del
[2:00:54] Rio, and yourself. And I think it's
[2:00:57] really critical that you form this ad
[2:01:00] hoc because I am not
[2:01:04] satisfied with what I've seen and many
[2:01:08] others have seen the county level
[2:01:10] because they use the word equitable.
[2:01:13] What they're doing is they're pitting
[2:01:16] areas, management areas that have done a
[2:01:19] great job with an area that hasn't. And
[2:01:23] think of it as a bank account.
[2:01:26] You put in money, your neighbor puts in
[2:01:28] money, a neighbor puts in neighbor puts
[2:01:31] in money, the fourth neighbor doesn't
[2:01:33] put anything. The fourth neighbor says,
[2:01:36] "Let's divide the bank account by four."
[2:01:39] That's as simple as it gets. You've done
[2:01:42] a great job on your water resources.
[2:01:45] Your staff has done a great job. OID has
[2:01:47] done a great job. MID's done a great
[2:01:50] job. You've got one area that's a
[2:01:53] problem and they need to address it.
[2:01:56] They need help. I would encourage you to
[2:01:59] be very aggressive on management plans
[2:02:03] in the nondist east. They need to have
[2:02:06] carrots and sticks so they comply. When
[2:02:10] I see MID offers them 60,000 acre feet
[2:02:13] of water to purchase, they have two
[2:02:17] farmers today that have stepped up.
[2:02:20] That's it. Because they're going to ride
[2:02:22] this thing till they're forced to deal
[2:02:26] with it. Thank you.
[2:02:30] Um, mayor, that is all I have for
[2:02:33] comments in the chamber and then there's
[2:02:35] one on Zoom.
[2:02:39] Will the phone number ending in 3108
[2:02:42] please unmute?
[2:02:49] » Phone number 3108. Can you please
[2:02:52] unmute?
[2:02:57] » Hello.
[2:02:59] >> Yes, please go ahead.
[2:03:01] Yeah, I just want to the comments that I
[2:03:03] made for the other item also for this
[2:03:05] item because they seem to have exactly
[2:03:07] the same uh
[2:03:10] funding source for this one as the other
[2:03:13] one which is with the prop 218 and all
[2:03:16] of other sources will come out of our
[2:03:18] pocket. It appears that they have this
[2:03:20] set up so each item has its own funding
[2:03:22] source which means we're going to hit
[2:03:24] twice once for one, once for the other.
[2:03:28] So you need to know what's going on with
[2:03:29] it. you need to know the costs, which
[2:03:31] you don't, and all of that stuff that we
[2:03:34] have been told. So, I'm hoping you'll
[2:03:36] add what you added on the other one on
[2:03:38] this one also because that I just seems
[2:03:40] like an awful lot we have two separate
[2:03:43] funding sources for this. Thank you,
[2:03:52] » Mayor. That is all we have for public
[2:03:54] comment.
[2:03:55] >> Great. Um, I will bring it back to
[2:03:57] council for further questions or
[2:03:59] comments. Otherwise, um, if uh if
[2:04:04] everyone if it's at everyone's pleasure,
[2:04:05] I would like to add the rest of the memo
[2:04:07] to um the motion.
[2:04:10] >> Any other questions or comments?
[2:04:13] >> Want to verbalize the memo?
[2:04:16] >> Um, so, uh, let me try and put in some
[2:04:20] sort of order. So part of our resolution
[2:04:23] states um serve by GSA will contract
[2:04:25] with she for coordination
[2:04:28] etc. So the city requests a schedule of
[2:04:31] the types of outreach and dates of
[2:04:33] outreach to property owners. There was a
[2:04:36] concern that there's a short timeline
[2:04:38] for uh folks who would be able to
[2:04:40] qualify for the well mitigation program
[2:04:43] um here. So, I think it'd be great to
[2:04:46] get that timeline. Um, and also request
[2:04:49] action plans to address the overdraft
[2:04:51] needed to uh to address the overdraft.
[2:04:55] So, needing it to be strong enough to
[2:04:56] ensure compliance with the pumping
[2:04:57] reductions under the well mitigation
[2:05:00] program.
[2:05:02] Um, further requests inclusion of the
[2:05:05] establishment of the non-district was
[2:05:07] well mitigation program committee and
[2:05:08] technical review committee to oversee
[2:05:10] the claims process. Um I I think as
[2:05:13] mentioned already, I think it's
[2:05:14] important that we are involved in every
[2:05:16] conversation and I want to thank Cody um
[2:05:19] and the team for being present and
[2:05:20] representing us. Um and finally uh as
[2:05:24] details develop for the well mitigation
[2:05:26] program
[2:05:28] to ensure tactics and strategies to
[2:05:30] consider are are built to consider the
[2:05:33] impact to it members including us and uh
[2:05:37] as annual funding is going to be
[2:05:38] assessed providing a schedule of
[2:05:41] meetings. So member agencies including
[2:05:43] us can calendar uh and have those good
[2:05:45] faith meetings to address address and
[2:05:48] discuss appropriate funding mechanisms
[2:05:51] um and approving the resolution.
[2:05:56] » Same ad hoc committee. Right.
[2:05:58] >> Right.
[2:05:58] >> Okay. Just making sure
[2:06:02] >> that was a motion.
[2:06:03] >> Okay. I'll second it.
[2:06:04] >> Roll call, please.
[2:06:07] >> Council member.
[2:06:08] >> Yes.
[2:06:08] >> Council member FSY.
[2:06:10] >> Yes. Council member Call,
[2:06:12] >> yes.
[2:06:12] >> Vice Mayor Pimento,
[2:06:14] >> yes.
[2:06:14] >> Mayor Hernandez,
[2:06:15] >> yes.
[2:06:15] >> Motion passes 5-0.
[2:06:18] >> Thanks, Cody.
[2:06:19] >> Okay. 11.4. We have a resolution
[2:06:22] approving a consultant services
[2:06:23] agreement with JPW Communications, Inc.
[2:06:26] for the preparation of a community
[2:06:28] engagement strategy and communications
[2:06:30] plan.
[2:06:31] >> Mayor and Council, good evening. I'm
[2:06:33] really excited to be able to present
[2:06:35] this item to council today. It's an item
[2:06:38] that has been on our strategic plan um
[2:06:41] and is going to provide us with the
[2:06:44] opportunity to develop a community
[2:06:46] engagement strategy and communications
[2:06:48] plan to guide how we communicate best
[2:06:51] with our residents and our stakeholders
[2:06:53] as well as how we communicate
[2:06:54] internally.
[2:06:56] Uh so just a little bit of history as I
[2:06:58] mentioned um it was part of our May 2025
[2:07:03] um five-year goal to improve public
[2:07:06] communications. There was a specific
[2:07:08] objective that was established to
[2:07:10] develop a formal communication plan that
[2:07:13] will include social media policies,
[2:07:15] translation services, and public access
[2:07:17] to information. And so the community
[2:07:20] engagement strategy and communications
[2:07:23] plan um was determined to be the best
[2:07:25] option to be able to address all of
[2:07:28] these different objectives.
[2:07:31] And so what is the plan? The plan is
[2:07:33] envisioned as a comprehensive document
[2:07:35] to guide communications and engagement
[2:07:37] for the city. It'll focus on the
[2:07:39] successful, consistent, effective, and
[2:07:42] collaborative approach to engage city
[2:07:45] council, city employees, our residents,
[2:07:47] our visitors, and our stakeholders.
[2:07:52] The goals of the plan are to define the
[2:07:54] messaging priorities, strategies, and
[2:07:56] tools that the city will deploy to
[2:07:59] improve community and stakeholder
[2:08:02] engagement that with a set of tools and
[2:08:04] priorities to offer access to
[2:08:06] information and amplify meaningful
[2:08:09] participation in and a broad
[2:08:11] understanding of city services,
[2:08:13] initiatives, and resources. and to be
[2:08:16] able to create guidance and establish
[2:08:18] best practices for the city council and
[2:08:21] city staff on external communication
[2:08:23] with the community.
[2:08:26] So, a little bit of the RFP process. We
[2:08:28] did issue a request for proposals u back
[2:08:31] in October. Uh we did offer an
[2:08:34] opportunity for proposers to ask us
[2:08:36] questions and then had a submittal
[2:08:39] deadline um of December 11th, 2025. Uh
[2:08:42] we did receive four proposals and we did
[2:08:46] have a um ad hoc committee um of city
[2:08:49] staff, city council and our consultant
[2:08:52] um Jane media services um that reviewed
[2:08:56] the four proposals. Um we selected the
[2:08:59] top two to bring back for interviews and
[2:09:03] then today we are excited to be able to
[2:09:06] award the contract.
[2:09:08] Um, as I mentioned earlier, four
[2:09:10] proposals were received and the
[2:09:12] proposals were evaluated based on the
[2:09:14] submission of the proposal, the
[2:09:16] qualifications, the project um, and
[2:09:19] implementation plan and of course
[2:09:22] pricing.
[2:09:23] And so our recommendation is to award a
[2:09:26] contract to JPW Communications uh based
[2:09:29] on their extensive experience working
[2:09:31] with local government, the methods that
[2:09:33] they'll be using for collecting data
[2:09:35] from council staff and stakeholders
[2:09:37] which include residents, their approach
[2:09:40] to the plan development, um the timeline
[2:09:42] that they've established for this
[2:09:44] project which is approximately 18 weeks
[2:09:47] and their pricing was extremely
[2:09:48] competitive.
[2:09:51] Uh this is a bit of a breakdown with
[2:09:54] regards to the tasks and the cost
[2:09:56] proposal. Uh so task one which is to
[2:09:59] gather input at an estimated cost of
[2:10:01] 41765.
[2:10:03] Mind you some of these um do include
[2:10:05] travel costs so they'll be able to meet
[2:10:07] with staff with council and with
[2:10:10] stakeholders in person. Um the plan
[2:10:12] development 41195.
[2:10:17] Uh task three the training um 24680 and
[2:10:21] then part of the deliverables which of
[2:10:23] course are the uh plan itself um 8180
[2:10:27] with a total estimate of 115,820.
[2:10:31] I'm not going through the specific
[2:10:33] details of each tasks as I am going to
[2:10:36] invite Jenny Wendell from um JPW to
[2:10:40] communications to be able to to go
[2:10:43] through each of those and to introduce
[2:10:45] her firm um to council and to our
[2:10:47] residents. Um I did skip over really
[2:10:50] quickly two optional services that um we
[2:10:53] will discuss um whether it makes sense
[2:10:56] to to implement here at the city. Um so
[2:10:58] within the resolution um I've allowed
[2:11:01] for discretion for myself and the
[2:11:04] committee that reviewed that to have uh
[2:11:06] further discussions um with JPW as to
[2:11:09] whether we would implement um these
[2:11:11] additional services or not. They do fall
[2:11:14] under my threshold of approving
[2:11:16] additional funds for projects. Um so I
[2:11:19] would be able to do that um without
[2:11:21] having that conversation today.
[2:11:24] And so with that, I will go ahead and
[2:11:28] transition that over to Jenny with JPW
[2:11:31] Communications. You so much. Good
[2:11:35] evening, Mayor Hernandez, city council
[2:11:37] residents here this evening. Uh my name
[2:11:39] is Jenny Wendell. I'm the founder of JPW
[2:11:41] Communications, and it's a pleasure to
[2:11:43] be here with you tonight to go over a
[2:11:45] little bit about our company, get you
[2:11:47] familiar with who we are and the work
[2:11:49] that we've done. Um, our agenda for my
[2:11:52] presentation really just includes a bit
[2:11:55] about our company, our approach to this
[2:11:57] work. Uh, and then we'll walk through
[2:11:59] those four task areas to give you a
[2:12:01] little bit more detail about what that
[2:12:03] all entails.
[2:12:09] So, I wanted to start out with this
[2:12:10] quote, a favorite of mine, that plans
[2:12:12] are nothing and planning is everything.
[2:12:15] And we do this process quite a bit for
[2:12:19] cities, counties, special districts
[2:12:21] throughout the state. And we always sort
[2:12:23] of get a bonus plan from the planning
[2:12:26] process. And what I mean about this is
[2:12:29] we're obviously working towards
[2:12:30] developing a communications and
[2:12:32] community engagement strategy for you.
[2:12:34] But the process is really robust. It's
[2:12:36] really steeped in a lot of research that
[2:12:38] we do with stakeholders,
[2:12:41] residents, staff, council, and in that
[2:12:45] process, we also learn a lot about
[2:12:47] things that may not even be on your
[2:12:49] radar at the moment. So, um, we really
[2:12:51] enjoy the process. We lean into the
[2:12:53] process. It is a process. Make no
[2:12:56] mistake about it, it does take a little
[2:12:58] bit of time, but we really find at the
[2:12:59] end of it, we have a super robust
[2:13:02] program that you all can take and
[2:13:04] implement for years to come. and we
[2:13:06] learn quite a bit along the way and we
[2:13:09] share all of those findings with you.
[2:13:15] So, as city manager Garcia mentioned, we
[2:13:18] are um a team that's created from
[2:13:21] government for government. We have a
[2:13:23] considerable amount of background in
[2:13:24] this work. I started JPW Communications
[2:13:27] 10 years ago after working as a public
[2:13:29] communicator for 18 years uh for three
[2:13:32] different cities in California and then
[2:13:34] I finished my public service career with
[2:13:36] the Port of San Diego. And in all
[2:13:39] honesty during that time I hired a lot
[2:13:41] of consultants that would develop plans
[2:13:43] for me and I'd just stick it on a shelf
[2:13:45] and it was really kind of a waste of
[2:13:46] time and money and I really felt like
[2:13:49] government deserved better. They needed
[2:13:51] actionable plans, not just theory and
[2:13:55] concepts that um collect dust. So about
[2:13:58] 10 years ago, actually, I drove by the
[2:14:00] hotel in Sacramento. I'm on I'm a
[2:14:02] drive-in today where I hatched the plan.
[2:14:05] I thought, I really think I can do this.
[2:14:07] It was a at a statewide conference um
[2:14:10] there. And so 10 years ago, I did it. I
[2:14:13] struck out on my own. I left my my
[2:14:17] I left my calers behind.
[2:14:19] >> [laughter]
[2:14:20] >> and started um started JPW and have
[2:14:22] we've had a lot of fun over the last 10
[2:14:24] years working for several different
[2:14:26] agencies um as I mentioned throughout
[2:14:28] the state. We are government centric. We
[2:14:30] are California specific. So we don't
[2:14:32] work outside
[2:14:34] uh of of the state very often and it's
[2:14:37] because a we love where where we live
[2:14:40] and b California is very nuanced. It's
[2:14:43] like a country, right? there's so many
[2:14:44] laws and um nuances to the place we live
[2:14:49] and the place you govern. So, we really
[2:14:50] want to be attuned with that and dialed
[2:14:52] in um to all those specifics.
[2:14:58] Uh since those humble beginnings 10
[2:15:00] years ago, we've worked with um over a
[2:15:02] hundred different government agencies,
[2:15:04] as I mentioned, throughout California.
[2:15:06] Uh we've worked with cities of all
[2:15:08] shapes and sizes from very small cities
[2:15:11] like yourself uh to very large cities
[2:15:14] like the city of San Diego uh the city
[2:15:16] of Chula Vista um and some other large
[2:15:19] cities. Uh we specialize in strategic
[2:15:24] work. That's really where we do our best
[2:15:26] work. Um and like I mentioned, our goal
[2:15:29] is to give you something that you can
[2:15:31] actually implement.
[2:15:37] And just four quick things that I wanted
[2:15:40] to touch on. Um
[2:15:43] that you know I was really happy that
[2:15:45] you selected us because when we got off
[2:15:47] the line with you all we felt like it
[2:15:48] was a great match as well. Um we shared
[2:15:50] these on the call but just for the good
[2:15:52] of the order tonight uh as I mentioned
[2:15:55] we have that statewide experience. Uh we
[2:15:58] also really lean into data
[2:16:01] uh in the process which you'll hear
[2:16:02] about in just a moment. We have a
[2:16:05] fullervice
[2:16:07] design team inhouse so we can also
[2:16:09] augment uh those services if you ever
[2:16:11] need things outside of the strategy
[2:16:13] realm and we have a tremendous amount of
[2:16:16] outreach experience. Uh in fact we have
[2:16:19] on our team one of only three public
[2:16:21] participation professionals in the state
[2:16:23] of California. Uh she's certified by the
[2:16:26] International Association of Public
[2:16:27] Participation. Uh and that whole world
[2:16:31] is about engaging residents in
[2:16:32] meaningful ways, meeting residents where
[2:16:34] they're at, harder to reach residents,
[2:16:37] making sure everybody's voices are heard
[2:16:39] in a public engagement process. So,
[2:16:41] we're really proud of that expertise.
[2:16:43] Obviously, we understand what's at stake
[2:16:45] for you. This is really important. I
[2:16:47] think a good communications program is
[2:16:49] one of the best things you can do to
[2:16:51] build trust within your community. So, I
[2:16:52] applaud you for making this investment.
[2:16:55] And then last but not least, this is
[2:16:58] something we can't seem to shake at JPW,
[2:17:00] but I think it's for uh your benefit. We
[2:17:02] really like to co-own the outcome with
[2:17:04] you. So, your success is our success. We
[2:17:07] want to make sure that we finish strong,
[2:17:10] that you're getting what you need, and
[2:17:11] that it is truly making the impact that
[2:17:14] you're seeking.
[2:17:16] Okay. So, how are we going to do all
[2:17:18] this?
[2:17:19] So that task one is where we are going
[2:17:22] to do all of our factf finding as that
[2:17:25] little graphic there on the right
[2:17:26] indicates. Our goal during this process
[2:17:29] is really to get to know you and
[2:17:30] understand your current communication
[2:17:33] landscape, your workflows, what success
[2:17:35] looks like to you all, what your
[2:17:37] priorities are. We're going to audit
[2:17:39] your existing communications program. Um
[2:17:42] provide some thought towards that.
[2:17:44] listen to leadership, staff, and the
[2:17:47] community to hear from them as well. And
[2:17:50] really are um I want to underline this
[2:17:53] last part. We really want to ensure that
[2:17:55] there's inclusive multilingual
[2:17:56] engagement in that process so that we're
[2:17:59] not just hearing from uh the regular
[2:18:01] suspects as we like to call them.
[2:18:07] Not that we don't want to hear from
[2:18:08] them. We do. We just want to hear from
[2:18:10] everybody. Once we gather all that
[2:18:13] input, that tees us up for plan
[2:18:16] development. And your scope of work was
[2:18:18] really heavy on framework development,
[2:18:20] plan development, and getting sort of
[2:18:22] all those tools in place to help launch
[2:18:25] a long-term communications program. So
[2:18:29] once we're sort of grounded in that uh
[2:18:31] in the findings from task one, we'll
[2:18:33] move into task two, which is making
[2:18:36] meaning of all that and putting together
[2:18:38] messaging, segmenting your audiences,
[2:18:40] how you should reach those audiences,
[2:18:42] which tools and tactics are most
[2:18:44] appropriate for those audiences. We're
[2:18:47] certainly not going to recommend Tik Tok
[2:18:49] for your senior citizen community. Not
[2:18:51] yet, at least. uh and then defining the
[2:18:54] roles and responsibilities for how you
[2:18:56] make sure all of that moves forward. And
[2:18:59] then last but not least in this section,
[2:19:02] we are going to provide tools for real
[2:19:04] world implementation. So that can be
[2:19:06] everything from a key message platform
[2:19:08] to a media list and so forth. So really
[2:19:11] getting you geared up. And if I'm not
[2:19:13] mistaken, um your strategic plan calls
[2:19:16] for a public information officer at some
[2:19:19] point. I don't know if that's still in
[2:19:20] the works. if it is, they're gonna have
[2:19:22] a landmine when they get here with all
[2:19:24] of these great things to uh put in
[2:19:26] motion.
[2:19:27] >> So, Jenny, you guys are focused on kind
[2:19:29] of creating that blueprint for the
[2:19:30] PIO's. Correct.
[2:19:32] >> That's how the scope is set right now is
[2:19:34] really creating all the blueprint
[2:19:36] materials. Um, we obviously are
[2:19:38] implementers as well, but this
[2:19:39] particular scope of work is calling for
[2:19:41] more of the tea up of the program.
[2:19:46] Task three moves into sort of the
[2:19:48] handoff, I would call it that training
[2:19:50] component. The goal here being bringing
[2:19:53] those plans to life. This will be some
[2:19:55] practical hands-on training, making sure
[2:19:58] everybody knows who's on first, what the
[2:20:00] roles and shared responsibilities are.
[2:20:03] Uh, I believe there's some media
[2:20:04] training in there for media readiness
[2:20:06] and confidence. And again, as you've
[2:20:08] heard me say throughout this, really
[2:20:10] built for real world use, not to sit on
[2:20:13] a shelf.
[2:20:15] And last but not least,
[2:20:20] this last part is more about
[2:20:22] deliverables um and the plan evaluation.
[2:20:25] We want to provide you a system that you
[2:20:27] can measure all of this work eventually.
[2:20:30] Um doesn't do any good if you're putting
[2:20:33] all this communication out and it's not
[2:20:34] having the effect or impact that you
[2:20:36] want. So we have a lot of thoughts um
[2:20:39] and also tools that we can offer to um
[2:20:43] sort of set the stage to measure
[2:20:45] effectiveness as you get into the
[2:20:46] implementation program. So that could
[2:20:49] look like anything from a dashboard that
[2:20:51] measures resident sentiment um to just a
[2:20:54] way to track everything that you're
[2:20:56] doing in one place and how sentiment is
[2:20:59] tracking online and so forth. So we'll
[2:21:01] understand what that should look like
[2:21:03] when we get into the planning process a
[2:21:05] little bit more.
[2:21:08] And then last but not least, this was
[2:21:09] already touched on earlier, but we do
[2:21:11] have uh an estimated timeline of about
[2:21:14] 18 weeks from start to finish. We will
[2:21:16] be back in market uh right out of the
[2:21:19] gate to meet with you all and do some
[2:21:22] SWAT analysis. Uh then we have this
[2:21:24] those surveys, the one-on-one
[2:21:26] conversations and and the communications
[2:21:28] audit plan. I like to say that's sort of
[2:21:30] the getting under the hood position part
[2:21:32] of the program. um we don't like to
[2:21:35] diagnose things until we kind of know
[2:21:36] the lay of the land. So that's what
[2:21:38] we're planning on doing right away
[2:21:41] once we are ready to get started.
[2:21:45] And that concludes my presentation, but
[2:21:46] I'd love to entertain any questions that
[2:21:48] you all have.
[2:21:49] >> Thank you so much. Um council, are there
[2:21:51] any questions or comments at this time?
[2:21:54] I just want to make a few comments from
[2:21:56] the interview process when we have our
[2:21:58] phone conversation and some of the
[2:22:00] reasons that I really leaned into you
[2:22:02] all that are relevant to Riverbank and
[2:22:05] could be useful for council when making
[2:22:06] the decision. Um they worked with the
[2:22:09] city of Belmont who was experiencing
[2:22:11] growth. They had a similar population to
[2:22:13] us and um San Marcos was one of the
[2:22:17] fastest had the fastest growing CSU. So,
[2:22:20] they're adapting to growing populations,
[2:22:23] which Riverbank is tremendously growing.
[2:22:26] Um, and the variety of demographics
[2:22:28] within San Marcos, which Riverbank does
[2:22:30] have a variety of demographics. So, to
[2:22:32] me, that was a really good fit. And then
[2:22:34] the biggest, um, takeaway for me when we
[2:22:37] left our phone conversations was meeting
[2:22:40] residents where they're at. We don't
[2:22:42] have a big chamber, so we can't get
[2:22:45] 26,000 people in here whether we want to
[2:22:47] or not, but meeting people where they
[2:22:49] are, finding group homes where they're
[2:22:52] at or going to school. So, just really
[2:22:54] meeting people and targeting audiences
[2:22:57] that may not be willing to speak. So, I
[2:22:59] really appreciated that about them.
[2:23:03] >> And to add to that, um, because it was
[2:23:05] all of that, including, um, you being
[2:23:07] hands-on, we really appreciated that and
[2:23:09] your expertise. um and the the data the
[2:23:13] to back it up and the long-term
[2:23:15] sustainability measurements as well um
[2:23:18] stood out from others as uh we were
[2:23:21] reviewing all of the proposals
[2:23:23] um and and just to a little bit of of
[2:23:26] your comment council member because we
[2:23:28] have had discussions around the PO but
[2:23:30] also I think this so important uh for
[2:23:32] our staff who has served in a
[2:23:35] communications capacity our city clerk
[2:23:37] in the past and um some of our admin
[2:23:39] staff at the time or right Now, um Jane
[2:23:41] Media Services have jumped right in and
[2:23:43] increased our communications and us as a
[2:23:46] council to be on the same page right now
[2:23:48] and in the future uh with this plan. And
[2:23:50] so, um really looking forward to to
[2:23:54] this. Um I will bounce it over to public
[2:23:58] comment. Is there any public comment at
[2:23:59] this time?
[2:24:02] >> Mayor, we did not receive any comment
[2:24:04] cards or anything on Zoom for this item.
[2:24:10] I'll bring it back to council for any
[2:24:11] more comments or questions.
[2:24:16] And if uh I can get ahead of myself
[2:24:19] here, I will make a motion to approve
[2:24:21] this uh resolution improving the
[2:24:23] consultant services agreement.
[2:24:25] >> Second. Roll call, please.
[2:24:28] >> Council member,
[2:24:29] >> yes.
[2:24:29] >> Council member FSY,
[2:24:31] >> yes.
[2:24:31] >> Council member Call,
[2:24:32] >> yes.
[2:24:33] >> Vice Mayor Pimento,
[2:24:34] >> yes.
[2:24:35] >> Mayor Hernandez,
[2:24:36] >> yes.
[2:24:36] >> Motion passes 5-0.
[2:24:38] >> Thank you so much, Jenny. Thank you so
[2:24:39] much. We look forward to working with
[2:24:41] all of you.
[2:24:42] >> Thank you. All right, we are at our
[2:24:46] staff reports.
[2:24:50] So, just a couple of comments from staff
[2:24:52] um from our planning department. After
[2:24:54] submitting the third round of updates to
[2:24:57] our housing element um to HCD, we have
[2:25:01] received approval to move forward with
[2:25:03] consideration of adoption of the final
[2:25:06] document. So, we are tenatively
[2:25:08] scheduling that for approval at the
[2:25:10] planning commission at their March
[2:25:12] meeting and then at our first April
[2:25:15] meeting for city council.
[2:25:18] Uh, from our parks and recreation
[2:25:20] department, the third annual My Little
[2:25:22] One and Me Dance, as Michael shared
[2:25:25] earlier, will take place on Saturday,
[2:25:27] February 7th from 5 to 7 at the
[2:25:30] community center. They'll be offering a
[2:25:32] fun family focused evening for adults
[2:25:35] and their little ones to enjoy quality
[2:25:37] time together. The event will include
[2:25:39] dinner, dancing, games, and interactive
[2:25:42] activities that will create a memorable
[2:25:44] experience for all attendees. The
[2:25:47] tickets are $45 for one adult and one
[2:25:50] child. And then additional tickets can
[2:25:52] be purchased for $15 per person. They
[2:25:55] can be purchased online or here in
[2:25:58] person at our parks and recreation
[2:26:00] office.
[2:26:01] uh from our finance department. Um a
[2:26:04] reminder to our businesses that business
[2:26:06] license renewals are due and will be
[2:26:08] considered late as of January 31st,
[2:26:11] 2026. Late fees will be added and
[2:26:14] delinquent notices will be mailed out.
[2:26:17] And then a final um comment from our
[2:26:21] public works department. Uh, next week
[2:26:23] our street sweeper is going to be going
[2:26:26] in um for some upgrades and so we will
[2:26:29] not be having street sweeping services
[2:26:31] for the entire week. So that would be
[2:26:34] from February 2nd through the 6th and
[2:26:37] that is all from staff.
[2:26:39] >> You vice mayor.
[2:26:43] >> Thank you mayor. On the 13th I had a
[2:26:46] meeting with Mr. Steve Grand uh from
[2:26:48] Grand Asia for sister city. We are
[2:26:50] planning the Chinese Lunar New Year
[2:26:52] event. So stay tuned for that. It's in
[2:26:54] the beginning stages. Also on the 16th,
[2:26:58] uh we had the Chamber of Commerce Awards
[2:27:00] dinner. I want to give a shout out to
[2:27:02] Olivia and Monica for all their hard
[2:27:04] work and to all those that took the time
[2:27:07] to make it a great night. Even though
[2:27:08] there was a movie being shot here in
[2:27:10] Riverbank, there was a great turnout.
[2:27:13] And also seniors, if you need help with
[2:27:16] your uh utility bills, reach out to me.
[2:27:19] St. Francis of Rome has access and I can
[2:27:22] help you with that. Also, if you need
[2:27:24] help with groceries, there is a CVOC
[2:27:26] program that you can reach out to me
[2:27:29] about. I'll be having a meet and greet
[2:27:31] in February. Stay tuned. I'll give you
[2:27:33] the time and date. Thank you.
[2:27:36] >> You council Moody Ben.
[2:27:38] >> Thank you, mayor. Uh so, uh we've been
[2:27:41] discussing strategic plan ad hoc ad hoc
[2:27:43] committees is something I should have
[2:27:44] probably mentioned at the last one when
[2:27:45] we were um kind of assigning uh
[2:27:47] committees and subcommittees. I'd love
[2:27:49] to get a just an update from staff uh on
[2:27:51] our strategic plan. We wanted to do a ad
[2:27:53] hoc committee for tourism uh kind of
[2:27:55] create that guided city tour where the
[2:27:57] benefits would go to historical society.
[2:27:59] So um if I can get an update on that. Uh
[2:28:02] the chamber asked since I am an
[2:28:04] ambassador if I would mention some of
[2:28:06] the events for February. So uh February
[2:28:10] 4th uh and it is open uh meetings are
[2:28:12] open to the public so feel free to to
[2:28:15] stop by. Um they do meet uh on clause at
[2:28:17] the RIC. Febru February 4th uh their
[2:28:20] first ambassador ambassador meeting of
[2:28:22] the year. Uh and they are recruiting
[2:28:24] other ambassadors. So feel free to stop
[2:28:26] by. Uh February 5th will be a
[2:28:29] multi-chamber uh held in Patterson.
[2:28:32] February 7th, they'll be doing a food
[2:28:34] truck ribbon cutting uh just down the
[2:28:36] street behind us here. Uh and February
[2:28:39] 13th, the boot barn ribbon cutting um
[2:28:42] will be at 12:00 that day. And then
[2:28:45] February 25th, a lunch and learn from 12
[2:28:47] to 1 um at the Timeless Real Estate. Um
[2:28:51] and then a save the date for the Easter
[2:28:52] egg hunt for March 28th. That's all I
[2:28:54] got.
[2:28:56] >> Thank you, Council Member FY.
[2:28:59] >> On February
[2:29:01] 6, the Riverbank Historical Society will
[2:29:05] have their um annual installation dinner
[2:29:07] meeting. It'll be at Perkos at 6:00.
[2:29:11] We'd love to have anybody who would like
[2:29:13] to see what we're doing or become
[2:29:15] members um attend as well as all the
[2:29:17] council members and the mayor and staff.
[2:29:21] On February 17th, the women's group will
[2:29:24] be meeting at six o'clock at the Morris
[2:29:26] Nursery. So, if you have gardening
[2:29:28] questions and you want to come and see
[2:29:30] who's at the women's group, please uh
[2:29:32] show up at six o'clock. Thank you.
[2:29:35] >> You council call. On the 17th of
[2:29:39] January, our Riverbank branch for the
[2:29:41] Santa County Library reopened. I was
[2:29:44] able to be at the ribbon cutting and if
[2:29:46] you haven't been by, I highly encourage
[2:29:48] you to go. It is absolutely beautiful in
[2:29:50] there and all of the books look
[2:29:52] absolutely perfect. I couldn't stop
[2:29:54] taking pictures of them because none of
[2:29:56] them have tears or dents or anything. I
[2:29:57] loved it. They also have uh they're
[2:30:00] bringing back their book clubs and
[2:30:01] they're doing story time and there is a
[2:30:03] bilingual story time. And then last week
[2:30:06] the mayor and I were at Cal Cities. The
[2:30:09] one session that really resonated with
[2:30:11] me was land use planning and smart land
[2:30:14] use planning. And that kind of leads me
[2:30:16] into the next thing that I've been
[2:30:18] doing. I'm knee deep into meetings with
[2:30:20] constituents and other elected officials
[2:30:23] regarding the Riverwalk project. So, if
[2:30:26] I have not met with you about it or if
[2:30:28] you would like to have a refresher or
[2:30:30] just more conversation, I encourage you
[2:30:32] to email me so that we can set up a time
[2:30:34] to meet. And then lastly, there's a
[2:30:37] tremendous blood shortage in our nation
[2:30:40] and January is National Blood Drive
[2:30:42] Month. I'm personally donating tomorrow.
[2:30:44] So, I encourage everyone if you are able
[2:30:46] to donate blood to sign up to do so.
[2:30:50] you
[2:30:52] um yeah there was uh and especially with
[2:30:56] Jenny here to give you a flavor of what
[2:30:58] happens in our city of action. We had a
[2:31:00] film crew come out uh to uh film a uh
[2:31:04] romantic comedy. I believe it was a
[2:31:07] holiday romantic comedy and um it's been
[2:31:09] so sweet because the the main actress or
[2:31:12] the the yeah the main actress has been
[2:31:15] just uh posting about Riverbank every
[2:31:17] single day and uh we actually had an
[2:31:20] interview with ABC or someone um this
[2:31:24] week uh and that is now up on I have not
[2:31:26] seen it yet so uh have some grace with
[2:31:29] me. It's up on uh online right now. Um
[2:31:33] uh council me ura and I had a meeting
[2:31:35] with staff about at the tiny tots
[2:31:38] program with our uh partners over at
[2:31:40] Skoey and um there they have uh a lot of
[2:31:45] data that they're going to provide to us
[2:31:46] to be able to make some assessments
[2:31:48] moving forward on what um the child care
[2:31:52] situation looks like in our city
[2:31:54] specifically. So they have it broken
[2:31:55] down by zip code and um would love to
[2:31:58] pass that along as soon as we get it. Um
[2:32:02] the the session that stood out to me was
[2:32:04] of course communications. So there was a
[2:32:06] lot of conversations on the uh legality
[2:32:09] and the changing laws around
[2:32:10] communications for cities and so I am
[2:32:13] very excited to get moving on some of
[2:32:15] the strategies there. Um
[2:32:18] Stanco is uh taking up a lot of time per
[2:32:22] usual but there's a lot of positive
[2:32:24] progress in that. So, there's final
[2:32:27] interviews at the end of February for
[2:32:28] the executive director. Um, slowly the policy council, policy board members
[2:32:35] are getting back into advocacy as a
[2:32:37] whole. And so, I sit on as a
[2:32:39] representative for the California
[2:32:41] Council of Governments. Um, and there's
[2:32:43] going to be some meetings happening
[2:32:45] around there. Um and uh as also chair of
[2:32:49] the VVS uh the Valley Vision steering
[2:32:52] committee which is going to have some uh
[2:32:54] more meetings and movement. So there's a
[2:32:56] meeting coming up in March. Um let me
[2:32:59] see. Youth council had their Applebee's
[2:33:02] fundraiser and um I probably lean on you
[2:33:04] for how much they raised. Do you did we
[2:33:06] get a final number?
[2:33:07] >> Um it was final after they paid
[2:33:09] Applebee's. Um I got 1300.
[2:33:12] >> So they raised about $1,300 which is
[2:33:15] exciting. which was their goal over
[2:33:16] their goal.
[2:33:17] >> Okay. Yes. Yeah. And so that is going to
[2:33:20] go towards their social night uh at the
[2:33:22] end of this year around uh early May. Um
[2:33:27] let me see. I I do appreciate the budget
[2:33:30] uh presentation from RPS to be able to
[2:33:34] uh start like planting some seeds and
[2:33:35] getting some data before we have the
[2:33:37] full budget considerations. And so it
[2:33:40] would be great if we could get some uh
[2:33:42] presentation similar from other staff
[2:33:45] member departments um to be able to uh
[2:33:48] process that as it leads up to the
[2:33:50] budget discussions.
[2:33:52] Um and finally I am headed off to DC. I
[2:33:57] have a flight at 5:00 a.m. um tomorrow
[2:34:00] and so it is going to be for the US
[2:34:02] conference for mayors. Um I think the
[2:34:04] all the snow has passed, the storm has
[2:34:06] passed, so um it should be a smooth
[2:34:09] flight there. But I'm I'm looking
[2:34:10] forward to it to connect with um mayors
[2:34:13] from across the country. I mentioned
[2:34:14] before I was able to get into some
[2:34:17] groups, group conversation, the group
[2:34:18] chats. um the last time I went and it
[2:34:21] served uh really well to be able to
[2:34:24] bring some ideas and some uh just best
[2:34:27] practices here to the city is they're
[2:34:30] made up of mostly east um east coast
[2:34:33] mayors and so I'm looking forward to
[2:34:35] that and I'll discuss it more is when I
[2:34:37] return. Um and that is it from me I
[2:34:40] believe. So uh we do not have a close
[2:34:43] session. We're going to our next regular
[2:34:46] city council meeting is going to be on
[2:34:47] Tuesday, February 10th. And this meeting
[2:34:49] is adjourned.