TO: MAYOR AND COUNCIL
FROM: KRISTINA MILLER, CITY MANAGER
DATE: June 24, 2022
CITY MANAGER:
FY 2022/2023 Budget:
I will present the FY 2022/2023 budget providing an option to hire additional personnel as follows:
Full-Time Maintenance Worker/Meter Reader
Police Officer
Police Officer promoted to Sergeant
Contracted Grant Administrator
Garbage and Recycling:
The City Council will consider via a Public Hearing a garbage rate increase of 5.47% at the City Council meeting on June 28, 2022. The increase for residential customers with 96-gallon service will be from $24.27 to $25.60 per month, an increase of $1.33. Should residents have excess capacity, they may choose to downsize their current 96-gallon cart to a 64-gallon cart at $23.57 per month, for a monthly savings of $2.03.
The trial period for implementing Smart Truck was completed on June 20th. Residents may now be charged after three warnings for overages and contamination. Residents who find their recycling cart full may call Waste Management to receive a second recycling cart free of charge
Mobile Vending Ordinance:
Staff are working to develop a proposed Mobile Vending Ordinance.
CITY CLERK:
Dates for City Nominations for Offices in the November 8th Elections:
The regular biennial election of City of Corning Mayor and Council Members (2) will take place on November 8, 2022. Filing dates for these offices will open on July 18, 2022 and close on August 12, 2022. If any incumbent fails to file during the nomination period, there will be a five-day extension through 5:00 p.m. on August 17, 2022 for anyone other than the incumbent officer. As stated, the City Mayor (currently Robert Snow), and two members of the City Council (Dave Demo and Karen Burnett) positions are up for election this year. The Mayor is a 2-year term; and the City Council term is 4-years.
PUBLIC WORKS:
Caltrans Project – Champlin Slough:
SR 99 south of Los Molinos at the Champlin Slough Bridge continues to be fully closed to through traffic. The detour for this project will be South Avenue but increased traffic has been noticed on other routes. Please anticipate an increase of traffic in this area and plan accordingly if you travel in the Los Molinos area.
Solano Street Repair Project:
The Solano Street Repair Project is still on track to start construction on July 5th. As we get closer to the start date additional information will be posted regarding traffic delays and/or anticipated closures.
Northside Park Tennis Courts:
First Serve Productions continued their work at the Northside Park tennis courts this week. To stay on schedule, they are still planning on working on Saturday June 25th. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 30th.
Solano Street Sidewalks:
City Staff, in conjunction with our on-call concrete contractor will be installing new sidewalk along the north side of Solano Street between Dollar General and Marguerite Avenue where sidewalk currently is not located. This project is anticipated to fill the gaps where concrete sidewalk is not located to provide an accessible path of travel along the northern side of Solano Street. The project will start by placing sidewalk in the locations that existing curb and gutter is located and then proceed to the areas where curb, gutter and sidewalk needs to be installed. The project will be phased over the next couple of months.
Water Quality Report 2021:
The 2021 Water Quality Report/Consumer Confidence Report has been completed for the City of Corning water system. A copy of the report can be found here:
https://www.corning.org/documents/water-quality-report-2021/.
PLANNING/RECREATION:
PLANNING:
June 21st Planning Commission Meeting:
At the June 21st Planning Commission Meeting the Commission approved a recommendation to City Council to approve a 2-year extension on the Magnolia Meadows Tentative Map. Staff will present this recommendation to the City Council at the July 12th City Council Meeting.
Mobile Vending Ordinance:
Staff is diligently working with the City Attorney on the Mobile Vending Ordinance and plans to introduce it to the Planning Commission in July. Upon conclusion of Planning Commission review and approval, it will be presented and recommended for final approval and adoption by the City Council.
Solano Street Storefronts:
The Solano Street Storefronts continue to move forward in their improvement. Staff is very pleased with the progress.
RECREATION:
Clark Park Holistic Playground:
Staff has made the decision to enlist the services of the County’s AB109 Program Workers to finish up the painting at Clark Park Holistic Playground; they will begin on Tuesday morning.
Children’s Park (Edith Avenue):
The new playground equipment has been installed at Children’s Park. The wood chips are scheduled to be delivered on Monday morning at 8:30am and workers with the County’s AB109 Program will be spreading those woodchips throughout the playground. Once that is complete the City will re-open the playground to the public.
Summer Class Programs:
Corning’s Summer Recreation Class Programs will begin next week. The City is offering two new classes: Gymnastics for Older Youth and a Cheer Class; the enrollment numbers for both classes so far are good. Additionally, Staff is looking into offering a Ceramics Class. For this class Staff will be seeking authorization from the Senior Center Board to allow the use of the building for the class. Staff will also be approaching the Recreation Grant Administrator to obtain approval to purchase some spinning wheels in support of this class.
Staff has recently purchased a landing mat for our gymnastic classes to ensure safer landings, and a cartwheel mat to help with cartwheels.
STEM (Fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Classes move from Maywood School to City Hall Council Chambers:
As a result of class supplies/equipment disappearing at the current location, the decision was made to relocate the classes to the City’s Council Chambers to ensure Staff’s ability to better control/monitor the supplies/equipment for the various classes. We are currently in the process of moving the various STEM classes from Maywood Middle School to the City’s Council Chambers. The
biggest hurdle in doing this is having to purchase the electronics (I Pad’s) in order to hold the classes in the City Council Chambers; however, Staff is currently working towards obtaining the required equipment.
Recreation News Article in Red Bluff Daily Newspaper:
See attached article on the Corning Recreation Department that is attached to the Friday Notes. Great Job Chrissy! Article can be read here -> Red Bluff Daily News
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Patrol:
In addition to responding to 113 calls for service, a total of 28 officer reports were taken and there were 108 officer-initiated incidents, including 40 traffic stops. Officers made 13 misdemeanor and 2 felony arrests. Officers issued 20 citations, of which; 13 were misdemeanors,5 were parking and 2 were infractions during the period of June 16, 2022, through June 22, 2022.
Training:
Officers continue to participate in POST Portal Training and Lexipol Daily Training Bulletins. Other POST on-line training continues for Patrol and Dispatch personnel.
Chief’s Message:
Due to the temporary closure of Hwy 99E, the City is experiencing a large influx of traffic on South Avenue as well as Solano Street. The Police Department asks that you allow yourself more time in your travels, obey all traffic laws, and be courteous to others on the roadway.
“Don’t just work hard, work smart.”
FIRE DEPARTMENT:
Corning Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) Call Volume:
The Corning Volunteer Fire Department responded to 9 calls for service last week, they consisted of: 8 medicals, and 1 mutual aid fire.
The Glenn County Volunteer Fire Department Call Volumes:
The Glenn County Volunteer Fire Departments were dispatched to a combined total of 19 calls for service last week, they consisted of: 6 medicals, 7 traffic collisions, and 6 fires.
Fire Chief’s Message:
It is heating up, stay hydrated and drink plenty of water.
For love of the game.
That brilliant slogan was printed on the front of every Chico Area Recreation District jersey from the time my son began flag football in second grade until his final eighth grade co-ed volleyball game played in the CARD fieldhouse or inside Marsh Junior High’s gym, filled with its trademark stuffed alligators.
So when I saw the more than 60 photos of Corning’s brand new flag football league published by the city of Corning Recreation Department this weekend, I smiled a bunch.
I smiled because an entire age group of kids have an opportunity most Corning kids a generation ago and beyond never got to experience.
For at least an hour, parents approached the lectern and asked the city to set aside funds to create recreation programs for kids. Some testified about bringing their kids to Orland for flag football or Chico for other recreational opportunities outside of sports.
A handful of parents told the council their kids couldn’t participate in out of town leagues due to work schedules and transportation struggles.
The public discussion concluded with my neighbor and leader of our movement passionately pleading for the council to offer more than just the city swimming pool for Corning’s youth.
As if it were yesterday, I can still remember the Corning mayor’s response. He looked at us with a straight face and reminisced about his days as a kid in Corning. He told us how his mom would make him breakfast or lunch – a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – and send him off to play in the neighborhood or at the city pool.
Those words were hard to accept in 2007-ish and almost as hard to accept now. Many of us were so upset, we made an informal pact not to shop for groceries or gas or cars in Corning because we didn’t count.
Looking back, that was probably a childish response. But in the early 2000s, Corning was transitioning from a rural community where generations of families were proud to call her home, into a small city of first generation residents unfamiliar with the proud traditions and character of its past.
Thankfully, today’s Corning City Council understands the importance of developing its young people. The council has children and grandchildren attending local schools and recognizes the need for kids to find a passion early in life.
The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians also deserves credit. They are administrators of a Promise Neighborhood Grant that made it possible for the city to develop a recreation program for kids ages 1 to 18 years old.
Corning Recreation even offers a leadership program for high school students to earn community service hours. High school students can volunteer in recreation classes and help instructors.
Youth Photography with the talented Ivan Rojas begins on July 7. Summer dance classes, including baby ballet for ages 2 to 5, hip hop tumble, cheerleading, gymnastics and even hip hop dance for ages 7 to 14 are all available this summer. These are great ways to stay out of the heat and learn something new, if you ask me.
On June 27, Tiny Tots readers for ages 1 to 4, begins. There’s also Taekwondo and so much more. Check out www.corning.org to register. I think they’ll take you in their program, even if you don’t live inside the city limits of Corning – wink, wink.
Hats off to you, Corning, for helping kids find a love for the game of life.
Shanna Long is a fourth generation journalist and former editor of the Corning Daily Observer. She and her husband reside in Corning and farm almonds, walnuts and prunes. She can be reached at sjolong@gmail.com, instagram @sjolong.