On the same day Shasta County supervisors OK’d the hiring of five sheriff’s deputies at a cost of $910,000, the Redding City Council voted unanimously to make a one-time withdrawal from the general fund reserves to add four officers to the police force.
The council authorized spending $100,000 to hire the officers to staff a new Neighborhood Policing Unit. The unit was identified as one of the council’s top priorities at a workshop in February.
City Manager Kurt Starman said the addition of four officers will be on a short-term basis; the positions will be eliminated through attrition on June 30, 2017, if a long-term funding source—such as a sales tax hike—is not identified.
“If we don’t have the resources, we’ll eliminate those spots,” Starman said.
The city also is expected to pursue another Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to fund an additional four positions, but that process will likely extend well into the summer, Starman said.
The council, however, was ready to act now. “We are here to lead and we’re here to support our officers in the short term and in the long term,” Councilman Brent Weaver said.
“To do nothing now is simply not an option,” agreed Councilman Gary Cadd.
Councilwoman Kristen Schreder said the concern over crime has become such a pressing topic that she was willing to deviate from her long-held practice of not supporting the use of one-time funds for recurring expenses. “Public safety is that important,” Schreder said.
Starman said progress continues on a package of public safety-related programs, known collectively as the Blueprint for Public Safety. A request for proposals will be issued soon for a consultant to oversee that process, he added.
The council covered a host of other issues during a busy meeting, including:
Water conservation
With a 5-0 vote, the council adopted an ordinance that replaces a drought management plan with a water shortage contingency plan. The move is in keeping with new statewide conservation measures imposed Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board.
Public Works Director Brian Crane said the measures put in place in 2014 will continue, including a prohibition on landscape sprinklers that create runoff onto sidewalks and other non-irrigated areas; the use of garden hoses without a shut-off nozzle to wash vehicles; washing driveways and sidewalks; and using fountains and other water features that do not have a recirculating system.
New regulations for 2015 include a ban on watering yards up to 48 hours after measurable rainfall; no serving water in restaurants and bars unless it is requested; and giving hotel guests the option of not having towels and linens laundered daily.
Like other water departments in the state, Crane said Redding is now required to limit demand to 90 percent of what the city can deliver without jeopardizing supplies needed for fire suppression and other health and safety measures. That level is known as the Safe Operating Capacity (SOC).
Redding’s new ordinance is designed to curtail usage as supplies dwindle, Crane said. Tuesday’s vote places residents under Stage 2 conditions, which are identical to conservation measures in place last year.
In the new plan, Stage 2 kicks in when demand reaches 80 percent of SOC. Stage 2 calls for outdoor watering a maximum of three days a week and only between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Homes with even addresses can water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; odd numbered addresses have Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
Customers in violation of these measures, after receiving a notice and a warning, will face an administrative fine of $50 per day or per violation.
In Stage 3, which kicks in when demand reaches 85 percent of SOC, the fine jumps up to $200 per day.
Stage 4 conditions, when demand is 90 percent of SOC, feature a whopping $500 a day fine. In addition, the following are banned: all outdoor watering; filling or refilling swimming pools; the use of potable water for construction purposes; and operation of car wash facilities between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Plus no new water meters will be issued.
Crane said he was confident Redding’s water customers would continue to keep demand in check. “We strongly believe with an aggressive voluntary plan we won’t get to Stage 2,” he added. Records indicate Redding spent 17 days under Stage 2 standards in 2013 and zero days in 2014.
Downtown Redding Business Association
The council voted 4-1, with Cadd dissenting, to collect the annual assessment in the Downtown Redding Business Improvement District. However, the proceeds, expected to be $31,500, will be retained by the city treasurer until some legal questions are settled.
In a related move, the council voted 5-0 to postpone consideration of terminating its agreement with the Downtown Redding Business Association to administer the downtown business district.
Questions over DRBA’s effectiveness surfaced at the council’s March 3 meeting, prompting Schreder to propose finding a new group to oversee the district.
On the advice of outgoing City Attorney Rick Duvernay, the council will meet in closed session to work on the DRBA matter. The group of business owners has retained Redding attorney Walt McNeill, who presented the council with a 15-page letter at the outset of the meeting. Mayor Francie Sullivan, saying she was “dismayed” at McNeill’s actions, said the letter appeared to threaten legal action against the city.
City Attorney
The council voted 5-0 to hire Leonard Wingate as the interim city attorney. Wingate, who served as the city attorney from 1995 to 2002, will provide counsel until Duvernay’s replacement is hired. Duvernay is retiring effective April 4. Wingate will work an average of 20 hours a week and will be paid $104.75 an hour.
E-Cigarette ban extended
The council voted 5-0 to include so-called e-cigarettes to the city ordinance prohibiting smoking at city parks and near the Redding Library. The city ordinance now mirrors the Shasta County ordinance banning smoking and “vaping” in public places.
Jon Lewis is a freelance writer living in Redding. He has more than 30 years experience writing for newspapers and magazines. Contact him at jonpaullewis@gmail.com.
