Volume 12
Issue 36
www.RioVistaBeacon.com
(925) 550-7811
riovistabeacon@gmail.com
September 15, 2010
RioVista Council Candidates For Nov 2nd Election Day
Mayor’s Corner 9-9-10 What do our Council Members (and Mayor) do? In light of our hotly contested upcoming City Council election, I thought it would be helpful to our citizens to talk about just what a Council Member does to help run the city. The City Council is the policy-making body of the city; it sets overall policy for the city, as well as certain mandated actions (e.g., approving a budget, and most contracts). The City Manager is the overall administrator responsible for the day-to-day decisions and actions. The City Council hires the City Manager and the City Attorney, and approves the hiring of the City Clerk; the City Manager is responsible for appointing all department heads, and approving staff hires. The primary responsibility of a Council Member is to carefully prepare for the two regular and one special council meeting each month. This requires several hours of careful reading and analysis of a very wide variety of issues, ranging from the major, such as water and sewer rates and the budget, but also projects such as approving a contractor to
do work to improve the city. Between are such issues as contract negotiations, fees, use of property, emergency repairs, economic development, transit, and the airport, to name a few. Questions a Council Member may have on any of these issues are answered by the City Manager with the assistance of the department heads. Each member meets weekly one-on-one with the City Manager. Over time, a Council Member will deal with issues that involve State and Federal laws, policies, procedures, and the complex world of government acronyms. City financing is very different from business financing; we must learn fund accounting at a municipal level, which is complex and it takes time to learn all the limitations, rules and laws that govern municipal budgeting. The Brown Act, which governs much of the way a City Council may conduct business, prohibits more than two members meeting at one time on any issue; we must be careful not to have “serial� meetings, where A talks to B, A talks to C, etc., and a consensus on an issue is reached outside of a pub-
On Tuesday September 7 at 6:30 pm. Candidate�s Night was held at R.V.H.S. When the candidates were all asked the question “What do you think is the most important issue facing Rio Vista?� All Candidates said�that is was the cities finances� Another talked about subject was the sewer and water rate increase. Those running are Don Roos, Fred Kogler, Steve Lamb, Bernie Durman and Connie Boulware. Great Night. More on the Candidates on the weeks to come.
lic meeting. This makes basic communication within the Council difficult, but we must learn to live within these rules. It also makes it very difficult to get on top of things and find solutions quickly, since open meetings are required; it is not possible nor desirable to call numerous special meetings. If regular meetings were not enough, the City is obligated to participate and serve on a number of regional committees and boards. Each Council Member is requested to represent the city on at least one outside board or committee as a member or as an alternate if the regular member cannot attend. The Mayors of
all 7 cities traditionally serve on boards such as the Solano Transportation Authority, the Solano County Water Agency, the City County Coordinating Council and the Mayor’s Committee. Other boards or committees with Rio Vista City Council representation include the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, the Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, the Joint Council/School District (2 X 2) Committee, and the City Investment Committee. Other organizations in which Council Members are active include the Highway 12 Association, Travis Armed Forces Committee, and the Alcohol,
Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) Collaborative. A member may also choose to participate and represent the city in other outside committees where decisions are made that will impact the city. For example, as Mayor, I represent the city on the Lower Yolo Bypass Planning Forum, and the Central Valley Flood Planning Process. I also represent the cities of Solano and Contra Costa County on the Delta Protection Commission and sit on two important subcommittees, the Primary Zone Study and the Delta Economic Sustainability Plan. The results of the work of these committees can significantly impact Rio Vista. When
you are making your decision this November, it is important to remember that the City Council is responsible for wideranging decisions, for very little remuneration, and no reimbursement for expenses incurred by attending meetings all around the county and region. The job is not easy: each new Council Member will have an awesome responsibility, even for a small city, and will have a steep (and never-ending) learning curve. Think carefully to help us get the best possible new City Council members to help move us along in the next four years.
The Carnival is Coming to Town The Rio Vista Chamber of Commerce will once again bring California Carnivals to town for this year’s Bass Festival on Oct. 8th, 9th, and 10th. California Carnivals will pull intoRio Vista on Monday of Bass Festival week to start setting up their big attractions. The Rio Vista Chamber of Commerce has pre-purchased hundreds of books of tickets they are selling for half-price. A book of
tickets is normally $30.00 but from now to Oct. 7th, RV residents and all military families in the area can buy a book of tickets for $15.00. Half-price carnival tickets are available at Lira’s, Delta Pharmacy, and RV Chamber of Commerce. Tickets must be purchased before 4pm on Oct. 7th. A full book of tickets with front and back cover in tact, can be exchanged for a wristband at the carni-
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Tokay Shell
420 W. Kettleman Lane Lodi, CA (Corner of Hutchings Street)
val on Friday or Saturday before 7:30pm and on Sunday until 3pm. The wristband is good for one day only. Kiddie rides will cost 3 tickets, Intermediate rides will be 4 tickets and the Zipper will be 6 tickets. The Zipper and The Hammer are only for older kids and adults. The chamber is also sponsoring DOLLAR NIGHT on Thurs. Oct. 7th, 7starting at 5PM the night before the festival. All rides will be
$1.00 - considerably less than using half-price tickets. California Carnivals prides itself on serving small communities with an opportunity for families to enjoy rides and games. They offer many rides for young children – airplanes, race cars, even a roller coaster that gives a thrilling twist. Traditional games like penny pitch, win a gold fish, pop a balloon, hit a ball. Plan ahead to enjoy the carnival