A SIGNITURE EVENT

In October, I made a quick trip to St. George, Utah to visit my parents who are in their 90's. Part of the reason for the timing of this trip was to check out the 24^th annual Huntsman World Senior Games. I had read about this event, and was curious to see if this would be something that we could explore doing in Visalia.

These Senior Games lasted for two weeks, and immediately followed the St. George marathon. The main criteria for qualifying for the Senior Games is that you must be at least 50 years old. You compete against people in your own age range, beginning with the age group 50-54, and every five years thereafter. The top age group was 95-99. I competed in the youngest age group, brought home a medal in the triple jump, and had a great time.

Over ten thousand people signed up for these games, coming from every state in the union and from many foreign countries. Barbados even sent a senior track team fully decked out in athletic garb and who apparently compete regularly on the senior circuit. There were 26 events, both individual and team competitions, including archery, basketball, cycling, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, swimming, and volleyball, along with some less common ones such as badminton, bridge, horseshoes, lawn bowling, square dancing and pickle ball. You might be wondering what pickle ball is. It is similar to tennis, but is played with something that looks like a wiffle ball, and a hard paddle similar to table tennis, but larger. This red-hot senior sport uses a court about 1/4 the size of a tennis court. Today, the sport boasts an estimated 100,000 adult players, more than triple the number in 2003.

The seniors who were attending these games brought not only their spunk, enthusiasm and fun-loving attitude to town, but their tourist dollars as well. As I drove around town, I noted that every hotel parking lot and RV park were filled to capacity, as were area restaurants. These seniors infused $10 million into that community during the two-week time span! I should mention that St. George, along with its adjoining towns, is approximately the size of Visalia. Their athletic facilities are comparable to ours, including their own new sports park with soccer and softball fields.

The entry fee for these games was approximately $100.00 per person. Multiply that by 10,000 entrants, you can do the math. This is in addition to the tourism dollars brought to town. The convention center was decked out with banners, and sales booths hocking all types of wares and goodies geared toward senior citizens. Volleyball teams competed in one of the large rooms at the convention center, and another large room was filled with ping pong tables and players. The city streets were also lined with banners advertising the Senior Games. Overall, it was a festive atmosphere around town. More information about the Huntsman World Senior Games can be found at www.seniorgames.net.

I wonder if this is something that we can promote here in Visalia. We have the physical facilities, beautiful weather (imagine senior games in the springtime), and tourist attractions such as downtown Visalia, national parks, ag tourism etc. We’ve seen the growth and success of the International Ag Show in Tulare. Why not bring such a signature event to Visalia, take advantage of our local resources, promote tourism and jumpstart the local economy? I made a power point presentation to the Visalia City Council on October 18, 2010. Imagine if we got together all the stake holders to begin such an annual event, i.e., the city, chamber of commerce, the hospital and health care professionals, service clubs, parks and recreation, schools, business people and senior citizens/volunteers. Does Visalia have the foresight and the determination to come up with its own signature event, such as senior games?

If you have questions or topics which you would like to have addressed in future articles regarding the city, please email me at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.

Warren Gubler

Visalia City Council Member

CITY SALARY NEGOTIATIONS (Published in Visalia Times Delta)

Now that the city council has completed salary negotiations with our city employees, I want to share my thoughts and insights on this process. The City of Visalia has over 500 employees, whose salaries and benefits consume over 70% of our general funds (sales and property tax revenues).

The city’s fiscal year began July 1, 2010. We began our negotiations with the five bargaining groups (unions), representing our city employees in early March 2010. Plenty of time, right? No, these negotiations stretched into October before they were concluded. The city’s negotiating team, spent many hours with each union’s labor representatives and attorneys. These five employee bargaining groups include Group A (police managers and supervisors), Group B (Visalia police officers), Group E (miscellaneous supervisors and managers), Group G (Visalia firefighters), and Group M (miscellaneous employees).

Being faced with a $2.5 million deficit, the city council was tasked with closing the budget gap. The alternatives included deficit spending (think federal and state government), layoffs (Fresno and Clovis), bankruptcy (Vallejo), raising taxes (SLO), depleting our reserves and hoping the economy gets better soon (Pollyanna thinking) or reducing salaries and benefits. Numerous CA cities have required such reductions this year. Turlock city employees agreed to another 5% pay cut this year, after taking a 5% cut last year.

Our city council, through negotiations, achieved agreement with four of our employee groups. Group B and their negotiators, after months of meetings, declined the city’s last, best and final offer, such that for, the first time in city history, an imposition occurred. The imposition amount was equivalent to what the other four unions agreed to, i.e., approximately 4% pay decrease and reduced retirement benefits for new hires. The city council gave themselves a 4% pay cut also. The total resulting savings to Visalia taxpayers will be approximately $1,000,000.00, with the balance of the 2010 shortfall ($1,500,000.00) being paid from general fund reserves.

I address the following issues raised by some constituents and media:

1. All five unions and department heads were treated equivalently. Group A (police managers and supervisors) did not receive a 4% pay increase in 2009 while the other four employee groups did. Accordingly, we did not require another 4% pay cut from Group A in 2010. Each union is aware of what the other unions are negotiating, and treating them with disparity doesn’t work when a pay decrease is contemplated.

2. Repair and upkeep of the golf course is a separate line item in the budget. Sprinkler repairs are paid from green fees and revenues generated by the golf course. Funds generated by a city enterprise (golf course, water conservation plant, airport, etc.), are used for maintenance and improvements, and to pay for salaries/benefits for that enterprise’s employees. Each enterprise is expected to be self-supporting. Enterprise funds are not used to pay salaries and retirement benefits for city employees in other departments.

3. A pay raise does not equate to being tough on crime, nor does a decrease equate to being unconcerned about public safety. A 30% pay increase for police in SLO a couple of years ago hasn’t made their streets any safer, although it has contributed to that city’s financial disarray. Everyone is concerned about public safety and gang prevention efforts, and we appreciate our police and firefighters for all they do in our community, just as we appreciate the rest of our city staff. Visalia would be a much different place without their wonderful efforts. Pay increases and decreases are usually just a reflection of economic conditions and available revenues. Visalia public safety salaries compare favorably with Fresno, Clovis, as well as other communities in Tulare County.

4. The role of unions is to look out for their members and to obtain what concessions they can for them. The role of the city council is to consider not only our city employees, but our tax payers as well, and to be responsible in managing limited tax revenues, especially in a bad economy.

5. We are well past the July 1 new fiscal year. Eight months of negotiations is enough time to either reach agreement or imposition with the five unions. Everyone at the table understood that these negotiations could not go on forever.

6. City employees should not expect salary increases or benefits that are inconsistent with private industry. Many private citizens locally have lost their jobs or taken substantial pay cuts.

Quoting a letter from one employee, "I appreciate the fiscal responsibility that city leadership is taking in these tough economic times... . At the end of the day, I truly believe we are on the same team with the same goals for the betterment of our community." On behalf of all Visalia, I thank our city employees for what they do to make Visalia the clean, safe, and enjoyable city it is.

TIGHTENING OUR BELT

The city council recently adopted a budget of $191,617,670 for fiscal year 2010/11, and $199,696,500 for 2011/2012. These are the largest budgets to be adopted in the history of Visalia. The main reason for this is that our waste water treatment plant’s tertiary treatment and water recharge project will cost approximately $80,000,000.00, spread out over these two budget years. This upgrade was mandated by federal and state regulations, and will be financed for the most part by sewer and wastewater fees and by grants. As part of this upgrade, recycled water that is released by the treatment plant will be delivered to local farming operations in exchange for upstream water which can be placed in ponding basins and put back in our aquifer. I’ve toured this well-managed plant, it is an amazing, modern facility.

Much of Visalia’s general funds come from local sales and real property taxes. However, since the peak year of 2007, yearly sales tax revenues are down approximately $5,000,000.00, and real property tax revenues have declined as real property values have dropped. For 2010/2011, this will result in an approximately $2,500,000.00 deficit in the general fund. The city council is charged with closing that budget gap, which is not an easy thing to do. This is the third year in a row of budget deficits for the city, and in this economy, it is impossible to predict how many more years we will be faced with declining revenues. We can either increase revenue (i.e., higher taxes), or cut expenses. Accordingly, the city council made the tough decision to cut expenses, including cutting city employees’ salaries (which account for approximately 70% of our general fund expense). Negotiations with the five unions that represent our city employees have been ongoing from March through October. Through a combination of negotiated settlements and impositions, city staff have taken a 4% pay decrease, together with lower retirement benefits for new hires. The latter will help put the city’s pension plan back on a sound financial footing. Due to these concessions from the employee groups, no lay-offs were required. The city council understands that such cuts are tough on personal and family budgets, and we appreciate our good employees for their willingness to reach a compromise solution. This will result in budget savings of approximately $1,000,000.00. The balance of this year’s budget shortfall will be met from our general fund reserves. Unlike our state and federal governments, our city is fortunate to have such reserves available, but we need to make those reserves stretch as far as possible, not knowing how long the current economic conditions will last.

We were all saddened by the news of the recent shooting of Mormon Bishop Clay Sannar. I arrived at the LDS chapel soon after the incident, having been notified promptly by city staff of the occurrence. I found the crime scene to be well secured by our police officers, who were respectful of the feelings of the witnesses and church members. Our law enforcement officials are to be commended for their quick response, and for bringing the situation to a prompt conclusion, which could have easily escalated. Other faith groups in town were also quick to express their concern and to offer assistance. I join with the entire community in offering condolences and best wishes to the Sannar family.

The Visalia Arts Consortium recently unveiled the winning designs for the bronze plaques to be installed on each of the four corners of the new Santa Fe bridge. Eight Tulare county residents submitted artistic renderings, from which the designs of Dana Lubich were selected. Mr. Lubich’s family has a long history in Visalia. His grandfather, Robert L. Morris, owned businesses located along Mineral King Blvd. and started the first Mobil service station at Mineral King and Mooney Blvd. It is anticipated that these four bronze plaques will be cast and installed by November 2010. The artwork showcases the history of the Santa Fe Railroad and State Highway 198, and our agricultural heritage. Be sure to take special note of these plaques once they are installed.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 6, 2010 for a luncheon at the Convention Center sponsored by the Tulare County Symphony League. This is a fundraiser patterned after "Dancing with the Stars" where local "VIP’s" are paired with celebrity professional dancers to raise money for a good cause. The VIP’s dancing this year include Larry Benevento doing a cha-cha, Kathleen Remillard, samba, Supervisor Allen Ishida, rumba, Florence Kabot, salsa, Laurie Tiesiera, cha cha, and yours truly, dancing the quick step. Come join the fun. For reservations, call 627-9002.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.

Warren Gubler

Visalia City Councilmember

MAC ‘N’ CHEESE

Visalia city government provides its citizens with many services, including the senior meal program. This program is run through the Parks & Recreation Department. Lunches are served Monday through Friday at the Senior Center located at 310 N. Locust. These nourishing meals are provided through an outside vendor. Recently, I decided to drop by, sample the food, and visit with some of our seniors.

On the day in question, they were serving macaroni and cheese with ham. I was able to purchase lunch for the very reasonable price of $4.50. It would have been only $3.50 had I qualified for the senior’s discount rate (it won’t be too much longer). Not only was the food warm and tasty, but the company was excellent. I learned about the concerns and issues important to our seniors, and heard old war stories and remembrances about Visalia. Our seniors come from all walks of life. After lunch, I didn’t have time to stay for bingo, although it looked like fun. Our seniors are provided with many activities and social opportunities at the Senior Center. Seniors who would like to attend with their spouse, caregiver or guest, should call 713-4481 for reservations, or 713-4381 for more information. Certainly, we appreciate Visalia’s senior community for their wisdom, humor and the contributions they have made to our community.

Speaking of local treasures, in response to one of my prior articles herein, I received a telephone call from Viola Coppola. Viola wanted to talk a little bit about city politics. She then proceeded to recite for me some interesting local historical facts. She stated that she is 85 years old now. When she was 22, her parents moved their family (nine children) from Boston to Visalia. It was the year 1947, soon after the end of WWII. She indicated that at that time Visalia had a population of about 9,000. Visalia looked like a one-horse town, in comparison to Boston. Her father would be 119 years old if he were alive today. She mentioned that Tony Salierno, whom some of you may know, is her little brother. Most of the family remained in Visalia, raised their own families, and helped populate this town. She let me know that she has seen a lot of changes here, and that she has always loved this community. Working on the City Council, I enjoy interacting with delightful people like Vi. She is truly one of our local "gems."

Changing the topic, we have all been amazed and disgusted by the news coming out of the city of Bell, California in recent weeks. In that blue collar community of 37,000 people, we have read about exorbitant salaries (as much as $800,000.00!) being paid to the City Manager and other city staff, along with $100,000.00 being paid to their part-time city council members. More information keeps trickling in, such as senior city staff receiving up to 20 weeks (five months) paid vacation annually! It is this type of overreaching and misuse of public funds which cause citizens to distrust their government leaders. Visalia officials and staff have attempted to be transparent in this regard. Current salary information for Visalia council members, the city manager, and department heads has been posted on the City’s website at www.ci.visalia.ca.us. We believe that local salaries and benefits are in line and consistent with those of similarly situated cities throughout California.

A final note. In August, I had the opportunity to participate in National Night Out with the Visalia Police Department. I rode along with Captain Rick Haskill of the Visalia P.D. to visit a few of the neighborhood watch organizations in Visalia. There were 38 neighborhood watch groups participating from throughout the community. These groups met that night to enjoy barbeques, pot lucks, and desserts. I was even invited to help judge a barbeque rib cooking contest held by one of the groups, which I was happy to sacrifice my waistline for. I was impressed by the level of organization in these groups, and as a side benefit, how it helped neighbors to get to know each other and have some fun. These neighborhood groups are the eyes and ears of our local law enforcement, reporting suspicious activities and possible criminal conduct. They help make their neighborhoods safer, and help extend our police department’s ability to canvas the city and fight crime. I would encourage anyone who would like to start their own neighborhood watch organization to contact Angie DeAlba at the Visalia P.D. at (559) 713-4370.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.

Warren Gubler

Visalia City Council Member

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

You might be interested in learning that a typical Monday City Council meeting begins at 4:00 p.m. and can last until 10:00 p.m. (or later!).

Recent council meetings have addressed adopting a two-year budget, determining to provide funding for local non-profits, lowering new development fees by 15%, and relaxing signage ordinances for realtors and developers during this recessionary market.

One issue that caught the public’s attention dealt with the future softball fields at the new Riverway Sports Park. The council preliminarily voted to restrict the use of those softball fields to youth teams only.

Thereafter, a particularly well-written and persuasive email was sent to me by Dwight Merkel, who has participated as a player and manager in the Visalia adult softball leagues for over 20 years. He wrote, "Some of my fondest memories are from some of the softball fields all over town. Our teams were always family and church oriented, so our kids and extended families were always present for games. I can say that alcohol and profanity were minimal at best, and if it did occur, the umpire put a stop to it immediately. . . now we need more and better facilities with 100,000 (population) plus. We used to host tournaments but I know that has fallen off lately. . . As a resident of Visalia, I fully support the use of Riverway Sports Park for adult play and I believe you and the council should rethink your position."

As a result of this and other contacts, the council asked to have the matter put back on a subsequent council meeting agenda for further consideration, where two cogent points were raised: 1) the softball fields at Riverway won’t be built for a number of years since currently that location is used for a ponding basin, which can’t be moved until a new ponding basin location is found; and 2) the council wants to receive more public input on this issue before making a final decision.

City staff were instructed to seek out further public comment and come back to the council with recommendations. Mr. Merkel addressed the council, and was asked to serve on a committee to be formed for that purpose. If you are interested in commenting, or serving on that committee, please contact Parks & Recreation Director Vince Elizondo at velizondo@ci.visalia.ca.us.

At a recent council work session, Chief Mestas and the police department proudly had their new "Bearcat" armored rescue vehicle on display. The purchase of this armored vehicle was authorized by the city council to replace one that was old and outdated, was no longer impervious to current armaments and ammunition, and which did not adequately protect our brave officers. This rather impressive new vehicle is essentially bullet proof, has a tank-like turret, and does not need to enter through the front door when pursuing felons. When the criminal element see this "tank" coming, they will know that our SWAT team means business. Contact Lt. Jason Salazar at 713-4104 to arrange a time to view it.

Also, the Historic Visalia Walking Trail was reintroduced to the public at a recent council meeting. A brochure was developed as part of an Eagle scout project of Eddy Gubler (yes, I’m the proud father) five years ago, and the initial 7,000 brochures were immediately snapped up by the public. The city has gotten involved to perpetuate this walking trail project, and Jostens was kind enough to recently print an additional 7,000 brochures for distribution, at no expense to the city. This is just an example of what can be done not only to make people more cognizant of their local history, but to use Visalia’s history as a means to attract more tourism to Visalia. The brochure is available for free at city hall, at the convention center, and at the Chamber of Commerce. A printable version can now be found on the internet at www.visitvisalia.org/historical-walking-tour.

Also, kudos to our gallant Visalia firefighters for their involvement in charitable causes. Their recent "Pass the Boot" program raised $7,000.00 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

If you have questions or topics which you would like to have addressed in future articles regarding the city, please email Warren at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.

Warren Gubler

Visalia City Council Member