TRAILS AND TAXES

TRAILS:  In May, I took my family for an early morning bike ride along the St. John’s Riverwalk.  We parked our truck at the trail head located on N. Ben Maddox and commenced our bike ride from there.  Various species of plants were identified by explanatory signs along the trail.  As we pedaled  east along the paved trail, we waved “hello” to a number of walkers and joggers.  The weather was perfect, around 70° at 7:00 a.m.  Off to the left were citrus groves, and to the right some residential areas.  The mighty St. John’s River was dry this time of year.  The trail went under the overpasses on Lover’s Lane and McAuliff, such that we didn’t have to stop for street traffic.  I noted an oak grove that had grown from saplings planted by one of my scouts, Danny Allen, as an Eagle Scout project over 20 years ago.  I also saw a number of benches along the trail that had been installed as Eagle projects by various scouts from Troop 308.  The trail was even furnished with “mutt mitts” kiosks along the way for hikers who bring along their leashed dogs.  The native vegetation along the trail was well maintained and created a pleasant atmosphere.  We passed under the newly installed, lofty SCE power poles and finally arrived at Cutler Park.  After stopping for a water break, we turned around and rode back to the Ben Maddox trail head.  

I ended up continuing my ride to the west of Ben Maddox to explore the rest of the trail.  It ended just before Old Dinuba Highway and the Target Shopping Center.  The city continues to accumulate the necessary land parcels such that this trail will eventually end at the River Way Sports Park.  This east/west trail is outstanding, and my only regret is that I have not taken advantage of this community asset in the past.  There will be other trails connecting to it eventually, including the Santa Fe Trail which heads south to Mooney Grove Park.  Also in the works is a new greenway trail further to the east that will follow along the north/south SCE corridor.  These trails have been financed for the most part from Measure R funds along with other grants the city has obtained.  Kudos to the City of Visalia, the Parks and Recreation Dept. and all who have made these amenities available to the public.  While I’m on the topic, double kudos to the Waterways and Trails Committee for supporting National Bike to Work Week in May, and all those who participated.

TAXES:  I recently came across an interesting news article entitled The Wealthy Won’t Simply Stand By and Pay Higher Tax Rates by Deroy Murdock.  I share with you a few of his observations, along with some of my own.  There is mounting evidence that tax payers go where taxes are low. Golf great Phil Mickelson was in the news recently, when he suggested that higher taxes might drive him from his native California to another state with lower taxes.  He stated “If you add up all the federal (levies) and you look at the disability and the unemployment and the social security and the state, my tax rate is 62, 63%.”  That leaves him with just 37¢ of every dollar that he earns.  I’d suggest that we all try adding up the taxes and fees that we’re paying to various governmental entities, those just mentioned, along with property tax, sales tax, school tax, gasoline tax, tolls, business fees, development fees, and so forth.  Then you will be able to better gauge what’s left to spend of your hard-earned dollars.  

Between 1995 and 2010, $2 trillion in wealth was shifted by people abandoning California, Illinois, New Jersey and other high-tax states and unpacking in low-tax states such as Florida, Nevada and Texas.  One-way traffic from New York to Florida is so steady that Harrington Moving & Storage specializes in moving people south.  According to a 2008 Princeton study, when New Jersey boosted its top tax rate from 6.35% to 8.97%, thousands left the state and state deficits soon erupted. 

When that much money leaves the state, it takes jobs with it.  I suspect that most of us know of people and businesses who have left California because they believed it’s too expensive to live and do business here. It should be painfully obvious by now that “income moves to where it is most welcome, tax wise.”  It’s death from a thousand cuts as each governmental and taxing entity asks for just a little bit more.

Visalians should consider this when balancing possible higher local taxes versus the level of city services desired.

A FINAL NOTE: I enjoyed the dedication and tour of Kaweah Delta Medical Center’s impressive new helipad.  This will be a terrific addition to their downtown campus, and their main parking lot is open again.  I saw our friend Janet Robertson at the dedication, great to have her back!

Warren Gubler

Visalia City Councilmember

wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us

NEWS OF VISALIA

Happy Birthday:  Congratulations to Ed and Betty Vollmer.  Ed, a former mayor of Visalia, turned 90 on tax day, April 15, and he and Betty celebrated their 68^th wedding anniversary the same day.  Betty’s birthday was the following week, April 22.  We thank this young couple for all that they have done for our community.

This Place Matters:  Congratulations also to Don and Beverly Goodyear, for a job well done in restoring  a 1908 residence built by Lemuel and Maud Hyde of Visalia’s pioneering Hyde family.  On April 20, the home at 401 W. Grove Street received a plaque as part of Visalia’s historic recognition program.  The home has been designated as a “This Place Matters ” site by the Visalia Historic Preservation Advisory Committee and the Kaweah Kollectors.  I recommend that you drive by to see this historic marvel.

Oval Park Rescued:  The Visalia Rescue Mission recently completed nearly $15,000.00 in improvements to the Lincoln Oval building, in conjunction with local churches, the North Visalia Advisory Committee, Continuum of Care and Mental Health.  The grand opening was April 4, 2013.  Nick Anthony is the new activities director there.  The building is available for use by any community group.  This ongoing project should revitalize Oval Park and connect churches, organizations and businesses with the Oval area.

Goodbye Harry:  The groundbreaking for Family Health Care Network’s expansion at 401 E. School Avenue was held April 22, 2013.  This new 34,607 square foot expansion, along with Imagine U’s new museum nearby, will be the impetus for further development of east downtown.  Harry Foster, who has headed this organization for many years, retired the same day and is being succeeded  by Kerry Hydash.  We wish Harry many happy years of retirement and thank him for what he has done locally for the health care community.

Garbage Update:  New in this year’s annual survey of Visalians were questions about whether local citizens are satisfied with the current split-can garbage collection service, or if customers would prefer to have separate containers for waste and recycling.  A 3-can system (solid waste, green waste, and recycling) would  provide more room for disposing of our garbage, but would take up more space at home, and require some additional maneuvering to bring the cans curbside.  The survey results showed that 72% want separate cans, 22% are okay with maintaining the split cans, and 4% don’t care one way or the other.  These survey results will help guide city leaders in future considerations.  If you’d like to share your opinion on the topic, feel free to email me or Adam Ennis, Public Works Director, at aennis@ci.visalia.ca.us.

Hungry Visalia:  Data from a recent sales tax survey shows that Visalians are supporting the local business economy with their hard-earned dollars.  This survey ranked Visalia as to 37 retail business establishments.  Visalia’s retail sales topped all of Tulare County as to each of those businesses, and were some of the highest in the state.  In particular, Visalia did very well in the food establishment category.  Some highlights include: Buffalo Wild Wings #4 (out of 16 stores), Hobby Lobby #2 (8), In-and-Out Burger #4 (126), J.C. Penny #15 (82), Panera Bread #14 (49) Red Robin #8 (64), Sizzler #2 (21), and Habit Burger #3 (40).  Visalians continue to support our community by their purchases and the sales tax revenues they generate.

Outstanding Teachers:  Teachers from our local high schools, selected by their students, were recently recognized for excellence in teaching by receiving Crystal Apple Awards.  The 2013 honorees included: Jim Fitzpatrick, Redwood H.S., Stephanie Francis, Mt. Whitney H.S., Dr. David Harrow, Woodlake H.S., Bruce Jeffcoach, Golden West H.S., Raquel Lugo, El Diamante H.S., and Cindy Blackmon, Exeter H.S.  Thank you to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for sponsoring this annual event.

Volunteer Highlights:  April has turned out to be volunteer month in Visalia.  We thank the hundreds of individuals and churches who turned out for Serve Visalia, Earth Day and Arbor Day, including Valley Christian Church, Neighborhood Church, First Presbyterian Church, Radiant Church, Visalia Community Covenant Church, Saviors Community Church, Mormon Helping Hands, Eagle Scout candidate Spencer Darnell, and many others.  Volunteers cleaned Mooney Grove Museum, planted trees and did landscaping, painted, spread bark, did graffiti abatement and trash removal, held a blood drive, built a school garden, and made blankets and hats for childhood cancer patients.

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

                                                                                    Warren Gubler

                                                                                    Visalia City Councilmember

EDITORIAL: JOIN US FOR DISCUSSION

Over the last four years, our city council members have tried various means to spread the word about what’s happening at city hall.  We have conducted town hall meetings, written magazine articles and letters to the editor, held office hours, and been interviewed on the radio and t.v.  We’re always available by telephone, email or personal contact.  Another purpose of this outreach is to get feedback from the community in order to find out what our citizens are thinking and concerned about.

To supplement the foregoing, and to reach out further into the community on an informal basis, I have been holding what I call “Donuts and Discussion” at various donut shops around town on Saturday mornings, to accommodate those early birds who may not be able to take off work otherwise. The idea is to hold these intimate meet-and-greets at different locations around town and to make it as convenient as possible for the public to attend.  I appreciate the graciousness of these various business establishments that allow us to come in and hold these get-togethers there.

At the D & D’s we’ve held so far, we’ve had some interesting discussions and issues come up.  Topics which have been brought up by those attending have included landscaping and subdivision issues, code enforcement, graffiti problems, sales tax, pension reform, homelessness, district elections, Agenda 21, public safety, and zoning issues.  To make these discussions more interesting and informative, I usually invite along with me a city official or department head.  Last month, I was accompanied by our incoming new city manager, Mike Olmos, and in the past I’ve had the fire chief, police chief, and other department heads present.  On occasion, other city staff have dropped by on their own to just say “hi,” and to be available for any questions from the public, which I appreciate.  In some instances, I or city staff have followed up with particular citizens subsequent to a D & D, by telephone calls and emails regarding concerns which they raised, with some affirmative action taken by the city.

I’d like to invite each of you to come to our next Donuts and Discussion, which will be held this Saturday morning, June 1, from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m., at the Donut Factory, Etc., 3100 N. Demaree.  I will be fortunate to have with me at that time our current city manager, Steve Solomon, who is retiring in a few months.  Steve has a long resume of accomplishments, and has been at the helm of the City of Visalia since 1996.  He is a wealth of information and has keen insights about most things happening around town.  Come test him with some of your questions or issues, or just drop by to give him some gentle ribbing about his retirement plans.

Please come join us this Saturday morning and enjoy a delicious donut as well.  I recommend the “Man Donut” or the “Xtreme Glazed Sandwich,” which are some of the specialities at the Donut Factory, Etc.

Hope to see you there.

Warren Gubler wgubler@ci.Visalia.ca.us

Visalia Times-Delta Opinion page, 5/28/13

PARKS AND RECREATION

Reading the title to this article, you might first think of the popular TV show by that name.  In fact, the City of Visalia has its own Parks and Recreation department, lead by department head Vince Elizondo.  Under Mr. Elizondo’s direction is a paid staff that oversees the program.  Additionally, we have a Parks and Recreation Commission consisting of six community volunteers/commissioners.  This commission has been serving the City Council since 1939.  They hold monthly meetings where they review plans for new parks and improvements, establish policies and rules for park users, and advocate for the mission of Parks and Recreation, amongst other tasks.  Their theme is “Parks Make Life better!”   Visalia has a total of 42 parks.

Recently, the City Council held a joint meeting with this commission and received an update on their activities and those of the department.  Let me share with you some of the information that was provided at that meeting.

The parks and urban forestry division has a staff of 13 full-time and 9 part-time employees.  They maintain 268 acres of developed parks, including trimming trees every three to five years.  They maintain the landscape and grounds for 22 acres in the downtown area including City Hall, the transit center, senior center, and the library.  Additionally, they maintain 135 acres of riparian areas along the waterways throughout the city.  Park maintenance also subcontracts out park custodial service on 268 acres and eight restrooms; the mowing of 190 acres of city parks, the aerification of 46 acres of sports fields; and service and repair of three water features.  They have two city park rangers who enforce the park rules so that everyone can safely enjoy the parks.  This division oversees community volunteer projects including Serve Visalia Day, Arbor Day and Make A Difference Day.  They have completed the renovation of 15 city park playgrounds in the past three years.  In 2013, they will commence Phase III of the Riverway Sports Park where a new six acres of park area will receive trees and landscaping, a new restroom facility, and a stage and promenade area.  Recently, playground shade structures have been installed on seven park playgrounds.  16.5 acres of additional parks were added in 2010/11 and 10.5 acres in 2011/12.

The recreation division has seven full-time employees.  They oversee youth sports, adult sports, aquatics and maintain athletic facilities.  In youth sports, they have over 2,000 participants; there are 607 adult sports teams.  In 2012, their aquatic classes had 3,458 participants.  At the senior center, they oversee senior classes and health and wellness classes.  They recently opened a new outdoor renovated patio area at the senior center.  Adult and senior classes include art, dance, computer, ping-pong and pickleball.  Plans are in the works for a proposed pickleball court.  At the senior center, they also have a media lounge, monthly forums, and a nutrition program.  In 2012, at Visalia’s various facilities, including the senior center, Manuel Hernandez Community Center and Whitendale Community Center, they had 4,263 bookings and $95,000.00 in revenue.  They also oversee 25 park rental areas throughout 12 parks, where they average 900 rentals per year.  They sponsor numerous special events, including the father daughter dance, movies in the park, 4th of July celebration and family swim.

At our joint meeting, we also received an update on Class I trails and open spaces that follow the St. Johns River, Mill Creek, Packwood Creek, and the soon-to-be opened Santa Fe Trail from Tulare Avenue all the way south to almost Mooney Grove.  This should be completed by mid-summer 2013.  I look forward later this summer when my children are home from college, to explore these as well as other trails that will soon be connected up throughout the community.  Also in the works is a new


greenway trail that will follow along the north/south Southern California Edison corridor (you’ve probably seen the new transmission towers that SCE has installed on the east side of town).

If you are like I am, we often take all of these services and public amenities for granted.  The next time you use one of the city’s park facilities, or are walking downtown, or are biking some of our trails, remember the people in the Parks and Recreation Department and on our commission that help make this all possible.

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

Warren Gubler
Visalia City Councilmember

SO WHAT'S THE PLAN?

On February 25, 2013, the city council met in special session to consider certain decision points regarding the new draft General Plan for Visalia’s future development.  Visalia’s last general plan was enacted in 1991.  Since then, Visalia has grown by over 50,000 people.  This draft was vetted thoroughly over a three-year time span by a task force comprised of twenty five members of Visalia’s business community, with hearings held by the planning commission before coming to the council. A U.S. Supreme Court Justice is reported to have said that the Supreme Court isn’t final because it’s infallible, but that it’s infallible because it’s final.  The same goes for the Visalia City Council in this case, ultimately the final decision rests with the council to vote as it determines to be in the best interests of our local citizens.

Amongst the decisions made by the council at this meeting was to have three tiers for opening up more residential land for development in Visalia.  Visalia has an inventory of 5,600 units of approved vacant residential land inside the current city limits.  A few years ago, when Visalia’s real estate market was red hot, such an inventory wouldn’t have lasted very long.  However, under current market conditions, this represents more than a ten-year supply of housing inventory.  The council decided that for the first tier, with a few exceptions, no additional lands will be annexed into the city for development purposes until many of those lots have been built out.  Once the city has less than a ten-year inventory (estimated to be when Visalia has grown to 135,000), then additional land may be annexed into the city limits.  This second tier build-out will allow certain properties on the fringes of the city limits to be annexed into the city until our population reaches 178,000, at which time the third tier would be opened up for annexation and development.  This plan predicts that by the year 2030, Visalia will have grown to 210,000!

Other decisions made included reaffirming the 200 foot setback reserve on West 198 known as the Scenic Corridor and allowing development behind such setback once the tier requirements are met, opening up south Mooney Boulevard beyond Packwood Creek to Avenue 272 (Mooney Grove) for regional retail development, and not developing further regional retail at the corner of Caldwell and Highway 99, but instead holding that land along with the land south of the airport in a reserve for future councils to consider.  As I spoke with many people in the business and retail community, it became clear that Visalians are not ready for regional retail development at Highway 99.  However, keeping that area in reserve allows Visalia to control its own destiny should a future special use present itself, particularly when Visalia pushes past 210,000 in population.  Again, the whole point of the general plan update is to attempt to peer into the future, to plan for future growth in a controlled way, while allowing the free market to meet the demands of growth.  The decisions that were arrived at by majority vote will not mean immediate development in any particular location, especially in this down economy, but will instead direct future growth as the economy continues to turn around and demand increases.

Let me make an additional observation regarding the Stonebridge neighborhood citizens who attended all the meetings regarding the General Plan over the last three years, conducted their own studies and let their views be known regarding development at the northwest corner of Lovers Lane and Walnut.  These citizens were effective advocates.  Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with all their positions, it was refreshing to see them participate in the political process.

With the preliminary draft General Plan being completed, the next step is for an environmental impact report to be prepared, time for additional public input and comment, and future public hearings by the Planning Commission before the final General Plan is adopted by the City Council.  My personal time estimate is that this process will not be concluded before 2014.

Finally, for those citizens who have followed the discussion and decisions to date, you may not agree with everything that’s been decided, but as a whole I believe that Visalians will support this General Plan.  As the late great mayor of New York City Ed Koch once said, “If you agree with me on nine out of twelve issues, vote for me.  If you agree with me on twelve out of twelve issues, see a psychiatrist!” 

                                                                                    Warren Gubler

                                                                                    Visalia City Councilmember

                                                                                    (559) 713-4400 ext. 3313

                                                                                    wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us

                                 

BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?

A popular song during the Great Depression was “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”  The City of Visalia is now asking its citizens if they can spare approximately four and a half times that amount.

Old timers will remember the flooding of downtown Visalia in the 1950's.  Patrons of Merle’s may recall the vintage photographs on the walls there showing prior floods in Visalia over the years.

Visalia is at the confluence of a number of rivers and channels, including the St. John’s, Mill Creek, Packwood Creek and others that originate from the Kaweah River. That’s why this area is known as the Kaweah Basin. Flooding was quite common here until the construction of Terminus Dam, which was completed by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers in 1962, to provide flood control and water for irrigation.  A project to raise Kaweah Lake 21 feet was completed in 2004, which included six 21-foot tall fuse gates and spillway.  The City Council took a field trip to view the dam improvements a few years ago, it certainly is an impressive piece of dam engineering!

However, even with these precautions taken upstream, we can’t let our guard down.  In more recent times, due to heavy rains and runoff, Visalia experienced flooding in 2006 and 2010.  The December 2010 storm caused flooding in the subdivision right across the street from my home.  Our public safety personnel did a good job containing the water damage, it could have been a lot worse.  The January 2006 storm event caused over $500,000.00 worth of damage to private property, and an estimated $2.5 million of damage to public property.  Twenty-four hundred sandbags were used by homeowners and city staff.  The December 2010 storms brought with them $2 million of damage to public property, and 3,000 sandbags were used, although no damage to private property was reported fortunately.

Visalia property owners currently pay a monthly fee of 48 cents per parcel or dwelling unit, which fee was used to help enlarge Kaweah Lake, and which has been charged to Visalia property owners since 1997.  Now that that project, which has been crucial to regional flood control efforts, has been completed, Visalians can choose to have a portion of that 48 cent fee (43 cents thereof) redirected to the city to be used to help reduce the risk of local flooding.  (The remaining 5 cents will continue to go towards maintenance of the Kaweah Lake project.)  By the time you read this article, you should have received a ballot from the city asking property owners to continue the 43 cent portion of the storm water fee for a new city use.  Other portions of the storm water maintenance fee will not be affected and are not subject to this ballot.  Likewise, flood insurance costs and requirements will not be affected by the outcome of the vote.  The city is merely requesting authorization to use these funds locally to help reduce chances of future flooding.

The city’s storm maintenance systems includes 40 storm ponding basins, 310 miles of storm pipe, 4,130 manholes, 45 pump stations, and 45 miles of channels, including Mill Creek, Packwood Creek, Modoc Ditch and Evans Ditch.  In particular, these channels need to be maintained and cleaned out on a regular basis to allow for the free flow of water through them.

If you have not already done so, please vote “yes” to authorize this 43 cent per parcel fee to be redirected for use locally to help reduce the risk of flooding.  And don’t forget to return your ballot by March 18 so that it can be counted and your voice heard.  For additional information regarding this project and vote, visit reduceflooding.com.  Brother, can you spare 4 ½ dimes?



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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

Warren Gubler
Visalia City Councilmember

BITS AND PIECES

Live Video Stream
Not long ago, I was asked about when council meetings would be aired live by video.  That day has now arrived.  A live video stream of all Visalia City Council meetings held at the council chambers is now being provided by the city.  During the scheduled meeting times, go to the City’s website at www.ci.visalia.ca.us, click on “City Government” at the top of the page, then go to “Council Live Video Stream.”  You can view city council meetings in the comfort of your own home on your computer.  Again, this is a live feed such that you need to be watching during the actual council meeting.  Of course, we invite the public to attend in person whenever they can, but it’s nice that modern technology has brought this live video stream alternative to us.

Recycling
The city again ran their free annual fall yard waste recycling event, put on by the Visalia Solid Waste department.  From November 23 through Jan 5, citizens of Visalia were able to dispose of their yard waste compostables at no cost, by delivering them to the Tulare County Compost Biomass location on South Lovers Lane, or West Coast Wood Industries off West 198.  For gardeners like myself, this convenience was greatly appreciated.  It’s an opportunity to clean up our yards and prune our dormant trees and bushes during the winter months.  I anticipate that the city will have a similar program again in the springtime.  Kudos to Visalia Solid Waste for this outstanding program.  At the same time, the city provided for free Christmas tree recycling at various locations around the city.  These trees were composted and will be used for landscaping city medians and parks.  Mark your calendar for April 13, 2013, the next free “dump on us” event at the Visalia City Yard located at 335 N. Cain Street.

Cal-State All-Star Football Game
On December 22, 2012, 100 of the top high school football players throughout the State of California converged upon Visalia for an all star game at Mineral King Bowl.  With these players come their families who stay in local hotels and shopped and dined in Visalia.  By some estimates, this game, scheduled during the usually slow month of December in Visalia, generated spin-off business of over one million dollars.  Additionally, we were entertained by these top-ranked high school football players, most of which have already accepted future scholarships in the college ranks.  Thanks to all who helped make this event a success.  These are the types of signature events we want to encourage in Visalia, particularly on an annual basis.  We have the facilities, scenery and weather to compete for the tourist dollars.

Building Permits Up
Through November 2012, the number of permits for new homes was up 26%, with a 19% increase in valuation.  New commercial permits were up 31%.  Likewise, for the third quarter, we witnessed a substantial increase in sales tax revenues generated in the city.  I predict that the last quarter of 2012, which includes the holiday shopping season, will continue that trend upwards.  Remember to buy local.

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

Warren Gubler
Visalia City Councilmember