Calipatria council OKs election date move, affirms audit.
CALIPATRIA — Elections here are slated to move from odd numbered years to even number years so as to correspond with state balloting.
The city council voted 50- in favor of ordinance 17-002 to move balloting from “off-cycle” in compliance with the California Voter Participation Rights Act, in effect Jan. 1. The law requires any city having prior elections that were 25 percent less than the average voter turnout within the city for the previous four statewide elections must hold elections the same year as the state.
“We must have a plan in place by 2018 and implement that plan by 2020,” said William Smerdon city attorney. “We have to do this so we might as well get going with it. It’s less expensive by consolidating.”
With the ordinance passed, it must also win approval of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors who have 30 days to act. It will also mean that council and city staff elected this year will serve an extra year or a five year term.
A recently complete audit by the firm, Christy White & Associates was approved by a vote of 5-0. But the report disclosed at the end of the nearest completed fiscal year of June 30, the city had a deficit of $343,000 noted Katy Lopez financial officer. That was reduced from $459,000 from the prior year. Yet as of the close of March 2017, the deficit was lowered further to $300,000. Nevertheless, during FY 2015/2016 the city had a few unexpected sewer breaks resulting in unplanned expenditures.
“All city departments are down to a bare-bones staff,” said Lopez. “A couple of open positions went unfilled but it hasn’t interfered with services, but it does put stress on other employees who must take up the slack.”
The deficit was up to $1 million originally until the first city manager, Rom Medina, was hired in 2000. “It is not the nightmare it once was and it’s come down every year,” said Lopez
Still, the city is working to close the gap remarked Councilwoman Maria Nava-Froelich.
“All city departments are looking to put caps on spending yet without cutting presents levels of service,” said Nava-Froelich. “We have priorities such as graffiti abatement and parks improvements.”
Some of those enhancements include security lighting in Hernandez Park at N. Brown Avenue and California Street, noted City Manager Rom Medina. The lighting is still awaiting delivery but should be in place within the next couple of weeks. This dovetails with N. Brown Avenue’s street and pedestrian upgrades. The design will be completed in a few days and construction is planned for FY 2018/2019. The project will be funded through the federal highway program known as, the congested mitigated quality program with $1 million in federal funds.
The city also looks forward to the upcoming 100th anniversary celebration, previously thought to be 2018. But after locating original incorporation papers, it is now known it is February 2019. Planning for celebrations commence this fall, promised Medina.