Marysville council candidates discuss issues during forum

all they can to assist businesses hurting badly due to COVID-19? What more could be done?

Ferrini said the city’s decision to temporarily allow restaurants to move dining onto the sidewalk to allow for more spacing creates a more vibrant environment for customers. He said it encourages more collaboration in the community and allows people to come together. He said the city will overcome the situation as long as residents continue to shop local.

Mckenzie said the main goal is to keep businesses open, so whatever the city can do to help needs to be done. One way was to relax the municipal code to allow the businesses to spill out into the street and sidewalk. Another thing the city did, she said, was give money in loans and grants to businesses. She said the city needs to stay within its boundaries but should continue finding ways to support businesses.

Branscum said he believes the city is doing what it can, but the real problems are coming from Sacramento, where restrictions are levied. He said entrepreneurs are his heroes – people who start a business, invest their own money, max out their credit cards and take out a

mortgage just to dive in on a business lease. He said those people should be supported with everything the city has.

Samayoa said the pandemic has been unfortunate and he doesnt’ think businesses wanted help from the county, city, state or federal government, as they were happy to move forward on their own and not have to deal with government restrictions. He said the city used $75,000 of its general fund to lend out small business loans, which helped. He credited the county’s YES Team for helping support businesses too. He said he hopes everyone can learn from the experience.

Gilchrist said the city did an outstanding job rising to the occasion, as well as business owners. He said the outdoor opportunities for restaurants work well, but that won’t likely work once the region starts receiving rain. He said there is still a lot of work to do, but that’s always the case when it comes to economic development.

Belza said both the county and city responded in the best ways they could, with efforts to get information out by the

YES Team and the city. He said he’s always amazed by the creativity that comes from entrepreneurs and small business owners whenever something gets in their way. He’s a firm believer that businesses need to open back up. He said he’s gone into local businesses that have reopened that are doing it in a way that is respectful, careful and patrons are socially distanced.

Q: Ellis Lake – When will something meaningful and with lasting effects be done? Do you see something eventually being done? Does the city have the resources to keep an improved lake and park area kept up?

Branscum said the lake has endured over the years, though it’s fallen into disrepair. It’s the jewel of the city and it’s tarnished. With the current work being done to the lake, he said he’d like to see auditable results of what’s happening with the lake’s water quality, how it changes over time and whether or not the process is working. He said he hopes the work will fix the issues, though he has his concerns and the city should consider alternatives in case the current project fails.

Samayoa said the city has an amazing partner in the Yuba Water Agency which is committing resources to Ellis Lake. He said the city wouldn’t be able to fix the problem without the agency’s help. He said the main concern right

now is about the scum underneath the surface of the water and the water quality itself. He said data is being collected, and the fountain was fixed thanks to the agency. He said the city is putting together a solid plan and coming out with a vegetation plan for the lake.

Gilchrist said in addition to working with YWA, the city established an ad hoc committee to help solve the problem. He’s looking forward to seeing results of the tests. With the lake being the center of Marysville, he’s glad to see the fountain up and running again. He said there are also other properties next to the lake that are just as important, and if all are improved it will enhance the quality and conditions of the city in general.

Belza said YWA personnel are the experts and the public needs to continue letting them do what they need to do to help find a solution. He said the agency is focused on the sidewalk and water, while the city’s job is to develop a master plan for the lake and possible redevelopment opportunities for the surrounding areas. He said building on that, the city needs to be proactive to make Ellis Lake a destination again for local families and those outside the area.

Ferrini said he agrees with what his colleagues said, adding that the lake in its current state isn’t a pleasant experience, with the traffic and loitering. Most families avoid it, he said, and the city needs to continue working to clean it up. One way to help with that is by partnering with other agencies to possibly utilize some labor. He said the site also needs to have bathroom facilities set up.

Mckenzie said she’s happy with the

partnerships the city has with YWA, which is working alongside officials by providing much needed resources. Once water quality studies are completed, she said, those working on the problem will determine the best solution for keeping the water clean. After that, the city will hire someone to develop the lake’s master plan, which YWA has said they would support, she said. She credited YWA for their commitment and is encouraged to see progress, with hopes that a solution will be implemented within the next few years.

Q: City Manager vacancy – It’s been a rocky road and the size of the city may be making it harder to find the appropriate person. Can a qualified, fairly long-term person be found or does the paycheck not compare to greener pastures?

Samayoa said he can’t get into the specifics though it’s clear that the city’s salaries aren’t as competitive as others, at any level of staff. He proposes the city increases its wage level for the city manager position to help find an experienced candidate to help with the plans already in motion at the city level. He said there are opportunities for grants and the city has reserves in place to maintain services, even if there is an economic downturn.

Gilchrist said the city needs a passionate manager. He has a list of things he’d like the council to achieve and he looks forward to helping make that decision on the city’s next top executive. It’s important that employees want to stay with the city, especially because CALPERS is part of the issue when employees go through a revolving door.

He said there is a lot of work to be done, whether it be with updating the general plan or municipal codes, and the city needs a strong manager to work well with staff and council.

Belza said when it comes to wages for the city manager, you get what you pay for. He said the city should consider increasing wages for the position to get much more qualified candidates. He said he looks forward to the opportunity to work through that process and vet the potential candidate thoroughly and hopefully find someone with experience, integrity and fortitude that is needed to make it a long run with the city.

Ferrini agreed with his colleagues that the salary issue needs to be addressed. The two most important positions at

the city are the manager and the community development director, and the city has had rotating chairs in those positions for quite some time, he said. Not all administrators are created equal, he said, and higher pay doesn’t always mean they will do a good job. With him on the council, he said, he has enough public service to evaluate a good city manager and public service staff.

Mckenzie said when it comes to the city manager position, it can be tricky, as the average length of time a city manager stays is around five years, which a lot of times has to do with changing council members. She said the city’s salaries don’t match up with surrounding areas, so in order to get someone with more experience they need to raise the salary.

During the last hiring cycle, there were only two candidates, which isn’t a lot to choose from. She said the last city manager was excellent and worked hard for the city.

Branscum said he’s been in leadership positions most of his career and the process involves identifying and attracting talent. He said the current situation, where the former manager was fired without case in an election year with months remaining on her contract, was unnecessary drama and it will likely hurt the city in its next search. Then there’s the money problem on top of that. He said it’s important to create an environment in the council and mayor’s office where there is a sense of stability that could be sold to a candidate for the city manager position.