Highlights from "The Week in Review"

Here are some of the items of interest from "The Week in Review" (TWIR). You can read the entire TWIR by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

Public Works:
Atherton Drive Extension Re-sodding: Quotes have been received for the re-sodding of the turf strips along the south side of Atherton Drive between Main and Union. Staff is processing the paperwork to engage Imperial Landscaping to replace the sod for an amount not to exceed $11,980. Work will commence within two weeks.

5th-Grade Student Stormwater Education: As part of the City’s stormwater public outreach and education program, Public Works distributed 500 stormwater activity booklets to all 5th-grade students in Manteca. The activity booklet contains short stories, puzzles and games that educate kids on what stormwater is and how they can help to prevent stormwater pollution.

Finance:
Sewer Revenue Bonds: On May 27, the City of Manteca Sewer Revenue Series 2009 bonds were successfully priced in the market place. After reviewing several bond structures, staff determined the best structure for the City at this time was a simplified tax-exempt revenue bond series. Build America Bonds were not used as part of the structure. Through the hard work and collaborative efforts of all members of the bond financing team, the interest rates on the issue were under 6%, which is well under the rates that were presented over the last several weeks. The net interest cost for the total issue is 5.74%. Staff is currently finalizing all documents, and the final closing for the issue is set for June 2.

City Manager:
Public Safety Sales Tax Oversight Committee (PSSTOC): The PSSTOC held its first meeting of the year, meeting on May 27. The Fire Chief presented a proposed updated five-year expenditure plan for the department, which includes a delay in the construction of a fourth fire station and some staffing changes. The Chief is proposing establishing three Shift Commander positions, along with three additional Captains to staff the new aerial ladder truck. These six positions will replace the nine Fire positions that were included in the original expenditure plan that would have staffed the fourth fire station. Due to continued declines in sales tax, the Public Safety Sales Tax revenues are also down. These staffing changes will help delay the need to hire more Fire Department staffing for the next two years. The PSSTOC accepted the report, and asked to be kept informed as additional budget information becomes available. The next meeting of the PSSTOC has been tentatively scheduled for November 5, unless new information is available prior to that meeting.

Federal Funding: The City’s lobbyist is closely monitoring the FY10 Federal appropriations process. Members in the House and Senate have finished submitting their appropriations requests to their respective committees. For the first time, members are required to post what projects they requested on their websites. Congressman McNerney submitted the following projects on behalf of the City of Manteca:

Manteca Solar Facility Project: $621,000
Austin road Interchange: $1,000,000
Manteca Arsenic Reduction: $434,500
Sewer Line Replacement and Rehabilitation: $2,000,000

It is important to remember that Rep. McNerney submitting these requests to the Committee does not guarantee any funding. It is now up to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to determine which projects will make the cut, and how much funding they will receive in FY10. It is possible that the House Appropriations Subcommittees will begin marking up bills as early as next week. We will continue to keep you informed as the appropriations process moves forward.