NOTE: The Suisun City Council is expected to consider the FY 2006-07 budget at its regular June 20 meeting. The council meeting of June 6 was cancelled earlier this year because it is Election Day.
From Daily Republic
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - Suisun City police could be back on the job around the clock as early as Aug. 31 if they get the two additional officers they sought from the Suisun City Council.
This would cost the city only $15,550 more than it is paying the Solano County Sheriff's Department to have deputies patrol Suisun City's streets during the early morning hours.
The proposal was put forward by Lt. Ed Dadisho as part of a budget workshop where Suisun City Manager Suzanne Bragdon told councilmembers that the proposed budget holds a $492,000 surplus.
"It has been a very good year," Bragdon said of the 2006-07 budget she will formally hand to the council next week.
In January, Bragdon's mid-year budget report stated that city could expect a $300,000 surplus which could be even higher when the books for 2005-06 close at the end of June.
That is a big change from October 2005, when it was predicted that the 2005-06 budget would have a $200,000 deficit. That was when the council approved a $7.8 million general fund budget and $3.1 in reserves.
The proposal to put the police back on around-the-clock coverage is a big turnaround from three years ago when the city council had pondered contracting out all its police services to the sheriff's office.
Suisun City cut back its police coverage three years ago and contracted with the Solano County Sheriff's Department to patrol the city during the early-morning hours.
Suisun City's police have long stated they wanted to take back around-the-clock coverage as soon as they had more police officers on the job and the city was financially stronger.
The department spent the past year hiring officers and staff to fill positions that had been left vacant due to retirements and officers leaving for other departments.
Dadisho also suggested putting more resources into a dedicated anti-gang/drug unit that would hit the streets on a regular basis "instead of when we have the resources."
Councilmembers liked the police department's proposal, with Mayor Jim Spering recommending the police department work on retaining its officers, a problem the department has suffered from in the past.
"We should not move onto any new programs before we deal with the core problems," Spering said.
Councilman Mike Segala asked that the police devote more resources to its services to help the city's youth before they turn to crime.
Dadisho replied that the budget will have more money for a part-time school resource officer.
Councilmembers recommended investing more to repair the docks in the city marina to ensure the docks don't further deteriorate.
The city council is expected to hold a public hearing and vote on the 2006-07 budget on Tuesday.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Suisun City gets sister city
From Daily Republic
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - Suisun City got a new sister city, the Filipino town of Naguilian La Union, and kicked off formal relations Tuesday.
Representatives of Naguilian La Union in the Philippines started their first sister city tour with a signing and reception at the Suisun City Council chamber.
Both Suisun City Mayor Jim Spering and Naguilian La Union Mayor Reynaldo Flores shared a table which held the flags of both the United States and the Philippines as they signed the documents formalizing the relationship.
"It is an honor to have you here," Spering told Flores. "We hope to visit your town soon."
Flores returned the complement, saying "we are looking forward to many areas of cooperation with Suisun City" that range from how to provide public services to systems of governance.
The idea of creating a sister city bond came from local resident Aurelia Joven, whose hometown is Naguilian La Union, located on the Philippines' main island of Luzon.
This initial visit will last six days, with Flores and others starting off with tours of the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District facilities and the Solano Irrigation District's Cement Hill Water Treatment plant.
Flores asked to examine these facilities to take back ideas for improving his town's infrastructure.
All the stops will be pulled out Saturday night when the city and the Filipino-American community host a Proclamation Night celebration at the Joe Nelson Community Center.
The evening will include singing national anthems, speeches by both mayors, exchanging of gifts and entertainment that will include Filipino folk dances.
The visit will wrap up on Monday with a boat tour of the Suisun Slough and Suisun Bay as well as discussing the future of the sister city relationship.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - Suisun City got a new sister city, the Filipino town of Naguilian La Union, and kicked off formal relations Tuesday.
Representatives of Naguilian La Union in the Philippines started their first sister city tour with a signing and reception at the Suisun City Council chamber.
Both Suisun City Mayor Jim Spering and Naguilian La Union Mayor Reynaldo Flores shared a table which held the flags of both the United States and the Philippines as they signed the documents formalizing the relationship.
"It is an honor to have you here," Spering told Flores. "We hope to visit your town soon."
Flores returned the complement, saying "we are looking forward to many areas of cooperation with Suisun City" that range from how to provide public services to systems of governance.
The idea of creating a sister city bond came from local resident Aurelia Joven, whose hometown is Naguilian La Union, located on the Philippines' main island of Luzon.
This initial visit will last six days, with Flores and others starting off with tours of the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District facilities and the Solano Irrigation District's Cement Hill Water Treatment plant.
Flores asked to examine these facilities to take back ideas for improving his town's infrastructure.
All the stops will be pulled out Saturday night when the city and the Filipino-American community host a Proclamation Night celebration at the Joe Nelson Community Center.
The evening will include singing national anthems, speeches by both mayors, exchanging of gifts and entertainment that will include Filipino folk dances.
The visit will wrap up on Monday with a boat tour of the Suisun Slough and Suisun Bay as well as discussing the future of the sister city relationship.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
Suisun OKs return of summer concerts
From Daily Republic
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Council gave the green light Tuesday to bring summer concerts back to the Old Town Plaza, starting as soon as late June.
"It is going to bring more people downtown," Councilman Sam Derting said.
The council told Community Services Director Mick Jessop to continue talks with Jim Ignatieff, the owner of Pepper Belly's Comedy and Variety Theater, who wants to organize a six-concert series.
Ignatieff recently approached Suisun City with a proposal to book the performers and handle much of the organizing of the events.
Even though June is just around the corner, the concerts' organizers believe they can put a quality product together that will bring people to the city's waterfront.
The plan calls for holding six events starting in late June at a cordoned-off area at the waterfront plaza. Tickets will be required to attend the concerts.
Entertainment will be selected from groups that perform 1970s and 1980s music, which will be aimed at the area's baby-boomer group and reduce underage drinking issues which plagued earlier events.
The main concern came from Mayor Jim Spering, who had questions about the fence that will surround the plaza saying it sent "the wrong visual message" about the public space.
Spering asked Jessop to examine that issue to ensure the fence does what its supposed to without being too visually imposing.
Suisun City had built up the popular summer concerts shortly after finishing the plaza's construction.
The concerts were cut back and then canceled three years ago because of problems with large crowds, underage drinking and because the city didn't feel it had enough staff to handle the growing number of people.
City Hall is expected to come back with a formal agreement for the concerts in the near future.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Council gave the green light Tuesday to bring summer concerts back to the Old Town Plaza, starting as soon as late June.
"It is going to bring more people downtown," Councilman Sam Derting said.
The council told Community Services Director Mick Jessop to continue talks with Jim Ignatieff, the owner of Pepper Belly's Comedy and Variety Theater, who wants to organize a six-concert series.
Ignatieff recently approached Suisun City with a proposal to book the performers and handle much of the organizing of the events.
Even though June is just around the corner, the concerts' organizers believe they can put a quality product together that will bring people to the city's waterfront.
The plan calls for holding six events starting in late June at a cordoned-off area at the waterfront plaza. Tickets will be required to attend the concerts.
Entertainment will be selected from groups that perform 1970s and 1980s music, which will be aimed at the area's baby-boomer group and reduce underage drinking issues which plagued earlier events.
The main concern came from Mayor Jim Spering, who had questions about the fence that will surround the plaza saying it sent "the wrong visual message" about the public space.
Spering asked Jessop to examine that issue to ensure the fence does what its supposed to without being too visually imposing.
Suisun City had built up the popular summer concerts shortly after finishing the plaza's construction.
The concerts were cut back and then canceled three years ago because of problems with large crowds, underage drinking and because the city didn't feel it had enough staff to handle the growing number of people.
City Hall is expected to come back with a formal agreement for the concerts in the near future.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
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