Kevin

Updated August 14:

Hello City Team,

Coming at you with a very “HOT,HOT,HOT” weekly update.

Balancing act: Childcare/School schedules and work

I recognize the difficulty of working full-time while also facilitating distance learning for your child. We are attempting to be as flexible with work schedules as the law and our jobs allow. HR hosted several Q&A sessions for employees regarding teleworking and childcare, with very good participation.  For those with younger children, enrollment for PRL’s Preschool Distance Learning program is currently underway. We continue to work through all of the nuances and are trying to keep the information flowing.

You can find more on The Hub about Childcare and Remote Learning. Please know how much we value your contributions to our city and understand how this pandemic has upended things for you and your families on many levels. Please reach out should there be additional questions or items of concern.

Fiscal Update

Our Department Head Team is meeting later this month to review the latest budget and economic information and begin preparing for updates with the bargaining groups and the City Council. The $1.8 million of federal CARES Act money passed down to the City from the state will help balance the General Fund books for FY2019-20 and reduce any required draw from the General Fund Stabilization Reserve. However, based on the City’s updated forecast for FY2020-21, which includes revised projections from the City’s third-party sales tax consultants, the General Fund projected deficit has grown from $2 million to $6 million. Of course, this projection is based on a significant amount of uncertainty.

Many economists are predicting the economic recovery from COVID-19 may take 3-5 years. The key driver of most projections for the economy is what assumptions are made about the path of the virus and the level of restrictions put in place to contain it. As time goes on and new information becomes available, we will continue to analyze the important balance between maintaining service levels and maintaining important budget reserves. In addition to the City’s utilities that are feeling the effects of the pandemic-caused recession, many of the City’s other funds are experiencing revenue impacts from the pandemic as well.

Some of those funds, including the Youth Development and Golf funds, may require subsidies (or higher subsidies) from the General Fund to stay solvent, which will further affect the City’s General Fund budget. We are planning to provide a General Fund tax revenue update to Council in September and then the more extensive October 21 budget revise to address all of the City’s funds significantly impacted by the COVID-19 recession.

I think it very important to strike a balance with the message internally. We are a “healthy” organization financially, but we are absolutely not immune to the current downtown. This will likely require us to further ramp up our efforts to maintain fiscal health, which could include additional operational efficiencies, service reductions, holding, shifting or eliminating positions, enhanced revenue approaches, amongst other things. I say all of this to simply be as transparent and open as I possibly can. The coming months will be very telling on how and what the economic recovery might look like.

I was able to take part in a call with Irena Asmundson, State Economist, who gave a presentation to Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG). Some of the key takeaways at the state level include:

• January 2020 state surplus and reserves were extremely healthy, all time low unemployment, the future looked very bright
• August 2020 COVID-19 recession projected to be worse than the great recession … “Will be a State fiscal disaster if this continues into 2021”
•  Without Federal assistance State and local agencies will be forced to cut jobs further effecting the unemployment numbers, and reducing service levels across the state 
• 4 million people that were employed before the pandemic are not currently
• Recovery will be heavily dependent on local industries, pandemic regulation enforcement, and current and future economic policy decisions
• Pandemic will impact demographics and typical migration populations of people coming to and leaving California
• Revenues have not dropped as much as originally estimated to this point (mainly property tax and sales tax were discussed)
• Telecommuting good for traffic congestion, air quality, efficiency, some work/life balance, however, very challenging for office space, downtowns, service oriented business built on foot traffic. How will this play out in current and future planning efforts. How can we make it less disruptive?
• Think about revenue shifts in different local economies as industries emerge from the pandemic (transportation patterns, jobs, housing needs)
• Brief discussion on income disparity and race awareness/equity centered around economics and the differing levels of fiscal impacts of COVID-19

It was an interesting presentation. We have talked about much of this over last several months, but it was valuable hearing it from the State’s perspective. These are all things we will be grappling with for several years.

Up to date Placer County Covid-19 Numbers

https://www.placer.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/46267/dashboard?bidId=

Placer County remains on the State Monitoring list. Currently the monitoring list is frozen until the State Health Department records are corrected and backlogged cases are being correctly reported. Counties are not being added or removed at this point until the correction occurs.

We Are Roseville - Highlights of the Week

I want to recognize our Parks, Recreation & Libraries department this week.  Our Youth Development Team has been working non-stop in preparation for Distance Leaning Childcare at our Adventure Club sites, which began Monday.  Every single person on the team worked tirelessly to get these programs up and running in a short amount of time, and with information changing on a daily basis.  Adventure Club looks completely different than it did in the past, and no doubt, there will be additional adjustments that need to be made, but it is truly amazing to see how incredible our staff performed under this pressure. This is a brand new situation for school districts, parents, kids, and our Adventure Club staff.  While at times, I know the work has been frustrating and exhausting, staff have never lost focus on the “why”.  So many families depend on this valuable service, and staff are committed to providing exceptional services to our community.  Our Roseville kids, and our entire community, are lucky to have you! Thanks for all you do!

In addition, I want to sincerely thank PR&L Director Jill Geller and her team, who on very short notice are currently working to open a cooling center in the downtown for those who have nowhere else to cool off. These high temperatures exceed our thresholds in our extreme weather policy. This community service is very important and your extra efforts are very much appreciated. The cooling center will operate from noon to 7:00 PM, Saturday through Wednesday, at the Tower Theater and will be operated adhering to the State Health guidelines. 

I am out of the office next week, as I am dropping off 2 of my daughters, to 2 different colleges. One is going to Chico and one to UNR. I will be taking cash donations or Kleenex, as I will need a lot of both! UGH! Dion Louthan, ACM will be acting City Manager in my absence. On a side note…I would like to thank everyone for the well wishes for my family with the COVID-19 news. Everyone is heathy and we are thankfully on the other side of the illness. It is going to be a hot one this weekend, stay cool and stay well. I hope you have a great weekend! Thank you for all that you do, and keep up the great work! 

Dom

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Updated August 7:

Hello City Team,

Coming to you live once again from downtown Roseville (picture me saying that in my best radio voice) for the weekly update. Well not really… more on that later! Funny start to the week, early Monday morning some of our utilities team members knocked on my door, while at the same time I was on a Teams call, and as soon as I open the door… one of my daughters started yelling at her sister upstairs about not wearing her “COVID mask”, like only a loving sister can, and of course my dogs were going crazy. I was like… are you serious right now? One of the joys of working from home, right! On a side note, it is great that we are able to personally notify our residents when we will be working in the neighborhood. It really builds trust. I apologize for being a bit distracted during your visit and not being able to chat, but I had my hands full. Thanks for stopping by, I really did appreciate the heads up that the project was starting.

The more on that note … my mental Hawaiian vacation was interrupted last weekend when one of my daughters shared she was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. She was tested and ended up being positive. So far we are all ok, at this point I am still symptom free, but 4 of 6 in the house experienced various symptoms and different levels of intensity. The symptoms have been more or less what you hear, bad soreness, loss of taste, fatigue, shortness of breath and bad headaches. Sounds miserable, but all in all, we are faring pretty well. I am happy to report most have fully recovered and the others symptoms are significantly less as I write this. However, I am not sure all the girls are super excited about finishing out quarantine.  Now on with the update! 

Balancing act: Childcare/School schedules and work

The OC&L Committee’s Childcare Employee Resource Group (ERG) met yesterday in advance of several meetings next week that HR is sponsoring with 1) managers and supervisors of those needing more work-schedule flexibility due to limited availability of school openings and childcare and after that with 2) employees needing that flexibility. See HR Director Stacey Peterson’s email to sign up for those meetings. If you would like to join the Childcare ERG to have an informal discussion with your city colleagues, you can sign up here.

Starbucks gift cards for survey response

Each employee who participated in the Time 1 SacState/Wharton survey in partnership with OC&L that closed in July should have received an emailed $5 Starbucks gift card. If you missed it, search your in-box for an email from “Beetz, Arianna M.” If you cannot find it, email Heather Blanco in the City Manager’s office.  Thanks for your participation!

We Are Roseville - Highlights of the Week

I wanted to recognize the entire Development Services team this week. They were able to complete several very large and time-consuming projects. First, after years of work and collaboration with virtually every department in the city, the Council adopted a revised 2035 General Plan. The General Plan serves as a long-term policy guide for physical, economic, and environmental growth. It is a statement of the community's vision of its ultimate physical growth. State law requires that every county and city prepare and adopt a comprehensive long-range plan to serve as a guide for the development of the community.

For staff who might live on the west side of town, a new grocery store (Plaza at Blue Oaks) is coming to you in the near future. This site (Blue Oaks and Fiddyment) will eventually include an 82,100-square-foot shopping center consisting of a 35,000-square-foot anchor grocery store (expected to be a Raley’s brand), a 12-pump gas station with a 3,500-square-foot convenience store and car wash, and seven additional buildings ranging in size from approximately 3,750 square feet to 9,750 square feet. They are hoping to break ground in the next 30 days or so and be open for business in 2022.

Lastly, I just wanted to take moment to highlight yet another example of how we live the We Are Roseville mantra. The number of building inspections this year has actually remained very similar to the prior few years. The difference being the environment in which we are providing that service has changed significantly. Though staffing levels and workloads have remained consistent, field staff’s ability to spend additional time in the field, due to starting their workday from home, has resulted in an increased level of customer service despite more complicated and time-consuming inspections. Inspectors currently have 1.75 to 2.0 additional hours of field time when compared to PRE-COVID (March 2020) levels. Another benefit of this is the percentage of inspections rolled to the next working day has decreased by nearly 75%. Great job DS team!

Lastly, I want to convey my condolences to the Police Department in particular on the passing of CSO Kay Sakamoto. He exemplified our core values as city employees and in service to our community. May his soul rest in peace.

I appreciate all that you do and continue to be inspired by the innovation, resilience, and drive I see and hear about almost daily. Thank you and Keep up the great work. Stay well!

Dom

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Updated July 31:

Hello City Team,

I hope everyone is ready for the weekend. I know I am, as we are headed to Hawaii for a 30-day vacation…………ok, back to reality………. maybe a mental vacation just visualizing myself in Hawaii. One positive note from a mental only vacation is my children will not be charging their fancy tropical juice drinks to the room for both themselves and their friends. Always good to get the hotel bill and realize it is substantially more than anticipated and the aforementioned is the primary culprit. J Ok, onward with the update.

School Year Interrupted

I appreciate those of you that took time to take the surveys. They are a great way to gather information quickly to create meaningful solutions to real organizational challenges. How to balance childcare with telework was a concern that emerged in the OC&L work pulse survey conducted in May. An employee resource group (ERG) was established and started meeting earlier this month. (It’s open to anyone who wants to participate.) Now, with the announcement of remote learning in place for many schools for the start of the school year, the concern about balancing childcare, distance learning, and work priorities will extend many more months.

The Childcare ERG raised several solutions and questions that the OC&L Committee brought to the Department Head Team. The department heads discussed this and decided to, as you know, do a survey to collect data and determine interest levels in various approaches in order to provide options.

A survey conducted last week provided the following results:

• Staff from 11 departments had needs pertaining to childcare.
• 122 employees were interested in City-related childcare options for their children age newborn to 11
• Some are concerned with their middle-school-age children but said with flexibility and the telework option, they can manage.
• A majority of respondents were interested in gathering a list of family members of city staff, or potentially teachers who are available to assist with childcare or provide a tutoring option.
• There were also many comments on how appreciative staff were of the City considering them and their families at this time.

Next steps:

Employing our Core Competencies helped Department Heads develop the following key principles to ensure that we navigate this unprecedented situation effectively:

1. Strong communication between supervisors and staff will be the key to success.
   • This relationship is the primary driver of both positive and negative outcomes in our organization.
2. Recognition that work demands are different. 
   • Deadlines and priorities in different work groups must be addressed and accounted for as work schedules are developed; it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.
3.  Flexibility that allows staff to attend to both family and work priorities is needed.
   • This may mean that staff breaks up their work hours throughout the week, including early mornings, nighttime work, or weekend hours. Details will be worked out with supervisors.
4. Understanding that things could change as circumstances evolve and insights are gained reflects how adaptive we are as individuals and as an organization. Specific Q&A related to childcare is posted on The Hub COVID-19.  Additional questions can be submitted to [email protected].

State Monitoring List

As you are aware, we (Placer County) continue to be on the monitoring list. As of Wednesday, there were 37 counties in the state on the list CDPH Monitoring Data

So one question that continues to come up is how can we (Placer County) be removed from the list? In short, we initially believed that if we showed three consecutive days below the established thresholds, we were automatically removed. However, upon further review, we learned that the governor through the state public health officer would need to take official action and modify the order to remove us from the list. Being candid, I would anticipate they will look at this more globally in the state and not simply county by county, thus I would not expect immediate action if we are under the thresholds.

State Monitoring Indicators (7-29-2020)
State Indicators	Threshold	Current Value
Case rate per 100K (14-day)	>25 (or >100 alone)	118.7
Testing positivity rate (7-day)	>8%	7.3%
Change in 3-day hospitalization average	>10% (only if n>20)	2.6% (n=53)
% ICU beds available	<20%	12.1%
% Ventilators available	<25%	86.2%

 

Also recently, Placer County redesigned their COVID-19 dashboard. It contains additional data/metrics and provides information that is more detailed. However, the way the data is collected and reported is a bit different. As an example, new positive cases reported each day are based on the date the sample was collected, not just a lump sum number that comes back from the lab that day. As such, you will see movement within about a one-week window as they add the cases based on the date of sample collection. The county is referencing this within the grey box on the cases tab Cases in Placer.

Placer County COVID-19 at a Glance – weekly report

Placer County Weekly Report

Tech Tip of the Week

When someone shares the screen in Microsoft Teams, you can use “Ctrl” & “+” or “–“ to change the screen size. I do not know about you, but my reading volume has increased significantly since March 19, and my eyes appreciate a little larger font these days. 

Fun Fact of the Week

During the last week, we have averaged over 500 individuals using the Microsoft Teams platform per day. I would say that is a good amount of virtual collaboration going on!

We Are Roseville - Highlight of the Week

In an effort to continue to try to help our impacted businesses, the City was able to collaborate with our downtown restaurants to find an outdoor alternative for in person dining. As you will see below, we have had platforms built that provide an enhanced outdoor option. Love the can do spirit, agility, and innovation to help our businesses have a chance to compete in this very tough environment.

In closing

Look for a new City Manager interactive get-together in the coming weeks. In short, I am hoping to utilize the Microsoft Teams platform for roughly 30-minute sessions to visit and have Q&A with each department. Well that is probably enough for this week. I received a compliment the other week related to the update being a “one scroll” only read. I guess they think I am a bit too long winded. Everyone have a great weekend and thanks again for making Roseville the great city that it is! I appreciate you! Stay well!

 

Dom

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Updated July 25:

Hello City Team:

I cannot believe I write to you and we only have about a week left in July. Obviously, August has traditionally been a time where kids get ready to go back to school, many folks wrap up their summer vacations, fall sports start to kick into high gear and we prepare for the stretch run of 2020.

This year certainly has a little different feel, but I continue to gain more and more confidence in our ability to meet our community’s needs. The capacity each of you has shown to improvise, adapt and overcome virtually all challenges that come our way, continues to amaze me. This is certainly not accomplished without some difficulties, but our resilience is on full display on a daily basis. 

City Operations

It appears that our current situation will be in effect for at least the next month (at a minimum), but it is safe to say that we will be dealing with the effects of COVID-19 operationally for potentially the rest of this year, and financially beyond that.

I can tell you back in March, I certainly did not anticipate that the impacts would be this severe and last thing long, and candidly be this disruptive. However, here we are, and we do not have an option of not participating. We have many people counting on us to continue to provide services and keep Roseville safe, secure, and moving in the right direction.

However, before we look ahead, I would like to look back and share some positive things we have seen and helped to provide since this pandemic began in March.

• We have been able to provide frequent and accurate communication throughout the pandemic
• Increased access to virtual services citywide in almost every department – virtual plan checks, inspections, recreation programs, meetings of all types, and DUI checkpoints… kidding!
• Created several new polices based on this very dynamic time to ensure compliance with new guidelines and regulations 
• Issued $1.5 Million in small and micro business loans, and homelessness and rapid re-housing
• Suspended Utility Shutoffs for customers  
• Worked with businesses to allow additional capacity for outdoor dining and signage
• Provided 16,000 meals through Family Meal Roseville to those in need 
• Opened up a supply chain and provided PPE’s to hundreds of businesses in Roseville.
• Waived public transit fees and late fees for safety of drivers and riders
• Received $1.7 million in stimulus funding
• Have placed surplus land on the market to bring in onetime revenue and create opportunities for new property tax and sales tax into Roseville
• Provided $21K in matching funds to the Downtown Roseville Partnership to provide expanded outdoor seating.
• Reduced our residents experiencing homelessness from 258 to 197
• Administered the Downtown Roseville Façade Program – 6 businesses and $50,000.  Downtown reservation of parking spaces for curb-side pick up
• Grand opening of Living Spaces and they are already a top revenue performer in their portfolio
• Completed several citywide projects and initiatives
• Participated in more family dinners J

 

With the recent announcement from the State related to in person school, we have begun to look at options to help meet staff needs during this ever-evolving situation. The department heads discussed this topic and decided to do a survey so we can collect data and determine interest levels in various approaches in order to provide potential options, with the idea of trying to balance work and family demands. I want to continue to reassure staff that the City will be as flexible as possible in working with parents impacted by school and daycare challenges.

While the City is currently in a hiring freeze to help mitigate the financial impacts, it is important to point out there is still ongoing recruitment to fill the most urgent needs across the City.  Please continue to watch for promotional opportunities and take the time to encourage people you know to apply who would be great additions to the City team.

Some have asked about the recent IBEW Labor Market Adjustments.  Despite COVID-19, and a voluntary delay by the IBEW bargaining unit members, the City proceeded in August with the agreed upon MOU provisions that required labor market adjustments for employees represented by IBEW effective the first pay period of May 2020.  This bargaining unit has a different market that required an off-cycle review from the other City bargaining groups. I sincerely appreciate the support of IBEW in delaying the adjustments when so many people in the community were negatively affected by the COVID-19 shelter in place orders.  Thank you!

Budget Update

As I know everyone is fully aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused wide-ranging impacts on the economy, including significant unemployment and reduced retail sales and hotel occupancy due to business closures and the stay-at-home order. I wanted to take a moment to provide everyone the most current information on this front.

We continue to project that the General Fund will end FY2019-20 with a shortfall in the range of $2 million to $9 million. The primary factors contributing to this shortfall are Bradley-Burns sales tax and Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenues coming in below estimates by a projected amount of $4-8 million and $1 million. The current plan is to offset this shortfall with a combination of expenditure controls, including the aforementioned hiring freeze, a pause on non-essential programs and activities, and a transfer from the General Fund Stabilization Reserve.

As mentioned in a previous email, the City Council approved the FY2020-21 “status quo” budget in June. This budget included unavoidable cost increases and critical augmentations (such as a new School Resource Officer and a Police Dispatcher). Most augmentations were deferred until October when we are scheduled to return to City Council to revisit the budget and provide updated information on the impacts of COVID-19. Overall, the FY2020-21 General Fund budget included a projected shortfall of approximately $2 million, which is being subsidized by a $2 million transfer from the Stabilization Reserve. Staff will not make this transfer until we go back to Council in October with updated budget information. 

It is worth noting that without the passage of Measure B, the $2 million shortfall in the General Fund in FY2020-21 would have been $20.5 million. In addition, the funding in the Stabilization Reserve would not be available to address the projected shortages in FY2019-20 or FY2020-21, and the City would not have been able to maintain current service levels. 

On a positive note, Federal stimulus funding (CARES) funding did provide some additional money for Roseville Transit and Community Development Block Grant funding for Economic Development. In addition, the state budget recently approved $1.8 million in CARES Act funding for the City. Staff is currently working on a plan of how to best utilize the $1.8 million in funding to address the financial impacts from the pandemic. 

For additional information on the FY2019-20 3rd Quarter Financial Report that was presented to Council on June 15th or the FY2020-21AdoptedBudget (see link below).

https://www.roseville.ca.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=7964922&pageId=8916788

 

News and Notes

This is the most recent article from the Mayor.

  

Placer County specific information related to COVID-19:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

As we see the effects of the stay at home order and physical distancing orders extending throughout the county and state we have to come to terms that some of us will be doing this remote thing for some time. I encourage you to continue to do small things like set daily goals, carve out time for exercise and relaxation, connect with co-workers, friends, and family virtually, be ok with doing things differently, and take care of yourself and each other.

As we have said, this is a dynamic and pretty disruptive time, don’t get bogged down by over complicating things, if you need help ask, if you have a new idea share it, with so much divisiveness right now we need to be purposeful about supporting one another like never before. There is a lot of good out there right now if you look for it, and in Roseville we have the privilege of being that good for our community. This is a great opportunity we have. I ask you to be the good people see. I appreciate all that you do, and keep up the great work! Stay well!

 

Dom

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Updated July 18:

Good Afternoon City Team:

Coming to you from a hot, kind of lazy Saturday. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the weather. It was another very busy week with lots to report out on. As you have probably already heard Placer County is on the statewide watch list. This means, in addition to the statewide roll backs ordered for all counties, we had to close additional indoor businesses until further notice. This has an impact on us in many ways, as a community and organization. The announcements from this week have cause a bit of a ripple effect. The two most impactful, were the business closures and schools going virtual. We are currently assessing them both. We are brainstorming ways to help parents and children, as well as, looking for ways to help our businesses expand outdoors to weather the latest round of “roll backs”.

School districts going virtual for Fall:

This week many districts in the region announced their plans for Fall. The City realizes this is an unanticipated and unprecedented situation regarding childcare for staff whose work schedules typically aligned with school-day schedules. The Childcare Employee Resource Group (ERG) of OC&L was established due to requests expressed in the May 2020 Citywide OC&L Survey to connect and explore issues and options for employees to balance work and family demands. The City would like to determine the interest level, preferences, concerns, and numbers of staff who would like to explore other options to balance work and family demands. Each department has been asked to provide this information by next Thursday so the Department Head team can meet July 27^th to discuss options.

I know it’s a tenuous time for staff who are in this situation as the pandemic has closed options that are usually available. We’re working to explore options with you in this balancing act.

And to staff who aren’t in this situation but are in a position to support your colleagues who are, I want to thank you as well. The fabric of our organization has been woven with teamwork. At various times, we all will find ourselves in positions of give and take, need and abundance. The support we offer each other now will come back and make our teams that much stronger.

We are a people first organization, it is one of our core competencies. We are working hard to balance the needs of the community with the needs of organization. The Citywide plan for accommodating this will be released after we have a better understanding of the needs that exist. However, I want you to know that I will do my very best to ensure you will be given ample time to adjust, no matter the situation or scenario.

Roseville Economic Development:   

Staff is currently working with many Roseville businesses, one example is with the Down Town Roseville Partnership to expand the restaurant seating in the 200 block and if done right it could be really cool and not require a full street closure. Additionally, this will preserve street parking for retailers and short term parking for curbside pick-up. We are working on a grant program to partially or fully fund this and will work to have it in place as early as next week.

Businesses throughout the City continue to expand to allow for outdoor services and staff is engaged and being as flexible as possible to accommodate requests and expedite the process and help them make this adjustment as quickly and safely as possible.  

IT wants to know how we can help:

The City has engaged Management Partners, a consulting firm specializing in assisting local governments, to facilitate the development of a citywide strategic technology work plan. As part of this project, Management Partners has prepared a survey (link below) to obtain input from all city staff as customers of the IT department. Please take this opportunity to share your views on how the City can best support your needs moving forward. You should allow about 10 minutes to complete the survey. Individual responses to this survey are confidential and anonymous. The deadline to participate in this survey is July 22, 2020. Your input is appreciated. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RosevilleITSurvey

 

Placer County Situational Update:

• 1,235 total cases in Placer County, 14 day case rate stands at 112.7, Positivity rate is currently at 5.9%
• 52 total patients in hospitals(s), of which 30 are Placer County residents, 9 patients in the ICU
• Significant increase in long term care facility cases. In many instances, staff working at these facilities are the ones testing positive. This is believed to illustrate increased community spread.
• Working closely with long term care facilities to mitigate as much as possible
• Testing continues to be a challenge. Truckee location is operating at capacity
• Rocklin testing location is experiencing a surge in “no shows”. Dr. Sisson is working with them to determine the cause and options to minimize
• Working with OptumServe to attempt to expand testing options within the county

• Project Room Key currently has 101 total hotel rooms available, of which 49% are filled
• 12 trailers also available to support unsheltered population, of which 8 are currently occupied
• Continue to deliver congregate meals (2,000 meals delivered)

 

Countywide Economic Recovery:

• After the governors announcement on Monday, the phone call volume increased dramatically
• Staffing up to support all of the questions, needs and issues that arise
• Placer Shares program will provide $8,000,000 of Cares funding to prop up small businesses and non-profits
  • Program will be presented to the Placer County Board of Supervisors on July 28
  • Anticipating applications will be accepted during August
  • $10,000 one-time grants
  • Will target sectors hit the hardest
  • Expect to cut checks in late September or early October
• Recent data shows 1 in 3 small businesses will not reopen their doors

 

Up to date Placer County Dashboard:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

 

Lastly, the in person services we opened back up are going very well. I wanted to offer a reminder to everyone to wear masks when you’re in the hallway, restroom, and breakrooms. I know it’s a new habit for many people who are transitioning between working from home without masks all day to onsite work, so I appreciate your compliance with this practice. We had to put sings up in the City Manager’s office as a reminder at the exits… one person was given his own sign and I am happy to report it was the other guy that starts with a D J

As the situation continues to evolve we will work to keep you updated and adjust as quickly and safely as possible. In reflecting on the last few months I ran across this quote, which I though was very applicable to our situation… “The major difference… In school, we learn the lesson and take the test, but in the school of life we take the test and learn the lesson” this has been a pretty intense test and we are still learning the lessons. And… I am happy to report you are getting an A, thanks for all that you do. Keep up the great work. Be kind to one another and stay well!

 

Dom   

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Updated July 10:

Hello City Team:

Stardate… captain’s log….Friday 7-10-2020  for all the Star Trek fans out there…

It’s been a busy week. I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. We are at the end of our first week of resuming some of our in-person city services. We are working out a couple kinks in the symptom-check program, improving some of the signage, and making sure we have additional thermometers. As expected, customer attendance was fairly light. All-in-all it went very well, and it was nice to see some smiling faces as I visited a few of the departments.

We had our first-ever virtual all-managers meeting this week with approximately 180 or so in attendance. We provided a quick COVID-19 update, discussed leadership in a disruptive environment, and provided a fiscal overview of what we know today with revenues and expenses. We recorded it and you can view it here. Candidly, it was a little odd talking to a screen, but after what feels like a million of these virtual meetings over the past 4 months I think we are getting the hang of it.    

COVID Update:

Placer County currently has 1021 total confirmed cases (up from 754 last week), which is a 23% increase in the last 7 days, and a 67% increase over last two weeks. We are still at 11 fatalities. At this point 31 are in the hospital with 5 in ICU. Case rate is 107.4 cases per 100,000 residents up from 74.

In Placer County and specifically in Roseville, we are accustomed to making top 10 lists: for quality of life, community safety, places to retire or raise a family -- just to name a few. However, we recently made a list I was hoping we wouldn’t. Based on the number above, Placer County has been placed on the state’s COVID-19 Monitoring List as of July 9. If the county remains on the list for three consecutive days, some businesses will be required by the state to close indoor operations for a minimum of three weeks. It is anticipated Placer County will exceed the state requirements on Saturday.

The following businesses are urged to prepare for a shift to outdoor operations:

• Dine-in restaurants
• Wineries and Tasting Rooms
• Family Entertainment Centers
• Movie Theaters
• Zoos and Museums
• Cardrooms

In addition, all brewpubs, breweries, bars, and pubs would need to close, both indoors and outdoors, unless they offer sit down, dine-in meals.

 

Placer County Dash Board:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

If you would like more info on the state specific concerns with Placer County, follow this link, and scroll down to Placer County:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/CountyMonitoringDataStep2.aspx

 

Lastly, I know the coming school year is on a lot of people’s minds right now, and I want you to know that as a parent of four, I understand. The City is going to be as flexible as we can be is this difficult environment. We are working on potential child care options and flexible scheduling as ways to help alleviate this additional stressor.

We do not have it all worked out yet, but we are working on it, and will have some solid options prior to the school year. It will be a balance, as we still need to get the work done. Recognizing that some positions are suited for remote work and some are not, it will not be one-size-fits-all approach, but it will a balanced solution that hopefully works for everyone who needs it. 

That about wraps up this update, I hope you all have a great weekend and I sincerely appreciate all that you do! Keep up the great work. Stay well!

 

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Updated July 3:

There has been a fair amount of talk this week about increased cases in the State and County so I thought I would share some data in this week’s update.

 

Statewide Situational Update

• New cases – 4,056 (last 14-days)
• Positivity rate – 37% increase; 6.3% (last 14-days); 6.9% (last 7-days)
• Hospitalizations – 56% increase in the last 14-days
• ICU patients – 49% increase in the last 14-days
• Deaths –  73 in the last 24-hours

 

Placer County Situational Update: 

 

• 754 confirmed cases up from 593 last week.
• In the last three days, cases have gone up 30, 40, and 41 respectively each day
• Overall, it’s a 27% increase in the last week and a 58% increase in the last two weeks
• Our case rate is at 74 cases per 100,000 residents. We were at 62 per 100,000 last week, Placer County is at a 4% positivity rate.
• Deaths remain at 11
• Hospitalization cases:
  • 11 of our county confirmed cases are in the hospital with 6 of those in the ICU (17 Total)

 

So what does the increase in numbers mean?

 

• If we hit 100 cases per 100,000 residents for three consecutive days, our county will be subject to the additional restrictions that were imposed by the state yesterday. This web link will show you what those restrictions are https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/ but in general it means closing down the businesses again.
• At the current projection of rate case increases, we will hit this 100 benchmark in 7 to 10 days.
• If we hit 20 total cases in our hospitals, the state will begin monitoring our hospitalization rates.

 

There is significant concern with large gatherings over the 4^th of July weekend. Health and Human Services is stressing that groups should not be gathering larger than those in your immediate household for 4^th of July festivities. Placer County is releasing messaging today to push that message.

 

The Economic Recovery group is receiving about 100 complaints per day on county businesses. They are almost all complaints related to the wearing of masks. They log these complaints and then either make contact for education with the business or for ones in our city, they share the complaint with our economic development team and we follow our approved process.

 

Project Room Key which provides housing for homeless or for others who are quarantined or at high risk of COVID exposure is at 62% capacity across the two hotels in our county including the Hampton Inn on Sunrise. They are extending that particular hotel contract through the end of the year.

 

Placer County Dash Board:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

 

It is fair to say that some of this news is not viewed as great or positive. We will continue to monitor the numbers. We are still planning to resume some of our in-person services on Monday (those that cannot be provided virtually) and we will evaluate the impact this with regard to health and safety. Many services will remain remote, and some will remain unchanged as they have operated in person through the entire pandemic. There has been a significant effort poured into resuming these services safely by staff, including the department head team. Polices, protocols, signage, and supplies have been prepared and put in place. I am confident we are ready.  

 

Unfortunately, there is no playbook for this pandemic. We will continue to do our very best to anticipate and communicate changes and adjust as quickly and thoughtfully as necessary. If you see something that is off, please report it to your supervisor so it can be quickly addressed. Also, as a reminder wear your face coverings when in public spaces or moving throughout the buildings and floors. Again, if you have a medical condition that prohibits you from doing so, please work though Human Resources to obtain an accommodation. Simply put, there is still a need to cover your face, maintain your space, and frequently wash your hands. 

 

Advocacy in Action:

In the first round of stimulus funding for cities and counties cities with a population under 300k were excluded. The City legislative team along with the League of California Cities lobbied hard to get in included and it worked. We submitted our application today for these funds. This CARES Act funding could bring nearly $1.8M to Roseville. The funding comes with some limitations and requirements, such as: Cannot be used as a general fund revenue replacement and must fund things that weren’t budgeted as of March 1, 2020.

 

County launches 211 Information Referral Service

This week, Placer County launched a free, confidential, multi-lingual service that provides a 24/7, one-stop shop for referrals to community and health services including food, transportation, senior care, employment services, housing assistance, mental health supports and much more. Please share 211 Placer with residents, customers, and businesses we serve, particularly in the circumstances we face.

 

OC&L Research Study

Thanks to those who’ve responded to the SacState/Wharton OC&L Study. An email will go out on Monday to those who haven’t yet completed the data, and your participation is very valuable. As a reminder, the raw data is not accessible to any city staff ever; only to the researchers. Be sure to send any questions or concerns to Megan MacPherson who is coordinating with the researchers.

 

The Check out this safety tip

I hope you have great weekend and 4^th of July celebration. Quick Tip: if you are lighting Fireworks this weekend wash your hands with soap and water, not hand sanitizer since it’s highly flammable. I was today years old when I learned this J Be safe and careful!

 

Lastly, thank you for all you are doing and all the great work services you continue to provide. As a team we have demonstrated great resiliency in the face of these challenges. We have maintained significant progress and productivity with countless success stories over the past 4 months, all over the City in every department. However, we are not out of the woods yet, there is still much change in our future, but I am confident we will not only survive it, we will thrive through it. You have demonstrated that. Keep up the great work, and please stay well!

 

All the best,

Dom

 

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Updated June 29:

As July 6^th quickly approaches, I wanted to make the focus of this update on our reopening efforts and provide an opportunity for any questions/concerns prior to us opening the doors. Also, please feel free to dress down the next two weeks, similar to Friday’s, if your schedule permits as we ease back into opening.

Reopening

We’ve attempted to ensure that all the proper signage and safety measures are in place to do so as safely as possible. Remember, our intent is to serve our customers who haven’t be able to access our services remotely or to provide those services that can’t be delivered remotely. Where our work can be done successfully, remotely and we’re serving our customers’ needs, we will continue to do so for the time being.

Although we’ve spent significant effort planning for the reopening, we understand that this is a dynamic environment and that we will all need to be flexible as unanticipated needs arise or we receive changes in direction from the County or State. I appreciate your understanding and adaptability during this peculiar time.

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the online COVID-19 Exposure Control Training in Target Solutions. It includes a lot of valuable information and is required for all staff.

 

Here’s what to expect for those that will report to work the week of July 6:

1. All staff reporting to the office will be required to complete a paper- or web-based form acknowledging that you don’t have a fever or COVID-19 related symptoms. Your supervisor will ensure that this is done each day that you report to work. A policy has been drafted and will be assigned in Target Solutions as soon as it is approved.

    

2. Janitorial staff will be onsite cleaning all public spaces throughout the day and will cover the areas below three to six times daily, depending on the facility, including:
   • All entrances
   • Elevators
   • Door knobs for public and common areas (not individual offices)
   • All restrooms
   • Break rooms
   • Conference rooms

      

   Each of us will be responsible to clean our own workspaces and the general vicinity, where not mentioned above

3. Signage near all entrances and in other workplace areas prominently posted to inform our staff and the public to:
   • Stay home and not enter the workplace when sick and directing them to testing locations
   • Follow cough and sneeze etiquette
   • Follow good hygiene practices
   • Wear face coverings in public spaces, when dealing with the public and where physical distancing cannot be achieved

      

4. Reconfigured workspaces to maintain six feet of distance and avoid facing each other
5. Availability of sanitation and protective measures
6. Transparent partitions at public counters between staff and customers
7. Signage for online alternatives for services and drop boxes (as applicable)
8. Presence of tissues for opening doors and no-touch disposal receptacles

 

Also, please remember to avoid bringing any non-employee into the employee areas. This will help minimize contacts in secured areas where staff have completed symptom screening.

If you see anything we might have missed or need to address, please reach out to your supervisor. While we have put a great deal of thought into all of this, there could be something that jumps out at you and needs additional discussion.

State Guidance

One of the Governor’s Covid-19 updates this week focused on the announcement that California is providing access to new tools, technology, and data that will allow scientists, researchers, technologists, and all Californians to help everyone better understand the impact of COVID-19.

Primary elements covered during the update

• People will now have access to the California COVID Assessment Tool, or CalCAT, a “model of models” that contains assessments of the spread of COVID-19, short-term forecasts of disease trends, and scenarios of the course of the disease from modeling groups across the country.
• The state is also making the source code of CalCAT available to the public.
• Additionally, the Governor has directed that the state’s COVID-19 data be open and machine-readable, except to preserve privacy; that data be provided via dashboard, on California’s open data portal; and that the data be available by direct connection to a database.
• The goal is to refine California’s and our counties’ insights and knowledge, and to spur collaboration with other states and researchers.

CalCAT includes:

• “Nowcasts,” the rate at which COVID-19 is estimated to be spreading;
• Short-term forecasts, which show what various models predict will happen over the next few weeks in California; and
• Scenarios, which show what could happen over the next few months under different conditions.

• The California COVID Assessment Tool can be found at calcat.covid19.ca.gov. 
• The open-source code is found at https://github.com/StateOfCalifornia/CalCAT.

The Governor also reviewed the key indicators, which remained consistent with the numbers that were reported earlier this week. There were no decreases to the key indicators and the state remains vigilant to ensure the escalations reported do not become trends.  The Governor was tenacious with his message that the power and effectiveness of our individual actions are extremely important to continuing to control the spread of the virus.  He urged all Californians to wear a mask when out in public, practice physical distancing, to wash our hands, and to answer the call if a contact tracer attempts to reach you. 

 

Economic Development

I wanted to take a moment to highlight our Economic Development team’s recent efforts. They have been focused on helping our local business safely and successfully transition to being able to open their doors again. A few initiatives and some of the assistance that has been provided to date related to PPE supplied to our local businesses:

• 315 businesses requesting masks and hand sanitizer
• 55,470 thousand masks requested
• 1,350 bottles of sanitizer requested
• 178 businesses picked up at our scheduled two day pick up @theGrounds  (Monday and Tuesday this week)
• 79 businesses are being hand delivered their masks and hand sanitizer today by Economic Development staff

They have done an outstanding job! Great work!

News and Notes

We continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 developments within our City, Placer County and the surrounding area. As I am sure most of you are aware, the number of COVID-19 positives continues to rise in both Placer County and the State of California as a whole. Two factors we are keeping a very close eye on are case rate per 100,000 and testing positivity rate. In short, the state monitoring indicators have triggers in place for Placer County. If we were to see a case rate of over 100 per 100,000 people and a positivity rate above 8%, that would exceed the established maximums. The latest information places these numbers at 62 per 100,000 and 4% on the positivity rate.

Placer County specific information related to COVID-19:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

 

Deeper Dive to Place County Statistics: https://www.placer.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/45352/COVID19-Update-Placer-0619#:~:text=As%20of%20June%2018%2C%20Placer,varied%20since%20the%20pandemic%20began.

 

I know I sound like a broken record, but again, I cannot say thanks enough for all of the efforts from everyone to allow us to thrive during this challenging period! I appreciate all that you do! On a side note, with no sports to watch I am on the lookout for some good Netflix recommendations, so send them my way if you have one? Keep up the great work and stay well!

 

All the best,

Dom

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Updated June 19:

Good afternoon City Team:

I hope this email finds you well on this hot Friday afternoon. Well it’s been another action packed week with many significant happenings, both in the community and for us an organization. A few items of note and latest developments are listed below.

Updated State Guidance

The California Department of Public Health just released an updated guidance that requires Californians to wear a face covering in high-risk settings.

The Governor stated that the need for the new guidance was due to the fact that “. . .we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered – putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease.” Today's guidance mandates the use of cloth face coverings by the general public statewide when outside the home, with limited exceptions.

Primary elements of the guidance are:

Californians must wear face coverings when they are in the situations listed below: 

• Inside of, or in line to enter, any indoor public space; 
• Obtaining services from the healthcare sector in settings including, but not limited to, a hospital, pharmacy, medical clinic, laboratory, physician or dental office, veterinary clinic, or blood bank; 
• Waiting for or riding on public transportation or paratransit or while in a taxi, private car service, or ride-sharing vehicle; 
• Engaged in work, whether at the workplace or performing work off-site, when: 
  • Interacting in-person with any member of the public;  
  • Working in any space visited by members of the public, regardless of whether anyone from the public is present at the time;  
  • Working in any space where food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution to others;  
  • Working in or walking through common areas, such as hallways, stairways, elevators, and parking facilities;  
  • In any room or enclosed area where other people (except for members of the person’s own household or residence) are present when unable to physically distance. 
• Driving or operating any public transportation or paratransit vehicle, taxi, or private car service or ride-sharing vehicle when passengers are present. When no passengers are present, face coverings are strongly recommended. 
• While outdoors in public spaces when maintaining a physical distance of six feet from persons who are not members of the same household or residence is not feasible. 

 

The following individuals are exempt from wearing a face covering: 

• Children aged two and under; 
• Persons with a medical, mental health, or developmental disability that prevents wearing a face covering; 
• Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication; 
• Persons for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.  
• Persons who are obtaining a service involving the nose or face for which temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service; 
• Persons who are seated at a restaurant or other establishment that offers food or beverage service, while they are eating or drinking, provided that they are able to maintain a distance of at least six feet away from persons who are not members of the same household or residence; 
• Persons who are engaged in outdoor work or recreation such as swimming, walking, hiking, bicycling, or running, when alone or with household members, and when they are able to maintain a distance of at least six feet from others; 

 

We’re still working through all of this, but please let me know us know if you have specific questions related to this. I understand that there are different and even polarizing views on face coverings, however, it is not optional any longer. We have followed the State Order to this point and we will continue to do so.

If you have a health condition that prohibits you from wearing one, I ask that you work through Human Resources to provide the necessary documentation for the accommodation. We will have additional information coming out early next week on these updates.  

City Council Updates

During the last few weeks, Council has tackled some very big items. Some of those include:

1. Discussing, modifying and finalizing the desired Charter Review Commission recommendations that will be on the ballot this fall.
2. Approval of the FY2020-21 “status quo” budget. As previously mentioned, it is our intent to go back to City Council in October to present a revised budget once we have more information related to our financial situation. The big items of note: How much total revenue loss have we experienced, how long will the recovery take, and will we receive any stimulus funding. These are literally million dollar questions.
3. The City Council asked staff to develop a public engagement effort around making Roseville a community that feels inclusive to everyone. This includes raising awareness, working with community partners, having conversations and taking action. I’m working with staff to develop the framework to explore those ideas, and will have more information in the near future.  I plan to align our external effort with our internal effort as this is a priority for Council and our organization.

 

News and Notes

We continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 developments within both our City, Placer County and the surrounding area. While the trends continue to show an increase in positive tests, the positivity rate and hospital capacities are still in good shape.

Placer County specific information related to COVID-19:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

Continue to fine-tune processes on COVID reopening

• Ryan DeVore, Assistant City Manager is the Incident Commander for Reopening City Facilities
• Specific questions about reopening should be directed to your Department Heads, who are providing them to Ryan for review and consistency. These questions also help us anticipate needs and mitigate for unintended consequences in our overall planning. Keeping our employees safe is our number one goal, while providing services to the community.
• As a full-service city with widely varying lines of business, I recognize and expect that we will see variance at the department and division level of the ways we apply guidelines and implement practices. What you will see consistently across the board is a concern for the health and safety of our staff and the people we serve. If you have concerns or see ways we can improve, I’m counting on you to bring these forward. That kind of teamwork makes our city stronger.

Organizational Culture & Leadership

The OC&L Team met this week to 1) follow up on items from the WorkPulse survey and 2) discuss a research project the city has been invited to participate in.

• WorkPulse follow-up:

Childcare Resource Group: If you’d like a chance to chat with colleagues about childcare issues, decisions, and concerns, or maybe just to share insights and tips, you can sign up here. It’s a chance to connect, without a set agenda, and the participants can determine when, whether, and how often it wants to meet. OC&L Committee members Stefanie Kemen (Public Works) and Angela Bal (IT) will facilitate via Teams meetings with those who sign up.

• City Employee Research Project with SacState/UPenn

An exciting development…Because of our extensive work in organizational culture over the years, the City of Roseville has been invited to participate in a study jointly conducted SacState’s College of Business Administration and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, which will further inform our organizational culture efforts.  Prof. Hakan Ozcelik joined the OC&L Team meeting this week to provide an overview and answer questions.

The City of Roseville first worked with Professors Hakan Ozcelik and Sigal Barsade in 2008, and the Communications Climate Study that resulted has been an important part of the communications module in our Supervisory Academy ever since. Together, they conducted ground-breaking research on workplace loneliness as featured in the Harvard Business Review. The US Surgeon General later declared loneliness an epidemic and much scholarly and wellness focus has been directed to the topic in the years since. 

Not only are the professors who are conducting the research renowned for their work in this field, but they are providing this $60,000 study at no cost to the city. We’re grateful our focus on organizational culture can continue in such a meaningful way despite the budget challenges we face due to the pandemic.

Employees will be asked to complete the Time 1 survey the week of June 29-July 3, before city offices reopen to the public on July 6. Timing is critical as the survey examines variables that affect the strength of workplace teams during the separation of the pandemic. A Time 2 survey will take place later this summer and the results will be shared with us in early fall. The study takes about 15 minutes to complete. It’s critical that every one of our regular staff members at every level of the organization participates.

The study is anonymous; no city staff will ever have access to the raw data. The survey is being administered on the same platform (Qualtrics) as our WorkPulse survey last month and being overseen by these universities. We will get the results this fall and Prof. Ozcelik will present the initial insights we can start to use.

 

Update on Boards & Commissions meetings

We will plan to resume a regular schedule of boards and commission meetings in August in the Council Chambers. The exception is the Planning Commission, which needs to hold a meeting in July. Please check in with your department director for specifics related to your department board or commission. In addition, we are working on engagement efforts for the General Plan Update, and the Housing Element, which are both significant efforts.

This is a fluid plan, as we continue to receive frequents updates on guidelines associated with public meetings and gatherings. Technically, under the State Order gatherings, with their own specific guidelines are only permitted for: weddings, protests, and in places of worship.

As I wrap up this update, I want to thank everyone for all of their hard work, and flexibility in this unusual setting. While I appreciate the efficiency and flexibility the virtual environment provides, I can see that oftentimes context or tone can be missed in these interactions. I ask that you continue to give one another the benefit of the doubt in those situations and if something doesn’t seem right, ask. With all that’s going on we need to be acutely focused on our organizational relationships and culture more than ever.

Roseville is a great City to live, work, and play and we will continue to work to make sure it is. One way we do this is by ensuring all people feel safe and secure in our community and by continuing to work together to prevent problems and protect those in need. This work will never be complete, as we can always do better, and that continuous improvement is part of our culture, it’s who we are.

I hope you have a great weekend and very Happy Father’s Day. I appreciate all that you do, please keep up the great work, and be kind to one another!

 

Stay well,

Dom

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Updated June 13:

Hello City Team:

Happy Friday! I wanted to take a moment and provide you an update with the latest information regarding COVID-19 and City Operations.

Phase II & III Reopening

Following the release of additional guidance from the California Department of Public Health last Friday, additional businesses and activities from Stages 2 and 3 may reopen in Placer County as soon as June 12, after implementing guidance and developing safety plans to address COVID-19.

Businesses and activities eligible for reopening include:

• Schools and school-based programs
• Day camps
• Hotels, lodging and short-term rentals (for tourism and individual travel)
• Campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation
• Professional sports without live audiences
• Music, film and television production
• Gyms and fitness centers, including pools
• Family entertainment centers
• Zoos, museums, galleries and aquariums
• Bars and wineries; and
• Cardrooms and racetracks

Given this new information, our Parks, Recreation & Libraries Department will be resuming the following services in the coming weeks:

• June 15 – Roseville Sports Center – use of fitness equipment only
• June 15 – Intro to STEM Camp at Riley Library
• June 22 – Michael Shellito Indoor Pool – lap swim only
• June 29 – Adventure Camps at elementary school sites
• June 29 – Sparks Camp at Kaseberg and Woodbridge Parks
• June 29 – Roseville Sports Center – group fitness classes offered
• July 6 – Roseville Aquatics Complex – swim lessons only (tentative pending guidance, not public information at this point)

                          

I have also included an attachment that outlines one of the most recent updates from Dr. Sisson. Perhaps some of you are aware that we have had a roughly 35% increase in positive COVID-19 tests within Placer County over the last week. While this is something to pay attention to, it does not create the need to toggle back any of the attestation triggers. There was an expectation of an increase in COVID-19 cases, due in part to additional testing that was occurring and the increase in public interactions with businesses opening. I have included a few of the charts below that outline the criteria. As you will see, we are still clearly under the thresholds in nearly every category.

Placer County specific information related to COVID-19:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

 

Reopening City Additional Facilities

We are still on target to reopen the majority of our offices and forward facing public services on July 6^th. Initial staffing levels will be greatly minimized and aligned to allow base level in person options for the community. There continues to be a great deal of planning, logistical and operational discussions to ensure we do this in a manner that keeps our staff and customers as safe as possible. Our goal is to be reasonably consistent throughout the organization, but we also understand there are unique differences between certain departments that will require some tailored approaches. Look for additional information in the coming days from your individual departments.

Some of the things to expect universally:

• Use of app for staff members to self-report fit for work criteria (temperature maximums and symptom free of designated COVID-19 symptoms)

  

• Glass or plexi-glass barriers at high traffic public counters
• Enhanced cleaning protocols
• Physical distancing
• Required training for all staff related to re-opening protocols/requirements
• Signage
• Use of masks as appropriate

 

OC&L

A final report on the citywide WorkPulse survey and next steps has been provided from the Organizational Culture & Leadership Committee. I’ve met with the committee members and department heads and support the next steps that emerged. I want to thank each of you for your candidness. I reviewed all the comments from people in every department in the city and sharing your perspectives is what strengthens us as an organization. We’ll be doing some additional surveys in the near future to keep a pulse on our organization.

News and Notes

As I am sure you are aware, there has been national, regional and local demonstrations related to police reform. Our entire Police Department team has done a terrific job being a positive influence through this entire situation. Roseville PD has an excellent record of treating all people fairly and equitably. The first link below is designed to answer many of the questions we have received related to this movement. The second is of a recent story from our local CBS affiliate on the 8 Can’t Wait initiative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teQ0ZHLY1lM&feature=youtu.be

https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/06/09/8-cant-wait-roseville-pd-says-they-already-follow-most-protocols-suggested-in-national-campaign/

 

I still have a hard time believing it is mid-June, but I truly cannot say thanks enough for all of the efforts to date that have allowed us to keep our municipal pump primed to deliver services to the community. The entire city team is made up of rock stars, and no I am not lip-syncing that, I am singing it… out of tune no doubt. Seriously, I really appreciate everyone’s positive attitudes, flexibility, and extra effort in this trying time. We will continue to do our very best to anticipate needs and work to communicate changes as they are necessary, based on up to date and accurate information. Again, thank you and keep up the great work! I hope you all have a great weekend and stay well!

 

All the best,

Dom

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Updated May 23:

Greetings City Team:

Happy Weekend!

I believe this is the 12^th or 13^th edition of the Roseville Chronicles. Safe to say I don’t have a future career in print media, as I seem to miss my word count target basically every week. This update takes on a little different flavor, as there is a bit more outward facing information included.

Environmental Scan

• The Governor's  revised May budget indicated significant budget shortfalls at the State level to the tune of $54 billion
• Record level of unemployment and lost wages are being recorded across the State, as high as 18%
• The supply chain for personal protective equipment is improving, but still strained
• Many businesses that are not included in Stage 2 are anxious to reopen and awaiting the State guidelines. Many are reopening ahead of the State Order. 
• As a city we continue to provide a wide variety of services and monitor the fiscal situation. We continue to slow our spending in anticipation of budget shortfalls

 

Phase 2 Reopening

A little over a week ago, Placer County completed the attestation process with the State of California and was officially granted permission to move into phase 2 of the response plan. As I had previously mentioned, we as a city had pushed for local control and expressed the need to start to allow our local businesses to re-open. We play a very distinctive role moving forward, in that, while we do not write the playbook, we are tasked with its execution. This is a role we absolutely welcome, but with it also comes with challenges. The following represents some of the items we’re currently grappling with:

• Businesses are opening who have moved too quickly and are not aligned with phase 2 reopening.
• Trying to strike a balance of supporting the State Order currently in place, while also understanding the trials and tribulations a number of our businesses have undergone in the last few months. Unfortunately, many businesses will not rebound.
• Public opinion of what is and is not allowed under the current order. Additionally this could also be broken down into what people believe should or should not be open. This ranges from one end of the spectrum to the other. There are strong opinions on both sides. We continue to do our best to represent them all equitably.
• Information continues to come in quickly and change just as quickly regarding COVID-19, making it a difficult environment to make strategic decisions in. It makes anticipating needs, and having multiple plans that much more important in this time of uncertainty.
• Residents and businesses are having a difficult time with the inconsistencies of the State Order, and why some similar businesses or activities are not allowed now.
• Protocols and procedures needed for the future reopening of our offices. The following is a link to an article that discusses some of these items. There is a great deal of conversation around this

https://www.publicceo.com/2020/05/part-ii-reopening-city-hall-during-covid-19/

 

Employee Survey

Survey closed yesterday and last I checked we had over 500 submissions. This is a very valuable tool that will help guide our approach and thought process moving forward. I hope that you had the opportunity to take it.

Our City Budget

Preparing a budget for a full-service city always has its share of unknown variables. Doing so in the midst of an economic shutdown during a global pandemic elevates the task to a new level of uncertainty.

It requires reprioritizing and adapting as the economy reopens. As restrictions are lifted in phases, we’ll have a clearer picture of our revenue outlook and whether the City will be reimbursed for additional expenses related to the crisis response.

It is impossible to anticipate at this point how long and how deep the economic downturn will last. Yet, Roseville’s conservative approach to budgeting has withstood the test of time, allowing for cautious optimism.

The following provides a link to both my budget message and also our proposed FY2020-21 budget.

City Manager’s Budget Message

https://www.roseville.ca.us/cms/one.aspx?pageId=8920635

 

News and Notes

The week of May 17-23 represents National Public Works Week. The theme for this year is "The Rhythm of Public Works". The theme challenges public works professionals and our citizens to think about their communities as a symphony of essential services, working in concert to create a great place to live. Every community has a rhythm, a heartbeat that reflects its essence and tempo of life. Hats off this week to our outstanding Public Works team!

Galleria Mall opened its doors today with plans for a gradual ramp up, only about 40 % of the stores opened.

Roseville Parks, Rec & Libraries’ Virtual Recreation was featured on Good Day Sacramento

Family Meal Roseville was featured in Comstock’s magazine

ABC10 covered the reopening of Placer County with a focus on Roseville last week

 

Placer County specific information related to COVID-19:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

I continue to be very appreciative of all of the hard work I see occurring each day to ensure our residents and businesses are getting the support they need in this challenging time. The innovation and commitment to excellence is inspiring. I am looking forward to seeing more businesses being allowed to safely open, and getting our state and local economy back up and running. I recognize this concerns some folks, but there has to be balance, and following the State Order is the best course of action for our Community and City. I hope that you have a great weekend and stay cool, it looks like it’s going to be a hot one! We will get through this together! Stay well!

 

Dom

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Updated May 15:

Greetings City Team:

Hard to believe we’re nearly two months into our response to the pandemic. I keep saying this, but I am so impressed with the positive spirit, innovation, and flexibility you all continue to display in the face of this pandemic, the drive to serve our community, the ingenuity to identify different ways to solve our challenges and ultimately this spirit is what makes Roseville such a great place. Rock stars abound in this organization!

Phased reopening

After much deliberation, feedback, and discussion the last few days regarding the right time to reopen the city as an organization I have come to a decision. We will plan for the first phase of opening to the public to occur on July 6, 2020. I have based this off of a few assumptions and criteria:

• The Governor’s Order still strongly encourages those who can telecommute, to do so through stage 2.  We continue to successfully provide a large majority of our services remotely. With a few exceptions like passports, cash utility payments, and possibly some over the counter functions for permitting. I have received minimal complaints from the public outside of Park amenities, which has been mostly resolved with restrooms reopening.  
• The inconsistencies and industry guidance on proper PPE and enforcing them with the public and staff has been and continues to be very concerning to me. The next couple of weeks should clear some of this up, but currently it is still fairly murky.
• Opening prematurely would needlessly increase potential exposures, increase PPE use, and could result in operational impacts as businesses open up and we experience a greater demand for our service in the coming weeks or month.
• The challenges with school closures is resulting in a greater demand for childcare and the need for parents to assist their kids with school curriculum.
• Outlier issues can be handled case by case as they arise, we have been very good at pivoting quickly to meet those challenges and I am confident we can continue to do so.
• The policy and legislative landscape continues to make operating, at a greater capacity very challenging.

 

The reason for opening would not be functional, it would be more philosophical. Do we want to lead the effort in a show of confidence and strength, or respond to pressure being created from outside of the organization to open up? After much thought, I really believe that the cons, clearly outweigh the pros for opening up any sooner than the date listed above.

We all have different roles to play, and fortunately some roles can be fulfilled more readily in a remote capacity. We have a diverse organization with multiple business lines, so there will be some inconsistencies as a result of that, but I hope by now everyone knows that we place a high value on everyone’s safety and health equally. 

We will continue to assess the needs over the coming weeks and see if a demand rises as result of businesses reopening that we can no longer continue to meet remotely. However, short of that we should all be targeting July 6, 2020 for opening for public services.

As an aside, this does not include some of the curbside operations and other accommodations you have already come up with. I feel it is safe and appropriate to continue with those. This will also give us some time to better understand the landscape and to plan for appropriate PPE’s according to industry guidelines, the processes to apply them, and the necessary training for post COVID-19 work place etiquette. Please feel free to share your thoughts, or let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Employee Survey

Be on the lookout for the survey from the OC&L Committee on Monday. The following provides an outline of what’s to come on that front. 

• Monday, May 18—Survey link to all employees
• Friday, May 22—Survey closes
• Week of June 1 – Results shared with everyone
• Late-July—Do another survey to see how things are going after we all come back

 

Government tops list of most trusted institutions

I found the following to be very interesting and it really emphasizes the critical role we’re all playing right now. In its annual survey, Edelman Trust Barometer announced that since January, for the first time in its 20-year history of measuring which institutions Americans (and Californians) trust the most, government tops the list. During the presidential election year of 2016, it was friends on social media who were most trusted. Last year, employers held that spot. This change is significant and reflects “the public is relying on the government to protect them in a manner not seen since World War II.” Government is the only institution trusted by the mass population at the moment.

Our City has enjoyed an unusually high degree and trust and confidence in our community when we and others have measured this several times in the recent past. We received confidence levels in the high 90^th percentile with error margins that put us close to 100 percent. In 2019, while other cities in our region lost trust, Roseville gained trust.

It’s the policy actions and daily interactions that add up to build this level of trust with the community we serve. Residents and businesses look to us to help protect their health, safety, and their economic interests during this pandemic. We take this responsibility seriously and place a high level of importance on being both responsive and proactive.

Innovative Program of the Week

Each week I like to highlight various innovative programs and services we are providing our community. This week, I’m proud to announce the launch of "Recreation to Go" activity kits.  "Recreation to Go" is a program that allows families to receive themed, interactive monthly activities for the whole family to enjoy.  Staff continue to find creative ways to provide recreational offerings during this challenging time, and are excited to offer this educational and enriching opportunity for families at home.  

Each month the kit is filled with activities that are hands-on, interactive, and easy-to-do.  All activities come with instructions and all the materials needed to complete the projects.  Order one kit a month or subscribe for three months at a time, saving $12.  Have multiple kids at home?  Order a Sibling Kit with double the materials, and additional activities.  Residents can choose free monthly pick-up at Maidu Community Center, or pay a nominal fee for home delivery by PRL staff.  Individual kits are $29/monthly, or $75 for a three-month subscription.  Sibling kits are $49/month.

Families can reserve kits online by visiting the City's website

 

Family Meal Roseville update

Thank you to our awesome staff, Council members, and your families who are quickly filling up the volunteer spots for Family Meal Roseville! In the first hour we announced this to our staff, you filled 30% of the spots. Through the City’s Invest Health partnership with the Health Education Council, we’ve been at this two weeks now, serving about 400 meal kits (1600 meals) from 3 restaurants to residents each week. Roseville Transit is delivering meals from restaurants to sites, and Roseville Electric and Roseville Firefighters are providing in-kind and monetary support. Because of the generosity of community organizations and individuals the first week, the program is expanding.  Next week, we’ll announce more restaurants and sites for distribution. We may need more volunteers, too, so check back if you’d and your family would like to help out. Check out the Facebook page and this video to get an idea of what the program’s about and join us before it ends in late June.

 

Placer County specific information related to COVID-19:

https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

 

Lastly, With Placer County being one the first Counties in California to receive the green light, form the Governor to move fully into stage 2 we will begin to experience more activity in our community. As this occurs we will see places like the Westfield Galleria and many restaurants reopen, so please continue to be vigilant with maintaining your space, covering your face when you cannot maintain space, and practicing good hand hygiene. This is important for keeping yourself and your family safe and healthy. Again, I appreciate everyone’s efforts, and I am looking forward to seeing you all again (in person) soon. I hope you all have a great weekend! Keep up the great work!

 

Cheers,

Dom

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Updated May 1:

I hope everyone had a great week and is ready to enjoy some fantastic weather this weekend. I am anticipating spending this weekend in ways other than completing another “home project”.  I will attempt to keep this week’s update rather brief, not sure I succeeded in that...

Phased reopening

On April 28, there was a news conference at the State Capitol hosted by State Senator Nielsen and Assembly member Gallagher. Roseville Mayor John Allard was invited to participate based on the letter sent to Placer County last week, requesting that the County

1. Urge the state to allow unties a greater degree of autonomy in reopening based on local health data
2. Start forming industry advisory groups so cohesive planning can begin for various phases of safe reopening

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article242351746.html

We are encouraged that the governor’s recent remarks are reflecting the points that the City wanted to see progress on.

Placer County’s local health order has now expired and residents will be guided by the governor’s Executive Order to shelter in place — removing any confusion over areas of difference between the two orders. This transition will allow a focus on planning for a phased reopening in partnership with local governments, health care, business and other stakeholders, as well as regional and state partners. 

The following represent the State’s approach to reopening:

Resilience Roadmap Stages

• STAGE 1: Safety and Preparedness- making essential workforce environment as safe as possible. (This is the current stage)
• STAGE 2: Lower Risk Workplaces- Creating opportunities for lower risk sectors to adapt and re-open. Modified school programs and childcare re-open.
• STAGE 3: Higher Risk Workplaces-Creating opportunities for higher risk sectors to adapt and re-open.
• STAGE 4: End of Stay-At-Home Order-Return to expanded workforce in highest risk workplaces. Requires Therapeutics

 

Fiscal Impacts

The proposed FY2020-21 budget we intend to present to the City Council will not include any service level reductions. As mentioned in previous emails, we will look to the numerous existing strategies in place (hiring freeze, pause of non-essential CIP’s, savings for the remainder of this FY, etc), as well as the utilization of our strategic reserve to cover the projected gaps (just as it was intended).

There is still great difficulty in accurately forecasting what the severity of the fiscal impacts. The information below gives you some ideas as to the things we are watching closely and some of the assumptions we are currently utilizing.

• There is not a clear line between brick-and-mortar and internet sales. For example, Nordstrom makes sales in physical stores, online, and a hybrid scenario where a customer in a physical store is helped by an employee to place an online order. Sales tax records are not differentiated between brick-and-mortar and online, because many retailers offer both options.
• Roseville’s three top General Fund tax revenues are sales tax, property tax, and Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT).
• Sales tax ($59m Bradley Burns/$16m Measure B in adopted FY20 budget)
  • Roseville voters approved a 1/2 % Local Sales Tax in November 2018 (effective April 1, 2019) in order to maintain essential services. This revenue was used to avoid cutting services in FY20, to cover modest augmentations, and to fund an economic stabilization reserve.
  • General Retail, Food Products (restaurants and food markets), and Transportation (Auto sales and service stations) combined comprise approximately 70% of the City’s sales tax revenue. The remaining 30% is construction, business-to-business and health/gov/misc.
  • With our tax consultants input, we are forecasting sales tax revenue to take at least a couple years to return to pre-pandemic levels.
• Property tax ($49m in adopted FY20 budget)
  • Given fiscal uncertainty, it is too soon to know how property values will be affected by this recession. Property tax revenue for FY21 is already set based on the 1/1/2020 assessed valuation.
• TOT ($4m in adopted FY20 budget)
  • We are assuming hotels will recover to almost 100% of pre-pandemic activity by June 2021.
• Roseville established and funded an economic stabilization reserve over the past year, funded with the 1/2 % Local Sales Tax and FY19 budget surplus resources.
• With cost control measures and a potential draw from the stabilization reserve, we are cautiously optimistic.
• Given the fiscal uncertainty, we plan to return to City Council in October with a budget update and adjustments as necessary.

 

Staff Engagement

We are in the process of finalizing a staff survey that will be sent out to the entire City team. Our hope is to use this as a tool to help gain the best possible understanding of staff needs and concerns related to moving forward. Look for this in the coming days.

I am also considering a virtual “City Townhall” for any interested staff. Let me know if you think something like this might be of value.  Along those lines, I would really appreciate any feedback related to what you want to hear from me on in the weekly updates. Just to sweeten the pot, the first three people who reply to me with a suggestion, will get lunch on Dion, Ryan and Dennis. They do not know that yet, so I will bring them up to speed on who the winners are on Monday. 

The State of California is building a roadmap for modifying the statewide stay-at-home order while maintaining community health. Californians are invited to give input on the best way to reopen different sectors of our economy. 

Take the survey.

Family Meal Roseville

The Health Education Council, with support from many different restaurants and some financial assistance from the City of Roseville, is driving this pilot project. This program is designed to help those who are currently food deprived and in need of assistance.

Currently it is set to run for six weeks with $50,000 from the City. We anticipate over 1,680 meals will be provided each week to 420 residents. That is over 10,000 meals total in the six-week run. Additionally, we received word from Placer Community Foundation that they are recommending a $20,000 grant from their COVID-19 Relief Fund to Family Meal Roseville to their board.

I would like to thank Megan MacPherson for all of her work in helping to bring this much needed program to fruition. For those interested, look for potential upcoming opportunities to volunteer for this great program.

COVID-19 Statistics for Placer County

If you want detailed metrics related to COVID-19 in Placer County, the link below might be helpful. https://placer.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2e0154ae8a764c2fb8cccc5b58d5ce8e

KUDOS To You

I would like to give a big shout out to our Environmental Utilities Department, and specifically our Refuse Drivers for displaying the community spirit that makes Roseville what it is. You all ROCK!

https://www.kcra.com/article/roseville-boy-garbage-truck-birthday-parade-coronavirus/32335397

 

Lastly, as we look at returning to a sense of normalcy post COVID-19 our community’s resilience and ability to come back stronger will be strengthened by investing, planning, and preparing now. 

When the 2008 Great Recession rolled across the world, cities and businesses that looked hard at priorities, evaluating and growing talent, and continuing to make smart investments in those areas bounced back faster. Those lessons seem a good start now to prepare for our Covid-19 recovery as a City and Community.

Please continue to remain vigilant in keeping your space, washing your hands, and working to stay healthy. Thank you for all that you do! Keep up the great work!

All the best,

Dom

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Updated April 25:

Greetings City Team:

I hope this email finds you all well and looking forward to enjoying the rest of the weekend. I continue to be inspired by the quality work and how committed each of you are to making sure we are meeting our community’s needs.

Each day I learn of a new, creative way that you are working to deliver a particular service. Again, I cannot say thanks enough. As mentioned during my last email, we have begun the transition to discussing how we safely open back up.

Phased reopening

First, I want to be clear. We will comply with State/County guidelines to be sure we have a safe and healthy work environment for all of us.

During our department head meeting Thursday, the bulk of the discussion centered on phased reopening. Here are the types of categories our departments and divisions are considering in creating a phasing plan for resuming work functions. The first phase could be as early as May 4^th depending on what we hear from the Placer County Health Officer or the Governor on this subject.

1.     Emergency/Essential tasks in alignment with the County/State stay at home order (vital to maintaining safe, reliable, immediate services to maintain public safety levels)

2.     Important tasks in alignment with a County/State stay at home order with some easing (first things we will roll out as things get better and which departments/employees are involved – critical deferred maintenance, resume some crew work, etc.)

3.     Preferable tasks/activities in alignment with the removal of a County/State stay at home order with heavy limitations (i.e. routine deferred maintenance, open some parks and outdoor amenities, resume most crew work, where social distancing is possible, etc.)

4.     Typical tasks/amenities with restrictions in alignment with some County/State social limitations (i.e. open all parks and outdoor facilities, all outdoor employees resume work with social distancing, most indoor work with social distancing)

Some of the discussion centers around what type of safety measures will be required (for both staff and citizens), such as:

• distancing with Full PPE
• distancing with N95
• distancing with facing coverings
• Use of barriers (similar to what you see at some grocery stores now)
• Just distancing, hand washing, hand sanitizer, gloves, etc.
• Temperature checks and/or symptom screening

 

The link below shows some of the media coverage related to Roseville and reopening:

https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/04/23/roseville-reopening-plan/

Clearly, we have found levels of productivity to be quite high working from home in certain capacities; in addition, we are in the process of creating a long-term policy that will allow us to blend this into our ongoing operations. Having said that, I want to make sure we strike the right balance. Without question, we also have to maintain the ability to interact with colleagues, exchange ideas, provide mentorship, train, build culture, etc. It is important to point out that this will take place over several weeks and phases in an effort to ensure we can do it as effectively and safely as possible. More to come on this later in the week.

Placer County Board of Supervisors

On Tuesday (4-21-2020), Mayor Allard took the opportunity to speak at the Placer County Board of Supervisors meeting. The focus of the Mayor’s address was on the importance of beginning a safe reopening of businesses within our collective region. He emphasized the need to do that thoughtfully and in concert with other south Placer communities. You can see the entire meeting at the link below.

https://www.placer.ca.gov/coronavirus/news (the Mayors remarks begin at the 46:15 mark)

FlashVote Results

This survey closed on Wednesday and we had terrific community participation (1,309 responses). Top concerns were long-term societal impacts on the economy, social norms and timing to reopen businesses. The data validates the community sentiment we have been hearing and reflects the perspective that Mayor Allard expressed to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

A few high level takeaways:

• 33% of respondents were not working by choice (retired, homemaker)
• 13% of respondents were not working/had been laid off/had hours or pay reduced
• 54% were still employed

 

The link below provides the results.

https://www.flashvote.com/roseville-ca/surveys/coronavirus-impacts-04-20

 

Roseville Cares

We continue to see a strong response to our Roseville Cares website. Along those lines, the governor has created a new initiative called the California Volunteer Task Force. This program focuses on ways to connect Californians with safe volunteer opportunities and encourages those unable to physically volunteer to think creatively about ways to make a difference in their communities. If you are home and unable to telework, perhaps consider how you might be able to volunteer for one of the many non-profits in need of help.

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/04/21/governor-gavin-newsom-launches-californiansforall-service-initiative/

Fiscal Impacts

We continue to monitor all of the financial data and are continually analyzing as new information becomes available. The fact of the matter is there is still a lot we do not know on this front. How long with last and how people respond once the orders are lifted just to name a couple.

Here is an infographic from the California League of Cities that gives an overview of the potential fiscal impact some California cities may face. I want to re-emphasize sound fiscal planning and discipline by the City makes us much better prepared to deal with this type of financial situation. However, they do not make us immune.

As you know, we have already begun measures to help maintain as much cash on hand as possible. Some of those include reducing all non-essential spending between now and the end of the fiscal year, postponing or delaying non-critical CIP projects, implementation of a hiring freeze and along with several other items. We will be providing a financial update at the City Council meeting on May 6^th.

Finally, the past several weeks have shown me that we are more resilient than we may think. We can handle more than we think and solve problems that at one time seemed unsolvable. We will continue to work our way thought this incident thoughtfully and strategically, and as we emerge things will look a little different for a while, but we will come out of this, together and we will be stronger for it. I hope this information has been helpful and I hope you have a great weekend! Keep up the great work!

 

Dom

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Updated April 20:

Dear City Team:

It’s been a little over a month since we went to mostly teleworking. This past week, discussions began at both the national and state levels about how to reopen the economy. In Placer County the numbers look good, we are doing a great job slowing the spread and flattening the curve of this virus in an effort to provide our medical community the time to build the needed capacity if needed. Given that, In our City, we are beginning these discussions as, looking at how we safely phase in our reopening over an extended period of time. This will be a process, not a onetime event.

Looking at a phased reopening

The health and safety of our staff and community remain our top priority. We will discuss what kinds of approaches to take with use of personal protective equipment (PPE), temperature checks for certain classifications, and social distancing. It may involve alternating days at the office with teleworking from home. Some of our staff have found levels of productivity to be quite high working from home, and we’ll want to explore how to make the most of that as we move forward. We’re looking at getting a telecommuting policy in place as part of how we do business going forward. Other employees have had not much, if any, work to do from home and are looking forward to getting back to providing services that are important to our community.

Many of our staff have children whose schools are closed the rest of the academic year and have to balance that with full-time jobs. Others are caring for loved ones who are older or otherwise in vulnerable populations. These are balancing acts we couldn’t have anticipated and the City will work with our staff to support you.

Revisions to latest order from Placer County Public Health

On Thursday, Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson provided further clarification and modification to the order she issued last week. It allowed our golf courses to open today, with safety and social distancing restrictions in place. It’s nonetheless welcome news as the weather gets warmer and people are looking for safe diversions out of the house. And to be frank, we welcome the revenue.

Our tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts remain closed, though, because we are unable to ensure that those who use them are “from the same household.” Similarly, our dog parks remain closed since we are unable to provide the required hand sanitizer, which is a condition of reopening and in short supply, or to ensure that visitors have their own. It’s another one of those situations where we’re balancing health and safety with resources and other safety priorities.

Making history—first all-virtual City Council meeting

Our City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 15 was conducted from everyone’s homes. Thanks to Public Affairs & Communications and IT for their quick, intense work to convert an in-person meeting to a virtual realm without missing a beat. You can watch the meeting live and on-demand on our YouTube channel. You can also see it on Comcast 14, Consolidated 73, and on our website. Online access has been a standard part of our transparency and communications for well over a decade.

We Are Roseville

Because you work for the City of Roseville, you are already part of the We Are Roseville campaign that kicked off a week ago. The goal is to remind people of our resiliency and to encourage hope, strength, and a sense of togetherness during this time of separation. 

So print one of our colorful signs from the website or color one of your own, take a photo with those you’re at home with and post it to social media with the hashtag #weareroseville.

We also want to remind people that the City is still here for our community. Take a look at the video and you’ll see your coworkers doing what it takes to keep things going.

FlashVote poll on Monday

Today, we’ll conduct a FlashVote poll for residents on impacts of COVID-19. It opens at 11 a.m. When the poll closes 48 hours later, participants will receive a copy of all of the results. Sign up at www.flashvote.com/rsvl

Roseville Cares

We’re getting strong response to our Roseville Cares website. If you are home and unable to telework, consider volunteering for one of many non-profits in need of help.

Resiliency

You continue to do an outstanding job providing services to the community. I know that our City Council and Community very much appreciate how much we have been able to continue to deliver this last month in an effort to keep our community moving, informed, engaged, safe, and healthy. Great work, keep it up.     

We continue to work through the fiscal challenges of COVID-19 given the significant impacts it has had on the global, federal, state, and local economy, as well as, the unknowns. I want to reassure you that we continue look at ways to protect our quality life and the services that we provide. We have been preparing for a downturn for the last couple of years, we created specific funds, both an emergency fund and a stabilization fund in anticipation of the next recession. We did this for the General Fund following a similar model to the Utilities, that have these in place as well.

While this does not make the City immune to these impacts it certainly puts us in a much better position to navigate the challenges ahead as we look to reopen our city, community, and economy. In addition to the reserves I just mentioned, we will continue to put measures in place to help slow spending the remainder of this fiscal year, in an effort to help close the deficit caused by significant revenue shortfalls as a result of COVID-19.

We will have more data at the end of this month regarding our revenues, and this will help us update our projections and gain a better understanding of the long and short term impacts to our City.

Just wanted to provide a few highlights after a busy week as we head into another one. I hope you all were able to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. Remember to take care of yourselves and one another.  Stay strong and stay connected, we got this Roseville. Thank you for all that you do!

 

Dom

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Updated April 13:

 

Hello City Team,

As we move forward during the COVID-19 pandemic, my top priorities as your City Manager are the health and safety of all employees, our community and the financial stability of our organization. Recent events and unprecedented extended business closures in California will have significant financial impacts to the City. There are still many unknowns related to projected revenue losses and how various stimulus packages could assist the City in navigating financial challenges.

We will do everything possible to preserve the jobs of City employees. We have navigated difficult times in the past and will continue to do so together in the future. This will require proactive steps to mitigate upcoming challenges and we need everyone working together to help each other.

To that end, I’m implementing the following changes effective immediately:

• A citywide hiring freeze that includes all full-time positions that are non-public safety essential or positions needed to meet new regulatory mandates. 
  • Positions where job offers were extended prior to today will move forward.
  • There will be a process for departments to ask for exceptions, however, those will be very limited.
• A moratorium on job reclassification requests.

These are not easy decisions, but they are best for the organization. I’ve asked Department Heads to determine if there’s another way to get the work done that the full-time positions were intended to do.

It’s important that you know that I fully recognize that not filling vacant positions likely will mean a reduction or change in service delivery in some cases, service levels, or in the range of services we’re able to provide. I appreciate that many staff members have been stretching to provide services until these positions were filled. Now with a hiring freeze in effect, it’s critical that we don’t burn ourselves out. We have to re-adjust expectations of ourselves and our teams in what we’re able to accomplish given the resources we have.  Supervisors need to have purposeful discussions with staff to reprioritize to the most important tasks and make the work manageable for the current team.

We’ve had employees inquire if a Voluntary Employee Severance Program similar to the one offered during the 2008-2009 economic downturn will be offered. There is no plan to offer those currently. The challenges and circumstances around this situation are different than the previous downturn.

My pledge to you is to keep you informed and be transparent as we work through the upcoming fiscal challenges we will face as an organization. I have never been more proud of you, our City employees, and everything you have done to help our community through this public health emergency. We will continue on our path and we will get through this together. Keep up the great work.

Dom

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Updated April 10:

 

Dear City Team:

As we round the corner on week three of the telework/stay-at-home situation, I hope first and foremost that you are healthy and safe and that your families are as well.

It’s a community effort to stay healthy and slow the spread of this virus and get back to the normalcy we desire. In the meantime, we are less connected in ways that are natural to us and more connected in new, virtual ways. In this new environment, I encourage you to take time to make a phone call or send a text, just to reach out and say hello to your friends and family a little more often. Make staying connected a priority, as it is all part of staying well.

To that end, we are here to help. We have placed some practical examples on, tips for self-care, ways of connecting with supportive people, or obtaining mental health services. You can read more here on the Hub, which you can now access from your personal device.

Stay-at-home order extended

The Governor recently extended the current statewide stay-at-home order from April 10 to “until further notice.” Statewide, the statistic show effective results from social-distancing measures, a slow of the spread, and an extension of the timeline of the most acute risk.  With this direction in mind, we have closed city facilities to the public “until further notice” as well.  For those working from home, that will continue until further notice as well.  

A new order was also sent out from the Placer County Health Official very late today. We are reviewing it and will continue to make necessary adjustments as required. I will continue to make communication and top priority through this situation as information becomes available.

Small businesses receive loans

We’ll be announcing the recipients of the City’s small-business stabilization loans next week. I want to commend Economic Development and Finance staff for their incredible efforts to make this assistance available so quickly. Checks started going out today. It’s a lifeline for small businesses in Roseville.

City Council goes virtual

We will have our first all-virtual City Council meeting on April 15. City Council members and staff will participate from home through Microsoft Teams. While it doesn’t offer the same user experience as Zoom, its security measures make up for it. As usual, the Council meeting will be livestreamed on the City’s YouTube channel and government-access channels on Comcast 14, Consolidated 73 and ATTUverse. The public can provide comment at [email protected] or (916) 774-5353.

People helping people

Our Roseville Cares website has been one of the most visited links from our enewsletter. We’re hearing positive feedback from the community about all the ways we can help each other. If you know of a non-profit that needs help or is offering help, please let them know about this site: www.roseville.ca.us/rosevillecares

We are Roseville

On a similar, community-building note, you will start seeing the We are Roseville initiative online and in-person starting this week, the brainchild of a group of communicators throughout the City.  The goal is to remind people of our resiliency and to encourage hope and a sense of togetherness.

It is a friendly look and feel that you can see at www.roseville.ca.us/weareroseville, where you can download a sign, take a picture with it and those you’re staying at home with, and post it on social media with the #weareroseville hashtag. We want to remind each other that what got us to this point as a community will also get us through this pandemic. 

Along with that, you will see some Spring Eggs on the trails, popping up here and there to hopefully delight trail users this weekend, remind them of health messages, and put a smile on their face. 

Our incredible staff

I continue to be in awe of how quickly we have pivoted from workplace sites to working from home. The level and quality of service remains exceptionally high, and it takes a huge amount of competence, trust, understanding, and support to meet these challenges and it will continue to do so.

So many areas of our operations have been significantly impacted by this stay at home order and with it the resulting legislation it amazes me how quickly and effectively our departments are able to adjust to meet the demands of what seems to be the new normal, at least in the short term.

Getting through this pandemic truly is a community effort that requires the efforts of all of us to protect the wellbeing of one another. It also requires an acute focus on self-care and a lot of understanding and grace of each other, so we emerge stronger than before as a team and as individuals.

I am confident we are up to the task. Thank you for all that you do to make Roseville such a great place to work, live, and play (at safe social distance).

 

Dom

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Updated April 4:

 

Dear City Team:

We’re wrapping up the end of our second full week of city offices being closed to the public and having staff work for home when possible. Our staff has stepped up to the challenge in incredible ways.

It feels like a month has passed in the span of a week. We saw a lot more changes at the state and national level, which has been widely covered in the media, so I won’t do that here. But on a local level, Placer County public schools announced they’ll be closed through the rest of the year. This adds pressure to families, including our own staff, in terms of childcare for the next couple of months. Updates to the Family and Medical Leave Act provide options and HR has outlined those by email and on the Hub. We know this will have an impact and we are looking into solutions.

We’ve had more changes at the City level as well:

We closed park restrooms, dog parks, tennis and basketball courts, in addition to the playground equipment and picnic shelters that were previously closed. We received a lot of concerns about lack of social distancing in all of those areas. This is a step to ensure our community’s safety.

Yesterday, Dr. Aimee Sisson, Placer County Public Health Officer, urged the public to wear face coverings as they do errands in public. Please note that the term “face covering” (and not mask) is specific and intentional. Face coverings minimize the risk of an infected person transmitting the virus to another. Masks are reserved for first responders and healthcare personnel. The City is not distributing face coverings or masks to the community, and particularly not at our police and fire stations. The graphic below provide great tips on the use of face coverings:



Human Resources and the Attorney’s Office have worked quickly to sift through the new legislation that hit the streets this week to let our staff know what it means to them. Please be sure to read the emails from Stacey Petersen. They are also posted on the Hub.

Speaking of the Hub, did you know you are able to access the Hub from your personal phones and home computers? We’ve seen traffic to the Hub drop dramatically these past two weeks and that’s unfortunate. As the majority of us aren’t working in the office, it’s critical to stay connected to the news and information you need to know from the City.

Our Economic Development team pulled off a herculean effort and reviewed nearly 300 applications from small businesses for a piece of the $1 million in zero-interest loans that the City made available through the Citizens Benefit Fund. We will be announcing the recipients next week. The staff is also doing webinars in conjunction with the Chamber and the Greater Sacramento Economic Council on resources available in Roseville to our businesses. They can get all the info at www.roseville.ca.us/businesshelp. It’s also linked from our /covid19 website.

Our Housing Authority is disbursing $500,000 in additional funds the City allocated from the Citizens Benefit Fund to prevent homelessness and promote rapid rehousing. This is in addition to the $6.4 million in federal funding the City administers annually for this purpose. People with questions and concerns about evictions and mortgages can see the FAQ on our /covid19 website.

We’ve received a lot of great information and offers of help from the community. We set up a Roseville Cares website www.roseville.ca.us/rosevillecares that can be accessed through our /covid19 website. It allows non-profits who are offering a service or need volunteer help to provide a service to connect with those in need or able to help.

Some of those helping our first responders with supplies are Restaurant Depot, Wal-Mart, and Starbucks. We’re so proud to have businesses in our community who truly care.

We posted signs at grocery stores in the city with the help of the Streets Division that have our /covid19 website and information line 916-774-5200. Staff from the City Clerk’s office and throughout the city have been fielding calls from concerned residents and business owners. I appreciate all you’re doing to help our community.

As you might expect, commercial waste collection is down and residential waste collection is up. We suspended fare collection on transit routes to lessen interaction between drivers and passengers, who now board at the middle of the bus. We’re working with utility customers on all aspects of how the crisis is affecting them, and are monitoring how this affects our rates. On our roadways, traffic is down significantly and so are traffic accidents. We’re seeing a lot more activity on our trail systems and most people are following trail etiquette for bike and pedestrian shared-use of the trails as well as social distancing guidelines. It’s an important amenity for our community every day, and now more than ever, for our physical and mental health.

We held our first City Council meeting where the public was not in physical attendance. Thanks to Public Affairs & Communications, the public was still able to participate via email, phoning in, and submitting written comments. We also continue to broadcast and livestream our City Council meetings on our website, YouTube, and Comcast 14, Consolidated 73, and AT&T Uverse. We are scheduled to hold our next one in the same manner on April 15. We’re only processing timely and urgent items off the consent agenda.

Our first responders continue to be on the front lines of an evolving and complex situation. We’re following protocols to ensure their health and safety as they support our community’s health and safety. I continue to have the greatest respect and admiration for their service and selflessness.

As for the rest of our city business not mentioned already, I continue to be inspired on a daily basis by your willingness to be flexible and adaptable to this situation as it evolves. To many in the community the transition has seemed to be seamless, but I know better. It is due your commitment, competence, work ethic, and strong character that we have been able to do this so successfully. It continues to be through leaders at all levels in the organization, teamwork, collaboration, and at times sheer will.  Thank you, for your continued support and encouragement. We will need it in the coming weeks and months.

As you have undoubtedly heard this is the beginning of this pandemic and it is not going away anytime soon. We will continue to see more cases over COVID-19 in the coming weeks. While the large majority of folks will recover, sadly some will not. We must be prepared to be there for one another and the community through this time. We must continue to do our part to help flatten the curve. In short, stay in your place, keep your space, and cover your face as we are being told by the Placer County Health Official.

There is no doubt that these are uncertain and challenging times on many fronts, but we will get through this, we will recover from this, together. Take care of yourself and one another, and in these times take extra precautions to stay safe and healthy.

 

Dom

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Updated March 27:

 

Dear City Team:

Today ends our first full week of being closed to the public and working remotely for those who can. It’s gone well. We’re keeping service levels up, operating in new ways, and being responsive to community needs. I continue to be amazed at the ingenuity and “can do” attitude of everyone. It has been inspiring and humbling all at the same time.

I wanted to share with you some key items from the City’s response, for ease of reading they are placed in council priority categories:

REMAIN FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE IN A CHANGING WORLD

Our staff

• Unfortunately, the lack of work for some of our temporary staff during this crisis has necessitated that we send layoff notices today to about 616 temporary staff members, mostly in Parks, Recreation and Libraries. We have 60 temporary staff whose jobs are still active during this closure.  This was unfortunate, but unavoidable given this current environment.
• The good news is that the City paid these staff members through this pay period that ended today. We did not suspend their pay when they stopped working.

  Budget

• We connected with other cities in the region to review revenue projections and operate with consistency based on forecasts, including from our sales tax consultant.
• We’re asking staff to review budget requests and be prepared to reduce new projects and staffing requests.
• We’re looking for opportunities to maximize reimbursement for COVID-19 related expenses, including staff time and materials.

  Utilities

• We established a Utility Revenue Task Force comprised of staff members to evaluate questions from commercial customers about bill payments and timelines.

• Our utility billing specialists are fielding calls from worried customers, some in tears, concerned about the next bill. We have advised them that we’re not disconnecting for non-payment at the present time. However, we are not promoting this, as we’ve heard that some customers misinterpret the message, thinking it means that they don’t have to pay.
• I really appreciate the work that you are doing in answering phone calls and emails throughout the city to support our community, especially during this emotional and scary time. I know it’s not easy, but it is appreciated.

   

  SUPPORT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ADVOCACY

  Legislative and Community Update

• The $2 trillion CARES Act was signed into law today. We advocated for certain provisions. We’ll be monitoring to see what opportunities ultimately emerged for our community.
• Governor Newsom today issued an executive order prohibiting residential evictions through May 31. We have updated our website’s FAQ section with this information.
• Placer County schools extended their closure through May 1. We know this will impact some of our employees and we will work with you to address it the best we can.
• Dr. Aimee Sisson provided this video update that has been very informative. It is the top story in today’s enewsletter from the City. Watch Dr. Sisson's report here

  Communications and Engagement

• Charter Review outreach—The public forums scheduled for the Charter Review have been cancelled. The update will be posted online for community review in order to keep up with deadlines for Council to review and determine what items to put on the November ballot.
• Enewsletter has gone from twice a month to twice a week. The one we sent on Tuesday went to 49,600 contacts and had 32% open rate overnight, double what we normally have. The next one went out today.
• City COVID resources—Our City COVID website has received over 10,000 hits. On Monday, we’ll placing a sign at grocery stores with that web address and a city phone number to call with questions. Billboards with this information go up this weekend on 65 and at the Automall to display this PSA. 
• Community concerns—The biggest concerns we’re seeing in community social media channels are the economic impacts of the crisis, particularly on small businesses, and evictions.
• Community outreach—The Sikh Temple and Bayside Church have reached out to the City Manager’s Office to offer help to the community. We advised of the new volunteer website we are creating.
• Volunteer website—This website is where non-profits can do two things: List volunteer opportunities available, and request volunteers to help with delivering services. We’re looking to get that online next week.
• Pop-up Parade—The Police and Fire departments held a pop-up parade this week. It was well received and the departments are looking to do more as time allows.
• Breaking the Internet—The Police’s Facebook post with photos of Canine Officer Lance hit 1.2 million engagements, a huge level of visibility. It has nearly 12,000 likes, 3,000 comments, and 15,000 shares.

   

  MAINTAIN A SAFE & HEALTHY COMMUNITY

• We want to consolidate inventory throughout the city of hand sanitizers and wipes. With the closure of offices and people working from home, we understand there are likely stashes of these critical items that are in short supply in various offices. Please let us know so we can get these items to Central Stores and have them available for staff who continue to work onsite since it is a challenge to obtain them now.
• We provided hand-washing stations to Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul this week, in addition to Gathering Inn.
• We suspended fare collections for transit to minimize interaction between passengers and drivers. Ridership is down 90%. We’re running fewer buses but the same routes; still needed for social distancing on board.
• We launched the rapid re-housing and homeless prevention funding for non-profits as well, and we’ll have an update on that next week.
• We’re using our changeable message signs on roadways to share brief messages on how to stay safe during the pandemic.
• The region is already seeing supplies running low of PPE, personal-protective equipment, in particular with hand sanitizer, masks, and gloves for first-responders and health care workers.

   

  ENHANCE ECONOMIC VITALITY

• We had nearly 1,000 inquiries about our business-loan program for which applications opened yesterday. We anticipate there will be more requests for more money than is available, as there was in Sacramento.
• We’ve linked to the Chamber’s resources page in our FAQs to promote businesses that are open.
• We’re looking into doing a webinar next week with the Chamber on resources at the local, state, and federal level to provide business help.

   

  DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL CITY SERVICES

• City Council meetings for 4/1 and 4/15 are set up for remote public participation by email, phone, and paper/pen.
• Utilities are operating normally. EU is seeing a steep decline in commercial waste pickups and an increase in residential waste.
• The shift to online development services, to the outside eye has been seamless. We have experienced an increase in inspections and plan reviews, and we have met the demand. Excellent work.

   

  INVEST IN WELL-PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE & GROWTH

• Permits and inspections continue.
• Lennar Homes announced its infrastructure activities will shut down, but homebuilding activity will continue.

 

It has been a challenging week for our nation, community, and staff. I continue to be impressed by your resiliency, effort, and agility in dealing with this fast paced and evolving situation. We will begin next week in the operational period of 3/30 to 4/05. Many decisions will be critical, but right now we are focusing on anticipating those that are both timely and critical.

Given all of the challenges above I still have to say it is a proud time to live and work in the City of Roseville. I appreciate all of your support and we will get through this together, stay strong.

Thanks,

Dom

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Updated March 23:

 

Dear City Team:

We made it through our first full weekend of the stay-at-home directive being in effect and our second full workday under these circumstances. Our operational and support services have been exceptional, even under these trying conditions. Thank you for stepping up, remaining engaged, and serving our community.

A deep thanks to our IT Department, who are key to making the telework situation so successful. They have stepped up in a big way to provide the ability for over 1000 of us to work remotely. I continue to keep our Police and Firefighters in my thoughts as well, as they continue to respond to this pandemic on the front lines, potentially risking exposure to themselves and their families, even with increased personal protection protocols. Thank you! Your sacrifice and service is very much appreciated is not unnoticed.

Changes in the situation and in the resources available require us to be nimble and pivot. We’re closely monitoring financial assistance at the state and federal levels. We are aware that this situation has caused questions, concerns and anxiety in our community and among our staff. Our OC&L Team and Communications Team are working to address these issues in a thoughtful and deliberate way. More to come on that.  

Safety in the workplace

For those who are coming in to the workplace, whether just to stop by and pick something up or for a longer period of time, please be advised:

• We are taking extra steps to ensure healthy circulation of air in our facilities and we’re changing filters more frequently.
• Because our buildings are largely vacant, I’ve let department heads know that I want all staff to notify their supervisors if they are coming in and when they depart. If you should have a medical emergency or your physical safety feels more at risk with fewer people around, this step will help us track your safety.
• No one should be entering or leaving office buildings at night, especially alone. Fewer people are on the streets and again, your physical safety is our utmost concern.

Serving our community

• Several employees have asked if they’re allowed to volunteer, if they are not able to work from home. And the answer is an emphatic YES! You are not required to do so, but if you would like to help, there are many opportunities. This is a great way show we care.
• We’re working to reformat our volunteer website so people are aware of opportunities, although you may already know of some through other organizations and message boards.
• We’re creating A-frame boards for most of our grocery stores highlighting the City’s COVID information and resources for those who aren’t connected to the City online.

Operational update

• Our fire and police departments continue to adapt to the changing landscape that the stay-at-home order has brought to our city. Police allocated more officers to patrol to monitor vacant buildings and to show additional presence amid fear and uncertainty. Firefighters have tested negative for their possible exposure to the virus, which I’m very grateful for. They’re back on the job serving our community today.
• Our utilities continue to provide the essential services that are keeping our community healthy and calm in this emergency situation.
• Our permits and inspections are still taking place, which allows housing construction to continue.
• Our parks and trails are getting heavy use, providing a welcome break to be outside.
• Our transit system and housing office provide vital services for our community’s critical needs.
• Our support services are ensuring that supplies can be ordered, staff is paid, community questions are answered, legislation is monitored, facilities are cleaned, vehicles are operational, and laws are abided by.

You all play critical roles that make our city team successful together in serving our community. Now more than ever, the spotlight is on all levels of government, and it’s our community’s opportunity to recognize what an incredible team of professionals provide these services.

As we move into the next phase of managing this pandemic and begin to try to normalize in this time of uncertainty, I first want to reiterate my appreciation for all that you are doing to keep our important community services operational. This has been a significant effort and it’s appeared largely seamless to the community. GREAT WORK! It is important as we get new information to evaluate it and make sure it is accurate and factual before we make operational changes or share it. This is very important as there is a lot of information out there that is inaccurate. We are working to combat that as quickly as possible make informed changes as thoughtfully as we can.

Lastly, the City entered this emergency situation on a strong fiscal foundation with its budget reserves. These reserves will help the City respond to this emergency and help to address budget shortfalls that will undoubtedly occur as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Obviously the extent of fiscal fallout from the economic effect of the virus is known, but Measure B revenues have been and will continue be very helpful. We are working on financial modeling to prepare budget assumptions for the revenue impacts directly related to this incident, as we must continue with our budget development for this coming fiscal year.  

Please continue to take of yourselves and one another, and stay safe and healthy.

Thank you,

Dom

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Updated March 17:

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Updated March 16:

 

This rapidly changing situation requires us to be adaptive and flexible, with the health and safety of our staff and community top of mind.

With that, our executive team and department head team met today and I wanted to share the latest. This is meant to provide a high level overview. If you have specific questions regarding unique situations please engage you supervisor and/or department head, as that may help expidite the resolution. 

Special Meeting of City Council

• City Council will hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 to consider a Resolution proclaiming a local emergency and authorizing the Director of Emergency Services/City Manager to undertake emergency measures including direction on facility closures as well as measures as signified in the Resolution being drafted by the City Attorney’s office. Social distancing will be in place in order to protect the City Council and staff.

Closure of facilities to the public

• We are preparing to close our city facilities to the public, including the Civic Center, based on the most recent federal and state guidelines. Action on this will occur at the special City Council meeting on March 17.
• Public Affairs & Communications will provide a template on the Hub that can be adapted and posted at each facility. They will also provide a script for email and voicemail that can be adapted, depending on individual work situations.

Telework

• Telework may be a viable option for both regular and temporary employees, depending on the circumstances. Each of us has different family and personal situations, which require different approaches. Talk with your supervisor about your situation and whether telework is an option. This is an area we are already seeing significant movement in.
• For those unable to telework, social distancing is essential. If you are closer than six feet to another person, let your supervisor know so we can find another spot for you. It might even be at the desk/office of someone who is teleworking.
• For those regular employees age 65 and over or in a vulnerable population as defined by the CDC who are unable to telework, the City has offered two weeks of paid administrative leave to encourage them to remain at home and will reassess this as we move forward.
• For temporary employees unable to telework or find meaningful assignments within your departments, filing for unemployment may be a viable option.
• We realize many parents have children at home due to school closures. If you can work from home, work with your supervisor to do so. If not, during this emergency, we reduced the restrictions on the leave use policy and you may consult with your manager on scheduling options to use sick leave or other leave balances to stay home and care for your children.
• Departments are working on a variety of approaches from staggering shifts to rotating who’s in the office on which days/times to ensure coverage.

Continuity of work

• While it is not business as usual, the City is still open for business. We are still doing inspections, accepting permits, and will be highlighting the variety of services and transactions that can still occur online and over the phone.

City Council meetings

• We are determining what we can do to allow for the health and safety of our Council, staff, and community while still providing transparency and public access in accordance with the Brown Act.
• This might include cancelling Council meetings. We will receive further direction at the March 17 Council meeting.
• At a minimum, we are postponing non-essential items, which are off the consent agenda, to a future date
• We will change the seating for staff and council to allow for social distancing, and will have staff present their items from the podium we use for public comment.

Commission meetings

• Charter Review Commission meeting is taking place tonight with social distancing in place. Usual attendance is zero to three members of the public, three staff members, and tonight we’ll only have four or five commissioners.
• Law & Regulation Committee meeting scheduled for March 25 is cancelled. Informational items will be provided to committee members in the form of a GIM.
• Further direction on the scheduling of other commission meetings will occur at the March 17 special Council meeting.

Work-related travel and meetings

• All work-related travel is cancelled through May 8. All work must be done in the office or from home.
• Work-related travel includes local and regional meetings. Attendees can participate in these meetings by telephone or other web-based means. Staff participation in Leadership Roseville is suspended at this time.
• All internal city meetings with more than 10 attendees will be done by teleconference or cancelled. Supervisory Academy sessions will be rescheduled.

• No in-person meetings with vendors will occur until further notice unless it’s critical and/or the group gathered is less than 10.
• Department budget meetings start next week, and we are determining other ways to handle these critical meetings. Stay tuned.

Keeping safe at work

• If you handle cash, credit cards or documents from the public, use City-provided gloves to handle these items. 
• We are purchasing UV equipment for dispatch to ensure sanitizing of work stations since they work closely together and are not mobile.
• Required inspections of outside buildings/facilities will be curtailed as much as possible to maintain the health and safety of the staff and community. If you have questions about which inspections should continue, bring them to your department head.
• We are more frequently replacing the air filters in our facilities and determining how to best turn the air over more frequently in our facilities.
• For the remainder of this incident, for those staff reporting to work please feel free to dress down as appropriate.

Status of programs and events

• We are cancelling all City-sponsored or co-sponsored events through May 8. This includes the Mayor’s Cup and BerryFest.
• Parks and golf courses will remain open for the time being. The restaurant at the golf course is complying with the Governor’s direction to only provide take-out orders.* updated from original message

Regular internal communication

• The Executive Team is meeting daily and Department Heads are meeting daily or every other day as needed. These meetings are mostly virtual or where social distancing can be ensured.
• We will discuss latest guidance and any concerns from our staff and the community. Be sure to let us know what’s on your mind through your department head. We will also set up a citywide email for questions and concerns from staff and will have that ready Tuesday, March 17.

If you believe you’ve been exposed to COVID-19

• For public safety employees, alert your supervisor and follow departmental policies and procedures specific to exposure of a communicable disease.
• For those who aren’t public safety employees, follow this guidance from the Placer County Health Officer:

• With the shift from containment to mitigation, it is no longer necessary for someone who has been in contact with a person who has COVID-19 to quarantine for 14 days. This applies to the general public, as well as health care workers and first responders. However, exposed persons should self-monitor for respiratory symptoms and fever. If they develop symptoms, they should not return to the work place until they have had no fever, cough, or shortness of breath for at least 72 hours after symptoms resolve, including at least 24 hours without fever reducing or other symptom-altering medicines, or 7 days after symptoms began, whichever is longer.  

If you have the COVID-19 virus

• The City may be notified by the Placer County Health Services Agency (HSA). The City would follow protocols and direction as determined by the County Health Officer.
• If you are formally ordered by the HSA to be quarantined for a period of time you will be compensated with paid administrative leave at your regular rate of pay. Verification must be provided to the City.

Caring for our community

• Utility shutoffs for nonpayment are suspended through March 31 at this point. We are determining how to help residents who may not be able to pay bills when they’re due because of job loss, etc.
• We are checking in with our businesses and looking at ways to help directly or to connect businesses with appropriate resources.
• We are touching base with non-profits, especially those serving homeless, as their ability and willingness to provide volunteers who offer these services are shrinking due to health guidelines. We are coordinating with the County and our Continuum of Care to determine appropriate measures.
• Our Government Relations team is looking at all options for funding at the state and federal level to help the City and the community deal with the consequences of the pandemic.
• We are developing a web page that will have a list of the things the public still CAN do as it involves City services and facilities.
• We are in the process of creating response teams to evaluate critical areas of our operations to better understand and respond to the fast changing legislation and guidelines being handed down from the Federal, State, and Local Agencies.  

We will continue our listening, communicating and planning to anticipate needs and adjust as needed to this fast moving and evolving situation.

This continues to be a dynamic time that will certainly test all of us as we tackle these tough, but critical challenges. I know we are all up to the task. I want to thank each of you for your patience and continued commitment to this community and organization.

Stay safe and healthy.

All the best,

Dom

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Updated March 13:

As you are all aware, the situation with COVID-19 is fluid. Here is information meant to help answer some of the frequently asked questions from employees about sick leave and applicable personnel rules.

In light of the Placer County Public Health Official updates, the City has developed a Limited Duration Telework Program and guidelines to help support departments in planning for some employees to work remotely as appropriate and based on available resources. 

Here is a Limited Duration Telework Application form for employees to complete to request consideration for remote work.

Human Resources is available to answer any additional questions you may have.

 

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Updated March 12:

These are unprecedented times for sure. We’ve been seeing cancellations of some things here and there earlier this week, and today the extent of closures expanded significantly, including professional and collegiate sports and even Disneyland.

While unfathomable a few weeks ago, these measures help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the community so our health care systems are not overwhelmed.

First and foremost we want to continue emphasizing the importance of the current Health Department recommendations of good hand hygiene, social distancing, avoid touching your face and stay home if you’re sick.

Our Department Head Team met today as well as our Emergency Executive Team, and I wanted to provide the following updates:

Operational period—This information applies through April 13 unless amended during this dynamic situation.

FAQ and Overview of policies—HR has drafted a memo outlining personnel policies and providing answers to Frequently Asked Questions that is being reviewed by Department Heads.

Altered work schedules—Department Heads are evaluating their operation to determine opportunities for staggered schedules, remote working at other city offices, and telecommuting where feasible, with a goal to increase social distancing. Telecommuting is not required and it is determined on a case-by-case basis. Factors to consider to determine ideal candidates are:

• What is the essential function of the job?
• Do they have the necessary equipment?
• Can they still perform their jobs remotely?
• Do daily tasks require them to be in the office?
• Does their absence disrupt successful performance of services?

HR is developing a telecommuting request form to document the work being completed. Department Heads or their designees will make a determination on each request, and forms will be turned in to HR. This will continue to be evaluated as we move further along in the incident and will expand the program as new information dictates. The idea is to preserve the ability to expand it if needed for critical services.

Continuity of operations—Department heads will continue to refine continuity of operations plan should they begin to experience excessive absenteeism. Absences should be reported on a daily basis. The data will indicate workforce capacity to make necessary adjustments in staffing or service levels.

Social distancing—Department heads should evaluate their workspaces and take steps to keep staff at least six feet from one another. If that’s not possible in your workspace, consider temporarily relocating staff to another location, where possible.

Non-essential travel—All non-essential travel should be cancelled. Likely this will be done by the host. Department heads to share travel that they believe is essential.

Communication—City messages to staff regarding COVID-19 are archived on the Hub. This is a rapidly evolving topic and things are subject to change daily.

Volunteers—Volunteer programs have been suspended and/or significantly modified throughout the City.

City Council meetings—Students will not be attending meetings. Every other seat will be kept open in Council Chambers. Staff who only have items on the Consent Agenda should assemble in the rotunda in case an item is pulled off consent. After the Consent Agenda is approved staff can go home. The only staff who should be in attendance in Council Chambers are those doing presentations.

 

Status of events, activities, workshop through April 13

Cancelled

• All Managers Meeting March 19
• Career Fair April 1

 

Still occurring with social distancing measures

• City Council meetings
• Boards, Commissions, Committee meetings
• Charter Review Forums April 13 & 14

 Our highest priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees and community during the rapidly changing COVID-19 health threat. These decisions are based on the latest information, including the executive order from Governor Newsom and the updated policy issued by the California Department of Public Health. We are making sure that we are doing our part to not increase the spread of the pandemic.

We are also in constant communication with surrounding municipal jurisdictions to be consistent in our approach. We will continue to work closely with PCOE and Placer County Department of Public Health to evaluate the status of on-going gatherings and programs.

I continue to be humbled by the leadership I see at every level of our organization in responding thoughtfully and prudently to protect our employees and community. It is a privilege working with you and being a part of this team. Keep up the great work, keep yourself and your family healthy, and we will work through the challenges this pandemic brings together.  

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Updated March 10:

As a result of the mild growth in the number of COVID-19 cases, Placer County and Yolo County this morning announced they are transitioning response efforts from a containment strategy to a community mitigation strategy.

This means that we are recommended to focus on ways to slow down the spread of the pandemic virus in our area. It allows time for the local health care system to prepare additional resources for responding to increased demand for health care services.

Seven cases have been officially confirmed in Placer County as of yesterday morning, including one death, according to the County’s website.

In accordance with this direction, the City of Roseville will follow guidelines from the CDC and California Department of Public Health on mass gatherings, which anticipate that some events may need to be modified, cancelled or postponed.

On a weekly basis, we’ll determine the status of public facilities, events, and activities as we monitor the situation in close coordination with the Placer County Department of Health and Human Services.

Continuity of operations

• All city facilities will remain open and city services will remain operational. We’ve heightened our protocols for cleaning and disinfecting in all of our facilities.
• We are planning for continuity of operations and will implement plans as needed.
• Board, Commission, and City Council meetings, which are essential to conduct city business, will occur as scheduled at this time. We will have hand sanitizers available at the staff table, signage that encourages people to maintain distance and refrain from physical contact, and an announcement at the beginning of the meeting about these practices. Roseville Joint Union High School District has agreed to refrain from requiring their students to attend public meetings for their government classes. The additional space in Council Chambers will allow for social distancing to occur in this setting.
• At this point, we are not anticipating offering telecommuting as an option for our staff, most of whom do not have the ability to telecommute anyway. We see telecommuting as a critical last resort to preserve essential services.
• We have increased our cleaning and disinfecting protocols, have communicated personal protective practices in citywide communications, and are allowing staff to opt out of non-essential work-related travel that they have scheduled. 

Changes to scheduled events this week

• In order to minimize the risk to our workforce, we are not requiring them to attend non-essential, work-related events outside the normal workday. To this end, we are cancelling the Community Open House on Budget and Community Services, which was scheduled 5-7 p.m., Thursday, March 12, at both the Riley Library and the Maidu Community Center. We are encouraging residents with questions, comments, and suggestions about the budget or city services to email [email protected] or call (916) 774-5353.
• We continue to be in touch with our school districts, which are not cancelling classes at this point, and monitoring what is happening in cities in the region and state.

Several concerns were raised at yesterday’s meeting of the Emergency Management Team. Those include:

Personal health and safety

Availability of hand sanitizers at work---We are ordering additional hand sanitizers. These should remain in widely accessible areas and/or where meetings take place where it can serve the greatest benefit. If you would like to have hand sanitizer at your desk, you should bring your own personal supply to the office.  Thoroughly washing your hands remains the most effective way to slow the spread of viruses.

Use of sick leave—If you are feeling sick or showing signs of illness, use your sick leave to stay home. This has not changed.

Travel to impacted countries—As Placer County Public Health transitions from containment to community mitigation, there is no longer a requirement to self-quarantine for 14 days if you think you might have been exposed. That protocol is part of the initial containment stage. However, if you are traveling to or returning from impacted areas outside of the United States and wish to stay home after your return, you can check with your supervisor who has the ability to authorize the use of vacation, CTO, personal leave or management leave time to extend your period of absence.

Status of meetings and events within your department—The guidance widely available and in this message applies to our workplace meetings and events for the public as well. If you are planning a meeting in a setting where social distancing cannot readily occur, with your department director, consider postponing, cancelling, or finding another way to accomplish the intent of the meeting, such as through web-based meeting or electronic communication. Refrain from social courtesies such as shaking hands.

 

Every person has a role to play. We continue to emphasize the importance of the health guidance from the CDC:

• Stay home if you’re sick.
• At least once a day, clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces and objects such as door handles and public counters in your work areas.
• Wash your hands or use hand sanitizers often.
• Cover your cough with your elbow.
• Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
• Be OK with not shaking hands.

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Updated March 6:

from City Manager Dominick Casey

At the March 5 Department Head meeting, we discussed many items related to the COVID-19 virus, including continuity of operations, communications, increased cleaning frequencies, and City policies. This is a dynamic situation and we remain in close contact with the Placer County Department of Health and Human Services and are monitoring CDC updates to coordinate actions and response.

One of the items we discussed was a concern some staff members have about their colleagues who are traveling to or returning from impacted areas outside of the United States. The City of Roseville continues to follow CDC guidelines as it relates to mandatory quarantine.

If travelers are cleared for entry without quarantine into the United States, then they are also cleared to return to their jobs. However, if staff members who have been traveling wish to stay home longer after their return, they can check with their supervisor who has the ability to authorize the use of vacation, CTO, personal leave or management leave time to extend their period of absence.

This is an unpredictable situation that we’re dealing with, and we will continue to share relevant updates and adjust as the situation and information dictates. Please be assured that City Leadership is quickly evaluating the information being received and has our City staff and community wellness as a top priority.

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Updated March 4: Placer County Public Health is reporting that a resident has died of COVID-19. The person, an elderly adult with underlying health conditions, was the second confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county and is now the first to die from the illness in California.

We continue to follow the lead of the CDC and Placer County Department of Public Health. This is a very fluid and evolving issue, but the following represents some of the most recent actions:

 

We have held planning meetings with the Police and Fire Chiefs to discuss and develop additional strategies for the best way to protect our employees and our community members should this incident escalate. We are having a department head meeting tomorrow where we will further discuss plans to implement (in the event this escalates further) related to maintaining continuity of operations for all of our departments.

We are being very thoughtful about our reactions and responses to this incident, and relying on the CDC, Placer Health and Human Services, and our Mutual Aid organizations for the most up to date information and protocols. This is purely for preparation, at this point CDC or the Placer County Health Official has not escalated the risk factors for this incident.

Additionally, staff met with our custodial contractor this morning to define our expectations for increased disinfecting of high-use items throughout City buildings. A hospital grade disinfectant is being used.

All high-touch surfaces in City buildings are being disinfected nightly

• Door handles in traffic areas, Public counters, Drinking fountains, and Elevator buttons

 Restrooms and breakrooms are being disinfected nightly

• Toilets, Flush handles, Faucets, Counters, Stall doors, and Paper dispensers

Clorox wipes have been ordered and will be stocked in custodial closets for custodian use. Central Stores stocks Clorox wipes if any staff would like to have them in their work area.

As a reminder, please:

• Stay home if you’re sick.
• At least once a day, clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces and objects such as door handles and public counters in your work areas.
• Wash your hands or use hand sanitizers often.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough with your elbow.
• Be OK with not shaking hands.

Please be extra vigilant in taking care of yourself and your family. I will keep you posted as additional information becomes available.