City Manager Lorie Tinfow. (Courtesy photo)

By Lorie Tinfow
Special to the Herald

“Nothing is constant but change,” and that has certainly been true for Benicia in 2017. My tenure began in April and I followed two interim managers who held down the fort after my predecessor left in 2016. There have been other staffing changes as well throughout the organization and turnover in 2017 reached almost 16 percent. The corresponding loss of institutional memory is challenging and something we are working to stem. An in-depth report was presented to the Council in the fall and some small steps taken to move in that direction with more to come.

Last summer, I initiated two changes in how we communicate with the community. We launched a new, mobile-friendly, weekly newsletter called the City of Benicia This Week, and a new survey tool called Benicia Town Hall. Using these devices, we are doing a better job of sharing important information about City activities and asking for feedback on key issues. (If you aren’t aware of these new tools, drop me a line at ltinfow@ci.benicia.ca.us and I’ll get you connected.)

Something else that changed dramatically was how “we” feel about cannabis. After the passage of Prop 64 in November 2016, cities faced decisions about cannabis including how to treat the potential business elements such as cultivation, manufacturing, testing, etc. We, like many other communities, initially adopted a moratorium while we worked through the process of determining the path forward for Benicia. Following a series of public meetings, an online survey, and plenty of discussion by the City Council, we ended the year with direction to move forward with allowing cannabis businesses to locate and operate in Benicia within certain constraints.

In the midst of all of these changes, we had plenty of activities and accomplishments, too many to list in full but a few highlights follow.

Emergency Response and Hazard Mitigation

• Police staff completed the installation of a new radio system that replaced old, outdated equipment and makes our first responders safer; they also installed a prescription drug drop box so there’s a safe place to dispose of medicines and safeguard the environment;
• Fire staff successfully led our efforts to respond to flooding last January and the emergency in May when the refinery lost power; they also updated our hazard mitigation plan and welcomed a new fire engine;
• We also sent police and fire staff to support the emergency response to the fires in Santa Rosa and elsewhere in October.

• Public Works staff are also first responders when it comes to emergencies such as floods and work in concert with public safety personnel.

Utilities

• The utility divisions were very busy with the water meter replacement project where almost 10,000 old, leaking, meters were replaced by new, smart meters, expected to help save water and provide easy information to accountholders. While the replacement process was not problem-free, and indeed the water and sewer equipment, rates and bills required more attention than anyone had expected, the changes were long overdue and needed to be made.

Capital Projects & Equipment

• We also completed capital projects such as paving streets including First Street, unveiling new bocce ball courts (constructed with help from the Benicia Bocce Ball League), re-plastering the pool, and installing a new playground at Southampton Park.
• New audio/visual equipment was installed in the Council Chamber and at the Clock Tower; the Clock Tower also received a new roof, insulation and ceiling fans.
• The library acquired two 3D printers and added virtual reality equipment to its programming.
• Measure C funds were crucial for making many of the projects possible.

City Finances & Fundraising

• I would be remiss if I didn’t include the difficult process required to develop the 2017-19 Budget for Council adoption last June. The word used to describe our financial status is “fragile” and the staff and I spent much of 2017 gaining a better understanding of the numbers and beginning to develop a new tool called “Priority-Based Budgeting” that we will use for budgeting in the future.

• On a brighter note, the Friends of the Library celebrated a fundraising milestone–$1 million raised from book sales to benefit the library! The Majestic opened for fundraisers that benefited the public art program and the city’s 4^th annual film festival was held.

Through it all, I have felt very grateful—grateful to the City Council for giving me the opportunity to be part of Benicia, to the Community for welcoming me since day one, and especially grateful to the staff for their dedication to the community, their hard work, and their resilience in responding to the many changes and challenges we faced together over the year.

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