At its March 8 meeting, the Riverbank City Council voted to move money in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to pay for curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements on the west side of Oakdale Road, right next to the new construction of homes there.
The stretch of roadway reaches from the intersection at Morrill Road to the one at Westgate Drive (formerly Crawford Road). New homes are beginning to show up near the Westgate corner, part of the new Crossroad West subdivisions.
City Development Services Administration Manager Kathleen Cleek told the council that the latest five-year CIP provides for construction of improvements to railroad crossings near Terminal Avenue and First Street, and improving the intersection of Third Street, all on Patterson Road, but the railroad is slowing down the timing of those projects.
Kleek asked the council to approve transfer of $865,000 to the Crossroads West improvements for fiscal year 2022-23, and plans to continue to work with BNSF to move forward on the Patterson Road projects.
The council approved the transfer.
New Maintenance Supervisor
Public Works Director Mike Riddell presented Darin Smallen to the council early in the meeting on Tuesday.
Smallen, a 28-year city Public Works employee, has been promoted to Maintenance Supervisor. His most recent assignment has been at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Boundary Adjustments
Also on the council agenda was an item holding the third of four required public hearings concerning boundary changes for the four city council districts.
According to the accompanying report, every 10 years, cities with by-district election systems must use new census data to review and, if needed, redraw City Council District Lines to reflect how local populations have changed.
The process is called redistricting, and must be completed by April 17, 2022. It ensures all districts have substantially equal population. The 2020 Census data analysis for the City of Riverbank has been presented and is intended to guide the City in achieving the final district boundaries map for adoption.
City Attorney Tom Hallinan noted that Riverbank’s current boundaries were approved in 2015, but according to state law that went into effect Jan. 1, cities must use the 2020 census data to decide if new boundaries are required to keep the districts substantially equal in population.
Hallinan noted that, if the census data reflects that the total population deviation of the City’s current districts is less than 10 percent, the current districts are substantially equal in population and the City Council may choose to retain and adopt the City’s current district boundaries map as its final redistricting map.
The report indicated that the City’s current district boundaries are substantially equal in population. The total population deviation between the largest and smallest district is just 7.07 percent.
After a bit of discussion, the council voted to retain the current boundaries, continue the process, and schedule the final public hearing and adoption for next Tuesday’s meeting, March 22.
As new homes are built and sold, both on the east and west sides of Riverbank, new census figures may affect boundaries in the future.
Castleberg Improvements
The council accepted the lowest bid to repair and renovate the basketball courts at Castleberg Park. The project includes constructing two new courts, some erosion control, and additional amenities, including new benches in the area.
The funds will come from the California Department of Parks and Recreation 2018 Park Bond Act Grant Allocation, in the amount of $193,566.
