IT’S YOUR PAPER
Good news for city budget
www.claytonpioneer.com
July 6, 2018
General Fund Revenues 2018-19
KEITH HayDon
MAYOR’S CORNER
Some background on assisted living proposal process
The recent proposal for a senior assisted living/memory care facility downtown generated interest – and some misunderstanding. Therefore, I want to clarify the city’s planning process regarding a private company’s proposal for that property and its current status. The area under consideration is the large vacant lot between the Clayton Community Church property on Main Street and Clayton Road. The city purchased the parcel from a willing seller in April 2013, with the objective of assuming control of development. It is the last large area to be developed in our historic downtown. Any development of the parcel must adhere to Clayton’s General Plan and, more specifically, the Town Center Specific Plan, which was established more than 15 years ago to protect the small-town nature and feel of the downtown.
3.5% Other in Lieu
3.1% - Business 2.5% - Admin Support Transfers Licenses
5.4% Fiduciary Funds/ Admin Services
8.8% RPTTF Share
12.9% Other Revenues
10.2% Sales & Use Taxes 12% Franchise Fees
What’s Inside
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Community Calendar . . . . . .9 Hearts & Hands . . . . . . . . . .2 Directory of Advertisers . . . .7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
3.7% - Public Works
4.2% - General Services
3% - Library
5.9% Community Park
21% - Property in Lieu of VLF
2.7% - Engineering
1.7% - Legislative
7.1% Community Development
49.4% - Police
22.4% - Admin/ Finance/Legal
20.7% Property Taxes
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
City of Clayton
The city could go for the next 14 months with no money coming in and still pay all its bills. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to. In his 2018-’19 budget presentation to the city council June 5, finance manager Kevin Mizuno projects plenty of revenue to keep the city afloat plus finance a nice size capital improvement program with $101,970 without touching its reserve. It is an annually balanced budget. “It’s mostly positive news,” Mizuno told the council. “The city looks for-
See Budget, page 7
New era dawning at Clayton Valley Charter JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
CBCA rooting for tater to bring in the crowds
With all the ribs, chicken, pork and brisket smoking at the Clayton BBQ Cook-off, you wouldn’t think a potato would take center stage. But then you have to consider that this super spud weighs more than 6 tons and would make more than 1.4 million French fries. And it’s coming all the way from Idaho for the 9th annual cook-off on Saturday, July 14. This year, the oversized tuber will travel 28,000 miles and visit more than 60 cities
Appropriations 2018-19
With the economy clicking along and real estate values rising, the projected revenues for 2018-19 exceed expenditures by $101,970. Healthy budgets for Capital Improvements and Landscape Maintenance will fund substantial street and sewer improvements and new downtown planters.
Clayton Valley Charter High School honored its sixth graduating class last month. Just as those grads look ahead to a new chapter of their lives in college, the military or in the work force, their alma mater is SEARCH BEGINS setting a new course after the We acquired the land using departure of executive director economic development money Dave Linzey in May. from the Capital Improvement Interim executive director Bob Hampton, a charter See Mayor, page 6 school veteran administrator, was at the school’s June gov-
BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
925.672.0500
on the Big Idaho Potato Truck. In tune with today’s culture, the potato has sprouted a massive social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Vine. If that’s not enough, fans can get a live feed at potatotracker.com. BBQ Cook-off chair Rory Richmond saw a flier about the tater truck at a trade show and has been trying to bring it to Clayton for three years. “I thought: Why not? It’ll bring attention to our event and hopefully bring people to come see it,” he said. The Idaho Potato Commission created the potato with a purpose – to celebrate the group’s 75th anniversary in 2011. Clayton is one of
See BBQ, page 7
erning board meeting, giving the board and small audience of members from the public and school his timetable for finding a permanent successor to Linzey in time for the start of the 2018-19 school year next month on Aug. 14. Hampton acknowledged that the timeline for identifying, interviewing and hiring a new director in two months is aggressive but doable. “I’d prefer it was April 1 but I’m confident we’ll find the right person.” The board approved a $10,000 contract with headhunter Randy Henry to lead the search. Henry and Hampton explained the process has begun with the posting of the position on numerous educational employment websites, in professional journals and with charter school associations. Working with the board they will have three panels of stakeholders including faculty, staff, parents, students and the community who will each rank their
top three candidates after interviews. The top candidates will proceed to a written exam and then interviews with the board, who make the final decision. Hampton says the written exam is a key part of the process to make sure the final choice not only has verbal and people skills that come through in interviews but also can communicate clearly and concisely in written format. Eventually the top one or two candidates may be brought on campus for an informal tour and meeting to see about the compatibility of the candidate, board and school. Linzey’s base salary was in the range of $240,000 and Hampton says he expects compensation for the new director will be in “a more frugal salary range.” He does term the position “a plum assignment” to take CVCHS through the transition. He says all his research shows Clayton Valley Charter has a “good reputation” in the larger charter school community.
Tamara Steiner/Concord Pioneer
Interim Executive Director Bob Hampton shared a vision for the school’s new direction with parents and teachers at a town hall meeting May 30.
Linzey was hired in the spring of 2012 and had been in charge of the charter during its first six years, also serving as school principal until July 2015. Linzey’s wife Eileen also
resigned in early May. Her two terms as a school administrator at CVCHS sparked part of the dissatisfaction among faculty and community members in Dave Linzey and his leadership style. At the June board meeting a first reading was done of a proposed anti-nepotism policy, which will be vetted this month and brought to the board for approval next Wednesday, July 11. The two-page policy will forbid the hiring of relatives from immediate family, spouses and domestic partners as well as first cousins, aunts and uncles. A further statement on consensual relationships outlines policy concerning employees in “consensual romantic or sexual relationships between supervisors and employees and between faculty/staff.” Hampton was approved for
See CVCHS, page 4
No homes lost in Lime Ridge fire
Jerry Stone/Claycord.com
CalFire tanker drops fire retardant on Montecito homes during last week’s Lime Ridge fire.
A fast-moving grassfire on Ygnacio Rd. June 29 charred close to 300 acres and came dangerously close to homes in the Crystal Ranch and Montecito subdivisions. The fire started about 3:30 p.m. in the Lime Ridge Open Space and quickly went to four alarms. Residents in the two subdivisions were evacuated and Ygnacio Rd. was closed until after 9 p.m. Hot spots were continuing to flare up on Saturday. Assisting Contra Costa Fire Protection District with ground and air resources were CalFire, strike teams from Solano and
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