2024/25 CITY WIDE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES
Working in unity alongside our residents we’re dedicated to helping Murrieta thrive as a robust, growing and connected community.
MESSAGE FROM THE CITY MANAGER
The accomplishments of the staff during the 2024/25 fiscal year reflect a significant commitment to achieving the City Council’s goals. This summary highlights the key aspects of their achievements and recognizes the collaborative efforts that made these successes possible.
Diligent Work: Staff members have worked diligently, balancing their everyday duties with additional responsibilities aimed at advancing city initiatives.
Collaboration Across Divisions: Many accomplishments involved collaboration among various divisions, showcasing teamwork and shared objectives.
Complexity and Number of Projects: The Executive Team successfully managed a wide range of complex programs and projects, demonstrating effective leadership and coordination.
Executive Team: Special thanks are due to each member of the Executive Team for their guidance in navigating through numerous projects while maintaining high standards.
Staff Contributions: The achievements listed are a testament to the amazing staff who consistently find innovative ways to enhance community service and strengthen organizational capabilities.
City Council Support: Gratitude is extended to the City Council for their confidence in the city team, financial investment in these initiatives, and ongoing support for staff efforts.
The accomplishments achieved during this fiscal year not only reflect individual dedication but also highlight a collective effort towards improving community services and organizational strength. The synergy between staff efforts, executive leadership, and council support has been instrumental in driving progress forward.
Overall, this comprehensive list of accomplishments underscores a successful year marked by hard work, collaboration, and effective governance.
MURRIETA CITY COUNCIL
Jon Levell
District 1
Ron Holliday
District 2
Lisa DeForest
District 3
Lori Stone
District 4
Cindy Warren
District 5
WHO ARE WE TODAY? MURRIETA: 2025
A G E
Water
Worked on a series of projects with the water districts, such as: Keyhole. Los Alamos water system. Madison (ARPA).
Special Projects/Programs
F F I C E
Provided staff support for two regional Council-led initiatives, including the Southwest Riversid County Higher Education Coalition and the Southwest Elected Collaborative focused on Region Traffic and Transportation.
Conducted a purchasing and design selection process to purchase and install additional holid lighting and décor for the Downtown area, the Civic Center, and Town Square Park.
Coordination with Cultivating Inclusion (City’s tenant at Alta Murrieta Sports Park), strawberry stand Fire Station 2, and horse boarding facility at Equestrian Center on lease issues.
Completed the Request for Proposals process for a special event management company for the Town Square Park and Amphitheater to host 4-6 large-scale events annually. Entered an agreement and hosted the first two events in April and June 2024.
Ran the fall 2024 City Hall Citizens Academy.
Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental
Organized two legislative advocacy trips to Washington, DC (October 2023) and Sacramento (April 2024), including coordination of meetings with legislative representatives and agencies, materials for advocating the City’s priorities, and follow-up.
Managed the City’s legislative advocacy efforts, including updating the Legislative Platform for 2024/25, monitoring legislation, submitting letters of support or opposition.
Organized a visit to Murrieta with Congressman Darrell Issa.
37,489
PUBLIC INFORMATION
Managed all City communications, including press releases and social media.
Published the City Council weekly newsletter and launched a biweekly employee electronic newsletter.
Published two editions of the Murrieta Magazine. This magazine is mailed to every household in Murrieta.
Optimized the City’s website.
Created more engaging social media videos and content, increasing reach and interaction by over 100% on the City’s main Instagram account.
Engaged with more than 282,000 followers (an increase of nearly 10% from the previous year) across 23 unique social media accounts. 16,075 17,695 3,810 3,110 379
Grants
Installation of grant-funded replacement generators at Fire Station 1 and City Hall. C I T Y M A N A G E R ’ S O F F I C E
Coordinated the City’s Federal Earmark Request for the Mobile Command Center for FY 2023/24, executing the next steps in working with the Police Department.
Submitted a Federal Earmark Request for the Keller Interchange for FY 2024/25 and anticipate receiving $3M.
Coordinated with Townsend Public Affairs to identify grant opportunities for various and coordinate application submissions. The City was successful in applying f numerous grants.
Solid Waste and Recycling
Revamped Self-Haul program process.
Hosted several Solid Waste drop-off events at City Hall.
Ran the Adopt-a-Street Program.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
Conducted the Notice of Funding Availability Process for FY 2024/25 and se organizations to receive grant funding.
Completed all of the contract and administrative requirements for FY 2023/24 and FY
Facilities Projects
Continued work on the design process for reconfiguring the Public Works Yard to c Works employees from multiple locations, including facilitating the annexation process for the water to have water and sewer service through the Rancho California Water District.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
HUMAN RESOURCES
Developed Policy on Vacancy Reporting for Public Agencies, pursuant to Assembly Bill 2561. Implemented the City’s Workplace Violence Prevention Policy to comply with Senate Bill 533, conducting training for all employees, and coordinating assessments of employee worksites.
Reviewed and processed 4,970 employment applications.
Completed 49 recruitments, including associated postings employment screenings, and new-hire onboarding processes.
Hired 58 new employees and processed 48 internal promotio
Conducted 14 ADA Interactive Process Hearings.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Deployed the Tablet Command – Telestaff integration, optimizing incident management capabilities for first responders and streamlining staffing for MFR.
Installed new Library Panic Buttons to ensure patron and staff safety during emergencies.
Transitioned the Police Department's vehicles to the Cradlepoint system, ensuring reliable mobile data connections for officers.
Deployed the First Due Software, improving the Fire Department's ability to manage incident data and resources.
Completed the PD UPS Replacement/Wiring Upgrade, ensuring the Police Department’s systems remain operational during power outages.
Created a Development Activity Web App, that provides frequently updated residential and non-residential project activity data with valuable project status information throughout the city.
The PEG Channel content expanded to display additional public notices.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
RISK MANAGEMENT
Pursued and successfully recovered claims against individuals who damaged City property, including – damage to a City police vehicle and park ranger vehicle.
Assumed the tracking, notifications, and updates for the Employee Pull Notice Program, which supports our continuous effort to ensure vetted and qualified drivers operate City vehicles.
Completed property appraisals with our insurance carrier to capture current property values and ensure assets are insured properly – continuous monitoring of assets and disposal of assets such as drones, vehicles, properties.
CITY CLERK
Conducted the City’s November 5, 2024, General Municipal Election in partnership with the County of Riverside Registrar of Voters for City Council Member Representatives in Districts 3 and 4.
Assisted the City Council Commission Appointments Subcommittee with applicant recruitment and selection for the biannual scheduled Commission vacancies.
Updated the public records request portal to better meet and address the needs of constituents.
Processed and published : 70 legal notices
Ballots received: 19,530
City Clerk General email inquiries: 2,160
Records destruction certification audit: 280
Mylar inventory: 1,650
City Council meetings: 23
City Council meeting document administration: 775
Public Records Act Requests: 1,125
C O M M U N I T Y
S E R V I C E S
Grants Events Programs
Zip Books: $31,627 in funding for patron-driven collection development.
PLA’s Digital Literacy Grant: $10, 000 in funding for digital smart board.
Lunch at the Library 2025: $8,557 in funding for summer meal program.
Haunted Library
Pictures with Santa
Lego Derby
Double Dog Tales
Pollinator Garden Ribbon
Cutting
Summer Reading Challenge
Teen Coding Class
Family Bingo
Quiet Reading Book Club
Genealogy Meetup
Teen Advisory Council
Food for Fines Storytimes
Family Game Corner
Knit/Crochet Club
Art with Aimee
Stem Lab
LEGO Club
Dog Tales
Kids Grow Garden Club
Tea Tasting
PARKS & RECREATION
O M M
I C E S
S E R V
Special Events
Santa Stops, Eggstravaganza, Veterans Day Parade, Dark in the Park, Rotary Field of Honor.
Senior Center
Over 15,500 meals have been served to the seniors. Expanded collaboration with Feeding America to include all residents who qualify for this low-income-based program.
Youth Center/Sports
Youth Center membership check-in for 2024 was over 19,700. Boasting over 11,500 youth players spread across 900 teams in 8 different leagues for the 2024 youth sports seasons.
Community Center/Alternative Recreation Program (ARP)
The Community Service Department has 33 recreation instructors that teach 814 different contract classes, providing approximately 6,034 adults and children with a variety of programing throughout the year. Coordinated 16 events with approximately 832 attendees for the Alternative Recreation Program.
Tot Lots Library Expansion
Capital Improvement Projects
Tot Lot Replacement Project Phase I & II.
Town Square Park Amphitheater Parking Lot and Entryway Monument. Pickleball Courts Design at Firefighters Park and Alderwood Park. Glen Arbor Dog Park.
Pickleball Courts
Dog Park
O M M U N I
S E R V I C E S
HOMELESS SERVICES
$12.6 million award granted to the Regional Homeless Alliance for the Encampment Resolution Project.
Received $144,000 in Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) funding to establish a regional Rapid Rehousing Program.
The Riverside County Continuum of Care awarded $225,706 in Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP) funding to subsidize the Street Outreach Effort in Murrieta and Wildomar.
The Street Outreach Team successfully enrolled 220 unique individuals experiencing homelessness in Murrieta over the past year. Of these, 117 individuals transitioned out of homelessness with positive outcomes. The Murrieta Emergency Shelter provided housing for 240 individuals, including 46 children from Murrieta.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
Building & Safety
Issued 2,562 permits. Performed over 17,200 inspections.
Assisted over 1,800 residents at the counter. Continued to facilitate inspections for the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort to open additional rooms.
Code Enforcement
Responded to more than 1,760 cases in 2024 and closed over 1,600 cases.
Maintained a closure rate of over 90 percent of cases through education and customer interaction.
Configured the City’s permit software (EP&L) to include a Code Enforcement module resulting in the creation of a seamless land management software platform.
Updated the Municipal Code to create a cost recovery process for Code Enforcement actions.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PLANNING
Initiated amendments to the General Plan to comply with state law and make other improvements achieve City planning goals.
Completed the entitlement process for the Triangle.
Completed an amendment process for the Murrieta Marketplace for over 500,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space at Clinton Keith and Winchester Road.
Completed multiple TEFRA public hearings allowing affordable housing developers to secure financing.
Obtained a $4.1 million dollar grant for the City’s Housing Agency to support housing goals.
Participated in RCTC’s Core Capacity Innovative Transit Study.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Murrieta Innovation Center
Construction starting soon
Triangle Development
Restaurant, entertainment, and lifestyle
New Businesses
Ticca-Tikka
Destination Smokehouse
Best Pizza & Brew
Trader Joe’s
Healthcare Expansion
“Murrieta Money Match Shop Local Campaign” for retail and restaurants.
New water and road infrastructure in the Madison Corridor, to create opportunity for developing a dense job corridor west of I-15, east of Jefferson and south of Murrieta Hot Springs Road.
Budget
FAccounting
Prepared the GANN Limit Appropriation and Report for FY 2025/26.
Delivered the FY 2025/26 and 2026/27 Operating Budget workshop.
Developed the FY 2025/26 through FY 2029/30 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget.
FY 2023/24 Financial Statement audit and Single Audit.
FY 2023/24 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
FY 2023/24 Popular Annual Financial Report.
FY 2023/24 State Controller Annual Street Report.
FY 2023/24 Measure A Audit.
Awards
Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officer Association for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023/24 and FY 2024/25 Biennial Budget Report. Capital Budget Excellence Award from the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers for the Capital Improvement Plan & Budget for FY 2024/25.
Hosted the 78th Annual Murrieta Firefighters BBQ.
Conducted the 911 For Kids education program. Conducted the Murrieta Citizens’ Fire Academy.
Continued new digital monthly newsletter with a current distribution list of 439.
Successfully applied for and received grant funding to support fire department operations, equipment purchases and training programs.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
CALLS FOR SERVICE
OPERATIONS STATS
Responded to 12,285 calls for service (15,216 unit responses)*
Participated in a total of 19 mutual aid events throughout California. Implementation of EMS supply management software. Established a regional fire investigation team with Hemet, Pechanga, Canyon Lake, and Cal Fire to serve Southwest Riverside County.
Worked alongside the Riverside County Arson Task Force to deliver ongoing training in vehicle fire investigation, evidence collection, and case coordination with the District Attorney’s Office.
*Incident and Department Statistics are for the Calendar year 2024. The Fire Department reports statistics on a calendar year basis.
Training
Completed 22,300 hours of Fire Department Training.
Completed 1,748 hours of Emergency Medical Services Training.
Completed 2,788 hours of Fire Academy training of new recruits.
Implementation of Handtevy pediatric resuscitation system.
FIRE RISK REDUCTION COMMUNITY
Emergency Management
Activated the Emergency Operations Center on five occasions:
February Winter Storms 2024
Airport Fire
Clinton Keith Fire
Los Alamos Fire
November 2024 High Wind Event
Completed 2 Emergency Operations
Center Activation Drills:
Power Outage
Wildfire
Community Risk Reduction – Public Education
Reviewed 1,192 Fire Plans.
Issued 558 Operational Permits.
Inspected 690 construction projects.
Inspected 1,560 routine and business license inspections.
Conducted 158 AB-38 Inspections for real estate transactions in the VHFHSZ.
Conducted 16,786 Defensible Space Inspections. Delivered 316 hours of public education.
Inspected all State Mandated Occupancies (368 apartment buildings, 9 hotels, 59 schools).
Re-Started the Citizen’s Fire Academy with 23 participants completing the six-week program. 193 community members trained in CPR and/or First-aid.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Launched the “Live 911” platform. Launched an online police reporting platform – “Citizen Reporting” (expected to be completed before July 1, 2025). Purchased and certified the department’s first “Firearms Detection” K9 . Began the Blue Envelope Program.
The Police Department’s seven social media platforms reached over 175,000 followers.
RANKED AS A SAFEST CITY
Only full-service City in the region
Fire, Police, and Communications Center
“Every 15 Minutes” Program hosted at Vista Murrieta High School.
Hosted the Department’s 6th Annual K9 Trials.
Hosted two Police Department “Citizen Academies”, graduating over 50 Murrieta residents.
Conducted an Educational campaign for E-Bike safety, and collaboration with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District to implement an E-Bike Permitting Program, and an update to the Murrieta Municipal Code.
ENGINEERING
Applied for a $25 M Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant for the I-215/Keller Road Interchange Project.
Applied for a $25 M Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant for the I-215/Keller Road Interchange Project.
Entered into a Cooperative Agreement with Caltrans for the Right of Way and Plans, Specifications & Estimates (PS&E) phase of the I-215/Keller Road Interchange Project.
Completed the Draft Environmental Document/Environmental Impact Report for I215/Keller Road Interchange with Caltrans; working with Regional Conservation Authority and Wildlife agencies (State and Federal) to facilitate wildlife corridor in the area of the interchange project.
Citywide Traffic Congestion Program-pilot program on Los Alamos Road corridor. Commenced Emergency repairs to Hayes Avenue Bridge at Canyon Creek. Construction expected summer 2025.
PERMITTING
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
Citywide Slurry Seal Project (Construction in Progress)
Consisting of Slurry Sealing 11.2 Million SF of road way equating to 57 centerline miles of residential/non-arterial roads treated. $2.9 million construction contract.
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Project: Construction Starting April 2025.
Began procurement on the Whitewood Road Widening Project CIP 8389.
Menifee Road Improvements (Clinton Keith to Los Alamos) Construction Expected Summer 2026.
Murrieta Hot Springs Road Widening Project from Margarita Road to Winchester Road, CIP No. 8079 (Anticipate awarding contract in May and construction in summer of 2025).
Murrieta Hot Springs Road turn pocket at Alta Murrieta Drive, CIP No. 13027 (Awarding construction contract in April with construction starting in May 2025).
LAND DEVELOPMENT
Murrieta Hills Specific Plan Amendment Processing grading and improvement plans.
Discovery Village Subdivision; Processing Discretionary Approval for 365 Multi-Family Units previously approved.
PUBLIC WORKS
Inspection
25 utility projects. 29 development projects. 4 capital improvement projects.
Completed 464 work orders.
Remodeled the Copper Canyon Recreation building. Replaced Murrieta Museum HVAC.
Downtown Market Night support.
Tour de Murrieta support.
2,552 miles of city street sweeping completed.
Maintained 53 City park facilities.
Removed graffiti from public property.
