MSC Transit Vehicle Maintenance Facility Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The Public Works Department held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at their new 14,000 square foot Transit Vehicle Maintenance Facility located at 1331 S. Ham Lane on Monday, May 18th. Public Works Director Wally Sandelin welcomed guests to the new facility and recognized those companies, individuals and agencies that worked to complete the project. After brief remarks from City Manager Blair King the city council was introduced and had the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon. Visitors were able to tour the entire facility and interact with shop staff.

Budget vote likely on June 10

Budget presentations by the City's various departments concluded Wednesday, and the City Council eventually decided to push back a vote on adopting the Fiscal Year 2009/10 Budget until June 10.

Various employee groups and others have agreed to unpaid furlough days and the elimination of a 3 percent match by the City to the employees' deferred compensation contribution, which works like a 401(k) match in the private sector. Together, they amount to a roughly 7.6 percent reduction in pay and benefits.

All departments heads and City Council appointees (City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney), along with most other employees, agreed to this for the final four months of the current fiscal year and all of FY 2009/10.

As of Wednesday night, the following bargaining groups had yet to reach agreements with City management: General Services, Lodi Professional Firefighters and Fire Mid-Management.

The City Council decided to give those groups another week to figure out a way to avoid potential layoffs before it votes on the budget in a continuation of the meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 10 at the Carnegie Forum.

Lodi officially opens new boathouse

Here's a nice new feature for Lodi Lake -- a new boathouse to store boats (of course) and related equipment. This one, built with state bond funds and a major donation from Lodi's Meehleis Modular company, is over the waterline, allowing boats to enter the structure.

Another nice feature is the handicap-accessible kayak/canoe launch. People in those types of watercraft can roll up or off on a ramp by using handrails, meaning no worries about tipping over when getting in or out of your canoe/kayak.

City officials and Bill and Carol Meehleis were involved in Thursday evening's dedication and ribbon cutting. Clicking on the pictures will bring them up in a much larger view.