Sidewalk budget up 600 percent

During the process that led to the final city budget for fiscal years 2007-08 and 2008-09, the City Council made a commitment to increasing funding for infrastructure needs, with sidewalk repairs a high priority. The outcome of that commitment will be seen in 2008, when sidewalk repair funding will increase by about 600 percent compared to the last budget cycle.

Today, Public Works staff is preparing plans and specifications, and in the spring will award a contract to repair about 75 problem sidewalk locations in one major contract. Almost every neighborhood will see some sidewalk repair work in the summer of 2008. A number of problem sites are in the “Mac Streets” area, south of Redwood Road and west of Linda Vista, and in Old Town. Fewer repairs are needed in the Bel Aire, Coventry Manor and Las Robles neighborhoods, where major sidewalk repair campaigns have taken place in recent years.

Estimates show it will cost around $1.2 million to fix the identified sidewalks. About $200,000 of this will come from our portion of gas tax revenues, with $1 million in General Fund money applied to the project. In budgets to come, we will need to continue to focus on these badly needed infrastructure projects — and we will continue to need a reliable, dedicated source of funding to meet our repair and maintenance needs.

Napans can look forward to a date about one year from now when this major sidewalk repair contract is complete, and we will all enjoy safer pedestrian travel in our neighborhoods.

— Mike Parness, City Manager

Business tax worskhops

In May 2007, the City of Napa established regulations to allow businesses to apply apportionment factors when calculating their business license taxes. This means any business that carries out its activities partly inside and partly outside the city can adjust the business license tax payment to cover only the portion of its business that takes place inside city boundaries. City of Napa business owners who have sales activities or offices, warehousing or bookkeeping facilities outside the city, or deliver goods and services outside the city, may be eligible for apportionment of these taxes, and as a result may save some money.

To help business owners, managers, bookkeepers, accountants and others understand the regulations and the required paperwork, the city will host four workshops. These two-hour workshops will take place in the City Hall Council Chambers at 955 School St. at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept 19, again at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sept. 26. Staff will be on hand to explain the apportionment rules and the calculation worksheet, and will answer general questions. Registration is limited to 40 persons per workshop, and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested members of the business community are asked to register by calling the Finance Department at 257-9508, by sending an e-mail with name, e-mail address and phone number to jclark@cityofnapa.org, or in person at the City Hall revenue window. Staff welcomes questions submitted in advance.

— Carole Wilson, Finance Director

Art on the streets

For the first time in 25 years, the City of Napa is asking the local arts community to produce a public art piece. A Request for Qualifications, created in partnership with the County of Napa, was formally issued on Aug. 31, asking artists who reside or have a studio in Napa County to describe their experience and qualifications to produce a public art installation. Working with the Arts Council of Napa County, a committee will select one artist to produce a work for installation on the east wall of the new Fifth Street Parking Garage, now under construction along Fifth between Main and Coombs. The budget for this project is $25,000.

The deadline for local artists to submit qualifications is Sept. 28. Interested artists may obtain copies of the RFQ on the City of Napa Redevelopment Agency’s Web site at www.cityofnapanews.com, Arts Council of Napa Valley’s website, at www.acnv.org, or by mail by calling the Redevelopment Agency at 707-257-9502.

This new public art project may be only the first in a series for downtown Napa. Many of the major projects that have been built in recent years, such as the Third Street Bridge, have been designed to incorporate public art at a future time. Other downtown projects now in design or construction also have built-in public art potential. The city is working with the arts council on a proposed ordinance that may clear the path to more public art opportunities in the City of Napa.

— Jennifer LaLiberté, Napa Community Redevelopment Agency

Napa City Update provides information from Napa city officials about on-going projects of public interest. The column appears on the first Tuesday of each month. All information is from the City of Napa.