WELCOME TO CITY OF WHEATLAND eNEWS

January - March 2024, Issue No. 38

CITY OF WHEATLAND'S

150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

The City of Wheatland was incorporated and officially became a city on April 13, 1874. This year marks our City’s 150^th Anniversary. We think that is a good reason to celebrate! A special citizen ad hoc committee led by Vice-Mayor Bob Coe has been busy over the past several months planning activities to celebrate this special event.

The first event will be held on Saturday April 13^th, beginning at 10:00 am with a cake-cutting ceremony in the Front Street Park. Activities for both adults and children are planned throughout the day and evening. Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for (audience)? Why should they care (benefit)? What do I want them to do (call-to-action)?

On Saturday March 18^th, the celebration will continue with the 100^th Annual Pet Parade beginning at 9:30 am at 111 Main Street, across from the Little Red School House. Activities planned for that day after the Pet Parade include a barbecue, ice cream social, children’s games and vendor booths.

Additional activities for this summer and fall are also being planned. We hope that you will come out and join us for these fun events. Additional information on our 150^th anniversary activities can be found online at Wheatland150.org

POLICE DEPARTMENT TRAINING

The officers at the Wheatland Police Department have been extremely busy during the first quarter of 2024 with attending additional training specifically focusing on impaired driving and making our streets safer. The officers are now all now certified in the Standard Field Sobriety Tests and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement. Additionally, several officers also attended the “Street Racing and Modified Vehicle Enforcement” course through the Yuba-Sutter CHP Area Office. These courses will help the Wheatland Police Department make our City streets safer for all of us. As a reminder, if you drink, designate a driver!

FIRE SEASON IS QUICKLY APPROACHING AND THE WHEATLAND FIRE AUTHORITY WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE SOME DEFENSIVE SPACE GUIDELINES 

ZONE 0 - EMBER RESISTANT ZONE

1. Use gravel, pavers, or concrete in instead of combustible mulch
2. Clear dead weeds, grass, and debris; check roofs, gutter, and outdoor areas
3. Keep branches trimmed 10ft away from chimneys and stovepipes
4. Minimize combustible items like furniture and planters on decks
5. Move firewood and lumber to Zone 2 for safety
6. Replace combustible fencing and gates with fire-resistant materials
7. Shift garbage and recycling containers to a safer area outside this zone
8. Relocate boats, RVs, and vehicles away from this zone to reduce fire risks

ZONE 1 - LEAN, CLEAN, AND GREEN ZONE

1. Clear all dead plants, grass, and weeds
2. Remove dead leaves and pine needles from your yard, roof, and gutters
3. Trim overhanging branches and keep them 10ft from your chimney
4. Regularly trim trees to maintain a 10ft-gap from others
5. Move wood piles to Zone 2
6. Prune flammable plants and shrubs near windows
7. Clear flammable vegetation and items from under decks, balconies, and stairs
8. Maintain space between trees, shrubs, and flammable items like patio furniture and wood piles
9. Ensure outbuildings and LPG tanks have 10ft of clear space with bare soil and no flammable vegetation within and additional 10ft around them

ZONE 2 – REDUCE FUEL ZONE

1. Trim annual grass to a maximum height of 4 inches
2. Space out shrubs and trees horizontally
3. Ensure vertical spacing between grass, shrubs, and trees
4. Remove fallen leaves, needles, and small branches, but can leave up to 3 inches
5. Keep exposed wood piles at least 10ft clear from surroundings, down to the soil
6. Ensure outbuildings and LPG tanks have 10 ft of clear space to bare soil and no flammable vegetation within and additional 10ft around them

HIGHWAY 65

PAVEMENT REHABILITATION PROJECT

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is planning to rehabilitate Highway 65 (HWY 65) through the City of Wheatland, also known as ‘D’ Street. A number of years ago, Caltrans began resurfacing HWY 65 in Yuba and Placer Counties. However, the project skipped over Wheatland because certain “preparations” on D Street, like ADA pedestrian ramps and underground utility repairs, needed to be completed first. Now, the time has come for Wheatland to be included in the HWY 65 pavement rehabilitation project. The project will span the entire length of Wheatland, between the area of Dry Creek to the north all the way past State Street to the south and include a new traffic signal at McDevitt Drive which the City of Wheatland contributed its fair share of costs. This project is expected to begin in the summer, with pavement done by winter and the new signal completed by spring of 2025.

CITY RECEIVES CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING

For the fourth year in a row, the City of Wheatland recently received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (COA) awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its 2021-22 Annual Financial Report. The GFOA established the COA in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare annual comprehensive financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.



The 2022-23 City of Wheatland Annual Comprehensive Financial Report was received and reviewed by the City Council at its February 27, 2024 regular meeting and has been submitted for review by GFOA. This report and reports from prior years are available on the City’s website at wheatland.ca.gov.  

COMMUNITY DEVELOPEMENT

This spring, construction will begin on the First Street Senior Housing project located on a vacant 2.0-acre site at the corner of First Street and E Street. The First Street Senior Housing project will be an age-restricted affordable housing project including 32 residential units with open space amenities, including a community center (kitchen, community room, office, meeting space, and fitness center), pergola with bocce ball, garden, and a dog park.

In addition, the City of Wheatland will be starting the General Plan Update Ad-Hoc Committee Meetings in April, which will be publicly noticed meetings, to begin preparing the General Plan Update. The public is encouraged to follow the City’s website for updates and notices regarding opportunities to submit comments, questions, and suggestions for the General Plan Update.

CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE THE SECOND AND FOURTH TUESDAYS OF EACH MONTH

The Wheatland City Council meetings are on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Agendas are posted the Friday prior to the meeting at the following locations: 111 C Street, 404 Fourth Street and 424 Front Street on the side of the building that faces the Village Pharmacy. In addition, the agendas can be found on the website at wheatland.ca.gov. Agendas and minutes from prior meetings also are available on the website. The City Council meetings are held in the Community Center, 101 C Street. City Council meetings start at 6:00 p.m.