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Health & Fitness

OVERSIGHT OF THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

Heads up. Over $1,000 of Measure Z funds were already spent on overtime, for what? None of the parks opened because of it. It was paid out weeks before the “Day”. Therefore there was no valid reason for overtime to be paid.
Two words in the maintenance contract approved by the city council have the potential to derail current efforts to reopen Wildomar’s parks.
PREVAILING WAGE.
The potential exist because under California’s prevailing wage law the first thing one has to determine is classification of the job. Is it ongoing maintenance of an existing facility or is it new construction. Measure Z was very specific in that it is to be used for Maintenance, Operation and Programs therefore contractual invoices need to be detailed down to the quarter hour. The past habit of the city writing a check for a blanket invoice for monthly contract service needs to be avoided entirely. 
Per the State of California Labor Code:
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE – mowing, watering, pruning, trimming, weeding, spraying, occasional planting and replacement of plants and janitorial work incidental to such landscape maintenance. 
NEW CONSTRUCTION refers to site preparation for, and construction of, entirely new structures and/or significant extensions to existing structures whether or not the site was previously occupied. 
An example of maintenance is the replacement of a dead plant. The planting of an entirely new plant in a place where there was no plant before is new construction. The mowing of a grassy area is maintenance. The removal of an entire grassy area and replacing it with wood chips is not maintenance, its new construction.
Because of two words in the current maintenance contract “Prevailing Wage” this can mean the difference of $8.36 per hour vs. $45.29 per hour which if followed to the letter of the law could deplete Measure Z funds rapidly. 

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