CITY OF MENIFEE
ANNUAL REPORT
2023
2023 was a year to celebrate in Menifee. The City officially turned fifteen years old and the theme of this historic milestone was prevalent in nearly all of the City’s activities and events throughout the year, culminating with a truly unique State of the City hosted at the new 5,000-seat HCN Bank Stadium at Mt. San Jacinto College. Not only was this night in October an opportunity to share the latest news and updates from the City of Menifee, but it was also the largest State of the City Event in Menifee’s history and gave the entire community an opportunity to come together and celebrate the City’s 15th Birthday.
The City of Menifee has come a long way in the fifteen years since its incorporation. On October 1, 2008, Menifee became California’s newest city with a population of 50,000 residents. Today, the city is one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation with a population of over 116,000. Looking to plan for Menifee’s future, the City Council adopted a Five-Year Strategic Plan in March 2023 to meet the immediate needs of residents and businesses by focusing the City’s progress on key priorities and objectives designed to further strengthen Menifee’s overall quality of life.
By focusing on key issues such as infrastructure, public safety, economic development, creating a unique identity, and community engagement, the City of Menifee is continuing to build a safe, thriving, and premier place to be.
Working towards these objectives requires not only strategic planning, but also a dedicated team of individuals to complete the work necessary to achieve them. The City of Menifee’s departments and employees all work in close collaboration to ensure that the City’s programs and services remain at the highest standards and serve the public’s best interest.
The City of Menifee is proud of the work it has accomplished this past year and has taken the steps necessary to ensure that strategic objectives are given special priority as we move forward. This thoughtful planning will help ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our growing community while developing the amenities and community assets that will make Menifee thrive and continue to be an attractive destination to live, work, play, and stay.
SAFE, THRIVING, AND PREMIER PLACE TO BE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TABLE OF
CONTENTS
4 OUR ORGANIZATION
6 CONNECTIVITY & MOBILITY
8 UNIQUE IDENTITY
10 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT &
SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
12 THRIVING ECONOMY
14 SAFE & VIBRANT COMMUNITY
16 TEAM MENIFEE
18 AWARDS & ACCOLADES
2 3
ASSISTANT
CITY MANAGER
MENIFEE
RESIDENTS
CITY COUNCIL
CITY MANAGER COMMISSIONS &
COMMITTEESCITY ATTORNEY
HUMAN
RESOURCES
RISK
MANAGEMENT
COMMUNITY
SERVICES
RECREATION
PARKS &
LANDSCAPE
MAINTENANCE
FACILITIES
MAINTENANCE
DEPUTY
CITY MANAGER
COMMUNICATIONS/
LEGISLATIVE
AFFAIRS
CITY CLERK
FINANCE
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
AUDIO VISUAL
GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION
SYSTEMS (GIS)
FIRE
(CONTRACT)
FIRE
PREVENTION
CITY EXECUTIVE
OFFICE
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
POLICE
CODE
ENFORCEMENT
ANIMAL SERVICES
(CONTRACT)
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
PLANNING
BUILDING &
SAFETY
HOUSING/
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK GRANT
(CDBG)
LAND
DEVELOPMENT/
ENGINEERING
CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM (CIP)
STREET
MAINTENANCE
FLEET
PUBLIC WORKS
OUR ORGANIZATION
4 5
ARMANDO VILLA
City Manager
ROCHELLE CLAYTON
Assistant City Manager
JONATHAN NICKS
Deputy City Manager
LONNY OLSON
Fire Division Chief
JEFF MELCHING
City Attorney
CHRIS KARRER
Police Chief
NICK FIDLER
Public Works Director
GINA GONZALEZ
Economic Development Director
CHERYL KITZEROW
Community Development Director
SARAH MANWARING
City Clerk
RON PUCCINELLI
Chief Information Officer
TRAVIS HICKEY
Chief Financial Officer
BILL ZIMMERMAN
Mayor
BOB KARWIN
Mayor Pro Tem
RICKY ESTRADA
Councilmember
LESA SOBEK
Councilmember
DEAN DEINES
Councilmember
ENHANCING ACCESSIBLITY
THROUGHOUT THE CITY
Over $40 Million
State and federal grant funds awarded for Menifee
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects
12 Major Projects
Completed
7 Special Districts
Established
$735K
In Fair Share Collection
38,206
Construction Inspections Completed
81 Improvement
Plans Approved
51 Granding Plan
Reviews
961
Fleet Work Orders
Completed
3,000
Field Service Work
Orders Completed
CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED
The City of Menifee is committed to investing in critical infrastructure that will enhance the overall accessibility of the city and reduce congestion on local roadways. To meet that need, the City of Menifee City Council has adopted a $700 million, five-year Capital Improvement Program that will ensure that new roadways, improvements, and other vital projects can move forward to serve the Menifee community well into the future.
The Menifee Public Works Department has been at the forefront of coordinating these projects and ensuring that Menifee residents spend more time with their families and less time on local roadways. This also includes traffic engineering planning to enhance safety throughout the community. Additionally, the Public Works Department has been working on a Complete Streets Plan to provide safe and accessible access for all types of transportation including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and automobiles. Watch Team Menifee at work and learn more about the City’s infrastructure projects at
www.cityofmenifee.us/annualreportvideos.
6 7
Tradewinds Community Resurfacing
Potomac & Meadows Neighborhood
Lyle Marsh Park Permanent Restroom
Murrieta Rd/Rouse Rd Traffic Signal
Menifee Rd/La Piedra Road Traffic Signal
Lazy Creek Community Pedestrian Project
Sun City Community Pedestrian Project
Murrieta Rd/Sun City Blvd Traffic Signal
Fire Station No. 68 Interior Improvements
Menifee Road Resurfacing - Holland to Newport
E.L. Peterson Park Parking Lot
Menifee Rd/Garbani Rd Traffic Signal
$8.4 MILLION IN COMPLETED PROJECTS IN 2023
As the City of Menifee engages in thoughtful and collaborative planning efforts with the community to develop a distinct sense of place, the City’s Community Services Department has been leading efforts to provide Menifee residents and visitors with unique and engaging events and programs. This year, the Community Service Department updated its Park, Trails, and Open Spaces Master Plan. The team also hosted over 40 special events with over 40,000 participants and supported 58 additional events throughout Menifee.
In April, the City also had the honor of partnering with Miller-Jones Menifee Memorial Park and Mortuary and VFW Post 1956 to host The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. This special event brought thousands of visitors to Menifee. View our Memories of the Wall Documentary at
www.cityofmenifee.us/annualreportvideos.
1,388
Recreation Programs Offered
(Classes, Camps, Activities, Sports)
4,217
Youth Served Across 89 Programs
Ranging from Tiny Tots to Teens
2,090
Maintenance Requests Completed
1,000+
Trees/Plants Replaced
236
Weekly Activities Offered to
Senior Participants
68 Local Artists Featured at 4 Art
Showcase Events
8 9
The City of Menifee is looking to create opportunities to bring people together and enhance communication to help amplify accessibility, increase awareness, and build a strong and engaged community. The City utilizes numerous communication vehicles to engage with the public including sending 48 news releases, 130 email and text alerts, 1,281 social media posts, seasonal Menifee Matters Magazine, and the Official City of Menifee App.
This year, the City of Menifee launched Menifee TV – a public government access channel showcasing unique Menifee programming available locally to Menifee residents on Spectrum Channel 1301, Frontier Channel 25, and livestreamed online at
www.cityofmenifee.us/menifeetv. Check out content from Menifee TV at www.cityofmenifee.us/annualreportvideos.
The City Clerk Department also helped facilitate 654 public record requests and implemented LaserFiche, an electronic records management system, to ensure the public receives information in a timely manner. 62 Menifee TV
Videos Produced
187
Passports
Processed
56 Military Banners
Installed
2 Community Shredding
Events Hosted
13.5%
Increase in
Social Media
Followers
SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING
20,982 15,412 4,711 31,4281,480
10 11
The City of Menifee Development Team works collaboratively to encourage intentional smart growth and support the City’s growing business community so that residents have access to businesses, housing, parks and recreation, education and well-paying jobs. These efforts are facilitated through business expansion, attraction, and retention, as well as community development.
The City’s Economic Development Department encouraged
1,882 new businesses to the Menifee community and
continues to facilitate effective programs that spark business development and create local jobs. They also coordinated a new partnership with the Menifee Valley Chamber of
Commerce to create the JOBSNow Initiative, a joint
partnership between the two agencies to help provide a
variety of resources for new and existing businesses in the Menifee community. Watch Menifee’s 2023 Economic
Forecast video to learn more about the City’s thriving
economy (
www.cityofmenifee.us/annualreportvideos).
In addition to reviewing 235 Planning Applications and issuing over 6,000 building permits, the Menifee Community
Development Department also continued to facilitate
numerous programs that benefit local homeowners, including the Single Family Home Improvement Grant offering up to $15,000 for eligible low-income household owners.
Adopted General Plan Circulation, Land Use and Safety Element updates, Development Code updates, and Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization Ordinance Adopted Updated Building and Fire Codes
Assisted with the opening of Exquisite Tapas
Debuted “Shop Local” Holiday Campaign
Designed Explore Menifee Guide
Developed M.E.N.U. Grant (Mom and Pop, Entertainment, New Concept, and Unique) 909
New Single Family
Residence Permits Issued
28,363
Inspections Conducted
4,677
Customers Assisted
3 Mayor Idea Exchange
Events Hosted
2,632
Small Business Development
Center Clients Served
7 Foodie Fridays Hosted
12 13
15,052
Officer-Initiated
Incidents
308
K-9 Deployments
46 Traffic Safety
Operations Conducted
7,436
Traffic Citations
Issued
3,124
Code Inspections
Completed
The City of Menifee is committed to providing
exceptional public safety and making Menifee
one of the safest cities where residents and
visitors are secure in the neighborhoods and
surrounding spaces. Both Menifee Police and
Fire Departments have been working to further
strengthen response times and utilize new
technology to better protect the Menifee
community.
Since its launch in July 2020, the Menifee Police
Department has continued to grow and currently
has over 100 officers and police personnel. This
year, the Menifee PD responded to over 70,000
calls for service and processed over 6,000 cases.
Additionally, the Police Department launched
several new programs to help keep the
community safe including Project Lifesaver and
the You Are Not Alone Program. Learn more
about these programs at
www.cityofmenifee.us/annualreportvideos
With the addition of Medic Squad 7, Menifee Fire
Department was able to provide better resource
allocation for Menifee's fire apparatus and help
reduce response times citywide from 5.1 minutes
to 4.6 minutes.951
Plan Reviews
Completed
4,148
inspections
Completed
310
Business Inspections
Completed
Completed Menifee Fire Station
#68 Remodel Expansion
14 15
The City of Menifee could not achieve the ambitious goals of the City’s Strategic Plan without the help of key supporting departments including Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology. All of these departments provide critical operational functions that ensure Team Menifee has the personnel, financial resources, and technology needed to deliver high-quality of service to the residents and businesses in the community.
This year, the Finance Department developed the City’s first two-year budget which will help streamline budget processes and analysis in a more comprehensive manner. To meet the needs of our growing city, the Human Resources Department helped bring on 92 new employees to further bolster the City’s services. Additionally, the Information Technology Department provided a citywide cybersecurity training, helped prevent over 150 million cyberattacks, delivered 87 internal projects, and created 11 new Geographic Information System (GIS) business solutions including integrating Accela with GIS and launching the City's remote sensing program.
TEAM MENIFEE
3,273
Business Licenses
Completed
789
Purchase Orders
Completed
4,867
Support Requests
Completed
49 Recruitments
Completed
3,559
Payroll Benefit
Transactions Completed
3,368
Job Applications
Recieved
16 17
NEW.BETTER.BEST.
AWARDS
The City of Menifee continues to set a high standard for the quality of its work and the caliber of its employees. This year Menifee was named the fastest growing City in California by Smart Asset and awarded several industry accolades for excellence across numerous disciplines in local government. These achievements are the direct result of the great work that City employees conduct daily.
“Excellence in Design – Facility Design” Award for
Gale Webb Kids-R-#1 Action Sports Park
by the California Parks and Recreation Society
Excellence Award for Best Practices for
Menifee’s Permit-Ready Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Plans by the Inland Empire American Planning Association
2018-2023
18 19
Certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting
(12th Consecutive Year)
by the Government Finance Officers Association
Two Merit Awards for the Menifee Workforce Development
Center and the City’s Business Incentive Program
by the California Association for Local Economic Development