The City of Eastvale Staff and Council
Photo Courtesy: SD Images

BY: JENNIFER MADRIGAL

Eastvale – The Eastvale Chamber of Commerce presented “Eastvale’s 3^rd Annual State of the City” to a packed and excited crowd on March 27. The event started off with a reception, catered by Five Star Catering, that included fruit, desserts and a large chocolate fountain. Guests were able to mingle and snack on all the delicious food while looking at various business booths. Representatives from Waste Management, The Gas Co., the Corona-Norco Unified School District, Eastvale’s San Antonio Medical Center, Allegra Marketing and others were on hand to welcome members of the community and share their products and services with them. At the conclusion of the reception, guests were seated in the auditorium of Roosevelt High School for the presentation.

The State of the City was opened with an invocation from Pastor Rick Morris of The Crossings Church. The presentation of colors was done by Boy Scout Troop 2012. Joel Seigler, Chairman of the Board of the Eastvale Chamber of Commerce, began the presentation and thanked all the sponsors for their dedication to this event and to our wonderful city.

After Seigler’s presentation, City Manager, Carol Jacobs, took the stage. According to Jacobs, “We may be a small city, but we get the job done.” Jacobs talked about revenue neutrality being a critical success to the future of Eastvale. In 2013, this revenue allowed the City to purchase land for a second fire station, start a medic unit, increase our police presence, add a fire protection specialist and save the City $33 million over the next 30 years by renegotiating contracts. With a large portion of the general fund coming from sales tax revenue, the amount of sales tax that went to our general fund grew this year from $5,353,575 to $5,720,377, an increase of 6.9%. Jacobs went on to explain that for the third year in a row, Eastvale has a balanced budget. She reminded citizens that, “Sales tax revenue continues to grow. Every dollar you spend here helps us help you”.

Mayor Ike Bootsma then took the stage to deliver his speech. He thanked everyone involved in running the City and spoke about the busy year that Eastvale had with all of the new construction. He then listed the names of new businesses that have opened or will open soon in Eastvale. “Small business owners and entrepreneurs are the backbone of our City”, Bootsma said. He also spoke about the different commissions that the City has, such as the Planning Commission, and the Public Safety Commission.

“The purpose of the Public Safety Commission is to provide the City with recommendations on dealing with things like Neighborhood Watch. The Planning Commission advises the City on land use and much more,” Bootsma said. He added that, “Eastvale is a new City, so there will be many capital improvement projects.” Public safety is the biggest priority for the City and Bootsma believes that, “If we all work together, we can improve traffic safety around the schools”.