Council Raises City Manager's Pay to $230K, Pivots to Data-Driven Tourism Strategy

Rio Vista's City Council unanimously approved a long-overdue raise for City Manager Christina Miller — still tens of thousands below what peer cities pay — then turned its attention to a small but revealing debate over how to spend $20,000 in hotel tax funds to put the city on the map. A Placer AI presentation showed the Bass Derby Festival drew 18,000 visitors and identified millions in unmet local demand, sharpening the council's appetite for data analytics and social media as economic development tools.

• City manager's salary jumps from $215,000 to $230,000 after a three-year freeze — still well below comparable cities
• Council prioritizes data analytics, social media and Highway 12 signage from $20K in tourism tax funds
• Placer AI data reveals $12M in unmet restaurant demand and 18,000 Bass Derby visitors
• California Forever talks stall as MoU is rescinded after failed negotiations
• Council directs staff to draft a trash can ordinance, linking blight to multifamily housing opposition

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Miller Gets a Raise — But Remains the Region's Bargain

The council voted 5-0 to amend City Manager Christina Miller's employment agreement, raising her salary from $215,000 to $230,000, adding a 3% annual cost-of-living adjustment starting July 1, 2027, extending her contract through June 30, 2031, quadrupling her life insurance from $25,000 to $100,000, and including city-paid health coverage during the six-month severance window.

Why it matters: Miller had not received any compensation increase since her appointment on June 26, 2023 — nearly three years without a raise despite leading passage of the 1% Measure K sales tax, winning a $3 million street improvement grant, and navigating significant water and sewer rate increases.

Where things stand: Even at $230,000, Miller trails every comparable city manager in the region. Staff presented the numbers: Dixon pays $282,000, Suisun City $294,000, Benicia $236,000 and Vacaville $301,000. The gap is $50,000 to $70,000, and every council member acknowledged it.

Mayor Edwin Okamura framed the disparity bluntly, noting Miller spends roughly a quarter of her time on the high-profile California Forever development without additional compensation. "You're not getting paid extra to be working on California Forever, which I think by your own assertions, probably like 25% of your job," he said. "You've done a fantastic job and deserve every penny."

Councilmember Walt Stanish pointed out the math still doesn't add up: "Christina hasn't received a raise in three years. And even if you were to take the $15,000 that we're upping her now, it still wouldn't be anywhere near the 3% that she would have normally gotten."

Vice Mayor Rick Dolk praised a culture shift under Miller's leadership. "We're doing things on a strategic plan. We're proactive, and we all know she could go somewhere else and she's working here at a discount, essentially," he said. Councilmember Sarah Donnelly noted Miller's strong reputation with county partners. Councilmember Lisa Duke seconded the motion.

Decisions: Passed 5-0 (For: Okamura, Dolk, Donnelly, Duke, Stanish; Against: none; Absent: none). The contract extension through 2031 provides leadership stability as the city pursues major infrastructure projects and its own economic development strategy.

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How to Spend $20K: Council Bets on Data and Social Media to Capture Highway 12 Traffic

The council's most wide-ranging discussion centered on how to allocate $20,000 in remaining Transient Occupancy Tax funds — a modest sum that surfaced deeper questions about Rio Vista's economic identity and its ability to convert Highway 12 pass-through traffic into local spending.

The basics: Staff presented roughly a dozen council-submitted proposals ranging from data analytics and social media consulting to Highway 12 electronic signage, light pole banners, a Yiftee shop-local gift card pilot, painting the army base water tower, and sprucing up the promenade and boat launch.

Why it matters: Rio Vista sits along Highway 12 with significant commuter and recreational traffic passing through daily. The question is whether the city can capture more of those travelers — and whether $20,000, strategically deployed, can lay the groundwork for a data-driven approach to tourism and business recruitment.

Placer AI Shows What the City Has Been Missing

Mayor Okamura invited Gannon Lavins of Placer AI to demonstrate the company's location analytics platform, which draws on anonymized mobile device data from approximately 30 million devices. The results were striking.

Lavins showed that the October Bass Derby Festival drew approximately 18,000 non-resident visitors who made roughly 20,000 visits. "During those three days we had about 18,000 visitors that do not live in the city or work in the city that came about 20,000 times," he said. About 60% stopped at local businesses.

More consequential for economic development planning: the platform identified significant unmet demand in Rio Vista. "There is an unmet demand of about $8 million for gasoline stations. There's about $12 million of unmet demand for restaurants," Lavins said. Psychographic data suggested demand for healthy sit-down dining and high-end gas stations — the kind of granular intelligence that could support business recruitment pitches.

Two public commenters weighed in. Roxanne Stahls Donnelly asked whether Placer AI works with chambers of commerce; Mayor Okamura confirmed it does. Pamela Price asked whether the city planned to contract with the company or if the presentation was purely informational. Mayor Okamura explained it was one of several proposals under consideration for the TOT allocation.

Council Members Draw Their Lines

Each council member named priorities. Data analytics and social media consulting were universally supported. Highway 12 electronic signage and light pole banners also drew broad backing.

Councilmember Donnelly emphasized the urgency, citing the California Forever funding delay. "Just with the recent news of our project being delayed and the funding might be shifted, I really think it's something we need to take a hard look at," she said, supporting social media, digital community engagement, and wayfinding signage.

Councilmember Duke pushed hardest for the Yiftee shop-local gift card program as a low-cost pilot. "I still like that Yiftee program. Even though you're saying that the money is to bring people from out of town here, I think it's also to promote commerce here in town and keep dollars in town," she said. She also argued social media is the city's biggest missed opportunity: "All I have to do is spam something out and you get the restaurants just fill up."

Councilmember Stanish favored data analytics, social media and the Highway 12 electronic sign. Mayor Okamura noted some proposals — the digital community engagement platform, promenade parking lot and promenade landscaping — should be funded from other budget lines, not the TOT allocation.

What's next: City Manager Miller confirmed the top four priorities for staff follow-up: "The data analytics tool, the contract with the social media consultant, Highway 12 branding wayfinding signage such as a billboard electronic screen, and the replacement of the light pole banners." Staff will compile detailed cost proposals and return to council.

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California Forever Talks Go Nowhere

City Manager Miller reported on a March 5 conversation with Gabe Metcalf of California Forever regarding potential development in and around Rio Vista. Her summary was blunt: nothing notable to report.

Why it matters: The high-profile development project has stalled. The city's MoU with California Forever was rescinded after unsuccessful negotiations. Miller clarified a circulated email about the city's reimbursement agreement: the agreement was approved in a public meeting, but only one scope of work was ever approved by California Forever — the MoU negotiation itself, which failed.

Mayor Okamura said discussions about infill projects within the city have been going on for more than a year without progress. "We've been talking about infill projects for well over a year at this point, and so there's not been any movement in that area," he said.

Councilmember Donnelly read from a California Forever email that claimed the company was exploring smart growth and bringing better retail and tax revenue. Her assessment: "They do say including bringing better retail services and tax revenue to the city. So a little bit of an overstatement I would say."

What's next: With the MoU dead and infill discussions dormant, Rio Vista is effectively on its own for economic development — which partly explains the council's enthusiasm for the Placer AI data and social media investments discussed earlier in the evening.

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Trash Cans, Multifamily Housing and a Coming Ordinance

Councilmember Donnelly raised a seemingly small issue with larger implications: trash cans cluttering sidewalks, front lawns and porches, particularly at apartment buildings where 10 to 15 cans are sometimes visible. Rio Vista currently has no ordinance on the books.

Why it matters: Donnelly explicitly tied the issue to housing policy. "We need more multifamily housing. And this is one of the things that people bring forward as to why they don't want that in their neighborhood," she said.

Councilmember Duke strongly agreed, sharing that she moved to an HOA community specifically because of this concern. Mayor Okamura confirmed consensus to proceed, and staff will draft an ordinance for future council consideration.

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Minor Items

• Consent calendar (items 6.01–6.05, 6.07) approved 5-0, including meeting minutes and routine administrative actions.
• Thomas Watson was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Commission to serve the remainder of a term ending Jan. 1, 2027. Councilmember Stanish pulled the item from consent because Watson was not present to answer questions; he voted no. Passed 4-1 (For: Okamura, Dolk, Donnelly, Duke; Against: Stanish).
• Red Cross Month: Mayor Okamura proclaimed March 2026 as Red Cross Month. Elizabeth Ames, a Rio Vista resident and Red Cross disaster health services volunteer, accepted the proclamation and shared that 220 Solano County volunteers helped 74 families affected by home fires last year, collected 336 units of blood, and hosted 17 blood drives.
• Community center upgrades at 45 Main Street: Staff reported four priority improvements underway — a glass roll-up door replacing the Main Street entrance, an ADA-compliant exterior passage door, window alignment for architectural consistency, and interior double doors with panic hardware for sound separation and fire safety. The center is fully booked since the Point closed. Mayor Okamura pushed back on claims that improvements take away from youth programming, noting Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Little League all regularly use the space.
• Wastewater consolidation has reached 50% design by Hydroscience, including approximately 17,000 linear feet of new sewer force main and gravity sewer, new and replacement lift stations on Beach Drive, Second Street and River Road, and a new 12-inch water main on North Front Street. Rio Vista uniquely operates two wastewater treatment plants.
• Brand Ranch development is nearing planning commission and city council consideration.
• General Plan 2045 is scheduled for city council on April 7.
• Caltrans will replace Highway 12 channelizers from Druin Drive to Highway 13, March 23–28, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Mosquito abatement: Councilmember Stanish reported larva samples more than doubled from last year due to warmer temperatures.
• CapSolano homelessness board: Councilmember Donnelly described the continuum of care Tripartite Advisory Board as "pretty dysfunctional," though she said it was productive to meet with stakeholders directly.
• Community job fair: Chandra Drury of Wind River Adult School announced the second annual job fair on Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the American Legion Veterans Hall, and asked council members to help connect with the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Association.
• Little League: Chrissy Langloy praised public works staff for outstanding field maintenance at Egbert Field for opening day, with approximately 60 games scheduled this season.
• New HR Manager Mediha was introduced to the council.
• Acting Police Chief: Sgt. Pontecorvo is serving while Chief West is on leave.
• Student scholarships of $1,000 remain available on the city website.