Escalon City Council members gathered for a more than two-hour session on Monday, March 18 and, among other business, heard a mid-year budget review and made a top level appointment.

The council, on a 5-0 vote, approved the appointment of Development and Community Services Manager Jaylen French to serve as Interim City Manager when current City Manager Dominique Romo leaves later this spring. She has accepted the City Manager job in Hughson and French will serve both in his current capacity and as the interim City Manager while the search is underway for Romo’s replacement.

Also seated on the dais Monday night was Interim Police Chief Anthony Hardgraves, named to serve in that role with the retirement of Chief Gustavo Flores. Hardgraves was appointed to the post and will serve as the search for a new chief is conducted.

It’s possible that both interim appointees will be candidates for those positions permanently; there is expected to be both in-house and outside recruitment.

A mid-year budget review showed the city currently has a healthy reserve, but signs point to a continued reduction in those reserves with less revenue and more expenditures in the short term. Mayor David Bellinger said the council is keenly aware of that and will be looking closely at all future expenditures in hopes of keeping the city in a solid fiscal position.

The meeting also included a presentation on several possible road projects and though no decisions were made regarding which ones might be in the city’s future, council members agreed there needs to be more in-depth study of the options to determine which would be most beneficial for the city and its residents.

During public comment, resident Casey Silva – who attended the meeting through the online option – voiced her concerns about the recent lockdowns at local schools and the numerous threats she has seen reported in the police department log.

Interim Chief Hardgraves said it appeared as though the threats that prompted the lockdowns were from a student. All the threats were unfounded but no arrests have been reported as a result of the investigation.

City Manager Romo said the city would be having its regular meeting with school district officials this week and that is one of the topics they planned to address. The city and school work cooperatively with School Resource Officer, Ben Harrison, who is on the campuses regularly.