City of Sonora

Queen of the Southern Mines

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A Brief Description of Departments and Services

Administration

City Hall is housed in the Eureka Engine Company building which was constructed in 1939. The building has since been remodeled but the second story railing still contains the initials SFD, Sonora Fire Department. Another unique feature of City Hall is its historic pictures and museum pieces available for public view during normal business hours.

City Administration is located on the first floor of the building. The Administration Office includes, the City Administrator’s office, the Finance Department, Business Services, Human Resources, Accounts Payable and Receivables.  This is also the main mailing address for all correspondence to the City Council. Office hours are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Melissa Eads
City Administrator
94 N. Washington Street
Sonora, CA 95370
Phone: (209) 532-4541
Fax: (209) 532-2738

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Community Development

The City of Sonora’s Community Development Department, located on the second floor of City Hall, is responsible for the orderly and organized development of all property in Sonora. The Department is also charged with expanding the local economy and facilitating development, in accordance with uniform standards and criteria, that improves the quality of life for City residents, visitors and stakeholders. The Department oversees several programs and projects designed to benefit its residents and businesses. The Department, through its numerous special events, including the Sonora Certified Farmers Market, and marketing activities, encourages the local community and tourists to visit this beautiful city. The experienced staff implementing these activities plays a major part in how the policies and programs of the City Council, Planning Commission and Committees are carried out. The Community Development Director also serves as the acting Public Works Director and oversees all Public Works activities.

Rachelle Kellogg
Community Development Director
94 N. Washington Street
Sonora , CA 95370
Phone:(209) 532-3508
Fax: (209) 532-3511

Sonora Fire Department

The Sonora Fire Department is located at 201 South Shepherd Street. The station has been centrally located to better provide emergency services to the citizens of the City of Sonora. In addition to emergency service, the fire department also provides fire prevention, public education, non-emergency public services and cooperative services with other emergency and non emergency agencies throughout the County. The City is 3.5 square miles and has a resident population of 4666. However, as the County Seat and a center for commerce, the City supports a daily population of approximately 25,000. This weekday influx dramatically increases the number of emergency calls for service handled by this department. Utilizing 3 engines, 1 aerial fire apparatus, 1 light brush unit, 2 command vehicles, and one fire prevention vehicle the fire department responds to an average of 1,103 emergency calls (911 generated calls) for service each year.


Aimee New,
201 S. Shepherd Street
Sonora, CA 95370
Phone: (209) 532-7432
Fax: (209) 532-5936

Sonora Police Department

The mission of the Sonora Police Department is to provide the community and visitors with the highest quality of law enforcement services. We continually improve the public’s perception of community safety through eradication of criminal activity and any conditions that have a detrimental impact on public safety. The Department will accomplish this task while using the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) model.

Turu VanderWeil
Police Chief
100 S. Green Street
Sonora, CA 95370
Phone: (209) 532-8141
Fax: (209) 532-4845

Public Works Department

The Public Works Department conducts a variety of activities from its corporation yard at 111 School Street . Street, sidewalk, and storm drain maintenance; building maintenance and repair; park, landscape, and cemetery operations, traffic signal maintenance; and vehicle fleet maintenance are just some of the functions carried out by the department.

Day-to-day operations of the department are implemented by Supervisor, Mike Lagomarsino, four Public Works Specialists (Bill Atkins, Clayton Harris, Mathew Lewellan , and two Public Works Assistants (Kole Elkins and Quinn Vanderwerff ). Vehicle and equipment fleet operations and maintenance is coordinated by Supervising Mechanic Jason Morey.

Along with the day-to-day assignments, the staff participates in a variety of special projects and events, including promotional activities, interdepartmental assistance, and regular committee assignments including the Safety Committee; Parks, Beautification and Recreation Committee; and the Parking and Traffic Commission.

Public Works
94 N. Washington St.
Sonora, CA 95370
Phone: (209) 532-2922
Fax: (209) 532-3511

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Finance Department

The Finance Department is located at City Hall within the City Administration Office.  The Administrative Services Department is primarily responsible for citywide administration related to finance, human resources, information technology, risk management and purchasing.
Budget
The budget division provides fiscal controls and guidance for all city funds while complying with applicable local, state and federal regulations.
Business License
A business license tax is imposed on all persons doing business within the Sonora city limits. This tax is imposed solely to raise revenue for municipal purposes and is not intended for regulation.
Finance
Finance is charged with maximizing the use of financial resources by creating a more efficient system to facilitate the transaction involving the collection, disbursement, and reporting of city funds. This division’s responsible for administering the financial operations of the city. It also maintains the city’s financial records and provides management with monthly financial reports, and all other monies associated with city services. The accounting area is responsible for the disbursement of all city funds including payroll.
Human Resources
Human Resources is responsible for citywide human resources (HR) functions including compensation and benefit administration, training, risk management, recruitment and employee relations including labor management.
Information Technology
The Information Technology Department aims to provide meaningful impact through smart uses of technology

Chris Gorsky
Administrative Services Director
94 N. Washington Street
Sonora, CA 95370
Phone: (209) 532 6331
Fax: (209) 532-2738

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