Victorville city manager reviews 2024: homelessness, grants, public safety and infrastructure highlights

City Manager Metzler on Tuesday recapped the city’s major accomplishments in 2024, including a $28 million Homekey grant and the opening of the Victorville Wellness Center, continued grant-funded homelessness work, new and upgraded public-safety equipment and several infrastructure projects.

Metzler told the council the wellness center — funded in part by a $28,000,000 Homekey award from the California Department of Housing and Community Development — began operations Dec. 12, 2023, and has since helped clients transition into permanent housing. Metzler said 111 clients graduated from the center into permanent housing. He also cited grant receipts tied to the city’s encampment response, saying the city received “well over $7,000,000” last year to support encampment interventions and related services.

The review highlighted several public-safety and service items: the Victorville Fire Department handled more than 25,000 calls in 2024 and deployed 21 strike teams to assist other agencies on wildland incidents; the city secured a $3.7 million county grant to acquire land and begin design work for a new police station; and staff expanded traffic enforcement operations that produced citations and DUI arrests during targeted enforcement operations.

Metzler also reviewed non-emergency services and city programs. The city opened a new animal care and adoption center after a rapid refurbishment of a former Goodwill High School building, and officials reported substantial activity at that facility, including microchipping, licensing and return-to-owner outcomes. The city launched an organics recycling program that staff said helped residents divert roughly 10,000 tons of food and green waste from landfill in 2024. Victorville Municipal Utilities (VEMUS) began a net‑metering program for solar customers and added additional wind power to its portfolio.

On homelessness and riverbed cleanup, Metzler said city efforts had transitioned 91 individuals into services and removed about 91 tons of debris from the riverbed; staff cleared 116 encampments and connected seven veterans with services. Code Compliance conducted 2,619 inspections through a community enhancement program aimed at neighborhood quality of life.

Economic and infrastructure highlights included issuance of 172 new business licenses, continued interest from major retailers, and completion or progress on several road projects — Bear Valley Road bridge widening, Third Avenue extension and pavement reconstruction from Amethyst to Highway 395. Metzler also noted a new Kern River natural gas interconnect for the municipal utility that he said will allow the city to offer natural gas service at more competitive rates to customers served by VEMUS.

Why it matters: Metzler framed these items as evidence of fiscal stability, grant success and operational expansion in services. Several accomplishments are grant‑dependent or are continuing projects; the city will return to the council with implementation details and further requests as needed.

Metzler’s remarks were part of the regular council agenda; council members did not take separate votes specifically on the review apart from agenda approval actions that followed.