Regularly Scheduled City of Fresno Council meeting August 30,2018!
Among the Consent items is continuing Sponsorship of Fresno Food Expo for $62,500. Reappointment of Lawrence Garcia to Planning Commission, Kristina Roper and Patrick Boyd to Historic Preservation Commission. Widening of Clinton near Locan/ Fowler.
All Councilmembers present except @ClintOlivier Meeting beginning with @GarryBredefeld pulls items 1-A and 1-G Soria pulls 1-L. 
Proclamation of William Saroyan Day in conjunction with opening of his former home on Griffith as a museum. His 110th birthday tomorrow too. Armenian TV is here as well to interview @Esmeralda_Soria as sponsor of the proclamation!
@PaulCaprioglio Proclamation Armenian culture Trex Fraternity on their 100th Anniversary That begun at Fresno High School by ten high school men in 1918. 11 chapters statewide as well as in Nevada Three X meant that the ten hoped to keep it going to age 30 years. (3 times X)
@PaulCaprioglio is presenting District 4 Man of the Year 2018 to Fresno State’s Joseph Castro ( a surprise for him who is coming in for an entirely different issue. He is running late though) His wife Mary and lots of family are here as well as Student Leadership.
@JosephICastro comes in to Chambers to chants of “Castro Castro Castro” Washington Monthly ranked 24th best college nationwide. @MayorLeeBrand says what is good for Fresno State is good for Fresno, and what is good for Fresno is good for Fresno State. “Bold Dogs”
Council breaking for a 15 minute period in order for a celebration out in foyer. They will then go to Closed Session around 10 am to discuss items such as security at City Hall and other facilities. B
City Council returns after an hour from Closed Session. Lots of people in audience waiting for items. @ClintOlivier is here now. Thanks Staff for quick handling of a vacant house with transients. Response is much more effective than it would’ve been 8 years ago.
@stevebrandau wishes meeting to be adjourned in Honor of ex-Fresnan Mollie Tibbetts who was murdered in Iowa. @Esmeralda_Soria in honor of retired Fresno Fireman Mickey who recently passed away. Moving on to 10 AM Items ( it is 11:10). Moving onto 78 acres near Clinton/ Fowler
This will be a 210 single family residential homes , a new elementary school. The original General Plan included Urban Neighborhood Residential Passes 6-0. Now Official Plan Line for Temperance from 180 to Clinton. Has been downgraded from 2025 General Plan where it would’ve been
more like Herndon Island but now down to a more Clovis Ave Neighbors concerned about noise, traffic and access to their driveways. Need Plan Line to prevent any future projects from being built in its path. It will be a six lane super arterial with median , trail & bike lanes.
Public speaking regarding to Offical Plot Line saying the smaller homes will effect current homes, don’t want to be annexed into City and move this to Fowler Ave instead. Why six lanes v four lanes? Passes 5-0 with Baines/ Olivier absent.
Unscheduled Comments: Public complaining about rudeness of bus drivers, homeless on Blackstone near the Walmart on Ashlan. Starting on Consent Calendar. 1-A Fee Study Analysis by NBS a municipal financial consultant. 1-G Agreement with Housing Authority and Police to provide more
Security at four sites. Chief Dyer says two officers assigned to the 14 complexes and help vet applicants , respond to free up field officers. Housing Authority chose these sites as more incidents were arising without these officers present. Has been in place for 20 years.
These officers are not part of regular minimum officers but dedicated to these complexes. @OliverBaines says the officers becomes part of those 14 complexes community. Passe 7-0. 1-L Granicus allows Minutes from Council meeting to be entered as the meeting goes on. 80% finished
by time meeting over. City Clerk Spence: E-Comments allows citizens to comment on Agenda items beforehand if they couldn’t make it down to meeting. Helps disabled, cuts down gas emissions. Can be limited to 700 characters, limited to certain agenda items if Council wishes.
@Esmeralda_Soria makes motion to pass. @ClintOlivier thanks City Clerk for the research. Will it be labor intensive? Who decides which items would be excluded? Spence: At Agenda Conference would be good time. A column for e-comments on City Page. A copy would be given to Council
prior to meeting so they can see if any constituents commented. Olivier asks how did it work in other cities? Spence: depended on community. City Attorney says land use items should be excluded. First Amendment would prevent any items from being excluded. @PaulCaprioglio asks
if it doesn’t work well can we opt out ? Spence says we can after a year. E-comments runs $5000 a year. @stevebrandau asks if you can make e-comment AND come down and speak? Yes. Can register to speak from home though. $31,000 total cost to Granicus to cover Minutes, e-comments
@PaulCaprioglio wants to abstain until he gets more info. Brandau wants to be sure no profanity etc allowed on e-comment. Sloan said Land Use would need Attorney and DARM approval such as CEQA so it could be excluded or time limit as an e-comments. Spence says it would take a
month to start. May limit e-comment portion to start. Brandau would like a subcommittee with Soria to discuss parameters. Will continue until another Council meeting. Olivier thinks this is just like Facebook and staff is just monitoring social media. If exclude items the public
“May think the “fix” is in. Either don’t censor anything or don’t do it. Thinks disabled will come down of item is important enough. “ Baines says “no one is being censored. This is just an extra way to participate. A convenience. This is not complicated. “ Council will break for
lunch and then head to remainder of Closed Session. Will then finish up rest of General Administration items.
