Thread by @AndyHS

June 20,2019 Fresno City Council Meeting! Vote on Budget motions ;
FireStation Impact fee increase of 143% ;Homelessness Priorities;Easier Electrical Vehicle charging Stations permitting;SPCA contract renewal;Additions to Local Historical Register;a Johnny Quik Temporary Permit

to sell liquor while negotiating to secure permanent license. Vote on Motions and Directions Some of the proposals:
Neighborhood Services Dept Under City Attorney Office; Cut water lobbyist as well as State&Federal Lobbyists;$500,000 to implement Immigration Affairs Committee

recommendation;$75k for Advanced Peace administrative; Invocation by Pastor Andrew Smith of Bridge Church. Meeting beginning late:9:17. First up: Presentation by the Central California Blood Center. Christopher Stayb and Ersilia Lacaze presents. 55,000 blood donations per year.

Less than 10% of population donate yet every 2 seconds someone needs blood. It is a perishable item so needs continual resupply. Awareness is needed in order to increase this amount donated via social media & new blood drives. Summer sees a decrease in donations. @GarryBredefeld

asks City Attorney about no camping ordinance. Are we enforcing this? A: bed needs to be available to enforce. Legal memo was generated and given to Fresno PD. Chief Dyer:”is being enforced as long as bed is available. Goal is to help them take services. Only 1% does. If they

won’t move on and take their items they will be arrested. Calls for service are so high that not all can get to on time. If homeless is cited and doesn’t appear at court there is little consequences. 5 officers to homeless task force. Need 2-4 per district to really deal with it.

@MiguelArias_D3 how many have been cited, arrested or prosecuted? Dyer: 30-40. Beds vary with availability. City Attorney Sloan : no citation since February. Dyer: officers have discretion in field as best way to deal with this. Hyde Park has been recent focus. Next item:

Receive Annual Report and Approve FY 19-20 Program Income Budget for the City of Fresno in its capacity as Housing Successor to the Redevelopment Agency of the City of FresnoView.ashx  This Housing Successor Annual Report (Report) regarding the Low and Moderate Income Housing

Asset Fund (LMIHAF) At the close of the Fiscal Year, the ending balance in the LMIHAF was $8,169,836.56, of which $2,484,040.45. Next: Vote on Motions and Directions Some of the proposals:
Neighborhood Services Dept Under City Attorney Office; Cut water lobbyist as well as

State&Federal Lobbyists;$500,000 to implement Immigration Affairs Committee recommendation;$75k for Advanced Peace administrative; #1 passes
#2 passes
#3. Withdrawn by Arias. #4 police dispatchers. Dyer says 911 answered 15 seconds 80% of time.
#5 pulled

Dyer says dispatchers approved last year are just now coming online or being trained . CSO Officers : Dyer says we need consistent Community Safety Officers for low level calls. Currently cadets often do it but they graduate and move on. Still a need. @GarryBredefeld 20 CSO are

needed ideally? Dyer: yes. Once had 64 CSO but lost all during recession. Up to 5 now via cadets. He knows every other City department has financial needs too. Need 44 new personnel. Only getting 15 from a grant. @GarryBredefeld $700k from reserves as well as cutting lobbyists

Could provide some of that funding. 2.9% property tax is budgeted but actual is coming in 6 %. County Auditor Paul Dictos agrees that this is correct. What is will of Council? Fund Advanced Peace or police officers , dispatchers. He has been critical of @MayorLeeBrand for not

putting any in his budget. Maybe a public safety tax is coming but we don’t know for sure. @MiguelArias_D3 how many vacancies ? Dyer:11. 10 in dispatchers but starting to receive previously funded in February. 2% attrition of personnel. That is $4 million. @MayorLeeBrand

it will be unwise to look out more than five years let alone past 2020. Arias : cannot support Bredefeld request. #4 fails. Bredefeld knows it is a moot point but still would like Budget analyst to answer a question. A visibly upset Council President @PaulCaprioglio calls a five

minute Recess. Resume: Bredefeld will Be allowed one question: A: property tax is 5.1% growth andnit 2.9% projected in budget. There are variables trust fund as former obligations to RDA as well as some properties that are not subject to Prop 13. Bredefeld says mayor is wrong.

City Manager Assistant Jane Sumpter says assessed value is not guarantee of paid taxes. #6 fire inspector $85k. #7 10k for low income energy #8 remodel city hall security $500k. Withdrawn. #9 $800k for Fresno High quiet zone. Bredefeld asks for clarification. Quiet zone at two

intersection. Will Be Railroad safety first leading to quiet zone eventually. Passes. #10 withdrawn. #13withdrawn #16 @esparza_nelson Neighborhood Services to City Attorney. City Manager Quan doesn’t understand why the need. Esparza would like it merged with successful Anti Slum

Enforcement Team (ASET). Quan would like team kept whole. @MayorLeeBrand during recession we didn’t have funding for clCode Enforcement. We have had success otherwise. Be foolish to move it. Other changes such as one code Enforcement person deseicated to reporting to City Council

Arias: “unresponsiveness From Code Enforcement has been a problem. Former council member @stevebrandau wanted to make this move but we delayed expecting a report from Code Enforcement. Time to do this now. Neighborhood concerns haven’t been addressed for many reasons. Under re-

sourced, complex problems etc. “@GarryBredefeld has same issues as Arias. ASET has seen a quick response and we need same for Code Enforcement. “ @PaulCaprioglio 6 month trial to see if it works? @esparza_nelson 9 months in we can evaluate it leading into next year. Passes 6-0

#21 summer youth interns. Soria is in talks with WorkForce Board to match funds. $100k with hope of $200 k from work force: passes. Next #23 Paralegal Passes 6-0. #43 Affordable Housing Soria will amend. Carryover from General Plan dollars. Bredefeld wishes that would go to

public safety. Passes 5-1. #45 lobbyist. Remove water lobbyist with State lobbyist report on water too. Would save a bit of funds. Passes 4-2 with Bredefeld and Arias voting NO. @PaulCaprioglio adds property tax fund to repair building on Bulldog Lane. Multigenerational Center

in District 4. (These are new notions now). El Dorado alleys paved. Fountain Way paving. @PaulCaprioglio receives seconds on each of those. (@Esmeralda_Soria needs to leave the meeting )Back to Voting on precious Motions #11-14 withdrawn. #15 contract consultants for tax incre-

-ments for Affordable Housing Passes 5-0. #17 withdrawn. #18 to relocate Darling Manufacturing. Passes. #19 consultant for anti-displacement taskforce. Passes #20 $250k for EIR for industrial compatibility. Passes#22 for Veterans Home to Downtown bus hub. Allows Vets to use bus

line to go see movies etc. #24 add liquor inspectors: withdrawn as Code Enforcement is being moved to City Attorney #25 50k for Budget analyst next year. #26 withdrawn #28 records consultant. Withdrawn #29 20k for watering part of fairgrounds #30 Fresno Historic Society passes

$500k for Cesar Chavez project on Kings Canyon funding gap passes. #33 cut state and federal lobbyist. Arias knows there is a need. Doesn’t always represent his district 3 constituents. He had lots of brownfields there but hasn’t heard a peep in six months from lobbyist. Quan

recommends heeding Soria’s idea of an ad hoc committee on lobbyist. Mayor Brand says state lobbyist helped get TCC funding and others. Bredefeld says we have elected officials statewide that are supposed to advocate for us. $300k seems a lot for lobbyists. Esparza: valuable to

have them for parks etc. Urban areas like SF/ LA typically get grants etc so we need any help we can get to compete. @PaulCaprioglio lobbyists set up meetings that made it much easier for us. Airport Loan was successful and lobbyist was very helpful. Esparza:need more responsive-

-ness from lobbyists. If we didn’t have grants we would be hurting though. Arias: $300k for lobbyists should do first thing that is needed: he needs to show up like everyone else does. Fails 2-3. Arias says make record show that Arias and Bredefeld agreed! 😁#34 $50k into Council

base budget from discretionary fund. Passes: #35 one time funding for Public Safety Memorial. Current home is a pedestrian mall but it is Scheduled for a road. It will be donated to FPOA. It can have support staff and civil employees who have been killed as well. Passes. #36 Im-

Plement Immigration Affairs Committee recommendations. Bredefeld supported this committee and is for immigrants but funding it when we don’t know what they request. Worried there will be a Defense Fund for immigrants. Won’t be in support. Chavez: all requests will come to Council

if that helps Bredefeld. Caprioglio: Central Valley Immigration provides information. Made up of 16 organizations. We can rely on this group instead of Immigration Affairs Committee. Bredefeld: SJ Law has Help for Immigration rights. We are not able to hire law enforcement help

so this committee is not a high priority. Arias: we are adding fire inspector. PD budget is increasing. A much needed $10 million community center in District 4 even though we have other centers. Salary increases in public safety. Police Chief would like 100 new officers but he

hasn’t shown a funding source. Everyone wants new or repaired sidewalks and streets. Affordable housing. More fire. There is a revenue problem. That is why Arias has trouble with subsidizing Amazon and Ulta. Passes 3-2 with Caprioglio and Bredefeld Voting NO. #37 More money to

for infrastructure and trim trees in neighborhoods. After discussion with Mayor Arias will amend his motion to one time funding and slightly less. $1.05M spread over all districts. He can now trim two more blocks. #38 Advanced Peace with Mayor and Police Chief Dyer to vett it out

and return in 90 days. Esparza : Program needs clarification and so agrees with Arias. Chavez: this is NOT the City paying people not to shoot people. Nothing stops crime like a job. Everyone has same goal. One way is criminal incarceration. This is another way too. He would like

to see more clarification too. Chief Dyer: There has been a lot of discussion. He is against giving tax money to gang members. He wants it to be completely privately funded. He does see some good in Advanced Peace too like targeting most violent. We had a system based on Boston

program where gang individuals were told they were being watched but we also have services to help them get out of gangs. Dyer wants to know what the oversight will be on Advanced Peace. Strong police enforcement combined with prevention. Stockton has homocide Increase since

Advanced Peace so Fresno’s version has to be different. Wants it to be completely private funds. Caprioglio agrees it is premature. Dyer: Aaron Foster has a heart for this City. We need to sit down and create a better system. Boston’s Cease Fire Program worked until law changed

with parolees didn’t have to be forced to be brought in front of panel. Arias: would like Aaron Foster to address Council. He had two children victim of crime. “Who wants to bury their child next?? Police don’t have the problem. This is about justice for all. This is not a cure

all but Advanced Peace is part of solution “ Arias: talk radio has disparaged many. He would like a proposal brought back within 90 days and $200k to find that proposal. Can’t ask an officer to do their job without equipment and a salary. We can’t ask Advanced Peace to succeed

with out funding. Esparza says Chief has flip flopped on some of his comments. Dyer says he is in favor of Advanced Peace Model in principal but not paying gang members with tax dollars. If private that is fine. He hasn’t flip flopped. Esparza: are you in supportive of a proposal

coming back to Council? A: yes. Has to be Fresno model. Used Pastors to visit with most violent gang members in past. Up to Council to find or not. Esparza: are we on same page? A: YES. Chavez: not an either/ or. Alternative approach with training /education is better than $25k

A year to incarcerate? Dyer: yes. But strong law enforcement is also needed. Chavez: “do we do what we always have done ? Or try something innovative? If it works it works if not we move on. “Bredefeld in favor of tax dollars for administrative side of Advanced Peace? Dyer is in

favor of Proposal coming back in 90 days. but doesn’t think private dollars can’t be found. He has also directed his Grant writer to try to find some of those funds via a grant to cover next three years. Bredefeld says there are no real consequences anymore. That is why escala-

-ting. “Three strikes you are out” worked. He is all for trying to keep Youth from going into crime. Advanced Peace is wrong way. Giving people a job, tattoo removal etc is the way. Criminals respect strong law enforcement. Advanced Peace is misguided. Lack of transparency.

Society where there is no accountability. He will not be supportive. “ Esparza: a lot of what Bredefeld said has nothing to do with today’s subject. Prop 47 etc has nothing to do with this. Bredefeld says Esparza is wrong. Absurd to pay gang members. Esparza: crime is more

lucrative than the money Advanced Peace Will give. Does give them a choice. Caprioglio “agree with Dyer. He doesn’t know what cost of 90 Day Proposal. He would like Advanced Peace to take best of the best and bringiy back. “ Arias: 10% increase salary increase for officers. Would

more officers or more salary be better? Where do we invest our money? Dyer: we need to keep salaries up to fair market prevent them from being hired away to other cities. Arias: we have to choose. Dyer: balance needed. Passes 3-2 with Bredefeld/Caprioglio vote NO. Aaron Foster

raises his fist in happiness. Adjourned for lunch recess now.

Council resuming from Lunch Recess. 1:45 pm. #39 and 40 withdrawn. #41. Esparza had previously amended it to cover 97% of what Mayoral office. Would go to Council operating budget. Passes 4-0 with Arias and Soria absent. #42 for Tower Specific Plan. Passes 5-0 (Soria absent ) #44

West Boys and Girls Club roof. Fundraise half the cost already. Passes 5-0. Will vote on budget motions from earlier this meeting next week. Johnny Quik convenience 
southwest corner of East Belmont and North Van Ness Avenues. (Council District 3) 1. AMEND Conditional Use Permit

CUP No. C-16-033 to establish a Type 20 alcohol license (Package Store - sale of beer and wine for consumption off the premises where sold) to temporarily allow a net increase of one liquor license in Census Tract 6, the area in which the project is located, for no more than nine

months, conditioned upon the operator purchasing another liquor license from within that Census Tract to transfer it outside of the City within that nine month. Lowell CDC Representative Esther is in support of this. We support the business WITHOUT additional liquor licenses.

Thanks the public. Approved. 5-0 Arias thanks Planning Head Jennifer Clark for abiding by proposed cap on liquor licenses despite not being official for a few months. Next: Increase Fire Facility Impact Fees (Fire Impact Fees 
11 new fires stations and 11 station expanded

$1893 single family 143% increase
$1429 multifamily 143%
$662 retail 144%
$757 office 143%
$379 industrial143%. Many Cities have more while some cities like Bakersfield have none. Today’s recommendation is within range of most cities. A bit higher than Clovis but much less than

Sacramento. Elk Grove and Woodland charge more for retail rate than today’s proposed. Arias: asks for amendment that we no longer waive fire fees going forward unless Council approves. City Manager says she has not waived any fire impact fees. Sometimes 1-2 lots may occurs in

future says Public Works Director Scott Mozier. Arias agrees we won’t waive for retail and commercial. Caprioglio can’t agree to a 143% increase. Passes 4-1 Next: **Local Register of Historic Resources 
Designating the George Riddell Miller Home located at 617 E Carmen Avenue,

Fresno, California to the Local Register of Historic Resources 
Designating the Bixler Vapor Dry Cleaning Company Building located at 2049 Broadway, Fresno, California to the Local Register of Historic Resources. Arias would like to continue this until he has time to meet with

staff. User Fee Study:  View.ashx  with the Current Planning and Building Divisions.

Bredefeld asks about comments. “Four fees modified “ Arias asks about time sensitivity? A: Yes but State requires it and we are 7 years behind says Planning Department Head Jennifer Clark. Will do Power Point now. fresno.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&…

Regulatory in nature are costs to regulate while User fees are paid voluntarily. Consultant looked at every fee since it has been done for 7 years. Some services shouldn’t be recovered like public questions at Planning window etc. Time to complete and fully Burdened Hourly Rate=

Cost Calculations. Arias wants to know what was influenced by Building industry Association (BIA). He wants to know why we are trying to give money Back Guarantee etc at the same time BIA wants lowered fees. This leads to General Fund to make it up. DARM’s Bonique Emerson says

fees were looked at. Arias makes Motion to approve. Passes 5-0. Arias thanks staff for being very clear. Next: Design Build Qualification Method of procurement for the FATforward Terminal Expansion and Parking Structure Projects at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Approved

Approve an Agreement with Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons, a Joint Venture (TPZP) for City of Fresno Plan Review and Construction Management Services Related to the California High Speed Rail Project. No cost to budget. Approved.

Approve Agreement with Focus Strategies in the amount of $155,000 for Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) Project. Public: Jonas Pablo says he helps homeless veterans. Need to tackle this head on. Veterans are under counted among homeless. Arias: this is administrative costs

to give the $3 M. Advocate: City did a good job at clean up this morning. They were not in uniform and were not forceful. Wondering when low barrier shelter will open? Arias: official bid process has to occur but we are next. H. Spees introduces Sylvia who was at Hyde Park. Says

she had trouble at Poverello House with others pushing to get food beside her. She would like to live somewhere safe. Approved Agreement with SPCA to run animal shelter.

Arias says Mayor has a request RFQ to find other animal shelter vendors. SPCA has been most dismissive organization City has to deal with. Approved 4-1 with Esparza in NO.

an expedited, streamlined permitting process for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Arias says lots of chargers paid for by Volkswagen due to their falsifying EPA. Fresno was selected to get some of these. Arias thanks staff for their quick work on this proposal. Bredefeld asks

how many chargers are in the hopper ready to be built? Arias isn’t sure of amount but VW is paying for many. Approved 5-0.
Adopting a Resolution to Establish Priorities in Addressing Homelessness was passed on Consent Calendar Earlier this morning. Other consent item was Design

Build Contracts to include qualification based methods of procurement. Nicole Linder of Marjoree Mason Center wanted to see language for victims in Homeless Priorities. She knows it already passed but larger issues can occur. Chavez: Street to Home has not passed yet. Arias: How

much has City given Marjoree Mason? A: $300K and thanks Council for that. She is speaking more holistically and not just for her Center. Chavez: ask for adjournment in memory of Peter Vang of Hmong Veterans
Next Meetings:
JUNE 27 - 9:00 A.M.
JULY 18 - 9:00 A.M.
JULY 25 - 9:00

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