Documenter: Ramiro Merino

Summary

• The Kerman Community Center is offering free Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It was reported that 40% of adult residents in Kerman have been vaccinated. The Council encouraged more residents to get vaccinated. 

• The Council reported that children between the ages of 12 and 15 can now be vaccinated. Free vaccinations for these children will also be administered at the Kerman Community Center.

• The Council is looking at reopening public facilities on July 6th after the July 4th holiday. The Council reported that the Community Center has rescheduled event dates and almost all weekends in the fall are already booked.

• The Council stated that summer camp, the aquatics program, youth tennis, and summer movies in the park will start up pretty soon due to the new state and county guidelines. 

• The Council will work on a proposal to update their technology in terms of making the City Council meetings more accessible, such as streaming on cable networks and/or through Youtube. 

Purpose of Agency

The City Council serves as the policy-making board of the City. The Kerman City Council has five members, which includes the Mayor and four Council members. The Mayor is elected for a two-term, and Council members are elected for four-year terms. The City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Kerman City Hall, 850 S. Madera Ave. 

Kerman City Council Board Member Duties

Council members are the leaders and policy makers elected to represent various segments of the community and to concentrate on policy issues that are responsive to citizens’ needs and wishes. The City Manager is appointed by the City Council to carry out policy and ensure that the entire community is being served. Kerman City Administrator, Sonia Hall, handles the City’s day-to-day business with an “open-door policy” to community residents and businesses, where comments, concerns and suggestions are always welcome.

Kerman City Council Members

• Gary Yep, Mayor

• Kevin Nehring, Council Member for District 1

• Jennifer Coleman, Council Member for District 2 

• Ishmael Herrera, Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member for District 3

• Bill Nijjer, Council Member for District 4

The Scene

The Kerman City Council meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12 2021 by Mayor Gary Yep. The meeting was streamed live virtually by Zoom. The in-person meeting consisted of the five council members, including Mayor Gary Yep, Council members Kevin Nehring, Jennifer Coleman, Ismael Herrera, and Bill Nijjer. There were 14 community members that joined the Zoom meeting. There were multiple cameras directed at the Council members that were signed in for the meeting. Other City staff present included Marci Reyes, the City Clerk; Theresa Johnson, with the Parks and Recreation Department; Hilda Montoy, the City Attorney; and John Golden, the Chief of Police. Everyone in the City Hall meeting room wore masks the duration of the meeting.

You can find the agenda for the City Council meeting here

Presentations

There were no presentations or ceremonial matters. 

Consent Calendar

The City Council unanimously approved the items on the agenda. 

• Subject: Minutes

  • Recommendations: Council approve minutes as presented. 

• Subject: Payroll

  • Report: 04/04/21 – 04/17/21: $164,792.04; Overtime $8,346; Standby: $564.12; Comp Time Earned: $51.75

  • Recommendation: Council approve payroll as presented. 

• Subject: Warrants

  • Nos. 20203-20243 $299,428.31 ACH $80,963.44

  • Recommendation: Council approve warrants and electronic bank transfers as presented. (Pursuant to Government Code 37208)

• Subject: Proclamation – National Public Works Week 

  • Recommendation: Council proclaim May 16-22, 2021, as National Public Works Week.

• Subject: Resolution Approving Amendment No. 1 to Contract with Mountain Valley Environmental Services, Inc 

  • Recommendation: Council by motion adopt resolution approving amendment no. 1 to contract with Mountain Valley Environmental Services, Inc.

• Subject: Monthly UInvestment Report Ending March 31, 2021

  • Recommendation: Council accept the Monthly Investment Report as presented. 

Public Hearings

There were no public hearings. 

Department Reports

The Council discussed when they would reopen the public facilities to the public. The tentative date is scheduled for July 6th, which is after the July 4th holiday. “We will work with working parents and accommodate those individuals. We do see a steady increase of people getting vaccinated but it is not as robust as we thought the lines were going to be. Just this week, it was announced that children as young as 12 year olds can now receive the vaccine against COVID-19. Children need to prove their identity, such as provide a birth certificate or student ID, along with parent consent to receive the vaccine.” 

A Council member stated “We can open the City and open the parks, but how do we protect our City employees?” Another Council member said “We need to be more cautious when handling money because as we all know, money is very dirty. There are a number of things we need to continue to press on to practice general wellness.” 

“The other thing I would like to see open is the little leagues. Being outside can help with feeling connected with others while practicing social distance. My daughter plays softball and we go to Hanford to play because the one here isn’t open.” A Council member replied with “We are moving from the purple to red to orange tier. We needed to get kids out to get fresh air. This is not the same lockdown that we experienced. Hosting a 300 birthday party or a quinceanera at the Community Center is concerning.” 

“Under the new guidelines, we are able to open up the shelters of the parks. We continue to sanitize the facilities, parks, and tables. We are moving forward in that respect. One of the things we finally received that we ordered a while ago but was delayed due to covid are hand sanitizing stations that will be installed at the parks. The covid clinic is still in operation so the Community Center will not be open until after July. Once August comes around, we will be at full capacity with scheduled dates as almost all weekends were rescheduled. The summer camp, the aquatics program, youth tennis, and summer movies in the park will start up pretty soon. This is good news and rainbows are on the horizon.” 

“We have a 40% vaccination rate for Kerman. We hope residents continue to get vaccinated. We promote the distribution of the vaccine through our e-news, the Recreation and Parks Department website and social media. A key factor of promotion that we are waiting on is the billboards that need to be installed, which will read Vaccines available at the Kerman Community Health Center. County-sponsored clinics are free to the public, so anyone can come and get vaccinated.” 

“In terms of technology, we lack the ability to live stream the City Council meetings to the public. Zoom has made it convenient for anyone to join the meeting from the comfort of their homes. Sometimes people drive an hour to attend a 20-30 minute meeting. In the past if a City Council member was not able to attend the meeting physically, then they missed out on the meeting. Now, if they cannot physically attend, they can join through Zoom and be part of the meeting. We are similar to other small cities but behind bigger cities who have the capabilities to stream their City Council meetings. Marci will be writing up a proposal to request an upgrade in our technology capacity.”

City Manager/Staff Communications

Council member Nehring stated “We received a significant letter from the CDC. Congratulations to Olivia for working hard on the document. The vaccine clinic is up and running. We will be meeting with health representatives from the County Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Community Center for a meet and greet. Anyone from the public is welcome to attend. We will be working on the new police station proposal. I was nominated for the Economic Association so I will be out Thursday and Friday for the retreat. We need to identify a date to host the budget workshop.”

Marci Reyes stated “We have a property off on Siskiyou where an issue arose today regarding truck parking. The owner bought the property and is wanting to make it into a trucking property, which is not zoned for that. It was reported there was a spill, at which a drone was sent to capture footage. It was identified that it was spilled fertilizer. The Police Department will cite the property owner and the adjacent property owner wants to know more about this situation. Thank you to the Police Department and to the Fire Department for handling the situation.”

The Council discussed setting a date for the special budget meeting. “We will try to focus on the priorities and key issues as opposed to what is routine so we can get the most out of the meeting. Hilda Montoy, the City Attorney, stated that other City Council meetings have their special meetings right before the general City Council. If the special meeting filters into a general Council meeting, then the Council can decide if they want to pause the special meeting or finish it and start the Council meeting later. The Board agreed to have their special budget meeting on Wednesday, May 26 at 4:30 p.m. 

Mayor/Council Reports

Council member Herrera thanked everyone who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony of Grocery Outlet. The Council asked if there were any updates with plans regarding Dutch Bros and Denny’s opening their businesses in Kerman. It was stated that they will wait to hear back for more information. 

Closed Session

The Council went to closed session at 7:15 p.m. 

Adjournment

The Council resumed from closed session at 9:08 p.m. Mayor Yep adjourned the meeting at 9:11 p.m.