Documenter: Heather Halsey Martinez

Here’s what you need to know

• The Clovis City Council approved eight items on the consent calendar, including approving the necessary claim forms that will bring nearly $4.8 million in Measure C revenue to Clovis. 

• The council discussed findings from the Community Facilities District (CFD) Citizens Committee and Whalen raised questions about why residents of the district are paying higher taxes for police and fire services that are received by all city residents. Approximately $12.7 million has been received from district residents since 2004 and $2.1 million in 2020-21 alone.

• The council approved adoption of the City of Clovis 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) that assesses long-term water use and supply over a 20-year period and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan. The city’s future water supply will be more expensive and include greater amounts of recycled water, supply from storage and FID firm water agreement. 

The Scene

The Clovis City Council meeting took place on July 12, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was made available via Webex and YouTube Live. The agenda no longer states that face masks are required for those who attend in person due to COVID-19 and none of the council members wore face masks.

As she announced at the June 21 meeting, Ashbeck was absent from the meeting. 

Names of officials:

Jose Flores, Mayor (also Chief of Police, State Center Community College District Police Department)

Lynne Ashbeck, Mayor Pro Tem (also Senior Vice President Community Engagement and Population Wellness, Valley Children’s Healthcare)

Vong Mouanoutoua, Council Member (also External Relations and Project Development Director, Community Medical Foundation)

Bob Whalen, Council Member (also Fresno County Deputy District Attorney)

Drew Bessinger, Council Member (also Chief of Police, Fresno Yosemite International Airport)

The meeting opened with Bessinger leading the council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

From there, the meeting was open for public comments, but no one spoke in the chambers or online. It was stated that no correspondence was received either. 

Actions

• Approved minutes from June 21 meeting.

• Approved the purchase of Storage Area Network equipment from AMS.net in the amount of $80,167.46.

• Approved waiving the normal purchasing process and approved the purchase of replacement desktop computers and servers using competitively bid contracts with a budget of $250,000.

• Approved Measure C extension local transportation pass through revenues certification and claim forms from 2021-22. The total estimated amount to be distributed to Clovis is $4,823.968. 

• Approved waiving the city’s formal bidding requirements and authorizing the sole purchase of one pumper fire apparatus for $748,277.

• Approved amending the city’s classification and compensation plan by converting the assistant city manager/city clerk classification into separate assistant city manager and city clerk classifications.

• Approved a claim rejection of the general liability claim for Nancy Mendez. Mendez filed a $2 million claim against the city on June 22,2021 alleging unfair and biased treatment caused by Clovis Police officers. 

• Approved awarding a bid for Shaw Avenue street rehabilitation from Sunnyside to Fowler for an estimated $1 million.

• Received and filed findings and recommendations from the Community Facilities District (CFD) Citizens Committee. Whalen requested this item be pulled from the consent calendar. 

  • The committee consists of five members for a term of four years.

  • It includes Laura Corey of the real estate community, Mike Prandini of the Building Industry Association and three members who are landowners of residential properties within the district: David Martin Connolly, Dennise Rivera and Jonathan B. Holt, who is also the spokesperson of the committee.

  • They found that the actual and budget expenditures provided to the district were appropriate.

  • $12.7 million has been received since 2004. The annual amount varies, but was approximately $2.1 million in 2020-21.

  • Whalen said he was curious how much money was coming from the CFD and if they were receiving any additional services since they pay higher taxes than other city residents. 

    • He was told that they have a higher percentage of police officers for their area. 

    • To which, Whalen replied that they are not getting any additional services then and asked why they are paying additional taxes. 

    • He was told that they are augmenting the expansion of fire services. 

  • Whalen asked why development impact fees aren’t paying for the fire stations to be built and if they aren’t then they need to be reevaluated. 

    • He was told that the impact fees pay for the construction and establishment, but the CFDs pay for the annual expenses to staff the station.

  • Flores asked what would happen if they didn’t collect CFD funds from “new arrivals” what would happen to the growth and sustainability of public safety services. 

    • He was told that the services would be reshuffled to meet the given budget.

  • Whalen requested the original staff report on the CFD. 

• Approved and declared the results of the property owner protest balloting processing and approving the engineer’s report for the assessment district otherwise known as Blackhorse Estates. Confirmed the assessments for the 2021-22 fiscal year for area one, while the assessments will not be imposed on area two since it failed.

  • Supervising Civil Engineer Sean Smith presented the item.

  • Prop. 218 vote to increase assessment rates.

  • A resident who said he spoke to the council on May 20 regarding the item spoke and said he is, “confident in the process.” “I’m very optimistic about the future, I love our community and will continue to do so,” he said. “I hope this thing passes.” 

  • Meeting recess to allow staff to open the ballots and tabulate. 

  • Area one increase passed with 28 total ballots, 18 voted in support and 10 voted in opposition. 

  • Area two had 41 total ballots and the proposed increase failed.

  • Smith said area one will have a stronger revenue stream for the future and they will have to look at area two and how it will be maintained in the future. 

• Approved adoption of the City of Clovis 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan. 

  • Assistant Public Utilities Director Paul Armendariz presented the item.

  • The UWMP assesses long-term water use and supply over a 20-year horizon. It addresses levels of actions to be used by the city in response to a water shortage, including a more than 50% reduction in water supply. 

  • Future water supply will include greater amounts of recycled water, supply from storage, FID firm water agreement. 

  • Whalen asked about the cost of water and what it will cost residents.

    • Armendariz said it ranges from $50 an acre foot to $250 an acre foot and that it will get more expensive as demand grows. 

    • “We have the supply that’s projected over this 20-year growth horizon and beyond that,” Armendariz said. 

  • In compliance with SBx7-7

  • Bessinger asked about the unmetered homes in Tarpey Village. Armendariz said there are 350 homes there that are unmetered, but the goal is to have them all metered by 2025. 

    • Bessinger said he imagines there is resistance there because he sees several cars at one house. 

    • City Manager Luke Serpa said they do have an unmetered usage meter so they know how much total that those unmetered residents are using. 

• Considered the city’s ongoing efforts to establish procedures reviewing and analyzing potential vehicle miles traveled (VMT) impacts and policy direction regarding proposed modification for the circulation element of the 2014 Clovis General Plan. 

  • Senior Planner Ricky Caperton and Smith presented the item. 

  • Consultants Fernando from Kittelson & Associates and Mike from De Novo Planning Group were on the phone to answer questions. 

  • Mike Prandini of the Building Industry Association asked the council to allow the staff to continue working on the VMT issue because it will impact the building industry’s ability to deliver homes to the public. “It’s going to be critical to the industry and continued construction to provide new homes,” he said. “Right now there are no large projects in the pipeline that are moving at all that are more than approximately 50 units in size.”

    • “This VMT issue is going to have to be resolved in a way that doesn’t do damage to the industry by adding such costs that makes development infeasible,” Prandini said.

  • Flores asked if that was true that any new development will have to be entitled under VMT. Caperton said yes it would unless it screens out of it.

Flores then opened the meeting for council comments. Mouanoutoua said he recently attended the Measure C committee meeting and they will meet again next month. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Future meetings are scheduled for July 19 and Aug. 2 before the council takes summer recess from Aug. 3 to Sept. 6. 

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at Documenters-admin@thefresnoland.com with “Correction Request” in the subject line.