Here’s what you need to know:
- The Council approved (7-0) item C-1, which upholds the decision of the Planning Commission regarding the initial CEQA study and the Mitigated Negative Declaration of the Amond World Cold Storage Warehouse Site Plan.
- The Council (6-1) appointed Councilmembers Cece Gallegos and Steve Montes to serve on the Ad-Hoc Committee to Negotiate a Tax Sharing Agreement (TSA) between the City and the County of Madera. Mayor Pro Tem Evans voted no.
- In public comment, Cynthia Ordagon urged the Council to be proactive in cleaning the City.
The Scene
According to its website, the Madera City Council, a board of seven, is the elected legislative body of the City of Madera. The district elects members of the City Council and the Mayor at large. Members of the City Council, including the Mayor, serve four-year terms.
The meeting was in-person on Wednesday, April. 6, 2022, at 6 pm, yet accessible via YouTube.
Officials Present:
- Mayor Santos Garcia
- Mayor Pro Tem Anita Evans, District 4
- Councilmember Cece Gallegos, District 1
- Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, District 2
- Councilmember Steve Montes, District 3
- Councilmember Elsa Mejia, District 5
- Councilmember Artemio Villegas, District 6
Others Present:
- City Manager Arnoldo Rodriguez, City Clerk Alicia Gonzales, City Attorney Hilda Cantu Montoy, Public Health Director Sara Bosse, and Alan Highstreet from NBS.
- Carmen Velasquez Fernandez, Cynthia Ordagon, Madera High SchoolActivities Director Isaac Lopez, Diego Briga, Apolonio Ordas, Renee Guerrero, Senior Planner Robert Smith, Adam Hayner
Discussions/Actions
A volunteer, Carmen Velasquez Fernandez, requested help for the Council since high rent forced their store to close. She also asked for volunteer opportunities.
Cynthia Ordagon urged the Council to be proactive in cleaning the city.
Madera High School Activities Director Isaac Lopez, Diego Briga, and Apolonio Ordas stressed the importance of the educational program titled “Every 15 Minutes.”
First, the Council (7-0) unanimously approved B-1 to B-15 of the consent agenda.
B-1 City Council Minutes of November 17, 2021
B-2 Informational Report on Register of Audited Demands for April 9, 2022, to April 22, 2022
B-3 Informational Report on Contract City Attorney Services and Litigation Expenditures
B-4 Madera Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Advisory Council Bylaws
The Council adopted a resolution amending the Madera ADA Advisory Council Bylaws.
B-5 Porsche Club of America Autocross Events at the Municipal Airport
The Council adopted a Resolution Approving a Permit for the Use of Designated Areas at the Municipal Airport for use by the Porsche Club of America Autocross at $350 per event during 2022-2023.
B-6 Amendment No. 4 to CA Pacific Investments, LLC Lease Agreement
The Council adopted a resolution approving Amendment No. 4 to the Lease Agreement between the City and CA Pacific Investments, LLC relating to lease financing.
B-7 Actions Relating to Pecan Square Subdivision (Tract No. 20-S-02): Final Map for Pecan Square Subdivision (Tract No. 20-S-02) and Improvement Agreement
The Council adopted the resolution:
a. Approving the Final Map for the Pecan Square Subdivision; and
b. Approving Improvement Agreement for the Pecan Square Subdivision (Tract No. 20-S-02); and
c. Authorizing staff to record the Final Map and Agreement for the Construction of Improvements for the Pecan Square Subdivision (Tract No. 20-S-02);
d. Accepting the Dedication of Land for Public Use
B-8 Written request submitted by Madera High School to assist in an educational program titled “Every 15 Minutes.”
The Council adopted a resolution Waiving the Fees and Costs for necessary permitting and Police and Public Works Services in the amount of $1040
B-9 Villages at Almond Grove Specific Plan: Specific Plan (SP) No. 2017-01 (Adopting the Villages at Almond Grove Specific Plan); Pre-zone/Rezone (REZ) No. 2017-05; Zoning Ordinance/Madera Municipal Code Amendment (OTA) No. 2022-01; and Annexation (ANX) No. 2022-01
1) Adopt an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Madera adopting the proposed Villages at Almond Grove Specific Plan (Specific Plan No. 2017-01) by title only, and waive the second full reading;
2) Adopt an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Madera amending Section 10- 3.301 of Chapter 3 of Title 10 of the City Municipal Code and adding Sections 10- 3.11.601 through Section 10-3.11.604 of Subchapter 11 of Chapter 3 of Title 10 of the City Municipal Code to provide for Specific Plan Zones (SP) by title only, and waive the second full reading;
3) Adopt an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Madera amending the official City of Madera Zoning Map to rezone approximately 1,883 acres within the Villages at Almond Grove Specific Plan, whose location is bounded by Avenue 17 on the north, Road 22 on the west, the Fresno River on the south, and Road 23 and Road 24 on the east, from Agricultural Rural Exclusive – 40 acres (ARE-40) and Agricultural Rural Exclusive – 20 acres (ARE-20), as well as PD 4500 (Planned Development, one unit per 4,500 square feet of site area) to the Specific Plan (SP) zone district by title only, and waive the second full reading; and
4) Adopt a Resolution initiating annexation of the Villages at Almond Grove Specific Plan area (Annexation No. 22-01) (Report by Gary Conte)
B-10 Appointments to the Planning Commission Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution Approving the Appointment of Jose Chavez Garcia and Saim Mohammad to the Planning Commission
B-11 Appointments to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Advisory Council
The Council adopted a resolution approving the appointment of DJ Becker and Saim Mohammad to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Advisory.
B-12 Acceptance of Improvements for La Spezia II Subdivision (Tract No. 19-S-01)
1) Accepting the Improvements for La Spezia II Subdivision (Tract No. 19-S-01);
2) Authorizing the Filing of the Notice of Acceptance for Said Subdivision Improvements;
3) Authorizing staff to record the Notice of Acceptance of Subdivision Improvements;
4) Rescinding Resolution 22-51
B-13 Acceptance of Improvements for La Spezia III Subdivision (Tract No. 19-S-02)
1) Accepting the Improvements for La Spezia III Subdivision (Tract No. 19-S-02);
2) Authorizing the Filing of the Notice of Acceptance for Said Subdivision Improvements
3) Authorizing staff to record the Notice of Acceptance of Subdivision Improvements
4) Rescinding Resolution 22-52
B-14 Consideration of a Resolution Approving a Date for Prop 218 Public Hearing for Water, Sewer, Storm Drainage, and Solid Waste Rate Increases
The Council adopted a Resolution Amending the date set in Resolution No. 22-43 for Conducting the Proposition 218 Public Hearing for Proposed Water, Sewer, Storm Drainage, and Solid Waste Rate Increases.
B-15 Letter of Support for 2022 Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) Application: Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project
The Council adopted a Minute Order Approving Letter of Support for Grant Application for the 2022 Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) Application: Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project.
The public hearings focused on the following:
C-1 Appeal of the Planning Commission approval of the Amond World Cold Storage Warehouse Site Plan Review (SPR 2021-41) and adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration (ENV 2021- 61)
1) Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Madera denying the appeal of and affirming the decision of the Planning Commission’s approval of Site Plan Review 2021- 41 (SPR 2021-41) as a conditioned and mitigated negative declaration (ENV 2021-61), subject to mitigation measures (Amond World Cold Storage Warehouse Project)
General Plan (GP) Land Use Designation articulates a vision for an area and sets policies.
GP designates the property for Industrial Uses and the surrounding properties as Industrial.
The project includes a 253,947 square foot cold storage warehouse with 34 feet.
The project meets the municipal parking and uploading requirements with 26 vehicle stalls, two accessible stalls, and 14 loading stalls.
The project proposes landscaping the surrounding site with additional visual screening along the western frontage and within parking areas.
Staff prepared the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/ND). A 21-day public review period commenced on February 14, 2022, and ended on March 7, 2022.
On April 12, 2022, Planning Commission approved the project by resolution to construct a 253,947 square foot cold storage warehouse; and a Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted.
On April 15, 2022, the Golden State Environmental Justice Alliance appealed the Planning Commissions’ decision.
On April 28, 2022, staff emailed the notice to the applicant, and GSEJA (Appellant) and representative attorney notified this May 4th meeting.
Adam Hayner, the property owner, said that the cold storage facility would handle crops post-harvest and encourage flexibility in the agricultural supply chain.
He states that the materials for the construction and operation are from local sources and maximizes sustainability.
Hayner’s legal counsel Steve Belivez urged the Council to uphold the decision of the Planning Commission regarding the accuracy and legal sufficiency of the initial CEQA study and the Mitigated Negative Declaration.
Then, he stated that the project is exempt from CEQA under the “Community Plan Exemption” codified in CEQA at Public Resources Code Section 21083.3 and Section 15183 in CEQA guidelines.
Any representatives from Golden State Environmental Justice Alliance were absent for public comment.
The Council approved (7-0) item C-1, which upholds the decision of the Planning Commission regarding the initial CEQA study and the Mitigated Negative Declaration of the Amond World Cold Storage Warehouse Site Plan.
Administrative reports centered on:
E-1 Appointment of an Ad-Hoc Committee to negotiate a Tax Sharing Agreement (TSA) between the City and the County of Madera
State Laws require City and County agreement on the disposition of property taxes.
The current Agreement is a 3-year agreement executed on June 6, 2017, and scheduled to sunset in 2020, then extended for two years, and will expire on June 5, 2022
If the Council does not extend TSA, City would not be able to annex property into City limits without the benefit of project-level agreements.
Today, one agreement for the entire City, rather than multiple agreements.
The City shares property tax revenue for properties annexed to the City with the County.
The County retains base property tax revenue, with the City receiving half of the increment and the county receiving half.
The City pays 3 percent of the Bradley Burns sales and Uses taxes to the County
– Bradley Burns tax is the percent sales and uses tax allocated by the State from all the sales made within the City
The existing agreement does the following:
- The city agrees to pay the County $50,000 annually for the County Library.
- The City will provide law enforcement services to Parkwood.
- TSA provides the language for recovery of booking fees should the State discontinue reimbursing the County.
- TSA outlines how property is annexed into the City and developed in the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI).
The Council (6-1) appointed Councilmembers Gallegos and Montes to serve on the Ad-Hoc Committee to Negotiate a Tax Sharing Agreement (TSA) between the City and the County of Madera. Mayor Pro Tem Evans voted no.
The Council conducted a close session on the following:
G-1 Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation: Initiation of Litigation Under Section 54956.9(d)(4): One case
G-2 Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation: Significant Exposure to Litigation Under Section 54956.9(d)(2): One case – Madera Police Officers’ Association
G-3 Conference with Labor Negotiator Under Section 54957.6 Agency Designated Representatives: Arnoldo Rodriguez, Wendy Silva, and Anthony Forestiere Employee Organization: Madera Police Officers’ Association
The meeting ended at 8:06 pm. On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, the next regular meeting will be at 6:00 pm on YouTube.Â
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at Documenters-admin@thefresnoland.com with “Correction Request” in the subject line.