Here’s what you need to know:
- The Council (5-0) approved the City of Kerman’s Local Road Safety Plan included in the Multijurisdictional Local Safety Plan.
- The Council (5-0) approved the Management Zone Agreement with the Kings Water Alliance for compliance with the Nitrate Control Program.
- City Manager John Jansons announced that the City received the Clean California Grant for downtown improvements along Madera Avenue. He hoped the City would receive the contract from CalTrans by June.
The Scene
According to its website, the City Council serves as the policy-making board of the City. The Kerman City Council has five members, including the Mayor. The City elects its mayor for a two-year term and Council Members for four-year terms. Â
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. The meeting is accessible through Zoom.
Officials Present:
- Mayor Gary Yep
- Mayor Pro Tem Ismael Herrera
- Council Member Jennifer Coleman
- Council Member Kevin Nehring
- Council Member Bill Nijjer
Others Present:
- City Clerk Marci Reyes
- Carolina Camacho
- Jennifer Soliz from Fresno COG
- Mychal Loomis
- Hilda Cantu Montoy
- John Jansons
- Ismael Herrera
- Mary Rodriguez
- Michelle Zaragoza
Discussions/Actions
The Council (5-0) unanimously approved the items as follows:
A. Council approved minutes as presented. February 23, 2022, Special Called and Regular Meetings
B. Council approved payroll as presented.
C. Council approve warrants and electronic bank transfers as presented under Government Code 37208)
D. Council adopted a resolution reauthorizing remote teleconference public meetings by the City Council and all boards, commissions, and standing committees of the City under Assembly Bill 361.
E. Council adopted a resolution approving option and tower structure lease agreement and Side Letter Agreement with New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company and Rescinding Resolution No. 21-86.
Department Reports include the following:
A. Council by motion adopted a resolution adopting the City of Kerman Local Road Safety Plan.
Mychal Loomis from Kittleson presented the City of Kerman Local Road Safety Plan included in the Multijurisdictional Local Safety Plan.
The Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) consists of:
- Analyzing historical crash patterns and trends
- Identifies engineering, education, emergency response, and enforcement countermeasures and strategies.
- Prioritizing safety improvements based on crash data and stakeholder engagement
- Meeting federal safety plan guidance and CalTrans LRSP requirements.
The LRSP is built from the Fresno Council of Governments (COG) Regional Safety Plan and funded by the CalTrans grant program.
The plan enables Kerman to apply for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant funding.
LRSP has seven safety partners ranging from the Fresno Council of Governments to the Kerman School District.
Existing roadway safety performance stated 200 crashes from 2015 to 2019, with three fatal and two severe injury crashes. Compared to the statewide average, Kerman has a higher share of pedestrian crashes.
The Council will continue coordinating with regional and local safety partners, especially CalTrans, for State Route improvements.
The HSIP Pedestrian Set-aside has identified four locations as follows:
- Kearney/Siskiyou, Kearney/ Park, Kearney/ Del Norte, and Kearney/ 3rd
The pedestrian crossing improvements involve high visibility crossings, advanced yield, warning signs, median refuge areas, and stop ahead and stop bar markings.
The Fresno COG was awarded grant funding for $271,000 to prepare the multi-jurisdictional LRSP.
The funding required a local match of $20,000. The $20,000 was split evenly among the ten participating agencies, resulting in a cost to the City of $2,000.
Council approved the resolution.
B. Council by motion adopted a resolution approving the Management Zone Agreement with the Kings Water Alliance for Compliance with the Nitrate Control Program.
In May 2020, the City received a Notice to Comply for the Nitrate Control Program from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The Nitrate Control Program seeks to address widespread nitrate pollution in groundwater within the Central Valley.
Pollution is a regional issue, not specific to the City of Kerman. Nitrate poses health risks when concentrations exceed the Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 parts per million.
The Notice to Comply required the City to select one of two options, Pathway A or B.
Pathway A would set more stringent nitrate requirements on the City’s wastewater discharge permit, potentially leading to substantial upgrades to the City’s Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Pathway B allows individual agencies/permittees to form or join a local management zone to work together to mitigate nitrate impacts.
Staff discussed the options and determined Pathway B to be the more cost-effective and flexible approach for the City.
The City expressed interest in joining the Kings Water Alliance, and the local management zoned formed for the region.
The City must enter into the Management Zone Agreement to finalize participation in the Kings Water Alliance.
The City’s fee obligation to the KWA for the fiscal year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 combined is $23,166.15.
The council (5-0) approved the resolution.
City Manager John Jansons announced that the City received the Clean California Grant for downtown improvements along Madera Avenue. He hoped the City would receive the contract from CalTrans by June.
He said that the City partnered with the Fresno Council of Governments (COG) to host a Measure C renewal town hall meeting on March 28.
The closed session centered on:
A. Conference with Legal Counsel- Anticipated Litigation
Determining Whether to Initiate Litigation Under Government Code Section §54956.9(d)(4)
City of Kerman v. Eric Antuna
The Council adjourned at 9:00 pm. The next Council meeting will be on Wednesday, March. 23, 2022, at 6:00 pm through Zoom.