Here’s what you need to know:
- The Council (5-0) adopted a resolution supporting the Fresno Council of Governments approved Expenditure Plan and Implementing Guidelines.
- The Council (5-0) adopted a resolution approving the contract with Civic Plus for the new City website and support services for $71,509.69.
- Council (5-0) adopted a resolution approving a landscape maintenance agreement with the State of California Department of Transportation.
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.
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. Mayor Gary Yep and Council Member Bill Nijjer were present online.
Officials Present:
- Mayor Gary Yep
- Council Member Bill Nijjer
- Council Member Jennifer Coleman
- Council Member Kevin Nehring
- Mayor Pro Tem Ismael Herrera
Others Present:
- City Attorney Hilda Cantu-Montoy
- City Manager John Jansons
- Public Works Director Michael Barajas
- City Engineer Jerry Jones
- Chief’s Administrative Assistant Mary Rodrigues
- Chief of Staff Marc Benjamin
- Rafael Flores
- Angelica Perez-Flores
- Randall S.
Discussions/Actions
In the consent calendar, the Council (5-0) unanimously approved the items as follows:
A. Council (5-0) approved minutes on July 13, 2022
B. Payroll Report: 06/12/22 – 06/25/22: $174,776.55; Retro Pay & Other: $679.88; Overtime: $9,407.59; Standby: $1,614.08; Comp Time Earned: 30.38
Council (5-0) approved the payroll as presented.
C. Warrants
1. Nos. 24520-24614 $953,772.65 ACH $54,968.92
2. Exceptions CK #24569 $21,154.88 Fresno County Treasurer
Council (5-0) approved warrants and electronic bank transfers as presented under Government Code 37208).
D. Monthly Investment Report Ending June 30, 2022 (JA)
Council (5-0) accepted the Monthly Investment Report as presented.
E. Resolution Adopting Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Management Salary Schedules (JA)
Council (5-0) adopted Resolution Adopting Management Salary Schedules for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
F. Resolution Approving Second Amendment to Consultant Services Agreement with Blais & Associates for Grant Writing and Management Services (JAJ)
Council (5-0) adopted the resolution approving the second amendment to a consultant services agreement with Blais & Associates for grant writing services and management services.
The City of Kerman entered into a Consultant Services Agreement (CSA) with Blais & Associates (B&A) for grant writing and management services on July 7, 2020.
In November of 2021, a First Amendment to the CSA with B&A for grant writing and management services was approved by Council through June 30, 2022.
Upon mutual agreement by the City and Consultant, Section 2 of the Agreement may be amended to extend the term of the agreement.
The City of Kerman is extremely satisfied with the performance of B&A to date, during which over $1.5 million in grant funds were secured for priority projects in Kerman.
Most recently, Blais assisted with the award of nearly from the Clean California program for highway corridor beatification and prepared an application for Animal Control Services.
G. Resolution Approving Adjustment to the Fiscal Year 2022/2023 Authorized Position List for Permit Clerk in Public Works Department (JAJ)
Council (5-0) adopted the resolution approving adjustment to the Fiscal Year 2022/2023 authorized position list for Permit Clerk in the Public Works Department.
As a result of increased activity in the Public Works Department, it is recommended to add a Permit Clerk position to the approved positions list.
In June 2022, a transfer was made interim to accommodate the need for extra help in Public Works.
The recommended action simply moves the position permanently to the Public Works Department from the Community Development Dept.
Staff will develop a newly revised job description for Public Works Permit Clerk to cater to and best address the Department’s needs.
The Council will adjust the Public Works budget to absorb the additional personal expense.
It will be divided into several functions within Enterprise Funds as they support administrative, streets, parks, water, and wastewater, LLMD, development, and utility services within Public Works.
The recommended action does not increase the total number of authorized full-time employees.
H. Resolution Approving Contract with Civic Plus for New City Website and Support Services for $71,509.69 (JAJ)
Council (5-0) adopted a resolution approving the contract with Civic Plus for the new City website and support services for $71,509.69.
During the City Budget workshop, staff recommended consideration of investing in a new City website.
The subsequent Fiscal Year 2022/2023 City Budget included approved funding for the new website project.
Staff reviewed website firms that specialize in services to cities and public agencies.
Given the existing relationship with Civic Plus products in use in the Community Services Departments (Parks and Recreation) Civic Rec, and the deployment of a new meeting agenda management system, Civic Clerk, the issue of integration and support was paramount in selecting Civic Plus to build and maintain the City’s new website.
The new website will offer a much more user-friendly interface and improved community engagement tools.
The Content Management System (CMS) underlying the Civic Plus product is superior and today’s modern, state-of-the-art standard for data management and external engagement.
The new site will feature improved subscriber alert features alerting them to items of interest, news flashes, and emergency alerts as desired.
While City departments will be trained to update and maintain their respective departmental pages, Civic Plus will provide extensive migration, training, and support services throughout this contract.
The attached resolution includes the contract Statement of Work and Master Services Agreement (MSA).
The development, design, installation, and migration of existing data comprise the bulk of work under the $59,040.20 contract, and $12,469.49 is for annual hosting, support, and maintenance beginning in year two.
If desired, year three annual cost would increase by 5% to approximately $13,100 per year.
Following approval of the contract, staff will build a project team and anticipate a project start date of September 1, 2022, with completion of the project by December 31, 2022, including a soft rollout that month with a target “go live” launch date of January 1, 2023.
I. Resolution Approving Landscape Maintenance Agreement with the State of California, Department of Transportation (MB)
Council (5-0) adopted a resolution approving a landscape maintenance agreement with the State of California Department of Transportation.
A Landscape Maintenance Agreement signed in 1987 by the City covers portions of State Routes 145 and 180 within the City limits.
However, said the agreement was not dated or executed by the STATE.
CalTrans is now requesting that an agreement be approved for execution by the parties. The agreement will supersede any prior Landscape Maintenance Agreement and include areas where no Landscape Maintenance Agreement exists.
The agreement addresses the City’s responsibility for the landscaping, planting, irrigation systems, hardscaping, mulches, vegetation control, weed control, irrigation control, litter and weed removal, sidewalk, delineators, and parking restriction signs placed within State Highway right of way on State Routes 145 and 180.
4. Department Reports consist of:
A. Consider Support of Fresno Council of Governments Approved Measure C Renewal Expenditure Plan and Implementing Guidelines (JAJ)
The Council (5-0) adopted a resolution supporting the Fresno Council of Governments approved Expenditure Plan and Implementing Guidelines.
On August 7, 2019, the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) Board authorized staff to begin the process of seeking to renew Measure C with a target of placing the Measure on the November 2022 ballot.
Included in this authorization was the direction to establish an Executive Committee (EC) and a Technical Working Group (TWG) to develop a draft expenditure plan for presentation to the FCTA Board for final approval.
Staff began contacting the various public and private sector organizations to ask for volunteers to join these two committees.
With rare exceptions, staff did not contact specific individuals but worked through agencies and organizations to identify who would serve on the two committees.
In March of 2020, the COVID epidemic hit the United States.
The threat of exposure precluded FCTA and Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG) staff from scheduling meetings of these committees for approximately 11 months.
During that period, society adapted to meeting in a virtual environment. As a result, the first meetings of these two groups were held virtually in January and February of 2021.
Simultaneously with this effort, the Fresno COG was updating and adopting its Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS).
The RTP/SCS is the 20-year transportation planning document for Fresno County, while Measure C is part of how the RTP/SCS plan is implemented.
As a result, the RTP/SCS became the framework for Measure C renewal.
The two committees spent much of their early meetings discussing membership, listening to background information about the Original Measure C adopted in 1986, the Measure C Extension adopted in 2006, and developing guiding principles for a potential third measure (MC3).
Membership and process discussions consumed much of the committees’ time in the initial months, particularly within the EC.
Fresno COG held several community meetings where the RTP/SCS was discussed and sought public input for over a year.
Measure C staff and consultants participated in these RTP meetings with discussions about what the public viewed as the highest priorities for a renewed Measure C.
In March of 2021, FCTA staff commissioned a public opinion poll to determine what County residents thought were the most pressing transportation issues and whether or not they would support a second extension of Measure C.
Staff shared the results of that poll with the FCTA Board and the two committees. The polling indicated high support for renewing Measure C (80 percent) and that fixing local roads was the highest priority, also at 80 percent.
In October 2021, FCTA conducted a series of in-person and online public forums specific to Measure C renewal.
The staff made short presentations while listening to members of the public who discussed what they thought were the highest priorities for a third Measure C.
Simultaneously, FCTA also launched an online survey to gather similar data.
To date, staff has received 2,804 responses with very similar results. FCTA staff and consultants also conducted in-person door-to-door contacts with residents in Cantua Creek, Lenore, Tranquility, Orange Cove, Parlier, Kerman, Mendota, Caruthers, Coalinga, Del Rey, Five Points, Huron, Sanger, Kingsburg, and San Joaquin.
Spanish speakers completed approximately 1,070 surveys.
The public meetings, online surveys, and in-person contacts all conveyed the same basic messages as the polling; fixing roads was the number one priority.
Beginning with the needs assessment performed by Fresno COG through the RTP/SCS process, staff began drafting alternative proposals for Measure C 3 funding.
Staff initially presented four alternatives to the TWG.
Two of these four had a significant level of support within the TWG. The TWG later refined these two alternatives.
During this process, FCTA and Fresno COG staff also met with representatives from Fresno County, the City of Fresno, and the City of Clovis to discuss the framework of the preferred alternatives the TWG was considering.
While by no means diminishing the importance of the small cities, Fresno, Clovis, and Fresno County’s support of a proposed plan was critical to obtaining its eventual endorsement by both the TWG and EC.
Based on these meetings, these modifications increased the Transit and Local Control subprograms.
Specifically, the increase in the Local Control Program was intended to allow each agency to best tailor their Measure C expenditures to their unique and specific needs.
This flexibility was especially critical for the City of Fresno, which wanted to use some of its Local Control Program money to increase further funds dedicated to public transit.
The TWG considered and approved this allocation plan by a substantial majority and then sent it to the EC for consideration.
The EC also considered and approved the plan as submitted by the TWG.
The second series of public meetings was to listen to people’s concerns about transportation in Fresno County.
A second opinion poll was also conducted, resulting in nearly identical results to the first poll.
Once the EC adopted the draft allocation plan, staff used the proposed allocation plan adopted by the EC and TWG to develop a detailed draft Expenditure Plan and a set of Implementing Guidelines.
The Expenditure Plan was posted for public review on May 27, 2022, and the Implementing Guidelines were posted about a week later.
Staff received several written and verbal comments on the plan and guidelines. Many of the suggested revisions were incorporated, while some were not.
Comments not included in the plan tended to conflict with the allocation plan adopted by the EC and TWG.
The public comment period closed on June 27, 2022, and staff posted a final draft revision of the draft plan and guidelines on June 29, 2022.
The plan was ultimately approved by COG and has now been approved by the Fresno County Transportation Authority.
In mid-June, FCTA and Fresno COG staff presented the EC/TWG approved plan to the Fresno City Council.
Shortly after that presentation, staff was made aware that the City of Fresno would not support the EC/TWG Plan as currently written.
FCTA and Fresno COG staff agreed that the substantially revised proposal submitted by the City had merit as it closely followed the EC/TWG plan with a few minor revisions.
These revisions included:
1. Allowing sidewalk repairs to be funded through the Local Neighborhood and Street Repair and Maintenance Program (Street Repair Program)
2. Revising the distribution of these street repairs funds from 75 percent population – 25 percent road miles to 80 percent — 20 percent (later revised to 78 percent — 22 percent)
3. Revise the distribution of the Local Control Program funds to 100% population-based
4. Establish an annual $100,000 minimum allocation within the Street Repair Program for each of the 16 agencies in Fresno County
5. Change a few projects included in the City of Fresno’s portion of the Tier 1 Major Roads and Highway Program
6. Limit Urban Transit Oriented Development (TOD) funding to certain high-density and transit corridor requirements
7. Include local hiring preference language
These changes resulted in each of the 15 cities in Fresno County getting slightly more funding (approximately 5 percent to 20 percent, with the smallest cities experiencing the largest increase).
At the same time, Fresno County would receive about $187 million less over the life of the Measure. After considerable public and Board discussion, the Fresno COG Policy Board approved the EC/TWG plan as modified by the City of Fresno.
On July 12, 2022, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors also considered the plan adopted by Fresno COG.
All Board members expressed concern with the lower Fresno County allocation and with the last-minute changes requested by the City of Fresno; however, after much discussion, the Board adopted the plan as previously approved by Fresno COG.
With these approvals in place, it is now incumbent on the FCTA Board to consider adopting the plan approved by the Fresno COG Policy Board.
A full copy of both the Expenditure Plan and Implementing Guidelines are included in this Board package. In summary, the approved plan provides total projected revenue over 30 years of $6,835,044,756 or approximately $7 Billion.
In addition, the Expenditure Plan and Implementing Guidelines incorporate the other changes proposed by the City of Fresno except for the revised TOD criteria, which must still be developed by Fresno, Clovis, and Fresno COG staff.
Developing the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) will include these revised criteria.
The overall transportation needs in Fresno County exceed the revenues generated through a ½ cent sales tax. However, this plan makes substantial progress towards meeting a high percentage of these needs. Specifically, this plan will:
Specific language on local hiring preferences will also need to be developed and included in the SIP.
The overall transportation needs in Fresno County exceed the revenues generated through a ½ cent sales tax.
However, this plan makes substantial progress towards meeting a high percentage of these needs. Specifically, this plan will:
- Allow the county to fix potholes and repair streets, reaching an average Pavement Condition Index of 70, which is within the “Good” category, thus reducing future maintenance costs, decreasing user costs, improving vehicle safety, bicyclists and pedestrians, and improving air quality.
- Dedicates funds to disadvantaged communities and areas, including a $100,000 minimum allocation, which will help the smaller cities in the County, and dedication of no less than 30 percent of the street repair funds to disadvantaged areas
- Provides over $1 billion in Local Control sub-program funding so that each agency can best meet its transportation needs, including additional road repairs, enhanced transit funding, active transportation projects, or any other eligible transportation facility or service.
- Provides over $800 million to the three transit agencies in Fresno County, an increase of 180 percent over the current transit allocation.
- In conjunction with other identified funding sources, it meets 95 percent of the overall active transportation need established through the 2022 RTP/SCS process.
- Helps address safety issues and congestion choke points on the urban and rural highways and major road systems
- Dedicates $144 million specifically for environmental enhancements beyond those specifically included in the other subprograms
- Collectively will improve pavement, improve safety, reduce congestion, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, consistent with the RTP/SCS.
B. Resolution Amending the Bylaws of the Kerman Sales Tax Oversight Committee (MR)
Council (5-0) adopted a resolution amending the bylaws of the Kerman Sales Tax Oversight Committee to change regular meetings from quarterly to semi-annual.
The closed session consists of:
A. Government Code Section 54957
Public Employee Evaluation
Title: City Manager
The Council adjourned at 9:06 p.m. The next Council meeting will be on August 10, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. through Zoom.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at Documenters-admin@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.