Feb. 9, 2023 — Fresno City Council
Documented by Andy Hansen-Smith
What happened: At the Feb. 9 Fresno City Council meeting, the council approved the allocation of $1.5 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation for a facade grant program, authorized the acceptance of a $7.2 million SAFER grant award, discussed the South Central Fresno Community Benefits Fund, and went through a workshop on pavement management.
Community Benefits Fund: Councilmember Miguel Arias introduced the South Central Community Benefits Fund, which was established as part of a settlement needed to mitigate the impacts to residents near the Amazon Warehouse in District 3.
“This would allow residents near these distribution centers to fund mitigations that are a result of the air pollution, traffic, the noise, and the light from this distribution center that were not anticipated when they moved to the rural lifestyle of South Fresno” he said.
The fund will allow certain residents near the development to apply for up to $10,000 of mitigation measures, including dual-pane windows, HVAC units with air filtration, insulation, weather stripping, and landscaping.
And also: Fresno City Employees Association President Sam Frank spoke during the meeting and shared concerns about a crisis happening with 9-1-1 Dispatchers. He said that many leave before their training probations are up due to high stress and low pay.
“When there is an emergency, people call 911.Who does 911 dispatchers call when there is an emergency? They call council.You are now first responders,” he said.
Up next: The Fresno City Council will meet again at 9 a.m. on Feb. 23. Members of the public may attend and make comments in person or virtually. To learn more about how you can get involved, read our guide to making public comment at a Fresno City Council meeting.