Reedley City Council (4/25/23)

April 25, 2023 — Reedley City Council

Documented by Ntsa Iab Vang

Here’s what you need to know

• The Reedley City Council met on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, to discuss a citywide internet system upgrade. Frontier Communication pledges to provide fiber broadband  to approximately 6,600 addresses by the end of 2024. 

• Mayor Pro Tem Matthew Tuttle proclaimed April 25 Kids to Park Day to celebrate healthy lifestyles for youths of Reedley. 
• The City Council approved 10 items in the consent agenda including, the 2022 Annual Progress Report for Reedley’s General Plan and Housing Element; the Citywide Master Fee Schedule and amending departmental fees and charges for services; and amending the 2022-23 adopted budget, appropriating $22,468 from the airport enterprise fund to cover costs associated with the scope of work to update the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and environmental work required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Follow-up questions

• Will businesses and residents both be considered as households receiving the fiber benefits?
• Are existing residents allowed to opt out of new plans?

Attendance

• Mary Fast, Council member 
• Matthew Tuttle, Mayor Pro Tem
• Scott Friesen, Council member 
• Anita Bentacourt, Mayor (Absent)
• Suzanne Byers, Council member 

Presentation

• Kids to Park Day Proclamation
  • Seven interns from Reedley High School were present and shared their favorite part about working with K-6 graders at T.L. Reed School. The internship program started this year.
  • Tuttle proclaimed Kids to Park Day.

• Presentation from Frontier Communications Vice President Doug McAllister about citywide system upgrades.
  • Frontier Fiber in Reedley 2023-24 – The company made a presentation about how fiber broadband can affect communities in Reedley:
    • The network will be 100% fiber from the central office to a customer’s home.
    • Households can connect to multiple devices at once without worries.
    • High-speed internet: Frontier FiberOptic offers speeds up to 5 gig.
    • It can help revitalize rural and urban communities.
    • Students can learn anywhere and compete fairly.
    • Entrepreneurs have the speed they need for infrastructure.
    • New markets for operators: enable them to offer new services.
  • The projects Frontier plans to build in 2023 are the projects that require less new substructure placement and are more weighted to utilize existing aerial pole leads and existing conduit.
  • Work to start by March 2023 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
  • About 6,600 addresses will be served with new fiber. About 90% of the total addresses are within the city.

Actions 

• Consent Agenda, Items 3-13 (excluding Item 8) were approved.
  • Item 3: Approved the minutes of the regular council meeting of April 11
  • Item 4: Approved the recommendation to reject companion claims by the estate of Bradley, Gladys Frieda/Bradley and Steven Craig.
  • Item 5: Approved and authorized the city manager to sign the Sierra Kings Health Care District (SKHCD) mini grant application and related documents requesting and accepting funding for activities related to May Mental Health Awareness month.
  • Item 6: Adopted Resolution 2023-016 to accept the 2022 Annual Progress Report for Reedley’s General Plan and Housing Element, directing the Community Development Department to submit the report to the governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the California Department of Housing and Community Development. 
  • Item 7: Adopted Resolution 2023-021 of the Reedley City Council, adopting the Citywide Master Fee Schedule and amending departmental fees and charges for services.
  • Item 9: Adopted Resolution 2023-025 recertifying the Sewer System Management Plan as required by the state Water Resources Control Board Order 2006-0003-Statewide general waste discharge for sanitary sewer systems.
  • Item 10: Adopted Resolution 2023-026 to amend the 2022-23 adopted budget, appropriating $22,468 from the airport enterprise fund to cover costs associated with the scope of work to update the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and environmental work required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
  • Item 11: Adopted Resolution 2023-027 approving an updated city personnel policies and procedures manual. 
  • Item 12: Considered landscaping and lighting maintenance of District 1 related to the annual levy and collection of assessments for fiscal year 2023-24.
  • Item 13: Considered Vesting Tentative Subdivision Map 6229.
• Item 8 – “Confirming the appointment of Rob Ledington to the Public Safety Sales Tax Citizens Oversight Committee, as Council Member Tuttle’s representative,” was pulled for discussion by Tuttle. 

Council Reports:

• Fast reports she recently attended the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District meeting.
• Friser said that 41 schools will be competing at Reedley High School for an upcoming track meet. Biggest competition on the West Coast. 
• Byers shared that she attended the farmers market at Reedley College. She also said that in a recent meeting she learned that the more single- family homes being built, the more everyone can move up a housing level. 
• Tuttle said that last Friday, “a good amount of money” was raised by the Police Department from a golf tournament the past week. 

Staff Reports

• The city manager shared a booklet with council members with economic data on various cities.
• The Master Fee Schedule was approved.
• Staff reports that the city may see flooding due to melting snow. Beaches continue to be closed as flooding occurs. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm. The next meeting will be on May 9 at 7 p.m.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at fresnodocs@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.