July 25, 2023 — Lindsay City Council

Documented by Esteban Solis Loya

Here’s what you need to know

  • The Hermosa and Westwood roundabout landscaping project is in the design stage. A “Welcome to Lindsay” sign will be erected and will be surrounded by olive trees to greet residents and visitors.

The Scene

The Lindsay City Council meeting was held on July 25, 2023. The meeting began at 6 p.m. and was adjourned at 7:30 p.m for a closed session. The meeting was made available to the public to live stream and to provide public comments via Zoom. 

Follow-up questions

  • Is the city of Lindsay aware that California state law requires cities to keep emails for a minimum of two years? 
  • Mayor Cerros met with The Japan Times ahead of his Sister City trip to Ono City in August. They discussed potential opportunities for foreign investment – what would this foreign investment look like?
  • When will the Hermosa and  Westwood roundabout project be completed, and what will the “Welcome to Lindsay” sign look like?

Names of Officials and Attendance

  • Mayor Hipolito Angel Cerros: Present
  • Mayor Pro Tem Yolanda Flores: Present
  • Council member Ramiro Serna: Present
  • Council member Ramona Caudillo: Absent with notice
  • Council member Rosaena Sanchez: Present
  • City Manager Joe Tanner: Present
  • Director of Public Safety Rick Carillo: Present
  • City Clerk Francesca Quintana: Present
  • City Attorney Megan Dodd: Present
  • City Services Director Neyba Amezcua: Present

Mayor Cerros opened the meeting and led the council, city staff and members of the public in the Pledge of Allegiance. Cerros made a motion to approve the agenda. The agenda was unanimously approved 4-0.

Public Comments

  • No public comments.

Actions

  • Council Report
  • Sanchez
    • Stated that it’s good to see everyone at the council meeting.
  • Serna
    • Participated in a blood drive held by the Central California Blood Center. Serna encouraged the public to donate blood due to a shortage of available blood.
    • Pastor Adam Perez of Breakthrough Church is holding a Summer Vacation Bible School at Lindsay First Baptist Church, Monday – Thursday, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  • Flores
    • Gave kudos to the Lindsay fire and police departments, which held a water hose spray event for the Lindsay youth cheer and football teams.
  • Cerros
    • Attended the last Tulare County Regional Transit Agency (TCRTA) meeting with no new information to report. A Lindsay transportation committee is coming after we finalize the details.
    • Was invited to a Community Water Leaders Network event held by Community Water Center. Cerros networked with the mayor of Visalia and Visalia council members while discussing how to provide clean drinking water to rural communities impacted by water quality/availability issues.
    • Attended the League of California Cities South San Joaquin Valley Division Dinner. He said it was a great opportunity to network with mayors from the region, and Cerros thanked Mayor Rudy Mendoza of Woodlake for inviting him.
    • Had an interview with The Japan Times, which was a great opportunity to present opportunities foreign investment, he said.
    • Cerros commended the Lindsay Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Rick Carillo, for holding the water hose spray event for kids.
    • Congratulated Officer Andrea Duran for ending her probationary period, thus achieving permanent status with the Lindsay Police Department.
  • City Manager Report
    • Recreation Director Armando da Silva has made a request for the reallocation of $100,000 for pickleball courts and ADA access to the front and back doors of the Wellness Center. Final action will be taken at the  next council meeting, and these propositions were received positively overall.
    • Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funding that was approved by City Council last year is moving slowly. The city is waiting for Tulare County’s approval so that $500,000 can be used by Self Help Enterprises to make improvements to the Mt. Whitney building downtown.
    • The city is awaiting $1.57 million for water projects coming through the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California.
    • He is hoping to hear the status of $400,000 by January coming through the office of Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, for additional water projects.
    • Nonsupervisor harassment training has been completed by all city employees.
    • The Lindsay Police Department is working with the school district to hold an active shooter training at the end of this week.
    • National Night Out will take place at the Wellness Center on Aug. 1, 2023.
    • Because of their success with the Citizen’s Police Academy, the city is moving forward with an application process sometime next month.
    • He congratulated Sgt. Dempsey for being recognized as Employee of the Quarter by the Lindsay Kiwanis Club.
    • The city received a $14,000 wellness grant – funds are being used for a gym and the Lindsay Police Department.
    • The Tulare Road Tree Well cleanup process has started. The city has reached out to property owners and will send city staff to take care of the rest of the project.
    • The Linda Vista project is on schedule; an undergrounding project is underway as the street is on track to be repaired and completed.
    • The Downtown Fires project has a tentative start date of Aug. 14.
  • Discussion Items
    • Beautification of city roundabouts – requested by Cerros and presented by Amezcua
      • The roundabout at Hermosa and Elmwood is fully landscaped and features a windmill with dwarf orange trees with artificial turn bark.
        1. There is one empty area with no landscaping – council may submit ideas for this space.
      • The roundabout at Hermosa and Westwood, which was completed in 2018-2019, had original plans that included landscaping. The city had budgeted $200,000, but the price came out to around $400,000 and, after downsizing, to $350,000. The city is trying to keep the plans under budget, and the council may discuss what kind of improvements can be made. 
      • Crosswalks signs – Residents have reported that the roundabout features too many signs, so the city will look at reducing the number of signs while remaining compliant with traffic law.
        1. The city is proposing artificial turn bark and a welcome sign in English and Spanish. The roundabout will also feature mature olive trees with in-ground lights and gravel. Other plants could include fortnight lilies and gold lantanas, as they are drought tolerant.
      • City Services Director Neyba Amezcua presented four examples of stainless steel welcome signs. The council shared their ideas about the examples and will continue to discuss stylistic details as the project evolves.
  • Consent Calendar Items pulled for discussion
    • Consider the minute order approval of a resolution of the City Council amending the City of Lindsay Records Retention Policy and repealing and superseding all other resolutions relative to records retention
      • The current policy calls for emails to be deleted after 30 days, and this resolution amends the policy so that emails are deleted after a year. City Clerk Francesca Quintana explained that the city wants to stay current with state and federal laws. California state law requires that emails be kept for a minimum of two years. 
      • The current policy is not enforced, so this resolution would begin an automatic email deletion process.
      • Cerros said emails should be preserved for at least two years, as archived emails and conversations are valuable and great resources when referring to emails or discussions between city staff.
        1. Tanner explained that, if any litigation against the city occurs, any records kept within the last two years could be used as evidence. Certain records like human resources-related documents, though, are kept longer, as retention plans change between different types of documents.
        2. City Attorney Megan Dodd: One year is pretty standard for cities and “litigation holds” don’t count toward any emails or records already deleted. This process helps with public records requests, as city staff don’t have to search through years or records.
        3. Quintana also explained that, if there’s something city staff think is important they may save emails as PDFs or as a copy somewhere accessible to them.
      • The council decided to amend the resolution to have emails automatically deleted after 18 months instead of one year. Cerros, Sanchez and Serna voted in favor of 18 months with Flores opposing in favor of one year. The resolution passed with a vote of 3-1.
    • 9.4 Consider the Minute Order Approval of Platinum Level Sponsorship and Expenditure for the Lindsay Youth Football and Cheer Program for the 2023 Season
      • The council unanimously approved with a vote of 4-0.
  • Action Items
    • Consider the approval of a resolution certifying the Lindsay Professional Firefighters’ Association, Teamsters Local 856, as the recognized and designated employee organization and exclusive bargaining representative of “All firemen” employed by the city.
      • The municipal code lays out a multi-step process that has already been met:
        1. The city has already investigated and made conclusions regarding three separate employee groups as distinct employee organizations.
        2. Interested parties have already filed all necessary paperwork with the city.
        3. Cerros made a motion to approve the resolution. The motion carried with a vote of 4-0.
  • Public Hearing Items
    • Special event permit ordinance and resolution to amend special event permit fees and charges – presented by Assistant City Planner Araceli Mejia
      • Public comment: Roxanne Serna
        1. Serna explained that the language of the ordinances cause problems when renting venues for events, especially when renting venues on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce.
      • Public Hearing items will be tabled to the next meeting on Aug. 8, 2023 and public comments/discussion will also be tabled to the next meeting. Council members will meet with department heads and with Amezcua before then to gain clarity and share ideas/concerns.

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

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