Documented by Matthew Carnero-Macias
Here’s what you need to know
- The Madera County and Fresno County Fire Protection District are under an automatic and mutual aid agreement for the first time. Assistance with fires or other local fire department-related emergencies is to be reciprocated. It strengthens emergency responses and has little fiscal impact.
- Jayson Architecture was awarded the North Fork Branch Library architectural and engineering services $475,000 contract as part of the September 2022 Building Forward Library Infrastructure Grant award of $4.6 million to improve the safety and accessibility of the library.
- The board reaffirmed Resolution 2023-004, ratifying and extending the declaration of a local emergency of the closure of Madera Community Hospital.
- As part of the consent calendar, the board unanimously approved entering into an agreement with the city of Fresno, Fresno County and the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care to participate in the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Round 5 Grant Program for a term ending June 30, 2028, that delivers a regionally coordinated action plan to address homelessness.
- The plan will include outreach and site coordination, system performance measures and improvement, equity improvement, a plan to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness upon exiting an institutional setting. In addition it will include a plan to use local, state and federal funds to end homelessness, a plan to connect people experiencing homelessness to all eligible benefit programs and a memorandum of understanding and application development process certification.
Follow-up questions
- Will there be a regionally coordinated action plan announcement? How can the public get involved?
- What is the timeline for the North Fork Library project?
- What is the timeline for the completion of the performing arts center project?
- Do the department staffing levels, at a low point, pose a challenge to work conditions and output?
Notes
The first discussion item was introduced by Dr. Julia O’Kane, chair of the Madera County Arts Authority. She updated the board on the status of the revitalization of the downtown arts and the arts center project.
She said with participation from city and county government, the Madera Unified School District and the Madera County Arts Council, a phased-in approach to revitalizing the arts in Madera is underway.
Various projects are planned in four phases. The first phase includes small-scale downtown projects, the second phase is the redesign and rehabilitation of Courthouse Park and Yosemite Avenue, the third phase is restoring and repurposing the former Madera County Library and the final phase is the construction of a performing arts center.
“We think doing this is going to create tremendous positive energy in our area,” O’Kane said. “Economic growth, housing growth, more people on the streets doing things, more restaurants will make the center of our county a great place to come, stay, have fun and I think to live.”
The widely desired project is the construction of a downtown arts center that will serve local students and community members. O’Kane said it will anchor the downtown and benefit the entire community.
Joel Bugay from the county’s Administration Department updated the board on the second-quarter budget.
The board adopted the fiscal year 2023-24 budget with an $8.8 million operating deficit. To reduce the deficit, hiring controls were implemented, and departments were provided with staffing level targets that resembled fiscal year 2021-22 staffing levels.
“We will continuously look at hiring controls and other cost-control measures to bring that deficit in line,” Bugay said.
Minimizing staffing is a salary-savings approach that reduces the budget deficit.
Bugay outlined the annual projections based on second-quarter financials. The projections indicate the budget deficit is down to $5.2 million from $8.8 million. He told the board that in addition to hiring controls, department expenditures of one-time costs such as small equipment may need to be deferred when “feasible and prudent.” He added that capital projects may need to be postponed as well. Lastly, staff needs to identify one-time funding sources reserved for emergency needs.
The last discussion item was approved. The board adopted a resolution appointing Lester Esparza as a retired annuitant to the position of supervising code enforcement officer, effective March 1.
The public hearing to consider and adopt a resolution approving the property tax administration costs and fees for fiscal year 2023-24 was unanimously approved.
A second public hearing item involved pending legislation. Staff recommended that the board authorize signing a letter of support for the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) request for federal funding. The board unanimously approved the authorization to sign the letter of support.
YARTS provides public transportation services to Yosemite National Park, and serves five counties.
“The current YARTS fleet includes four over-the-road coaches that are near the end of their useful life and require replacement in the next year,” according to the letter of support addressed to U.S. Rep. John Duarte, R-Turlock. “These clean-diesel buses are critical for YARTS to continue to operate throughout its rural, mountainous, 480-square-mile service area.”
Actions/discussions/public comment
- There was only one speaker who addressed the board during the public comment period. The speaker expressed outrage and disappointment over the BNSF Railway closing his neighborhood access road for 15 days, creating a detour of more than 24 miles and 30 additional minutes.
- The board unanimously approved the consent calendar as presented, which included 17 items.
Conversation highlight
- “We think doing this is going to create tremendous positive energy in our area,” said Dr. Julia O’Kane, chair of the Madera County Arts Authority. “Economic growth, housing growth, more people on the streets doing things, more restaurants will make the center of our county a great place to come, stay, have fun and I think to live.”
- “I was appointed as chair of the San Joaquin River Conservancy,” said Supervisor Robert Macaulay in his supervisor report. “A lot of great potential there on the river to create more access and develop something we can all be proud of.“
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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