The Fresno Police Department’s Skywatch program got unanimous approval from the Fresno City Council for $7 million in upgrades at Thursday’s meeting.
The new helicopter purchase comes after the council recently approved a 3% raise for police officers in August, with an unfunded $3.38 million price tag.
The money for the vehicle’s down payment and first year of lease payments was included in the current budget, but the city hasn’t figured out how to pay for the remaining nine years on the contract.
“It’s an expense to the police department, we’ll just build it into the budget,” said City Manager Georgeanne White when discussing how the city could theoretically use the general fund, reduce line items or increase the police department’s budget to cover the remaining helicopter lease.
“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Currently, Fresno PD owns two helicopters, one of which was purchased in 2003 and is due for significant maintenance service in 2027. According to Interim Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto, this upcoming major service could cost over $350,000.
“Last time that was about $200,000 or more; we anticipate it being over $350,000 just for this upcoming required maintenance,” said Casto regarding previous maintenance for the helicopter. She added this cost doesn’t include potential repair costs needed after the service.
Casto also explained that the current helicopters, two EC120 Colibri helicopters, are out of production, so procuring extra parts has become increasingly difficult and costly.
The council approved the lease purchase of an Airbus H125 helicopter unanimously. The 10 year lease carries a $4,700,833.01 price tag and includes a 8.35% tax for purchasing and maintaining the vehicle. The motion also approved paying avionics company Hangar One, Inc. $2,226,224.54 plus a 7.75% tax to install police equipment within the new helicopter.
Along with the new helicopter, the council also approved the acceptance of donated funds from the Fresno Police Chief’s Foundation to pay for more license plate reader subscriptions.
Macerich, a real estate investment trust that owns Fashion Fair, donated $33,500 to the foundation, which will be utilized to purchase five automated license plate readers subscriptions for two years from Flock Safety.
Short-term rental tax agreement extended to VRBO rentals
The council unanimously approved an agreement that will expedite collection of their 12% transient occupancy tax on short-term rentals to properties listed on Vrbo, an online vacation rental website, that also operates HomeAway.
A voluntary tax collection agreement was initially approved for AirBnb properties in March of this year – expected to bring in $1 million of additional revenue, a city spokesperson told Fresnoland in March.
Short-term rental properties are required to obtain a zone clearance and a permit with the city before they can operate.
Some snags in the Tower District’s long-awaited specific plan update
In a workshop to the council on the Tower District Specific Plan update, currently underway, council members learned that five of the council members wouldn’t be unable to participate in any motions or votes concerning the plan because they own property in the district, according to City Attorney Andrew Janz during the meeting.
In order to reach a quorum, city officials would have to be chosen through a random raffle drawing.
Chris Johnson, a local architect and chair of the Tower District Implementation Committee, spoke during the meeting, advocating for the committee’s work and its staff. He also said the district is concerned about which council member would participate in votes for the district plan.
“Not being represented by our representatives in this process that’s going forward is really concerning,” Johnson said.
The plan also needs more funding to complete an environmental impact report, said Adrienne Asadoorian-Gilbert, a supervising planner for the city on the project – a late-stage necessity after a court invalidated the citywide environmental impact report in August.
The new review – which could delay the plan for years, said Councilmember Annalisa Perea – will cost the city $330,000.
Johnson also offered the help of the committee to find funding for the environmental impact report in order to keep momentum for the district plan going.
The Tower District Specific Plan, originally approved in 1991 – after neighborhood outcry over a liquor store and high-density housing in the historic, walkable neighborhood – is a plan that establishes zoning and land use restrictions designed to protect the unique characteristics of the streetcar suburb.
In 2021, during a fierce debate over whether a church could take over the historic Tower Theatre – the Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee was created to revise the original plan’s model, receive feedback from the community and establish a framework for the plan’s implementation.
The planning process has sparked intense debate over industrial zoning in residential neighborhoods near Producers’ Dairy, resolving longstanding inequities in historically redlined communities in South Tower, and preserving the district’s historic character.
The newest revisions to the Tower District Specific Plan update process include new proposed historical districts, changes to how land can be used and regulations for late-night entertainment that is near residential areas.
Earlier this year, the Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee unanimously voted to remove industrial zoning from residential properties.
The workshop Thursday was merely informative for the council. The city council will vote on the final planned recommendations in the spring of 2025.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly quoted Annalisa Perea on the length of the delay for the Tower Specific Plan; this story was corrected on Oct. 1.
