AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS
September 16, 2026 COUNCIL MEETING
REGULAR MEETING – 3:30 PM
APPOINTMENTS
Item 3.a Youth Commission Appointments (Wards 2, 5, 6, 7) There are currently 8 vacancies for the 2026-2027 Youth Commission. The City Council will finish making its appointments.
REGULAR MEETING – 5:15 PM
ORDINANCES
Item 6.c.5 Municipal Code Amendments (All Wards) Departments occasionally request minor changes to the Bakersfield Municipal Code to increase readability, correct errors, or reflect current practices. The following changes are recommended by staff (with no impacts to the general fund):
1. BMC Section 3.12.010, BMC Section 3.12.020, BMC Section 3.12.030, BMC Section
3.12.040, and BMC Section 3.12.050. This enactment was inadvertently removed from the BMC in 2020 and reinstates the procedural requirements when filing a claim against the City.
2. BMC Section 12.56.050. This amendment clarifies the City’s long-standing position that smoking in public parks is prohibited.
3. BMC Section 14.02.010, BMC Section 14.02.020, BMC Section 14.02.030. BMC Section
14.02.035, BMC Section 14.02.040, and BMC Section 14.02.045. These amendments are made pursuant to California Water Code section 10608.14(d), which requires public water systems to revise their ordinances to include Water Code sections 10608.14(a) and (b) prior to January 1, 2027.
RESOLUTIONS
Item 6.d.4 FY 2026-27 Sewer Connection Fees (All Wards) Per the Bakersfield Municipal Code Section 14.12.380, the City Council shall annually establish, by resolution, fees sufficient to recover the City’s reasonable costs of providing sewer connection services, which include the costs associated with and necessitated by the upgrading and expansion of sewer facilities.
Connection fees are a one-time fee assessed by the City and paid at the time a building permit fee is paid. Staff recommends no increases to the existing sewer connection fees for FY 2026-27.
The fees collected will be allocated to the Sewer Enterprise Fund; therefore, there is no impact to the General Fund associated with this resolution.
AGREEMENTS
Item 6.f.2 Loan Agreement with Golden Empire Affordable Housing Inc. II (GEAHI II) (Ward 2) Golden Empire Affordable Housing, Inc. II (GEAHI II) submitted a proposal in response to the City’s 2025 Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to
develop the property located at 1302 Eye Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301. The proposed project would consist of a 16-unit multifamily housing development, serving individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness with incomes at or below 30% and 50% of Area Median Income (AMI). City staff conducted a panel review of the NOFA applications and on July 21, 2025, recommended to the Finance, Economic Development and Jobs Committee that GEAHI II be awarded $2,630,000 of federal HOME Investment Partnership funds. HOME funds will be provided for the project as a loan to be paid back out of the residual receipts from the project. The loan is funded by the City’s allocation of Federal HOME Investment Partnership funds, which is part of the entitlement funding and does not impact the City’s General Fund.
MISCELLANEOUS
Item 6.h.1 BSCC Grant Funds for Frontline Staff Mental Health and Wellness (All Wards) The California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) has awarded the City of Bakersfield an additional $85,243 in grant funding under the City's Cohort 5 California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant to support frontline staff mental health and wellness activities for community-based organizations (CBOs) providing grant-funded services. The additional funding enhances the City's existing partnership with its community-based organizations by providing dedicated resources to support the well-being of the frontline staff responsible for delivering grant-funded violence intervention services. The $85,243 award is fully funded by BSCC and requires no General Fund contribution or local match. These funds are restricted to the benefit of participating Cohort 5 community-based organizations and may not be used for City personnel or City employee wellness activities. All expenditures will be administered in accordance with BSCC grant requirements and the approved grant budget.
Item 6.h.2 Limited Term Crime Analyst Position (All Wards) On February 25, 2026, the Bakersfield City Council authorized the City Manager to accept $4,899,000 in grant funding from the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Cohort 5 Grant Program. Grant funding was appropriated to the City Manager’s Office, Office of Violence Intervention & Prevention (OVIP) Operating Budget. The California BSCC approved a budget modification to reallocate a portion of the existing CalVIP grant funding to support additional City personnel, including one Crime Data Analyst position.
The modification does not increase the overall grant award or change the approved CalVIP program scope. BPD requests an increase to the Department’s employee complement of one (1) limited-term Crime Analyst. The position will be fully funded through the CalVIP Cohort 5 Grant, with $356,400 allocated for salary and benefits; thus, there is no impact to the general fund. The Crime Analyst will be a limited-term position through March 31, 2029.
Prepared by:
Alex Hinojosa, Management Fellow CC: Department Heads City Manager’s File
City Clerk’s File
News Media File