Tina Hernandez, Mayor
Danny Valdovinos, Mayor Pro Tem Gregorio Gomez, Council Member Paul Boyer, Council Member
Armando Hinojosa, Council Member
Farmersville City Council
Regular Meeting
Monday, March 13, 2023 6:00 PM
Meeting held in Civic Center Council Chambers – 909 W. Visalia Road Farmersville, California Pending no technical difficulties, the City Council meeting will also be streamed (for observation only) via Zoom and accessed as follows:
Please dial 1-669-900-6833
Meeting ID: 891 7793 3120
Password: 893270
1. Call to Order: 6:00 PM
2. Roll Call:
Attendee Name
Title
Status
Arrived
Tina Hernandez
Mayor
Present
6:00 PM
Danny Valdovinos
Mayor Pro Tem
Present
6:00 PM
Greg Gomez
Council Member
Present
6:00 PM
Paul Boyer
Council Member
Present
6:00 PM
Armando Hinojosa
Council Member
Present
6:00 PM
3. Invocation: Mayor Hernandez
4. Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Hernandez
5. Public Comment:
Provides an opportunity for members of the public to address the City Council on items of interest to the public within the Council’s jurisdiction and which are not already on the agenda this evening. It is the policy of the Council not to answer questions impromptu. Concerns or complaints will be referred to the City Manager’s office. Speakers should limit their comments to not more than two (2) minutes. No more than twenty (20) total minutes will be allowed for Public Comment. For items which are on the agenda this evening, members of the public will be provided an opportunity to address the council as each item is brought up for discussion. Comments are to be addressed to the Council as a body and not to any individual Council Member.
Ben Moore and Elizabeth Salazar from the Ugly Company notified the Council that they raised over ten thousand dollars for the Youth Soccer League. They invited the Council to attend the opening ceremony at the Sports Park on March 26th at 9:00 AM, where they plan to present the league with a donation check.
Sam Sciacca, owner of Moody Walnut Dryer located at 276 S Mariposa Ave, expressed his gratitude to the Farmersville Police Officers for their hard work in assisting the Tulare County Sheriff Department in finding a transport truck that was stolen from his property. Mr. Sciacca presented a donation check to the POA Canine Division.
Jennifer Mendonca, owner of Token Farms, presented the Youth Baseball League with a donation check.
Freddy Espinoza, a Farmersville resident, expressed his concerns over the upkeep of the baseball park, mainly the restroom sanitation, adding additional trash bins, a timely light schedule, and lawn care. To ensure proper maintenance, Mr. Espinoza would like to work with City staff to establish guidelines on dividing responsibilities between the league and the Public Works department.
Armando Olivares, 1389 Tehama Ave, expressed concern regarding a city-owned tree behind his house on N. Ventura Ave. Mr. Olivares states that the leaves and debris from the tree have damaged his pool pump in the past, and he would like permission from the Council to cut down the tree.
6. Presentations:
A. Housing Element Informational Update
Karl Schoettler, City Planner, presented an update on the Tulare Regional Multi-Jurisdiction Housing Element project, a mandatory element in the City’s General Plan and governed by the California Government Code Article 10.6 that provides a set number of housing units allocated to each jurisdiction in the county by household income levels.
B. Tulare County EDC Mid-Year Update
Airica de Oliveira, President and CEO of the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation, presented the mid-year updates for the EDC's strategic planning and goals. Council raised concerns about how project leads will directly affect the City of Farmersville. Mrs. Oliveira assured the Council that she is directly working with City Manager Jennifer Gomez to come up with ideas to prepare and make the City of Farmersville "business ready" for when the right commercial opportunity arrives.
7. Consent Agenda:
Under a CONSENT AGENDA category, a recommended course of action for each item is made. Any Council Member or Member of the Public may remove any item from the CONSENT AGENDA in order to discuss and/or change the recommended course of action, and the Council can approve the remainder of the CONSENT AGENDA.
Authorization to waive full reading of ordinances and resolutions and to identify by title only.
Recommend that the City Council approve the full reading of all ordinances and resolutions be waived and to identify by title only.
B. Minutes of Regular City Council Meeting of February 27, 2023.
Recommend approval of minutes.
Documents: Draft Action Minutes of February 27, 2023
C. Minutes of Special Meeting of March 2, 2023.
Recommend approval of minutes.
Documents: Draft Action Minutes of March 2, 2023
Motion to approve items A-C.
RESULT:
APPROVED (UNANIMOUS)
MOVER:
Councilmember Gomez
SECONDER:
Mayor Pro Tem Valdovinos
AYES:
Hernandez, Valdovinos, Gomez, Boyer, Hinojosa
ABSENT:
None
8. General Business
A. Proposed Capital Project for Additional Streetlights Around Brundage Avenue Recommend that the City Council provide direction on the proposed Capital Project for additional streetlights around Brundage Avenue.
Documents: Map of Proposed Streetlights
City Manager Jennifer Gomez presented a revised proposal from Southern California Edison with a more cost-effective option for additional streetlights around Brundage Avenue. The proposed project is approximately $25,000 for 18 wood pole mounted lights. The Council would like to incorporate this expense into the Capital Budget for FY 2024 as a temporary fix until future funding is available.
9. Council Reports
A. City Council Updates and Committee Reports
Councilmember Hinojosa would like a general plan and contact information for City Staff in emergencies. Mr. Hinojosa states he was outside City Hall helping senior citizens fill up sandbags in preparation for potential flooding. Also, he notified Council that the City of Woodlake's displaced flood victims are housed at the Exeter Veterans Memorial Building, and the City of Visalia is collecting donations for families affected by the flooding.
Councilmember Boyer noticed City Staff pumping water in front of St. Anthony's Catholic Church and would like Staff to examine how to avoid probable flooding in the future. Also, Mr. Boyer mentioned citizens' concerns over potential emergency vehicles access in narrow neighborhood streets. Mr. Boyer asked if more curbs should be painted red to address the concerns.
Councilmember Gomez thanked the Fire and Police Departments for their quick response to the traffic accident on Terry and Hartley Ave. Mr. Gomez reiterated Freddy Espinoza's public comments, and he believes the City should have an official contract with sports leagues to clarify sports field responsibilities.
Mayor Hernandez thanked Staff for a quick response on a long thread of emails regarding storm updates. Also, Ms. Hernandez would like to develop a plan of action for emergencies that council members can use to help answer questions from residents. Lastly, Ms. Hernandez states she reached out to the Mayor of Woodlake and Lindsey to send our well wishes.
10. Staff Communications:
Director of Finance and Administration, Steve Huntley, scheduled Cyber Security Training with the City Council on March 21st at 3:00 PM. Also, Mr. Huntley assured the Council that the recent bank failures have no City exposure as the banks the City works with are strong top-rated banks. All City assets are FDIC covered or following the Basel III Accord on proper collateralization.
Public Works Director, Jeff Dowlen, states that last week’s flooding was traditional for the PW department and nothing out of the ordinary during heavy rain. Also, Mr. Dowlen notified the Council the best way to reach the Public Works department after hours is to call the Police Department, and dispatch reaches out to on-call employees. Lastly, Mr. Dowlen reminded the Council that sandbags are available at City Hall.
Battalion Chief Thomas thanked the Public Works department for doing a great job in assisting with service calls. Mr. Thomas states all the fire equipment is in service except for one truck that will be taken in for repair.
11. Future Agenda Items
Amend Ordinance – Temporary Outdoor Use Permits
12. Adjourn To Closed Session
Mayor Hernandez adjourned to closed session at 7:48 PM.
A. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)(1)
Title: City Manager
13. Reconvene to Open Session:
Mayor Hernandez reconvened the regular meeting at 9:08 PM with nothing to report.
14. Adjournment:
Mayor Hernandez adjourned the meeting at 9:08 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Betina Ashoori
Deputy City Clerk
Strong Roots…..Growing Possibilities