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Gridley City Council - Regular Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, September 2, 2025; 6:00 pm
Gridley City Hall, 685 Kentucky Street, Gridley, CA 95948 "Our purpose is to continuously enhance our community's vitality and overall quality of life. We are committed to providing high quality, cost-effective municipal services and forming productive partnerships with our residents and regional organizations. We collectively develop, share, and are guided by a clear vision, values, and meaningful objectives."
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Farr called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
ROLL CALL
Present: Johnson, Roberts, Farr, Calderon, Sanchez
Absent: None
Arriving after roll call: None
Staff Present: Elisa Arteaga, City Administrator
Tony Galyean, City Attorney
Todd Farr, Police Chief
Martin Pineda, Finance Director
Chip Fowler, Fire Chief
Chris Smith, Principal Planner
Dave Harden, City Engineer
Jerry Cox, Public Works Director
Carmen Santana, Deputy City Clerk
Patricia Taverner, Assistant Finance Director
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Councilmember Sanchez led the Pledge of Allegiance.
PROCLAMATION - None
INTRODUCTION OF NEW OR PROMOTED EMPLOYEES - None
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FORUM
Ashleigh Torres, Assistant Director of the Butte County Library, informed the Council that September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. She also announced that, beginning September 2025, all past-due fines will be waived, as approved by the Butte County Board of Supervisors.
CONSENT AGENDA - None
ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION
GRIDLEY CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: Regular Meeting of 9-2-25 •Page 1 of 5
1. Ord Transfer Station - Request for Direction
City Council to hold a discussion on the potential of obtaining the parcel on which the Ord Transfer Station is located (APN 025-190-088) from Butte County Recommended Action(s):
a. Provide City staff direction to move forward with acquisition of the Ord Transfer Station property from Butte County, OR;
b. Direct staff to move forward with another 25-year land use agreement with Butte County
c. Authorize City Administrator to sign any necessary documents for either option A. or B.
City Administrator Elisa Arteaga presented an item to the Council requesting direction on whether to pursue acquisition of the Ord Ranch Transfer property from Butte County. She explained that the most recent agreement for services had expired, and instead of renewing the agreement, Butte County offered to transfer the property to the City of Gridley under Government Code Section 25365. The County indicated it had no future use for the site beyond its current function as a transfer station operated by Waste Management under contract with the City.
Administrator Arteaga noted that while the transfer would come at no cost to the City, there could be future expenses related to site repairs and security. ..
During public comment, Gridley resident Pat Coghlan expressed concerns and recommended that the City conduct an environmental study on the site prior to accepting the property.
ROLL CALL
Motion: Johnson
Second: Roberts
Action: to obtain the Ord Ranch Transfer Station property and authorize City Administrator to execute any necessary documents
Ayes: Roberts, Calderon, Farr, Johnson, Calderon
Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
Motion passed, 5-0
2. Services Agreement with Butte County for Building and Code Enforcement Services City Council to review and approve the services agreement with Butte County for continued Building Department and Code Enforcement Services
Recommended Action(s):
GRIDLEY CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: Regular Meeting of 9-2-25 Page 2 of 5 a. Approve the attached agreement with Butte County for Building Department and Code Enforcement Services
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b. Authorize City Administrator to execute and necessary documents City Administrator Arteaga presented the item seeking approval for the renewal of the service agreement, which has been in effect since 2017. This agreement continues to provide Building Department review and Code Enforcement services, as needed.
Administrator Arteaga emphasized that the agreement offers significant cost savings to the City by eliminating the need for an in-house Building Department. The arrangement is structured so that the County fully recovers the costs of services through building permit fees. Additionally, Code Enforcement services will be billed at the hourly rate specified in the agreement, as required.
Councilmember Sanchez inquired about the process for business licenses and food vendor permits.
Administrator Arteaga responded that these permits are primarily handled within the City; however, the Butte County Building Department is also involved in the review and approval process.
ROLL CALL
Motion: Roberts
Second: Calderon
Action: to approve the agreement for building department and code enforcement services with Butte County and authorize the City Administrator to execute any necessary agreements Ayes: Roberts, Calderon, Farr, Johnson, Calderon
Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
Motion passed, 5-0
3. Water, Sewer and Electric Cost-of-Service Study
City staff respectfully recommends that the City Council review and approve the proposal from Utility Financial Solutions, LLC
Recommended Action(s):
a. Accept the proposal submitted by Utility Financial Solutions LLC, for water, sewer and electric cost-of-service study
b. Authorize City Administrator to execute any necessary agreements - -
City Administrator Elisa Arteaga presented the item, explaining that it is a follow-up to the 2023 rate study conducted by UFS. At that time, the City Council approved rate increases for a two-year period and requested a subsequent study after those two years. Arteaga emphasized the GRIDLEY CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: Regular Meeting of 9-2-25 Page 3 of 5 importance of this study, noting that the City's enterprise funds are currently struggling. The purpose of the analysis is to ensure that operational costs are fully supported by the current rate structure. She also highlighted that, as the City is not for profit, maintaining financial sustainability is critical, and such an analysis should be conducted by a third-party expert rather than in-house staff.
Vice Mayor Johnson and Councilmember Sanchez expressed concerns regarding the necessity of a new analysis, given that the company conducted a similar study two years ago. Arteaga clarified that the previous study included a proposed five-year schedule, but the Council opted for a more conservative two-year approach, with a re-evaluation to follow-this current study fulfills that request.
Councilmember Calderon reiterated his position against raising rates for Gridley residents.
Mayor Farr suggested that while agreeing to have UFS perform the analysis, the City should request an additional service for the company to provide a follow-up report once the approved rate structure concludes. This would allow Council to better assess whether another analysis is warranted.
City Attorney Tony Galyean added that, in the event of any future litigation related to rates, his ability to represent the City effectively relies on a comprehensive analysis such as the one being proposed.
During public comment, resident Pat Coghlan expressed that it may be too soon to conduct another analysis, noting that the two-year period may not be sufficient to determine whether current rates are adequate to sustain City operations.
ROLL CALL
Motion: Roberts
Second: Sanchez
Action: to approve the proposal submitted by Utility Financial Solutions LLC, for water, sewer and electric cost-of-service study and authorize the City Administrator to negotiate the terms of the contract and sign any necessary documents.
Ayes: Roberts, Calderon, Farr, Johnson, Calderon
Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
Motion passed, 5-0
COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS
Mayor Farr informed the Council that the Veterans Memorial Hall is now managed by the Butte County Fairgrounds and is available for public rental through the Butte County Fair office.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS
City Administrator Elisa Arteaga reported on her ongoing meetings with Union labor negotiators.
GRIDLEY CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: Regular Meeting of 9-2-25 Page 4 of 5
DEPARTMENT UPDATE REPORTS -
Interim Electric Director Ryan Carlson provided a report on the extended outage that occurred in the early morning of Thursday, August 24, and outlined the actions taken by the Electric Department to address the situation.
POTENTIAL FUTURE CITY COUNCIL ITEMS - (Appearing on the Agenda within 30 days):
Sidewalk Ordinance Update 9/15/2025
Travel Policy 9/15/2025
Energy Efficiency Contract Review 9/15/2025
Tree Ordinance Update 9/15/2025
Randolph Lot Use Agreement - GUSD 9/15/2025
CLOSED SESSION -
4. Pursuant to Government Code 54957.6: Conference with Labor Negotiator, Elisa Arteaga, City Administrator, for discussion of progress of collective bargaining discussions with City Employee represented classes - IBEW, MMU, and GPOA
City Council went into closed session at 7:15 and came out at 8:15 pm with no reportable action.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further items left to discuss, Mayor Farr adjourned to the next regular meeting scheduled for September 15th, , 2025.
Approves Surftway .
Elisa Arteaga, City Clerk
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