CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
November 1, 2022 7:00 PM
Council Chambers
400 N. Douty St.
4:00 PM CALL TO ORDER STUDY SESSION AND CLOSED SESSION:
Mayor Morrow called the study session and closed session to order at 4:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL BY THE CITY CLERK :
Present: Kalish Morrow, Diane Sharp, Amanda Saltray
Late: Art Brieno
Absent: Francisco Ramirez.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Comments from the public are limited to items on the agenda (GC 54954.3a). A maximum of three minutes is allowed for each speaker. Please begin your comments by stating your name and providing your city of residence.
Richard Dou glas thanked the City Clerk Natalie Corral for her assistance. He also thanked the Council for appointing an alternate commissioner to the Planning Commission.
STUDY SESSION:
A. Community Development: Study Session - Presentation by LSA As sociates, Inc, of the DRAFT Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Thresholds and Implementation Guidelines Deputy City Manager Jason Waters , Senior Planner Gabrielle Myers , and LSA Principal Ambarish Muk herjee (teleconference) presented and discussed Key Concepts of the CEQA VMT Analysis and the VMT Threshold and Im plementation Gui delines. They also discussed how it can benefit the department . City Attorney Ty Mizote discusse d the VMT threshold percentages , the current CEQA guidelines and project screening. Mr.
Mukherjee and staff answered questions from the Council. After much discussion, the Council directed staff to bring back the item for review and approval.
B. Presentation, Council Discussion and Direction related to several upcoming annexations, an amendment to the Sphere of Influence, and related General Plan Amendments and pre-zoning.
Deputy City Manager Jason Waters and Senior Planner Gabrielle Myers discussed the process to in itiate several annexations, a sphere of influence amendment, general plan amendments, and pre -zoning. Staff answered questions from the Council. After a brief discussion, the Council directed staff to include the rezoning of Hidden Valley Park in the proposed general plan amendments.
C. Public Work: Presentation by ENGIE Services regarding their proposal to perform modernization upgrades to the City's wastewater treatment facility via the design-build process.
Deputy Public Works Directo r Jim Ross and EN GIE Senior Manager Ashu Jain discussed the expansion of the Waste Water Treatment Plant for the Council's authorization to move forward with the next steps of refining the project scope. Mr. Jain and staff answered questions from the Counc il. After some di scussion the Council directed staff to move forward with the propo sal. Staff will return at a future Council meeting to present a final proposal at no cost to the city.
The Council convened to closed session at 5:58 p.m.
CLOSED SESSION FOR DISCUSSION OF THE FOLLOWING:
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL-REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATIONS (GC 54956.8):
Property: 113 Court St.
APN: 010-265-001-000
Agency Negotiators: Mario Cifuentez and Ty Mizote
Agency Negotiating Party: Jerry Irons
CALL TO ORDER REGULAR SESSION:
Mayor Morrow called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Diane Sharp Vice Mayor Present 3:50 PM
Art Brieno Council Member Late 4:02 PM
Kalish Morrow Mayor Present 4:55 PM
Amanda Saltray Council Member Present 3:39 PM
Francisco Ramirez Council Member Absent
INVOCATION:
The invocation was led by Pastor Marks Curts.
FLAG SALUTE:
The flag salute was led by Mayor Morrow.
CLOSED SESSION ACTION REPORT:
None.
RECOGNITIONS/PROCLAMATIONS:
Small Business Saturday 2022
Mayor Morrow issued a proclamation recognizing Small Business Saturday.
COUNCIL REPORTS/COMMENTS:
Brief information -only reports from City Council and/or Staff, including committee reports and reports by City Council related to meetings attended at City expenses (AB1234).
Mayor Morrow, Vice Mayor Sharp, and Council Member Saltray discussed t he meetings and events they attended.
Council Member Brieno had nothing to report.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
This is the time for citizens to comment on subject matters not on the agenda within the jurisdiction of the Hanford City Council. This is also the public’s opportunity to request an item from the Consent Calendar be pulled for discussion purposes or to comment on any item on the agenda. Comments related to Public Hearing items will be heard at the time the item is discussed.
A maximum of three minutes is allowed for each speaker. Please begin your comments by stating your name and providing your city of residence.
Bob Ramos expressed his concerns regarding the use of the ARPA funds. He suggested the funds be used to help people in the community. Mayor Morrow responded to his comments.
Gabriel Venegas expressed his concerns regarding the homeless and crime in his area of the city. (Hume Ave. and Shepard Dr.).
CONSENT CALENDAR:
Consent Calendar items are considered routine and will be enacted i n one motion.
There will be no separate discussion of these matters unless a request is made and then the item will be removed from the Consent Calendar to be discussed and voted upon by a separate motion.
City Manager Cifuentez pulled it em G. Motion to a pprove the co nsent calendar except for the items pulled for separate discussion.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Diane Sharp, Vice Mayor
SECONDER: Amanda Saltray, Council Member
AYES: Sharp, Brieno, Morrow, Saltray
ABSENT: Ramirez
A. PROCEDURAL WAIVER: Waive reading in full of resolutions and ordinances and approval and adoption of same by reading title the only.
B. City Clerk: Approval of the Minutes of the August 16, 2022 Meeting C. City Clerk: Approval of the Minutes of the September 20, 2022 Meeting D. City C lerk: Denial of a claim for damages and authorization for the City Clerk to send out notification of such to Jesse Torres.
E. City Clerk: Denial of a claim for damages and authorization for the City Clerk to send out notification of such to Sheryl Zamora.
F. Administration: Approval of the fee schedule for passport related fees as established by the U.S.
Department of State and the addition of a $15 photo/service fee per passport.
G. Public Works: Approval of the Final Map and Subdivision Agreement for Trac t No. 929, Unit No. 2 (13th Ave. and Devon St.)
H. Public Works: Appropriation of $499,067 in funding from the Refuse Capital Reserve fund to cover $374,066.54 in costs for new front load refuse truck and $125,000 for on-board truck scales to reduce overweight loads.
PULLED ITEMS:
1. Administration: Authorization for the City Manager to execute a contract with Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Gross and Leoni, LLP, of Sacramento to provide state legislative advocacy services, effective January 1, 2023 through Dec. 31, 2023, for a monthly fee of $6,000. [Item G]
Pulled by City Manager Cifuentez.
City Manager Cifuentez discussed the selection process and introduced Michelle Rubalcava Nielsen, Merksamer representative for the City of Hanford. Senior C ounsel Mi chelle Rubalcava provided a brief overview of the firm and discussed the services to be provided . Ms. Rubalcava addressed the Council's questions and concerns.
Motion to approve.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Amanda Saltray, Council Member
SECONDER: Art Brieno, Council Member
AYES: Sharp, Brieno, Morrow, Saltray
ABSENT: Ramirez
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
A. Community Development: Mitigated Negative Declaration No. 2022-31: A request to certify that the project will not have a significant effect on the env ironment with the incorporation of mitigation measures. General Plan Amendment No. 2021-01C: A request to change the land use designation from Medium Density Residential to Co rridor Mixed Use on 18 parcels totaling approximately 28 acres. The request is due to incompatibility with the Kings County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP). The proposed land use designation is compatible with the ALUCP. Prezone 2021-14: A request related to an annexation request in process for a County Island that is w ithin the City of Hanford Sphere of influence. A request to pre -zone/rezone the site from C-S – Service Commercial (County) to MX – C - Corridor Mixed Use (City), consistent with the proposed land use designation and the ALUCP, on 18 parcels totaling appro ximately 28 acres. The project is located north of East Lacey Boulevard between North 10th Avenue and 9 ¼ Avenue in a County Island and within the City of Hanford Sphere of Infl uence (APNs 014-201- 006, -009, 014-202-005, -006, 014-203-002, -003, -004, -005, -006, 014-204-001, -002, 014-221- 017, -018, -019, -020, -021, -022, and 014-221-026).
Due to a conflict of interest with two Council Members, the public hearing was tabled unt il November 15, 2022.
RESULT: TABLED [UNANIMOUS] Next: 11/15/2022 7:00 PM
AYES: Sharp, Brieno, Morrow, Saltray
ABSENT: Ramirez
GENERAL BUSINESS:
A. Public Works: Approval of amendments to two (2) existing Energy Services Contracts with ENGIE Services to waive app roximately $500,000 in under performance penalties; reduce future performance guarantees by 25%; and provide for a ten year Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contract valued at $1,059,974.
Deputy Public Work Directors Jim Ross discussed the contract and invi ted questions from the Council.
Motion to approve.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Diane Sharp, Vice Mayor
SECONDER: Amanda Saltray, Council Member
AYES: Sharp, Brieno, Morrow, Saltray
ABSENT: Ramirez
B. Community Development: Authorization to submit a grant application for the Urban Community Drought Relief Program and, if awarded, authorization for the City to Accept the grant agreement and the City Manager to execute any related documents
Deputy City Manager Jason Waters discussed the grant and the modification to add Wells 51 and 52 as potential projects. Dep. City Manager Waters answered questions from the Council.
Motion to approve as amended.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Art Brieno, Council Member
SECONDER: Diane Sharp, Vice Mayor
AYES: Sharp, Brieno, Morrow, Saltray
ABSENT: Ramirez
COUNCIL COMMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS:
At this time, any Council Member may ask a question for clarification, make an announcement, or report briefly on their activities. In addition, subject to Council Policies and Procedures, they ma y request staff to report back to the Council at a subsequent meeting concerning any matter or take action to direct staff to place a matter of business on a future agenda. (GOV. CODE SEC. 54954.2)
Council Future Agenda Items
None.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mayor Morrow adjourned the meeting at 7:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Natalie Corral
City Clerk