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CITY OF TULARE
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Tulare Public Library & Council Chamber
491 North M Street, Tulare
Friday, February 6, 2026
8:30 a.m. Special Meeting
Proper notice of this meeting was given pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.
COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Patrick Isherwood
Vice Mayor Steve Harrell
Councilmember Jose Sigala
Councilmember Terry A. Sayre
Councilmember Dennis A. Mederos
STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Marc Mondell; City Attorney Mario U. Zamora; Chief Deputy City Clerk Melissa Wilcox; Assistant City Manager Thomas W. Gaffery IV; Deputy City Manager/Chief Technology Officer Jason Bowling; Chief Financial Officer Mark Roberts; City Engineer Michael Miller; Public Works Director Trisha Whitfield; Community Services Director Chris Orr; Police Chief Fred Ynclan; Community Development Director Mario Anaya; Executive Director of Economic Development & Redevelopment Jennifer Gomez; Assistant Public Works Director Jan Bowen; Assistant Community Services Director Brian Beck; Code Enforcement Officer Greg Weirick; Senior Management Analyst Gladys Gonzalez
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Isherwood called to order the special meeting of the Tulare City Council at 8:33 a.m. in the Council Chamber located at 491 North M Street.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments.
3. STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION
3.1 Update on Projects.
• Entertainment District-Indoor Sports Facility
• Business Park-Inland Port
• Downtown Mixed Use-Women’s Clubhouse
• Regional Sportsplex
• Corporation Yard
• Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion
• Economic Development Strategy
• Sales Tax Measure
City Manager Mondell provided an update on projects. Councilmember Sigala inquired about the site identification process for the Corporation Yard and suggested looking citywide, not just on the west side of Tulare. Mr. Mondell advised that once the site analysis it completed, the findings will be brought back to Council for their review and selection of the site. Councilmember Sigala inquired about the ballot language for the sales tax measure, in particular what is funded by the revenue received. City Attorney Zamora advised that concern can be addressed through the adoption of a resolution of intent.
City Council Meeting Minutes Friday, February 6, 2026
City of Tulare Page 2 of 2
3.2 AchieveIt Presentation. Assistant City Manager Gaffery provided an overview of the AchieveIt product and how staff intend on using it. Joe Krause, Senior Vice President of AchieveIt, walked through the software and highlighted the City’s draft strategic plan.
Councilmember Sigala inquired if this could be used to track constituent requests.
3.3 IncludUs Labs Presentation. Bacilia Angel, Founder of IncludUs Labs, provided an overview of the work she is doing with the City through her project Tulare AVANZA which consists of analyzing and providing recommendations on the City’s community engagement and outreach. Questions posed by Council were responded to by Ms. Angel and City Manager Mondell.
3.4 Fiscal Impact Analysis. Sara Mares and Amanda Walker of NBS walked through the process for developing the fiscal impact analysis and next steps. Questions posed by Council were responded to by Ms. Mares, Ms. Walker, and City Manager Mondell.
The meeting recessed at 11:08 a.m. and reconvened at 11:17 a.m.
3.5 City Council Items. The following items were mentioned by councilmembers:
Councilmember Mederos stated he would like to see a groundbreaking occur soon for the International Agri-Center Way extension with the project complete by next year’s World Ag Expo, completion of the traffic signal at West and Prosperity, and completion of the Bella Oaks and Mooney Boulevard project.
Councilmember Sayre inquired on the status of the demolition of the old library building and project on senior housing, designating the Women’s Clubhouse as a historical landmark, and the completion and opening of the emergency shelter.
Vice Mayor Harrell would like to see Station 64 completed, address traffic congestion at Mooney and Foster due to additional homes being constructed and the new sports park, and explore moving the animal shelter to a more centralized location.
Councilmember Sigala would like to see economic development on the west side of Tulare, refurbishment of the Parks DIF funds, and investment in youth.
Mayor Isherwood would like to see more lighting at Bender Park and the softball facility, continued support and staffing direction of the Police Department, keep development standards in mind as development occurs, continue exploring implementing a Youth Commission, and develop a schedule for City Attorney review.
4. ADJOURNMENT
Seeing no further business to discuss, Mayor Isherwood adjourned the special meeting at 11:56 a.m.
This is to certify that the foregoing is a true and
correct copy of the minutes of the special and/or
regular meeting held on February 6, 2026, as
approved by the Tulare City Council.
Marc Mondell, City Clerk
By Melissa Wilcox, Chief Deputy City Clerk