November 21, 2023
Leslie Caviglia, City Manager
City of Visalia
220 N. Santa Fe Street
Visalia, CA 93292
Dear Leslie and members of the City Council:
Thank you very much for the opportunity to continue to represent the City of Visalia in Washington, D.C. I remain extremely proud of what we have achieved over many years and look forward to continuing our work together. I also look forward to discussing all of this with you during your December 4 Council meeting.
Over the past year, we have worked with the City on several important issues. This includes efforts to secure $959,752 in Congressionally-directed spending for the City’s Groundwater Recharge Basin F Project in the House version of the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior Appropriations bill due to the work of Representative Costa and the support of Senator Padilla. This is the first Community Project Funding award the City has received since the process returned several years ago. At first, the City was stymied by its member of Congress not pursuing Congressionally-directed spending. However, since redistricting, the opportunity to seek such funding has arisen through new Congressional representation. While the funding award may be lower than what the City prefers, Congressionally-directed spending offers the City new opportunities for future funds for local projects.
Meanwhile, as you know, during the years of our working together, the City has enjoyed many significant successes due to its engagement in Washington. From helping to retain the Cigna call center to securing the renewal of a five-year cooperative agreement with the National Park Service to continue the Sequoia Shuttle, working to reduce flood insurance rates and increase private insurance options, ensuring thousands of additional residents do not have to purchase costly flood insurance with little likelihood of flooding, helping deliver millions of dollars in federal grants, assisting the City transition from partnering with the Essential Air Service program to securing a beneficial federal airport development grant, ensuring continuation of the alternative fuel tax rebate, fighting against significant daily rate increases by the National Park Service, and working on a host of other issues, our partnership has yielded significant and consistent results.
Over the next year, I look forward to continuing to provide the City with comprehensive federal representation on issues of importance in Washington. Our effort will include many of the issues we have worked over the past several years, new areas of interest the City may have, and other issues that may surface in Washington over the next year that will impact the City. Finally, we will assist the City in preparing and following up on applications for any applicable federal grants.
To continue our work on behalf of the City, we propose a contract from January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024 for a monthly fee of $6,500 plus expenses, which we offer to cap at $3,000 for the year. This is the same fee for which we have worked over the past several years.
Thank you again for the opportunity to represent the City of Visalia in Washington, D.C.
Sincerely,
Gregory D. Burns
100 M St. SE – Ste. 750 | Washington D.C. 20003 | (202) 849-8523 | [email protected]