Fresno City Council Regular Meeting – October 8, 2026

The Fresno City Council met in regular session in Council Chambers on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Roll call at 9:16 AM showed all seven council members present. The meeting was adjourned at 4:18 PM in memory of Vincent Casella, a Fresno bus driver with 23 years of service. The agenda was approved as amended after several consent calendar items were removed, tabled, or moved to contested consent. The Council presented proclamations, heard public comment, received a workshop on the West Coast Waste Digester Project, and debated a Proposition 218 water/wastewater rate process before tabling that item to November 5, 2026.

Ceremonial Presentations

• Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – Sponsored by Councilmember Perea; dedicated to Henry John Abels Rodriguez. His family spoke about raising more than $105,000 through Alex’s Lemonade Stand and continuing to advocate for pediatric cancer research. Councilmember Perea announced a $2,500 contribution from her office to the family’s fundraising effort.
• Police and Fire Chaplaincy Month – Sponsored by Councilmember Karbassi and the Mayor/City Manager. Recognized nearly 50 volunteer chaplains and more than 40 years of service supporting first responders and families in crisis.
• The kNOw Youth Media Month – Sponsored by Councilmember Vang. Marked 20 years of youth journalism; more than 500 youth participants and 1,250+ published articles.
• Bodie Jensen Day – Sponsored by the Mayor/City Manager. Proclaimed October 8, 2026 as Bodie Jensen Day in honor of a child with KCNT1-related epilepsy, raising awareness of rare diseases.

Councilmember, Mayor, and City Manager Reports

• Multiple council members and Mayor Dyer addressed recent immigration enforcement by ICE in Fresno and the Valley. They described fear and family separation, affirmed that Fresno Police is not involved in federal immigration enforcement, and directed residents to resources such as the Faith in the Valley WATCH hotline. Councilmember Perea said her office is compiling know-your-rights resources; Councilmember Arias described the enforcement as voter suppression and intimidation and urged community members to stay safe.
• Councilmember Vang reported the groundbreaking of the final phase of Sarah’s Court, adding 120 affordable housing units in Southeast Fresno. Mayor Dyer added that the City has committed $15.2 million for three affordable projects and subsidized about 1,300 affordable housing units over the past four years, with about 1,400 more in the pipeline.
• District and community updates included the November 11 Veterans Day Parade, free shuttle service, Movies in the Park, Halloween events, the Boo Bash, child care commission subcommittees, Fresno Fair attendance, and the return of the Fresno Falcons hockey team.
• City Manager White reported a minor aircraft belly landing at Chandler Airport with no injuries, thanked Deferred Compensation Board member Henry Fierro for nine years of service, and requested adjournment in memory of bus driver Vincent Casella.

Consent Calendar

The Consent Calendar was approved by a vote of 5-0, with Councilmembers Perea and Arias not present. Approved items included:

• Approval of the September 17, 2026 meeting minutes.
• Appointments and reappointments to the Deferred Compensation Board, Women’s Commission, and Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board.
• Parkway Terrace Homekey+ action, including Resolution 2026-225 and a Repair Services Agreement with Parkway Prime, LLC.
• Second Amendment to the option-to-purchase agreement for 959 North Parkway Drive with Fresno Housing Authority.
• First Amendment extending the Central Fresno Neighborhood Trust grant schedule to December 31, 2027, for 50 rent-restricted affordable housing units.
• First Amendment with Poverello House for HHAP outreach services through March 31, 2027, not to exceed $175,000.
• Copper River Ranch Water Supply Implementation Eighth Amendment, extending eligibility to an additional 109 acres.
• Product Purchase Contract with West Coast Waste, Inc. for 43,750 PCA tons of compost product, not to exceed $210,943.91, for SB 1383 compliance.
• Cooperative Purchase Agreement with SNF Polydyne, Inc. for liquid cationic polymer, total not to exceed $6,964,746.15.
• Resolutions dedicating Carnegie Library Garage property for utility purposes, appropriating $14,488,900 for Pave More Now projects, reallocating $70,000/$30,000 for the 2027 LGBTQ Grant Program, adopting the PAGES library resolution opposing privatization, exempting Carnegie Library Garage and H Street structure from special event rates, and reallocating $50,000 to the City Council Department.
• Several items were removed or tabled before the consent vote: the Section 108 Loan resolution was removed by staff; the recycled water user agreements resolution and Tower District Box Art Program RFP were tabled to October 22, 2026.

Contested Consent Calendar

• 2-C – Maxie L. Parks Community Center HVAC Upgrade Project – Councilmember Arias moved this item to contested consent. After having questions answered, he moved approval, with the City Manager committing to provide a memo this week on the rebid timeline. Passed 7-0.
• 2-D – Citywide security services contract with Allied Universal Services – Approved 7-0. The revised annual amount would not exceed $6,136,000, plus one-time increases of $81,000 for Clarion Pointe shelter security, $500,000 for Blackstone & McKinley Grade Separation properties, and $180,000 for Fresno Sanitary Landfill security.
• 2-N – Proposition 218 water/wastewater rate process – See Discussion Items below.

Public Comments & Testimony

Scheduled appearances:

• Central Valley Veterans Day Parade Committee appeared at 10:00 AM and announced the 107th Central Valley Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2026. They described the parade as the largest west of the Mississippi, citing 135 entries, 3,500 participants, and an estimated 28,000 attendees last year; the Army was honored and Dan Casas was a grand marshal.
• Jean Joneson appeared at 10:03 AM, a Clovis resident, and asked for help with retirement fund procedures. She said she is caring for her daughter’s two sons after her daughter’s death and has faced delays in obtaining her daughter’s City of Fresno retirement benefits. The Mayor and City Attorney expressed support; the Mayor said the City does not have direct oversight over the retirement department.

Unscheduled communication:

• Rodney Jackson asked for information about rezoning on the West Side and what it means for existing residents.
• Michelle Salas expressed concern about potential library privatization and reduced access; Councilmembers directed library issues to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting on October 20, 2026.
• Nikki Real questioned water/wastewater rate increases, asked whether ratepayers would subsidize SATA, and suggested cutting costs in the retirement department and employee incentives before raising rates.
• Crystal Rocha said families were being torn apart by ICE, thanked council members who spoke out, and demanded release of Flock automatic license plate reader data from Fresno PD.
• Joseph said a public records request for Flock data had been delayed 44 days and criticized police surveillance spending.
• Several additional public speakers, including Alfred Aldrete, Krista, Alicia, Lisa Flores, and Kryston Alexander, expressed anger about ICE enforcement, called on the Council and Mayor to take stronger action, criticized local political donations and statements, and demanded that ICE operations stop.
• No public comment was offered on the Consent Calendar, Contested Consent items, or Closed Session items when those items were called.

Discussion Items

West Coast Waste Digester Project Workshop

• Councilmember Arias hosted the workshop because District 3 processes much of the city’s organic green waste. West Coast Waste President Dennis Balekian and consultant Joe Ramirez presented a proposed anaerobic digester plant at their Fresno facility.
• The project description included converting green waste into renewable natural gas and electricity, producing 2 megawatts of clean power, using an all-electric fleet and indoor operations, reducing outgoing truck traffic by about 3,000 trucks per year, creating roughly 130 construction jobs and 40 permanent jobs, and potentially producing hydrogen. Balekian described a $150 million investment with a $250 million total build-out and said the current $31-per-ton compost model is no longer financially sustainable.
• The presenters said the project has grant funding from the California Energy Commission, CalRecycle, the Valley Air District, a USDA loan guarantee, and academic partners including Fresno State. They said time-sensitive federal tax credits and grants totaling about $40 million are expiring.
• City Manager White said staff sent a September 23 compliance notice to West Coast Waste regarding its current conditional use permit and is developing an RFQ. Councilmember Arias asked the City Attorney to provide options for expediting the next procurement or partnership step. The City Attorney said he could analyze the existing service contract but could not yet opine on incorporating the digester project into it.
• No vote or formal action was taken on the workshop.

Proposition 218 Water and Wastewater Rate Process

• The Public Utilities director presented a proposed five-year water and wastewater rate plan. Rates would first be adjusted January 1, 2027, then July 1, 2027, and annually into 2030, funding $245 million in capital improvements and possibly a $50 million revenue bond. Water rates had last been adjusted in 2018 and wastewater rates had been flat since 2010.
• The presentation included current reserves of about $32.6 million for water and $15.3 million for wastewater; projected debt service coverage of about 1.93 at the end of the fiscal year, compared to a 1.25 bond covenant minimum; an estimated process cost of $700,000–$800,000; and a requirement that 70,257 water parcel protests, or 50% plus one, would block the proposed rates.
• The director proposed nine community meetings, a December 3, 2026, public hearing date, and a Prop 218 protest process beginning with notices mailed around October 12, 2026.
• Councilmember Arias moved to deny initiation, citing short review time, affordability, residential and commercial cost imbalances, elimination of the separate senior wastewater discount, election timing, and unresolved SATA questions. He later amended the motion to table the item to November 5, 2026, after the general election and after results of the two ballot measures with budget implications, Measure D and Measure S, are known.
• Councilmember Perea raised concerns about the cost of the process and the senior discount. Councilmember Vang focused on transparency, the 45-day minimum process, and the high protest threshold. Councilmember Maxwell said the Council should not keep postponing rate decisions and favored letting ratepayers participate through the Prop 218 process. Councilmember Karbassi supported starting the process and called it paternalistic to say voters cannot be educated about the proposal. Councilmember Richardson opposed immediate initiation, saying there is no current emergency and that more study and a Council workshop are needed.
• Council President Esparza cautioned against using General Fund money to subsidize the utilities and said the capital investments would most benefit older neighborhoods with aging water and sewer infrastructure.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda approved as amended; proclamations presented.
• Consent Calendar adopted 5-0; several staff and Council resolutions were adopted.
• Contested consent item 2-C, rejecting bids for the Maxie L. Parks HVAC project, approved 7-0; City Manager committed to provide a memo on the rebid timeline.
• Contested consent item 2-D, Allied Universal security contract increases, approved 7-0.
• Contested consent item 2-N, the Prop 218 water/wastewater rate process, was tabled to November 5, 2026, by a 6-1 vote, with Councilmember Richardson voting no.
• West Coast Waste Digester workshop was presented with no action; City Attorney to return with procurement and expediting options.
• Council recessed to closed session for labor negotiations and anticipated litigation; no reportable action was announced. The meeting adjourned at 4:18 PM in memory of Vincent Casella.