The Visalia City Council met on June 3, 2024, for a work session and regular meeting. The work session included presentations on the proposed two-year budget and rates and fees, with no formal votes. The regular session addressed a wide range of items including public hearings on the Marseille Landscape and Lighting Maintenance Assessment District, miscellaneous special assessments, a cannabis business tax measure, the Measure N budget, an urgency ordinance extension for massage establishments, and a directive on the city logo. Two consent calendar items were pulled for separate discussion. The meeting also featured extensive public comment on a proposed Gaza ceasefire resolution and the city logo.
All consent calendar items were approved on a single motion (5-0) except items 4 and 8, which were pulled for separate discussion. The consent calendar included:
Carl of the work session of the Viselia City Council. We're gonna begin with public comments. Citizens are now invited to comment on issues within the jurisdiction of the Visalia City Council and items listed on the closed session. Uh the council asks that you keep your comments concise and positive, creative criticism presented with appropriate courtesy is welcome. Each speaker will be allowed three minutes at a timer, will notify you when your time is expired. Please begin your comments by stating and spelling your name and providing your city of residence. Okay. Good afternoon, council. My name is Matthew Mangroni, M A T T H E W M I N G R O N E. I just want to introduce myself. I'm the new president and CEO of the Portabil Chamber, and I just wanted to say uh good luck in your process and uh thank you for uh allowing me to be here. Thank you. Welcome, congratulations. Hello, council. This is April Lancaster, resident of the City of Isaiah District 2. Um, I had some issues that I wanted to bring to you guys about the downtown Viselians organization. Um, unfortunately, I have tried to raise those um concerns with the downtown organization in their meetings, and unfortunately haven't gotten very far with that. So I have some concerns about the downtown Viselians, which manages both the TCBI and the POA, which reports you're gonna be receiving this evening. Um the DTV's annual reports lack the current bylaws, including concerning changes made in 2019 regarding board member appointments and term limits. Despite my raising these concerns and submitting public comments, DTV requested bylaw amendments through a Google form in April of 2024 bypassing proper procedure. My attempt to inspect DTV books, membership records, and meeting minutes as statutory member on October 4, 2023 were not honored, potentially violating the public records act and the Brown Act. Um the DTV director, City Council member raises concerns about divided loyalties. The DTB executive president reportedly has a security contract with the POA, creating another potential conflict. DTB lacks a proper human resources department to address such concerns. The proposed PLA assessment increases and prior increases that are being discussed this evening may not have followed proper notification procedures and mandated by law. I would like to urge you to thoroughly investigate these matters and take action to ensure transparency, adherence to bylaws, and address potential conflicts of interest while the DTB and P within the DTV and POA. This includes ensuring DTB compliance with proper bylaw procedures and record keeping, addressing potential conflicts of interest among DTV leadership, and verifying the legality of proposed POA assessment increases. Thank you. Um, for those downtown Vision's issues, that is a downtown Visalia issue, not a city of Visoya, they're their own board, so those issues wouldn't need to go to them. Any more public comment. All right, seeing none. This started with uh item number one fiscal year 2024 slash 25 and 2526 proposed budget. Good evening, council. My name is Renee Nagel, and I am the finance uh and technology director for the city of Iselia. With me tonight, I have Amy Xwarengen, who is our budget analyst, and Gina Ferguson, who is our financial analyst as well. So tonight um we will be presenting um this is the first of two or many more meetings, um, of the fiscal year 24-25 and 25-26 proposed budget. Tonight's proposed budget for the two years includes general fund discussions, recommended positions, and future challenges. Council has reviewed all capital projects and measure in at previous council meetings. Council's concerns arising from tonight's discussion will be brought back on June 17th or or sooner if needed. The budget has been made available to the public and can be accessed on our website at Viselia.city under our department finance proposed budget the budget process is a 10-month process, or if not a little longer when you count as starting it earlier. Um, but it consists of the public, it consists of all the departments in the city of Visalia and of course city council over the last 10 months. So tonight is the the first meeting again of several, which hopefully for the month of June will end with an adopted budget on June 17th to be able to be effective July 1st. Please remember that the adopted budget can be revised at any regular scheduled council meeting. Um and throughout the year, staff will continue to continue to monitor revenue and expenditures. As shown on the slide, we always come back with presentations and updates that will focus on 2425, 2526 twice, and then of course, again, as mentioned earlier. Um the budget is always being revised at each council meeting as additional appropriations are needed, additional grants are applied for, and so the budget document is always a changing document. At the start of the budget process, council was set, um council was asked to set goals and priorities, and council did set five goals and priorities. These were quality of life, fiscal strength, invest in infrastructure and growth, organizational excellence, and economic vitality. We are proud to say that this budget includes all five goals and priorities and have been met in both years of the proposed budget. The proposed budget for the first year amongst all funds, which is what's included in the proposed document, um, is 295.3 million, and the second year it increases to 329.9 million as well.