Visalia City Council Work and Regular Session - August 19, 2024

On Monday, August 19, 2024, the Visalia City Council held a 4:30 p.m. work session and a 7:00 p.m. regular session in the City Council Chambers. All five council members were present: Mayor Brian Poochigian, Vice Mayor Brett Taylor, Council Members Steve Nelsen, Emmanuel Hernandez Soto, and Liz Wynn. The work session began at 4:30 p.m., the council adjourned to closed session at 5:35 p.m., and the regular session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. The regular session opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, an invocation, and a moment of silence for former City Council Member and the Honorable David L. Allen. The meeting included new employee introductions, a work-session discussion on a 21-acre city-owned property, public comment, a unanimous consent calendar, and a closed-session report.

Work Session: New Employee Introductions

• Fire Chief Dan Griswold introduced new Fire Department personnel, including paramedics and firefighter/paramedics, and IT Manager John Hallison introduced computer technician David Guzman.
• Agenda and minutes list 11 new Fire Department employees; the transcript shows individual spoken introductions for seven of them.

Work Session: City-Owned Property Discussion (Item 24-0311)

• Community and Neighborhood Preservation Director Paul Bernal and Principal Planner Brandon Smith reviewed potential land use and design options for the City-owned 21-acre property at the northwest corner of North Akers Street and West Riggin Avenue, adjacent to Neighborhood Church and Ridgeview Middle School.
• Assistant City Manager John Lollis provided information on land swap options with zoning controls.
• Staff presented options ranging from retaining part or all of the site as park space to commercial mixed-use development, and discussed a request for proposals (RFP) process, possible design and use stipulations, and limiting drive-through uses.
• Council members generally supported commercial mixed-use zoning, pedestrian-friendly design, and limiting drive-throughs. Council Member Wynn and Council Member Soto emphasized keeping some park or open space as a buffer near the school and high-density housing. Vice Mayor Taylor favored all commercial mixed-use rather than a park next to a school, citing concerns about park and school adjacency and calling for the city to find another park site in the northwest quadrant. Council Member Nelsen supported commercial use with pedestrian-friendly standards and a buffer, and did not want additional high-density residential. Mayor Poochigian expressed a preference for all-commercial use and for not keeping a city-maintained park on the site.

Public Comments & Testimony

• During the work session, Jim Reeves supported keeping a park at the site, arguing that a few bad actors should not cause the area to lose park access. Mike Cromer noted long-term maintenance costs, raised traffic safety concerns on Akers and Riggin, supported the RFP process, and favored the city retaining the asset and decision-making.
• During the regular session, April Lancaster (Visalia) criticized downtown parking enforcement and the cost of long-term parking permits, and alleged Council Member Nelsen used the Comfort Suites driveway as personal parking, creating a conflict-of-interest perception.
• Taylor (Visalia) spoke about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, urged the city to take a stand against genocide, and said a documentary watch party was being organized at College of the Sequoias.
• Raquel Arias (Visalia) said Mayor Poochigian and Council Member Nelsen had been dismissive, and urged compassion for people in Gaza.
• Fahid Taha (Visalia) spoke about the Palestinian genocide, U.S. funding of Israel, and urged council members to take a stand.
• Maria Guillen (Visalia) read two short letters about being a good neighbor and about weekly pro-Palestinian vigils at Mooney and Walnut, calling for compassion and a ceasefire.
• Efrain Becerra (Visalia) said he cared about the council, expressed discomfort about what he called wasted money on a logo, and asked council members to be more humble when responding to residents.
• Ken Becker (Visalia), a retiree living on $1,000 a month, said the process for fighting parking tickets was too complicated and asked for validated dates and a clearer appeals process.
• Amy Shuklian, Tulare County Board of Supervisors and Chair of the Tulare County Task Force on Homelessness, rebutted Council Member Nelsen's August 5, 2024 comments about the Homeless Alliance of Tulare County. She listed accomplishments, including housing over 262 families in Tulare County last year and housing 40 chronically homeless individuals and families in Visalia at The Lofts and Sequoia Village, and invited Nelsen to the next task force meeting.
• Noah Whittaker, Homeless Initiatives Program Coordinator, described the countywide Task Force on Homelessness, noted its 22 voting members, referenced a recent Grand Jury report, and encouraged public attendance at the monthly meetings.

Consent Calendar

• No council member requested separate discussion of any item. The council approved the Consent Calendar unanimously, 5-0, on a motion by Vice Mayor Taylor, seconded by Council Member Nelsen. Items included:
  • Authorization to read ordinances by title only.
  • Sole source contract with Sollid Power Systems, Inc. for city-wide generator maintenance: one-year contract with four optional one-year renewals, not to exceed $75,000 per year and $375,000 over the life of the contract.
  • Approval and adoption of the Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) Master Plan Final Update.
  • Award to Mountain Vista Construction of Visalia for park picnic table removal and replacement at various parks, not to exceed $336,273.
  • Emergency irrigation well repair agreement with Kaweah Pump for $155,515 for Stonebrook Park, and appropriation of an additional $71,100 from the General Fund.
  • Approval of the 2024 Water Management Plan submitted by the Visalia Water Management Committee.
  • Citizens Advisory Committee appointments: Mario Fierro to a vacant voting position, and reappointments of Edward Jones, William Mann, and Bryan Prosser to second terms.
  • Facility Use Agreement with Visalia American Youth Soccer Organization Region 129 for use of Riverway Sports Park for up to five years, effective August 2024 through July 2029.

Closed Session Report

• The council reported the appointment of Jason Glick as the new Visalia Parks and Recreation Director.

Key Outcomes

• By a 4-1 vote, the council directed staff to designate five acres of the northwest portion of the 21-acre property as quasi-public park space and the remaining 16 acres as commercial mixed use. Vice Mayor Taylor made the motion, Council Member Nelsen seconded, and Mayor Poochigian voted no.
• Staff indicated that the zone change and general plan amendment process could begin, and that design and use limitations could be brought back for further discussion.
• The Consent Calendar was approved unanimously.
• The council adjourned at 7:28 p.m. The next regular meetings were announced for Tuesday, September 3, 2024 and Monday, September 16, 2024, both at 7:00 p.m. at 707 W. Acequia.