Visalia City Council Meeting - May 19, 2025

The Visalia City Council met on Monday, May 19, 2025, in a work session beginning at 4:00 PM followed by a regular session at 7:00 PM in the City Council Chambers, 707 W. Acequia. Present were Mayor Brett Taylor, Vice Mayor Liz Wynn, Council Members Steve Nelsen, Emmanuel Hernandez Soto, and Brian Poochigian. The work session covered downtown business improvement district annual reports, a massage establishment ordinance update, and a California Water Service presentation. The regular session included recognitions, a consent calendar, and presentations on three major street projects. The work session adjourned at 5:33 PM with no closed session scheduled, and the regular session adjourned at 7:58 PM.

Work Session: Downtown Visalia Property and Business Improvement District Annual Report

• Council Member Steve Nelsen stepped down from the dais and presented the Downtown Visalia Property and Business Improvement District (DTVPBID) report. The district has approximately 270 property owners and a 2025 budget of $723,000. No assessment increase was proposed for the 2026 tax year. Mr. Nelsen reported that from 2020 to current, the CPI increased 24% while PBID assessments rose 32%. The report covered 2024 expenses for security, landscaping, graffiti removal, and a planned $72,000 security upgrade and equipment relocation.
• Public comment: April Lancaster praised the decision not to increase assessments and requested that surplus funds of about $600,000 be used to restore benches on Main Street for elderly residents and downtown visitors.
• Vote: Motion by Council Member Poochigian, seconded by Council Member Hernandez Soto, to accept the report carried 4-0; Council Member Nelsen abstained.

Work Session: Town-Center Business Improvement Area Annual Report and Management Agreement Renewal

• Council Member Steve Nelsen also presented the Town-Center Business Improvement Area (TCBIA) report. Downtown Visalians, Inc. (DTV) was formed in 1961 and has approximately 780 business license holders or members. The 2025 budget is $667,000. Reported highlights included social media growth of more than 80,000 Instagram accounts reached and 1,512 new followers in the past 90 days, plus $65,000 in premier sponsor contributions.
• Public comment: April Lancaster, identifying herself as a business owner and market director, raised concerns about financial oversight. She stated that DTV exceeded administration expenses by over $69,000 and office expenses by more than $27,000, totaling $136,000 in overages across categories. She said administrative expenses were 48.7% of total budget, compared with a typical nonprofit/PBID benchmark of 15-25%. She also reported a discrepancy between DTV and the property owners association: DTV reported receiving over $253,000 from the POA while the POA reported only $198,000, a gap of more than $55,000. She said nearly a quarter of the POA funding comes from the city's general fund and asked for reconciled reporting, citing conflict-of-interest concerns because a sitting council member oversees both organizations.
• Staff response: Assistant Finance Director Melody Murch said much of DTV's reported revenue is outside city oversight, that the city passes through roughly $200,000 per year to DTV, and that the discrepancies may stem from timing or accrual differences between two sets of books kept by different accountants. She said reconciliation is not currently required by the governing laws.
• Vote: Motion by Council Member Poochigian, seconded by Vice Mayor Wynn, to accept the annual report and renew the management agreement with Downtown Visalians, Inc. for an additional one-year term beginning July 1, 2025 carried 4-0; Council Member Nelsen abstained.

Discussion: Massage Establishment Ordinance Update

• Neighborhood Preservation Manager Tracy Robertshaw and Planning and Community Preservation Director Paul Bernal presented proposed revisions to Visalia Municipal Code Chapter 5.68. They reported that proactive inspections from May through September found 60 inspections, 29 businesses in violation, and 11 businesses not allowed to reopen after conditional use permit or business tax revocations.
• Proposed changes include expanding definitions, adding penal codes such as human trafficking, removing the five-year prior-history limit, strengthening the application and background check process, incorporating emergency ordinance requirements, adding inspection notification language, streamlining revocation and appeals, and requiring conditional use permits in regional commercial zones. Staff also recommended removing the 750-foot separation requirement, which had created barriers for legitimate businesses, including in the Sierra Bank building and shared salon spaces.
• Public comment: Cindy Rawl, a massage therapist of 19 years, thanked the Council for removing the 750-foot separation requirement and raised questions about annual permits, ID badges, and landlord notarization. Staff responded that the application would be a one-time process, not annual, and that ID badges are an industry standard to verify licensed practitioners.
• Vote: Motion by Council Member Hernandez Soto, seconded by Council Member Nelsen, directing staff to begin drafting revisions to Chapter 5.68 carried 5-0.

Presentation: California Water Service State Water Compliance Plan

• California Water Service District Manager Steven Johnson and Director of Government and Community Affairs Kevin McCusker presented the company's plan for complying with state indoor and outdoor water use regulations. From 2004 to 2023, Visalia's population increased 35% while total water production declined 14%. Cal Water reported system water loss of about 5.9 gallons per connection per day. The state indoor residential standard has dropped from 55 to 47 gallons per person per day and is scheduled to fall to 42 by 2030. Cal Water's current urban water use objective, including water loss, was 128.9 versus actual performance of 117.3.
• The presentation covered commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) performance measures, a compliance filing with an annual program cost estimate of about $2.4 million, and conservation programs including lawn-to-garden turf replacement, smart irrigation controllers, smart landscape tune-ups, high-efficiency fixtures, leak detection, and free hose nozzles. Cal Water noted that synthetic turf is not eligible for rebates and cited PFAS concerns. PFOS treatment systems for contaminated wells were reported to be coming online that month.
• Council members discussed tiered rate structures, household size adjustments, assistance for seniors and disabled residents, enforcement responsibilities and costs, and potential changes to state mandates. Cal Water stated it is not currently equipped to take on enforcement but remains open to partnership discussions with the city. No action was taken on this item.

Regular Session: Recognitions and General Public Comments

• Tricia Dean was recognized as the winner of the 2025 Summer Live & Play Cover Photo Contest. The Council also proclaimed National Public Works Week, May 18-24, 2025, marking the 65th annual observance.
• General public comment included Mark Fullner, who expressed support for Cal Water's long history of service; Sherrie Bakke with Visit Visalia, who reported that Tulare County tourism spending reached $626.2 million in 2024, a 7.5% increase over 2023, with tourism tax revenue of $24.4 million up 10.3% and tourism saving Tulare County homeowners nearly $400 per year; Steven Johnson, Cal Water's district manager, who thanked the community; and Daniel Sepulveda, District Representative for Congressman Jim Costa, who offered his office as a resource for residents navigating federal agencies.

Consent Calendar

• The Consent Calendar was approved 5-0 with no items pulled. It included authorization to read ordinances by title only; acceptance and appropriation of $3,103,963 in Encampment Resolution Funding Round 3 Window 3 for the Visalia Navigation Center and Sequoia Village; a one-year aquatics facility joint use agreement with Visalia Unified School District and acceptance of VUSD sponsorship for swim team registration fees; renewal of the Environmental Clean-Up Opportunities Transitional Jobs Program for three years through Fiscal Year 2027/2028 in the amount of $765,960 from the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund; Resolution No. 2025-35 exchanging federal funds for State Highway Account funds and appropriating $930,390 toward the Giddings Street Culvert Replacement Project; Measure N funding and contract amendment for the Visalia Police Department's body-worn camera program; a $39,340 sole source purchase order to APGN, Inc. for a Membrane Bioreactor Blower; a sole source purchase order to ZeroNox Inc. for Tuatara UTV electric vehicles in an amount not to exceed $138,539; Resolution No. 2025-34 approving the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Transportation Development Act Claim of $11,863,821.86; and award of the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Cape Seal Project contract to VSS International, Inc. in the amount of $1,698,325.

Traffic and Construction Project Updates

• Riggin Avenue Widening Project (Kelsey Street to Shirk Street): Senior Civil Engineer Diego Corvera presented. The approximately $8.1 million project, including $4 million in federal Economic Development Administration funding, will widen the roadway from two to four lanes, add medians, bike lanes, lighting, storm drainage, and intersection safety improvements. Construction is scheduled from mid-to-late June 2025 through December 2025 or January 2026, with east-west traffic maintained throughout. Outreach will include mailers, press releases, social media, and text alerts. No public comments were offered. Motion carried 5-0.
• Tulare Avenue Major Road Rehabilitation Project (Demaree to Cotta): Associate Engineer Jonathan Frausto presented. The $5.2 million project will occur in three phases from mid-June 2025 through January 2026 and includes full-depth road rehabilitation, 88 ADA ramp upgrades, traffic signal modifications, and protected class IV bike lanes with cycle lane separators. Side street closures and detours will be posted while maintaining east-west access. A Spanish interpreter was present. Public comments included Maria Guillen asking about notification of College of the Sequoias; Efrain Becerra asking about long-term maintenance and road preservation; and Jim Reeves asking to extend the project to Chinowth and to level manhole covers. Staff responded that COS coordination was underway, the Pavement Management System guides major street rehabilitation, and manholes will be set to finish grade. Motion carried 5-0.
• Caldwell Avenue Widening Project (Santa Fe Street to Lovers Lane): Senior Civil Engineer Eric Bons presented. This is the last segment of Caldwell Avenue to be widened from two to four lanes. The project adds buffered bike lanes, a 10-foot pathway connecting the Santa Fe Trail, landscaped medians, storm drain and sewer trunk extension, utility coordination, and traffic signal improvements. Construction began in May 2025 and will run through summer 2026 in three phases, with one major intersection impacted at a time and outreach via message boards, text alerts, and social media. No public comments were offered. Motion carried 5-0.

Key Outcomes

• Accepted the DTVPBID annual report with no assessment increase for 2026 (4-0, Nelsen abstained).
• Accepted the TCBIA annual report and renewed the Downtown Visalians, Inc. management agreement for one year beginning July 1, 2025 (4-0, Nelsen abstained).
• Directed staff to draft revisions to Chapter 5.68 of the Visalia Municipal Code on massage establishments (5-0).
• Approved the full Consent Calendar (5-0).
• Accepted the construction phasing plans and staff presentations for the Riggin Avenue, Tulare Avenue, and Caldwell Avenue projects (5-0 each).
• No closed session report was given. The next regular City Council meetings were scheduled for Monday, June 2, 2025, and Monday, June 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM.