OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Visalia City Council Meeting Summary: June 20, 2025

City Council — Friday, June 20, 2025
BodyVisalia, California
SessionCity Council
DateFriday, June 20, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:31:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:25

Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome.

0:29

Today is June sixteenth, two thousand twenty five.

0:31

We appreciate everyone being here.

0:34

Um, we're gonna go ahead and uh open it up to public comments.

0:38

Citizens are now invited to comment on issues within the jurisdiction of the Isaiah City Council and items list uh items listed on the closed session agenda.

0:45

The council asks that you keep your comments concise and positive.

0:49

Creative criticism represented or presented with appropriate courtesy is welcome.

0:53

Each speaker will be allowed three minutes, and a timer will notify you when your time is expired.

0:57

Please begin your comments by stating and spelling your name and providing your city of residence.

1:02

Anyone wishing to speak at this time, please come forward.

1:08

All right, so we're gonna go ahead and close public comments, and we will go on to work session item number one new employee introductions.

1:15

Uh Chief, and you you're the one taking care of this one.

1:20

Good afternoon, Mr.

1:21

Mayor and Council members.

1:22

It's my pleasure this afternoon to introduce two new Vice Lady Police Department employees.

3:23

Well, thank you so much, ladies.

3:25

If you'd like to come on up, uh shake our hands.

3:27

Share, yeah.

3:28

Come on up.

3:29

Uh shake our hands, and we like to welcome you aboard.

3:31

So we see it.

4:05

Okay, thank you very much.

4:06

Next, we're gonna go on to item number two, which is a fiscal year two thousand twenty-five-two thousand twenty-six mid-cycle financial report.

4:12

And looks like Renee is doing this one, so go ahead.

4:17

Good evening, Council.

4:18

Renee Nagel, Finance and Technology Director for the City of Isalia.

4:23

And tonight I'm here to present the fiscal year twenty-five-twenty-six mid-cycle financial um review.

4:29

Let me just kind of get some of my stuff squared away real quick.

4:38

Um, let's just first kind of go over how the budget cycle works.

4:42

Um, because what most people don't understand is that we have an adopted two-year budget, which council approved in June of twenty twenty four, which was for fiscal year twenty-four-twenty-five, which ends in two weeks.

4:54

And then we have the second year, which is twenty-five twenty-six, which starts on July one.

5:00

And so we did the first budget review, which is called mid year for and it focuses on fiscal year 24-25.

5:07

We did that in April, and that is where we project the revenues and expenditures for both budget years, and then we do our forecast as well.

5:15

And then we turn around and we come back literally almost two months later, and we do the second budget review, which is also called the mid-cycle.

5:24

And so this more focuses on fiscal year 25-26.

5:28

This is where we report any changes that we've become aware of from April to today.

5:34

So we didn't re-project all the numbers.

5:36

We don't go back out and re-download and work with all the departments.

5:39

We more plug in what we know about.

5:41

So if we know of any additional increases of contracts or just additional costs that we become aware of, then we'll put those in here.

5:50

And so we also can request um revisions for expenditures for the year we're ending or for next year as well.

5:57

And so we more focus on the general fund because that's our largest single fund.

6:01

And then any other funds if there's any changes that we know about.

6:33

So this next slide talks about some of a change, some of our changes that we've done from mid-year, which again, we just came here in April.

6:41

So this is just going to kind of just talk about that.

6:43

So for fiscal year 24-25, we do not have any changes that we're projecting from what when we came last month.

6:50

Um for fiscal year 25-26, we do have a couple more changes that we've added to our forecast, which we've changed the property tax from a 1% or excuse me, from a 2% to a 3%.

7:02

Um for health costs, that cost did go up.

7:04

We got our what our numbers are going to be for that one.

7:08

Originally we were projecting four for the city.

7:10

It's a total of 8% originally, and then up per the MOU, the city shares half that cost or up to 5% with the employees.

7:19

And so the numbers that we got back, which will be effective in January is 13%.

7:24

So therefore the city will be paying um 8%, and then the employees will be paying 5%.

7:31

Um that'll be starting in January.

7:33

So that's not the full 8%, but for that year, and then it'll trickle into the following year, which goes into our forecast.

7:41

And then our allocations, um, they're based on prior years, and we calculate them, and then um based on prior actuals, and so we've recalculated those for 25-26 and submitted those, and so those will be up 300,000 as well.

7:57

For fiscal year 26, 27 through 20, 29, again, these are all projections, um, and the next slide will show them in numbers.

8:05

Um, we are projecting utility increases across the board with water, gas, and electric costs.

8:10

We've been notified that we're going to be getting those costs along with everybody else.

8:15

So we'll be impacted by those.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████21%
Public Engagement█████████████████████21%
Tree Management███████████████15%
Procedural█████████9%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Public Safety██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Utility Billing███3%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Visalia City Council Meeting – June 20, 2025

Note: The source materials (minutes and transcript) indicate this meeting was held on Monday, June 16, 2025, but the provided date is June 20, 2025. This summary uses the date as instructed, but notes the discrepancy.

The Visalia City Council met in a work session and regular session on June 20, 2025 (source date June 16). The council considered a mid-cycle financial report, approved appropriations for recreational projects, revised the Valley Oak Tree Ordinance, upheld the Special Event Ordinance (as adopted November 18, 2024), approved the consent calendar (including a salary schedule update), and acted on several public hearings. Mayor Brett Taylor presided; all five council members were present.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved 19 of 20 consent items in a single 5-0 vote, including: COS Student Transit Pass Program renewal, SB1 road maintenance funding ($3.9M), groundwater recharge basin grant, West Coast Tow contract, developer reimbursement agreement, final subdivision map for Higgins Ranch Phase 2, downtown streetlight project change orders, Carollo Engineers contract amendment, grant applications (Safe Streets, FTA bus/electric chargers), investment policy, landscape/lighting district amendments, CivicPlus website/services contract ($570,000), CrowdStrike cybersecurity ($360,000), county radio shop MOU, and multiple commission reappointments.
  • Item 7 (Salary Schedule) was pulled by Mayor Taylor for separate discussion. After a brief report from Acting HR Manager Amy Powell and no public comment, the council voted 5-0 to adopt the revised salary schedule. Councilmembers clarified that the salary increases only apply to newly elected council members at the start of their term (last modified November 2024), and that no current members received a raise from this item.

Public Comments & Testimony

Work Session Public Comments:

  • Joyce Reed (Visalia) spoke in support of pickleball court expansions, noting the sport's growth from 300 to 2,300 players in eight years. She asked about restroom facilities at Recreation Park.
  • Jim Reeves (Visalia) opposed full deregulation of the oak tree ordinance, arguing that option 2 or 3 would lead to the loss of most valley oaks within a decade.

Regular Session Public Comments (general):

  • Abigail Trevino (Visalia) raised a long-standing issue about a tax roll assessment placed on her property in 2014-2015, stating a court ordered a refund she has not received.
  • Irene Lapin (Visalia) urged the city to post pet safety warnings before July 4th and questioned the transparency of the "City Spectacular" event's alcohol sales and vendor foundation.
  • Suzanne Gundy (Visalia) requested expansion of the feral cat neutering program and later spoke on her contested assessment.
  • Maria Guillén (Visalia) praised the Pride Month proclamation and Juneteenth celebration collaboration, and later expressed dismay at the 3-2 vote upholding the Special Event Ordinance.
  • Jim Reeves (Visalia) thanked the council for the Source recognition, noting the center's capital campaign.

Public Hearings:

  • Abigail Trevino (on contested assessments) reiterated her request for a court-ordered refund.
  • Suzanne Gundy (on contested assessments) asked the council to waive $12,000 in interest/fees on delinquent utility bills, citing hardship.
  • Maria Guillén (on sidewalk survey) expressed appreciation for the temporary hazard repairs.

Discussion Items

1. FY 2025/2026 Mid-Cycle Financial Report (Work Session Item 2) Finance Director Renee Nagel presented updated revenue/expenditure projections, surplus/reserve balances, and the surplus policy. She recommended appropriating $1 million for Riverway Sports Park fencing and initiating surplus policy discussion. Councilmembers discussed long-term priorities: Civic Center Phase III, East Side Regional Park, community recreation facilities. Most supported maintaining the current surplus policy and the fencing appropriation. Councilmember Hernandez Soto opposed the fencing, suggesting field-only fencing and directing funds elsewhere. He also proposed setting aside surplus percentages for community pool and East Side park. The motion to approve as recommended and begin surplus policy discussion passed 4-1 (Hernandez Soto dissenting).

2. Update on Recreational Projects (Work Session Item 3) Parks and Recreation Director Jason Glick and Parks Manager Alvin Dias presented completed, in-progress, and proposed projects. Staff recommended proceeding with a priority list totaling $1.61 million: Anthony Center gym floor replacement ($220k), HVAC conversions at Anthony and Manuel Hernandez Centers ($350k each), pickleball court resurfacing ($85k), pickleball courts with lights at Recreation Park ($470k), mini-pitch at Jefferson Park ($220k), and basketball court restriping ($15k). Councilmembers expressed strong support, especially for community center improvements. The motion to approve the list and appropriate $1.61 million from 2024-25 General Fund surplus passed 5-0.

3. Valley Oak Tree Ordinance Review (Work Session Item 4) Urban Forestry Supervisor Zach Huff presented four options: (1) modify removal criteria, (2) partial deregulation (exempt single-family residential), (3) complete ordinance elimination, or (4) seek further input. Councilmembers debated the balance between tree preservation and private property rights. Several members noted insurance non-renewal issues and high maintenance costs. Councilmember Poochigian moved to approve staff recommendation No. 2 with an adjustment to expand the exemption to all private properties (including new development, multi-family, commercial), while public properties remain under existing ordinance. The motion passed 4-1 (Vice Mayor Wynn dissenting). Councilmember Poochigian emphasized the city should set an example by protecting public trees.

4. Reconsideration of Special Event Ordinance (Work Session Item 5) City Manager Leslie Caviglia explained that the item was scheduled after a misinterpretation of the November 18, 2024 motion; the original motion only required a return date, not a negotiated alternative. Public comments from April Lancaster, Buddy Jones, Claudia Jensen, Brandon Lamatino, Nicholas Lambardi, and Jim Reeves addressed the farmers market and downtown impacts. Councilmembers discussed the ordinance's purpose, the Good Neighbor Policy, and street frontage regulations. Councilmember Nelsen made a motion to leave the ordinance as adopted on November 18, 2024. The motion passed 3-2 (Councilmembers Hernandez Soto and Wynn dissenting). Councilmember Nelsen described prior attacks from the farmers market director and stated the ordinance should stay in place to allow the market to grow with calm discourse.

5. Contested Special Assessments (Regular Session Item 1) Financial Analyst Ruth Peña presented staff recommendations for eight contested items: three to be placed on the tax roll at original amount, two at modified amounts, and three to be removed. After public comment, the council voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution 2025-40, authorizing placement of the assessments as recommended.

6. FY 2025-26 Rates and Fees (Regular Session Item 2) Financial Analyst Jana Ferguson presented proposed fee adjustments, addressing prior council questions: tennis/pickleball court hourly rental increased to $8, trolley/bus rates rounded, Sequoia Shuttle discounts deferred to next season, and overall fee rounding deferred to FY 2026-27. The public hearing was closed with no public comment, and the council voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution 2025-08.

7. Visalia Central Core Sidewalk Survey (Regular Session Item 3) Senior Project Manager UnChung Parry presented survey results from Precision Concrete Cutting. The survey identified trip hazards near 1,400 grant-funded trees. Immediate concrete shaving and gap filling (cost $214,325) will begin July 7, 2025, with work expected to last 3-5 years. Full removal and replacement costs are estimated at $1.2 million. No formal action was required; the council received the report.

8. Zoning Text Amendment (Regular Session Item 4) Planning Director Paul Bernal presented Ordinance No. 2024-16 to clarify that Objective Design Standards for single-family residential are adopted by resolution. After a public hearing with no comment, the council voted 4-1 (Councilmember Poochigian dissenting, citing consistency with his earlier no vote) to approve first reading.

9. Measure N Spending Plan Amendment and Axon Contract (Regular Session Item 5) Police Captain Dan Ford presented the second public hearing to amend the Axon contract ($431,350.65 over three years) and appropriate $138,121 from Measure N for FY 2025/26. No public comment was received. The council voted 5-0 to approve.

Key Outcomes

  • Surplus Policy & Riverway Park Fencing: Approved $1 million appropriation for fencing; directed staff to begin surplus policy revision discussion for FY 2024/25. (4-1 vote)
  • Recreational Projects: Approved $1.61 million for priority list of park and community center improvements. (5-0)
  • Oak Tree Ordinance: Approved modified option 2: exempt all private properties from permit requirements; public properties remain under existing ordinance. (4-1)
  • Special Event Ordinance: Upheld the ordinance as adopted on November 18, 2024. (3-2)
  • Consent Calendar: Approved 19 items; separate 5-0 vote on salary schedule.
  • Contested Assessments: Resolution 2025-40 adopted. (5-0)
  • Rates and Fees: Resolution 2025-08 adopted. (5-0)
  • Sidewalk Survey: Received report; no action required.
  • Zoning Text Amendment: First reading of Ordinance 2024-16 approved. (4-1)
  • Axon Contract: Contract amendment and fund appropriation approved. (5-0)

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome. Today is June sixteenth, two thousand twenty five. We appreciate everyone being here. Um, we're gonna go ahead and uh open it up to public comments. Citizens are now invited to comment on issues within the jurisdiction of the Isaiah City Council and items list uh items listed on the closed session agenda. The council asks that you keep your comments concise and positive. Creative criticism represented or presented with appropriate courtesy is welcome. Each speaker will be allowed three minutes, and 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. Anyone wishing to speak at this time, please come forward. All right, so we're gonna go ahead and close public comments, and we will go on to work session item number one new employee introductions. Uh Chief, and you you're the one taking care of this one. Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Council members. It's my pleasure this afternoon to introduce two new Vice Lady Police Department employees. Well, thank you so much, ladies. If you'd like to come on up, uh shake our hands. Share, yeah. Come on up. Uh shake our hands, and we like to welcome you aboard. So we see it. Okay, thank you very much. Next, we're gonna go on to item number two, which is a fiscal year two thousand twenty-five-two thousand twenty-six mid-cycle financial report. And looks like Renee is doing this one, so go ahead. Good evening, Council. Renee Nagel, Finance and Technology Director for the City of Isalia. And tonight I'm here to present the fiscal year twenty-five-twenty-six mid-cycle financial um review. Let me just kind of get some of my stuff squared away real quick. Um, let's just first kind of go over how the budget cycle works. Um, because what most people don't understand is that we have an adopted two-year budget, which council approved in June of twenty twenty four, which was for fiscal year twenty-four-twenty-five, which ends in two weeks. And then we have the second year, which is twenty-five twenty-six, which starts on July one. And so we did the first budget review, which is called mid year for and it focuses on fiscal year 24-25. We did that in April, and that is where we project the revenues and expenditures for both budget years, and then we do our forecast as well. And then we turn around and we come back literally almost two months later, and we do the second budget review, which is also called the mid-cycle. And so this more focuses on fiscal year 25-26. This is where we report any changes that we've become aware of from April to today. So we didn't re-project all the numbers. We don't go back out and re-download and work with all the departments. We more plug in what we know about. So if we know of any additional increases of contracts or just additional costs that we become aware of, then we'll put those in here. And so we also can request um revisions for expenditures for the year we're ending or for next year as well. And so we more focus on the general fund because that's our largest single fund. And then any other funds if there's any changes that we know about. So this next slide talks about some of a change, some of our changes that we've done from mid-year, which again, we just came here in April. So this is just going to kind of just talk about that. So for fiscal year 24-25, we do not have any changes that we're projecting from what when we came last month. Um for fiscal year 25-26, we do have a couple more changes that we've added to our forecast, which we've changed the property tax from a 1% or excuse me, from a 2% to a 3%. Um for health costs, that cost did go up. We got our what our numbers are going to be for that one. Originally we were projecting four for the city.

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