Visalia City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - January 20, 2026
Visalia City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - January 20, 2026
The Visalia City Council held a work session beginning at 4:00 PM followed by a regular session at 7:15 PM on January 20, 2026. The work session focused on the City's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for FY 2024-25, annual Measure T and Measure N independent accountants' reports, conceptual designs for two new neighborhood parks at the Elliott and Pearl Wood properties, and an aquatic facility presentation. The regular session included adoption of the consent calendar with two items pulled for separate discussion, approval of Youth Non-Profit Grant Awards, a conditional award for the Cameron Creek linear recharge project, and final adoption of the 2025 California Building Code.
Consent Calendar
- Authorized reading of ordinances by title only.
- Accepted COPS Grant expenditures totaling $447,813.
- Approved Fire Department grant application for $18,225.
- Accepted the General Plan annual progress report for 2025.
- Appropriated $25,000 from the General Fund for reserve area planning and awarded contract to QK, Inc. for up to $491,517.
- Designated a portion of City-owned property into public right-of-way.
- Awarded contract for short range transit plan update to Jarret Walker and Associates at $205,000.
- Awarded on-call construction management and resident engineering services contracts to four firms.
- Awarded construction contract for Tulare Avenue major road rehabilitation to Don Berry Construction Inc. for $4,473,867 and related transfers.
- Awarded annual contract for engineered wood fiber to Air Applied Mulch ($45,000).
- Awarded construction management services to 4 Creeks, Inc. for $275,000.
- Awarded construction material testing services to Krazan & Associates for $75,000.
- Conditional award for Cameron Creek linear recharge project (pulled for discussion, see below).
- Awarded annual contract for backflow testing to AAA Backflow Prevention ($49,842.50).
- Awarded engineering design services for airport taxilane reconstruction.
- Filed notices of completion for Valley Strong Ballpark fence, booster pump installation at parks, and shade structures at four parks.
- Adopted side letter agreement with Confidential Group employee group.
- Approved federal congressional community project funding requests for FY 2026-27.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Work Session Public Comments: Jim Reeves expressed appreciation for timely public records response from city staff.
- Regular Session Public Comments: Efrain Becerra invited council to a "Visalia around the world" cultural event. Lina Contreras sought assistance in organizing a creek cleanup at Redwood High School. Irene Lapin raised concerns about skipped strategic planning sessions, the city's new website contract, and lack of public reminders about fireworks on New Year's Eve.
- Park Design (Pearlwood): Lisa Walsh, former parks commissioner, supported the park amenities including pickleball courts, noting they would not disrupt the neighborhood. Joanne Chamberlain emphasized that the public voted for pickleball and restrooms.
- Aquatic Facility: Six speakers voiced support:
- Dave Alberstein asked about cost estimate uncertainties, lighting assumptions, solar panels, and naming rights.
- Luis Sepulveda, former West Yosemite League swim director, supported the pool for tourism and swim skill development.
- Marie LeBeau highlighted potential funding through the Visalia Community Enhancement Foundation and urged moving forward quickly.
- Maria Guillen advocated for the pool as a life-saving and community-enhancing asset, cautioning against purely geopolitical site selection.
- Irma Willet, a 17-year swim parent, shared personal experiences of traveling for meets and the need for a local 50-meter pool.
- Ellen Dolvert noted that discussions about a pool have been ongoing for over a decade and suggested private sponsors.
- Youth Non-Profit Grant Awards: Efrain Becerra clarified the activities of Green Rose Productions. Jim Reeves, a CAC member, affirmed the thorough review process.
Discussion Items
Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for FY 2024-25
Finance Director Renee Nagel and auditors presented the ACFR. Key points:
- General fund revenues grew, with sales tax up 2.2%, property tax up 7.9%, and TOT up 4.4%.
- General fund emergency reserves ended at $24 million (27.5% of operating expenditures), short of the 30% policy due to a $5.6 million increase in compensated absences liability from new GASB 101 requirements.
- The city has received 39 consecutive GFOA awards and expects its 40th.
- No material weaknesses were found; one audit finding related to cash reconciliation was addressed. Council accepted the report unanimously (5-0).
Measure T and Measure N Independent Accountants' Reports
Staff presented the annual agreed-upon procedures reports. Both measures' funds were found to be in compliance with ballot measure guidelines. Measure T funds 23 police officers with no vacancies; Measure N had revenues over expenditures of $5 million. Council accepted both reports unanimously (5-0 each).
Neighborhood Park Development
- Pearlwood Property (5.5 acres with 5-acre basin): Three conceptual designs were presented based on community voting. Top amenities selected included walking paths, pickleball courts, BMX pump track, restrooms, and amphitheater. Staff recommended Design Option No. 3 (nature playground, botanical garden with art sculptures, four pickleball courts, passive play area, parking, restrooms, Musco lighting). The Parks and Recreation Commission had recommended eliminating lighting ($600,000), restrooms ($250,000), and parking ($47,000) to reduce costs to $6.67 million and fund the gap by transferring from Victory Oaks and Riverway Sports Park projects. Council debated: some members favored two pickleball courts and a mini-pitch, replacing the botanical garden, others wanted more detail on costs. A motion to table was made and passed 5-0 until cost details and alternative configurations could be brought back.
- Elliott Property (4 acres): Three conceptual designs were presented. Top amenities: walking path, restrooms, pickleball courts, BMX pump track, parking, botanical garden. Staff recommended Design Option No. 3 (pump track, mini-pitch, fitness course, passive play area, cornhole, traditional playground). The project is fully funded with about $400,000 in wiggle room. Council discussed replacing the mini-pitch with pickleball courts, as pickleball was the top vote-getter. A motion to table failed for lack of second. A motion to approve Design Option No. 3 was made and passed 5-0. Construction anticipated to begin fall 2026, completion late 2027/early 2028.
Aquatic Facility Presentation
Dennis Berkshire of Aquatic Design Group presented options for a competitive pool and recreation amenities. Three options were presented based on a 50-meter pool:
- Option 1: 50-meter pool + small recreation pool, project cost $25-28 million, annual subsidy $500k-$1M
- Option 2: 50m + medium recreation, $28-31M, subsidy $400k-$900k
- Option 3: 50m + large recreation (7,500 sq ft), $31-33M, subsidy $300k-$800k (most cost recovery) Several potential sites were identified, including City-owned (Recreation Park, Civic Center area, East Side Regional Park, 7-acre site near Target) and privately-owned (high school sites, properties near Adventure Park, Central Valley Christian). Staff recommended direction to focus on Option 3, assess feasibility of 2-4 sites, and bring back funding options including phased approaches. Council discussion: Members expressed support for Option 3 (50m + large rec). Council members varied on preferred sites (east side regional park vs. centrally located). Some supported exploring a sales tax measure for November 2026 to fund the pool, Civic Center Phase III, and parks shortfall. Council member Poochigian opposed a tax increase. A motion was made and seconded to: (1) direct staff to proceed with Option 3 (50m + large recreation), (2) bring back funding options for total and phased approaches, (3) hire a consultant to evaluate feasibility of a sales tax measure for November. Motion passed 3-2 (Taylor, Hernandez Soto, Wynn in favor; Nelsen, Poochigian opposed).
Youth Non-Profit Grant Awards (Item pulled from Consent Calendar)
Council Member Nelsen requested an overview of the 18 organizations receiving $75,000 total. Staff provided a summary of each grantee's purpose. After public comment, council approved the awards unanimously (5-0).
Conditional Award for Cameron Creek Linear Recharge Project (Item pulled)
Engineering staff explained the project: construction of check structures in Cameron Creek to allow water percolation for groundwater recharge, in partnership with local water districts. Total award $2,201,753.32 with a change order reduction of $32,913. Council approved unanimously (5-0).
Public Hearing: Adoption of 2025 California Building Code
Director Jason Huckleberry presented the second reading of Ordinance No. 2025-16, a triennial update with no changes from previous presentation. No public comment. Council approved unanimously (5-0).
Key Outcomes
- Accepted the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for FY 2024-25 (5-0).
- Accepted Measure T and Measure N independent accountants' reports (5-0 each).
- Tabled consideration of Pearlwood Property park design to a future meeting (5-0).
- Approved conceptual Design Option No. 3 for Elliott Property park (5-0).
- Directed staff on aquatic facility: pursue Option3 (50-meter competitive pool + large recreation pool), bring back funding options, hire consultant for sales tax measure feasibility (3-2).
- Approved all consent calendar items except Items 3 and 14 (5-0).
- Approved Youth Non-Profit Grant Awards (5-0).
- Conditionally awarded contract for Cameron Creek linear recharge project (5-0).
- Adopted Ordinance No. 2025-16 for 2025 California Building Code (5-0).
- Upcoming meetings: February 2, 2026 and February 17, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the Visaya City Council work session. We're gonna go ahead and call this meeting to order. Uh we'll start off by public comments. Citizens are now invited to comment on issues within the jurisdiction of the Visaya City Council and items listed on the closed session agenda. The council asks that we that you keep your comments concise and positive. Creative criticism presented with appropriate courtesy is welcome. Each speaker will be allowed three minutes, and a timer will notify you when your time's expired. Please begin your comments by stating and spelling your name and providing your city of residence. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council members. I'm Brian Thoburn with Southern California Edison. And I just wanted to wish a happy new year to all of you on the council and to express Edison's uh continued appreciation for the partnership and support uh that we have uh with the city, and it's been a long standing partnership. Uh, not only want to convey our uh appreciation and gratitude to the council members, but also to the city manager and the assistant city manager and all of the staff uh and look forward to another uh productive year. Taking off my Edison hat and putting on my satisfied constituent hat. I want to once again give a shout out to the code enforcement uh staff for uh their excellent uh customer service and their conscientiousness. So uh with that, have a happy new year and look forward to working with you all. Uh Jim Reeves, I say I wanted to uh uh express my appreciation to the uh city staff, specifically Raina, for a uh public records request that I made excuse me uh last week. It uh landed in her email back email box on Monday morning. And I had my response by Tuesday at end of business day, which was uh you know, the the public records request law says you guys have 10 days to respond about whether how you're going to respond. And I got everything I wanted uh immediately, and it was very thorough, and I appreciate the quick service and and uh and the response that Raina and undoubtedly her staff uh gave me with this request. So thank you. All right, seeing nobody else, we're gonna go ahead and close public comments, and we will start off with item number one of our work session, which is to receive the city of Isaiah's annual comprehensive financial report. Good evening, good evening, council. Uh, my name is Renee Nagel, and I'm the finance and technology director for the city of Iselia. Uh, with me, I have Jason Montgomery, who is the finance manager. I have Carrie Williams, who is our financial analyst, and then I have Lindsay Zimmerman, who is a partner for Brown Armstrong. Um, today we're gonna be presenting the financial report for fiscal year 2425, which is um for the dates July 1st, 2024 to June 30th, 2025. So this is also known as our ACFER, our financial statements document. This document can be found on our website as well. So if anybody's interested in looking at it, it is on our website. So basically, how a year begins for us is we ask council to adopt a budget, which is also known as our spending plan. Um we then come back to council throughout the year with a mid-year report where we give updated projections, and then when we get to the end of the year, that's where we are where we report the financial um statements, it's which is how did we do for that year? And where did you know what were our revenues, what were our expenditures, and then of course um all the other information that is required as well to meet the um GASBY or GAP and accounting standards as we follow. This report was submitted to the GFOA on December 19th, 2025. Um, to date, the city has received 39 consecutive awards, so we're hoping this will be our 40th award. We will will not know for a couple more months, um, but we're pretty excited and more hopeful that it will to bring us to that 40th consecutive award. Thank you. All right. Thank you all. All I will be presenting on the results of the audit. The state law requires a complete set of audit financial statements, and we, as Brown Armstrong accountancy corporations, have audited the city's financial statements as prepared by by the finance staff. The scope, areas of focus and testing. We have the risk assessment and audit planning that we perform at our office. We determine the major audit areas as part of our planning purposes. We review and evaluate the internal control environment through walkthroughs, tests of controls. These tests of controls are have a variety of different tests, including journal entry testing to make sure it's proper support, proper approval, cash receipts, disbursements, purchases, and payroll as uh the major processes that we feel we need to test in detail. We also test compliance on the grants as in accordance with uniform guidance. And as part of our year-end audit, we perform substantive tests of balances, including reconciliations and of cash and investments, third-party confirmations, we perform variance analysis and perform specific tests of transactions for any unusual or uh significant transactions to make sure that our audit is properly supported. And happy to report we have a clean or unqualified or unmodified opinion on the financials as a whole. This year we did have one encounter one audit finding, and that related to the cash and bank reconciliation process, in that the cash and revenue might possibly be uh understated in the the uh general ledger. Um the variance was discovered by the staff this fiscal year, and the uh this was a result of some staff turnover and change in staff duties, and so the staff is uh diligently researching and addressing the issues, and we'll have that resolved by the next uh financial audit.
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