Visalia City Council Meeting – August 17, 2026
Visalia City Council Meeting – August 17, 2026
The Visalia City Council convened on Monday, August 17, 2026, starting with a 4:00 PM work session followed by a closed session at 6:00 PM and the regular session at 7:00 PM. The meeting included a moment of silence for former Mayor Greg Collins and an invocation led by Pastor Unrau of Parkside Chapel. Council took action on three work session items, approved the consent calendar with two items pulled for separate discussion, and received extensive public comment on various issues.
Work Session Discussion Items
1. Entertainment Ordinance Discussion (Item 26-0088)
- Associate Planner Colleen Moreno presented a draft entertainment ordinance and permit application aimed at streamlining approvals for live entertainment while maintaining safety standards. The proposed hybrid approach allows administrative approval for entertainment ending by 10:00 PM, with a conditional use permit (CUP) required for later hours. Baseline conditions include security personnel, noise compliance, and queuing requirements. Public comment was received from Jenna Rodriguez (Chamber of Commerce, support with clarifications), Mary Beatie (planning commissioner, suggested definitional and editorial improvements), and Jeremy Schultz (business owner, inquired about permit duration and fee structure). Council discussed removing the morning time restriction, making the entertainment permit transferable, and setting the administrative cutoff at 10:00 PM or possibly 11:00 PM. Council directed staff to begin drafting ordinance revisions incorporating the feedback, including removal of the morning restriction and clarification of transferability. Council Member Nelsen made a motion, seconded by Council Member Poochigian, to approve as recommended. The motion passed unanimously (5–0).
2. Inclusive Park Project (Item 26-0092)
- Associate Engineer Cody McLaughlin presented an updated concept layout for a fully inclusive park at the corner of Mill Creek Parkway and McCullough Street. The design includes accessible playground equipment, sensory amenities, water play, fitness equipment, ball courts, and a walking path. A six-foot perimeter fence, controlled hours (likely dawn to dusk), and a gated parking lot were included to address neighborhood concerns. Staff requested authorization to proceed with design and construction drawings even before final state grant approval. Council Member Nelson expressed a desire to expedite the project. A motion by Vice Mayor Wynn, seconded by Council Member Nelsen, to authorize moving forward was unanimously approved (5–0).
3. Stormwater Master Plan Update (Item 26-0078)
- Associate Engineer Katherine Woodhull-Fuget presented an update shifting from a discharge- to a recharge-focused approach, using regional retention basins to comply with regulatory requirements and limited waterway capacity. The plan evaluates existing systems using a contemporaneous design storm, identifies $1.4 million in deficiencies, and proposes future basins sized for retention. Council discussed the need for a developer partnership, impact fees, and a future rate study. A motion by Council Member Nelsen, seconded by Council Member Poochigian, to authorize release of the plan for public comment was unanimously approved (5–0).
Public Comments & Testimony
During Work Session:
- Jenna Rodriguez (Chamber of Commerce) supported the entertainment ordinance but asked for a simplified process for existing CUP holders adding low-impact daytime activities.
- Mary Beatie (planning commissioner) recommended clarifying definitions, the term "entertainment permit," and environmental documentation requirements.
- Jeremy Schultz (business owner) asked about the permit timeframe and cost differences between a CUP and entertainment permit.
During Regular Session – General Public Comment:
- Jim Reeves raised concerns about the Flock license plate reader system, reporting 507,696 queries in one month and 309 agencies accessing Visalia’s database.
- Pastor Isabel Vela and Jeff Poole spoke about allegations of harassment by Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreau, urging the council to take reports seriously. A caller, Amanda Denno, disputed the accusations, alleging the accusers have a pattern of false claims.
During Consent Calendar Public Comment (Item 16 – Data Center Moratorium):
- Multiple speakers (Esmeralda Addington, Natalie Ortiz, Mia Llerenas, Riley Smires, Melissa Moore, DJ Kimble, Maria Guillén, Faith Ortiz, Erica Brooks, Lewis Carroll) spoke against data centers, citing water depletion, air pollution, noise, energy demands, and negative impacts on agriculture and public health. They urged the council to adopt a moratorium.
Consent Calendar
- All items except 16 and 17 were approved unanimously (5–0) under one motion. Key approvals included:
- Lot #44 & Transit Operations parking lot rehabilitation contract ($1,259,372)
- Reinstatement of the Building Advisory Committee
- Various park, water, and facility contracts
- Confirmation of a $30,000 Alcohol Policing Program grant
- Acceptance of the fiscal year 2025-26 cape seal project completion
Discussion Items (Regular Session)
Item 16 – Data Center Moratorium (Request by Council Member Poochigian)
- Council Member Poochigian proposed placing a future agenda item to discuss a moratorium prohibiting development of data centers and similar high-intensity uses with significant water net loss and electrical demands. Council Member Hernandez Soto requested adding "and/or" to cover closed-loop systems. All members expressed support. The motion to place the item on a future agenda passed unanimously (5–0).
Item 17 – Appointment in Lieu of Election (Resolution 2026-61)
- Council Member Poochigian explained that he faced no opponent for District 3 and noted the $20,000 cost of an election. However, he opposed the resolution because it would eliminate the write-in candidate option. Council Members Taylor, Nelsen, and Wynn supported the resolution to save costs. The motion passed 3–2 (Taylor, Nelsen, Wynn in favor; Poochigian, Hernandez Soto opposed).
Key Outcomes
- Directed staff to draft ordinance revisions for the Entertainment Ordinance, including removal of the morning restriction and making permits transferable.
- Authorized staff to proceed with design and construction drawings for the Inclusive Park Project, pending state grant approval.
- Authorized release of the Stormwater Master Plan update for public comment.
- Approved the consent calendar (items 1-15) unanimously.
- Approved placement of a future agenda item to discuss a data center moratorium (5–0).
- Adopted Resolution 2026-61 for appointment in lieu of election for District 3 (3–2).
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the Visaya City Council work session. We're gonna go ahead and uh get started. Um we will start off with citizens' comments. So 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 you keep your comment your comments concise and positive. Creative criticism presented with appropriate courtesy is welcome. The city does not tolerate disruptive behavior in our meetings. This council meeting is considered a limited public forum, which means the council can regulate the time place manner of speech. Speakers, uh speaker comments during public comment must be limited to matters within the council's authority, generally referred to as within the council's subject matter jurisdiction. If a speaker's comments are not related to the council subject matter jurisdiction, the provide the presiding officer will rule the speaker out of order. The speaker will not be ruled out of order because of disagreement with the content of their speech. Um please step up to the spodio, the podium and or formal line and for those calling, raise your digital hand now and dial star nine on the telephone to indicate you wish to speak. And when it's your turn, star six to unmute yourself. You begin you may begin your comments by stating and spelling your name and providing your city of residence. Each speaker will be provided three minutes. Okay, seeing no one going up there. Uh, city clerk, do we have anyone online who wishes to speak? No one online. Fantastic. So we're gonna go ahead and close public comment period for the work session. And we will go on to item number one, which is entertainment ordinance discussion. Staff report, please. Yes, uh, good afternoon, Mayor Taylor, uh, members of the council, Paul Burnell, your uh director of planning and community preservation, and with me this afternoon is Colleen Moreno, uh, the planner that's been assigned to uh provide or has done the work with the zoning potential zoning ordinance update regarding uh live entertainment and Jim Coon, city attorney. Uh, before we begin our presentation, uh just want to note we appreciate the efforts that were provided in comment and review from both our Vicky Police Department and Code Enforcement Division that also reviewed this uh draft ordinance. And again, it's a draft based on a discussion we have with council back in December, uh, and then uh in speaking with businesses that's identified in the staff report, just listening to comments and concerns they had with regards to the process the city currently has with live entertainment. Uh we believe uh what's being presented this afternoon is the hybrid approach that provides some flexibility at the administrative level with the option to go the discretionary route. And with that, I'll turn it over to Colleen so she can walk the council through uh what's being contemplated in the draft ordinance. All right, thank you, Paul. Colleen Moreno with the planning division. So to give you a bit of background, as Paul mentioned, in December of 2025, the planning division provided an overview of the current live entertainment process. Uh staff discussed a possible hybrid process that would allow both administrative and discretionary approval. Uh staff worked with direction from not only the council but also with uh business owners to kind of framework or to create a framework for this new ordinance. So the department recommendation is to provide staff with comments andor direction on the proposed draft entertainment ordinance and the draft entertainment permit application. Um both were included in the uh staff packet. Uh the ordinance is uh listed as attachment. The ordinances listed as attachment A, and with the permit entertainment application is listed as attachment C. If you would like to review those as well. So, as with any ordinance, staff conducted a public outreach. We hosted individual meetings with current conditional use permit uh business holders who have an uh conditional use permit for live entertainment. We also conducted a larger group meeting uh with uh business owners who may potentially want to add a live entertainment to their current business uh um model. Uh, some come common concerns that we received with the current process was that more flexibility should be allowed to allow businesses to remain dynamic and relevant. From a lot of our conditional use permit holders, they mentioned that the current process or the conditions that are applied with those conditional use permits are rigid, they do not allow the flexibility to change their um offerings, their entertainment that they're wanting to provide, and it doesn't allow them to be dynamic and to provide a more like vibrant um entertainment or business atmosphere. Um, they also express frustration with the current process regarding the information that is required. So, with the current conditional use permit require permit process, we require a site plan, operational statement, and a security plan. It's more so staff directing the business owners on what information we're looking for, what needs to be included. So business owners did express frustration on how they could better provide a more comprehensive plan to meet the city's requirements. So for the draft entertainment ordinance and entertainment permit application, based on all of this feedback, uh the pro staff is proposing the following update. Um first is definitions. We have updated and added definitions, one being for entertainment, acoustical music, ambient music, and security personnel.
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