2600 Fresno Street

Fresno, CA 93721

www.fresno.gov

City of Fresno

Meeting Minutes

City Council

President - Mike Karbassi

Vice President - Miguel Angel Arias

Councilmembers:

Annalisa Perea, Tyler Maxwell, Brandon Vang,

Nick Richardson, Nelson Esparza

City Manager - Georgeanne A. White

City Attorney - Andrew Janz

City Clerk - Todd Stermer, MMC

9:00 AM

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Council Chambers

The City Council met in regular session in the Council Chamber, City Hall, on the

date and time above written.

9:09 A.M. ROLL CALL

Present: 7 -

Council President Mike Karbassi

Vice President Miguel Angel Arias

Councilmember Annalisa Perea

Councilmember Tyler Maxwell

Councilmember Brandon Vang

Councilmember Nick Richardson

Councilmember Nelson Esparza

Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

Councilmember Richardson led the Pledge of Allegiance.

APPROVE AGENDA

On motion of Councilmember Maxwell, seconded by Vice President

Arias, the Agenda was APPROVED. The motion carried by the

following vote:

Aye: 7 -

Karbassi, Arias, Perea, Maxwell, Vang, Richardson and

Esparza

BUDGET PRESENTATION

WORKSHOP - Presentation of Mayor’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2026

ID 25-652

Budget

The Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget was presented to Council by Mayor

Dyer.

Council discussion included: appreciation for the presentation of a balanced

budget; recognition of the inclusion of council priorities; commendations for

the effort put forth by the departments; the financial outlook of the City; the

need for long-term fiscal planning, and preventative initiatives; iInnovation

and austerity to maintain services and jobs; the differences between a hiring

freeze and holding vacancies; labor negotiations; community investment

and youth services; the effectiveness of the Visitor’s Bureau; the Advanced

Peace program; capital and service improvements; criminal justice &

accountability, and; parks, trails and environmental access.

Councilmember Maxwell requested (a) a master list of all parcels and

properties owned by the City of Fresno, including their assessed values, if

available; (b) a list of all properties purchased with Measure P dollars that

have not yet been developed (i.e., future parks); (c) a master list of all

properties the city currently leases, including: cost per lease, square

footage, number of employees working at each location, departments

occupying the space; (d) a workshop on the city’s bonding obligations and

bonding capacity, including: all current bonding obligations, annual general

fund commitments toward these bonds, specific inclusion of the 911 center

and dispatch station, total bonding capacity, what assets the city is bonding

against, bond maturity timelines, total bond repayment amounts, including

interest, and; (e) line item under revenue sources, other revenue and

changes.

Vice President Arias requested (a) the vacancy rates for the Police and Fire

Departments over the past five years, including the current vacancy rates for

both departments; (b) overtime expenditures for the Police and Fire

Departments for each of the past five years, as well as the current

year-to-date figures; (c) a memo detailing all cannabis business licenses

awarded to date, including how many are currently operational, the revenue

generated so far, and the projected timeline for the remaining licensees to

become operational; (d) a memo outlining the total amount of housing funds

available, including the amounts that have already been allocated to

specific projects and those that remain unallocated, along with the current

cash on hand; (e) from the FAX Department, provide data on safety-related

incidents over the past five years, the current rate of incidents, and specify

the funding source for the proposed addition of four officers (e.g., Measure

C, federal funds, etc.); (f) a list of departments where vacancies are

intentionally being held open, along with the specific positions affected, and

indicate which departments will be subject to this strategy moving forward;

(g) a memo on the status of the Advanced Peace program, including the

impact of the loss of federal funding and whether there is potential for the

City budget to support the program, and; (h) an update to confirm whether

funding for the Marjaree Mason Center is included in the proposed budget.

Councilmember Richardson requested (a) confirmation whether there is a

line item for the expenditures related to the sergeants and officers moved to

the FAX unit, as mentioned in the police budget on page B-171, and clarify

why this is not reflected on pages B-93 through B-102, and; (b) provide the

terms of the lease for the new helicopter, including the length of the lease

and the interest rate.

PRESENTED

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

WORKSHOP -Text Amendment Regarding Increased Housing

Opportunities

ID 25-663

The above item was presented to Council by Planning Manager Pagoulatos.

Council discussion included: infill housing and anti-sprawl policy; the

ministerial approval process and expansion of authority; development

standards, safeguards and notifications; CEQA and environmental

compliance including EIR cost concerns; Council authority, appeal

mechanisms and oversight concerns; the current housing crisis; office to

residential conversions and market realities; community concerns and traffic

impacts; maps, town halls, and input timelines used while developing the

policy; accountability and transparency; legal constraints surrounding spot

zoning; the differences between ministerial approvals and discretionary

approvals; criticisms of legislative barriers to housing production; the

importance of maintaining a pro-housing designation; certain opposition to

the policy based on specific project impacts; certain support for the policy as

written by planning experts; housing unit capacity versus development

feasibility; legal liability, defensibility and the risk of inaction, and; the

potential impacts of a mayoral veto.