City Council - Regular Meeting

So in the interest of time and also cost savings, we're moving, I motion to move item 4E to item 4B. So it'll be the next item on the agenda, public hearing to consider approval of a resolution of the city of Arvin. to approve site development permit 2025-06 pertaining to Sycamore Truck parking lot located at the southeast corner of North Rancho Drive and Sycamore Road. A portion of Kern County assessor's parcel number is their APN 189. including adoption of a categorical exemption for the project according to Section 15304 of the California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA guidelines. Staff recommends that we open the hearing and allow for public testimony and close the hearing upon the approval of this resolution. Do I have a second to move the item up? Second. Roll call, please.

Council Member Tarver. Yes. Council Member Horton. Yes. Council Member Reyes.

Yes. Mayor Pro Temperez.

Yes, thank you. Mayor Calderon. Yes. Motion carries, 4-0.

Isaiah, staff, please provide your report. We open the hearing.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the council.

We'll go slow for the translation.

My name is Isaiah Medina. I am the contract city planner. The item before you is a site development permit. TO ALLOW A TRUCK PARKING LOT AT THE LOCATION PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED BY THE MAYOR. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF NORTH RANCHO DRIVE AND SYCAMORE ROAD IN THE CITY OF ARVIN. SO REAL QUICK HERE FROM THE STAFF REPORT, NAZAR KUNER, THE APPLICANT, REQUESTS SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2025-06 PERTAINING TO THE OPERATION OF A COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING LOT, THE PROJECT. located at the southeast corner of North Rancho Drive and Sycamore Road. The project would consist of a fenced, approximately one-acre parking area for commercial trucks. The site will also include lighting, landscaping, and a provision for a recreational vehicle to serve as an office and security station. The site would provide commercial truck operators within the city a safe and secure place.

Sorry, I know it happens, but you have to be mindful of the translation.

Provide a provision for a recreational vehicle to serve as an office and security station. THE SITE WOULD PROVIDE COMMERCIAL TRUCK OPERATORS WITHIN THE CITY A SAFE AND SECURE PLACE TO STORE THEIR TRUCKS WHILE OFF DUTY. THE SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT WOULD FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT SITE. A CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION ACCORDING TO SECTION 15304 OF THE CEQA GUIDELINES IS RECOMMENDED FOR THE PROJECT. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE DOWN THE STAFF REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL FINDINGS. SO IN ORDER TO APPROVE A SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT, THE CITY COUNCIL MUST MAKE THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS. ONE, THAT THE PROJECT COMPLIES WITH ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND ORDINANCES. STAFF HAS FOUND THAT THE PROJECT DOES COMPLY. TWO, THE PROJECT COMPLIES WITH ALL CITY POLICIES DULY ADOPTED BY A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR CITY COUNCIL. STAFF HAS FOUND THAT THE PROJECT DOES COMPLY. AND THREE, THE PROJECT CONFORMS TO PLANNING AND ENGINEERING STANDARDS COVERING THE FOLLOWING AREAS. SITE LAYOUT, BUILDING APPEARANCE, STRUCTURAL, LANDSCAPING, WATER AND SEWER SERVICE AND OTHER UTILITIES. SURFACE DRAINAGE AND EROSION CONTROL, FIRE PROTECTION ACCESS, TRAFFIC CIRCULATION AND PARKING. STAFF FINDS THAT THE PROJECT ALSO COMPLIES WITH ALL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS. Additionally, the City Council shall find that the proposed use will not be detrimental to the health, safety, peace, morals, comfort, or general welfare of persons residing or working in the neighborhood. If the Council finds that those findings are able to be made, then staff recommends to adopt a resolution approving Site Development Permit 2025-06 pertaining to the Sycamore Truck Parking Lot. located at the southeast corner of North Rancho Drive and Sycamore Road, a portion of Kern County Assessor's Parcel Number 18934053, including adoption of a categorical exemption for the project according to Section 15304 of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines. That concludes my presentation, and I am available for questions.

Thank you. I will now open this public hearing. Are there any comments from the public for this item? Seeing none, are there any questions from the council to staff on this item?

No, it's just going to serve as a parking structure for trucks, right? Because usually they also have like a mechanic shop. Is that going to have a mechanic shop or is it just going to be strictly parking?

No, strictly parking.

Okay.

Are there any other questions from staff? I mean, are there any other comments or questions from the council? Singnan staff is going to provide commercial truck parking for all of our residents. And it's going to be within the city limits so that everyone will now have a safe and secure place to park their commercial trucks in the city of Arvin.

Yes.

And do we know how many trucks would have the capacity? Because I know that there's plenty of land, but in the short term?

Yes, so the project area is approximately one acre. Based on general square footage of a truck and 53-foot trailer, it's about 25 trucks to leave area for maneuvering. If we were to do just bobtails, so just truck, no trailer, it could be a lot more than that. but conservatively about 25 trucks and trailers.

And there could be the potential for additional expansion of the truck parking if the developer?

If the property owner wished to expand this further, then yes.

Okay, great. All right, thank you. I will now close the hearing. Is there a motion for this item? Is there a second?

Second.

Great, we'll call Perez seconds. Roll call, please.

Council Member Tarver? Yes. Council Member Horton? Yes. Council Member Reyes?

Yes.

Mayor Pro Temperez? Yes. Mayor Calderon? Yes. Motion carries, 5-0.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Cunha, for your investment. We will now move to item 4B. This is relating to the public hearing to consider the status of vacancies, recruitments, retention efforts in accordance with Assembly Bill AB2561, California Government Code Section 35023. Staff recommends that the Council open the hearing, allow for public testimony to discuss the status of vacancies, recruitment and retention efforts in accordance with AB 2561. Close the hearing and approve and receive the file of the report. Staff, please provide your report.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, members of the council, members of the public. This is a public hearing required annually to discuss the number of vacancies that the city has and any recruitment efforts thereof to fill those vacancies. And the unions are allowed to make a presentation on this. It's part of the process. But I can tell you right now, strictly as far as June 1st, and this doesn't take any of the layoff scenario into play because it was June 1st, SEIU has 34 full-time physicians with disabilities. two vacancies, which is one bus driver and one community service officer, for a total of two vacancy positions at a vacancy rate of 5.88%. APOA has four vacancy positions, again, through attrition, a vacancy rate of 20.00%. Again, that's four officer positions. Unrepresentative, six full-time positions, one vacant, which is the... senior building official, which I'm actually happy to announce. I have identified a candidate for that position, and an offer letter will be going out shortly. So hopefully that vacancy won't be there anymore. And that's basically it. I'm supposed to report the numbers, and at this point, the unions are allowed to, or the members of the public are allowed to talk to this point. So it is a public hearing.

Great. Are there any comments or questions from the council at this time? Seeing none, I will open this public hearing. Are there comments from the public on this item following the staff report? Seeing none, I will now close the hearing. Is there a motion for this item?

I make a motion.

Reyes motions. Is there a second?

Second.

Roll call, please.

Council Member Tarver.

Yes.

Council Member Horton. Yes. Council Member Reyes. Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Perez. Yes. Mayor Calderon. Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Now continue to public hearing item 4C. Staff, please provide your report on the public hearing to consider approval of a resolution of the City Council of the City of Arvin confirming and ordering the annual levy of assessments for fiscal year 2026-2027 for landscaping and lightning maintenance district number one.

Correct. Thank you, Madam Mayor. This is an annual event where the people in the landscape and lighting maintenance districts, which the geography is included in the staff report, have basically agreed to pay a property tax on their bill for enhanced street lighting and enhanced maintenance services. This action allows us to put those actual charges on the tax roll.

Okay, thank you. Are there any comments or questions from the council at the time? Seeing none, I will now open this public hearing. Are there any comments from the public for this item? Seeing none, I will now close the public hearing. Council, is there a motion for this item? Motion. Mr. Horton, motions. Mr. Perez, seconds. Roll call, please.

Council Member Tarver? Yes. Council Member Horton? Yes. Council Member Reyes?

Yes.

Mayor Pro Temperez?

Yes.

Mayor Calderon? Yes. Motion carries, 5-0.

We will now move on to Council comments before we move into closed session. Mr. Tarver, do you have comments at this point?

Mayor, we have public hearing item 4D.

Oh, one second. I have to really quickly.

Yeah, the previous one was for Allenby number one. This is for number two.

4E.

4D, yeah.

That's now for C. 4D is fine. This is a public hearing to consider approval of a resolution of the city council, of the city of Arvin. No, we did that already. I'm sorry. You have two districts, so this is the second district. A resolution, yes, of district number two. Yes, I see it.

Thank you.

This is now the same hearing. It's now considering district number two in the Lightning and Maintenance District. Staff?

That is correct, the same. Same thing holds for what I just said about Assessment District 1. These residents and businesses have already volunteered to pay for the existing additional streetlights and landscaping services, and now this allows me to place this on the tax roll so we can collect the money.

So District 1 is north of, it's south of Sycamore, and District 2 is that over here on?

Yeah, District 2 is kind of scattered all over the town. Okay. You have to go look at the staff report. All right.

Okay. So, same thing. I will now open. Are there any comments from the council at this time? No. Seeing none, I will open the hearing to the public. Are there any comments or questions from the public? Seeing none, I will now close the hearing. Council, is there a motion? Motion. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Tarver, motions. Mr. Perez, seconds. Roll call.

Council Member Tarver? Yes. Council Member Horton? Yes. Council Member Reyes? Yes. Mayor Potemperes?

Yes.

Mayor Calderon? Yes. Motion carries, 5-0.

Moving on to item five, council member comments. Are there comments from the city council at this time? Mr. Tarver?

I don't have any at this time.

Mr. Horton? Mrs. Reyes?

I just have one comment. The other day I was driving down Sycamore, and I'm not too sure... There's no proper, some of the light poles don't have proper lighting. It's very dark down Sycamore between Comanche and Walnut. I'm sorry, Meyer.

All right, so what I need to do is investigate if those are in the landscaping and lighting district we just talked about. And if so, then it's on the city to repair. If the street lights are working, it's on the city to fix that. If not, then it's PG&E. And I'll instruct Pepper Quirk to take a look at that.

Thank you. We ask Mr. Vice Mayor Perez if he has any comments at this time.

Mayor, oh, no comments. Thank you.

No comments at this time. We'll move into closed session. In closed session, we have item 6A. City Attorney, please read closed session items.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. There's just one item, and it's conference with legal counsel for existing litigation. The case is Sanchez v. City of Arvin.

We will now move into closed session. At the time, the meeting is still going on. You'll hear silence. We'll be in closed session, and then we will come out of closed session if there's any reportable actions. We'll now move into closed session.