City Council
Regular MeetingFresno, CA · May 15, 2025
Minutes
City of Fresno 2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
www.fresno.gov
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
Thursday, May 15, 2025 9:00 AM Council Chambers
Regular Meeting (Mayor's Presentation of the Budget)
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
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City Council Meeting Minutes May 15, 2025
ID 25-652 WORKSHOP - Presentation of Mayor’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2026
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
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City Council Meeting Minutes May 15, 2025
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
ID 25-663 WORKSHOP -Text Amendment Regarding Increased Housing
Opportunities
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
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City Council Meeting Minutes May 15, 2025
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.
PRESENTED
UNSCHEDULED COMMUNICATION
Upon call, the following members of the public addressed the Council with
unscheduled communication: Gabriel Ledesma.
ADJOURNMENT
Council adjourned the meeting at 12:02 P.M.
The above minutes were approved by unanimous vote of the City Council during the
June 12, 2025, regular meeting.
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Agenda
City of Fresno
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
www.fresno.gov
Meeting Agenda - Final
Thursday, May 15, 2025
9:00 AM
Regular Meeting (Mayor's Presentation of the Budget)
Council Chambers
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
City Council Meeting Agenda - Final May 15, 2025
THE FRESNO CITY COUNCIL WELCOMES YOU TO THE COUNCIL CHAMBER,
LOCATED IN CITY HALL, 2ND FLOOR, 2600 FRESNO STREET, FRESNO,
CALIFORNIA 93721.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – Public participation during Fresno City Council meetings is
always encouraged and can occur by attending a meeting in the Council Chambers on the
2nd floor of City Hall located at 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93721.
To be called to speak during a meeting, please fill out a speaker card (located throughout
the chamber) and place it in the speaker card collection basket at the front of the chamber.
You may also approach the speaker podium upon the Council President’s call for any
additional public comment.
Unless otherwise announced, all public speakers will have up to 3 minutes to address
Council pursuant to Rule No. 10 of the Rules of Procedure for the City Council of the City
of Fresno (available in the City Clerk’s Office).
SUBMIT WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS - Pursuant to Rule 11 (c) of the Rules of
Procedure, no documents shall be accepted for Council review unless submitted to the City
Clerk at least 24 hours prior to the Council Agenda item being heard. Documents / written
comments related to an agenda item can be submitted by one of the following methods:
1) eComment – eComment allows the public to submit agenda related comments through
a website prior to the meeting. Submitted comments are limited to 1440 characters and
will be a part of the official record.
a) Submit an e-Comment by visiting https://fresno.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and
selecting the “eComment” link.
b) e-Comment is available for use upon publication of the agenda and closes 24
hours prior to the meeting start time [pursuant to Rule 11(c)].
c) e-Comment is not permitted for Land use or CEQA items.
d) The e-Comment Electronic User Agreement can be viewed at:
https://www.fresno.gov/cityclerk/#information
2) E-mail – Agenda related documents and comments can be e-mailed to the Office of
the City Clerk at least 24 hours prior to the agenda item being heard, pursuant to Rule
11(c).
a) E-mail the Clerk’s Office at clerk@fresno.gov
b) E-mails should include the agenda date, and the related agenda item number.
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City Council Meeting Agenda - Final May 15, 2025
VIEWING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS (non-participatory) - For your convenience, there
are several ways to view Fresno City Council meetings live:
1) City of Fresno website: https://fresno.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx (click “In Progress”
to view the live meeting).
2) Community Media Access Collaborative website: https://cmac.tv/gov/
3) YouTube - City of Fresno Council, Boards and Commissions Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@cityoffresnomeetings/streams
4) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FresnoCA/videos
5) Cable Television: Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T Channel 99
6) Zoom: https://fresno.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_7xJBW8h2QuKtZpm1lt1kdQ
Should any of the viewing methods above experience technical difficulties, the Council
meeting will continue uninterrupted. Meetings will only be paused to address verified
technical issues that interrupt public participation during meetings.
The City of Fresno’s goal is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If
reasonable ADA accommodations are needed, including sign language interpretation,
contact the Office of the City Clerk at (559) 621-7650 or clerk@fresno.gov. Also contact
the Office of the City Clerk if spoken language translation is required. Accommodation and
language requests should be made a minimum of three business days prior to the
scheduled meeting.
GOVERNMENT CODE 84308 CONTRIBUTION PROHIBITIONS AND MANDATORY
DISCLOSURES - The Political Reform Act of 1974 (Act) restricts campaign contributions
over $500 to a decision-making public official from a party or participant, or their agent, in
a proceeding involving a license, permit, contract, or entitlement for use. The Act requires
disclosure of the contribution and creates a conflict where a decision-maker has received
$500 or more from a party or participant to a proceeding in the prior 12 months. A
decision-maker must disclose on the record during the proceeding that they have received
contributions from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant, greater than $500
within the preceding 12 months and the name(s) of the contributor(s). (See 2 CCR
18438.8(a).) Parties to a proceeding are required to disclose on the record if they made
contributions over $500 to a decision-maker within the prior 12 months, and are prohibited
from making contributions to a decision-maker during the proceeding and for 12 months
after the date a final decision is rendered on the proceeding.
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City Council Meeting Agenda - Final May 15, 2025
9:00 A.M. ROLL CALL
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
APPROVE AGENDA
BUDGET PRESENTATION
ID 25-652 WORKSHOP - Presentation of Mayor’s Proposed Fiscal Year
2026 Budget
Sponsors: Office of Mayor & City Manager
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
ID 25-663 WORKSHOP -Text Amendment Regarding Increased
Housing Opportunities
Sponsors: Planning and Development Department
UNSCHEDULED COMMUNICATION
PLEASE NOTE: UNSCHEDULED COMMUNICATION IS NOT SCHEDULED FOR A
SPECIFIC TIME AND MAY BE HEARD ANY TIME DURING THE MEETING
ADJOURNMENT
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