January 22, 2019 – Minutes.pdf

The City Council/Successor Agency of the City of Firebaugh held a special meeting on January 22, 2019, at the Andrew Firebaugh Community Center. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem Elsa Lopez at 6:00 p.m. with Council Members Marcia Sablan, Freddy Valdez, and Brady Jenkins present, and Council Member Felipe Perez absent.

The Council approved the minutes of the January 7, 2019, regular meeting, the warrant register for December 2018, the 2019 holiday schedule, and the 2019 council meeting schedule. They also awarded a contract to Gouveia Engineering, Inc. for on-call engineering services for federally funded transportation projects.

The Council discussed amending Ordinance 18-02 to allow cannabis dispensaries, with Council Members Valdez and Sablan in favor, and Council Member Jenkins opposed. They also discussed reducing the revenue-raising fee related to commercial cannabis operations, with a recommendation to reduce the fee from $25 per square foot to $7 per square foot for the first 3,000 square feet.

The Council received staff reports from Police Chief Sal Raygoza, Finance Director Pio Martin, City Engineer Noe Martinez, and City Manager Ben Gallegos, regarding crime statistics, audit updates, infrastructure projects, and economic development efforts.