Selma council approves Selma North annexation despite resident complaints about notice and potential costs

The Selma City Council on Sept. 2 approved a prezoning and annexation package for the Selma North area and separately voted to include an adjacent 20‑acre parcel after public comment raised concerns about notice and potential costs for affected residents.

The annexation and prezoning were presented to council as a proposal to bring roughly 150 acres north of Dinuba Avenue into the city, with staff saying the land is consistent with Selma’s general plan and therefore exempt from CEQA when the project matches the plan. Deputy City Manager Jerome Keane told the council the move would allow the city to control the Dinuba/McCall intersection, improve code enforcement in the area and avoid negotiating service contracts with the county for those parcels.

City planning consultant Jeff Roberts, representing the applicant team, told the council the applicant agreed with the staff and the unanimous planning commission recommendation and was ready to proceed to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) for final action. “We’re in full concurrence with the recommendation of staff here this evening,” Roberts said, and asked the council to approve the notice of exemption, the prezoning ordinance and the resolution of application so the matter may advance to LAFCO.

Several nearby residents…