Fresno City Council approves investment and program items, directs litigation; votes summarized

Fresno City Council on Thursday, Sept. 25, approved a series of financial and operational measures including resolutions authorizing deposits in the State Local Agency Investment Fund, confirmation of finance signatories, acceptance of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development consolidated annual performance and evaluation report for program year 2024, contested consent items for utility maintenance, and a selective traffic enforcement (STEP) grant for targeted traffic operations. The council also amended its rules on recess and adjournment and, in closed session, directed the city attorney to initiate litigation related to a labor matter.

The actions matter because they move city funds and programs from planning into implementation: the LAIF actions and signatory appointments set where and who can manage city cash; the HUD CAPER closes the city’s 2024 reporting cycle for federal community development programs; the STEP grant provides state grant money the Police Department said will support data-driven checkpoints and saturation details; and the pump-station contract amendment updates a utility project in design to include a carbon-dioxide removal element. In closed session the council authorized litigation steps that the administration said are aimed at protecting city finances or bargaining positions.

Councils votes were largely unanimous for items on the published agenda. The council routinely approved consent and administrative items without extended presentations. Council President Carbassi, Vice President Arias and members Perea, Maxwell, Richardson and Esparza participated in public votes; Council Member Vang was noted absent for part of the meeting. City staff—finance, utilities, public works and police—briefed the council or answered questions where council members pulled items for discussion.

Votes at a glance - Approval of the agenda: passed 6–0. (Roll call recorded; no opposition.) - Joint Fresno Joint Powers Authority (JFPA) action A (hearing/consent): passed 2–0 (JFPA vote; mayor absent). - JFPA action B consenting to investment in the Local Agency Investment Fund (LAIF): passed 2–0 (JFPA vote). - City resolution appointing and authorizing finance officers to sign instruments and provide verbal instructions: passed 6–0. - City resolution authorizing investment of monies in LAIF (state treasurer custody): passed 6–0. - HUD Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for program year 2024 (Community Planning and Development programs): passed 6–0. - Contested consent item 2C (first amendment to consultant services agreement / pump station work — design-phase amendment to add CO2 removal process): motion to approve carried (council approved as part of contested consent; final tally recorded as part of consent passage). - Contested consent item 2N (cooperative purchase award to Granicus Inc., three-year renewal): approved as part of contested consent. - Contested consent item 2X (2026 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program STEP grant): approved 6–0. Council members discussed that STEP-funded operations are driven by collision and DUI data and that citizen reporting can supplement deployment decisions. - Balance of the consent calendar (remaining consent items): approved 6–0. - Rule amendment (item 4B) changing council rules on recess and adjournment (authorizes presiding officer to call short recesses without a roll-call vote; action can be overruled by majority): passed 6–0. - Closed-session reportable actions: (a) a closed-session matter identified with “Ford Motor Vehicle Corporation” was reported as having a reported action with a 6–0 vote (council members Perea, Carbassi, Arias, Maxwell, Richardson and Esparza voting in favor; Council Member Vang absent for that vote as reported); (b) by a separate closed-session vote the council directed the city attorney to initiate litigation before the Public Employment Relations Board against Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1027; that directive was authorized by a 4–2 vote (Carbassi, Arias, Vang and Richardson in favor; Perea and Esparza opposed; Maxwell absent for that vote as reported).

What council asked staff to follow up on - Council members asked the Public Utilities Department to check whether manganese complaints have been associated with the specific pump stations that are the subject of the 2C amendment. Utilities staff said the CO2 removal element being added to the design cost about $158,000 and that the department would verify complaint history with water-division staff. - The Police Department reiterated that STEP-funded operations are “driven by data” (collision and DUI arrest statistics) but staff said citizen complaints and reporting (hotline and apps) can help establish locations for enforcement details.

Context and next steps Most items approved were routine administrative actions required to manage city finances, accept federal program reporting, or to allow staff to continue projects and procurements. The STEP grant provides state funding to support enforcement operations; the public-works and utilities actions advance design and procurement work that will later return with construction or contract documents. The litigation directive and the closed-session outcomes are administrative decisions that the city attorney will act upon; the city attorney reported the authorized actions at the meeting’s conclusion.

Meeting context: the council met at 9:15 a.m. and handled a full agenda of hearings, contested consent items and workshops. Several ceremonial proclamations and community recognitions were presented earlier in the meeting but are not part of this report because they were ceremonial and did not require formal action.

Ending: Council members indicated several items will return for continued discussion on Oct. 16 and staff said it will report back on items where the council requested follow-up information.