Porterville committee approves Measure H and I quarterly reports; police, fire outline staffing and equipment plans

At a Porterville committee meeting reviewing third‑quarter Measure H and Measure I financial reports for fiscal year 2024–25 (as of March 31, 2025), members voted to approve both reports after hearing updates from police, fire, library and streets staff.

The reports matter because city officials say Measure H and Measure I fund major portions of public‑safety staffing and capital projects. Fire officials said the two measures cover about half the fire department’s budget and support 24 positions; police officials described an expanded outreach and enforcement team and new surveillance equipment funded in part by grant and specialty funds.

Police: SMART team expansion, contacts and surveillance

Assistant Police Chief Dominic Barto told the committee the department nearly tripled the size of its SMART (Special Methods and Resources Team) temporarily and that the unit’s work shifted more toward enforcement for people who decline services. He said, “In the first 2 weeks of May … they’ve had 409 contacts, a hundred and 2 arrests, a 25 total warrants served, 58 city ordinance citations, and 201 calls for service specifically to homelessness.”

Barto described several technology investments supported by the measures and other grants: covert pole cameras placed to target suspected narcotics sales, expansion of automatic license‑plate reader cameras from 12 devices to 16, and partial funding for the additional cameras from an auto‑theft fund worth about $60,000 over the next five years. He also said the department has three police trainees scheduled to start the academy in the next couple of weeks.

Fire department: half of budget, new apparatus, training tower and station work

Fire Chief Brian Hartburn told the committee Measure H and Measure I account for roughly 50% of the fire department’s overall budget, with the remainder coming from the city general fund. He said the measures pay for 24 total positions and capital improvements. Major projects the department listed include delivery of two engines and one ladder truck later in the year, construction of a live‑fire training tower (foundation work underway), and planned remodels for Stations 71, 72 and 74.

Hartburn said a large portion of the funds (about three‑quarters) go to salaries and benefits, with 20–25% used for maintenance and operations such as utilities and training. He told the committee the department does not have a response‑time problem but needs more on‑scene manpower, which the station upgrades and added housing aim to address.

Library and parks highlights

A library representative identified as Kumar reported the library’s quarter‑to‑date spending was about 57.5% of budget (roughly 17.5 percentage points below expected year‑to‑date), and noted the only recurring annual expenditure in the quarter was a renewal for the Hoopla digital platform. Kumar said Hoopla was used by more than 7,000 patrons during the quarter and that the service offers more than 800,000 titles. Quarterly program statistics included 3,353 viewers for virtual story time, 72 participants in bilingual story time, 240 attendees at family literacy programs and 230 for weekend game‑day activities; staff also visited 10 school sites with an early‑learning mobile vehicle.

Public works: paving, designs and an additional $500,000

A streets liaison, identified in the meeting as John, told the committee staff remains on track to self‑perform roughly 25 lane miles of paving this fiscal year after council challenged staff to increase work; that increase added about $500,000 in expenditures that will appear in later quarter reports. He said the Morton Avenue reconstruction is under design, the Grand Avenue connection and the Main Street (former JCPenney) parking lot design is nearly finished, and one project will use a box‑cover structure to allow a parking lot to be built over a drainage channel.

Tree vandalism and enforcement follow‑up

Committee members also discussed a damaged fig tree at the memorial in front of Station 71. Police said video showed a subject acting erratically near the tree; officers later arrested a person connected to that incident but said the person was not charged with the tree vandalism itself. Assistant Police Chief Dominic Barto said the arrest “was a pretty good indication that he’s probably involved,” while noting the person denied the specific vandalism allegation.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to accept the previous meeting minutes: moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. - Motion to approve the Measure H quarterly report (FY 2024–25, through March 31, 2025): moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. - Motion to approve the Measure I quarterly report (FY 2024–25, through March 31, 2025): moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

Next steps and meeting schedule

Committee members noted the city council is considering an extension of the budget calendar and will begin public hearings; the committee’s next meeting date was discussed as likely in late August, subject to confirmation. The committee adjourned after completing the reports and brief follow‑ups.