Page 1 - Sanger Herald 12-28-17 E-edition

A life "Wondering Around God"
Soccer closes 2017 on a high note
Looking for a home
page 8A
Lifestyles 2B
Sports 1B
Weekly Newspaper Sanger (Fresno County) CA 93657 50¢ (tax included)
Certainly for the school district
What about the City of Sanger?
Top stories of 2017
• Matt Navo's decision to step aside in 2018
• Grand jury in town - again
• Multiple Measure S misunderstandings • Multiple honors for SUSD - again
• Downtown UHC finally opens
• Downtown street reconstruction
• New subdivisions
What were the most important stories of 2017?
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
Judging from reader reaction, the top story of 2017 was Matt Navo's decision to step down as superintendent of schools at the end of the current school year.
Emails, texts, Facebook posts and letters to the editor showed an almost indifferent (yawn) reaction to the grand jury coming back to town. After all, this is the 4th time in less than 10 years. The battle between the city and the Mea- sure S oversight committee has gone on for so long with no resolution in sight it's obviously created burnout issues. And besides, the dis- cussions sometime seem akin to a debate about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
Please stay in touch. Let us know what in- terests you. There are some things we're obli- gated to tell you about because that's what good newspapers do.
We have to let you know what's going on at city hall because that's where decisions are made about where to spend our tax money and how to take care of our health and safety needs.
We also have to let you know about what's going on in the school district.
But there are other things we write about because we think you will be interested.
Share your opinions with a letter to the edi- tor or a longer guest column.
Contact us by email at sangerherald@gmail. com or by phone at (559) 875-2511.
It hasn't had any major work done since 1996, said Mulligan.
The Jan. 19, 2017 edition of the Herald reported: The city used money from bonds to pay for that overhaul in 1996 and because it keeps refinancing the bond payment and paying only on the interest it still owes about $14 million on a project that took place two decades ago.
How many homeless in Sanger?
Julie Mendoza, HOPE Sanger's CEO/direc- tor, was skeptical of results produced by
a head count of homeless people in Sanger.
"Thirty-one? There's really a lot more than that," she said looking at a tally sheet showing a census count produced by several HOPE Sanger volunteers who used a smart phone app to log each person and each location.
"This system of counting [recommended by a Fresno organization] may work in Fresno where most of the homeless huddle together in encampments at night. But that's not the way it works in Sanger and a daytime count would be more effective.
"I don't see how this significant under counting of our homeless population helps us in Sanger. We may not participate in this next year," said Mendoza.
February
National developer DR Horton announced plans to build 195 homes on the subdivision behind Jefferson School.
A 2035 General Plan workshop raised eye- brows when the consulting firm of Collins & Schoettler said the city should not increase its Sphere of Influence and had a new high school campus plugged in on the east edge of Sanger on a map showing what the city might look like in 2035.
Mayor Frank Gonzalez said the city was go- ing to hang a 60 feet by 5 feet banner across Academy Avenue congratulating the Valley Champion Sanger Apache football team.
See 2017 IN REVIEW on page 6A SANGER HERALD: A MID VALLEY PUBLISHING NEWSPAPER • (559) 875-2511 • www.thesangerherald.com
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
The new year will most certainly be a year of change for the Sanger Unified School District.
What about the City of Sanger?
Superintendent of schools Matt Navo reno- giated his contract in 2017, shaving a couple of years off the end date, so he can leave the district at the end of the school year in June.
If his replacement comes from within the district, it will trigger a list of other changes. If not, it would be the end of a district tradi- tion of promoting from within the district
January
In the middle of a controversy
Newly elected councilmembers Melissa Hurtado and Daniel Martinez and mayor Frank Gonzalez were barely seated on the dais before they were thrown into the middle of a controversy that eventually attracted an investigation by the Fresno County Grand Jury.
First city council meeting
During the first city council meeting of the new year, Measure S Citizens Oversight Com- mittee chairperson Jeanne Adams accused the city of sidestepping the oversight process for spending public safety dollars.
From the Jan. 12 edition of the Herald:
City manager Tim Chapa was talking about the almost $900,000 budget adjustment for Measure S he wanted the city council to ap- prove when Adams' brow wrinkled and her eyesnarrowed. Morethan$200,000ofthat $900,000 was for wages and benefits for mem- bers of the bargaining groups for police and firefighters, the Sanger Police Officers Asso- ciation and the Sanger Firefighters Associa- tion. Almost $600,000 was for new police cars and another $25,500 was for a new gurney for the fire department.
Adams expressed surprise and frustration that the expenditures had not been vetted by the committee, which under municipal ordinance No. 1094 was formed to provide oversight of proposed spending of Measure S money.
The city appears to have completely sidestepped the oversight committee and may have used the money improperly, several members of the committee contend.
Tony Pacheco and Eli Ontiveros, two members of what was a four-person council in 2016, said they didn't remember voting for the Measure S expenditures or being in an open or closed meeting when council direc- tion was given to use Measure S money.
Continued in the spotlight
and it could trigger an even greater list of changes.
Mayor Frank Gonzalez and city council- member Humberto Garza will be running for re-election in November of 2018.
Before that, we are likely to see a grand jury report critical of how Measure S public safety money has been handled.
The election and the report are possible catalysts for change.
But, since Sanger voters have gained fame for paying more attention to potholes than politics it's impossible to anticipate what kind of changes, if any, might take place in the city.
2017
JANUARY-JUNE IN REVIEW
It rained so much in January that Jenni Park became Jenni Lake.
hold the spotlight in the next edition of the Herald on Jan. 19:
There are also two memoranda of un- derstanding (MOUs) involving additional wage and benefit increases, using Measure S money, that have been agreed upon by bar- gaining groups for the city and for the police andfirefighters.
The MOUs were negotiated without the knowledge of the oversight committee, said the committee chair Jeanne Adams.
Oversight committee member Jim Miser CPA wondered if the city's bargaining group had been directed to offer wage increases, out of Measure S money, to give police and fire- fighters an incentive to work to help promote passage of the measure on the November ballot.
The disagreement about the proper use of Measure S funds didn't go away all year. If anything it escalated in intensity and conten- tiousness.
Sewer system needs work
We found out in January that the City hasn't paid for the last sewer system upgrade back in 1996 and it still owes almost $14 mil- lion.
The sewer system could use some work, public works director John Mulligan told the city council.
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
School board president Marcy Masumoto presented Chuck Shidan with a plaque of appreciation for his 27 years as head coach of the Sanger High football team. The board recognized Shidan, who had just retired, his 2016 Valley champion football team and the Valley champion high school girls golf team.
repairs and upgrades, Mulligan said.
He said he's hoping he can find a grant
to help pay for some of the things that need to be done. Hopefully, a grant like the $1.2 million the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded Sanger last year for construction of a 750,000 gallon water storage tank.
Sanger's sewer system is maybe in more need of rehab than the water system was before that grant, judging from Mulligan's presentation to the council.
The Measure S controversy continued to
Lots of work.
If fact, it could use about $2.5 million in
The sewer system is deteriorating.
THURSDAY
DECEMBER 28, 2017
VOL 128 NO. 52
2 sections, 14 pages CLASSIFIED 4-6B LIFE STYLES 2B
OBITUARIES 2A OPINION 3A SPORTS 1B POLICE LOG 2A WEATHER 8A