Sanger Herald 4-18-19 E-edition

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WeeklyNewspaper Sanger(FresnoCounty)CA93657
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Measure S grant money
for nonprofits will be cut
in the 2019-2020 budget
Funding change for police officer cuts into grant money
Jerry Valadez
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
The Measure S Citizens Oversight Committee on Monday evening unanimous- ly supported staff recom- mended 2019-2020 and 2020- 2021 Measure S budgets.
But then, after a brief animated discussion, some members of the commit- tee tried unsuccessfully to overturn the motion and reconsider an aspect of the budgets dealing with grant funding for nonprofits.
Later the committee gave its approval of an amended Measure S 10-year spending plan by a 3-2 vote. Two previ- ous motions by committee member Michael Montelongo to approve the plan or an amended version had failed for lack of a second.
The Measure S budgets and spending plan will now move to the city council for final approval and inclusion in the overall city budget.
The reason for the attempt to overturn the unanimous approval of the budgets and for the amendment to the spending plan was the pro- posed reduction of Measure S grant money available to nonprofits.
The amount will drop from the usual of more than $100,000 each year to $50,000 in each year of the budgets and the 10-year spending plan.
The amendment to the spending plan that was approved by the 3-2 vote requests that grant money for nonprofits be increased
Michael Montelongo
to $75,000 annually. However, the budgets approved earlier by the committee still call for the original $50,000.
Confusion and frustration seemed to be the theme of the April 15 oversight meet- ing.
Committee members at times seemed confused and Jerry Valadez who runs SAM Academy was definitely frustrated about several as- pects of the Measure S grant program.
During the public forum portion of the meeting Vala- dez expressed concern about the March 5 meeting being cancelled without adequate public notice, the Measure
S grant guidelines being revised by city staff without input from the oversight committee, no agenda items about grants on the previous threeoversight meetings and city staff making a deci- sion not to allow grant fund- ing to go to previous grant awardees.
"That was prejudicial," said Valadez.
"Grants should be awarded on merit. Proposals should not be singled out based on city staff opinion without input from the oversight committee," said Valadez.
He requested that a committee - that would not include city staff - be created to review grant proposals.
He accused city staff of having conflicts of inter-
est and bias toward local programs that have proven effective in addressing gang and drug issues.
Valadez was followed to
Johnny Perez
the podium by 16 speakers who supported SAM Acad- emy receiving more grant funding.
A couple of other speak- ers, Donna Bailey and Steve Orton, wondered why the city council member as- signed to attend oversight meetings was not present.
Committee members Mon- telongo and Melissa Griggs were selected to review three grant applications that, if successful, would split the $50,000 or $75,000 which will become available when the city budget receives final ap- proval from the city council.
Following the parade of public forum supporters of Valadez and SAM Academy, committee chairman Johnny Perez expressed his personal support. "We realize the im- portance of SAM Academy," said Perez.
Earlier when Griggs sought to have the mo-
tion approving the budgets overturned to allow more discussion and consideration, Perez began to poll the com- mittee to see if there was
a consensus for a do-over. But the motion stood when Montelongo, who made the motion, declined to withdraw it.
Since Resolution 4361 was approved in 2012, nonprof- its like SAM Academy, the Boys & Girls Club of Fresno County, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California and other nonprofits that provide programs designed to keep at risk youths out
of gangs and off drugs fell under a gang/drug preven- tion umbrella and received grant money from Measure S public safety funds.
The reduction in nonprofit grant funding came about said city finance director Gary Watahira because
the police department's G.R.E.A.T. officer, who teaches a gang and drug pre- vention/intervention program in elementary schools in the City of Sanger will now be funded from the Measure
S labor fund instead of by Measure S grant money.
The cost for funding her salary and benefits, more than $100,000, will be deduct- ed from the amount available to the grant program.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerherald@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
Urgency ordinance adopted to get
control over wireless equipment
clutter in the public right of way
By Dick Sheppard
sangerherald@gmail.com
Citing aesthetic concerns the city council adopted an "emergency ordinance" that would give the city an ability to keep wireless companies from running wild and creating unsightly clutter in public rights of way.
The federal communications commission (FCC) opened the door for wireless compa- nies to do just that with a recent ruling.
The council action took place at an April 10 special meeting.
Community development director Tom Navarro told the council the ordinance had to be adopted before the FCC ruling went into effect on April 15.
Assistant city attorney Shannon Chaffin showed the council examples of the unsightly clutter that could be created by wireless equipment located on utility poles and light standards in the public right of way.
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
Assistant city attorney Shannon Chaffin directs the city council's attention to a graphic depict- ing a utility pole in the public right of way clut- tered with a multitude of wireless equipment.
Council is likely to get
fallout from Measure S
grant concerns
New allocation plan corrects overcharges to enterprise funds
• April 18 - City council meeting, 6 p.m. at city hall, 1700 7th St.
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
The informal meetings that take place in the lobby or on the sidewalk just out- side city hall are sometimes as interesting as the formal meetings that just ended inside city hall.
That was the case Monday after a Measure S Citizens Oversight Committee meet- ing. Several people, not satis- fied with what they heard at the oversight meeting, talked about going to this evening's city council meeting to seek answers about what's hap- pening with the Measure S grant programwhichhas funded nonprofits that pro- vide drug and gang interven- tion/prevention services for the past six years.
The 6 p.m. council meet- ing already has a very full
agenda, which includes a quarterly report from the chamber of commerce and what could be a discussion provoking new cost alloca- tion plan.
The complete agenda is available in a binder in the city hall lobby, in the library and on the city website at www.ci.sanger.ca.us.
The 2017 and 2018 inde- pendent audits pointed out the city had no methodology to support its allocation of internal service charges to its enterprise funds.
An enterprise fund is defined as "a fund that pro- videsgoodsorservicestothe public for a fee that makes the entity self-supporting."
The city has several en- terprise funds, including its water and sewer funds.
The city's general fund
has been charging those funds for such things as accounting and clerical ser- vices, without a methodology to justify the amount of the charges.
A consulting firm has come up with a methodology that indicates the enterprise funds have been significantly overcharged for at least l0 years. So much so that the city's finance director Gary Watahira is recommending the new allocation of internal service charges be phased
in over a three year period. That would avoid the general fund immediately losing almost$350,000inthefirst year of the new allocation plan.
The reporter can be contact- ed by email at sangerherald@ gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
THURSDAY
April 18, 2019
VOL 130 NO. 16
2 sections, 14 pages
CLASSIFIED 5B LEGALS 6,7B BUSINESS DIRECTORY 8B LIFE STYLES 2B OBITUARIES 2A OPINION 3A SPORTS 1B POLICE LOG 2A WEATHER 6A
Easter weekend weather? See the forecast on page 6A
• April 25 - Planning commission meeting, 6 p.m. at city hall, 1700 7th St
SANGER HERALD: A MID VALLEY PUBLISHING NEWSPAPER • (559) 875-2511 • www.thsangerherald.com