Welcome to the Bakersfield City Council meeting. This television broadcast is brought to you by the local cable companies, the county of Kerna, and the city of Bakersfield. You can watch the rebroadcast of this meeting Saturday at 700 p.m., Sunday at 10:00 a.m., and the following Wednesday at 7 p.m. You can download the agenda for this meeting at www.bakersfieldcity. us. Preciding over this evening's meeting, the Honorable Mayor Karen K. Go. >> Good evening. It's my pleasure to call to order the 5:15 regular city council meeting of April 22nd, 2026. Madame Clerk, please call the role. >> Mayor Go here. Vice Mayor Core >> here. >> Council member Arias. >> Council member Gonzalez >> here. >> Council member Weir >> here. Council member Smith, >> I am here. >> Council member Coin >> here. >> And Council Member Basher >> here. >> Thank you and welcome to all of you. Thank you for engaging in the civic process. We have the pleasure tonight of having Pastor Mercedes Tutti Hamilton who's the pastor of Kain Memorial AM Church to offer the invocation. Pastor, thank you so much for your service to our community. I know that your church is very involved with the Gleaners senior sack program, waste hunger not food program, the CSUB annual gospel fest. Your group did a fantastic job during that and then also mental health counseling. We're very appreciative beyond your spiritual pouring into your congregants just what you do for our community. And then following the invocation, Brent Stratton, the assistant chief of the Bakersville Police Department, will lead us in the pledge soon to be chief. So now, would you all please stand? Pastor, may we bow our heads? Dear God, we thank you for the opportunity to come into your presence this evening and we thank you for forgiving us of our sins and allowing us to bask in your presence. As we proceed in this meeting, we ask you to bless all the city officials, those who have come to partake in this meeting. Will you bless all of the business that is done in your honor and to your glory? Please be over all of the decision making. Let heads be calm. Let heads be cool. That decisions be made that are judicious and that are honoring to you and to all of humanity. We thank you for those who are attend who are here in attendance and those who are yet on their way. And when the meeting is over, that all hearts be clear and minds be clear and on one accord. We thank you for this opportunity to serve humanity and to serve you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. >> Salute pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. And you may be seated. Pastor, if you just meet Danielle out there. Thanks. Here are a few guidelines to help our meeting run smoothly. We request that you turn off your phones. Please be courteous in the use of cameras and videos. For safety reasons, and as courtesy to others, no signs are allowed in the council chamber or in the lobby. Applause is allowed during the presentations portion of the meeting, but not during other portions of the meeting. Everyone in attendance is expected to adhere to the rules of decorum established by resolution of the city council. Failure to abide by the city's rules of decorum, including any disruptive behavior that interferes with our ability to have an orderly and efficient meeting, prevents the city council from conducting the business of the city. Consider this a first warning to everyone in attendance that conduct that disrupts this meeting may result in expulsion and or the chambers being cleared. Behavior that disrupts a meeting includes repetitive statements, shouting, hate speech, interrupting staff or presenters during the meeting, speaking out of turn, outbursts from the audience. Madame clerk, next item, please. Presentations item 4A, retirement presentation to Greg Terry, Chief of Police for 30 years of service to the city of Bakersfield. And right over here, unless we're messing the cameras up. She The year was 1997. The English Patient won best picture at the Academy Awards. Titanic: The Lost World, Jurassic Park, and Men in Black ruled the box office. Microsoft became the world's most valuable company and invested 150 million in rival Apple. The Spice Girls, Leanne Rimes, and Aqua's Barbie Girls topped the charts, while XFiles and ER were the most popular shows on television. and Chief Greg Terry was officially hired by the city of Bakersville as a police officer. Since then, he has gone on to hold numerous other titles with the most recent being police chief. Now, here we are 30 years later and Chief Terry has become an integral, wonderful, outstanding, superb, extraordinary leader in our city's agency. Chief, you really have represented the city with integrity, with professionalism. We are just so, so thankful for your commitment to the city. The one thing I notice about you is humility. And I know in the scriptures it says, "What does God require of us? To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly." And that I have seen and with all those other wonderful qualities, just your humility in serving, your genuine caring for our community. And so I am so grateful. So in honor of your 30 years, we present this certificate. 30 years of dedicated service to the city of Bakersville in recognition of your exceptional leadership and dynamic community engagement as the 21st appointed chief of police for the Bakersville Police Department. And in recognition of your resolute commitment to strengthening community partnerships, enhancing public safety, and fostering organizational excellence in law enforcement. Congratulations, and we just applaud you and wish you the very best. It's my honor to be able to present the mayor's medal and the certificate. And it's not over yet. We're going to have uh city manager Kle come up and then I know we're going to continue to celebrate you next week. So, more to come. Thank you so much, Chief. We're just so blessed to have you here, >> city manager. Thank you, Mayor Go, and just wanted to extend additional um gratitude and appreciation for you, chief. On behalf of your colleagues in the senior management team and myself and the city manager's office, we also have presented to you this plaque of recognition for your 30 years of service, chief. And while plaques are a little bit dusty, we also are presenting to you these recognitions as our street signs. This one is Greg Terry, 30 years of service for our viewing public. I guess we should also a street sign, the Greg Terry way, and in honor of your roots, Greg Terry LSU Tigers. Go Tigers. And >> if I just may, Chief Terry, as the Greg Terry way, um I don't know anyone in my professional experience who has demonstrated a higher level of integrity and character in how they carry out their work. Uh, Chief Terry has been incredibly dedicated to this community, incredibly dedicated to his team as the police department, but in particular, what stands out is leading from heart and leading in a way that Chief Terry, I've never doubted that he would make the right decision for the right reasons and serving this community. Thank you, Chief, for your dedication. And now you get to talk. No, I'm going to invite you. Well, come on up here. You know, what more could we ask for than integrity, character, and humility? Really, and then all the professionalism. Chief, it's yours. >> Um, I'm incredibly humbled, um, and been so privileged to serve this community. Um 1997 doesn't seem that far away. It doesn't at all. Somebody handed me a coin earlier and it was like celebrating 40 years and I like 40 years that's a long time. And I looked at the date and it was like 1986. I go that is not a long time ago. But uh no it is I I've been incredibly blessed um to serve this community. Um, and it has been a distinct honor and a privilege to serve the last years as chief of police. Um, it's not something I ever found I ever thought I would find myself doing quite frankly. Um, but it has been an absolute honor. We have a wonderful community and um I am so grateful and my message to the community is that of thank you. uh and I am grateful for their support for um everything that they have enabled us to do and partnering with us and believing in what we are trying to do and working closely with us. Um it has been an absolute honor to serve this community and so I'm humbled and grateful um to you the council. Thank you. Thank you for believing in what we are trying to do. Thank you for your support in terms of resources and personally. Thank you for sometimes the debates about what we are doing and the priorities of what we are doing and helping us make sure that we're staying on the right track. Um to the city manager, Mr. Kle, thank you for your uh partnership, your friendship. Um and we've had tough conversations uh and and we've made it through at least I have this far. So I'm appreciative of that. Uh but no, grateful for your leadership and and your your counsel and um to Jenny to to everyone uh all the other department heads. Thank you again for your collaboration, your support of me and the police department and to our wonderful mayor. Thank you. Thank you for your kind words certainly and it's been an absolute honor and a privilege to work with you all. Um, I would not be here today and you would not be saying very likely some of the things you have said about me without the incredible men and women of the police department. And so I'm so proud of them and what they do every single day um to serve this community. And that's the one thing that I walk away from is I wish people knew the heart of the men and women of the Bakersville Police Department because you would you too would be so proud and have tremendous confidence in what we are trying to do. the future is bright. Chief Stratton coming on has the right heart. He loves this community. He loves his people. Uh and he certainly will do right by all of them. And then lastly, again, I would not be here without my family. Um and I cannot say enough about how much my wife and kids have allowed me to do over these 30 years. And there have been difficult times to walk away from very important things at home, just like all public servants do. Um, but it is a little bit different uh for a police officer and their family. And so uh I'm incredibly grateful to my wife and my children to have supported and allowed me to serve um where my heart lies uh in this community and doing it um in the way that I believe it needed to be done. And so with all of that, I'm grateful. I'm thankful u and I wish you all well. Thank you. >> Thank you. In keeping with council's resolution, the public statements portion is divided into two periods. There's a period for items listed on the meeting agenda and items not on the meeting agenda. Statements for items listed on tonight's agenda are given a two-minute time limit, 20 minutes total per agenda item. The consent calendar as a whole constitutes one agenda item. Statements regarding items not listed on the agenda are given a two-minute time limit, 20 minutes total. If you have written comments that are longer than your verbal statement, give them to the clerk. She'll give copies to the council. If you're here to make a public statement, please fill out a public speaker card and give your comp put your completed card in that tray. We ask that you mark whether you're here to speak on an item listed on tonight's agenda or a matter not on the agenda. Speakers who do not identify a specific agenda item will be presumed speakers for the non-aggenda portion and will be called to speak during the non-aggenda portion of the meeting. Madame Clerk, do we have any public speakers regarding items not listed on the agenda? >> America, we've received three public speaker cards regarding items not listed on tonight's agenda. The first public speaker is Adam Cohen. Welcome. Please introduce yourself. >> Good evening, Adam Cohen. Tonight, the clerk is served with notice of intent to repeal Measure N. Measure N. The city promised a 35 million cap on ongoing expenditures. Today, it exceeds 80 million and is in climbing. Since its passage, this council has spent upwards of 700 million. Where are the results? Measure N has become a blank check for recurring costs, increasing pension obligations and ongoing expenditures while basic services continue to fall behind. Public works spending roughly 4.5 million per mile on downtown streetscapes while core infrastructure needs remain unmet and accountability is missing. Financial reports which are required annually as well as audits are years behind. Independent audits are not current. Performance metrics do not exist and are insufficient. You cannot measure success without reporting results. Oversight exists in name only and the intended watchdog has now become a lap dog. More funding does not guarantee better outcomes. And if Measure N is not working, the voters deserve the opportunity to fix it. So let the voters decide. Is measure N delivering value or is it time for a change? Um, we have filed this with the clerk. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Cohen. Council member Wear. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, I am the only council member that voted against Major N. I thought it would be um I thought it would be used for purposes other than for which it was uh brought forward. Today I look to see what um revenues of major in are at um at the year end the measure the revenues are $108 million out of that out of that public service police and fire was 46 million of that there's There's a big gap between what was promised and what what we're receiving at this point. And I'm sure that um we could use much more police, fire, and other items like that. And so, um, I think it's I think it's a time for us to take a look at it again. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Weir. Madam Clerk, next speaker, please. >> Gwendelle Wesley. >> Welcome. Please introduce yourself. >> My name is Wendell Wesley Jr. Thank you, council management team. Um, based on that first comment, um, we need a lot more revenue. Obviously, I don't know if you guys have considered actually ways that we can create more revenue, like maybe building more affordable homes to add to the tax base because that would definitely help because right now we got a lot of homes sitting empty. Um, also I like billboards. Everybody looks at them. You guys can maybe add your own billboards to create some revenue, okay? And I can be very helpful to you and other creative ideas. So, I'm going to move on to what I came here for originally was to talk about a safety issue in my neighborhood right there on N Street just south of California in as a Nancy. There's a special needs school called Rafford Johnson. State requires a four-way stop there. There's no four-way stop at that location. Also on that street, cars tend to go a bit too fast. They slow down just before that where the forward stop should be, but we have a lot of senior citizens, people with disabilities crossing that street and also crossing the street from the driveway. It's very unsafe. We did get some wheelchair ramps there eventually, but now there's no sidewalks. So, we really need sidewalks to go with the real chestable ramps. We also would like a crosswalk to go straight across so people in chairs, scooters, and walkers aren't leaving from the driveway, which is very unsafe, and going diagonally all the way across. We also are requesting speed bumps north and southbound in both directions so that cars are forced to slow down before the stopwalk in both directions. It's way overdue and it's long time we do this. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Whistley. City Manager Kle is Steph. We'll follow up with him. Thank you. Council member Basher Tash. >> My request is that we would follow up that maybe get a traffic study going around the school and just see if we need to what what adjustments we need to make. We need to do a better job protecting our kids. >> Thank you. And then Council Member Gonzalez. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh Mr. Mr. Wesley, thank you so much for coming tonight and for inviting me out uh a few weeks ago to visit the um intersection and and the neighborhood that you're talking about. I agree. I mean, I I think part of it is a design issue. The the street is just far too wide and we we do need to do whatever we can to uh help calm traffic on that uh on that particular section of N. Um, I know that there was a traffic study done uh in the past, but I wonder if we can update that and look for alternatives given the fact that we now have a trafficcoming handbook uh that we can employ in this location. But given the number of children in the neighborhood and also given the number of seniors who are crossing back and forth on a regular basis, it it sure warrants uh some attention. So, uh thank you again for coming today. Thank you. >> Next speaker, please. Johnny Oligz. >> Welcome. Please introduce yourself. >> My name is Johnny Olzes, actually in Spanish. Um, I'm here to ask Andre Gonzalez and Bob Smith to resign as well as we need to eliminate the city charter because having a city manager is not conducive to the budget as we have seen. U what the city charter does is it provides a essentially a CEO that runs the entire city as opposed to what is in the interest of the people which we don't have that right now. And I know a lot of people in the public don't understand the value of paying our city council members. I believe that we should pay our city council members a salary as well as a mayor. And I'm saying that because when you have people like Bob Smith and Andre Gonzalez benefiting off the taxpayers's dollar off the I mean go down 18th Street as always and you will see all Bob Smith properties. So, I'm here to ask you, please reconsider this city charter that we have been running with for the longest time. And please resign, Andre and Smith. And next time that somebody tries to buy you out, people, if anybody's listening here, they invite you to lunch, don't take the money. I will be sharing a message in the next coming weeks on social media and it will also go viral as all my other stuff has because I have nothing to lose when I get sued for $200,000 as a result of yours all all of you guys. I'm coming after him and I'm going to make sure that everything goes public. So, please resign, Andre and Mr. Smith. Thank you. >> Next speaker, please. Justin, >> welcome. Please introduce yourself. >> Hi. Uh, my name is Justin. Um, I, uh, took this video on H Street, uh, which has just been restriped, and I wanted Mr. Arius to see this, but he's not here. Um, I wanted you to see that the the new brand brand new bike lanes are not wide enough for my handlebars. They are not wide enough for me to travel safely. They are not wide enough for traffic to pass me safely. Five out of five cars made an illegal pass in this situation. The law says that a bike lane that is not wide enough to use alongside cars in another lane should not be used, but there's no way to take the lane when traffic is going at this pace. Um, this is just an example of the horrible infrastructure decisions that are being made and implemented. As you can see here, every one of these cars is within reach of me, which means zero feet of space. Um, it's great. >> Yeah, I I usually don't even take this road. I I literally took it just just to see what would happen. Yeah. Um, >> I guess that's all I have for now. >> Thank you, Vice Mayor. >> Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for having a video to for us to see as well. Um, travel down the street. What happened here? Is this in we we re paved or we restriped and what are aren't we using new kind of like guidelines in order to stripe our bike lanes and that clearly isn't wide enough. >> Mr. No, it's uh honorable mayor ice mayor. Um we recently did this inhouse uh restripe the road. Um that portion of a street is very narrow. Um so there's limitations to what we can do. Um to make that safer and have a bike lane with the buffer. But that's why along H Street, we are still trying to explore other options and multi-use path options in that corridor. So in this example, we've reriped. Would it benefit us to reduce the lanes of the cars in order for the bike lane to be the right width in order for a bicyclist to feel safe in that bike lane? >> Yes, we can take a look at that again and see what the widths are. Um, but again, I know it is very narrow there because of it's an older part of town. So, we can take a look at that and see if there's any improvements we can make. >> How far out should it be from the gutter? >> Uh, bike lane up against the gutter like that should be uh with the 5T. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Council Member Smith. >> Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Justin, for coming today. I just happened to have rode that section the other day and thought, "Man, this feels narrow." Uh, we have in the past talked about 10-ft lanes and I think we've got a resolution coming forward. Are those 10 foot lanes when you restriped it? Do you know? >> I do not know what the lane width was when we put it back. >> Yeah, it it feels very narrow the bike lane. And again, thank you for coming. Thank you. >> Thank you. And now, Madame Clerk, do we have any other speakers? Mayor Go, that was the final speaker for non-aggenda items. >> Thank you. >> There seems to be another card. Mayor, one moment. >> Okay, Mayor, that was our final speaker for non-aggenda items and we have not received any speaker cards for agenda items. Thank you. Next item, please. >> Consent calendar items 6A through 6J for approval. Uh please note that item 6E1 contains a staff recommendation to adopt resolutions approving salaries and benefits for specified units. >> Thank you. Council member Smith has requested that we pull 6F8. Colleagues, is there anyone else who wishes to pull? If not, Vice Mayor, >> motion to approve consent calendar with the exception of item 6F8. You have a motion. Please cast your votes. Motion is approved with council member AAS absent. >> Thank you. And now council member Smith 6F8 please. >> Thank you mayor. The administrative report on this um states that this Ripple Fiverr company uh instead of paying the existing deposits and degradation payment fees, we're going to enter into a guarantee agreement with the city that ensures they will repair and replace any substandard work done to the city streets. as a result of installing new facilities. And I guess my position is anytime you cut a street, you've degraded the street and there should be a degradation fee. And so I I just would like to continue this item and send it back to staff and and really get more of what the thought process is. So my motion is to continue this item. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Smith. You have a motion. Please cast your votes. Motion is approved with council member AAS absent. >> Thank you. Madam clerk, next item, please. >> Consent calendar public hearings items 7A and 7B for approval. >> Thank you. It's now time for the consent calendar hearings. Purpose of this section is to move to vote on all the items listed under consent calendar hearing in one motion without further comment. If anyone would like to speak on any of the hearing items listed, the item must be removed from this portion of the agenda. If an item is removed, it will be placed at the end of the regular public hearings portion of the meeting. Uh, at this time I'll open consent calendar public hearings items 7A through B. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to request that an iting hearing item be removed from the consent calendar? If so, please step forward. This isn't the time to take testimony only to remove the matter from the consent calendar hearing. Seeing none, does any council member wish to remove an item? Seeing none, at this time, consent calendar public hearings items 7 A through B is closed. Ma, Vice Mayor, please. >> Motion to approve consent calendar public hearing items 7 A and 7B for approval. >> Thank you. You have a motion. Please cast your votes. Motion is approved with council member AAS absent. Thank you. Next item, please. Hearings. Our next item is public hearings. Each side will be allowed 15 minutes. It's 15 minutes for all speakers per side. So, it's important that you identify yourself, make your statement succinctly so others may speak. We'll hear statements from those opposed to the staff's recommendation first. Then we'll hear from those who would like to speak in favor of the staff recommendation. If there's testimony on both sides, each side will be allowed a fiveminute rebuttal. There's a clock on the TV screens behind me, which indicates 15 minutes, please step to the microphone. Identify yourself. After 14 minutes, a yellow light will come on. At the end of 15 minutes, a red light will flash indicating your time is up. Quickly end your statement. You may ask questions during your statement, but they won't be addressed until the public hearing is closed. If you have written comments that are longer than your verbal statement, give them to the clerk. She'll provide copies to the council. Please be courteous to others who wish to speak. Madame clerk, please read the public hearing item. Public hearing item 8A, public hearing to consider adoption of sewer user rates for fiscal years 2026 27 through 203031. >> Thank you, Mr. Kle. >> Mayor, >> and then um madam city attorney, >> if I may, before we really begin with the conversation, I would like the record to reflect that we have a court reporter here. The court reporter is taking down everything that we say this evening and so I would ask that everyone speak slowly uh so that the court reporter may prepare an accurate record. Thank you. >> Thank you. And court reporter if you need anyone to slow down just give us that signal please. Mr. Kle. >> Thank you mayor and councel. Uh before we begin the public uh hearing comment section, uh staff has a presentation to uh provide a summary review on this topic. It is worth noting that uh we presented on this topic uh more than a year ago um with council direction. We took a step back, we paused the process, we spent notable additional time uh researching uh this topic. uh we uh sought out um second opinions and third opinions on our data analysis. Uh we reached out to the community and we we ultimately were able to make some adjustments. Uh but the data proved out to to be consistent and accurate data from a year ago. But we've uh found uh some ways to uh um approach the timeline for um incurring some of the the rate increases. Uh and we've conducted extensive public outreach. We've had town hall meetings throughout the community uh virtual town hall meetings. We've posted that information on the city's website. We've done a thorough notice uh related to this topic. And so we're back here today uh representing uh what we believe is again a it had already been thorough extremely thorough analysis at this point and a balancing uh in our approach to best address the needs of the community as well as what's fiscally uh responsible. And so I'll turn it over to our water department director Chris Budak to provide a summary of where we're at today. >> Thank you Mr. Kle. Miss Budak. Thank you. Um, good evening, Mayor Goen Council. Um, I'm Chris Budak, director. >> Pull the mic closer, please. There we go. >> I'm Chris Budak, the director of the water department, and I'd like to provide an overview of the sewer rate Proposition 218 process leading up to tonight's hearing. Prior to council authorization on February 11th, 2026 to begin the Prop 218 process, staff performed a significant outreach effort beginning October 2025 through January 2026. In October, the first round of presentations to the community professional affiliations as well as key stakeholders began with a focus on educating the public on understanding the city's sewer system and deficiencies. It is important to explain to it was important to explain the to the community that the city is responsible for managing wastewater and storm water within the city limits. To do this, the city must collect and convey these waters utilizing pipes and lift stations. Yeah. To reduce the capacity of the wastewater treatment plants, storm water is diverted from the conveyance system into storm water basins or sumps. Here, the water is able to recharge into the subbasin. Waste water will flow to the treatment plant where it will be treated and the effluent can be sent to recharge basins where again it can per percolate into the subbasin and or it can be used for agricultural purposes. All structures and facilities associated with managing wastewater and storm water must be operated, maintained, and improved to ensure combined systems provide health and safety services to the city residents. In December, the second round of community community meetings began with the intent to explain rate development and obtain community feedback to various proposed rate scenarios. At the February 11th council meeting, staff was directed to begin the Proposition 218 process, identifying a recommended rate increasing to $475 effective July 1, 2026, followed by annual increases of $100 for the next four years. Based on the rate recommended by the council, HFNH had to update the 2026 cost of service analysis. In addition, water staff had to update the 2026 through 2030 sewer rate and fe fees report. The final report, which includes the 2026 cost of service analysis as an attachment, was finalized March 4th and was posted on the wastewater website March 5th. Proposition 218 pamphlets were mailed to residents on March 5th and March 19th by a third party vendor. I would like to now turn it over to the city clerk, Julie Dmachus, to discuss the city's protest process. The following is a summary of the city's Prop 218 noticing and protest procedures concerning the proposed sewer rate increase. The city mailed notice to all parcel owners affected by the proposed rate increase. Additionally, the city clerk's office published notice in the Bakersfield, Californian on April 4th and April 11th, and additional notice will be published on April 25th and May 2nd. Notice is also posted on the city clerk's digital display board at city hall north, which will remain posted until the conclusion of the public hearing on May 13th. The notice states that affected property owners or tenants who oppose the proposed rate increase may submit a written protest to the city clerk's office. Protests must be delivered to the city clerk's office and be received before the conclusion of the public hearing on May 13th. The city's process for counting protests is as follows. At the end of each workday, the city clerk's office transmits copies of all protests uh correspondence received to staff at the wastewater division for review and verification. Original protest letters are retained by the city clerk. Staff records every piece of correspondence into a log to track total protests received. Staff reviews all protests to verify whether they are valid. Protests submitted in correct form should include a statement of the person's opposition, the property address, the assessor's parcel number, and an original signature. Electronic signatures are not accepted, and only one protest per parcel will be counted. If a protest is received, which includes only an address or only a parcel number, but all other information can be identified and verified as valid, the protest will still be counted. Staff additionally verifies property locations and checks for duplicate protests which will not be counted. The city clerk provides an independent review of protests counted and audits those deemed invalid. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the city clerk will provide a summary of all protests received in response to the proposed rate increase. Thank you. As far as next steps, this evening we will have a public hearing to collect public comments. It's anticipated that the hearing will be continued to May 13th. On May 13th, we will again have a public hearing and collect public comments. As the clerk stated, protest letters will continue to be received until the end of the until the closing of the May 13th hearing. It is anticipated that upon closure of the hearing, the council will vote to either approve or deny the recommended rate. If the rate increase is approved, staff will prepare a resolution before the bring a resolution before the council on May 27th so that the Kern County assessor can update the tax rule with the approved rate. The rate would take effect July 1st, 2026. And that concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Kle. Would you like to add comments? >> Thank you, Mayor. No. >> Thank you. So, at this time, public hearing item 8A is open. We'll receive comment now from people who would like to speak in opposition to staff's recommendation. The city clerk has handed me 13 requests to speak. Uh we have 15 minutes for the opposition portion. So we would ask that you be very efficient in your speaking to allow as many speakers as possible to speak. Madame clerk Wendell Wesley Jr. followed by Dr. Natalie Escobida Garcia followed by Eric Orurayana. >> Welcome. >> Thank you. Okay. uh most people really are going to have a really hard time affording this. So some not so hard a time. It's something that we need. So we need to figure out a way to make it more affordable. And for those who really can afford it, we don't want to start losing residents. We already have a tax base problem. So we need to find a way to keep our good citizens here and come up with a program that's going to help assist those that are going to have challenges with affording this. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next speaker, clerk, >> Dr. Natalie Escobido Garcia. >> Good evening, council members. My name is Dr. Escoedo Garcia here on behalf of Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability. Um, as currently proposed, we are concerned about the increase in rates associated particularly with the expansion of wastewater treatment plant number three. While we understand the need to maintain and improve wastewater infrastructure, we are concerned that a portion of the proposed rate increase will shift financial burden from future customers to existing rateayers. Uh as the 218 analysis is currently written, it appears that the expansion of wastewater treatment plant number three is intended to accommodate for future growth. Um the analysis does not clearly state or outline if future customers will pay for that the expansion of the waste of wastewater treatment plant number three via connection fees or other mechanisms. Uh as per California's proposition 218, fees imposed on property related services such as sewer must be proportional to the cost of service attri attributable to each uh property or parcel. Uh and revenues driven uh from these fees cannot exceed the funds required to provide the service. Uh to ensure co current customers are not covering the cost of future customers that um and that the city is increasing rates in a way that upholds 218 requirements, the city must revise the analysis to include a breakdown of costs attributed to existing versus future customers and clearly outline how growth related capacity will be funded. Uh ensuring transparency and adherence to Prop 18 is essential to maintaining public trust and fairness in the sewer rate setting process. Um, we oppose the city's moving forward with the rate analysis as currently written. Thank you for your consideration. >> Thank you. Next speaker, please. >> Eric Oriana, followed by Claire Collins, followed by Tiffany Ayala. >> And just as a reminder, we have a court reporter. So, if you can just speak at a rate where he can take that, but be very efficient because we have many people who want to speak. Thank you. >> Yes. Thank you, uh, mayor, honorable council members, uh, Eric Oriana here on behalf of Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability. I'm here to speak about, uh, this proposed rate increase. Uh, met with staff, so appreciate, uh, they them making the time to connect. Um, but, uh, we wanted to recognize the need to invest in wastewater treatment plant number two, a significant investment, but, uh, one that we see as needed nonetheless. Um but we wanted to communicate one thing which is very clear that Bakersfield residents are under immense pressure uh on economic and financial fronts. They're making difficult decisions when going to the grocery store, when paying for medical prescriptions uh and when taking care of their families. A recent unemployment report uh identified a nearly 10% unemployment rate uh here in Kern County. Uh the average price of gas today is about $5.70. And um a University of California uh natural agricultural natural resource resources report found that this rate increase would be unaffordable for nearly one in four residents in Bakersfield. Um so uh one thing is clear that uh residents need support if this rate goes forward. Uh and so that's why we're asking that you establish a low-inccome rate assistance program. Uh which would be critical to ensuring that residents here in California and Bakersfield are supported. Uh there are people in this community that are on fixed incomes that we've spoken to and have communicated how much of an impact this would have. Uh and so we respectfully urge you to implement a low-inccome rate assistance program with general fund dollars. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next speaker, please. Claire Collins, followed by Tiffany Ayella, followed by Genevieve Eum. >> Welcome. >> Thank you. Uh my name is Claire Collins. Uh and I'm an attorney uh specializing in sewer rates setting. I do this all over the state and the county of Kern has asked me to come today to express some of its concerns. Uh I've brought with me today the county's protest against the proposed sewer rate increases. It is an original in it sign and I'll leave it here. Maintaining and improving aging sewer in sewer infrastructure is critical. However, so is affordability as was mentioned by the previous speakers. The proposed rate will increase sewer charges by nearly 400%. Over five years. Uh so imagine if you will that you have a $200 a month electricity bill right now. Imagine it going to four or going to $800 a month. a 400% increase. That's really large. Now, it's not that big because it's spread out over the year, but it's a 400% increase we're talking about over a 5-year period, but the facilities won't all be built within the next 5 years. They will benefit county residents for decades to come. The county respectfully requests that the city consider spreading these costs over a longer period. It's something we call generational equity. The county appreciates all the work that's gone into the study. We understand how uh thorough the city has tried to be and in working with consultants over the prior year. However, the county would like to be at the table. Um I do help entities across the state find affordable ways to finance these systems in order to spread these costs. The county is also concerned about the errors and how the public public was noticed. uh the fact that the notices are not available online and that there are two separate mailing dates and hearing dates that may be confusing to the public and there has not been a sufficient uh clarification of those issues. In addition, it's concerned about the $30 million in storm water fees that appear to violate the Selenus case. Um and it's concerned about the proportionality of the charges. And I'm happy to speak with any member of the staff or city attorney about this. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next speaker, please. Tiffany Ayala followed by Genevieve Eum followed by Mark Adams. >> Welcome. >> Thank you. >> Can you lower the mic, please? >> Thank you. Hi, my name is Tiffany Ayala. I'm a solid waste equipment operator. >> Sorry, can you hear me now? Okay, thank you. I said my name is Tiffany Ayala and I'm a solid waste equipment operator for the city of Bakersfield and also a member of SEIU 521. Um I'm struggling to understand why this council has waited until the last possible moment to invest in our infrastructure. Um as of now th um thousands of us are facing sewer rate increases. Five hikes over the next 5 years. Uh, this is a heavy burden, especially for working families already stretched thin. Um, have all of our options truly been exhausted before asking residents to carry the cost? Uh, is this fair to expect people to take on more than many of us are struggling to make ends meet? Also, I just want to ask u why are some parts of our city uh newer developed areas seem to receive more investment while other neighborhoods are left behind? uh local corporations should be paying their fair share of these increased costs. I just want to urge this council to explore mother other um equitable solutions that don't place the burden um on working families. Um we've had years to plan for this. Please don't ask us to bail it out right now. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next speaker, please. Genevie Eum followed by Mark Adams followed by John Murphy. Hi, just want to correct my name is Genevie Eigana. I'm actually a senior librarian. I work at Beal just a couple blocks down. I'm a fixed current leader and I am a proud member of SEIU Local 521. I'm here tonight to urge you to vote no on the proposed sewer rate increase. Um I live on the east side of Bakersfield. Many families are already struggling, including my own. Um parts of it feel like a food desert. There's higher poverty rates. aging infrastructure and we can't afford these increases. I understand that this council has an obligation to invest in our sewer system, but why did it take decades to act? And now that we're playing catch-up, will these investments finally bring the east side up to the level of the west side? Or will we continue to be left behind? Is balancing overdue investments on the backs of working families like mine and my neighbors really the only option? You've heard it in this chamber before. Assembly bill 1827 authorizes the city to charge those responsible like corporations and big A for increased system requirements to cover the true cost of expanding infrastructure. So why aren't we pursuing that more aggressively? We all agree infrastructure matters, but fairness matters too. And right now it feels like some parts of the city receive more attention, more investment, and more priority than others. Working families like mine and like my neighbors deserve relief, not higher bills. Please vote no on this proposal as it stands and bring back a plan that makes corporations finally pay their fair share. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next speaker, please. >> Mark Adams, followed by >> Just a reminder that we don't allow applause during this portion of the meeting. I know that you're passionate. Next speaker, please. >> Mark Adams, followed by John Murphy. My name is Mark Adams, 27year resident of Bakersfield. Uh, I live in the county, but I own a rental property in Ward 3. Um, better put these on. Um I'm going to abbreviate my remarks by a lot but uh basically um our sewer system did not suddenly reach the dilapidated condition u that it's described to be in. Um it happened over many years and under an apparently inadequate inspection protocol. Um, were the inspectors incompetent or did they actually report problems that were ignored? Was there preventative maintenance that could have been done that wasn't done? Um, you know, we've talked about the huge cost here, and I'm just going to jump to uh, you know, the the people who will be most affected by this are older, longtime homeowners, many on fixed income, who will see a disproportionate increase in their property tax bills if this proposal proposal is adopted as presented. uh so much for the protections of Prop 13. Um this flat fee is a workaround that has no connection to the assessed value of our homes. Um has any effort been made to offset the cost for the reconstruction of these facilities by reducing spending in the public's work public works department or any other city departments or is it just the taxpayers who have to suck it up and tighten their belts? Um, we see in the news example after example of obscene levels of fraud and waste in the state and federal levels of government. Are we to believe that none of that exists at the city level? I have many friends and family who have fled this state due primarily to the high cost of living and many more who would go but stay only because of family ties here. And I could go on and on. Um but uh I would just pose this question to the council members and to uh my councilman Weir. Uh this sewer issue came out of left field about a year ago. Yes. But uh then it was it was completely new to the public. Uh and so my concern is uh what else, you know, what other cans have been kicked down the road? what else is coming um that we're going to be blindsided with. That's all. >> Thank you. Next speaker, please. And just uh a reminder that we have many who want to speak, so we'd ask that you keep your comments succinct, please. >> John Murphy, followed by Catalina Maldonado. >> Welcome. Please introduce yourself. >> Nice to see you all. First time I've ever been here. Um, let's talk about the rate increase for the sewage. First of all, I guess I'd say I vote no on it. I moved here 12 years ago with my wife. We're both retired. Things are tight. We own our home. I'm not paying for it. Well, taxes, but we own it. We worked hard for that. And all of a sudden, I get this little pamphlet that says there's a sewage rate increase. And it's that's ex extreme amount over the past over the next 5 years. That'll make it hard. Now, I've only been here for 12 years, but in that time, I've been in the community everywhere. There are a lot of people here that are already struggling. A lot of people in Bakersfield, a lot of older people, and I understand there are some old areas in Bakersfield because it's an old oil town. Some of those are really old systems underground. I I understand those need to be fixed up. But all I can say is I hope that you would find another way than to just tax the people. Just put it on the people again because everything's on us. We notice it. We feel it in our pockets. We see it around. You know, it's it's tight. Everything's tight right now. And we moved here to Bakersfield because we figured, hey, we can afford it. It looked great. Since we've been here 12 years, our house has doubled in price, which is good for us. But the fact that more young people who are hoping to come here and buy homes, they're all of a sudden out there. They can't afford them. And then the ones that are just squeaking by, here it is again, another tax. So hopefully you can say no to this and find another way in which to pay for this. Maybe all the hundreds of thousands of homes that are going to be built here and the casinos and all the other things, maybe they can pitch in a little bit and take care of it another way, but not to hit the rest of us. It It's hard enough as it is. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, Nick. Speaker, please. Catalina Maldonado. Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, and council members. My name is Catalina Maldonado, and I'm a homeowner here in Bakersfield. I am here to respectfully oppose the proposed sewer rate increase. I am concerned that the Spanish speaking community is not being represented, so I'm here to read it in Spanish. I respectfully ask for a no vote to this rate increase. Thank you. >> Thank you, madam city attorney. Do we Okay. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Isaiah's Pledo. >> Welcome. We're down to 31 seconds. So, >> thank you, Mayor. Uh, thank you, city council. Uh, Isa Pledo, uh, here in Bakersfield. Um, as a resident and more so, uh, as a community advocate, I wanted to reach out and, um, share. I respectfully oppose uh for this um you know incentive to happen especially for the community. I believe that you know uh um I'm representing here you know um several business owners um 80 excuse me 8 8,000 uh or so business owners along with half a million residents who all want to oppose this no more taxes and you know stop taxing our seniors and our residents. It's uh it's an issue and a financial burden for us, more so our our Hispanic and Latino community who can barely make ends meet. So, please uh vote no on this. Don't continue this. Just vote no tonight. Thanks. >> Thank you, Mr. Pledo. Madam Clerk, we have three additional speaker cards requested for the record. I'm assuming they're in opposition. If they're not, uh please let us know. Would you just for the record read their names? Debbie Busby, Odell Contrarus, Olivia Naserson. >> Thank you. And now that is the conclusion of the opposition part. Uh is there anyone who would like to speak in support of staff's recommendation? This would be the time to speak. >> Seeing none, >> go ahead. >> I'm sorry. Since um there's no one here uh in favor of it, can we continue the new >> No, no, it doesn't work that way. Thank you, sir. >> Way to be fair. >> So, at this point, I'll close the public hearing and return it to council for comment and action. Vice Mayor, please. >> Thank you, mayor, and thank you to everyone who came to share with us tonight. Um, I have a question, a few questions for Chris Budak. Um, so I was just jotting down the questions that our residents had and since they've traveled all this way to share um, uh, their opinions as well as their feelings and have questions of us. Um, I wanted to ask you directly. >> Okay. Um, we're just going to wait one minute. We need just a little bit of a break. So, we need everybody here to hear that. So, we're just going to pause for a minute. >> Okay. >> Stay right there. All council members just have to be present uh to hear this part of the discussion. So, I think they're asking for a fivem minute uh recess. So, we'll just take a five minute recess and we'll be back in five. >> Reconvening at 6:24. Vice Mayor, please. You might want to start again. >> Thank you. Well, my first question is uh to address some of the >> Let's just make sure everybody sees Yeah. Go ahead. When we last had this item before us, um, one of my asks was to explore a program for those who are on fixed incomes, like our seniors, veterans, and and families who are on fixed incomes. How far are we now in developing a program to support those individuals on fixed incomes so that this does not impact them? Vice Mayor, I'll take that question. We've done that research out of the city manager's office. We have had staff um look at other areas that may have those programs. We've only found one benchmark comparable city that has a comparable program, which is the city of Sacramento. they spend $5.5 million a year out of their general fund to create a program like this. Uh so we we do have some analysis and examples of how it could work. Uh but we have not prepared a recommendation uh of what uh our um funding tiers or eligibility tiers would look like uh pending you know further council direction on the topic. What would we need next in order for us to make sure there is a program in place? >> I think it would take a budget appropriation by council in the upcoming budget process. >> Okay. And we are in the budget process now. So that is a recommendation that we can make. Correct. >> That is correct. >> Okay. Uh so my recommendation tonight is that we prioritize that within this budget cycle if we are making the ask of the public to increase the rate that we do provide a a system of support for those who are on fixed incomes in our community. Um we received um quite a few questions around engagement within the community and notifying our residents. Uh so to uh our water department director Chris Budak um when were residents first contacted? Was that before or after this came to the council and then we decided to do community meetings which came first? >> So initially in uh March April time of 2025 we took the uh one-time rate forward to the council the $950 rate um which was originally recommended to move forward with Prop 218 and then later rescended. So the discussions as far as the need for a rate increase began um I would say spring of 2025 um with the recision uh by the council there was request to ensure that we have um outreach with the community and so we worked on a number of things um having our report reviewed by a third party consultant uh which we did as well as uh put together a outreach program and though the The outreach program started in October with the community meetings uh for the council wards as well as a number of professional affiliations including uh greater Bakersfield uh chamber of commerce uh current tax um different um society of American civil engineers various affiliations like that. We had tours at the wastewater plant um for uh water association Kern County. Uh so we began that outreach in October. Um, we also came back to the council, I believe it was October 22nd, and we presented a updated one CASA rate, which was again a one-time fee without considering bonding or uh putting that rate over 5 years, and we presented it again to the council, and we were given direction to continue to evaluate rates. So, um, I believe that we've had this conversation in front of council. This is the fifth or sixth time. Uh we came back on February 11th and uh at that time the recommended rate was put forward which was the $475 was $100 a year increase for the remaining four years and uh we were directed to um move forward with the Prop 218 process. >> Okay. And there was a question about the notices being available online. Is the notice available online? I would defer to our city clerk. >> Has it been provided for them to put it online? >> Notices typically are not posted online uh per um our uh procedures. They are posted for uh public review on the city clerk's digital display board that is available 24 hours a day. In addition, notices are mailed to affected property owners. >> Okay. >> If I if I may, Vice Mayor, also just to to round out the the conversation, we created a separate web page dedicated specifically to this topic. That web page has the the cost of service analysis report, the engineering reports. It has um links to uh this notice information. We've also sent out, you know, multiple social media notices. And so um you know the the web page uh that's dedicated to this topic you know has um extensive content on this um as including um connections to our notice. Yes, >> there was a question about the notices being available in >> There's a question about the notices being available in languages other than English. Were the l were the notices mailed to Spanish-sp speakaking households in Spanish, Punjabi speaking households in Punjabi, the gaglug speaking households in Is that something we did? >> It is not. >> Okay. Um, there was a question about preventative precautions that have been taken before the decision to increase the rates. under your leadership, were there preventative precautions that were taken? And could you share some of those things that we've done that were shared within the community meetings as things progress that's been made or at least attempts in trying to repair that then resulted in us being here and needing to do a more overhaul of um our sewer systems. >> So, I would like to um invite Evette Raldon to assist with that question. Um I will advise that we have um operators and maintainers uh that operate and maintain the system. Uh the challenge with a wastewater facility is you can it you don't really know that there is a underground problem or a problem within concrete or with a within a structure until potentially it fails. Um because they are always under a um a wastewater load. And so the staff is uh always maintaining, operating, reviewing, um preventing whatever maintenance they can do. Whenever they can see that something's not working right, they um they have a uh work order system that they log all of their uh imp uh modifications uh into a report so they can keep track of all the um changes and improvements that they're making. Um uh Evette, would you like to share? Um uh the only thing I would add good uh good evening uh mayor and council is um we do have a preventative uh maintenance program within the treatment plants, the sewer system and the storm sewer system. Um I would say that historically the rate has been low. So we have been limited meaning we do as much as we can with the funding that we do have available at the time. Um, and so we do have preventative, we do have um, also emergency uh, repairs that we do when they come up, but we do what we can with the funding available. >> Thank you. Um, I think in closing, just taking stock of what our residents have shared today, what I've heard in community meetings, two things being true at the same time. There is an urgency to make sure that we build infrastructure and catch up while also the responsibility of us as public servants, as a city to make sure we're notifiing notifying our residents in a way that is diligent and transparent and um you know it is also taking accountability and I'll be the first to say that when initially this went out um we did resend this because we recognized that more community outreach was necessary. And uh that was my comments in the water committee when we first saw these rates increased is how our residents would feel the impact of these in a year of economic hardship for every single family in the city of Bakersfield as has been documented today as well. Um so it is our responsibility to make sure we are communicating this rate increase in a way that one makes sense. um we can break it down so that we are communicating and meeting our residents where they are in the language in the community that they live in in the language that they speak and read in and write in. Um and that is our responsibility as well. And when we had community meetings in Ward 7, my residents uh and my constituents were sharing that it is not that they do not understand that we need a rate increase. It is that how this rate increase was brought on and communicated is what is really hard to uh kind of digest really while also understanding that we cannot let infrastructure uh decay and also be delayed and what the longer term impacts of that could be. So I feel that the decision to do community meetings was a good one in order to let our residents know um and the more information we can provide the better. uh and that responsibility is on us. And um so I wanted to ask those clarifying questions as well as make sure that we continue to provide more information and we send out notices responsibly and um that we create this open space and dialogue for our residents to be able to share what uh be able to share what they're feeling and and we hear them. Um >> um okay. I think I'll conclude my comments there. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Basher. >> Miss City attorney, can can you speak to the county uh comments from the county and the attorney that came for the county? >> Thank you, mayor. Council member Bashier. Um for legal issues concerning Prop 218, the city attorney's office has um on retainer the law firm of Colonano Highmith and Watley. And tonight uh we have with us a partner of that firm uh John D. Christina. And I'd ask him to come up to the microphone and and address those concerns if it's okay with the mayor. >> Yes, please. Mr. D Christina. >> Good evening. Thank you for having me again. My name is John D. Christina. I'm with the law firm Colintino Highmith and Watley. We specialize in municipal finance issues uh including Proposition 218 and therefore the wastewater uh sewer rates before you this evening. Um right. So I I did notice uh in addition to the the legal issues that uh Miss Collins raised, there was one other legal issue that I thought I'd address while I'm up here. Um, and that was a gentleman uh mentioned that uh placing these on the property tax role might um frustrate Prop 13 from 1978. And so in in this moment, I'm afraid I'm going to do some very esoteric lawyering. And I I want to first of all acknowledge from the perspective of somebody paying their property tax bill, it doesn't really make a difference. But uh from a legal perspective, I just want to make sure you understand that you're not breaking the law. You're not violating Prop 13. Prop 13. Uh sorry, the property tax role uh as you may know includes many things in addition to the advalorum property tax that is affected by Prop 13. Uh but we use it to do all kinds of other things. If you have a special uh initiative that funds public safety, public schools that often goes on the property tax role even though it is nothing to do with the value of the home. It is not the advalorum property tax. Um that's basically it's very similar to what you're doing here. There's provisions under the health and safety code that permit you to collect your sewer rates on the property tax role. That's what you're doing tonight. It's separate from the Prop 13 issue. Um the other issues that the that Miss Collins raised um first of all taking capital costs and spreading them out over time. Uh the concept of generational equity that is a policy issue that is not a legal issue. Um if we were to another uh lady I believe from the leadership council uh characterized it as a Prop 218 issue, it is not. Um because if you think about the way that you fund capital um for utilities, there are two kind of ways to do it. One would be with non- rate revenue, one with rate revenue, right? At that basic level and nothing in the law requires you to use only non- rate revenue to fund capital costs. So here we are over in how do you fund it with c with rate revenue? Two basic ways to do that. Pay as you go financing or bonding, right? Taking on debt, paying it out over time. Nothing in the law requires you to choose between those two or choose a particular mix of the two. That is a policy choice of how much you're going to ask um current rate payers to invest, how much you are going to spread out over time. Um, I can bore you with some of the case law on it, but basically what it boils down to is this is a business judgment. It is your uh role as the policy makers to decide how to spread that out over time. It's all the same system. It's all um the thing that you're giving people is is not um you know, in the case of a water utility, it's not you're g not giving them a glass of water. You're giving them the system that provides the water. Uh second, the public notice issue. Um, if you had not sent out the second notice and allowed people to uh provide not uh their protests until May 13th, then I would be worried about it. But as it stands, what you have done does um comply with the law. Um, of course, people might want additional notice. I'm I'm not here to say what would be good or bad. I'm just here to tell you what the law requires. And you have met that requirement. certainly uh substantial um compliance with basically giving people notice, giving them 45 days after they get that notice to submit a protest. You've done that. The final thing um spreading paying for uh storm water fees uh basically combining storm water and wastewater into one utility and having one rate to cover both of them. Um, as Miss Collins noted, there's a case on this um involving the city of Selenus. I might have the exact date wrong, but I believe it's from 2002. Uh, but it basically what it says is that there is a difference, a meaningful legal difference between what a utility does for wastewater, right? You flush a toilet, where that goes to how you handle storm water. what happens when it rains and the water goes into your gutters and you make sure that it doesn't flood. Um, I have spoken with your city attorney about your uh structure and my firm has concluded that you're fine. I can again go into details. I have not read the uh particular uh the letter that Miss Collins submitted tonight, so I don't know specifically which issues she's raising, but I can tell you that I've had general discussions with your city attorney about how to do this right and I believe you have done it right. I'm happy to field questions if you have specific issues on that topic that you'd like me to address tonight. Otherwise, I will review that letter and see what specifically has been raised so that um I can again work with your city attorney, your city manager to have a a more um complete response on on the issues that have been raised on that. I think I've covered everything the legal issues. I mean, there are plenty of I I don't want to undermine the the weighty business and political issues that are before you tonight about this, but legally speak excuse me, legally speaking, that is all I heard, but please let me know if you think I've overlooked something that you would like addressed tonight. >> Thank you. Would you like to add anything, Mr. Jiro? >> No. Thank you, Mayor. >> Thank you, Mr. >> At this point, I don't see any other requests from council for comment. Vice Mayor motion to continue the item. >> I need this uh motion, please, vice mayor, to continue the item specifically to the next city council meeting, which is May 13th of 2026. >> Motion to continue the item 8A to the next city council meeting on May 13, 2026. >> Thank you. Thank you. You have a motion. Please cast your votes. >> Motion is approved with council member Aras absent. >> Thank you, madam clerk. Next item, please. Council and Mayor statements. Council member Smith. >> Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to change the subject to the uh ongoing discussion on jail beds. I I went earlier. >> Council member Smith. I see um we need maybe to wait one minute as people leave just so you can be heard. So, anybody who wishes to leave at this point before we do the next part, you're welcome to leave right now. If that's helpful for you, you're welcome to stay also. That's your audience. >> Council member Smith. Thank you, mayor. >> Thank you, mayor. So, I wanted to, as I stated, change the subject and talk about the ongoing discussion on jailbs. I went to the board of supervisors earlier this week and asked them to include some monies for the jailbed solution. uh in many discussions with the sheriff's department, he is not able at this time to to solve that community problem because of various reasons and we believe we have found a solution. But uh historically it is the county's place to provide jailbeds. And so we are asking them for financial help as they prepare their budget. And so I would ask my colleagues if they know any supervisors. They would be great to speak with them during this process. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Smith. Anyone else? I don't see any other requests. This today is Earth Day and Saturday we had more than 2,000 people volunteers come out to help clean up our city. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to staff for participating in that process also. And kudos to the mayor high school challenge winner, Bakersville Christian High School, that brought 171 individuals to participate in the cleanup. This is all part of a nationwide effort on that day and we just urge all of you to continue to keep our community beautiful. Thank you to Bakersville Mazda Council Member Basher for providing $1,500 for the first prize winner and second prize went to Miramonte High School and then third to Independence High School. But we had young people and adults. So to everyone who participated, thank you very much. And with that, we stand adjourned at 6:46. That was fast. That was good. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.