Jul 20, 2021 Special City Council

[00:00:01]

A COUPLE OF HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS, FOLKS.

JUST A REMINDER, WE ARE HAVING A SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING THIS MORNING OR THIS EVENING FIRST BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, EACH MEETING IS PROPERLY AGENDIZED WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION FOR EACH MEETING.

BUT ACTUALLY MANY OF YOU ARE HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT ONE ITEM, WHICH IS ALREADY AGENDIZED ON THE SECOND MEETING FOR 12 B, JUST SO YOU KNOW.

IT'S RIGHT AT 6:00 P.M.

NOW WE'LL BEGIN THIS MEETING, THIS SPECIAL MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 6:01 P.M.

[1) CALL TO ORDER: Mayor]

MAYOR GARCIA PRESENT MAYOR PRO TEM REYNA HERE.

COUNCIL MEMBER CORTEZ PRESENT COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, HERE COUNCIL MEMBER PALLARES HERE, ALL MEMBERS PRESENT. THANK YOU.

IF YOU'RE ABLE PLEASE STAND FOR A FLAG SALUTE.

SALUTE, PLEDGE.

AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

MOVING ON TO PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING THIS EVENING.

THIS PORTION EXCUSE ME, MR. MAYOR, BECAUSE OF THE ITEM ON THIS AGENDA.

I AM. THAT'S RIGHT.

I APOLOGIZE.

I RECUSE MYSELF BECAUSE I LIVE WITHIN 500 FEET OF THE AFFECTED AREA.

YES, STAFF DID ADVISE ME OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

MEMBER PALLARES WILL BE EXCUSING HIMSELF FROM THE CHAMBER FOR THE DURATION OF THIS MEETING. WE WILL PROCEED ITEM 4 PUBLIC COMMENTS, THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING IS RESERVED FOR PERSONS WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL ON ANY MATTER OF THIS SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA.

SPEAKERS ARE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES PER SPEAKER.

PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD BEFORE MAKING YOUR COMMENTS.

MADAM CLERK ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THIS TIME? MR. MAYOR, THEY CAN ONLY COMMENT ON ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.

THAT'S CORRECT IN A SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING RULES ONLY PERMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF THIS SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, SEEING NO PUBLIC COMMENTS I'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE, NEW BUSINESS.

[5) a. Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Wasco declaring 930 Broadway (APN 030-350-05), a public nuisance and a threat to public health and safety, ordering the demolition and cleaning of the property pursuant to City of Wasco Municipal Code Chapter 17.80 and Authorizing the City Manager to approve expenditures for demolition and clearing of the property in an amount not to exceed $20,000 (Cobb)]

ORDERING THE DEMOLITION AND CLEANING OF THE PROPERTY PURSUANT TO CITY OF WASCO MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 17.80 AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO APPROVE EXPENDITURES FOR DEMOLITION AND CLEARING OF THE PROPERTY IN AMOUNTS NOT TO EXCEED 20,000 DOLLARS, DIRECTOR COBB. YES, HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL ON JULY 17TH, 2021, THE KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED OUT TO A STRUCTURE FIRE AT 930 BROADWAY.

THE FIRE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE REAR STRUCTURE, SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO A METAL SHED AND NEIGHBORING FENCE, AND DAMAGE TO THE REAR OF THE MAIN STRUCTURE.

EXHIBIT B OF THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION IN YOUR STAFF REPORT SHOWS PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE RESULTING DAMAGE TO THIS PROPERTY.

SOMETIME IN 2015 THE PROPERTY OWNER AT 930 BROADWAY INDICATED TO OUR CODE COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY WERE NO LONGER COLLECTING RENT AT THIS PROPERTY AND WE'D BE LETTING THE PROPERTY GO BACK TO THE BANK.

SUBSEQUENTLY IN 2018, THE BANK INDICATED TO CODE COMPLIANCE THAT THEY HAD CHARGED OFF THE PROPERTY, ZEROED OUT THE LOAN AND WOULD NO LONGER BE MAINTAINING THE PROPERTY.

SINCE THEN, CODE COMPLIANCE HAS BEEN WORKING TOWARDS ABATEMENT OF THIS PROPERTY.

HOWEVER, COVID-19 AND THE KERN COUNTY COURTS SHUT DOWN HAS SLOWED THAT PROCESS.

PRIOR TO THE FIRE, WE RECEIVED AN INFORMAL QUOTE OF 20,000 DOLLARS TO COMPLETE THE WORK.

HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE NOW THAT SINCE THIS FIRE HAS TAKEN PLACE, WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET INFORMAL BIDS BELOW THE 10,000 DOLLAR THRESHOLD FOR THE FORMAL BID PROCESS.

STAFF IS RECOMMENDING THAT THE COUNCIL ADOPT THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION, DECLARING 930 BROADWAY A PUBLIC NUISANCE AND A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, ORDERING THE DEMOLITION AND CLEANING OF THE PROPERTY PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF WASCO MUNICIPAL CODE AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO APPROVE EXPENDITURES FOR DEMOLITION AND CLEARING OF THE PROPERTY IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 20,000 DOLLARS.

CODE COMPLIANCE IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A WARRANT AND WILL BE PROCEEDING WITH THAT SUBSEQUENT TO YOUR APPROVAL HERE TONIGHT.

VERY WELL, THANK YOU, DR. COBB.

EXCUSE ME. DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME? ANY COMMENTS FROM THE MEMBERS, MAYOR PRO TEM REYNA? THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST THE FACT THAT THESE PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN A NUISANCE FOR YEARS AND SO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

THAT'S IT FOR ME. MEMBER CORTEZ VINCENT.

I HAVE NONE, THANK YOU. MEMBER MARTINEZ.

NO COMMENTS.

I HAVE NO COMMENTS EITHER I WOULD LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE.

[00:05:01]

MADAM CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLE.

MAYOR GARCIA, AYE.

MAYOR PRO TEM REYNA, AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER CORTEZ, AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, AYE.

MOTIONED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ SECOND BY MAYOR PRO TEM REYNA TO APPROVE ITEM 5 A, MOTION IS APPROVED WITH 4 AYES WITH COUNCIL MEMBER PALLARES ABSENT.

VERY WELL. ALL RIGHT SEEING NO MORE NEW BUSINESS WE'LL MOVE ON TO ADJOURNING.

COULD WE CALL COUNCIL MEMBER PALLARES BACK.

MADAM CLERK . LET THE RECORD SHOW MEMBER PALLARES HAS RETURNED TO THE CHAMBER WITH BUSINESS BEING ADJOURNED FOR THIS SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING WE'LL MOVE TO ADJOURN.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.