A number of requests to place items on future agenda were deliberated on last week by the Ceres City Council with some being rejected including ending medical benefits for councilmembers, a forensic audit and lowering some speed limits in Eastgate.

Vice Mayor Daniel Martinez bemoaned the fact that it’s taken so long for some of their referrals to be discussed at meetings. He noted that 11 council referrals had accumulated to pile up in one meeting, with Casey’s referral being over three months old.

Oversight rejected

The council majority rejected the idea of talking about the creation of a Citizens Financial Oversight and Audit Committee requested by Councilmember Otero last March.

While the city undergoes an annual financial audit by a CPA firm and regularly receives a clean audit opinion, Otero and Councilman James Casey have repeatedly asked for a forensic audit. A regular audit is designed to determine whether financial statements are presented fairly and comply with applicable accounting standards. A forensic audit is designed to investigate suspected fraud, financial misconduct or other legal issues.

“There is a lot of improvements that need to be made,” said Otero, “and I think it’s best that we allow the citizens to get involved, and I would request that we create a financial oversight and audit committee.

Rejecting the idea were Mayor Javier Lopez, Vice Mayor Daniel Martinez and Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra.

Cemetery guard rails

The council won’t take up Casey’s referral to consider the city placing K-rails on Whitmore Avenue to keep cars from drifting into the Ceres Memorial Park fence and into the graveyard. K-rails are pre-cast concrete barriers used to separate traffic from other areas.

“We have cars that come over the overpass and then run into the fence, and into this cemetery,” said Casey. “As the cemetery grows, they’re going to have our loved ones right there. And so I think that we, the city, is obligated to protect the safety of the cemetery.”

After hearing that Police Chief Trenton Johnson, City Engineer Mike Beltran and City Manager Steve Williams met with the cemetery general manager to recommend actions that could be implemented to protect the cemetery from wayward cars, the council decided against taking up the referral.

Joint meeting

The council found a consensus to hold a joint meeting with the Planning Commission, an idea presented by Martinez in April.

Medical benefits retained

Otero’s suggestion to have the council take up the matter of reducing stipend pay for councilmembers and eliminating healthcare benefits were rejected. (See story on A1).

No to amending zones to diversify business

The council decided not to take up the idea of amending the zoning code to diversify the types of businesses that go in specific zones and prevent concentrations of certain businesses in one area. The idea was a referral by Otero.

“I’d like to see as amend the zoning code,” said Otero. “We’re gonna be growing with more housing and all of that, but I want people to come here and stay here. I don’t want them to leave. I don’t want businesses to leave.”

The idea was rejected by Lopez, Vierra and Martinez.

Budget Committee idea liked

The council wants to discuss at a future meeting the possibility of establishing a Budget Committee with a resident from each council district.

Casey proposed the idea of a year round panel. Members supported talking about it in the future.

No to lower speed limits

Otero’s idea to talk about lowering the speed limit by 5 mph on Eastgate Boulevard (Hatch Road to Whitmore Avenue), Boothe Road (Hatch Road to Whitmore Avenue), Moffet Road ( between Hatch and River roads) was rejected.

In May Otero suggested the council consider lowering the speed limits on Eastgate Boulevard and Boothe Road. She also suggested lowering speed limits around all city parks.

“I don’t know if speed limits necessarily change behavior,” said Vierra. “Or at least that’s what I’m kind of hearing from the Police Department, is even changing it doesn’t necessarily mean someone’s gonna drive slower. “

She complained “why other council members were not given the same opportunity” but was told by Beltran that any councilmember could ask for a street speeding limit to be considered for a change.

Vierra also noted the cost of changing signs at $1,500 to $2,000 apiece “and if each one of us each have three recommendations we’re talking about a significant amount of money, and so that’s my biggest concern right now.”

Vice Mayor Martinez said: “We can lower speed limits, but that doesn’t necessarily stop bad drivers from driving dangerously. I’m concerned that this only seems to impact one area of the city when there are other areas.”

Speed limits are set based on traffic studies but Beltran noted that if councilmembers “want to look at different roads, we can do that.”

Beltran also noted that AB 43 allows cities to reduce speed limits by 5 mph in areas of parks and schools. AB 382 will become a mandate as of 2031 that mandates speed limits in all school zones be set at 20 mph and a provision to bring them down to 15 mph.

Lopez, Martinez and Vierra were opposed to talking about lowering the limits on streets proposed by Otero.

Increase watering days

The council had a consensus on Martinez’s suggestion to look into allowing outdoor watering three days per week like Modesto instead of two days.

Ceres resident John Warren liked the idea noting residents have a water use target regardless of days.

Acting Public Works chief Josh Casas suggested three days per week could cause Ceres to exceed state water efficiency standards.

“Although I like the idea, I don’t necessarily feel jeopardizing our standing with the state Water Board and the inability to access water as well as drain our wells further down and getting more contaminates into it and sand, which I’m hearing a lot about,” said Vierra.

Casas, however, noted that Ceres is not consuming as much water from the surface water plant as originally ordered. “The case could be made that, in some cases, we are not getting the full benefit of that water that’s allotted to us,” said Casas

Two-day-per-week watering was enacted because of a mandate by the state in response to the drought, said Casas. Another drought would likely mean scaling back watering days back to two per week.

Smyrna Park safety

An idea by Martinez to look into safety around Smyrna Park will advance. He suggested flashing pedestrian safety crossings.

Beltran said the city has two projects in the works to repaint crosswalks and installing speed tables (flat-topped, raised speed hump built across a road).

2021 CARES Act Audit & RAD Funding

The council had a consensus to proceed with discussion about doing an audit requested by Otero on 2021 CARES Act Audit & RAD Funding.

“I want to ensure that the funding during that time was reflected correctly in our budget, our staff reports,” said Otero. “I know that the single year audit for 2021 was not completed timely. It was completed in 2023 and at that time, there wasn’t an audit done.”

Setting general fund reserve minimums

The last item took up the idea of the council considering the adoption of a formal resolution establishing a general fund reserve policy.

Mayor Lopez said: “If the city of Ceres is going to reference a reserve percentage, whether it’s 18 percent, 20 percent or another number, it should be clearly adopted by the council through a formal resolution.

“As a part of this referral, I would like the staff to bring back options for a target reserve level, Including whether the city should remain at 18 percent or towards 20 percent. I would also like to see a five-year road map to gradually rebuild reserves, and the clear rules for when the city may temporarily fall below the adopted percentage, along with the plan to restore those funds. The goal is accountability, transparency, and the long term financial discipline for the city of Ceres.”

Otero noted that the city’s reserve dropped from 25 percent in 2010 to 20 percent five years later. The minimum reserve under the Chris Vierra mayor’s term was deceased to 18 percent. She warned about raising the reserve too high if it caused the city to renege if budget woes continue.

At the conclusion of going through the referrals, Otero said she feels the council needs to evaluate the way referrals are handled. However, City Attorney Nubia Goldstein said the council cannot “make referrals from the dais and not have it agendized and ask for consensus at that meeting because it’s a Brown Act issue. So that’s why we have this multi-step process, and we have generally advised council members that if you have a referral item, added to staff or the city manager ahead of the agenda posting, so that it can actually make its way on the agenda.”