Pictured here is a hazard that requires abatement at 110 and 390 Virginia St. Photo courtesy of City Administrator Elisa Arteaga.

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – The Gridley City Council met in regular session on April 15, with all members present excepting Councilmember Catalina Sanchez.

One public comment was taken at the beginning of the meeting, from Christian Garcia of Waste Management. He reported on the progress of the special assessment lien process taking place for delinquent accounts. He reported that the first batch of notification letters, regarding an impending lien if payments are not made, was sent out March 29 and another round is expected to go out April 22.

Garcia stated that an edit was made to the Spanish version of the letter, and that feedback received indicated a need for clarification with respect to the amounts listed on the letter; the letters show total amount of payment due, minimum due to avoid lien, and lienable amount based on tax rolls as of December 2023. The minimum amount of payment will come due May 31 of this year, and Garcia indicated that those involved will receive another letter clarifying responsibility and action required.

The Council voted to approve the consent agenda. This included approving the amended minutes from the March 4 meeting, the minutes from special and regular meetings on March 18.

Also approved was the second reading of an ordinance to re-zone a 40-acre parcel on the east side of West Biggs Gridley Road from residential to residential with agricultural overlay. This allows commercial agricultural use of the land until such time as it is developed for single family residences.

Two final consent items approved were a resolution authorizing the purchase of 3-phase transformers for the Electric Department, and an amendment to the City’s existing contract with RSG, Inc., increasing total cost to $45,000. This amendment pertains to consultation services rendered to assist in selling industrial park parcels and managing the City’s Long Range Property Management Plan (LRMPM).

The Council voted to approve a second amendment to the Cooperation Agreement with the Butte Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency, an increase of $8,000 to the amount the City will contribute.

City Finance Director Martin Pineda brought a proposed amendment of contract with Eide Bailly for services rendered to bring audits current. He also requested approval for renewal of contract for current year and next year. Councilmembers approved both the amendment and the proposed renewal.

City Administrator Elisa Arteaga expressed concern about the ongoing level of nuisance and hazard that exists in the abandoned properties at 110 and 390 Virginia Street. Mayor Mike Farr appealed to City Attorney Tony Galyean for direction about the City’s options for abatement at this point in time.

Galyean indicated that an abatement action will likely necessitate a court-established health and safety receivership. For those interested in learning about this process, information is available at https://www.calreceivers.com/health-and-safety-receiverships.

Captain Chip Fowler was invited to take the podium to detail the Fire Department’s capacity and limitations in addressing fire incidents that have occurred and could occur in these buildings (there was a small fire as recently as last week) and stated, “we would support the abatement of both properties.”

Mayor Mike Farr was vocal in his feeling that, if nothing is done, “somebody’s going to get killed.” He said, “this is a bomb waiting to go off. This is a high priority. I think this should be priority #1.”

Councilmember Bruce Johnson moved to formally request Attorney Galyean to identify professional receivers who could be utilized on the project. Councilmember James Roberts seconded the motion and the Council voted to move forward. Galyean indicated that he will return to the Council with this information so that next steps can be initiated.