GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Three new city employees were introduced at the Oct. 7 Gridley City Council meeting: Pamela Roberts, administrative secretary, Amanda Kaelin, recreation coordinator, and Jason Garringer, police lieutenant. All three were commended for the contributions they have already made to the community.

During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Brenda O’Brien, PGE Government Affairs representative, introduced herself to City Council and city Administrator Elisa Arteaga said that she looked forward to working with O’Brien.

City attorney Tony Galyean gave an update on the Virginia Street cleanup.

The 110 Virginia St. owners have not responded, despite numerous attempts to contact them, according to Galyean, so the city will proceed with the lawsuit of Health and Safety Code Receivership previously agreed upon by City Council. All the property taxes, as well as cleanup costs, will be charged to the owners, and become a lien against the property.

On the other hand, the property owner of 390 Virginia St. has cooperated, according to city officials. The owner’s contractor and engineer obtained permits to demolish the building but have since decided that only the tower needs to be removed.

Gridley Finance Director Martin Pineda provided details on the proposed investment agreement with Meeder Investment Group, a firm that will invest city funds. The fee for the service will be .10% of the total amount of city funds invested. Currently, the funds are not earning interest but could earn interest if invested in low-risk bonds or Certificates of Deposit, according to Pineda. Daily monitoring of the investments would be part of the contract. The Meeder Investment Group is contracted by other communities nearby, such as Paradise. Authorization would also be needed for Arteaga to allocate the funds.

The council voted unanimously in favor of the agreement, with the addition of a monthly report.

Pineda expressed the need for software to benefit the recreation department. He presented a PowerPoint detailing the potential benefits of the Activenet program.

Because much of the paperwork for sports registration of 485 children is done manually, there have been some errors. Just one example is lost paper applications, causing confusion on the first day of practice.  In addition, accurate records are important, due to medical needs and food allergies that are listed on the application. 

With the new software, all the registration, including payments, could be handled online. Scheduling would be streamlined as well. 

There was some discussion of mandatory training for coaches. Pineda indicated that there is a website for coaches.

Total cost for the Activenet program is $10,455. Voting was unanimous by the council to purchase it for the benefit of the Gridley Recreation Department.

A review was made of several ordinances pertaining to military equipment being held by the Gridley Police Department. The council voted to keep the ordinances unchanged.

Butte County has emergency VEOCI software especially designed for disaster management, according to Arteaga. Some advantages are on-the-minute disaster updates, including road closure, and a direct connection to the Butte County Emergency Operation Center. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be in effect until Aug. 31, 2027. Costs will be $729.19 for year one, $803 for year two and $765.65 for year three.

The council voted to accept the memorandum of understanding terms.

Councilmember J Angel Calderon and Fire Chief Chip Fowler both shared details of their recent trip to Comala, Mexico, Gridley’s sister city. They visited two coffee farms and a museum featuring local artwork. In addition, they attended a brainstorming session, where Calderon attended the cultural/educational group, and Fowler was in the education and training exchange group.