Monday, January 15, 2018 - 12:23pm By Ed Martin, Editor

Significant agenda greets Lemoore Council as members consider elections, EDC, and more

Mayor Ray Madrigal

Lemoore’s city leaders will have their hands full when they return Tuesday night (Jan. 15) to a stacked agenda, their first regularly-scheduled council meeting of 2018. No doubt it may be a long night as they face a plethora of issues.

Tuesday’s agenda includes a potpourri of items, including a full study session, the retirement of a longtime fire chief – and the appointment of a new one – the anticipated renewal of a longstanding relationship with the Kings County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), a slew of city appointments, and the council’s second public hearing concerning the move to voting districts.

And that’s just a partial list.

See Lemoore City Council Jan. 16 Agenda

For starters, some Lemoore councilmembers want to take a second look at an agreement with the Kings County EDC after declining a motion to accept a contract in October. Since then, there may have been a change of heart as to the value of the relationship.

As reported previously, the City of Lemoore and EDC have a 45-year relationship that included such services as industry attraction, the facilitation and retention of new businesses, and of course financial support for new companies.

In addition to business retention and attraction, the Kings EDC does financing and other business incentives:

Coordinate quarterly meetings of the Friends of NAS Lemoore support group, consisting of representatives from government, education, veteran services, Farm Bureau, top representatives at NAS Lemoore and other interested parties.
Continue to coordinate the civilian response to issues critical to the long-term health and survivability of NAS Lemoore, such as BRAC rounds, home basing decisions regarding new aviation platforms, land use plans, training range designations and other issues.
Attend the annual CCVEDC legislative education mission to Sacramento to meet with legislators on issues affecting business in the Central Valley.
Coordinate training for tax professionals and businesses on state and federal incentive programs as new opportunities come available.
Develop a new or updated Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy document (as appropriate) for submission to the Economic Development Administration as a threshold document needed to submit Economic Development Agency infrastructure grant applications for Lemoore projects.
Coordinate an annual state of the economy presentation for EDC members, including the development of marketing materials for business attraction.
Track and provide input on significant infrastructure projects affecting business in Lemoore, such as the VAST fiber-optic spine, the expansion of Highway 198 to Interstate -5 and other similar projects of significance.
Hold four monthly EDC Board luncheon meetings in Lemoore.

The membership fee for retaining the EDC is $20,000 per year – to be paid on a monthly basis.

Also on the agenda is the second public hearing as city leaders move to district elections. The current at-large system of electing councilmembers may end this year as the City holds another discussion on the issues, the second of five such public hearings. The third hearing is slated for Feb. 6 while a fourth is scheduled for Feb. 20 and a fifth on March 6.

Councilmembers are also expected to honor outgoing Lemoore Volunteer Fire Chief Bob Gibson who is retiring this year. The City Council is scheduled to appoint longtime volunteer Bruce German to the post.