The City Council meeting on the 12th of April started out on a high note with some big news. Keith Gurrola was sworn in as the new Fillmore Fire Chief, effective immediately. After Chief Gurrola swore his oath, a resounding applause came from the audience. His speech was short and humble. He mentioned the “long history of tradition” regarding the Fillmore Fire Department, most notably the Chief position. He vowed to “continue to make great strides” for the Fire Department as well as the city of Fillmore as a whole. Mayor Diane McCall was the first to congratulate Chief Gurrola and then opened it up to the other councilmembers for comment. Councilmember Manuel Minjares was the first to speak lauding Chief Gurrola’s courage to take the position. Mayor Pro Tem Carrie Broggie echoed his sentiments and jokingly highlighted the fact that Fillmore was able to steal one from Santa Paula. Councilmembers Douglas Tucker and Rick Neal noted that there would be big shoes to fill, but that the city of Fillmore was lucky to have such a capable chief and great individual. City Manager Dave Rowlands concluded with some powerful remarks. He ensured that there was a national search for the position of fire chief, but throughout this search one name continued to pop up. Everybody from the family of the previous chief to the Interim Chief Bill Herrera said that the City of Fillmore would be lucky to have such an experienced Fire Chief and esteemed member of the community.

The public comments started with a qualm about a tree on 633 Fillmore St. The individual commenting brought up the fact that the tree was only trimmed on the city’s side and not the property owner’s side. There are multiple owners affected by the tree and with the windy weather of late it could cause a dangerous situation.

It was also brought up that the comprehensive financial report on the website has seemingly not been updated since 2013. The reports from the years 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 may be inaccessible to the public. Councilmember Neal confirmed that the financial reports were documented and that they would soon be put up for public access on the website.

A comment was brought up regarding the unsafe conditions as far as sidewalks not being properly marked throughout the city. The question was brought up whether or not the city would be liable for any injuries or other events regarding the sidewalks and any personnel involved if said sidewalks were mentioned in the financial report.

Another comment was brought up by former Fire Chief Pat Askren regarding the intersection by La Unica Market. It was stated as one of the most dangerous intersections in Fillmore. The former chief cited a death and other accidents that have occurred there. He proposed to have an official check out the intersection and see if any action can be pursued to improve safety and reduce the amount of accidents in the future.

Lastly, a public reminder was announced by Fire Captain Al Huerta that there will be a Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) class at the Active Adult Center in town. The classes will start the first week of May and continue every Tuesday from 6:00-8:30, culminating the week of June 18th. The C.E.R.T program educates individuals about disaster preparedness such as fire safety, rescue organizations, and disaster medical operations.

An ordinance to approve a second reading of Fillmore Municipal Code Chapter 15.32 to add section 15.32.015 to establish a daytime curfew for minors was brought up as the first item on the consent calendar. There was a motion in favor of the ordinance and it was unanimously voted in.

The first item of new business was an appeal hearing regarding the Planning Commission’s decision to not extend tentative tract map 5803. There was a brief closed session prior to any speaking and no reportable action took place. Tract map 5803 was initially approved March 11th, 2008. There are 44 lots at about .33 acres each. The tract map was automatically extended in February 2010, January 2012, and March 2014. The auto extensions have now ended due to the tract map not meeting certain criteria. Since no progress was shown, the tract map was initially not extended. The applicant, Jack Maxwell of Santa Barbara, submitted an appeal. The reasons for the extensions as cited by former City Manager Roy Payne, were due to the economic downturn. There was an application for the modification of the tract map resulting in a planning consultant being hired, which deemed that no environmental impact would occur. Maxwell pushed for an extension as he would like to restructure the current plans without having to deal with possible property tax implications. He cited a current business, Rotorcraft Support, Inc. which deals with helicopter rotors, as an example of a business that could use a building like the ones that the applicant proposes to build. Maxwell stated that there are pros and cons of different companies and different buildings, but it is his goal to find the best tenants for himself as well as the city of Fillmore. The City Council has the option to approve, approve conditionally, or reject completely the appeal put forth by Maxwell. The City Council decided in favor of a motion to conditionally approve the extension of the tract map by six months and have the tract map undergo a preliminary review by the planning commission.

The second order of business was the adoption of a resolution approving quitclaim deeds to the city of Fillmore in accordance with the state-approved long-range property management plan. The motion was quickly and unanimously approved in favor of the adoption.

The last order of new business was the selection of a Southern California Association of Government (SCAG) delegate and an alternate as well. Councilmember Minjares has been the previous delegate and gladly accepted the invitation to attend this year’s conference. Minjares noted that there were many innovative strategies discussed at this conference to improve the city of Fillmore. Minjares stressed the possible monetizing of waste as a revenue source. Mayor McCall was nominated as the alternate delegate.

Councilmember Tucker brought up the possibility for a $2,000 rebate if one purchased an electric vehicle at participating dealerships. He also noted that he was interested in putting a charging station on Highway 126. The current phase 3 of electrical charging lasts about a half an hour and some cities are even charging a small fee for these charges so that there is a zero net cost for the city.

The issue of the legalization of medical marijuana will be on the ballot in November and a representative from the state of Colorado will be coming at a future date to discuss the pros and cons of the legalizing it.

As a side note, due to conflicts and prior obligations the council meeting on May 24th will be cancelled.