Wall of Fame inductees to be introduced at council meeting
Council also to continue looking at fireworks ordinance
The announcement of Porterville’s 2021 Wall of Fame selections and the continued consideration of a fireworks ordinance, including the increase of fees for violations, the creation of increasingly higher fines for repeat offenders, and a proposal to reward citizens with $50 for reporting illegal fireworks, are just some of the items to be presented and/or discussed at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Porterville City Council meeting. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. WALL OF FAME Each year five new inductees grace Porterville City Hall’s Wall of Fame. Those who are honored are recognized for their significant contributions, efforts and service to the Porterville Community. Each honoree is selected by a member of the City Council, must have lived in the Porterville area for a minimum of 15 years and may not be a current elected official. The 2021 honorees are: the late Jeff Edwards, selected by Mayor Monte Reyes, Janice Castle, selected by Vice Mayor Martha A. Flores, Virginia Gurrola, selected by Council Member Kellie Carrillo, Teresa A. de la Rosa-garcia, selected by Council Member Daniel Penaloza, and Gang Sue, selected by Council Member Milt Stowe.
The Wall of Fame ceremony will take place at Centennial Park on a date yet to be determined. The 2020 honorees — Linda Camarena, Joe Carrillo, Roberto de la Rosa, Sr., Jim Holly and Joe Ruiz, Jr., — will also be honored during the ceremony due to the restrictions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic having prohibited the ceremony last year.
FIREWORKS ORDINANCE
Porterville’s “Firework Ordinance” continues to be a topic at the council meetings. Tuesday’s regular scheduled meeting will once again focus on conversations to reduce the potential for conversion of fireworks to explosive devices and curb the use of illegal fireworks.
Among the ordinance considerations is the elimination of “Piccolo Pete” and “Whistling Phantom” fireworks, which are known to be manipulated after sale to create explosive devices.
Up for approval are the new fines for the illegal use of legal fireworks within the City of Porterville: $1,000 for the first violation, $2,500 for the second offense within 3 years of the first violation, and $5,000 for every subsequent offense that occurs within 3 years of the previous violation.
Also up for discussion or approval are the proposed increases in fines for those caught with illegal fireworks: $2,500 for the first offense, $5,000 for the second offense within 3 years of the first, and $10,000 for every subsequent offense that occurred within 3 years of the previous violation.
The ordinance also includes a “Host” component. If it’s difficult to determine who actually ignited an illegal firework within a given party, the property owner could be held liable regardless of who ignited the illegal firework.
The rewards program which has been proposed, would further enhance staff’s ability to locate and cite individuals who choose not to comply with the City’s fireworks regulations. The rewards of $50 per complaint can be awarded if the tip results in a citation.
PORTERIVLLE FAIR, PC SWAP
As part of the consent calendar the Council is expected to approve an agreement that allows the Porterville Fair Board and the Porterville College Foundation to use the Porterville Fairgrounds through June 15.
The PC Foundation began to hold the PC Swap Meet at the fairgrounds on Saturday, April 10 and continues to hold the swap meet there every Saturday.
The fair board announced the Porterville Fair scheduled for May 12 through 16 has been canceled but hopes to hold a scaled-back version of the fair at a later date. A livestock sale similar to what was done last year is being held for 4-H and FFA youth.
PHASE III CITY WATER CONSERVATION PLAN
The scheduling of a public hearing for City Council to consider the transition from Phase IV to Phase III of Porterville’s Water Conservation Plan will be on tap at Tuesday’s meeting.
The City has been operating through the winter months at Phase IV, which consists of a oneday-per-week watering schedule, based on address.
If an address ends with an odd number, the watering day is Saturday. If an address ends with an even number, the water day is Sunday. Watering is prohibited between the hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with no watering allowed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
City staff recommends City Council conduct a public hearing to discuss moving to Phase III of the City’s Water Conservation Plan, which adds an additional day to the watering schedule for outdoor landscape.
Phase III is a mandatory odd/even two-day watering week schedule with odd addresses allowed to water on Tuesday and Saturday, and even addresses on Wednesday and Sunday. The plan applies to all water users within the City’s service area and is recommended to commence effective June 1, 2021.
This meeting of the Porterville City Council will begin at 6:30 p.m and will be streamed live on the City of Porterville’s Youtube channel, which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/uc5kuhsrnmnl9nwhjvtnjvva.
Anyone wishing to submit comments to be read aloud during the public hearings or Oral Communications can email them to Councilmeetingcomments@ci.porterville.ca.us
To view the agenda and staff reports for Tuesday’s meeting, visit www.ci.porterville.ca.us/govt/citycouncil/ council agendas. h tm