Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Three measures passed unanimously at a special May 5 meeting of the San Juan Bautista City Council could bring additional funding for the town’s most significant expense: the ongoing projects that will bring water from the West Hills Treatment Plant and send sewage to the Hollister Wastewater Treatment Plant.
All five members of the council, Scott Freels, E. J. Sabathia, Jackie Morris-Lopez, Jose Aranda and Mayor Leslie Jordan were present.
The first measure authorized interim City Manager Ashley Collick to enter into a service agreement with MNS Engineers, a San Jose infrastructure consulting firm, to develop grants for funds from a hazard mitigation program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to apply toward the build-out of the water pipeline from the West Hills plant to the city.
Collick said a previous contract with California Consulting Services for general grant writing expired in 2024. The city has been actively interviewing replacements to secure funding for the West Hills pipeline, the wastewater project and, potentially, fire services. MNS would be paid up to $31,070 for their work.
MNS lead grant writer Greg Hankins told the council that applying for the grant is a two-step process. The initial part, a notice of intent, must be filed with the California Office of Emergency Services by May 29. If accepted, the city would be invited to prepare an application due Sept. 15.
Following the state’s review, the grant application will be filed with FEMA early next year. A notice of any funds awarded will be issued eight or nine months later.
“Overall,” Hankins said, “that whole process takes a couple of years from where we are right now before that money is available for use.”
The second measure allows Collick to negotiate a new contract with Ridgeline Municipal Strategies to replace an expiring one. Founded in 2020, Ridgeline is based in Rocklin and consults on issues relating to water and wastewater agencies and fire districts.
Ridgeline will be paid $50,000 to continue developing and implementing financial strategies for the city, advising on funding options and managing grant timelines. In all, $16,900 will go toward the wastewater project, $32,500 toward the water project and $600 for general expenses.
Collick said that Ridgeline founder Dmitry Semenov has done “an absolutely amazing job for us” and believes the city “greatly needs him here to keep us on track and to keep the momentum going.”
The third measure authorizes Collick to enter into a $35,000 agreement with the Adams Ashby Group to conduct a new citywide income survey to see if San Juan qualifies for a federal community development block grant or assistance from the U. S. Department of Agriculture or the State Water Board.
Lorie Ann Adams, founder of the Adams Ashby Group, said that demographic data from the U.S. Census doesn’t always represent the most accurate economic breakdown and that much of the funding the city is seeking is dependent on a particular median household income of the overall community.
The survey requires responses from at least 171 of the estimated 775 housing units in the city and will consist of a series of mailings and door-to-door interviews. A previous survey, conducted in 2021, estimated San Juan’s median household income at $92,404, with 6.7% of its 2,089 residents living at or below the federal poverty level.
Adams said that her firm uses several different sources of information, including plans showing water system connections, parcel maps and fire department records to ascertain which properties are surveyed. The surveys conducted by the group will be eligible for use for up to five years.
The council also met in a closed-door session to review Collick’s performance as interim city manager and to be updated on an ongoing lawsuit involving Midnight Express Transportation.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news