At the 11th hour, Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza announced four initiatives changing the city charter that will go to the council for approval Thursday.

Those proposal that gain approval will appear on the November ballot for voters to decide.

Getting on the ballot isn’t free, however, with each of the four initiatives costing $150,000, according to Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus.

If city council approves all four of Esparza’s “good governance” measures, city voters will have 19 ballot initiatives to decide on. Fourteen of them are state ballot measures.

How Do Other Councilmembers Feel About Proposals?

Councilmember Nick Richardson told GV Wire that “there are far bigger issues with these initiatives than just the cost to get them on the ballot.”

He said he’s been researching each in preparation for the rush of “ninth-inning bulls—.”

“Each of them has at the very least some questions about it that need to be answered in public,” Richardson said.

Councilmember Annalisa Perea said city council has an obligation to thoroughly examine each one.

“Before we ask voters to weigh in, we need to be confident that each proposal is thoughtful, necessary, fiscally responsible, and truly in the best interest of the people we serve,” Perea said. “We simply cannot afford to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on measures that haven’t been fully vetted or don’t reflect the priorities of our community.”

Esparza Prepared to Find Funding

The price of a ballot initiative coincides roughly with the population reached, Kus said. The one countywide proposition — a plan for a hotel/transient tax in county areas — will cost $300,000.

Kus is preparing for another two-sheet ballot because of the number of propositions, he told supervisors last month. Having staff already go through the maelstrom in June, that time because of the number of gubernatorial candidates, Kus told supervisors he expects the election to run a bit smoother.

As for the cost, Esparza said the high number of state propositions reduced the price.

He said he’ll find city funding for the ballot proposals if they’re approved Thursday.

“November is going to cost us less proportionately because there are so many state initiatives also being considered,” Esparza told GV Wire. “I’m prepared to carve out the funding.”

Are Two of Esparza’s Ballot Initiatives Necessary?

From Thursday to Monday, Esparza — sometimes accompanied by fellow councilmembers or the mayor, sometimes alone — presented his four initiatives, with actual language of the highly technical proposals not available until Monday morning.

Those proposals include:

• A third term for city council and the mayor, capping elected service at 12 years total. During a news conference Dyer also announced he would make a third run.
• The creation of an citizen advisory committee that can recommend redistricting maps to the city council. However, a City Hall source said the council can create an advisory committee without going to voters. (See above bullet point for link)
• Prohibiting the city from using general fund or bond money for infrastructure or maintenance within the Southeast Development Area, excluding the Dyer-backed southern portion of the proposal. The council can put those in the terms of conditions for the plan, but Esparza told GV Wire a future city council can’t undo a ballot initiative.
• A half-cent sales tax measure to raise money for the general fund that would act as a replacement for the Measure C road tax, which will expire in June 2027. If passed, the measure would sunset upon passage of a Fresno County transportation tax.