At the April 7 City Council meeting, Gridley Finance Director Martin Pineda discussed options for improving and expanding the Gridley Golden Feather Flyer door-to-door transportation service. Photo courtesy of the City of Gridley

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – During the April 7 Gridley City Council meeting, two newly-promoted employees were recognized: Deputy City Clerk Carmen Santana and Assistant Finance Director Patricia Taverner, the former business services director.

Taverner spoke of being pleased to partner with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to complete the Water Main Relocation project, which is set to be completed April 18. Thanks were given to Santana for her work to support the finance team and other departments.

Gridley Finance Director Martin Pineda discussed options for improving and expanding the Gridley Golden Feather Flyer door-to-door transportation service during an informational presentation on strategic issues planning. The goal would be to increase ridership and revenue.

The transportation service has had increased costs and insufficient use, causing a shortfall of $15,000 this year. The money has typically come out of State Transit Assistance (STA). Some of the Local Transportation Fund (LTF) had to be moved to the State Transit Assistance (STA) to offset the $15,000 shortfall in 2025. Due to a $120,000 cut in funding for the coming year, Pineda projected that there will be a shortfall more than $132,000 in 2026.

Funds from the Local Transportation Fund would otherwise go to repairing streets, according to City Administrator Elisa Arteaga. Labor and insurance are the biggest cost factors in running Feather Flyer, according to Pineda and Arteaga.

“We are subsidizing the money we should be using for roads and streets, for the Flyer,” Arteaga said.  

Pineda proposed that the Feather Flyer service be expanded from one zone to three zones, with the largest one serving Biggs and the migrant labor camp on E. Gridley Road. Increasing the ticket prices was also suggested, as was the purchase of a backup vehicle. Butte County Association of Governments has grant money available for the purchase of an additional vehicle.

Pineda recommended a three-month trial period to see if the changes work.

Gridley Mayor Mike Farr and Vice-Mayor Bruce Johnson requested ridership data, including averages of how many individuals use the service.

“I don’t want to start this and wait until the funding is reduced and then try to fix this, because we don’t know if this is going to fix it,” Johnson said.

Councilmember J. Angel Calderon suggested doing an assessment in each area to see what the needs are before trying the new plan.

“We can target areas and modify accordingly. If we go ahead and expand without knowing what the need is, we may end up with the same problem,” said Calderon.

Arteaga maintained that “I believe the expansion to include all of these encompassed areas is so that we can establish that. You have to go to the maximum to see where the ridership is coming from. Let’s see and trace and track to see where the use is coming from. We can use those numbers to establish a fixed route.”

The next meeting item was a presentation from Fire Department Chief Chip Fowler. He went over the fire department’s 2024 review, outlining the short and long-term goals. Goals included the previously-approved new ladder truck, which is due for delivery next year. A long-term goal that the chief highlighted is the department’s continued efforts in having sponsored fire prevention and education events. According to Chief Fowler, it has already reached thousands of children in the community.

The presentation included how city representatives from Gridley’s sister city, Comala, Mexico, toured the fire department facilities. Surplus personal protective equipment will be delivered to the Comala Fire Department (and others in Mexico) by retired Fire Chief Hernandez. Chief Fowler and Councilmember Calderon both visited Comala, Mexico, where they were well-received.

The department’s future goals include having a captain, engineer and firefighter on each call. In addition, Fowler foresees the need for additional stations to the west of the railroad tracks and to the north. This will help maintain the standard response time of five minutes as the city grows.

Councilmembers voted unanimously to approve the following:

Treasury consultant agreement with Linda Patterson to assist with Request for Proposal process (RFP).

The reclassification of the community service officer position to a code enforcement officer, with a salary adjustment.

Contract with Nick’s ABC Towing for the Abandoned Vehicle Abatement (AVA) program.              

Copier and printer lease agreement with Global Office Inc. for copier replacement.

Committee reports included Councilmember Calderon who attended meetings for Behavioral Health, the Advisory Board, the County Board of Supervisors and the Homeless Continuum of Care for the first time. Calderon will have a consultation with the Chico Police Department about the homeless problem and will report on that at the next council meeting on April 21.

Councilmember James Roberts attended the Chamber of Commerce and Red Suspenders Day meetings. There will be a Police Motor Competition added to Red Suspenders Day. Yuba, Sutter, Live Oak and Chico Police Departments will participate in a fun demonstration of what the police vehicles are capable of.

Mayor Farr and Biggs Mayor Bo Sheppard attended a Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) meeting in Roseville. Hydrogen gas was promoted at the meeting as a cheaper substitute for natural gas.

The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) meeting was attended by Vice-Mayor Johnson who reported that several small communities’ services were reviewed and left as they were.

Gridley’s first block party will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 12 at Magnolia Terrace, next to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Admission is free. Gardening and composting workshops, mini-yoga classes, plants for sale and a mini-farmer’s market will all be part of the festivities. In addition, law enforcement and other local government will attend. The event has been organized by Councilmember Catalina Sanchez, who invites everyone to come.

Quota of Gridley is holding a free painted rocks party for children from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 12 at Quota Park. Location is at the corner of Hazel and Washington Streets.

From 8 to 11 p.m. April 12, the Gridley Rotary Club will hold a silent disco at the Butte County Fairgrounds. Online tickets are $7 and $15 at the door.

Last on the meeting’s agenda, City Administrator Arteaga met with California Consulting about recreation grants to fund a community building with a gymnasium.