By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
The language in a non-profit organization’s status, which allows no-cost use of City of San Benito facilities, hindered an amended Comprehensive Schedule of Fees ordinance from passing after discussion at a Sept. 15 regular meeting of the San Benito City Commission.
The issue arose when various organizations and individuals used the city’s playing fields, and in some cases, past elected leaders allegedly granted favors that went unreported to the city, resulting in possible revenue loss.
This amended ordinance would not only stop this but also improve communication with those interested in renting city-owned facilities.
San Benito Mayor Pete Galvan said different sports teams were practicing at different times on the playing fields. He wants to prevent a team rep from reaching out to an elected leader without completing a document to use city facilities.
“They were kicking out a group of kids because they were told a team had it for certain time(s); that became unfair, and it wasn’t very transparent,” Mayor Galvan said. “So I want to make sure there was an area where everybody can just go online and say it’s blocked for these hours. That way there is no confusion, and we are transparent about who is using the space(s).”
Once the city manager’s office, headed by Carlos Yerena, documents a non-profit’s status on paper, it will be returned this month and reintroduced to the commissioners for passage.
Assistant city manager Diana Garza gave an example of what they would look for.
She said a nonprofit sports organization provided proper credentials to demonstrate its interest in using a San Benito baseball field.
“This would be exactly the type of documentation the city would need to prove that an organization is indeed non-profit,” Garza said to commissioners.
During the meeting, the commission discussed this and other related topics after leaders held the second and final reading of the ordinance. However, they unanimously decided to table it following a legal opinion from attorney Kaylie Morgan.
“If you want to postpone it, make other modifications, or add other lines, legal can review that,” Morgan said. “You can always put it on the next (meeting’s) agenda. You would have to table it today and add it to the next (meeting’s) agenda.”
During the discussion, the group also agreed that citizens should use the city’s website to check the availability of city facilities for rental. Place 1 Commissioner Ricardo Perez, Jr. asked about it, and city staff responded.
He was told the city doesn’t currently have rental options available on its website. However, public information officer Cristina Garcia said the software is ready to be produced and publicly introduced, but it’s pending passage of this amended ordinance.
“Touching on what the mayor said, I think it is important for the city to modernize the process by putting applications online so all city staff can see that it is booked and avoid double or triple-booking,” Garcia said. “That would also save staff time, so residents don’t have to come in person to the finance or parks & recreation departments; it could be done online and reserved online.”
Mayor Galvan initially asked about not-for-profit organizations paying $0 for rentals and said a city manager would need to oversee it.
“What I imagine is that nonprofits do make money to some extent; it can be a local church or activist group that wants to rent a space for meetings. We’ve had some that want to rent a space. These are good things for the community,” Mayor Galvan said.
He then rescinded his motion and tabled it to include language regarding a non-profit organization’s status.
“I think it would be best if we could get it revised … and get some wording on what that would look like before a final vote,” Galvan said.
The vote was unanimous.
Regarding security, Mayor Pro Tem Jose E. Navarro was told that a San Benito Police officer would still be expected to be present if alcohol was consumed on city-owned properties. The amendment won’t change this longstanding practice.
PERMIT FEES
Planning manager Monica Rodriguez introduced the agenda item and informed commissioners that some fees would increase.
Rodriguez said commercial projects would increase, and mechanical, plumbing, and electrical subcontractor permits would rise slightly.
“It was increased by $15 to remain competitive with neighboring cities,” Rodriguez said.
She said this would better reflect the city’s current costs for permit processing, plan review, inspections, and related services.
“Recent permit activity shows rising value and complexity of commercial projects, while the existing fee schedule doesn’t consistently reflect the level of service required,” Rodriguez said. “The amendment will provide a more equitable, consistent, and sustainable fee structure while keeping costs reasonable for applicants and supporting the city’s development services.”
Commissioner Perez said he would also like to see a fee schedule posted online to improve citizen access.
Rodriguez said that once the ordinance passes, it will be available online.
In fact, a San Benito web link was available and then taken off while the ordinance changes were being considered, commissioners were told.
Finance Director Stephanie Sarrionandia said that, normally, visiting San Benito City Hall has been common practice for decades when someone inquires about permit fees and rentals.
“The person once at City Hall has always filled out an application (or paperwork), and then it is sent to the Parks and Recreation Department or the Planning Department,” Sarrionandia said.
She said people would still have the option to visit City Hall.
City staff and commissioners again agreed to ensure the updated fees align with the Planning Department’s requirements.
The group also discussed paying vendor fees online.
“It would speed up the communication process as well,” Garcia said. “Once this is in place, it would put the city in a good position to promote this.”
A list of scheduling fees was available for commissioners and the public to review in their meeting packets.