Madera council approves mayor pro tem appointment, annexation, salary ordinance introduction and AV purchase; adopts 2026 meeting calendar

MADERA — The Madera City Council unanimously approved a series of routine but consequential actions at tonight’s meeting, including an appointment to mayor pro tem, a subdivision annexation into a landscape maintenance district, introduction of a salary ordinance, and authorization of a technology purchase.

Mayor Gallegos and City Clerk Alicia Gonzales opened item E1, the statutory selection of a mayor pro tem. Staff cited Resolution 12‑210, which gives priority to council members who have not previously held the position. Councilmember Rohi Zachariah was nominated and confirmed by unanimous vote to serve a one‑year term as mayor pro tem.

On a public hearing (Item A1), Assistant Engineer Raquel Rios recommended annexing the Colette Martin Subdivision (51 lots) into Landscape Maintenance District Zone of Benefit 51 for fiscal year 2026–27. Rios said assessments would be $7.40 per parcel; the public notice appeared in the Oct. 18, 2025 edition of the Madera Tribune. No members of the public offered comments and the council adopted a resolution confirming the diagram and assessments by unanimous vote.

Council then considered Item A2, an ordinance amending Madera Municipal Code section 2‑1.05 to adjust council member compensation. City Clerk Alicia Gonzales said the ordinance corrects the effective date to Jan. 1, 2027, and outlined options discussed at a prior meeting, including a 5% annual increase since 2014 yielding an approximate monthly stipend of $800. The council moved to waive further reading and introduce the ordinance by title only; the motion passed unanimously.

During the consent calendar, the council approved routine administrative matters in a single motion. The city attorney recused from item B5 (master agreement) because of a separate representation note on the record.

IT Director Gary Price presented Item D1, a piggyback procurement via the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) and EKC Enterprises to replace the council chambers audio‑visual system. Price described the current system as unstable and said the recommended package includes two 75‑inch displays, nine monitors, a touchscreen controller, ceiling speakers and wall cameras. The price presented to council was $56,616.32, and staff said the IT fund has sufficient balance ($68,297) to cover the purchase via a budget amendment. Council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution authorizing the purchase and budget amendment.

Finally, City Clerk Alicia Gonzales presented a draft 2026 meeting schedule and staff’s recommendation to cancel several dates and hold a special meeting on Jan. 14, 2026 following the Housing Authority meeting; the council adopted the calendar with that amendment by unanimous vote.

Most motions passed unanimously and no roll‑call tallies with member names were recorded in the transcript. Where council votes were recorded, meeting minutes should list the official motion language and any minute order or resolution numbers for the permanent record.