Lemoore council approves $35,000 amendment to finish housing element

The Lemoore City Council unanimously approved a $35,000 amendment to the general fund on April 7 to pay consultant QK for finalizing the city's housing element, council members heard.

City Manager Marissa told the council Lemoore withdrew from a multi-jurisdictional housing element led by Kings County so the city could control its own submittal and respond faster to the California Department of Housing and Community Development's (HCD) more stringent review process. She said the city submitted its housing element to HCD on March 26 and asked the council to authorize the payment to track the expense separately from professional services.

The staff presentation said the city previously received a LEAP grant in 2023 for about $36,000 that was used to prepare a first draft and that the city incurred approximately $16,000 in staff review costs. Marissa and council members praised consultant QK for working nights and weekends to meet the resubmission deadline.

Council members asked for clarification about the item's label and requested a fuller general fund expenditure update at the next budget workshop. After discussion, Councilmember Gornick moved to approve the amendment; the motion passed 5-0.

What happens next: City staff said HCD will review the submittal and return comments; the city will share any HCD comments with the public when received. The amendment authorizes the payment and allows staff to track the cost separately while the housing element remains under state review.