REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: BRIAN BARR, Director General Services Department BRYON HORN, Director Information Services Department BY: CLIFF TRAUGH, Assistant Director General Services Department SUBJECT ..Title Actions pertaining to a Lease Agreement between the City of Fresno and Loperena Antenna Sites for City of Fresno public safety radio communication equipment space located on the peak of Owen's Mountain with an address of 19720 Auberry Road, Clovis, CA 93619: 1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines 2. Approve a Lease Agreement between the City of Fresno and Loperena Antenna Sites, to lease property within the communications tower site located on Owen's Mountain for ten (10) years with an option to extend an additional five (5) years, starting at $23,400 a year in rent and annual road maintenance fee of $1,950, plus annual CPI increases for the Information Services Department ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends Council adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, and approve a Lease Agreement between the City of Fresno and Loperena Antenna Sites to lease property within the communications tower site located on Owen's Mountain for ten (10) years with an option to extend an additional five (5) years, starting at $23,400 a year in rent and annual road maintenance fee of $1,950, plus annual CPI increases for the Information Services Department for the City of Fresno public safety radio communication equipment space located on peak of Owen's Mountain with an address of 19720 Auberry Road, Clovis, CA 93619. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Fresno (City) has been utilizing the Owen's Mountain communications tower site in partnership with North Central Fire District since 2007 for City public safety radio communications. The 2007 lease agreement will terminate on August 14, 2026, which requires the City to enter into its own Lease Agreement to maintain City public safety radio communications from the antenna site. The Owen's Mountain radio antenna site is unique in that this location sits at an elevation of 1,000 feet, enabling a wide range of coverage over the entire northeastern Fresno metropolitan area and is critical for clear and consistent radio communications for public safety. Information Services Department (ISD) seeks to continue utilizing this site for City public safety radio communications by entering into a Lease Agreement with Loperena Antenna Sites for an initial term of ten (10) years, with an option to extend an additional five (5) years. Annual rent due will be $23,400 ($1950 per month) plus an annual road maintenance fee equal to one month's rent, subject to annual CPI increases. BACKGROUND ISD's mission is to create a technology strategy that will enable the City to meet its objectives and ensure service delivery to residents. Public safety depends on clear and consistent communication through radio systems to be successful. The City has several radio towers throughout our area to facilitate the needed network for a consistent and quality signal. Since 2007, the City has utilized the radio tower at the top of Owen's Mountain as a critical component of the radio communications network. The Owen's Mountain radio antenna site is unique in that this location sits at an elevation of 1,000 feet, enabling a wide range of coverage over the entire northeastern Fresno metropolitan area. With this elevation, the single radio tower site can provide the same level of coverage that would require four units on the valley floor. Since 2007, the City has utilized the Owen's Mountain antenna site through a Lease Agreement executed by the North Central Fire District and Loperena Antenna Sites. In May 2026, North Central Fire District provided a 90-day notice indicating they would be ending their lease with Loperena Antenna Sites. The City has been working quickly to establish a new Lease Agreement directly with Loperena Antenna Sites to ensure no lapse in the City's ability to continue to operate radio communications out of the Owen's Mountain facility. The new Lease Agreement between Loperena Antenna Sites and the City will be for a ten (10) year term with one optional five (5) year extension. Annual rent due will be $23,400 ($1,950 per month) plus an annual road maintenance fee equal to one month's rent. The rent and annual road maintenance fee are subject to annual CPI increases. The City shall also receive a discount of 2.5% should the City pay six months of Rent in advance. The Lease Agreement also includes a non-appropriations termination clause which allows the City to terminate the Lease Agreement, should funding not be approved in the annual adopted budget. The Lease Agreement has been reviewed and approved by the City Attorney's Office as to form. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDING Staff has performed preliminary environmental assessments of this project and has determined this project is exempt under Section 15301/Class 1 (Existing Facilities) of CEQA Guidelines as it involves no alteration of existing facilities, with no expansion of use. Furthermore, none of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2, apply to this project. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference is not applicable to the lease of real property. FISCAL IMPACT No General Funds will be used to pay this Lease. The funding for the Lease Agreement has been included in the FY2027 adopted budget within ISD. The funding source for this Lease will be the ISD's Systems Acquisition and Maintenance (SAM) fund. Funding for future years will be included in the appropriate fiscal year's budget subject to Council approval. Attachments: Categorical Exemption Lease Agreement Levine Act Disclosure