The City of Fresno has reportedly paid over $400,000 in outstanding utility bills for Granite Park over the last few years.
According to a report from GV Wire on Tuesday, the payments have been made at the behest of Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration.
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The big picture: From February 2021 to April 2023, the city reportedly paid $262,898 in PG&E bills and $151,208 in water bills for Granite Park, totalling $414,106.
- Granite Park is operated by the Central Valley Community Sports Foundation, which is operated by Terance Frazier.
- Frazier currently has a civil rights lawsuit ongoing against the city that he filed in 2020, alleging discrimination over an audit that the city conducted into Granite Park’s financials in 2018.
- The report also stated that the Central Valley Community Sports Foundation is currently behind $48,670 in payments to PG&E.
Why it matters: Fresno’s current purchase policy requires any amount over $50,000 to need approval from the city council.
- The council has never held a public discussion or vote for utility payments to Granite Park.
- But the council reportedly gave direction in closed session for the city to make the payments without taking a formal vote.
What they’re saying: When asked by GV Wire about the payments, Frazier instead pointed at the city’s relationship with Fresno Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the Fresno Grizzlies.
- Fresno Sports and Entertainment has a $300,000 subsidy for utility payments as part of its lease agreement for Chukchansi Park.
- “Ask the Grizzlies and all other parks the city pays for,” Frazier said. “It’s their park. The hypocrisy is real.”
