What Orange is about to decide
The Orange City Council meets Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, 300 E. Chapman Avenue; the agenda also lists a teleconference location at the Springhill Suites Lakeland Marriott, 511 West Lime St., Lakeland, Florida. Three public hearings, two administrative reports and an eight-item consent calendar. These are pending decisions from the posted agenda — nothing below has been approved yet. Every item links to the official record.
Source: official agenda (PDF) · meeting page with staff reports · Written comments: eComment on the city’s agenda page by 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting
✅ What actually happened (per the roll-call vote record): All seven council members were present. The council continued the rewrite of the historic-preservation ordinance: Ordinance No. 14-26 — which would repeal and replace Chapter 17.17 and swap the Design Review Committee for a new Heritage Commission — was continued to the November 10, 2026 regular meeting on a 7-0 vote, on a motion by Councilmember Dumitru, seconded by Councilmember Barrios (Item 8.3). By contrast, Ordinance No. 15-26, the posted-speed-limit changes, passed its first reading 7-0 (Item 8.2), and the council adopted the revised Master Schedule of Fees and Charges (Resolution No. 11721) 7-0 (Item 8.1). Two items drew the lone dissent of Councilmember Jon Dumitru: the lease of city-owned 2443 North Batavia Street to V & E Tree Service, Inc. was approved 6-1 (Item 3.3, pulled from consent), and on the Mills Act Program Guidelines (Resolution No. 11720) the action record marks Item 9.1 continued on a 5-1 vote, with Dumitru opposed and Slater recused. The rest of the consent calendar passed 7-0 — the two $200,000 as-needed contract amendments with Nextech (Item 3.4) and Fortel (Item 3.5), the FY2026-27 Phase 1 pavement plans and specifications (3.6), rejection of all bids for the Walnut/Orange traffic-signal-and-fiber project with direction to re-advertise (3.7), the disaster-assistance authorized-agents resolution (3.8) and the September 8 minutes (3.2). Permit parking on portions of Almond and Washington avenues (Resolution No. 11718) was adopted 7-0 (Item 9.2). Source: the official meeting page and vote record. We will update this when the council adopts the minutes.
The headline: three public hearings — new posted speed limits “on various streets throughout the City” (Ordinance No. 15-26, first reading), a wholesale replacement of the city’s historic preservation ordinance that would swap the Design Review Committee for a new Heritage Commission (Ordinance No. 14-26, first reading), and a revision of the Master Schedule of Fees and Charges. The agenda itself lists no fee amounts or street names; those are in the staff reports on the meeting page.
📣 Public hearings
- Speed limits: introduction and first reading of Ordinance No. 15-26, “amending Section 10.14.050 of Chapter 10.14 of the Orange Municipal Code pertaining to speed limits.” Attachments include maps of existing and proposed limits, a citywide speed limit assessment report by AGA Engineers, and the City Traffic Commission’s August 12, 2026 staff report and minute excerpt. Item 8.2
- Historic preservation: introduction and first reading of Ordinance No. 14-26, replacing Chapter 17.17, Historic Districts, “in its entirety with a new Chapter 17.17 entitled Historic Preservation and Cultural Resources” to “comprehensively address historical, cultural and tribal resources,” and amending Section 17.08 “to replace the Design Review Committee with a Heritage Commission.” The Planning Commission considered it August 17 (Resolution No. PC 17-26); a redline of post-commission revisions is attached. Item 8.3
- City fees: Resolution No. 11721, “amending the Master Schedule of Fees and Charges for various City services.” Item 8.1
🏛️ Administrative reports
- Mills Act guidelines: Resolution No. 11720 approving Mills Act Program Guidelines, plus a request for direction on “whether the City Council would like staff to return with additional policy options concerning existing and future Mills Act contracts.” Item 9.1
- Permit parking on Almond and Washington avenues: Resolution No. 11718 adopting a revised master resolution of permit parking areas, implementing permit parking “on portions of Almond Avenue and Washington Avenue within Permit Parking Opportunity Area No. 6.” The City Traffic Commission heard both requests August 12. Item 9.2
💰 Contracts and money on consent
- $200,000 First Amendment with Nextechnology Systems, LLC dba Nextech Systems, Inc. “for as-needed procurement and technical support of rectangular rapid-flashing beacon signs and related electrical devices.” Item 3.4
- $200,000 Second Amendment with Fortel Traffic, Inc. “for as-needed procurement, installation, and maintenance of speed radar feedback signs and related electrical devices.” Item 3.5
- All bids rejected for the traffic signal installation and fiber optic communication project at Walnut Avenue and Orange Street (Bid No. 26-27.01), with direction to re-advertise. The agenda gives no reason; a bid abstract is attached. Item 3.7
- Paving goes out to bid: plans and specifications for Annual Pavement Maintenance at Various Locations, Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Phase 1 (Bid No. 26-27.06, SP-4303), with a CEQA exemption finding. Item 3.6
- City-owned 2443 North Batavia Street (APN 374-621-03): a lease agreement with V & E Tree Service, Inc. The agenda states no rent figure. Item 3.3
- Resolution No. 11719 designating the city’s authorized agents for federal and state disaster assistance (Cal OES Form 130), and the September 8 minutes. Items 3.2, 3.8
🎓 Presentations
- Proclamations for RC Hobbs Communities’ 50th anniversary in Orange; National Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring Maribel Reyes Hernández; National Good Neighbor Day (September 28); and five businesses recognized for waste sorting and food waste diversion — Fratellino’s Italian Kitchen, Dave & Buster’s, Olive Garden, In-N-Out (Chapman) and Sauced BBQ & Spirits. Item 1.4
- The next regular meeting is Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m., with closed session at 5:00 p.m. if necessary.
Council Brief summaries are produced from official public records by our automated newsroom and reviewed before publication. Items are described as posted; the council may amend, continue, or remove items at the meeting. Spot an error? hello@councilbrief.com — we publish corrections.
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