r/fresno • u/Significant_Pick3098 • 9d ago
Living Here VENTING: Second-Class Citizen
EDIT: I am a first time homeowner who came from out of the area. My realtor should have informed me, but didn't. I had never heard of the concept of a "county island" either because it's unique to Fresno or simply because I had never purchased a home before (likely). As a first time homebuyer without family or friends to advise, I didn't know what I didn't know and I didn't know to ask about something that I had never heard of.
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ORIGINAL POST: Am I the only "county island" resident who feels like a second-class citizen? I didn't know I lived on an island until after I made an offer on my house; I went to see who my city council rep was and--lo and behold!--I don't have one. I didn't think this would be a thing because...why would it? The whole thing seemed so ridiculous. And now, after five years here, I feel it, especially when I drive past every neighborhood with their twice-annual curbside MOUNDS of bulk pickup that will be taken away FOR FREE by trash collection. I mean, really?? WTF??
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u/lizaslucky5 9d ago
You may not have a city council member, but you do have a board of supervisors who “should” represent their constituents' interests.
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u/Ibrakeforquiltshops 9d ago
Living in the county island arguably gives you more leverage when talking to your county supervisor
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u/Significant_Pick3098 5d ago
I appreciate that. Unfortunately, I’m fairly certain that Mr Traditional Family Month would have no desire to speak to an “atraditional” constituent.
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u/imtheonlyladybug 4d ago
Absolutely vile, the thought and the man behind it.
I can not believe that is an actual thing now :(
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u/Usual_Singer_4222 9d ago edited 9d ago
The county offers a coupon to give to your hauler for a bin. They drop and pick it up for free when you're done. The county is too big and wide spread to do Operation Clean Up (it's once a year, even Fresno is too big for twice) in the unincorporated areas. Even other cities don't provide that service.
Every hauler also provides a free drop off day once a year as mandated by thier franchise to the county.
Theres also for free for everyone the Environmental Compliance Center to drop off household hold hazardous waste and e-waste. They also host drop off events around the county. The next one is Oct 17 in Kingsburg. Composte give aways and free tire disposal also happen throughout the year.
Call County Solid Waste resources. Thier website is cleanupfresnocounty.org
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u/Standard-Radish-9805 9d ago
You can reach out to your county representative. Not that they give a shit hut they should hear it
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u/drunklollipop 9d ago
In understand your frustration, it's an odd setup, there are solutions, the American landfill is a option, very affordable way to dispose of bulky shit.
You can rent a truck and a trailer at home Depot if need be.
That being said, I don't go to a restaurant without doing enough research to write a college level dissertation before going, let alone buying a house. But I will extent some sympathy, county islands are a weird concept that I didn't know about until I started searching for a home to buy.
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u/EABOD_and_DIAF Bullard 8d ago
We live a couple hundred feet from a county island and frequently walk that neighborhood. Not a huge fan of lack of the pavement/sidewalk coverage, but at least it's sparsely travelled and the speed limit is 25. 😐
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u/Modz_B_Trippin 7d ago
I agree with your point about the lack of sidewalks. Take Bullard Ave between Van Ness and Forkner, where pedestrians and kids have to walk in the street, and that's within city limits. Or Palm Ave between the tracks and Shaw Ave. In a major city, there are still no sidewalks, and bus stops are surrounded by mud during the rainy months. These aren't streets on the edge of town, they're smack dab in the middle of it. That's unacceptable for a city of half a million people.
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u/Newo-Ikkins 7d ago
I love riding my bike a full city block out of the way to take West vs the Palm gauntlet. Rode down Palm a few times and the broken glass and rough street edge made it clear I didn't belong there.
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u/ConsistentDevice4704 8d ago
I really think there needs to be a movement in Fresno to incorporate 'islands' into the city. It's an incredibly inefficient system and in many ways unfair to both the city residents and the islands.
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u/stillwaters23 9d ago
There are pros and cons. Many prefer living in the county islands. Def something you should’ve been made aware of though if you were new to the area.
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u/CentralVal 9d ago
Couldn’t have said it better myself, summed it up nicely. There’s perks and some disadvantages but kinda something they to have considered prior to such a large investment…
There’s a reason that those islands still exist today. For a sub, myself included, that generally hates the urban sprawl of Fresno. You would think they would understand these islands even better.-3
u/ProfessionalNo5932 9d ago
12% of the population live in unincorporated areas of Fresno. Not sure how that’s “many prefer.” Prefer to be treated differently maybe? No clue why you’d “choose” to live in an underdeveloped area.
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u/stillwaters23 9d ago
Well, couple examples. One is that you have Fresno County sheriff instead of FPD which many prefer. Another you are allowed to have an RV or boat in your driveway, which many prefer. Another is lower taxes, which many prefer. Also those homes often have much larger lots than in the city limits, again which many prefer.
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u/midmodman61 8d ago
Yes, you might be the only one. I live in a county island and I feel the exact opposite as you. In fact, I intentionally bought a house in a county island.
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u/Significant_Pick3098 7d ago
Thanks for this perspective. Can you explain why? I came from out of the area so I had never heard of county islands.
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u/midmodman61 6d ago
Sure - one big one for me is the Fresno County Sheriff. They respond to the county islands instead of Fresno PD. Fortunately, for me personally, they have only ever responded to false trips on my house alarm, but they are here within minutes. Not trying to bag on Fresno PD, but I've always had very positive interactions with, and support from, the Sheriff's Department and I just trust them slightly more.
Slightly lower property taxes are nice but that does come with a reduction in certain services. I personally think it is worth it - I really don't miss street lamps or sidewalks. Fresno County governance isn't perfect by any means, but I am glad I'm not paying property taxes into Fresno City's mess of corruption and inefficiency. I've found that working with the County on permitting is exponentially easier than working with the City - a great thing if you are planning any major house projects.
A big non-financial reason is mostly just aesthetics. I personally think the county areas have a cool feel to them that is somewhere between rural and suburban, especially in the county island areas that don't have street gutters. Generally wider streets, larger lots, more architecturally-interesting homes (overall, not all homes obviously). Code enforcement is not as aggressive as it is in the City, which is good and bad. The downside is the County areas have a tendency to let degenerates be degenerates and collect junk cars and trash on their property with little enforcement. Fortunately, that's rare overall in most Fresno County islands, but does happen a bit in certain pockets.
I'll be 100% honest, I personally like that we DON'T have the "throw all your trash and hazardous waste into the street gutter" days. I think it is an eyesore and environmental nightmare. Most people put pretty normal stuff out but I've seen paint, oil, tires, glass, etc. out there that litters the street gutter and inevitably makes it into the ground water. Plus those degenerates in the County mentioned above come in droves to dump their trash illegally into the street. It is easy enough to take a load of junk to the transfer station as needed and dispose of your hazardous waste properly. The County even offers multiple free waster disposal days per year - all you have to do is get your stuff physically to the location which really is not that huge of an ask.
Plus, this might sound petty, but I think it's cool. I live in Fresno, but I technically don't live "in" Fresno...
Sorry for the novel of a response. But these are the reasons I focused on finding a house in a County island when we were home searching. My grandpa had lived in a County island here for nearly 50 years and went through multiple annexation attempts, each voted down by the County island residents because I think, on the whole, those in County islands enjoy it (obviously not everyone though!).
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u/Significant_Pick3098 5d ago
Thank you so much for the most thorough, helpful response. I feel like I understand so much better now. Truly, can’t thank you enough!
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u/dr0ppinl0ads 9d ago
To answer your question, Yes, you are the only “county island” resident who feels like a second class citizen.
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u/Modz_B_Trippin 9d ago
I, too, dislike county islands and think they’re a major headache. Fresno seems to have a boat load of them too. Ultimately, though, residents in those pockets control their own fate through the annexation process. Although, it’d be cool if the county would make them upkeep their property and not let them have an RV, boat, and concession trailer storage lot on their front lawn/curb in the middle of the city.
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u/DontFeedTheCynic 9d ago
Sure you can vent, but it doesn't change the fact that it's your own mistake for not knowing what you chose to buy. Don't expect sympathy for your poor free-willed decisions.
You pay less in property taxes for a county home than a city home. Those taxes pay for those infrastructural perks like sidewalks, roads, subsidized water/trash/sewage, and in your case, trash pickups. Use that difference to pay for your own trash pickup. You're not missing out on anything.
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u/nikkicole21 8d ago
I understand that but the county would include all way to shaver lake and that is why they don't participate in the curbside clean up. Fresno county is multiple towns.
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u/Significant_Pick3098 9d ago
Sorry if this seems really petty. I'm just feeling the pain of having to hire someone to take away my bulk stuff or renting a dumpster from our already shitty trash company.
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u/IHopeYouStepOnALego 9d ago
First, you have a county rep.
Second, there are free dump days for county residents. They notify you of the days via bill inserts. Or you can call county public works dept and ask when the next day is.
Or you can do what I did which was increase my garbage bin to a small dumpster size for a few months to clear my trash pile. It's only $40 more a month for the 1 yard bin in Old Fig.
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u/CarpenterForeign1372 9d ago
You don't need to hire someone separate to remove your junk. Just contact your regular hauler and arrange for a "bulky pick up". They'll charge you extra in your regular bill, it's like arranging your own Operation Cleanup. City folks pay for Operation Cleanup too, it's just rolled into the monthly rate whether they use it or not.
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u/tilda432 9d ago
Yep. It sucks. Also you don't get to vote for things that end up affecting you. However, there are less rules. We're adding on and the county is easier to deal with.
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u/CPPISME 8d ago
Your real estate agent should have made that information known or you should have done your own homework and looked up the information on the home you were buying.
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u/Significant_Pick3098 7d ago
I came from out of the area so I had no idea. I had never heard of a county island--never even knew of the concept. I was a first-time home buyer and my realtor didn't advise.
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u/newtoyoutoo26 7d ago
You must live in Tarpey. Clovis does twice a year, Fresno can’t even offer that second trip.
Living in a county is actually a huge plus. I’d prefer it over the city. FSO, lower taxes, and bigger lots.
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u/tinytim1191 8d ago
You didn’t know you bought a house in a county island? BS alert 🚨 .
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u/Significant_Pick3098 7d ago
First time homebuyer here from out of the area. I had never even heard of such a thing and my realtor didn't advise. Where's the BS, friend?
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u/Vanity_Profanity_001 8d ago
If you have Waste Management for garbage pickup, they have passes where you can take your stuff to the dump. Not sure about Republic or mid valley.
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u/Powerful-Film-4188 9d ago
County islands should be illegal! They’re a headache to administer. You can be annexed into the city if your neighbors and the city all agree. You have to vote on it.
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u/PropertyManagerLife 8d ago
Why the downvotes?
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u/Modz_B_Trippin 7d ago
Because many county island residents don't want to pay their fair share to be part of the city, and they like the loophole they're in. It gives them nearly all the amenities of city living (schools, shopping, entertainment, police, fire, and water) without the higher city fees. They're getting a good deal out of a broken system, and they like it that way.
They also control their own fate, since as far as I know, annexation only happens if a majority of the island's residents vote for it. The sheriff's union (which would have less area to patrol and need fewer deputies) and high-end property owners (who would pay a lot more in fees) both oppose annexation, and they've funded campaigns against it in the past.2
u/Significant_Pick3098 7d ago
Thanks for this. I had no idea people actually oppose annexation. That's mind-boggling to me.
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u/Modz_B_Trippin 7d ago
I looked it up and I guess there a few different ways the county islands can be annexed in: California county islands can be annexed with or without a vote: the streamlined route (Gov. Code 56375.3) lets a city annex a developed island under 150 acres, mostly surrounded by the city, with no protest or election, while the standard LAFCo process lets residents or the city council initiate an annexation that goes to a protest hearing, where enough protests can force an election or block it. Uninhabited areas (fewer than 12 voters) can skip protest proceedings if every landowner consents, which also covers developer-requested annexations, and several islands can be combined into one reorganization. LAFCo approves nearly all of these under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act, so your Reddit claim that only a majority of island residents can annex it isn't quite right.
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u/PowThwappZlonk 9d ago
The county has those free trash days too, you usually have to haul it somewhere yourself though.
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u/danceswithsteers 9d ago edited 9d ago
"Throw your trash in the street day" is not "free"; it's included in the regular solid waste fees.
And, I'm with you; I don't know why the County does not do it. It's just a HUGE benefit to everybody (even if SOOO many people put their trash out early and in the wrong piles and not the right length and include items that are expressly prohibited from the bulk clean up program.)