The City of Reedley and Fresno County have reached a settlement with the owner of building where the illegal bio lab was discovered for the cost of cleanup.
The agreement will include a payment of more than $135,000 to the city of Reedley and nearly $125,000 to the county.
That more than $260,000 settlement reached at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting is for the owner of the building in Reedley, not the lab owner.
The illegal bio lab was discovered by a code enforcement officer in December of 2022.
Authorities uncovered unauthorized biological agents, infectious diseases and nearly a thousand mice without permits or permission.
In October of last year, the city and county served the property owner with a bill of over $310,000.
Reedley city manager Nicole Zieba says this includes the cost to get rid of the lab.
“The actual cost of the clean-up itself, the contractor that came in and removed all of the materials, it also includes all of the attorney’s cost that the city incurred to go through the abatement process and get those legal court orders,” said Zieba.