Patience, please, on Salida

The Modesto City Council and Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors agreed in August to split the cost of a finance study on the possibility of Modesto annexing Salida.

A consultant's report was supposed to take 60 days. But it turns out the clock won't start until the Goodwin Consulting Group gets all the financial data it needs, a county official told city and county leaders Monday, and that could take a week or so. So it could well be December before the report is available.

Meanwhile, one Salidan told the City-County Liaison Committee that many of the residents she's heard from would like to vote on annexation now — and they'll vote no.

Salidans do deserve a chance to weigh in, but we agree with Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh that there's no reason to hold an advisory vote until reliable financial information is available.