Stanislaus Supervisors Watch

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The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors is scheduled today to vote on:

- Accepting $1.45 million in federal Homeland Security grants. The money would buy a mobile morgue for the coroner's office, increase "communications capabilities" and develop emergency plans "specific to agriculture."

- Paying the International Rescue Committee $662,500 in federal money to help integrate refugees through June 2011. The money would help about 490 refugees overcome language and cultural barriers and prepare them for jobs, a report reads.

- Spending $42,000 to keep streetlights on in Keyes while a struggling independent district prepares a ballot item that could quintuple streetlight taxes. Keyes Community Services District doubled assessments this year after mistakenly thinking that a previous ballot measure had passed. The district apologized, said people will get credits and threatened to turn off streetlights if the new ballot does not pass. The county agreed to help and may eventually collect assessments with other property taxes. Keyes' 176 streetlights require about $25,500 per year; the district bills only $11,125, with about 20 percent delinquency. Yearly $10 assessments on 1,125 parcels could be raised to $40 or $50, according to preliminary estimates.

- Hiring Granite Construction Co. of Watsonville to build storm drains, curbs, gutters and streets in Empire. The project's first phase is bounded by Yosemite Avenue and E, I and Second streets and would cost about $3 million in community block grants and county redevelopment money. The total includes paying Nolte Associates of Manteca $199,500 for construction management and inspection services. A Nov. 24 public hearing is scheduled to create a taxing district for maintenance costs.

- Holding a public hearing to form the Marshall Avenue Lighting District in west Modesto. If owners of 34 parcels agree, homeowners would be charged $38.80 per year and five streetlights would be added this winter along Marshall, north of California Avenue and south of Truman Avenue.

Today's meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the basement chamber at Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St., Modesto.