Modesto Council Watch

The City Council on Tuesday:

▪  Approved having the Police Department partner with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department on a Strengthening Law Enforcement and Community Relations Grant application for as much as $850,000 from the California Board of State and Community Corrections. The grant would focus on southwest Modesto. The two law enforcement agencies would work with community partners like Congregations Building Community and the NAACP to address crime, safety and other quality-of-life issues in that part of the city. Officials could learn as soon as late June whether the state will fund the application. The funding would be available immediately, according to the city.

▪  Approved submitting a request for $500,000 with the Stanislaus Council of Governments, a transportation planning agency, to help pay for final design and engineering work for the proposed Altamont Corridor Express station in downtown Modesto, which would link the city to the Bay Area by train. The StanCOG policy board could decide on the request June 15. The $500,000 would cover roughly a third of the cost of the design and engineering work. The city hopes to make up the balance through a grant.

▪  Heard a presentation from county CEO Stan Risen and county Supervisor Terry Withrow on Focus on Prevention, a county-facilitated effort to find long-term solutions to homelessness by working with the community and other partners. The effort also eventually will work on initiatives that strengthen families, invest in children and reduce recidivism.

▪  Approved a budget adjustment of roughly $118,000 to increase the cost of the city’s November election and February mayoral runoff election to roughly $518,000. Modesto City Schools accounted for about a third of that cost for its board candidates and a ballot measure in the election. The school district is responsible for those costs.

▪  Met in closed session to discuss one matter of employee discipline. Council members also conferred with their labor negotiators regarding City Clerk Stephanie Lopez, who received a positive job review at the council’s May 3 meeting. City Attorney Adam Lindgren said no reportable actions were taken in closed session.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Modesto Council Watch."