Modesto City Council Watch (3-26-2015)

The Modesto City Council met Tuesday and unanimously took the following actions:

▪ Met in closed session to discuss the possibility of purchasing the former Stanislaus Implement Hardware Co. for the site of a new downtown public safety administration building and fire station. City Attorney Adam Lindgren reported that the council received an update and provided direction to the city’s staff regarding this matter.

▪ Approved a month-to-month lease with Stanislaus Implement for the use of its parking lot to provide the Police Department with additional parking. The lease is $1,000 per month.

▪ Approved entering into a contract with Modesto-based Data Path to provide the city with interim chief information officer services at a cost of $16,000 per month and not to exceed $128,000 over the life of the contract. Data Path’s John Dickey will serve as interim CIO for four to six months until the city names a permanent CIO.

▪ Adopted a resolution expressing its solidarity with Iraq and its Assyrian population and condemning the attacks and persecution brought against Assyrian Christians by Islamic State militants. Stanislaus County has one of the largest Assyrian populations in the United States, estimated at about 20,000.

▪ Authorized the purchase of a combination crime scene and command vehicle for the Modesto Police Department at an estimated cost of nearly $153,000. A city report states the department needs a new vehicle because its current one is 20 years old and has met or exceeded the criteria used in determining when it should be replaced.

▪ Approved a challenge grant of as much as $250,000 for the Miracle League of Stanislaus County, which is raising money to build a baseball field in Modesto for disabled children. League officials have said they need about $1.5 million for the project and have raised about $1 million. The city grant will be matched dollar-for-dollar by other donors. The $250,000 is from extra or carryover funds the city had from its last budget year, which ended June 30.

▪ Approved spending $600,000 for the replacement of about 100 of the city’s 735 high-voltage streetlights. These high-voltage lights are outmoded, prone to failure and difficult to maintain. More of these lights will be replaced as funding becomes available. The $600,000 also is from the extra or carryovers funds from the city’s last budget year.

▪ Approved Modesto’s 2015-18 strategic plan. Council members and city staff members completed the plan during recent workshops. It focuses on such areas as developing the city’s quality of life and economy, and improving its infrastructure and neighborhoods.

Kevin Valine