Challenges await Stanislaus County, Monteith cautions

In his State of the County speech Tuesday, Board of Supervisors Chairman Dick Monteith depicted a Stanislaus County that’s recovering well and restoring public safety positions that were lost amid the recession.

The county has $114 million in general fund reserves, miniscule debt compared with nearby counties, and last year worked with state lawmakers to correct a tax revenue formula that had deprived the county of $70 million over three decades, he said.

Still, the county has major challenges such as homelessness and inadequate roads for supporting new industry, said Monteith, who spoke before a larger-than-normal audience for Tuesday’s board meeting.

“We are pleased at our direction and have great hope for our future,” the chairman said.

With a more prevalent homeless population, the county and its cities may not look the picture of health. The county launched a prevention initiative last year to address homelessness but it will require leadership from community members – not government – to start having an impact, Monteith said.

He said the county has increased services such as seven-days-a-week code enforcement, and is working on a one-stop center for military veterans that will provide a meeting hall and access to benefits and services.

The plan is to lease a large building in Modesto for the veterans center. The city of Modesto has promised funding and the county has committed $1 million from the sale of the former Medical Arts building downtown.

Monteith, a conservative who was a state senator from 1994 to 2002, said there’s a huge need for road maintenance that could be funded if a countywide transportation tax is approved in November.

“We can’t afford to have the county bypassed by industry because we don’t have adequate roads,” Monteith said. “You as voters will ultimately make that decision.”

With Bay Area apartment rents climbing to $3,000 a month, the county soon could be under more pressure to be a bedroom community for commuters.

Monteith, whose supervisorial district includes most of Modesto, said residential development provides a weak tax base for funding law enforcement and other public services, so job-creating industrial centers are needed to generate tax revenue.

In Monteith’s opinion, industrial sites should be considered where it works for industry, whether that is on the north, east or west sides of Modesto. After his speech, Monteith said he could support industrial development in the politically sensitive area west of Modesto, with access to Highway 132, if it is done the right way.

Monteith suggested that different factions work out land-use agreements to protect farmland, control growth and diversify the economy, “rather than take it out of our hands” by putting an initiative on the ballot.

Denny Jackman, who wrote an urban limit measure that narrowly failed in November, said he did not hear Tuesday’s speech. He said he would not be surprised to see industrial development along the highway corridors in the county.

Jackman agreed that open discussion results in urban planning to protect farmland. The problem, he said, is local governing boards ignore the planning.

Eileen Wyatt-Stokman, a soon-to-retire child welfare employee, took exception to part of Monteith’s speech. The chairman had noted that there are 10 percent fewer authorized county staff positions than there were at the start of the Great Recession.

“He is acting like that is good news,” said Wyatt-Stokman, who is running for a board seat in the June primary and calling attention to problems in the county ranks.

She said county social workers are severely overburdened with cases and “there’s no relief in sight.”