Don’t make Wood Colony decision in a public vacuum, Modesto

Slightly postponing a Modesto City Council vote with huge implications for jobs, the city’s growth and neighboring Wood Colony was a good move.

Instead of voting June 23, Modesto leaders will decide July 7 or July 14 whether to put before all city voters in November the question of a sprawl-reducing urban limit line. That’s a virtual ring around Modesto beyond which it could not grow without another vote of the people, at least not for 20 years.

Urban limits generally are good in the eyes of people who like the idea of slow and controlled growth as opposed to rapid sprawl and conversion of valuable farmland.

But this urban line isn’t that simple, because of how it would affect Wood Colony, the peaceful and productive agricultural hamlet just west of Highway 99.

The proposed line would carve 1,164 acres from Wood Colony’s north end along the freeway. That land would be annexed to Modesto and developed, giving the city new room for a business park and jobs.

But much of the rest of Wood Colony — its southern 14,000 acres or so — is loudly and anxiously opposed to any encroachment on its historic territory. Once development creeps west of Highway 99, no one will be able to stop it from gobbling more of Wood Colony, opponents say.

Both sides of this controversy make compelling arguments that are sometimes obscured by emotion. We saw that in 2014, when Modesto’s previous exploration of the same annexation-development idea brought hundreds of Wood Colony supporters and sympathizers out of the woodwork in vociferous opposition.

This time, the City Council nearly took advantage of COVID-19-era rules to erase opposition, or at least to negate the negative electricity of a hostile crowd.

You might have heard that the City Council initially intended to take up this high-stakes matter June 23 before an audience of no one.

COVID rules dampen input

To reduce chances of spreading the coronavirus, all government panels have been meeting without audiences. Most conduct virtual meetings, allowing people to follow the action on electronic devices. Some, like the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, invite public participation by taking telephone calls at appropriate times, accepting real-time input.

But not the Modesto City Council.

Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold recently met with The Modesto Bee Editorial Board to pitch the annexation and urban limit. He acknowledged that a June 23 decision would be made with no one in the audience and no one calling in, with non-verbal participation limited to those who might send written comments.

Why not put off the vote until people might attend? That could not be done, the mayor said, because the county elections office requires lead time to prepare such a measure for the November ballot.

That’s unacceptable.

People would perceive this as a classic railroad scheme to escape the hot mess of a life-impacting controversy, Bee editors told the mayor, and Modesto’s community development director.

The fact that democracy sometimes gets messy is an unavoidable truth. Leaders can vote however they want, but they must have the decency and courage to at least listen to people with differing opinions. Sweeping them aside would be unwise, and frankly, cowardly.

Let the people speak, Modesto

The message apparently sank in.

A day later, Brandvold said he and City Manager Joe Lopez were “working on a plan to provide for citizen involvement and input.” Three days after that, the mayor sent word that the council will decide this matter July 7. Because elections officials have given a firm July 20 deadline for November ballot requests, the council could even stretch the Wood Colony and urban line decision until July 14, the mayor said.

Postponing makes a world of difference, because Modesto and county leaders will welcome a return of the public to meetings in person in July. Spacing between audience members will reduce the number of Wood Colony opponents, but at least some will have their say after all. So will those with thoughts on how an urban limit might affect Salida, Riverbank and Ceres.

Modesto leaders will receive and deserve no special thanks for postponing the hearing, because it was the only right and decent thing to do.