Bruce R. Frohman: Modesto headed back to rule by developers
Modesto city government appears to have regressed to 1999. The city is operating similarly to when Mayor Dick Lang was voted out.
Who are Mayor Ted Brandvold’s current unpaid advisors? Citizens have received notice of multi-year water rate increases. Will developers pay their fair share of infrastructure costs? Why are citizens’ rates rising before all fees are figured? Residential builders are allowed water hookups while citizens suffer drought restrictions. Should there be a moratorium?
If we don’t have enough water, why add new customers? The city may spend $1.1 million on a General Plan update. Isn’t this a waste of money? The update will add farm land for residential construction to serve Bay Area immigrants. How will the average citizen benefit from the expenditure? The mayor will appoint a committee to determine infrastructure fees to be charged developers. Will it be stacked with a majority of businesspeople who will benefit from lower fees – at the expense of the rest of the community?
Shouldn’t fee structure be determined by a professional independent consultant not selected by developers? Are we being set up for another Village One financial debacle?
Mr. Mayor, please answer these questions.
Bruce R. Frohman, Modesto
This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Bruce R. Frohman: Modesto headed back to rule by developers."