Why Measure A won’t solve all of Turlock’s financial problems

Our country faces an election aftermath that has not yet resulted in national unity. Locally, we are also struggling with the ever-present COVID-19 economic and educational disruptions.

City, county, state and federal finances are strained as seldom before. Even the passage of Measure A in Turlock will do little to assuage the perilous fiscal crises facing our city.

Never before has it been more necessary for local communities to work tougher to address impacts of the pandemic. To do so effectively requires all of us to rededicate ourselves to supporting public policies that actually address problems, and not rhetorical sound bites that accomplish little.

We have a good opportunity to do this. Turlock and many other cities have elected new council representatives. Stanislaus County will have three new supervisors in January. Turlock will have two new City Council members. It’s time to forget the feuds of the past and present a united front to secure the best for our area.

What began as a healthcare crisis has quickly morphed into unprecedented health, social, and economic challenges. We have seen middle-class families now living on the edge of poverty. Homelessness has not been abated. Our children’s mental health is challenged daily, and the strength of families is frayed.

While prayer continues to be something many of us lean on, I am asking that we take an extraordinary step forward and meet as a community to talk honestly and openly about Turlock’s challenges and opportunities.

There is no silver bullet to bail us out. New sales tax revenue and cannabis proceeds won’t do it.

Let me remind everyone of our fiscal reality:

First, our police department needs eight to 10 more officers. We do not have the funds to hire all needed officers, nor is there enough revenue to increase salaries for existing officers to help retain the force we have.

Second, as everyone recently read, our fire department has been devastated by the pandemic. This raises the question of whether we should begin exploring a fire regionalization strategy. The cities of Patterson and Oakdale already have taken that step. Both have preserved their local identity while benefiting from economies of scale. We need to discuss this option in Turlock.

Third, we are long overdue to review city departments and personnel and ask whether we can consolidate departments to save dollars and act more efficiently.

Fourth, our business permitting process is an embarrassment. We need to simplify our entire process to make it business-friendly and not require multiple visits or forms.

Fifth, with cold weather upon us, we can expect our homeless population to become sicker. While we do not have the financial resources to solve homelessness, we do have a responsibility to ensure that homeless families have access to services and food. Too many organizations are trying to accomplish the same goal of helping the homeless without working together.

We need a collaborative effort among all programs serving the homeless to come together with a single plan built on caring for children first, families second, and then everyone else. We also need to work closely with the county, which is charged with much of the responsibility of the homeless problem.

Sixth, we need a real road repair plan. Every neighborhood should know when their roads are going to be repaired.

Finally, we need greater transparency. We are long overdue for an independent forensic audit to explicitly outline short- and long-term financing challenges. Let’s explain to voters how much of every tax dollar goes into each and every obligation.

It is time for the Turlock City Council to direct executives to develop a road map to fiscal and quality-of-life improvements.

I ask our council to schedule a series of meetings to discuss the best way to proceed. We need to move forward.