Turlock Puts Brakes on Road Tax Proposal

David Fransen

After months of research, the Turlock City Council has put the brakes on a proposed road tax – at least for now.

With a election filing deadline looming on Aug. 9, Councilmembers decided Tuesday to forego placing any new taxes on the November ballot.

“This issue is entirely too important for us to attempt to force-fit it, to make something happen by this November,” Councilman Bill DeHart said. “I think it may even be a push to get it for next June.”

Instead, the city will wait to see if Stanislaus County carries through with plans for a countywide road tax. That initiative is currently in development by the Stanislaus County Council of Governments, the regional transportation planning board, though the board is months from completing a proposal.

“I think the general agreement is, every city needs money for their own roads, but we also realize there should be a portion that goes to countywide projects,” Councilmember Forrest White, Turlock's representative to StanCOG, said. “I think the devil's in the details: how much?”

According to Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, a likely measure would see two or three regional projects – a north county corridor, a south county corridor, and Highway 132 – with the remainder of revenues dedicated to the cites to spend as they see fit. Details remain to be hammered out, though, and the entire plan could yet be scuttled if Modesto moves forward with plans for a city-specific general sales tax.

Turlock won't wait forever, though. A Turlock-specific road tax could return for the June or November 2014 ballot.

“We've got to do something with these roads,” Councilwomen Bill DeHart said

Based on public feedback, the City of Turlock would likely place a half-cent sales tax on the ballot. All proceeds would be dedicated to Turlock roads, unable to be spent for any other purpose.

That measure would raise $5 million to repair roads annually – less than the $10 million it would cost just to maintain roads at their current state. Turlock could leverage the $5 million to potentially obtain millions more in state grants, available only to cities which tax themselves, to make up the difference.

Placing a tax measure on the ballot would cost between $30,000 and $45,000, plus the cost of any related marketing campaign. But Turlock city staff believe that citizens will support a new tax if it will benefit the roads, based on feedback received during a series of public meetings.

“There was clearly an interest in seeing, from those who expressed their opinions, something done for the roads,” said City Manager Roy Wasden.

Roughly 60 people spoke at a total of four public meetings, held in the four quadrants of Turlock from May to June. Councilmember Amy Bublak, long an opponent of a road tax which she describes as a short-term fix, said that not enough feedback was gathered at the meetings to qualify as a valid opinion poll.

“You talk about 60 people and 73,000 population,” Bublak said. “That's not a significant outburst of, 'You know what, I want to pay for that.'”

Mayor John Lazar, the chief proponent of a road tax measure, reluctantly agreed that November was too soon. But he said that until a tax is passed, Turlock will continue to be a great city blighted by shoddy roads.

“I don't think there's anything wrong with putting it on the ballot and letting the citizens of Turlock decide,” Lazar said.

Councilmember Steven Nascimento was absent for Tuesday's meeting.

Comments 1

  1. Chris Martinez-Mirza says:
    As a tax payer I'd like to know who makes decisions as to what roads will get repaired and which don't get any attention? I find it very unwise to keep resurfacing Toulomne over and over again when Monte Vista and so many other streets are in such bad shape.
    I still can't get over the idiot decision to build all those roundabouts and side street planters on West Toulomne, when clearly that was so unnecessary. Someone needs to have a reality check. I also think that someone that lives on Toulomne is being catered to because they sure keep that street nice and redone.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recent Forum Topics

Recent Forum Replies

  • paul on In what different materials do women’s activewear comes? "You may get a variety of fabrics for the best activewear for women online, including cotton, spandex, synthetic, bamboo fiber, and Gore-Tex. Each of these materials has distinctive properties that set them apart. Since polyester is incredibly light and comfortable to wear, we advise you to utilize it. Athletic clothing frequently uses polyester as a fabric. Shirts for activewear, sweatpants and jogging jackets usually contain polyester blends. Polyester often dries quickly, making it the perfect fabric for intense workouts."
  • PaulWatkins on How does a real estate agency work? "Hi Dans Andrew, I'm glad you have made the right decision because a real estate agency is a promising career. Real estate agency involves dealing with properties either for selling or purchasing. When a client comes to a real estate agency to sell a property, it is the estate agent's job to find a buyer. If the agent finds a buyer and closes the deal at a good price for both parties, the estate agent gets a 1% commission from both buyer and seller. This is how real estate agencies work, and estate agents earn."
  • dans on Where can we find the best kratom capsules? "Hi, sir, I don't know which state you live in because many states in the U.S. have prohibited the sale of the best kratom capsules, but you can still find them online. Many online pharmaceutical stores provide the best kratom capsules at affordable prices. You can look for such online stores on Google or even social media. The store will deliver the best kratom capsule to your home without charging the delivery charges."
  • dans on How to choose the right weight loss clinic? "A reputable weight loss clinic should preferably include counseling while being overseen by a doctor or other qualified medical expert. However, some weight-loss facilities allow clients to quickly obtain weight-loss medications and leave without providing a thorough medical history or seeking a physician's opinion. You should stay away from these types of locations because they're dangerous and probably won't result in long-term weight loss. Find a facility that focuses on the behavioral treatment or lifestyle counseling instead. They can provide you with the tools you need to make healthy decisions and advice on how to fit exercise into your daily schedule. Some of these tactics include keeping track of your meals and keeping a weekly workout log."
  • paul on Why are customer reviews important during online shopping? "The most crucial component of every online store is its customer reviews. Reviews can assist other customers in determining whether or not the business and its items are worthwhile purchases. If you earn positive evaluations, your brand will gain an enormous reputation and rank better on Google. According to Google's recently modified algorithm, a business can increase its performance by obtaining reviews. This is the rationale behind inquiries about reviews on Google, Facebook, and other online clothing stores for women."
ADVERTISEMENT
Skip to content