• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Did Road Diet Kill Measure G?

November 16, 2015 By Bruce Frohman Leave a Comment

Budget cutsSeen by some as a waste of taxpayer money, the College Avenue “Road Diet” may have been the nail in the coffin of Measure G.  The new traffic design reduced the number of thru traffic lanes on College Avenue from two to one.

In order to sell the sales tax increase, proponents needed to convince voters that the money was needed and would be put to good use.  The road diet contradicted the story line.

With “Stop the Lies” signs plastered all over town railing against Measure G, many viewed the project to reduce traffic lanes on College Avenue and North Ninth Street as a waste of money.

While citizens living on College Avenue welcomed the effort, others saw the project as worse than worthless. Reduction of traffic lanes caused new congestion on College Avenue and worsened congestion at the intersection of Woodland/Coldwell and North Ninth Streets.

Few bicycle riders use the newly created bike lanes, adding to the perception that the road diet wasn’t worth the money.

When the Bee reported that the College Avenue project cost 1.2 million dollars, taxpayers immediately assumed that the Modesto City Council wasted that much money on the diet. Taxpayers are always willing to vote down a tax increase whenever they think their money is being wasted. Under construction prior to the election, the timing of the project could not have been worse.

Modesto City Council member Dave Lopez told this writer that the cost of striping was only $75,000 and that the rest of the funds went to improving the condition of the roadway. He maintained that even if College Avenue is taken off the diet, the maximum loss would be $75,000, plus the cost of restriping. In addition, the money for the project came from a federal grant, not from Modesto’s General Fund.

Unfortunately, no one on the city council thought to inform voters about the funding source and the actual cost of the striping. People may have been willing to forgive past bad expenditures, hoping that the council had become wiser; taxpayers did not forgive the road diet.

Dealing with the Wreckage

In an informal conversation, Modesto Councilmember-Elect Doug Ridenour said he wasn’t worried about the city’s finances now that Measure G had failed.  He said that going forward, “we will be creative.”

As the fallout from Proposition 13 continues to squeeze city budgets, creativity will be necessary to avoid draconian cuts or going bankrupt, as have the cities of Stockton and Riverside.  Tax revenues have not kept up with increases in operating costs.

Looking at Budget Cuts

The improving local economy has kept Modesto city government afloat the past few years, as tax revenue increased in combination with tight fiscal restraint. The city’s debt load is an added factor to consider in juggling the budget. With variable rate loans, higher interest rates could complicate matters. And absent a change in ratio of tax revenue versus operating cost increases, more cuts in city services are inevitable.

A number of cuts will be easy to make, although politically unpopular.

Modesto will eventually close and sell its municipal golf courses. The courses have not shown a profit, so they are expendable

Police and fire expenses can be cut by contracting out services to Stanislaus County.  This is already being done by Riverbank and a few other cities. For a fee equal to or less than Modesto currently spends, the county would probably be willing to step in and provide the best possible service for the money allocated.

The convention center can either be sold or sent into foreclosure. The facility shows a net loss of several hundred thousand dollars per year. Absent managing it to at least break even, the city will eventually be forced to either sell or let it go to foreclosure.  Former Mayor Carmen Sabatino recently pointed out that the city owes as much on the property now as it owed when the center was built.

Water and Sewer Rates Will Increase

The build-up in deferred maintenance of both systems will result in higher rates. As major system failures increase in frequency, political pressure will eventually build to force the politicians to address the problem.

Stanislaus County will attempt to deal with some of Modesto’s ongoing road  deficiencies, in part, with a 2016 ballot initiative to raise the sales tax for improvements.  Given the lack of success in past elections, the passage of such an initiative is not guaranteed.

 

Filed Under: Featured, Politics Tagged With: Modesto Measure G

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

Louis DeJoy Is Killing It
Louis DeJoy Is Killing It
While Biden dithers, Trump’s minion wrecks the postal service.
nymag.com
So What if Romney Doesn?t Solve the ?Root Causes? of Poverty?
So What if Romney Doesn’t Solve the Root Causes of Poverty?
We handle problems all the time without dealing with their root causes.
nymag.com
The Facts of Life - The Bulwark
The Facts of Life – The Bulwark
My suggestion last week that perhaps the best way some of us who’ve been conservatives can now help the country is to help the Biden administration succeed, and help the Democratic party move to the center, seems to have stirred up a minor tempest in the conservative teapot. I asked whether one shouldn’t consider allying…
thebulwark.com
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
Texas’s deregulated electricity market left millions in the dark last week. For the past 20 years, its consumers have paid more for their electricity than state residents who are served by traditional utilities, a WSJ investigation found.
www.wsj.com
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
Cawthorn has emerged as one of the most visible figures among newly arrived House Republicans, who have promoted baseless assertions and pushed a radicalized ideology that has become a driving force in the GOP.
www.washingtonpost.com
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
The colorful community was built in just 13 weeks!
www.housebeautiful.com
California's coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: 'The devil is already here'
California’s coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: ‘The devil is already here’
California’s coronavirus strain is more transmissible than its predecessors, is more resistant to vaccines and may cause more severe cases of COVID-19.
www.latimes.com
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden's Sweeping COVID Package
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden’s Sweeping COVID Package
More than 150 business leaders from various industries have signed a letter backing President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP's voters
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP’s voters
www.usatoday.com
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
In the growing community of charismatic Christian prophecy, faith in Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House is a new dividing line.
www.politico.com
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
The New York congresswoman said she would travel to Houston to highlight the problems faced by Texans hit by power outages and freezing weather.
www.newsweek.com
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
How the right-wing talk radio icon corrupted the Republican Party, spread hate, racism, and lies, and laid the groundwork for Trumpism
www.rollingstone.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design