County denies roadwork project for Mission City
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors dealt a blow to the
city of San Juan Bautista Feb. 27 when the Board decided not to
help with a public works project to repair city roads.
County denies roadwork project for Mission City
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors dealt a blow to the city of San Juan Bautista Feb. 27 when the Board decided not to help with a public works project to repair city roads.
“Our concern was to bring this back for future discussion,” Supervisor Pat Loe said, “Do we have staff to fill this need before we spend the money and effort?”
In short, the supervisors quickly decided the answer was no. San Juan City Manager Jan McClintock or other representatives for the city were not present at the meeting.
McClintock first approached the Board of Supervisors in December about contracting with the county for a public works project that would get road repair under way in the Mission City. Many of the roads are peppered with potholes, cracked beyond repair and have barely visible divider lines.
When McClintock approached the Board for help, they suggested creating an ad-hoc committee to review the possibility of helping San Juan with city services. At the same meeting the Board approved $100,000 for the city to renovate the community center.
“As a city we have no fewer requirements with respect to regulatory [functions],” McClintock said, the day before the Board meeting. “We have to have the ability to respond to the same things as San Jose.”
As such, each staff member has a wide variety of experience and knowledge, she said. The city currently has six full-time staff members and some part-time staff. The city lacks some of the expertise that larger cities might have such as city engineers or city planners because there is not enough money or work to keep them on staff.
“The county has people who take care of the roads,” McClintock said. “They have the knowledge of how to fix a patch without it popping out the next day. They can get it done once and get it done right.”
At the initial meeting when McClintock proposed that San Juan contract with the city, the Board didn’t see it in such simple terms. In January, the board created an ad-hoc committee with Supervisors Pat Loe, Anthony Botelho and two representatives of San Juan to discuss a possible contract. After one meeting, the Board members quickly decided the county does not currently have the staff to contract with the city.
Though Botelho supported doing road maintenance in San Juan, he said the city should look at a possible partnership with another entity, such as Hollister.
“As Hollister gets their level of services, perhaps a joint effort in some of these services should be looked at,” Botelho said.
Supervisor Reb Monaco also voiced concerns over the county taking on a public works project.
“I always had a concern that we are understaffed,” Monaco said. “I don’t want to turn our backs on San Juan, but it might behoove them to hire one staff member to oversee the project and go to private contractors.”
Monaco suggested the city might actually save money by working with a private contractor rather than with the county. Though no numbers for the cost of road repair have been discussed, McClintock had thought the county would be a lower-cost alternative.
“Some [work] is minor and our guys are certainly capable of keeping parks mowed, but other projects take equipment,” McClintock said.
The Board of Supervisors saw the request as more about management than equipment.
“They asked us to provide management,” Susan Thompson, the county administrative officer, said at the board meeting. “They want someone to supervisor – to say what should be done first, second. That kind of expertise – I don’t have that now with [county] engineers.”
The decision does not deny help to San Juan or Hollister on future projects.
“The issue is looking at opportunities to collaborate on a case by case basis,” Thompson said.
Other issues McClintock wanted addressed in the ad-hoc committee included county reimbursement for San Juan’s volunteer fire department when the fire fighters respond to county calls and help with maintaining the city library.
According to McClintock, the volunteer fire department takes one to two calls a day and many of them are emergency calls outside of the city.
“Our volunteer fire department takes call and the reimbursement is minimal,” McClintock said. “The good side is they get experience, but the bad side is that with 12 members it has become a real burden for them.”
McClintock estimated the county reimbursement as around $12 per fire fighter per call.
“We go out anytime there is a wreck or a medical emergency call,” she said. “It’s more than just a structure fire. We bought a new engine that would last 40 years [if it just responded to city calls].”
In terms of the library, 10 percent of the city general fund goes to running the city library, but McClintock said at least 50 percent of the patrons are county residents. The city does not charge county patrons, but also doesn’t get money from the county to subsidize the use of the library.
“We have a problem when we get no money for it,” McClintock said. “In a perfect world, it wouldn’t matter.”
Melissa Flores can be reached at [email protected]
