Council gives civility priority

The Turlock City Council took the first step towards a new, more streamlined approach to council meetings on Tuesday evening by adjusting the seating arrangement in City Hall.

In God we trust?

The Yosemite Room at Turlock City Hall, home to Turlock City Council meetings, could soon feature the words, "In God we trust," emblazoned on the wall behind where council members sit.

Money for police officers and private security regulations on tap for City Council

An extremely light workload awaits the Turlock City Council on Tuesday evening, with just one item on the agenda requiring citizen input.

New rules underway for local taco trucks

Turlock's taco trucks are on the road to more stringent, codified regulations, following a Planning Commission recommendation Thursday evening.

EPA designation could hurt farmers

Local dairymen will likely see an increase in the costs of doing business due to a proposed redesignation of the San Joaquin Valley under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules.

Some elections over as campaigning begins

With the Nov. 3 Consolidated District Election still two months away, four local races have already been decided while another has been stricken from the ballot.

City funds giant egg project

The Turlock City Council agreed to fund the Sunny Side Up project $10,000 to start the laying of the eggs around downtown Turlock.

City nets funds for foreclosures

The State of California announced on Thursday that 96 California communities - including Turlock - are set to receive a total of $92.7 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds, intended to counteract the effects of the foreclosure crisis.

Ag Secretary Vilsack milked for answers

The Stanislaus County Ag Center filled with red-clad dairymen and women on Wednesday to welcome U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to town -– and to implore the Secretary to do something to stem the losses that threaten to put 10 percent of California dairies out of business by the end of the year.

Turlockers protest Joe Debely RDA project

While the City of Turlock's Redevelopment Agency budget wasn't up for discussion at Tuesday evening's City Council meeting, that didn't stop many concerned Turlockers from voicing their disapproval of plans to spend $2.8 million on a renovation of Turlock High School's Joe Debely Stadium.

TID Director to run for Congress

For 26 years Michael Berryhill has battled for his seat as Division 3 Director of the Turlock Irrigation District, but this year Berryhill will not seek reelection to the post he has held for so long.

Few details emerge on Carnegie bid rejection

The City of Turlock formally addressed the rejection of all Carnegie Arts Center reconstruction bids in a press release distributed on Thursday afternoon, but offered little new information on the sudden move to delay the project.

Recreation commission to decide on possible fee for use of new Columbia Park water feature

The Turlock Park, Recreation and Community Commission expects to cut the ribbon on a new water feature at Columbia Park in April 2010. The water feature will be an aquatic play area for kids, similar to the one at Broadway Park, but unlike Broadway Park, families might have to pay to use the Columbia Park water feature during certain hours.

Candidates finalized

The extended filing period for the Nov. 3 Consolidated District Election closed uneventfully on Wednesday evening, with just one new competitor filing in a local race.

County backs out of pumping station responsibilities

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to terminate a joint powers authority to maintain Gomes Lake on Tuesday morning, despite the pleas of local reclamation district presidents.

More affordable housing needed, finds report

While housing prices have dropped, California still needs more affordable housing, according to a new state Department of Housing and Community Development report. "Prior to the foreclosure crisis and current economic downturn (also known as the Great Recession), California had experienced decades of undersupply, contributing to significant price escalation and the affordability crisis," the report reads. "... While the recession of the early 1990s was most devastating with regard to poverty and unemployment, ...

Failing water meters to get upgrade

City expects no changes for skate park when police offices move

The future of Turlock's popular skate park, located adjacent to the current Turlock Police Department, is in question given the construction of the new Public Safety Facility several blocks away. Turlock Parks, Recreation, and Community commissioners posed the question a month ago: without the close police presence, would the park – home to some acts of crime throughout the years – continue? But commissioners learned Tuesday that the skate park will remain ...

Voters to decide library tax on June ballot

A voter supported one-eighth cent sales tax has been the lifeblood of the Stanislaus County Library since its 1995 inception. But the fate of that sales tax, due to expire in 2013, will be up to voters once again in the June 5, 2012 Primary Election, following the Board of Supervisors' Tuesday action to place the issue on the ballot for renewal. The county's dedicated library sales tax was the first such ...

Council looks at replacing failing water meters

The Turlock City Council will consider a $495,225 upgrade to the city's failing automated water meter reading system at their next meeting on Tuesday.

Planning passes on regional ag map

A countywide initiative intended to preserve agricultural land, driven by local mayors, was shot down by the Turlock Planning Commission on Thursday for sidestepping existing planning efforts and failing to truly protect farmland. The initiative, known as the Agricultural Preservation Plan Map 2050, asks cities to clearly define their borders as of the year 2050. By doing so, the areas outside of the 2050 boundaries would be preserved for agriculture. The plan ...

City balks at proposed storm drain regulations

Washing your own car or having sprinklers that splash onto the sidewalk could soon be illegal, due to a proposed new state storm water permit. The new permit, drafted by the State Water Resources Control Board, is based on a concept of "only rain down the drain." Planners say they're attempting to meet federal regulations, but local officials say they've gone far beyond the realm of reason. "The requirements are so prescriptive, ...

What should come first, money or a plan?

Should Turlock be practical, given budgetary constraints, or should it aim for the stars? The question was front and center at a special meeting of the Turlock City Council on Tuesday, where council members went to work updating the city's strategic plan. The plan, a conceptual long-term planning document which will guide Turlock policy through 2013, has been in the works since March. Before that effort, the document had lain dormant since ...

Stanislaus County receives federal grant for preventative health programs

A federal grant aimed at getting to the root causes of chronic diseases was recently awarded to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. The Capacity Building Grant of $293,899 was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a block of Community Transformation grants. The Capacity Building Grant money is to be used for laying the foundation for sustainable community prevention programs and practices that tackle smoking, ...

Ag secretary lauds Obama’s jobs plan in California

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the state this week, lauding the positive impacts President Barack Obama's proposed American Jobs Act would have on Californians. "The American Jobs Act provides common-sense steps we can take right now to put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans, without adding a dime to the deficit," Vilsack said to attendees at a business roundtable in Sacramento. The ...

Council votes to keep RDA options open

With the fate of redevelopment agencies statewide still hazy at best, a split Turlock City Council decided to keep its options open Tuesday, approving a resolution which will allow Turlock to decide whether or not to retain its agency at a later date. The move effectively informed the state that Turlock may eventually decide to issue a large "ransom" payment to the state in exchange for the right to keep its agency active, ...

Council to plan the future of Turlock

It's time for some long term planning, says Turlock City Hall.

City reports successful summer for rec programs

Turlock Parks and Recreation wrapped up a successful year of summer programming earlier this month. They saw high participation numbers across the board, and they received grant funding to offer summer programming to ACES after school program participants. "Our numbers were high from youth to adults. Summer went very well," said Erik Schulze, recreation senior supervisor. Turlock Recreation ran a special summer clinic for students who participated in the ACES after-school program ...

Council hires firm to recruit new police chief

The search for Turlock's next full-time police chief kicked off Tuesday, when the Turlock City Council approved hiring Teri Black and Co. to conduct an executive recruitment process. The recruiter will be tasked with finding a successor to former Chief Gary Hampton, who left to head the Tracy Police Department on July 31. Since then, Dave Young has served as the Interim Chief of Police. The use of an outside recruiter drew ...

Council awaits decision on RDA take legality

The future of redevelopment remains hazy, but the City of Turlock is attempting to plan for whatever fate may befall redevelopment agencies statewide. The Turlock City Council held a special workshop Tuesday specifically to discuss the city's options following the state's action to force all redevelopment agencies to either close their doors, or pay large fees to the state. "I think it's just a wait and see for me right now," said ...