Director of Municipal Services Chris Fisher provided the Turlock City Councils with an update on the Sidewalk Repair Assistance Program, then received a proclamation from the city as he prepares to bid farewell to city hall.
Fisher is leaving Sept. 1 to become an assistant general manager at Modesto Irrigation District.
“I’m truly excited about this opportunity,” said Fisher, who will oversee MID’s surface water treatment plant in Waterford. “But I’m 100 percent going to miss my staff here at the city. They are most dedicated and committed individuals; they’re really wonderful people.”
In addition to serving as director of municipal services, Fisher serves as GM of the Stanislaus Regional Water Authority. The position at MID will more closely align with his work at the SRWA.
“That’s where I love to be,” said Fisher, a Stanislaus State graduate who majored in biological sciences. “My career has mainly been maintenance and engineering, but I fell into water and just loved it.”
In his final act with the city, Fisher updated the council about the SRAP.
According to the state’s Streets and Highways Code, responsibility for maintenance of sidewalks adjacent to private property fall upon the property owner.
In December of 2025, the council adopted the Sidewalk Repair Assistance Program (SRAP).
The city will pick up 55 percent of the tab – up to $1,250 – regardless of the homeowner’s income. For, income-qualified residents, the city will pick up 85 percent of the bill – up to $2,500. In January, the city council approved updates to the municipal code to support the sidewalk maintenance and compliance process.
“When we do go out to the property, once we have a notification, we’ll paint it and put up the appropriate signage, and that really reduces the risk of tripping hazards because it makes it more obvious,” said Fisher. “We find that some of the smaller lifts in the sidewalks can create some of the bigger problems because they’re not as blatantly obvious.
“Once we do that, we begin notifying the property owners of their obligation to repair.”
The city will send up to five notices. If the property owner is unresponsive, the city will initiate the repair and bill the homeowner.
So far, the city has inspected a total of 187 combined city-owned and non-city owned properties, with 54 property owners enrolled in the repair-assistance program. All told, 29 repairs have been completed, while another 15 projects are with the contractor and 10 more on deck.
To date, a little less than $264,000 remains in the SRAP fund.
The council also heard the final reading and voted unanimously to adopt the 2023-31 Housing Element, bringing the city into compliance with state housing law.
The city’s inability to adopt a Housing Element brought Turlock into the crosshairs of state Attorney General Rob Bonto, who filed a lawsuit against the city in July for being more than two years late in delivering the state-required plan.
Additionally, the council accepted the Economic Development Strategic Implementation Plan for 2026-29, as presented by Economic Development Director Anthony Sims, who likened the plan to a football playbook.
“We have a gameplan, we know where we want to go and what we want to do, but we also have to read what’s in front of us and adjust the play when conditions change,” said Sims, said the plan features between 35 and 40 action items, with a focus on business retention, expansion, and attraction, as well as branding, communication, and marketing.
“We want Turlock to compete for investment, respond when opportunities arise, work collaboratively to solve problems, and get projects across the finish line.”
