By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Infrastructure, revenue sharing, healthcare highlight State of the County address
State of the County Channce Condit
Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Chairman Channce Condit delivers the 2023 State of the County address on May 16 (Photo contributed).

Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Chairman Channce Condit delivered the 2023 State of the County address on May 16, highlighting infrastructure, revenue sharing among cities and more health care options for the Westside.

Condit spoke of the Stanislaus 2030 Investment Blueprint that is using $18 million to spur economic investment and create local jobs.

“The Stanislaus 2030 Investment Blueprint displays that far too many families are currently struggling in our local economy, and those struggles disproportionally impact our most vulnerable residents living in disadvantaged communities,” said Condit. “These challenges may take decades to address, but the work must begin now with a clear vision for how we can move forward together as a community to deliver higher quality jobs to our residents, while also helping everyone compete equally in the economy we have today. Stanislaus 2030 sets this vision and provides a comprehensive playbook for how to bring additional investments into our community that we historically miss out on.”

Condit also touched on the county’s new 50-50 split tax agreement with all nine cities. For more than two decades the property tax collected in the county has been split with 30 percent going to the cities and 70 percent favoring the county.

“This agreement will pay huge dividends for our incorporated cities, of which are responsible for 80 percent of where our county population resides,” Condit said. “I’m proud of this Board for recognizing that the success of our cities is the success for our county and this agreement is evidence of that.”

The Board has allocated $55.8 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and $15 million in general funds for improvements to unincorporated islands in the county. This would include infrastructure projects like street lighting, sidewalks, water and sewer services and other improvements.

“The task is now at hand to move as efficiently and effectively as possible in order to make our dollar stretch the farthest it can go and to cover as many streets as possible,” Condit said.

One goal that Condit has identified for Stanislaus County is an after-hours medical care facility on the Westside.

“Currently speaking, the entire stretch of Highway 33; from Newman to Westley and Grayson are without a seven day a week, afterhours medical facility,” Condit said. “This is a clear quality of life issue that our Westside residents live with on a daily basis. Patterson is currently our fastest growing community within the county, and the time is long overdue to answer the needs of our Westside residents in delivering after-hours healthcare.”

Condit said a proposal is “on the table” that would bring a healthcare option to the Westside and potentially open the doors for a hospital in this area.

Condit said the economic health of Stanislaus County is intrinsically linked to water and that residents and local government must project a united front to protect access.

“Part of securing an economic future for our residents is also protecting and fighting for our precious water rights,” Condit said. “We are under constant threat from Sacramento to chip away and weaken our access to our most valuable resource. As a county government, as a community, we must collectively unite and push back on these efforts every turn of the way- or else face the consequences of these extreme measures that put our livelihoods at risks.”