With the narrow defeat of Measure B, fixing Turlock roads have taken a back seat again. To the 61 percent of Turlock voters willing to re-invest into fixing our critically important transportation infrastructure, the community thanks you. Unfortunately, a minority of voters have pushed much needed repairs down the road – a road that is in dire need of repair, filled with ever increasing potholes.

No one seems to disagree that Turlock roads are in poor condition and declining. Turlock voters missed an opportunity to make a real difference and to correct years of neglect and to replace wishful thinking with a specific corrective action plan with a dedicated funding source for road repair only. Considering that the Turlock General Fund Budget has been balanced by pulling funds from reserves the past five years, it is improbable that any significant progress can be realized without a new revenue source since deferred pavement maintenance is projected at $65 million or twice the size of the total General Fund. Without additional revenues, paying for road repairs out of the General Fund will create a “potholes versus public safety” decision.

The citizens of Turlock deserve better and need to hold our newly elected Council accountable and demand action now.

— Jim L. Theis