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The Lodi Access Center is a year away from completion — they haven’t broken ground yet — and the financial future of the new facility is increasingly in doubt. In addition to capital dollars to pay for construction, the city received cash to pay for operational costs. There was hope that it would be enough to pay for the first three years. The reality is, there may only be enough to pay for the first eight months of operation, according to Interim City Manager Andrew Keys. He says construction is taking longer than anticipated, which means the city will have to pay for a temporary shelter longer. To do that they’ve had to dip into operational funds to pay Inner City Action and the Salvation Army for their continued services. Keys says they anticipate the new center to be open for business by Oct. 31, 2024, but by then they will only have about eight months of operating funds left. There is also alarm that the state is losing interest in paying for homelessness mitigation, leaving cities to fend for themselves. The upshot is that some cities with new access centers may not have the funds or willingness to pay for operations themselves. That could result in some shiny new vacant buildings.
RUNNING DRY?: The $12-plus million navigation center is Lodi’s answer to the city’s growing homeless problem. Once completed, the facility will have space enough to house about 225 persons, about equal to the estimated number of homeless people currently living on the streets, doorways, and in tents near the freeway. The new facility will also have a learning center, complete with classrooms, built on the same property. City officials say the intent is to provide vocational training so people can use those skills to find a job and to be self-sufficient someday. However, if external funds dry up the financial burden could fall upon the city’s general fund if other revenues aren’t secured. Councilwoman Lisa Craig says the city will continue to look for grants, but concedes that general fund money may be needed someday to feed the beast. Mayor Mikey Hothi says, “The governor’s budget proposed $2 billion to address homelessness and there’s a mental health bond measure on the ballot this March which seeks an additional $6 billion. We are looking at these dollars and others as we continue to move forward with the center.” Andrew Keys is also hopeful new external funds can be identified, but says there could be some level of local subsidy. “The city does not have a specific funding plan or allocation, but has fully grant-funded the facility through mid-2025. We continue to target all state and federal resources. Those resources are not guaranteed and we may have to have some local allocation. But at this time (we) are unsure how much.”
GOOD EATS: If you haven’t tried Bon Appetit, the “cozy (little) gourmet sandwich shop” on the corner of Lodi and Fairmont, you may be missing out on a good thing. They have an impressive menu of sandwiches (and salads), some familiar, some not. Le Parisien is one the favorites. It’s piled high with peppered roasted turkey, melted brie cheese, fresh-sliced Fuji apple, with Balsamic dressing and lettuce on a toasted Genova Bakery roll. Yum. There are many other creative choices to pick from. The shop is owned by Thierry and Pascale Claude, originally from France. Thierry was 17 and Pascale was 16 when they met in the small French town of Baccarat, the place where they grew up. They got married in 1987, decided to honeymoon in America, and liked it here so much they decided to make it their home. They started the little sandwich shop in 2005 and it has become a local favorite. For good reason.
IN THE MONEY: Lodi’s Farmers and Merchants Bank continues to rake in the dough, in spite of a tough market for banks. According to their just-released 3rd quarter results, the bank had net income of $22 million, up 12.8% over last year. Bank President Kent Steinwert says the bank continues to enjoy strong liquidity, holding over $668 million in cash. “Our Company remains in excellent financial condition and is well positioned to meet any challenges that might arise in the future as we have for the past 107 years,” Steinwert says. (Disclosure: Yours Truly owns a couple shares of stock in the bank). … One of the city council’s goals is to maintain a $25 million money market investment balance at F&M Bank “to enhance local liquidity towards achieving Council Strategic Imperatives.” They’re well on their way, sporting a current balance of $22,614,715 with the bank, as of September.
TAX FREE: As you may remember, the city discovered its business license tax program was illegal. It hadn’t been approved by voters after it was modified in the mid-90s. So, in addition to refunding a year’s worth business taxes, the city’s budget now has a $1.5 million hole in it. While there are no immediate plans to approach voters to approve the business tax, city officials will probably proceed with a proposal to implement a business license cost-recovery fee, which they say is entirely legal. It won’t fill the gap, but it will give the city a trickle of new revenue.
CANDID CAMERA: Another fire was reported in the Lodi Lake Nature Area last week. And, yes, there are two new security cameras installed out there, but they may not be able to help determine how it started, or by whom. “We do have a couple trail cameras already up in the nature area, however because we do not have fiber optic lines, they are not live feed nor high resolution,” says Christina Jaromay, parks, rec, and cultural service director. She says when the south side improvements are done, there will be fiber from the entrance of the park to the entrance of the nature area to allow for live video feeds.
FLASHBACK: An estimated 8,000 people attended the Lodi Memorial Hospital open house on March 28, 1952, celebrating completion of the medical center. “On April 7 the doors of the hospital will open to full service to the ill and the injured of the Lodi area,” State Department of Health Chief Gordon Cummings said in his remarks dedicating the new hospital. The new hospital became a reality just seven years after the idea was proposed to the people of Lodi, according to a news clipping from the day. Participating in the ceremony were Emil C. Bender, president of the Lodi Memorial Hospital Association, L.K. Marshall, master of ceremonies for the day, and members of the hospital board of directors. Three years later, on April 14, 1955, the Association would hold its first annual dinner. It was disclosed to the 250 association members in attendance that the hospital had operated in the black for the first time the previous year, in 1954.
LAST LAUGH: Bill from Acampo provided us with this little ditty: A quote from Gates Brown, Detroit Tigers outfielder and first baseman from 1963 – 1975. “In high school I took a little English, some science, some hubcaps and some wheel covers.”
Steve is a former newspaper publisher and lifelong Lodian whose column appears most Tuesdays and Fridays in the News-Sentinel and at stevemann.substack.com. Write to Steve at aboutlodi@gmail.com.
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