The importance of quality city services

By Michael Maciel

There has been a history of just "adequate" city services in past years, largely a result of cost saving effforts on the part of city government. Rather, Tracy has grown in both size and quality into a community that expects and deserves excellent service for its citizens.

I know from first hand experience what it was like to be a Graveyard Shift supervisor with 4 patrol officers, trying to provide police protection to a community that then had a population of 60,000+ residents. A combination of working harder and smarter allowed us to continue to provide adequate service, a scenario that was also repeated in other city departments.

I believe the service gap was due to concerns of budget shortfalls. Through highly responsible fiscal management, Tracy has remained financially secure and enjoys reasonable budget reserves. While we should continue to carefully control the City's purse strings, the time has come to invest in staffing and technology to bring services up to a level to match and keep pace with growth.

The City has already taken very positive steps in this direction and as a council member I will be committed to continuing and expanding this practice. The Police and Fire Departments underwent staffing analysis studies and the recommendations of those studies should be followed into the future. The maintenance of City parks and facilities must be a priority. Street and sidewalk improvements in older portions of town should take place sooner rather than later. The charm and character of our older neighborhoods should not include rough streets and buckling sidewalks.

With transportation being a vital element of economic growth, Tracy's traffic situation must improve. One of my personal frustrations has to do with the apparent lack of synchronization of traffic signals. There has to be ways to improve the traffic flow in Tracy and when elected to the council I will make finding a solution to that issue a priority.

Tracy citizens have clearly stated their desire for improved and expanded ammenities, such as an aquatics center, more fields for youth and adult sports and a rejuvinated downtown that will offer greater cultural opportunities. I support the city's current efforts to explore the possibilities of building some of these facilities in partnerships with developers. Negotiations with developers should be fair but firm, with city government ensuring that the community's best interests are represented.