Measure Q, as City Manager Toni Lundgren has repeatedly pointed out, will play a pivotal role in keeping Manteca from a downhill spiral.

The proposed $311.2 citywide budget that includes $81 million in general fund spending for day-to-day operations such as police and fire protection, parks, street upkeep, and general government left a lot of needs — staffing as well as equipment and such — on the table.

The management team identified $8 million in ongoing staffing needs to make sure service levels don’t slip as the city grows.

The proposed spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 funded seven new positions — three of them police officers — but left $6.8 million unfunded including the need for nine additional firefighters.

There was $102.3  million in capital needs requested.

Of that, $37.2 million worth of the needs were not funded.

That is on top of facility and maintenance needs that include:

*Updating of the community pool.

*The need for a new police station and a sixth fire station plus public safety equipment.

*Wastewater treatment plant expansion.

*Water infrastructure updates.

*State solid waste mandate implications.

The trick now for the next 20 years that the temporary three-quarter cent sales tax is in effect is to leverage it along with growth fees and increased water, sewer, and solid waste fees to tackle those needs and to keep service levels on pace with growth

The coming infusion of at least $12 million a year in Measure Q receipts will allow bonding for big ticket projects and could leverage state and federal dollars for other infrastructure.

The Measure Q spending plan was part of the $311.2 million overall proposed budget presented to the City Council last week.

Enterprise accounts — water, wastewater, solid waste, and the golf course — have a combined budget of $94.5 million. Enterprise funds are designed so that users or ratepayers cover the expenditures for the various services.

The capital improvement project portion of the budget is $51.3 million.

Special revenue, primarily restricted fees collected on growth, is budgeted at $54.4 million.

Internal service and other funds, such as gas tax and the $16 million state homeless navigation center grant that are also restricted, account for the remaining $30  

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com