There was no City Council meeting this week.

That’s because the majority of the council was back in Washington working to reduce the cost of bringing needed infrastructure as well as amenities to Manteca.

Mayor Gary Singh — along with Vice Mayor Regina Lackey and Councilman Charlie Halford — were part of the Manteca contingent participating in the annual three-day San Joaquin One Voice lobbying trip.

The effort was launched in 1998 when the San Joaquin Council of Governments wanted to reverse a decades long trend of the County securing less in federal grants to help with roads and infrastructure than many other California counties.

In the past five years, the city has secured $5 million in federal grants for infrastructure directly benefitting Manteca as a result of ongoing participation in the coordinated lobbying effort.

That includes:

*$1 million to equip a real time crime center in the new police station that will employ drones as first responders and take advantage of a growing battery of cameras around Manteca.

*$800,000 to help with the expansion of the animal shelter.

*$900,000 toward a Legion Hall/community center.

The success of the last five years contrasts when Manteca from 1992 to 1997 received nothing from DC except federal funding allocated primarily on a population basis such as Community Development Block Grants and transit funding.

The effort has also secured money for road projects elsewhere in the county as well ACE as rail service and San Joaquin Regional Transit beyond federal transportation funds doled out on a per capita basis that Manteca residents benefit from as well.

In addition, the city has enhanced its ability to secure grants such as ones in recent years that have helped the city hire additional police officers and most recently add nine new firefighters by retaining the services of a DC-based lobbying firms to bolster local applications.

The grants cover some of the initial payroll costs but require matching local dollars and for the positions to remain in place after federal funds are spent. In short, they reduce the cost of hiring new public safety positions.

This year’s effort targeted a request for $1 million to fund a new diverging diamond interchange on the 120 Bypass corridor and funding for the second phase of SJCOG’s Highway 99/120 Bypass Connector Project.

The second phase will build the replacement northbound on-ramp and southbound off ramp at the Austin Road interchange on Highway 99 and add a second transition lane from northbound Highway 99 to the westbound Bypass.

The One Voice endeavor is effective in that the in-office congressman — in this case Josh Harder — has his staff set up meetings with key staff in agencies that award funds for allocation such as transportation.

Not only can city representatives make their case directly to decision makers instead of relying only on the applications to snake through the bureaucracy along with hundreds more competing for the same funds, but they establish a working relationship with congressional staff and agency staff.

If done right, it can lead to big results as what happened for Manteca on the state level.

Singh, as an example, established a working relationship with then State Senator Susan Eggman while working to raise Manteca’s profile on regional agency boards and even statewide associations.

It is how Manteca secured a $16 million homeless grant — the largest grant ever obtained by the city — to put in place a permanent homeless navigation center and fund homeless effort.

Because of Singh making personal connections, having Eggman come to Manteca to see the city’s efforts with the homeless firsthand and get a firm grasp of what the city is seeking to do, it provided key access to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s staff.

The end result is unlike navigation centers being built in other communities such as Tracy, local tax dollars are not being tapped to do so.

This year’s pitch

Singh noted securing $1 million toward a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) project that may cost $35 million plus when all is said and done can add up.

“You go back the next time a transportation funding bill comes up and try to add to the pile,” he said.

The bottom line is securing what federal and state funds the city can so the cost isn’t borne 100 percent by local taxpayers.

In the case of the DDI funding, it could go toward either Airport Way or Main Street where preliminary design work and environmental studies are funded and now underway.

Singh said the request was written in such a manner to allow Manteca maximum flexibility on which of the two DDI projects to apply it to when the two projects advance to the point of being ready to go out to bid.

Currently, Airport Way is the preferred DDI project to go forward.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com