The three quarter of a cent sales tax voters approved in November will help make Manteca’s emergency vehicle fleet critical for first responders to do their jobs more reliable.

It is because receipts for the temporary 20-year tax that went into effect Jan. 1 will start flowing into the city’s general fund in the coming months.

That has given elected leaders the ability to dip into reserves and shift committed funding around to replace aging  and problematic vehicles knowing they can backfill the money used in the coming months with Measure Q receipts.

The Manteca City Council on Tuesday authorized spending $510,000 for five new patrol vehicles.

Based on the lead time to secure specialized vehicles built for the rigors of police use and the need to equip them, it will take roughly six months for Manteca to take delivery.

In December, the city was able to take advantage of a new engine that was already built and available for sale for just over $1 million. That engine will go into service in Manteca in the coming months.

Measure Q made it fiscally responsible for the city to do so.

Had the city placed an order for a fire engine to be built, it would have taken in excess of two years for it to be ready for Manteca to receive. 

Council member Regina Lackey noted that she didn’t favor the tax.

That said, Lackey said she was happy the city “was putting the money where we said it would be used.”

She echoed the comments of other council members including Mike Morowit who noted the city is living up its promise to do the “right thing” and make public safety as well as streets the top priorities for Measure Q funding.

The arrival of five new patrol units will greatly reduce the chance patrol officers would have to double up when marked units fail to start at the beginning of their shifts.

At times there have been no other available units due to them being in  the shop meaning two officers end up riding together for a shift.

That, in turn, reduces the effectiveness of patrol coverage with a shift going without one patrol unit.

Fire engines, because they haven’t been replaced in a timely manner due to financial constraints, sometimes will not start, forcing crews to scramble to the backup engine.

Last year, the backup engine at the Louise Avenue station also failed to start as well forcing the dispatch of an engine company from a different station.

A Manteca fire truck has also broken down while en route to a medical emergency at El Rancho Mobile Home Park.

The city because of funding shortfalls has been forced to wait to replace vehicles until they got to the point they absolutely had to be replaced. 

And when they did so, it often meant planned replacement of even older equipment elsewhere in the city such as what is used by street maintenance couldn’t be done and ended up being delayed even more.

There have been situations where street repair equipment before it was replaced with federal COVID relief pass through funds, was in the shop or inoperable awaiting replacement parts, more days than it was able to be used.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwystt@mantecabuleltin.com