Lodi council set to debate use of motto, eminent domain ban

From God to greenbelts — and nearly everything in between, including a new tax — is on the agenda for a special Lodi City Council meeting Wednesday.

• Counciwoman JoAnne Mounce will discuss her idea to have the city honor the national motto of "In God We Trust," while exploring the idea of Lodi adopting "Livable Lovable Lodi" as its official motto.

• Council members want to talk about introducing an ordinance that would prohibit the city from using eminent domain to secure land for private development.

• Vice Mayor Bob Johnson will offer his idea of council-sponsored quarter-cent sales tax increase to support public safety funding.

• Councilman John Beckman also wants to talk greenbelts, but he thinks the council should amend the General Plan to include an urban separator between Lodi and Stockton.

Council members have suggested each idea in past months and in order not to clutter already crowded agendas for regular meetings, which often last for hours, the topics waited for discussion until a free Wednesday evening that would be reserved just for the council's pet projects.

Mounce's idea has probably garnered the most interest from residents who have squared off on the idea of even honoring the "In God We Trust" phrase as either a proper tribute to the nation's history or as an unacceptable invite to mix religion into local politics.

Mounce insists she would rather have the focus be adopting "Lovable Livable Lodi" as the city's motto instead of a protracted debate on "In God We Trust."

Ken Owen, founder and chairman of Christian Community Concern, has weighed in supporting the city honoring "In God we Trust."

In addition to his idea of a sales tax, Johnson is also suggesting the council discuss the idea of transforming part of the maintenance shop at Hutchins Street Square into a hospice house.

Johnson gleaned the idea from minutes of a meeting of the Hutchins Street Square foundation in which former square director and current board member Charlene Lange suggested the idea as it fits with the square's mission and be a benefit to the city's senior community. The project could cost around $1 million.

Council members will also hold a pubic hearing to consider levying the annual assessment to fund the Lodi Tourism and Business Improvement district. The assessment is expected to raise $177,328 for the tourism district.

Wednesday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Carnegie Forum, 305 W. Pine St. For more information contact the City Clerk's office at 333-6702. The meeting will not be televised.

Contact reporter Andrew Adams at andrewa@lodinews.com.

First published: Monday, March 27, 2006