9 comments:

• Doug Chaney posted at 8:10 pm on Tue, May 31, 2011.

  Posts: 1232

  Jeff, when going through the documents pertaining to the city of Lodi payroll, I find many paid positions that are not clearly defined and no names attached to them? I do respect you and you always are a very valuable source of information, and normally pretty accurate, and I appreciate that. I apologize for possibly overstating your salary, but I don't understand why Lodi needs a "management analyst" to speak for the city? Aren't the department managers all set up with assistant managers, when most other cities and towns can't afford that luxury? I find it a coicidence that Lodi city council just seemed to have found a nice position for you when you were in the midst of revealing the corruptive practices of Lodi city council and mamagement. I have all of those articles on my archives, as does the Record and Sentinel. The timing of your employment by Lodi city councilcoincides with the time period of manager King, and the bad press from eyesofargus.com about the corrupt inner workings of the city of Lodi and its management and council seemingly strongarm and corruptive practices. My feeling is that the city of Lodi is in need of a community development liason that can work to bring businesses and new development and jobs to Lodi, rather than spending funds on a "press secretary" that's merely an unneeded spokesman for the city.

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• Jeff Hood posted at 5:35 pm on Tue, May 31, 2011.

  Posts: 25

  If you download Item J-1 from the City Council meeting of Oct. 6, 2010 (from the Public Records link on the left side of the web page) it should answer many of those questions. Some of the final numbers from the bond sale aren't in there, however, because the bond sale occurred afterward. So here they are:

  Total P&I payments after federal interest subsidy is $67.8 million over 30 years, annual operating costs of $1.4 million/year after $1.7 million for first-year start-up costs. That is based on City-staffing estimates. The City is soliciting proposals from the private sector for plant operations to see if that is a viable alternative.

  The City will be shutting down several wells once the plant is operating.

  You or anyone else may request other public records from the City Clerk's office on the second floor of City Hall.

  You may direct future comments or questions to me at 333-6801. Thanks!

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• roy bitz posted at 4:45 pm on Tue, May 31, 2011.

  Posts: 479

  please read--"service on the debt"

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• roy bitz posted at 4:43 pm on Tue, May 31, 2011.

  Posts: 479

  Mr. Hood,

  I respect you for responding to Mr. Chaney's post. I hope you will respond to my posts and provide some of the information.
  Can you provide a listing of all the items and costs associated with the surface water treatment project---including service on the and ongoing operations.
  Is my estimate of $200,000,000 over forty years "in the ball park"?
  Is true that river water is polluted and every drop must be heavily chlorinated?
  Is the area ground water over draft 200,000 annually?
  Does the city pump a total of 18,000 afa of ground water annually?
  Will this project save 6,000 acre feet of ground water annually?
  How much ground water does it take to sustain forty acres productive crop land?
  Is the over draft a city problem--or --a rural problem?
  Where am I wrong in saying this project is Lodi's bridge to nowhere.
  

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• Jeff Hood posted at 1:41 pm on Tue, May 31, 2011.

  Posts: 25

  Doug, thanks, but you've vastly overstated my total compensation (by about 50 percent). Also, my title is management analyst, assigned as a communications specialist. As far as your other questions, you will be receiving a personal response.

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• Doug Chaney posted at 11:18 am on Tue, May 31, 2011.

  Posts: 1232

  Stockton Record best investigative reporter they have ever had is Mr. Jeff Hood, who's reported on the corruption in the city of Lodi in many Record articles. Now that the city of Lodi has employed him as a communications director, whatever that title refers to, and his roughly $150K annual salary and benefits, I assume, have stopped that flow of critical information coming to the Record readers of Lodi, of which one I am. What confuses me about this Mills Ave. Closure is the fact that there were three huge handicapped sidewalk projects seemingly fast-tracked by public works that were just finished last Thursday, I believe. Why would anyone in their right mind fast-track these handicapped sidewalk projects until after the street work was done? The sidewalks are on Mills form the General Mills employee entrance on Mills and south approximately three blocks. There were at least 10 concrete finishers and laborers, I assume, fast-tracking these sidewalks to apparently finish before the closure of Mills Ave. One of the finishers told me they were sub-contracted under Overaaa, the same contractor who is general contractor on the unnecessary and unneeded water treatment plant. It seems that I read in the Sentinel not too long ago that Case Construction was awarded the handicapped sidewalk contracts? And why wouldn't public works and the city of Lodi wait until the large equipment, asphalt shredders, large crawlers, fork lifts, semi tractors and trailers with loads of large pipe, equipment and materials for this project, including storage and staging areas for this machinery, equipment, parts and supplies, were done with their work and final patching of Mills Ave. was done? Aren't the chances pretty likely that those brand new handicap ramp sidewallks are going to sustain some major damage with construction continuing for nearly two full months? I also see AM Stephens dump trucks at this project and wonder how they fit into the handicap sidewalks picture, although tthey are doing the site work at the unnecessary and unneeded water treatment plant? It also seems that for an engieers' estimated project at nearly $32 million dollars and the contract let for just under $23 million to Overaa, and so far, supposedly $36.5 million in bonds appropriated for this project, that there's $14.5 million or so laying on the table for so called "extras" and cost overruns? That's nearly 30% and that appears to be way too much bond money wiithdrawn for a $23 million bid. Is some of that bond money going to be used for other public works projects other than what it was appropriated for? There is a total of $45 million in bonds available for this unnecessary and unneeded water treatment plant and I'm wondering if this huge amount of bond money will be spent on other unrelated public works projects or even "transferred" to certain unknown city accounts? I'll be contacting Mr. Sandelin for the bid figures and numbers on the sidewalk project to see the documentation pertaining to this project and the reason for the fast-tracking of the sidewalks to be done before the rest of the water line and street project. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong?

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• Darrell Baumbach posted at 7:38 am on Tue, May 31, 2011.

  Posts: 9403

  Roy.. I am curious... since the Stockton Record is in competition with LNS, have you walked into the Record's office and asked to speak with an investigative reporter? If LNS does not think it is an important story to follow and report, maybe their competitor might with the goal of getting more readership in the Lodi area.

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• roy bitz posted at 10:37 pm on Sat, May 28, 2011.

  Posts: 479

  Please read ---IT "WILL NOT" solve the over draft problem.

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• roy bitz posted at 10:32 pm on Sat, May 28, 2011.

  Posts: 479

  
  The surface water treatment plant and all the projects associated with it will do virtually nothing to help solve the ground water over draft problem. The ground water over draft is 200,000 acre feet annually but the surface water treatment plant will process just 6,000afa---only 3% of the over draft.
  Over draft is a rural problem---not a city problem!
  The surface water treatment project will cost city rate payers about five million dollars a year----about two hundred million dollars over the next forty years. It will solve the over draft problem, and because river water is polluted, every drop of it must be heavily chlorinated.
  I am begging the Lodi News Sentinel to audit this project--itemize all the costs associated with it---the raw hook up, planning, construction of the plant, ongoing operation costs, debt service, cost of the 6,000afa water--- Mills Ave hook up----everything---then confirm this project's impact on the ground water over draft.
  I believe this is Lodi's bridge to nowhere---but I could be proven wrong.
  Anyone?
  

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