Latest news with #LisaCraig-Hensley
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lodi transit service expected to see 25% growth in coming years
May 9—The City of Lodi expects GrapeLine ridership to increase by 60,000 passenger trips in five years, a 25% increase over today's numbers. Tahoe City-based LSC Transportation Consulting presented a draft Short Range Transit Plan to the Lodi City Council during a special Tuesday meeting, which contains an overview of existing GrapeLine services, transportation needs in the community and future operating plans over a five-year period, among other data. The city's SRTP was adopted in 2019, and since that time, staff said there have been significant developments to transportation trends in Lodi, including ridership pattern changes to transit ridership patterns and new local developments. The consulting firm said ridership will increase as the city begins implementing new routes and services over the next few years. One of those new routes is a proposed east-to-west corridor, which will provide connections to residents not needing to visit Downtown Lodi. The route will travel along Kettleman Lane from South Lower Sacramento Road to Cherokee Lane, as well as to Reynolds Ranch and along Harney Lane, and increase ridership by 13,800 trips, the firm said. GrapeLine will also extend Saturday service by one hour to 7:30 p.m., increasing ridership by 720 trips annually. In addition, bus frequency along Route 2, which travels along Central Avenue and Kettleman Lane, will increase during weekdays with service at stops every 30 minutes during peak travel times. This will result in an increase of 15,300 passengers annually. When Valley Rail constructs the ACE station near Flag City, GrapeLine will provide service from Downtown Lodi three times a day, increasing ridership by 5,300 trips annually. While service increases were a top request during a survey the firm conducted last year, these improvements will also increase costs by about $554,100 annually, the firm said. The city also plans on replacing some of its fleet by purchasing two 29-foot compressed natural gas-powered buses in fiscal year 2025-26. A 35-foot electric trolley will also be purchased, but not until fiscal year 2028-29. All three vehicles are expected to cost $2.5 million. Bus stop improvements scheduled include 13 new locations and routine maintenance of existing ones, which will entail signage replacement, adding benches and shelters, all at a cost of $640,000. Other improvements include communications upgrades, transit station facility repairs and parking structure security upgrades, among others, at a cost of $6.7 million. The firm surveyed 454 residents in May and August, and found that 33% use GrapeLine to get to school, while 22% use it for shopping and 17% use it for work. In addition, only 19% of riders have access to a vehicle if public transit wasn't available. Another 50% said they would walk somewhere if transportation wasn't available and 14% said they would not make a trip at all. Councilwoman Lisa Craig-Hensley thought 2030 was an ambitious target to have the ACE station up and running in Flag City, but what counted was that a plan was in place. She also said a cross-city route that transported residents to the station was going to be a boon for the city. "That west-east connector is going to be critical to expand into that area, particularly for jobs down the road, and planning for that now is a good thing," she said. "The housing development that might occur there, I don't know who will be the user group out there, but I think for purposes of getting jobs to expanded areas, that would be a good investment."
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Carney gets early vote of support: Councilwoman doesn't believe 'grounds exist' to dismiss Lodi city manager
Apr. 9—A day ahead of a special meeting to determine the city manager's future, a Lodi City Council member has announced they will not support his dismissal. Council woman Lisa Craig-Hensley said the statements Scott Carney made during an April 1 meeting reflected his ongoing frustration with obstacles that prohibited him from assessing the city's financial and internal operations. "I do not believe grounds exist to support the dismissal of Mr. Carney in bringing to light the discrepancies in our fiscal status, reporting and operations," she said. "These are challenges we face and must overcome to ensure transparency and more importantly, accountability to our taxpayers and our county and state funding partners. That is what Mr. Carney and the dedicated finance team he has assembled are working towards." The council on April 1 was set to receive a mid-year budget presentation, and Carney asked to make a statement before staff proceeded. Carney read a prepared statement alleging that City Attorney Katie Lucchessi and City Clerk Olivia Nashed edited staff reports without his knowledge or approval. Carney claimed the pair redacted parts of his approved reports protect some employees, and that internal reviews of purchasing activity revealed evidence of widespread misuse of public funds and city credit cards to purchase personal items. He said that there was resistance to his investigation among staff and that there was evidence the city had been failing as a steward of public trust. Mayor Cameron Bregman ordered Carney to stop speaking when the city manager began discussing ongoing personnel investigations regarding fraud. Bregman told the News-Sentinel last week that he stopped Carney from continuing because he may have released confidential information to the public, and that the city was exploring its options related to the matter. The Brown Act forbids city staff and elected officials from discussing personnel matters that are not placed on an agenda. An April 9 special meeting was called last Friday to evaluate the city manager's performance, as well as discuss whether to dismiss him. Craig-Hensley said her fellow councilmembers should support the forensic audit recommended on April 1. If the audit will not be led by Carney, she questioned who had the qualifications to replace him. "In the dozens of comments I've received from the public in support of Mr. Carney and the difficult task he's undertaken, I've learned our citizens want mostly to see the job done, to see council working together in support of that end, and to see Mr. Carney continuing to lead that effort," she said. Craig added that Lodi residents decide who serves on the council, which in turn hires the city manager to execute policies. "That chain of command needs to be respected by both the city council members and our staff," she said. "That is one of those professional standards to which we all must be held accountable. That is why I will continue to support the city manager in the difficult task we've given him and his team to execute. That is why I will not be supporting his dismissal." The council hired Carney last May to replace former city manager Steve Schwabauer, who retired in 2023. Prior to coming to Lodi, Carney served as the deputy director of administration for the California Department of Health Care Services for three years. He also served at Stockton City Hall from 2014 to 2020 before taking a sabbatical. Today's meeting begins at 2 p.m. at Carnegie Forum, 315 W. Pine St. It will also be livestreamed at
