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Council declines immediate renewal of Opportunity Stanislaus MOU, directs staff to evaluate alternatives
Summary
After mixed council feedback on performance, Riverbank directed staff to evaluate alternatives to renewing its $25,000 MOU with Opportunity Stanislaus, choosing option 2 to explore local chambers or internal staffing; motion passed 4'1.
The Riverbank City Council voted 4'1 to direct staff to pursue option 2: evaluate alternatives to its one-year memorandum of understanding with Opportunity Stanislaus for economic-development services. The proposed MOU would have continued a $25,000 annual investment for workforce, small-business and retail-leadership activities and provided a partial credit to fund scholarships and grant-like "Veil on the Go" activities.
Council members expressed divergent views: some members and Opportunity Stanislaus representatives pointed to recent activities including countywide workforce events, a Riverbank industrial-complex "Brew and Build" session and business-engagement meetings; other council members said the city already spends roughly $1.4 million on economic-development activities across programs and asked for clearer, trackable performance metrics and return-on-investment data before renewing the MOU.
The motion the council approved directs staff to consider alternative delivery methods for economic development—such as working with local chambers, expanding in-house programs, or issuing an RFP—rather than immediately renewing the MOU. The vote was 4'1, with Council member Kahl dissenting. Council asked staff to return with comparative options and recommended performance metrics for any contracted partner.
