GALT, CA (MPG) - Move over, Mr. Smith; the Galt City Council is going to Washington.

The Galt City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to send the entire council on a networking trip to Washington, D.C., from May 3-7, part of the 53rd annual Capitol-to-Capitol federal advocacy effort. The members will join over 400 other members on the trip.  

The annual conference is organized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and provides an opportunity for local delegates to secure funding and resources for high-priority projects across California, and to rub shoulders with decision-makers in the nation’s capital.

Council member Bonnie Rodriguez, whose daughter currently works for a congressman in Washington, said she was told that networking events like Capitol-to-Capitol give city officials, especially from small towns, an opportunity to advocate for local projects that might slip under the radar of federal officials.

“This is just one of those opportunities that gets us, with our regional partners, to help them to understand where we ware sitting so they can help us to get the legislatures to make some decisions that will help us,” Rodriguez said. 

The agenda item approving the trip initially mentioned just three representatives, one of which was originally going to be interim City Manager Chris Erias, but at the meeting it was announced that Erias declined to go in lieu of members from his staff or other council members.

It was later decided that there was enough wiggle room in the city’s travel budget to send all five of the council members, if they opted to go. All five of the council voiced interest in the trip, if their schedules aligned.

The trip will cost about $5,000 per council member that chooses to go. No one from Galt has opted to go on the trip for about seven years.

“I think that the city of Galt needs to start getting involved regionally,” Rodriguez said. “This is a great networking opportunity not just there in D.C., but with our regional people.”

Rodriguez noted plans to widen Highway 99 and an interchange at Walnut Avenue as potential projects that could be discussed for funding.

Galt resident Chris Brosman said he believed that the money would better be served at the local level and questioned if the delegation’s voice would be drowned out 

“I’m not a huge fan of Cap-to-Cap as you can probably see,” Brosman said. “I’d like to see how the trip would benefit us. I can network on a local level. You guys can network on a local level.”

Mayor Shawn Farmer said he appreciates any resident’s desire to save taxpayer dollars but felt the connections and potential money that could come from the trip was worth it. He highlighted larger issues that are facing Galt, most notably homelessness, that neither Galt, nor state officials, can solve without federal intervention.

“Maybe nothing will become of this trip, but maybe something does come from it and it brings a $10 million windfall for a construction project,” Farmer said. “Who’s to say? I do think it’s important that someone goes.”

Interim Economic Development Director Amie Mendes highlighted a $41.3 million grant from the federal Department of Transportation that was announced in January for work on Interstate 580 in Tracy.

The project was part of a proposal made by Tracy city officials when they joined other government officials from San Joaquin Council of Government’s One Voice trip to Washington, D.C., last year.

“It may take some time, but I obviously think it would be worth it,” Mendes said.

Galt Commission on Aging Commissioner Joan Werblun, who also serves as vice chair for the California Health Collaborative, implored the council to send delegates.

“These opportunities do not come up all the time,” Werblun said. “With people cutting budgets, I think that the fact that you may be able to pull this together, I can tell you, I would love to see all five of you go.”