Stanislaus County should support business while improving roads and other services, Supervisor Tom Mayfield said in his State of the County speech Tuesday.

Mayfield, the board's chairman for 2002, also called for continuing the fight against methamphetamine, keeping development off prime farmland and guarding county finances against state budget cuts.

"To be a visionary is to project the big picture for the future and to provide a road map for change," said Mayfield, a farmer who has represented Turlock and the southeast county since 1993. "This board will continue to chart an impressive course."

He said a "small-business-friendly environment" would help the county keep employers and attract more. He urged simplifying the process for various permits, advertising the county's tourist attractions and redeveloping downtowns.

Mayfield said the California Department of Transportation has been slow in improving roads, so the county should take on the engineering, environmental study and right-of-way purchases. He suggested issuing bonds to pay for road projects that aid job creation.

Mayfield urged the use of recycled tires in asphalt, as well as reopening the tire-burning power plant near Westley, which has operated little since the 1999 fire in the tire pile adjacent to the plant.

The county should work on annexing unincorporated neighborhoods to cities, helping cover the cost of sidewalks and other needed work, he said.

Mayfield said the county board has strong policies against development of farmland, but the state needs to give the county more say on where schools can be built. He also said cities are not doing enough to protect nearby farmland.

"For all those who promote the preservation of agricultural land within Stanislaus County, you need to appear before the nine city councils and convince them of the importance of preserving agricultural land, since this is where it is being consumed," he said.

The chairman noted several recent accomplishments -- purchase of land for a Fink Road dump expansion, opening of a drug-treatment center in Ceres, purchase of a site for a new Salida library and use of equipment that can detect ingredients in methamphetamine.

"Last year alone, we busted 90 (meth) labs," he said. "On the average, it is reported that only 10 percent of lab producers are ever caught. That means that there could be as many as 900 operating labs in Stanislaus County alone. These labs need to be shut down."

Mayfield praised efforts by the county Health Services Agency to encourage patients to use its many clinics rather than seek expensive care in hospital emergency rooms.

He said county government so far appears to be safe from major cuts as California officials try to deal with a looming deficit in the state budget.

"As a county, we will strive to be the best in California," Mayfield concluded. "You can count on a continuously better county government and a stronger, healthier community as a result."

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at 578-2385 or jholland@modbee.com.

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee.