Will all construction workers on new Fort Ord developments be paid prevailing wage?

With confused or bored looks on their faces, the elected officials from the major Monterey County cities sat around a U-shaped row of tables. The members of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority board scanned a two-page resolution with hand-drawn stars and underlined letters indicating changes. It was their only task of the day, Feb. 23, but a weighty one: deciding where construction workers should be paid a prevailing wage on the largest developable piece of public land on the Central Coast.

Carmel Mayor Sue McCloud repeatedly asked when the resolution would go into effect. (The draft document said it takes effect after adoption.) McCloud also wanted to know what developments the resolution would affect. “Shouldn’t the board know what we’re voting on?” she said, looking around for a reply.

Salinas City Councilwoman Janet Barnes, on the other hand, saved her puzzlement until the end of the two-and-a-half-hour meeting. Barnes asked why FORA needed to change the resolution if state law requires prevailing wage. “Why are we doing this?” Barnes said, a stack of papers spread out in front of her.

FORA Counsel Jerry Bowden said changing where developers pay prevailing wage would only affect future projects—like the Seaside Main Gate development and the Del Rey Oaks hotel/resort. A lawsuit, which was served in early February, triggered the discussion over FORA’s wage provision. The plaintiffs, a coalition of local unions, argue that prevailing wage is already required on all Fort Ord construction.

The FORA board didn’t take vote on the prevailing wage issue at its Feb. 23 meeting. It will likely vote on the matter on March 9. And maybe this time the three Monterey County Supervisors who sit on the FORA board will show up. The vote will, after all, affect the county’s extensive list of redevelopment projects on the former base.

But then, they might not. County officials seem to be afraid of a nonexistent lawsuit against East Garrison, a mixed-use development off Reservation Road unanimously approved by supervisors in 2005. The County hasn’t been threatened with a lawsuit over East Garrison. But it appears officials are worried they may be slapped with a suit in the future.