Pacific Grove’s three municipal tax measures can remain on the Nov. 6 ballot, according to a Monterey County Superior Court ruling.
Judge Robert O’Farrell heard arguments on the tax measures Thursday, and Friday threw out a challenge to Measure P on the municipal ballot brought by Monterey attorney Carl Mounteer against county Registrar of Voters Linda Tulett.
Go for it. Pay the taxes and retain some city services or cripple the town.
Also on the Seaside City Council agenda tonight, city officials will be discussing a ballot measure that would ask Seaside shoppers to vote on an increase in the city’s sales tax. City officials say they are facing a potential shortfall in the general fund.
They say more money will be needed to help pay for an anticipated increase in services when Fort Ord is developed
Opinions of Pacific Grove residents and business owners were all over the map at a standing-room-only meeting late Wednesday, as the City Council considered whether to put a tax increase measure on the November ballot.
City Manager Jim Colangelo recommended that the council support a 1 percent sales tax increase that would generate $1.3 million annually and would end after five years. The increase would raise the city’s sales tax to 8.25 percent, the highest in Monterey County.
Several hoteliers who spoke are part of Citizens for Responsible Government, a group that opposes tax increases.
Citizens for Responsible Government? These are the motel owners that inflate the room rates to the maximum and require 3 night stays. Not that I’m saying they can’t be citizens too.
Tourists are stupid – they wouldn’t know the difference and just keep paying more for the phony charm.
Results of the city-commissioned telephone survey, presented at Wednesday’s meeting, found that 35 percent of those polled opposed a tax increase, 47 percent would support a tax increase for essential city services and 13 percent wanted more information.
Under consideration for increases are the city’s transient occupancy tax, business licenses, property transfer fees and sales taxes. The council is considering implementing a parcel tax. Such measures would need a simple majority — or 50 percent of votes cast plus one — to pass.
Someone called this a majority favored a tax increase.
47% for
48% not for
Tell me the pollsters are not current or former city employees in charge of the budget.
Eighteen people in the mostly silver-haired audience of about 100 offered their thoughts after the Jan. 24 presentation. Suggestions ranged from hiking golf fees to shopping locally to keep profits close to home. Several speakers preferred cutting city staff to raising taxes; others said they’d gladly pay higher taxes to improve city services. Many agreed that the property transfer tax—a fee of $10 per $1,000 of value on homes sold—may be the best option. It would raise about $2.5 million per year and only affect homeowners who sell on the open market.
Bike permits.
Pet Licensing.
Garage Sale Licensing.
Parking meters.
Pacific Grove’s financial problems are more serious than originally thought, said the city manager, who added that services and city jobs might have to be cut to fix the problem.
City Manager Jim Colangelo initially projected that the general fund would fall short by about $700,000 in the 2007-08 fiscal year. But he said late last week that the city will run out of money during the second half of this fiscal year if cuts aren’t made soon.
Colangelo said he will soon recommend new sources of revenues, possibly including funds from sales tax initiatives, increasing hotel or property transfer taxes and more parking meters.
And wants more tax dollars to research it.
To prevent future E. coli outbreaks linked to leafy greens, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr said Friday he will request $6 million in federal funds for food-safety research.
Farr’s comments followed a closed-door meeting of about 75 Salinas-area growers, agricultural officials and lawmakers who discussed potential strategies for making local produce safer and restoring the confidence of consumers in the wake of the nationwide E. coli outbreak.
Yep, throw more taxpayer money at it Sam, that’s your shtick. What about making the growers and sellers of contaminated food pay for the study? Here, I’ll do it for free:
E. coli is poop. Animals are pooping or spreading poop in fields. Keep animals out, or clean the food before selling it. No charge, Sam. Now get your grubby hands off my wallet.
Pacific Grove city staff members will be looking for ways to repay more than $1 million taken from the city’s golf enterprise fund during the past several years that was moved to three other city funds.
The City Council’s decision late Wednesday was based on a partially completed audit released by the Harvey Rose Accountancy Corp. earlier this month.
The auditors found that all money in each of the city’s 24 funds was accounted for. But it showed that several inter-fund loans were made without the consent or knowledge of past councils, and without proper documentation, including the transfer of more than $1 million from the city’s golf course enterprise fund to its sewer service, workers’ compensation and Chautauqua Hall funds.
Well some suggestions I’ve heard:
More metered parking.
Turn the shoreline into an RV park.
Nude 2007 City Council Calendars.
Tax churches.
Tax real estate transfers.