The plan looks to fulfill Measure T’s original selling points of
added public safety officers and parks and recreation staff, as
well as extra positions in city administration.
The Hollister City Council on Monday unanimously approved a plan to spend $2.6 million over the next two years in added funds from the Measure T sales tax increase.
The plan looks to fulfill Measure T’s original selling points of added public safety officers and parks and recreation staff, as well as extra positions in city administration.
City Manager Clint Quilter developed the plan, and council members Monday offered praise for his job formulating the plan before their approval.
The Hollister Police Department will get most of the cash, followed by the community services department, the fire department and city administration.
“This has been an honest effort to meet the needs the public wanted when they voted for Measure T,” said Hollister Mayor Doug Emerson. “Public safety is very important. But we also need people in parks, maintenance and administration to get us on track.”
Quilter said the Citizen Oversight Committee – a group of citizen volunteers charged with tracking how Measure T funds are spent – is about the begin its “interview phase” and the group’s members will be selected “soon.”
In November, voters approved Measure T, which pushed the city’s sales tax rate from 7.25 percent to 8.25 percent and took effect in April.
Because 6 percent of the city’s sales tax revenues go to the state, the 1 percent increase effectively doubles the city’s sales tax income.
The $2.6 million in expected, extra funds has dwindled, however, from once-lofty projections of $4 million just last year. Since then, the national economic slump has pushed those estimates down by nearly half.
Spending ‘T’ – 2008-09
In fiscal year 2008-09, seven new police officers will be hired, including two school beat officers, two patrol officers, an animal control officer, two half-time community service officers and a police services officer. The Juvenile Impact Program, aimed at keeping young kids out of gangs, also will be started again.
The Hollister Fire Department will hire a new administrative captain, a firefighter and a support services technician. It will also reclassify a fire engineer.
The Hollister Parks and Recreation Department will hire a new recreation coordinator along with one half-time and two full-time maintenance workers. And it will reclassify a facility coordinator for the Veterans Memorial Building and a recreation supervisor.
Hollister City Hall will get a new accounting technician and an assistant city clerk, and it will reclassify an accounting manager and administrative analyst.
2009-10
In fiscal year 2009-10, four more police officers will be hired, including two United Narcotics Enforcement Team detectives, a personnel and community services sergeant and a special weapons and tactics officer.
Three new firefighters will be added, and an incentive pay program will begin. There also will be increased safety training and medical equipment for the fire department.
City Hall in the following fiscal year will also hire a human resources manager, two maintenance workers and officials will set aside $50,000 to repair damaged sidewalks.
