Yes on Measure R
No one likes tax increases. They are seemingly imposed against
your paycheck, or they significantly add to the cost of purchasing
that new refrigerator. Yet the hue and cry seems aimed solely at
services purchased from government.
Yes on Measure R
No one likes tax increases. They are seemingly imposed against your paycheck, or they significantly add to the cost of purchasing that new refrigerator. Yet the hue and cry seems aimed solely at services purchased from government.
No one attacks the developers for building too many McMansions and too few small, affordable homes for young families, dramatically driving up housing costs. No one decries the injustice of Chevron boosting its return to shareholders on the backs of the motoring public. No, the outrage seems to be reserved for cities and counties – effectively nonprofit organizations – that are trying to deliver safe roads, activities for our youth, and police and fire protection.
On Nov. 7 voters in Hollister will be asked to approve a 1 percent sales-tax increase. Hollister’s sales-tax rate currently sits at 7.25 percent. There’s a reason sales tax in communities in Santa Clara County average 8.25 percent – what Hollister’s will be if voters approve the hike. Even San Juan Bautista’s sales tax is 8.0 percent.
Costs of delivering city goods and services have climbed, while the demands put on law enforcement, fire and other services climbed dramatically during the real-estate boom of the 1990s, yet the revenue to pay for these services has remained stagnant.
One clear example of the difference between 7.25 percent and 8.25 percent are the park systems in Gilroy vs. Hollister. For all intents and purposes, Hollister has one park – Vista Park Hill – and it is in need of some serious maintenance. Gilroy, in contrast, has many neighborhood parks and two parks large enough to hold festivals in.
But it’s not just recreation for seniors and families that are threatened, when was the last time you drove down many of the streets in Hollister? Notice what a beating your car is taking? There are streets inside the city that still do not have sidewalks for children to walk on, forcing them to walk on the shoulder of the road. Some of the loudest detractors to the rate increase will likely be the loudest complainers when emergency response to crime or medical emergencies is slower than they think it should be.
It’s like the old adage, you get what you pay for.
We urge a yes vote on Measure R.
