Critics of tax increases say that simply throwing money at a
problem is no kind of solution. And while we agree with that
philosophy to an extent, the one cent sales tax increase the
Hollister City Council is considering placing on the November
ballot is not only wanted, it is necessary.
Critics of tax increases say that simply throwing money at a problem is no kind of solution. And while we agree with that philosophy to an extent, the one cent sales tax increase the Hollister City Council is considering placing on the November ballot is not only wanted, it is necessary.
The city hired an outside firm to conduct an independent survey of 400 randomly-chosen citizens, and the majority said they would support a one cent increase to the city’s 7.25 sales tax to pad the city’s dwindling general fund. City Manager Clint Quilter then told the Free Lance that if the city stays on the financial track it’s currently on and levels no tax increase to residents, by 2008 the city will be completely broke.
Not in deficit spending – that’s where it is now – but broke.
While many say that city leaders need to think outside the box and lure merchants into a business climate that is decidedly unfriendly thanks to the sewer moratorium, the bottom line is that Hollister’s sales tax is lower than nearby communities. And, either residents get the chance to cough up a penny more on their sales, or the place that 96 percent of the folks surveyed said was a good place could suffer greatly in a few years.
Additional revenue is needed to boost city services – from the city’s severely understaffed police department to the myriad of city services that have been cut down to the barest of bones, including the planning department, public works and others.
Quilter also told the Free Lance that if a tax wasn’t imposed soon, city council members may have the unenviable task of cutting entire departments, such as parks and recreation.
As the saying goes, desperate times do call for desperate measures, and right now that measure comes in the form of a sales tax.
The measure would need a simple majority to pass, and with 55 percent if those surveyed saying they would support the measure, it seems winnable at this point. However, with those numbers, city leaders can’t earmark the money to be spent on specific things – such as public safety – because that would take a two-thirds majority to win.
That is why we would like to see city leaders choose certain services to be improved with the money and stick by their word when the money starts rolling in. To often, money is spent unwisely or goes straight to administrative costs – making the situation a lose-lose one as an end result.
Hollister simply can’t afford to spend unwisely at this point.
The future of the city depends on it.
