Last week the city presented a plan for dealing with a $2.7
million budget deficit should Measure R fail at the polls on Nov.
7. If passed, Measure R would raise the city’s sales tax from 7.25
percent to 8.25 percent.
Last week the city presented a plan for dealing with a $2.7 million budget deficit should Measure R fail at the polls on Nov. 7. If passed, Measure R would raise the city’s sales tax from 7.25 percent to 8.25 percent.
To say that the city presented a bleak financial forecast should the measure fail is an understatement. City Manager Clint Quilter, for openers, stated that “we’ve pretty much already cut everything to the bone,” even before the election. Should the measure fail, the planned cuts, he said, would be democratic if nothing else.
“Everything had substantial cuts,” he said. “They would not function as normal departments any longer.”
We would like to reiterate our endorsement of Measure R. Hollister’s sales tax is already lower than other cities in the area and needs to be brought in line. Services already were cut in 2004, and another 20 percent cut will only exacerbate Hollister’s woeful esteem.
If passed, the measure would take effect on April 1. It would expire five years later. It would create a citizens’ oversight committee to monitor the spending of additional funds.
If the measure is not passed, Quilter said reduced services would include cutting hours at City Hall, eliminating a truck company in the fire department, closing park restrooms, and eliminating pothole repair, among other things. It would include the elimination of gang prevention/intervention programs. Keep in mind that last week a Community Gang Intervention Forum drew some 250 community members. When it comes to issues that concern the community, gang intervention is at, or near, the top of the list.
Some residents view Quilter’s assessment as a tactic designed to scare voters into supporting Measure R. We take the city at its 2004 word, when it cut its budget without service cuts, but warned that the next round would be a lot more noticeable to residents.
We realize the timing for Measure R is terrible, as noted by Mayor Robert Scattini. The city recently raised sewer rates, and residents have likely had it with any attempts at increasing revenue, particularly through increased taxation. But we believe Hollister desperately needs an influx of revenue, and all of us paying a penny more in sales tax will not prove a hardship. We once again urge support for Measure R.
