Phew.
I am relieved to see that the voting public has returned to its senses and, almost exactly 2-to-1, voted for Measure T.
This is the measure that will raise the sales tax in Hollister by 1 percent, allowing the empty city treasury to start filling again as of next April.
One of the arguments against the tax hike was that the resulting higher prices could drive shoppers away from Hollister businesses. But while Hollister’s sales tax was the lowest in the area, I didn’t see out-of-town shoppers flocking here. Did you?
No, sometimes a few out-of-towners might wander through on their way to the Pinnacles, or to the wineries, but as a shopping destination, Hollister wasn’t on anybody’s map.
It’s a pity because we have quite a few appealing shops and restaurants – and during the days of reduced city services and no-limit parking on city streets. But to make Hollister a destination for shopping or anything else will require a lot of work and planning, and a sound infrastructure is necessary before that can begin.
The sound infrastructure can begin with restoring the police, fire and other city staff that were cut to keep the budget balanced. I’m not as worried about being able to pay my water bill on a Friday (currently the city finance department is closed on Friday) as I am about having enough police patrolling the streets to discourage a repeat of my vandalized car window, not to mention tagging, fighting and other gang-related shenanigans.
Another hope I have for the future is that we can turn our gang efforts more toward early intervention and prevention, rather than to capture and punish. But again, just like with an effort to make Hollister a destination, we need a solid foundation of safety for the law-abiding and reliable enforcement of the law-breakers before we can take more ambitious steps.
So I am very relieved that Measure T passed.
Another argument against it was that voters mistrust city government and are skeptical of their ability to spend the money wisely.
Two city council members, Doug Emerson and Pauline Valdivia, and one planning commissioner, David Huboi, were visibly active in the campaign. I bet any one of them would welcome your questions as proposals arise for spending the money.
And city council meetings are open to the public, with agendas posted beforehand and minutes available afterward. So whatever expenditures are proposed, planned and made will not happen in secret.
I’ve been to a number of city council meetings, and they’re often as sparsely populated as a high school civics class on the first sunny day.
But here’s an idea. I challenge only 10 percent of the approximately 1,100 people who voted against Measure T to start showing up at city council meetings. The meetings could become much more interesting, the council would be forced to behave itself fiscally and the populace would have real input into the governing process.
