Special to the Town Crier
The proposal to increase the city of Los Altos utility-user tax is really two measures on the November ballot: Measure H and Measure I.
Measure H asks the citizens for an advisory vote, saying, if the rate goes up, here's how the city council would consider using the money.
Maintenance, recreation and public safety are the three areas that would benefit.
"These are things we haven't been (increasing) because we couldn't afford it," said Phil Rose, city manager.
"But this is an advisory vote," Rose said, "and it won't bind the council."
By being an advisory vote, the measure can pass with a simple majority instead of needing a two-thirds vote. "If you ask voters to approve a special tax, 'use it for this and nothing else,' then you need the two-thirds," Rose said. "We didn't do that."
Some have accused the city of using an advisory vote as a loophole through which they could try for a higher tax with fewer votes.
But Rose said the city is doing it this way "because we don't know what will hit us in the future."
If the state should take away additional funds, in addition to the $1 million the city has lost in the past 10 years, the city would need to cut back its budget somewhere. Maybe that would mean fewer police patrol officers.
With a special tax, the city would not be able to use the increased utility-user tax to fill in the gap. The city would be bound to use the money as defined by the voters.
So the city could add the 911 dispatchers, but would be laying off patrol officers. "That doesn't make sense," Rose said.
"The purpose of an advisory," Rose said, "is to tell the people, given nothing changes drastically, given the status quo, here are the things we'd do."
Measure I then asks the voters if they are willing to fund the items set out in Measure H by allowing the utility-user tax to increase to 6.25 percent, from its current 3.5 percent.
"If you want to raise services, you have to be able to pay for them," Rose said. As a city, "We have lived within our means. We have not increased city taxes. We are not in financial difficulties. We are asking voters, 'Do you want to increase services?'"