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We are appealing to you, the voters of Davis, to vote NO on Measure S and to help us inform the community of the truth about Measure S, the so-called Parks Preservation Tax, on the June 5th ballot.
Measure S does not reenact and extend the current parks tax, as claimed by the proponents. If Measure S passes, it will cancel the existing, voter-approved parks tax fully one year before it would normally expire in July, 2002. Measure S would replace this tax with a new tax which will double the existing tax, add a compounded 2% annual "inflator," and lock it in for 10 years.
If you already know that you oppose Measure S, please move to the end of this document and either fill out and submit the form there or phone us at 756-6856 to volunteer to help or make a donation. If you still have questions, please read on.
What do the proponents of Measure S say and what are the facts?
- To begin, we all acknowledge that Davis has wonderful parks, greenbelts and recreational facilities and that they are important to us. No one has ever said differently. What is fact, though, is that all that we have is currently beautifully maintained with the existing parks tax. The city's own poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Davis residents rate our parks and programs as good to excellent. Why are we being asked to pay more? The existing tax is more than adequate to maintain all our parks and facilities. Since 1997, we have had annual General Fund surpluses, which have resulted in a current General Fund end-of-year balance of $3.6 million! How can the proponents claim the funds for park maintenance are no longer adequate?
- Proponents also claim the 2% annual cost of living increase included in Measure S would be optional --don't believe it-it's written into the ordinance. Every year we will see an annual increase in this already unnecessary tax.
- One of our arguments against Measure S is the hardship on people with fixed or lower incomes. Not everyone in Davis is wealthy. Many of us have a hard time making ends meet as is. The proponents tell us that there is a refund available for those with low incomes. A closer look reveals that this is available only to those with very low incomes, 50% of median. This will help only a fraction of those who would be hurt by Measure S. This refund will not help our students, seniors and others on fixed incomes, or our struggling young families.
- Another claim made by the proponents is that our older trees need more care to ensure their longevity and thousands of new trees need to be cared for. (How did nature ever get along before we got here?) To begin with, only 10% of Davis's trees are managed and cared-for by the city. The remaining 90% are privately owned and are maintained by the property owners-home owners, businesses, etc. Furthermore, pruning has little to do with a tree's longevity. Pruning is done for purely human reasons: we want to shape the tree, remove lower limbs --or upper limbs if they interfere with power lines--, we remove dead branches, and so on. Once established, a tree requires very little care.
- Proponents are urging us to support this tax increase by reminding us of all the wonderful programs provided to children and seniors, but these programs are being provided NOW with the existing tax. The city's recent poll also showed that 83% of us are very satisfied with our programs and recreational facilities. Why are we being asked to pay more?
And did you know that none of our current parks tax pays for "recreation" in Davis? The Recreation Division of Parks and Community Services is supported by user fees and charges and from the General Fund, not from the parks tax; so recreation will not be affected even if Measure S fails
- Proponents claim that passage of Measure S is necessary to prevent further reductions in
maintenance and operation of programs and facilities. When Measure I (the last big parks tax the city tried to pass) failed, the city cried that our parks would turn brown, our trees would die, and children and senior programs would be cut. None of that happened! The city claims that it did have to make some cuts in maintenance-- 10%!! This is certainly not a significant reduction warranting a doubling of our parks tax! Anyway, with the annual surpluses in the city's General Fund, the city can hardly claim it hasn't enough money.
How do we currently pay for maintenance of our parks, facilities, and programs?
The maintenance of our parks, facilities, and programs is paid for with taxes all of us already are paying. New building in Davis has been bringing in fees and taxes as projected, adding to the city's revenues. Maintenance of new facilities necessitated by this new growth is covered by these new revenues.
Most park and facility maintenance funding comes from property taxes, and even with a slow down in growth, property taxes will not stop! In fact, with increased property values, they will increase, and whenever a home, especially an older home, is sold, the property taxes increase! How can the city claim a future revenue shortage? And even with a slow down in residential development, Davis is experiencing an explosion of commercial development. Revenue from property taxes can only increase!
Currently, the majority (62%) of the funding for our parks and facilities comes from the City's General Fund; only 28% is funded through the existing Parks Tax, Measure M; the remaining 10% is paid for by combinations of other fund sources. The city can certainly internalize the remaining 28% of the cost to maintain parks into the General Fund, especially when you consider the huge annual surpluses in the General Fund.
What do residents think of current park maintenance and city programs?
The city of Davis' own recent $25,000 poll shows that 84% of respondents rate the current quality and maintenance of parks and facilities excellent to good and 83% feel that the number and variety of recreation facilities in their area is "very" to "somewhat" adequate. These responses are from 600 people fairly equally distributed in age groups from 18 to over 65 years. It is, then, abundantly clear that an overwhelming majority of people in Davis consider their parks and programs to be very good. Why would the city ask us to pay more?
Then why are we being asked to pay more?
The city maintains that we need to add another $1.2 million to what we are paying now in order to maintain 3 new parks, Arroyo in north Davis, Walnut in south Davis and Mace Ranch Park in east Davis. In their own words: "The proposed doubling of the current tax will not pay for reinstating the prior service reductions. Rather the additional increment will be largely used to maintain current service standards at three new community parks that have been shown in the city's General Plan since 1987."
However, figures from the city's own 2000-2001 Final Budget demonstrate that in this last fiscal year, 1999-2000, with the existing revenues, the city maintained all existing parks and greenbelts (totaling 365 acres) in Davis, including swimming pools, soccer fields, baseball fields, softball fields, tennis courts, etc., and 500 acres of open space. The three new parks are a total of roughly 55 acres, (but 5 acres of Mace Ranch Park has already been completed and is in the current budget.) So, the city is claiming that we need to double the existing tax--that is, pay $1.2 million more for maintenance of 50 new acres!
What about the city's claim that we aren't taking in enough revenue to continue to pay for park maintenance?
The proponents of Measure S would have you believe that the current tax and discretionary funds are inadequate to continue parks maintenance. However--------
The city has been recording huge budget surpluses with the existing tax. For example, last year the General Fund had a projected balance of $2.1 million and an actual year-end balance of $3.6 million. Surely, some of the excess revenues leading to these balances could be used to supplement the park maintenance budget, if that ever becomes necessary. By the city's own admission, of the $90 million total city budget, $18 million is discretionary, and these revenues could be used for park maintenance.
What about the public process? Were we included in the discussion to put this on the ballot?
How many of you were aware of this proposal to cancel our existing voter-approved parks tax and to replace it with this unnecessary increase? The city spent one month rushing this proposal to the ballot. There were no public hearings; no public discussion; no opportunities for the average citizen to have any say in a process that so drastically affects our daily lives.
In a nutshell then, just what is Measure S?
- Measure S in an unnecessary, unfair, regressive tax.
- Measure S adds another $1.2 million to our collective tax bill, and this figure will grow year after year with the included 2% annual increase.
- This tax is particularly unfair to students, renters, and those on fixed incomes: under measure S, an elderly person living in an older home, a single parent, and an apartment dweller will all pay the same tax as the owner of a $450,000 lake-side home.
- Small businesses could pay the same as some of the city's largest retailers.
- This onerous tax will be with us for 10 years.
What can we do now?
We can reject this new tax! This tax is unnecessary. The city is once again threatening us with elimination of services and programs unless we cough up another $1.2 million. Don't fall for this scare tactic. In 1998, when the city put before the voters a $2.4 million tax to replace the Landscape and Lighting District, they used the same threats. That tax did not pass, and none of the threats materialized. Later that year, after a Citizens Budget Committee showed the city how to better manage our money and accompanied with promises from the city to eventually eliminate the tax, a tax (Measure M) for half the amount passed unopposed.
Also, contrary to popular opinion, not everyone in Davis is wealthy. Part of our quality of life is that we all live without hardship. Measure S is an onerous and unnecessary tax. If Measure S fails, the existing parks tax will remain in effect until July of 2002, when it comes up for renewal. Let's reject Measure S and we can then work together to provide for essential services in ways we can all afford.
The Committee for Efficient Government is willing to work to defeat Measure S, but we need the help of Davis's citizens. Campaigns are not cheap. It's going to take about $10,000 to defeat this measure. Please take a moment and fill out the following form and then press the "submit" button at the bottom when you are finished. You can also call us at 756-6856 or submit a donation and paper version of the below form to:
The Committee for Efficient Government
3010 Loyola Drive
Davis, CA. 95616
We appreciate anything you can do to help.
If you do not want your name to be listed publicly, you can make a donation for any amount less than $100, and your donation will remain anonymous.
Make checks payable to Committee for Efficient Government/No on Measure S.
With your help, we can keep Davis the wonderful community it is and a place we can all afford to live.
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