Ventura City Council Asks For More Taxes. Why You Should Say No.

“THE ART OF TAXATION CONSISTS IN SO PLUCKINJG THE GOOSE AS TO GET THE MOST FEATHERS WITH THE LEAST HISSING”
—Jean Baptist Colbert
VENTURA CITY COUNCIL ASKS CITIZENS FOR MORE TAXES
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Footnote: In 2012 Proposition 30 was passed increasing the sales tax by 1/4% to 7.5% for 4 years. This increase is scheduled to terminate in November, 2016. There is now an initiative in progress to extend all of part of that tax measure. Unless extended the State tax rate will revert to 7.25%.
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General Fund | Population | Per Citizen | |
Ventura | $93,926,316.00 | 106,443 | $861.49 |
Ojai * | $8,668,900.00 | 7,461 | $1,161.89 |
Port Hueneme | $16,125,866.00 | 21,723 | $742.34 |
Thousand Oaks | $76,933,217.00 | 126,683 | $607.29 |
Oxnard | $118,110,062.00 | 197,899 | $596.82 |
Camarillo | $34,000,000.00 | 65,201 | $521.46 |
Simi Valley | $63,646,200.00 | 124,237 | $512.30 |
Moorpark | $17,329,940.00 | 34,421 | $503.47 |
Fillmore | $7,261,045.00 | 15,002 | $484.01 |
Santa Paula | $14,086,725.00 | 29,321 | $480.43 |
* City of Ojai receives a “significant” amount of its revenue from the TOT taxes paid by the Ojai Valley Inn.
Other cities in the county have less money to spend, in general, and significantly less money to spend per person than Ventura. Those cities provide for police, fire, streets and operational costs with the money they have. The Ventura City Council claims it does not have enough. Councilwoman Weir’s comment is telling:
“We are able with our growing revenue to pay some of our costs but the big projects, like our promenade, our sidewalks and our shoreline that are multi-million dollar projects, we just don’t have the money”
If approved and the sales tax projections prove to be generally accurate the City of Ventura, for the first time in its history would have general revenue income of $103,926,000. Each of the seven Council members have a different set of priorities but here is a summary and result of the “group think” called City of Ventura Community Investment Spending Plan for the next 25 years, not including water/wastewater costs.
45% to programs and services $167,160,000.
30% to infrastructure maintenance 111,440,000
25% to capital and infrastructure 92,867,000
Other estimated revenue for capital 190,773,000
Total $562,240,000
VREG COMMITTEE MEMBERS COMMENTS
A Politician’s promise of how they will spend new tax money, given a 25 year history of their wasting millions in tax dollars on foolish projects and ventures, is just that – a hollow and meaningless promise.
Without a guarantee of the appointment of an independent citizen’s oversight committee on how this new tax money will be spent voters should not approve this tax measure in November.
VREG Committee:
R. Alviani, K. Corse, T. Cook, R. Berry,
J. Tingstrom, R. McCord, S. Doll, C. Kistner, W. Frank
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