Tax and Save
Marina council supports placing three taxes on November ballot and exploring budget savings.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
After intense debate over whether to raise taxes or first consider further cuts to the budget, the Marina City Council tonight voted 4-1 to take both tracks: direct staff to prepare three tax measures for the November ballot and at the same time seriously consider ways to save money.
The council's move is an initial step toward putting 1 percent sales, transient occupancy, and card tax hikes before voters. General fund expenses exceed revenues by about $4 million per year and the city is set to run out of reserves in 2012.
The discussion divided councilmen Jim Ford, Dave McCall and Ken Gray, who from the start supported taxes and Mayor Bruce Delgado and Councilman Frank O'Connell, who want to look at every public suggestion for cutbacks before asking voters to support the measures.
"I want success and I want to fully fund our recreation and police and fire," Delgado said. "And the best way to do that is intelligently." O'Connell cast the lone dissenting vote.
Read the full story in Thursday's Weekly.
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