Quarter Cent Sales Tax Increase?

The City Council is considering a .25% increase in the sales tax which might raise $2 million per year for the City's General Fund.  That is an additional $125 dollars of tax on a $50K car from Burlingame's Auto Row, so not a big deal, but an increase nonetheless.  It would land on the November ballot and need a simple majority to pass.  From the FY15-16 Financial Report (page 32) we see Sales and Use taxes of $12,827,673, so two mil would be an uplift of %15+.  On a total "revenue" (that term always cracks me up when used to describe government intake) of $72,524,589 it would be about +2.8%.

Comments

[Tracy F]

So on top of the new gas tax and vehicle registration
fee? Good luck, it's all adding up to be too much! (So not a big deal, HA!)

[Bruce Dickinson]

Listen guys, I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but Bruce Dickinson must call out asinine ideas when he sees them. What “problem” is raising Burlingame sales taxes going to solve? Not enough revenue? Not enough revenue to pay for the $40 million dollar rec center, not enough revenue due to the lack of in lieu fees from developers, not enough revenue from rubber-stamped cookie cutter projects, not enough revenue from donating public parking areas to help fund non economic housing projects, not enough revenue for building a new city hall??? “We need more money to support the infrastructure,” they say. Well, what about not allowing unbridled development so that our infrastructure isn’t crumbling due to its inability to support all the true societal costs of such development?

Bruce Dickinson instead proposes a 15% staff reduction in the City of Burlingame employees, starting with the very people advocating these incredibly dumb ideas. Not so much to save costs such as salaries and benefits for life, but to prevent far worse decisions by these people down the road. Who is running this city? The elected council or the city staff? Maybe it’s just a case of co-dependency??!?

Whatever the case may be, the regime change may need to be more extensive than previously contemplated!

[hillsider]

Let's cut 20%.

[Cassandra]

Can you imagine the breath of fresh air if we elected folks who would slow this growth and expansion of city government?

Every decision that adds housing or office space taxes the infrastructure and necessitates more staff. It is odd and expensive that the city staff works for the people who are taxed to support the staff they didn't elect.

Instead of a new rec center or city hall, why don't the staff work in all that office space being developed on the east side/tele-commute, and use part of the golf center for a rec center?

15%

[BMW]

Did somebody say city staff salaries?

http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2016/burlingame/

[Cassandra]

From today's Daily Journal: "Polling feedback showed necessary support for a half-cent tax existed, but officials said they opted to seek a smaller measure in favor of financial conservatism. - See more at: http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2017-06-20/burlingame-oks-quarter-cent-sales-tax/1776425182041.html#sthash.CyIU5qa0.dpuf"

Have you ever been polled? I was, for a school bond.

Over the phone I said I was against the bond. The pollster kept asking questions, not to get my opinion, but rather to help the bond-measure proponents craft their proposal. We both started laughing at the farce.

It wasn't polling, it was marketing.

[Handle Bard]

Burlingame OKs quarter-cent sales tax
June 20, 2017, 05:00 AM
Burlingame voters will be asked to approve in the coming fall election a quarter-cent sales tax which officials claim is needed to finance the construction of a new community center, as well as a variety of other infrastructure fixes.

The Burlingame City Council unanimously approved Monday, June 19, floating to voters a financing measure expected to generate as much as $2 million annually if approved by a simple majority in November.

With limited room in a tight city budget, officials agreed the tax measure would be the most effective way to address a laundry list of capital improvements to streets and sidewalks, as well as a hefty price tag hung on the construction of a new recreation center.

Mayor Ricardo Ortiz said the tax measure revenue would pay toward a variety of initiatives he has considered top priorities since being elected, based on feedback in conversations with residents.

“One thing that came through loud and clear was sidewalks, potholes and the recreation center, so that’s why I am strongly in favor of this measure,” he said.

It has been estimated the city has roughly $100 million worth of unfunded capital improvement projects and the new recreation center is expected to cost as much as $45 million. Officials have claimed building a new center is necessary to replace the existing antiquated facility.

Polling feedback showed necessary support for a half-cent tax existed, but officials said they opted to seek a smaller measure in favor of financial conservatism.

Considering the variety of substantial costs facing the city, Councilwoman Emily Beach said she believed the measure was the most sensible means of preserving and improving Burlingame’s quality of life.

“I think the quarter-cent sales tax is the most palatable and most reasonable thing to do,” she said.

[Can't stand BD]

Everytime I read anything from Bruce Dickinson, I throw up and then skip to the next comment.

[Bruce Dickinson]

Vomit all you want, little guy, and wallow in the bitter cesspool otherwise known as your life. For every one of you, there are one hundred fans that can't get enough of Bruce Dickinson's poetic prose!

Knowing that yours truly can't satisfy everyone, I'll continue to focus on the 99%!

[More cowbell]

Please, please, please Mr. Postman give us more Cowbell. I need it, I want it, I gotta gotta have it. His boots are made for walking. Get my motor running, head out on the highway lookin' for adventure. Dat rolling stone ain't gatherin' no moss.

[professorawesome]

Seems like this proposed sales tax would be a blank check for the city; not unlike Measure K and Measure A at the county level. The city's definition of "NEEDS" is a just wish list of shiny "wants".

This appears to be all about the Rec Center. Let's not kid ourselves thinking that this about policing or basic services. Remember the "capital improvements" needed for the water pipes? I'm pretty sure those costs are going to be met with increased water fees.

They're not going to cut back on police and they're not in any kind of budget trouble, so let's VOTE NO.

[Cassandra]

Exactly.

[Account Deleted]

The $2 million in expected revenue from the $0.25 cent sales tax would cover debt service on $40 million, which equates to the current estimated cost of the new rec center. (This jives with previous estimates from the city's financial advisor re: the cost of a $50 million bond measure- which would have required a $.34 sales tax). So, I'm not sure of where the extra revenue to cover "potholes and police" (the real essential services) will be coming from. Perhaps from some pension obligation bonds rolling off the city's balance sheet starting next year (thus freeing up several million dollars of debt service from the general fund), and/or the Top Golf lease (?).

[Butter Bread]

Stop Raising Our Taxes:

Get off the "Crack" Money Spending spree you guys are on. We want a small intimate city with low noise levels and good security and we are getting none of those things. This city has turned into a "Cluster&*$%". Traffic problems, bad roads, serious security violations, and nothing is being done except efforts to keep building and keep raising taxes.

[Joe]

Yesterday's Daily Post had a piece by Matthew Niksa describing how a "pair of Libertarians who don't even live in Burlingame wrote the opposition argument that will appear in the voter guide". The reason given by the San Mateo County Republican Party "is focusing on things other than preparing ballot arguments".

I wish I had known a written argument was needed. My original post here has the framework of a pretty good argument. I wish I had known.

[WIlle Sutton]

Very SImple: Willie Sutton's Law:

We liked Willie Sutton's explanation of his chosen career. When asked why he robbed banks, Willie replied, “I rob banks because that's where the money is.” Now, that is clean, simple prose—the sort of prose that can arise only from clear thinking.

These spending-addicts will not be happy until they get 90% of your income.