From:
To: City Council
Subject: Proposed tax ballot measure
Date: Monday, August 07, 2023 9:20:35 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
It is premature to consider placing a ¼ or ½ cent sales tax measure focused around the issue of public safety on the ballot in November 2023 for several reasons:
·There will be a Sonoma County Fire 1/2 cent sales tax measure on the ballot in Spring 2024. If it passes Sebastopol would receive $1.2M a year for fire services, plus $5M for Sebastopol’s fire station renovation.
·Since water restrictions have been lifted there will be more revenue from water sales.
·By postponing this ballot measure until it appears to whether or not it would actually be necessary the City would save the $100K cost of a ballot measure.
It is disappointing that the Council nonetheless decided to spend approximately $10K on a consultant to do a poll to determine whether support existed for a tax measure on the November ballot.
As a property owner I am opposed to this unnecessary and costly proposal.
Cordially,
Paul-André Schabracq