City Council members will soon decide on a raft of budget cuts and tax increases. Press file photo
The $300 fee that will be charged to residents for advanced life support provided by fire department paramedics has given the council nothing but headaches since February, when the story went national and forced some on the council who supported it to defend themselves on cable television.
It’s supposed to take effect in June, but first the council will have a chance to re-evaluate its decision, though whether council members will get rid of the unpopular fee remains to be seen.
The council passed it 4-1 last year, aiming to raise money — an estimated $455,000 a year — as the city tries to close a built-in budget deficit that’s expected to reach nearly $8 million this year and about $4.5 million next year. Councilman Steve Abercrombie voted against the fee.
That deficit is also the reason the council could look to voters as it tries to raise about $4.5 million in extra taxes.
The council is expected to be presented with two proposals — either a parcel tax of perhaps $150 per property, or maybe a half-cent increase in Tracy’s 8½ percent sales tax.
If the council wants to put either tax measure on the November ballot, it would have to decide by July to ask voters to approve it, said the city’s finance director, Zane Johnston.
Officials say they have done a lot to trim spending, such as cutting 90 jobs through layoffs and retirements, giving more than $500,000 less to the city-run Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, and cutting $600,000 it paid for the Mayor’s Youth Community Support Network, as well as requiring unpaid days off for city workers.
The city will also ask employees to take a 5 percent pay cut when labor contracts are renegotiated.
But now, it’s time to increase revenue, city administrators say.
“The key is we come up with some form of revenue,” said Councilman Mike Maciel.
Maciel supported the paramedic fee and says there are still pros and cons to it. The councilman suggested that if the fee disappeared, it could be rolled into either the sales tax or the parcel tax.
But Maciel said he’s worried about what would happen if the paramedic fee disappeared and voters then rejected either the parcel tax or the sales tax.
“Not only would we have to bring the fee back, which would look like a ‘Keystone Kops’ episode, but we might have to consider some other significant cuts,” he said.
These blinded lead the blind straight down some rabbit hole. Blaming all the developers for creating all the trash in Tracy
Fact is, if you read the news, two of the trash came from a trailer park. One came from a baby mama in the county and Manteca.
And contrary to what Traqqers want you to believe. Only one came from Tennis Lane.
Yet, the leftover Traqq'ers still cram down our throats. "... the developers screwed us."
In response to blind Traqqers:
When the Traqq lawsuit gets dismissed, as it should. The taxpayers of Tracy will have $20 million dollars.
And tell Traqq to go straight to -
We would also like to see a copy of the city manager and department heads raise history for the past three years and any documents that have been approved by council that show and scheduled department head raises as I believe they have an agreement with the city much like the unions do.
We would also like to see how much the city is spending on assistant department heads and middle management salary, benefits and incentives as I believe they all have agreements too. This may tell an interesting tale about where our tax dollars are going.
When you finish with that we would like to see how much the city has spent in the past two years on consultants, advisors and contract managers.
Print the full wages of the top twelve on payroll.
How many time, throughout modern history, have we seen regimes, like this one, ousted by revolt??
Stupid dictators, stupid govenments assume that the polulace is stupid, ultimately to learn otherwise.
I can't picture any incumbent having a prayer of chance for re-election. That's our revolt!
If raising taxes is the best idea the city manager and his team can come up with maybe it's time to look for a new city manager and a new team.
Pay 75k to find someone to occupy the mall another 2 city employees to help the person getting the 75k, another 100k. Then turn right around and raise sales tax to further lure retail business.
Can't these folks at least hide their stupidity a little?
Why don't you city council people make a contract with the residents that says for every additional dollar you cut, we'll temporarily allow a tax increase by one dollar. That way we can close the budget gap twice as fast and the taxpayers will at least see an honest effort by the city leaders to reduce spending.
Unless you've been living in a cave for the past year, we the citizens and taxpayers are SICK of government spending gone wild and increases in taxes to pay for it.
Perhaps the union employees of the city should do some more suffering, like the rest of us. They've been living off our overtaxed backs for decades. No one in the private sector has a guaranteed pension with benefits that far exceed what they contribute during their working years.
I will eagerly vote NO for ANY tax increase if it makes it onto the Nov. ballot, unless I first see more realistic spending cuts by the city. That means cuts to union jobs, salaries and their fat cat benefit packages.