Voice of the People: Utility Tax Math – This Pig won’t Fly

The City Council has estimated the average monthly tax for a single-family residence at about $23.00. Let’s do a little realistic Utility Tax math:  Telecommunications $200  Electrical Power $500  Natural Gas $ 80  Television $ 50  Water $ 70  Sewer $ 40  Trash $ 40  Total $980  Proposed Utility Tax Rate × 5%  ____________________________  Monthly Utility Tax $ 49 per month × 12 months  ____________________________  Annual Utility Tax $588 “Base” City’s claim: Base Monthly Utility Tax $ 23 per month × 12 months __________________________________ Annual Utility Tax $276 When you compare a realistic household against the City’s imaginary Base rate, I’m going to be paying 113% on top of the City’s imaginary Base rate. That is why members of the City Council have avoided questions about how much an ordinary household will pay. That is, the truth that is not being told. One more thing. The language of the proposed ballot measure may be criminally skewed. Fairness dictates that it should read “Shall the Grand Terrace voters establish a 5% Utility Users Tax with citizen oversight for a period of no more than six years?” All of the smoke and mirrors about “remaining an independent city … rapid response to 9-1-1 police emergencies, maintenance/repair of local streets, adequate police services, and maintaining parks and public facilities” is a scare tactic and has no place in the question to be submitted to the voters unless the unvarnished purpose of the special election is to malevolently mislead and intimidate the fair-minded voters of Grand Terrace into approving an overstuffed Tax measure. You’ll notice that nowhere in the language does it say that the Utility Tax will really be used for employee salaries or paying down the employee retirement debt—a sizable debt that hasn’t been funded for several years. It also doesn’t mention the cost of the “Spin Doctors” the City Council paid to poll next November’s voters, and whose handiwork you may see in the next 60 days as Tax groupies try to dress up a pig and make it fly. Don’t be fooled. Let’s Stop the Bleeding!