3,828 / 34.7% Yes votes ...... 7,215 / 65.3% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Section 63.6 of the Charter currently prohibits the City Council or its staff from levying, imposing or collecting a tax upon the use in the City by any resdential user, business user or any other user of telephone, communication services whether intrastate or interstate, electrical energy, gas, water, garbage, cable television or any other use of utilities by residents of Petaluma.

Measure C, if passed by the voters would amend Section 63.6 of the Charter to provide an exception and allow for the levying and collection by the City Council of a tax upon the use of electricity and gas in the City of Petaluma by any residential user, business user, industrial user or any other user. Such tax would be limited to no more than twenty (20) years and could not exceed 5% of each monthly charge for the electric or gas service. The revenue from such tax would be used only for curb-to-curb repair and reconstruction of existing City streets and not for the construction of new streets.

Even if Measure C passes, any such tax could not be levied or collected unless the voters vote to impose such a tax through a separate ballot measure. The City Council has placed a separate companion measure, Measure D, on the November 4, 2003 ballot, seeking voter approval for the actual imposition of the utility users tax.

Measure C would only become effective if approved by a majority of the voters voting on the November 4, 2003 election.

Documents related to the measure in PDF format

• City of Petaluma

Petaluma Argus-Courier

• Utility tax measure goes to voters 10/22/03

This measure has been carefully crafted to ensure that the limits our charter places on utility taxes will be altered only for the current proposed tax, and will not open the door for future assessments on utilities without additional charter amendments.

In addition, this measure allows only gas and electric utilities to be taxed, up to a maximum of 5%. In fact, the measure allows future city councils to reduce the tax if they deem these funds are not necessary to repair streets, but does not allow these same councils to increase the tax.

In other words, this charter amendment is specifically designed to help Petaluma cope with the current fiscal crisis without opening the door to unwanted taxation or runaway spending in the future.

A utility tax is the fairest and most equitable tax available to fix the streets. Both businesses and residents will contribute. Santa Rosa has had a 5% tax on five different utilities for many years without creating undue hardships or problems. Petaluma will tax only two utilities--gas and electric.

Measure C is a rational, appropriate means of helping us to address current needs responsibly while preserving the intent of our charter, which is to limit unnecessary spending by our elected officials.

The committtee of citizens, which worked eight long months to create solutions that are in the best interest of our entire community, created the important safeguards which allow us to realistically address our problem--streets that are among the very worst in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Vote yes on Measure C.

CITIZENS COMMITTEE ON STREET REPAIR
Mark Albertson, Co-Chair

David A. Glass
Mayor of Petaluma

PETALUMA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
John Burns, President

Dave King
Youth Commissioner/Business Owner

PEACE OFFICERS ASSN. OF PETALUMA
Steven Johnson, President

SONOMA COUNTY TAXPAYERS' ASSOCIATION
Spencer Flournoy, President
John Landis, Vice President
Jack Atkin, Treasurer
Fred Levin, Executive Director
Jeanne Levin, Past Pres./Director