Pass: 6009 / 79.04% Yes votes ...... 1593 / 20.96% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Impartial Analysis from City Attorney

The City Council of the City of Pinole unanimously placed Measure M on the November 6, 2012 ballot to ask voters to extend the existing Utility Users Tax ("UUT") for an additional eight years with no increase to the tax rate. Measure M would only become effective if approved by a simple majority (50% +1) of the voters.

The UUT was originally approved by a citizen lead initiative in 1998 with an expiration date of December 1, 2004. The tax was set at eight percent (8%) of the cost of electric, gas, and telephone utility services. Utility service providers collect the tax as part of the service bill to customers and remit the proceeds to the City. As a general tax, the revenue from the UUT is placed in the City's general fund for general municipal services. On November 2, 2004, Pinole voters extended the UUT by 8 years through December 1, 2012, at which time it would terminate automatically unless extended by the voters of Pinole.

The City Council placed Measure M to extend the existing UUT for an additional eight years, to December 31, 2020. The UUT is not a new tax and the existing rate will remain unchanged. One hundred percent of the revenue generated by the UUT remains in the City of Pinole. Since it is a local tax, none of the revenue goes to the State or other agencies.

Currently, the UUT generates over $2,000,000 annually. This amount is approximately 20% of the City's general fund. The general fund pays for essential City services including police and fire protection, 911 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, blight and graffiti removal, among other community services.

If the existing tax is not extended by the voters, the City will implement immediate reductions in general municipal services. These reductions, which have already been approved by the Council as part of the current budget, will require the City to reduce an additional 14.5 full-time equivalent positions in January, 2013. The positions that would be eliminated include 5 police officers, 2 firefighters, a police services manager, a police community safety specialist, 3 public works maintenance workers, a cable access technician, the information systems administrator and the human resources specialist.

By placing Measure M on the ballot, the City complies with Article XIIIC of the California Constitution (adopted by Proposition 218), which requires the voters to approve an amended ordinance which affects amount of the tax, the manner of collection, and other related matters. The proposed modifications to the ordinance are printed in the sample ballot. The full text of the proposed ordinance is available at the Pinole City Clerk's office.

The UUT extension proposed in Measure M will not become effective unless the Measure is approved by at least a majority of those voting on the Measure.

Benjamin T. Reyes II, City Attorney, City of Pinole

About Measure M

Note: This link to a Google search is offered strictly as a convenience for users interested in coverage by outside news organizations. The content is provided by organizations unaffiliated with Smart Voter and its partners, and no endorsement of any views expressed or guarantee of its accuracy is intended or implied.