League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sonoma County, CA November 5, 2013 Election
	Measure A Continuation of 1/2 cent sales tax City of Rohnert Park Majority Approval Required Pass: 4,187 / 67.3% Yes votes ...... 2,033 / 32.7% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure A

Vote Yes on A + Protect your city services, without raising tax rates! Yes on A does not create a new tax. It simply continues an existing, voter-approved sales tax that the City has relied on to maintain essential services for our community. Rohnert Park was founded to create a safe, middle-class community with great neighborhood parks,recreational activities, and public safety services. With the help of this voter-approved funding, the Police/Fire Department has been able to lower crime rates to the lowest levels in the past decade! Yes on A keeps Rohnert Park a safe place to live, work and raise a family. Yes on A maintains 9-1-1 Emergency Response; Yes on A maintains Fire Protection Services; Yes on A maintains Neighborhood Police Patrols; and Yes on A maintains Gang/Sex Offender Enforcement. All Measure A money must be spent on our local services and Sacramento can't touch it! Yes on A protects these essential city services by maintaining Rohnert Park's financial stability and viability! Sacramento grabbed $1.4 million from Rohnert Park in the past year alone. Yes on A ensures a continued, reliable source of local funding that cannot be taken by the state. By law, Yes on A requires every dime be used for our local services--not Sacramento agendas. Yes on A includes strong fiscal accountability, with annual financial audits and public review of expenditures to monitor spending--guaranteeing funds are spent responsibly and as promised. Rohnert Park's new leadership team has increased our financial stability, transparency and accountability. Yes on A keeps things on the right track by protecting our services without raising tax rates. Join the City Council, police officers, firefighters, local business owners, and community leaders in voting Yes on A to protect and maintain Rohnert Park's high-quality services without raising existing taxes. Qs? Visit http://www.rpcity.org s/ Pam Stafford Mayor and Business Owner s/ Andy Durkee Veteran and 30-year resident s/ Susan Adams Mother and PTA member s/ Peter Callinan Resident since 1959 ROHNERT PARK PUBLIC SAFETYOFFICERS ASSOCIATION s/ Jeff Nicks, President (No arguments against Measure A were submitted)

Full Text of Measure A

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE ROHNERT PARK MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 3.21.150 TO CONTINUE THE EXISTING TRANSACTIONS AND USE (SALES) TAX WHEREAS, on June 25, 2013, the City Council unanimously declared a fiscal emergency under Article XIIIC, section 2(b) of the California Constitution by adopting Resolution No. 2013-106; WHEREAS, pursuant to California Revenue and Taxation Code Sections 7285.9 and 7290, the City of Rohnert Park ("City") has the authority to levy a Transactions and Use (Sales) Tax for general purposes; WHEREAS, in an election held in June 2010, the City Council proposed and a majority of the voters approved an essential services temporary funding measure which imposed a one-half cent sales tax (0.5%) on the sale or consumption of tangible personal property within the City of Rohnert Park (the "Sales Tax"); WHEREAS, the City's Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance imposing the Sales Tax is found in Chapter 3.21 of the City's Municipal Code; WHEREAS, Section 3.21.150 of the City's Municipal Code sets forth a termination date of the Sales Tax on the fifth anniversary of its adoption, which will repeal the Sales Tax on September 30, 2015,unless continued by a majority of the voters of the City; WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that the continuation of the existing Sales Tax, without raising existing tax rates, is critical to funding the City's essential services, preserving the safety and character of Rohnert Park, and ensuring that our City has a guaranteed source of local funding that cannot be taken by Sacramento; WHEREAS, the City conducted a community opinion survey which shows over two-thirds (2/3) of respondents would support continuing the Sales Tax to maintain and protect City services; WHEREAS, the City Council, by adopting Resolution No. 2013-114, authorized placing the matter of continuing the Sales Tax before the voters of Rohnert Park at the November 5, 2013 election; and WHEREAS, the termination date in Section 3.21.150 of the City's Municipal Code must be amended to continue the Sales Tax. NOW, THEREFORE, the People of the City of Rohnert Park do ordain as follows: SECTION 1: AMENDMENT. Section Chapter 3.21.150 of Chapter 3.21 (Transactions and Use Tax) of the Rohnert Park Municipal Code shall be amended to read as follows: 3.21.150 Termination Date The authority to levy the tax imposed by this ordinance shall not expire, unless terminated by a unanimous vote of the City Council. SECTION 2: FULL FORCE AND EFFECT. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, Chapter 3.21 (Transactions and Use Tax) of the Rohnert Park Municipal Code shall remain in full force and effect. SECTION 3: SEVERABILITY. The City Council hereby declares that every section, paragraph, sentence, clause, and phrase of this ordinance is severable. If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason found to be invalid or unconstitutional, such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, or phrases. SECTION 4: EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordinance shall be submitted to the voters at an election to be held on November 5, 2013. Upon approval by a majority of the voters of the City voting on this Ordinance, the amendment of Chapter 3.21 of the City's Municipal Code shall take effect immediately and the Transactions and Use Tax shall be continued as provided for in this Ordinance. SECTION 5: PUBLICATION. The City Clerk of the City of Rohnert Park is hereby directed to cause the following summary of the ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation, published and circulated in the City of Rohnert Park: Contingent upon majority voter approval, this ordinance amends the termination date of the existing transactions and use (sales) tax. The tax will no longer expire on the fifth anniversary. The tax will continue until terminated by a unanimous vote of the City Council. SECTION 6: EXECUTION. The Mayor is hereby authorized to attest to the adoption of this Ordinance by the voters of the City by signing where indicated below. PASSED and ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park on this 23rd day of July, 2013, by a two-thirds vote of the Council, by the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: CITY OF ROHNERT PARK _______________________________ Pam Stafford, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________________ JoAnne Buergler, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: _____________________________________ Michelle Marchetta Kenyon, City Attorney