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Measure C Restore and Maintain City Services and Facilities City of Hayward Sales Tax Increase - Majority Approval Required
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Index of all Measures |
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Pass:
9238 /
67.36% Yes votes ......
4477 /
32.64% No votes
| Results as of Jul 9 6:42pm, 100.00% of Precincts Reporting (108/108) |
| Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments | | ||||
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To restore and maintain Hayward city services and facilities, including firefighting/emergency medical services; improving police protection for neighborhoods; replacing the aging library with a 21st century facility including safe space for after-school homework and tutoring; repairing potholes and streets; updating aging neighborhood fire stations; and other city services; shall the City of Hayward increase the sales tax by 1⁄2 percent, for twenty years only, providing locally controlled funding that cannot be taken by the State?
Technically, a "sales tax" is a combination of "sales and use tax" and "transactions and use tax." Both are levied on the sale or use of tangible personal property sold at retail, with certain limited exceptions. Retailers collect the tax at the time of sale and remit the funds to the State Board of Equalization which administers the tax. Currently, the tax on retail sales in Hayward is nine percent (9%) of the purchase price. This measure would authorize a 0.50% transactions and use tax, which would increase the total sales tax rate to 9.50%. The tax would automatically terminate twenty years after it becomes operative, unless extended by the voters. The tax proceeds would be deposited into the City's general fund and be available to support the full range of municipal services. Because this measure does not legally restrict the use of tax revenue to any specific purposes, it is classified as a "general tax," not a "special tax." The tax proceeds may be used for any valid municipal governmental purpose and cannot legally be taken away by the State. The tax proceeds would be subject to the same independent annual audit requirements as other general fund revenue. The audit report would be a matter of public record. This measure authorizes the City to issue bonds not to exceed the total amount of the anticipated sales tax proceeds. The proceeds from the sale of bonds could only be used for improving or replacing facilities such as the City's main library. A "Yes" vote is a vote in favor of the tax. A "No" vote is a vote against the tax. This measure would be approved if it receives a simple majority of "Yes" votes.
s/MICHAEL S. LAWSON
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News and Analysis The Daily Review Partisan Information
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| Arguments For Measure C | Arguments Against Measure C |
| VOTE YES on Measure C to protect what we all want for Hayward: safe neighborhoods, help in an emergency, decent roads, modern learning facilities, economic prosperity, improved property values, and a VIBRANT future for our city. This is the goal of Measure C.
The City of Hayward has worked hard in recent years to be fiscally responsible while maintaining essential city services. But many city facilities have deteriorated after decades of constant use. The recent Great Recession has made it impossible to fund needed repairs or replace aging facilities while still maintaining the city services we need. Despite these challenges, good things are happening in Hayward. Measure C will continue the progress by authorizing a 1⁄2 cent sales tax to fund important city services and needed facilities, such as:
Basic necessities like groceries and prescription medications WON'T be taxed. Visitors to Hayward will pay their fair share, so residents won't shoulder the entire cost. Measure C lasts 20 years ONLY. It cannot be extended without a new vote. Measure C is a smart investment. The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be. Please join firefighters, police officers, seniors, parents, neighborhood, civic and business leaders and residents from every Hayward neighborhood in taking this positive step to keep our community moving forward. Learn more at http://www.protecthaywardsfuture.com Please VOTE YES on C.
s/Charles C. Plummer
| Why does the City believe it's entitled to greater relief from the effects of the recession and future inflationary costs than its residents and businesses?
Why does the City contend that it has over half-a-billion dollars in unmet capital needs, yet provides no reference to any document supporting this incredible claim? Why does the City's Capital Improvement Program list unfunded capital projects valued at $325M of which more than half this amount can be attributed to Caltrans interchange projects traditionally funded by federal, state, and regional sources? Why is the City proposing a $60M library that is 50-percent more costly than even the most expensive new Bay Area library built within the past decade? How will the City afford to stock, staff, and otherwise operate this proposed three story facility that would be more than twice the size of the existing? Why does the City believe that it's managing its finances responsibly when the 20-highest compensated city employees in 2012 each received a quarter-of-a-million dollars or more in salary and benefits? Or when the top six received more than $300,000 in compensation--nearly six times Hayward's median household income? Why hasn't the city's existing supplemental taxes (the emergency facilities tax and the 5.5- percent utility tax) accomplished what they were intended to do? Why is the City not concerned by the burden that this unprecedented combination of taxes will have on Hayward's residents and businesses? Why is the City not concerned that this measure in combination with the possible augmentation of the county transportation sales tax will set Hayward's sales tax rate at an even 10-percent? Why does the City believe that its residents and businesses are an endless source of revenue? Why?
s/Lawrence M. Johmann
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Created: July 9, 2014 18:42 PDT
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