This is an archive of a past election. See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/alm/ for current information. |
League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
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Measure M Paramedic Special Tax City of Berkeley 2/3rds Approval Required 22,412 / 45.4% Yes votes ...... 26,923 / 54.6% No votes
See Also:
Index of all Measures |
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Results as of Dec 15 1:28pm, 100.0% of Precincts Reporting (88/88) |
Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Full Text | ||||||||||||||||
Shall the special tax for paramedic services be amended to: increase the tax rate from $0.02626 to $0.041634 per square foot; add personal income growth as an alternative inflation adjustment; and authorize the expenditure of the additional proceeds? Financial Implications: The annual cost in fiscal year 2005-2006 would be $79.10 for a 1,900 square foot home, $124.90 for a 3,000 square foot home and $416.34 for a 10,000 square foot building.
Financial Implications
s/MANUELA ALBUQUERQUE, Berkeley City Attorney
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Arguments For Measure M | Arguments Against Measure M | ||
Make sure medical help is there when you call for it. Vote YES on MEASURE M.
City of Berkeley paramedics provide emergency medical treatment and transport for over 8900 people every year. Countless lives are saved by their heroic and difficult work. Measure M guarantees funding for this vital service and improves medical service to all Berkeley residents by placing trained Paramedics on fire engines at all of Berkeley's seven fire stations. The Paramedic Services Measure accomplishes two important goals. First, Measure M closes a $1 million deficit in the City's paramedic services fund and protects funding for this essential service. As with nearly all health care costs, the expense of providing paramedic services has increased in the last few years. The City of Berkeley ensures that no one is ever denied paramedic services because they cannot afford to pay. In prior years, the City has redirected other funds to cover this deficit, but is now dealing with a serious deficit of its own. Second, Measure M provides funding for the equipment and training for firefighters to serve as Paramedics on fire engines at each of the City's seven fire stations. Fire engines usually arrive before ambulance units when responding to an emergency medical call to 911. If Measure M passes, emergency medical help will arrive faster and lives will be saved.
To accomplish these two important goals, Measure M would cost $79 per year for the average homeowner.
s/MAUDELLE SHIREK, Vice Mayor, City of Berkeley
s/ART DAY, Berkeley Fire Safety Commissioner, and individually and on behalf of Friends of the Berkeley Fire Department
| Vote NO on Measure M. This 59% increase to your existing Paramedic Tax doesn't guarantee that quality emergency response medical services will be provided by an adequately staffed Fire Department.
Berkeley Firefighters provide paramedic services paid for by patient fees, an existing special Paramedic Tax, and General Funds in the Fire Department budget. Measure M doesn't guarantee that all the $1,200,000 extra money raised by this new increase will be used to provide paramedic services in addition to those we already have. In fact, the City Council actually rejected a Berkeley Firefighter sponsored amendment to Measure M that would have required that all the extra money be spent on additional services! Instead, Measure M allows the City Council to simply replace General Fund money it's already spending on fire and paramedic services with these new funds. The funds that have been replaced could then be used to pay for some other purpose. You could end up with fewer emergency medical response services than what you voted for and thought you were getting. This kind of political "Bait and Switch" game has happened before. If the Council wants money to pay for other services, they should ask for your vote to pay for them directly. Proponents claim that Measure M is needed to close a $1,000,000 deficit in the paramedic program. No such deficit is identified in the City's budget. The closest thing is a shortfall in the Paramedic Fund, but that's only $178,000 counting both last year and this year. Vote NO on Measure M. Then join with us, a coalition of neighbors, committed to working to include in the regular budget an adequately staffed Fire Department that is fully trained and equipped to provide the emergency medical services we need. These are essential services. No more games.
s/TRUDYWASHBURN, Chair, Berkeley Fire Safety Commission
This straightforward proposal will ensure that trained emergency medical services will be available for every Berkeley resident AND help keep enhanced First Response Companies in service. MEASURE M WILL SAVE LIVES. Berkeley has a $1,000,000 shortfall in the existing Emergency Medical Services Tax + a tax dedicated for paramedic services. Measure M will provide an additional $200,000 to adequately equip and train our firefighters. Years ago voters established Berkeley's paramedic service through a special parcel tax. Over the years, costs have risen beyond the income. The City was able to cover the deficit in 2004 by drawing $1,000,000 from the General Fund. - NOW THESE FUNDS ARE EXHAUSTED. Berkeley is a well run City that spends taxpayer money wisely. Even in these troubled fiscal times the City has maintained a balanced budget and received Moody's highest bond rating. With ongoing State cutbacks we cannot afford to continue to take general funds to cover these deficits. MEASURE M WILL SUSTAIN AND IMPROVE PARAMEDIC SERVICES. MEASURE M WILL ENSURE THAT ALL FIRE STATIONS HAVE TRAINED PARAMEDIC FIRSTRESPONDERS. Average homeowners (1900 square foot home) will only add $30 per year, for a total annual cost $79 - or 23 cents a day - for first-rate paramedic services. Please vote for our Paramedic Restoration and Service Tax to keep and improve our excellent paramedic services. If Measure M isn't approved, we must cut our emergency paramedic services. Please VOTE YES on Measure M.
s/TOM BATES, Mayor, City of Berkeley
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Full Text of Measure M |
AMENDING BERKELEY MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 7.90 INCREASING RATE OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES TAX, ALLOWING ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT BASED ON INCREASE IN PER CAPITA PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH AND AUTHORIZING EXPENDITURE OF ADDITIONAL TAX PROCEEDS
BE IT ORDAINED by the People of the City of Berkeley as follows: Section 1. The City of Berkeley is currently experiencing financial difficulties due to statewide and national economic conditions. In order to remedy these difficulties, the City has made significant cuts in its expenditures. However, in order to be able to balance its budget while preserving the services desired by the people of Berkeley, the City also needs to raise additional revenues. In particular, Berkeley residents benefit from paramedic services provided by the Berkeley Fire Department, and desire to increase the existing special tax that funds these services to make up an anticipated deficit, and to enable paramedic services to be expanded so that they are available from all of the City's fire stations.
Section 2. That Berkeley Municipal Code Section 7.90.020 is amended to read as follows:
Section 3. Pursuant to California Constitution Article XIIIB, the appropriation limit for the City is increased by the aggregate sum authorized to be levied by this increase in the tax rate for each of the four fiscal years from 2005- 06 through 2008-09. |