On Weds, August 6, 2014, at 6:00 pm at City Hall, the City Council has a special meeting and one of the items is considering placing a Charter City ballot initiative on the ballot for November 4, 2014. There are many good reasons to vote for this ballot initiative, which I will explain further below. The Council is considering funding measures to diversify our revenue sources.
First of all, a Charter City is not the same as a Charter School. Charter cities (as distinguished from General Law cities) have the opportunity to enact charter amendments. Our drafted Charter is very short and simple, no tricks or big changes. The only amendment that the Emeryville City Council is interested in enacting at this time is a Real Property Transfer Tax (which will also appear on the November ballot, and will be considered next Weds, August 6 as well). This tax at the time of sale of a property will provide funds to partially replace those we lost when redevelopment agencies were dissolved two years ago. The tax is being considered at $12 per every $1,000 of valuation at the time of sale. This is lower than both Berkeley and Oakland's $15 per $1,000.
Taken together, these measures would create a guaranteed source of local funding for vital city services that, by law, cannot be taken by Sacramento, ensuring our tax dollars stay local for the benefit of Emeryville residents.
Emeryville residents enjoy the benefits of our clean, safe, and well-maintained city. Because our police and fire services are top-notch, Emeryville is a desirable place to live and do business. These measures help the city to maintain excellent public safety services.
These measures help support the services that make Emeryville a great community and are important to our local quality of life, such as neighborhood parks and open space, youth and senior services, and clean, safe streets and roads.
Please share your thoughts on these ballot measures, and help Emeryville by supporting them this Fall!
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
