San Bruno officials are considering floating a sales tax measure which advocates suggest may be needed to bolster a city budget spread too thin to finance a variety of financial obligations looming on the horizon.
The San Bruno City Council will examine during a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26, the city’s budget during a discussion which comes in the aftermath of a decision to hire a pollster gauging support for the potential tax.
Officials consider the tax one mechanism in a variety of strategies available to improve the city’s financial footing which some are concerned may become less stable in coming years.
Councilwoman Laura Davis said she believes the potential tax is worth examining to offset the increased expenses facing the city.
“I think we need to look at all our options,” said Davis.
Officials agreed to hire a polling company to collect community input on the proposal to float a sales tax as soon as next year. While officials have not formally approved pursuing a tax, initial indications are that a sales tax could generate as much as $4 million annually — about $1.5 million more than the amount generated by other types of measure.
In advocating for the sales tax, officials suggest its approval would make San Bruno more competitive with surrounding cities such as South San Francisco, Burlingame and Half Moon Bay, all of which recently approved tax increases.
“This is all a part of our fiscal sustainability project,” said City Manager Jovan Grogan, who noted the sales tax rate proposed to be hiked by the measure is yet to be determined.
Among the other strategies considered for solidifying the budget are establishing an ordinance regulating short-term rental properties, placing parking meters downtown and building a hotel on city property, according to a city report.
Davis said officials are also focused on assuring the city is operating smoothly as part of the effort to keep costs low and prevent taxpayers from shouldering the entirety of the budget balancing.
“A big part of what we are looking at is streamlining processes and making sure it is done in an efficient way,” she said.
Davis said she is optimistic keeping operating expenses low will allow officials to steer clear of needing to consider cuts to core services such as police and fire, which she said she is unwilling to examine.
Increased revenue could also allow the city to continue offering top tier services to its residents, she said.
“We have to be able to sustain the quality of our infrastructure of our city while also retaining quality staff,” she said.
Such services could be threatened by increased operating expenses, inadequate income generated through the existing sales tax and pending heightened pension obligations for retired workers, said Davis.
Officials late last year projected San Bruno could face a $1.7 million budget deficit, while also looking at a variety of sizable capital improvement projects which may be necessary in the coming years.
Among the initiatives considered to be addressed include a fire station rebuild expected to cost between $10 million and $12 million, as well as increased investment in local streets to the tune of about $6 million to $8 million, fixing the stormwater system and financing about $7 million in deferred maintenance. Budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year will be discussed during the upcoming meeting as well.
With the variety of economic concerns, Davis said she believes perspective collected during the upcoming survey will offer officials the clarity needed to move ahead appropriately.
“We need to get a sense of how the residents feel,” she said.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 105
Councilmembers pursue poll for measure needed to address limited budget
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By Austin Walsh
Daily Journal Staff
San Bruno officials are considering floating a sales tax measure which advocates suggest may be needed to bolster a city budget spread too thin to finance a variety of financial obligations looming on the horizon.
The San Bruno City Council will examine during a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26, the city’s budget during a discussion which comes in the aftermath of a decision to hire a pollster gauging support for the potential tax.
Officials consider the tax one mechanism in a variety of strategies available to improve the city’s financial footing which some are concerned may become less stable in coming years.
Councilwoman Laura Davis said she believes the potential tax is worth examining to offset the increased expenses facing the city.
“I think we need to look at all our options,” said Davis.
Officials agreed to hire a polling company to collect community input on the proposal to float a sales tax as soon as next year. While officials have not formally approved pursuing a tax, initial indications are that a sales tax could generate as much as $4 million annually — about $1.5 million more than the amount generated by other types of measure.
In advocating for the sales tax, officials suggest its approval would make San Bruno more competitive with surrounding cities such as South San Francisco, Burlingame and Half Moon Bay, all of which recently approved tax increases.
“This is all a part of our fiscal sustainability project,” said City Manager Jovan Grogan, who noted the sales tax rate proposed to be hiked by the measure is yet to be determined.
Among the other strategies considered for solidifying the budget are establishing an ordinance regulating short-term rental properties, placing parking meters downtown and building a hotel on city property, according to a city report.
Davis said officials are also focused on assuring the city is operating smoothly as part of the effort to keep costs low and prevent taxpayers from shouldering the entirety of the budget balancing.
“A big part of what we are looking at is streamlining processes and making sure it is done in an efficient way,” she said.
Davis said she is optimistic keeping operating expenses low will allow officials to steer clear of needing to consider cuts to core services such as police and fire, which she said she is unwilling to examine.
Increased revenue could also allow the city to continue offering top tier services to its residents, she said.
“We have to be able to sustain the quality of our infrastructure of our city while also retaining quality staff,” she said.
Such services could be threatened by increased operating expenses, inadequate income generated through the existing sales tax and pending heightened pension obligations for retired workers, said Davis.
Officials late last year projected San Bruno could face a $1.7 million budget deficit, while also looking at a variety of sizable capital improvement projects which may be necessary in the coming years.
Among the initiatives considered to be addressed include a fire station rebuild expected to cost between $10 million and $12 million, as well as increased investment in local streets to the tune of about $6 million to $8 million, fixing the stormwater system and financing about $7 million in deferred maintenance. Budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year will be discussed during the upcoming meeting as well.
With the variety of economic concerns, Davis said she believes perspective collected during the upcoming survey will offer officials the clarity needed to move ahead appropriately.
“We need to get a sense of how the residents feel,” she said.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 105
(1) comment
Cut expenses first. Merged fire dept and police dept. Just sharing services with other agencies saves $250,000. with shared chiefs.
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