IF YOU ARE ASKING MY OPNION
I’m not opposed to the concept of a Local Option Tax, but the process used for this one didn’t convince me that this is the right solution to the problem that itself wasn’t really supported by the facts presented.
I am going to give my opinion and I’m not suggesting to you how to vote.
I would reject this proposed ordinance as written. I believe it was hastily put together and the resulting recommendations were actually the starting point.
A complete review of the city operation needs to take place.
Go back to the drawing board and start the process over again without a predetermined end product.
Build a platform that involves the community that will allow for the exchange of ideas that will help with the identification of the problems and development of the solutions. When I use the term community, I am referring to Garden Valley area and not restrict the discussions to the residents of Crouch only. Everyone in the community are stakeholders rather living in the city limits or not.
Conduct a budget analysis to determine past spending practices.
Clearly identify the major problems and prioritize the problems by the financial impact on the city.
Determine what problems the tourists are really responsible for that are putting a burden on the city finances.
I have asked several times but no has been able to provide the answer. I constantly hear
‘We want to implement a tax because of what they (the tourists and GV neighbors) do. They (tourists and GV neighbors) must pay for the wear and tear they cause for the city’.
Again, no one has been able to provide me with a list of all that wear and tear.
Revisit past decisions that are affecting the city today and ask the hard questions.
Why did the city get into the water business?
What happened to the water district that was intended?
If the purpose of this Local Option Tax is to get the city out of the bind it got itself into with the water system, then make that the priority and state exactly what the problem is.
Determine alternatives and state the plan to correct the issue. Explain to the citizens that the plan is to use the money to qualify for matching grants because there is not a predictable city revenue stream from which to match any grant fund or loans.
This verbiage is actually in the flyer sent by the Crouch Concerned Citizens, but it was clouded under the threat of imposing a property tax.
It wasn’t clear that the end result will be long term debt based on a transitory and fluctuating money source that may or may not result in a property tax levy.
What are the new responsibilities the city has taken on that has caused budget shortfalls and why?
Determine what the city has historically been responsible for and determine what services the city desires to be responsible for and is willing to pay for.
Stop threatening the citizens with a property tax if they don’t vote for this. This is not an either or situation. The city hasn’t imposed a property tax in 70 years and they won’t do it this year, next year or later unless they commit themselves to building a water or sewer system that will not support itself.
The community of Mountain View subdivision is a factor in the solution and they should be included in the process early and not after they were tricked or coerced into voting for this without knowing the entire plan.
The water system is not a tourist/GV neighbor problem and the tourist/GV neighbor did not create it.
What are the advantages to the city to annex property that does not support the city through a tax base or any sort of impact fees?
What services did property owners requesting annexation expect from the city?
Once the problems have been clearly identified and their causes pin pointed, the dirty work begins to find the appropriate solutions. This is where those involved need to leave their egos and their self-serving hidden agendas at the door.
It is going to take a group of individuals that may need to rotate in and out to bring a system of checks and balances to the process. This helps to avoid the “ownership” of a solution that may be the wrong one and to keep from falling into group think.
The community members need to have buy in, accept responsibility as being a contributor to the problem if that is truly the case and be an active participate that is open to ideas from others in finding the solution.
The solutions are not limited to a particular local option tax. It may be necessary to divest from the water system, or change other spending trends.
The city should be operated from a business perspective with the sign of a profit being found in the fiscal management of the taxpayers money and not wasteful spending. The excerisae of fidcucisairy reponsbility should be the center of every decision.
The LOT Committee and the Crouch Concerned Citizens seem to think it is a penalty placed upon them though a tax levy for the City of Crouch to have a municipal water system that provides their water.
You want services from the city you pay for them. People move to the city for the convenience of city services. The City of Crouch doesn’t provide the services other cities take responsibility for providing.
I felt from the beginning that there was something else happening from behind the curtain, It wasn’t until I was told that if this didn’t pass, the city would fold and there would be no place to buy any liquor.
YES ….LIQUOR was the excuse and then I connected the dots.
This idea of having to pass this tax as written is based on the requirements for a liquor license. That is why nothing else has been fully investigated or considered.
The end result is that the city gets shorted so that someone else benefits.
YOUR VOTE COUNTS ONLY IF YOU CAST IT
DON’T LET APATHY GIVE THE ADVANTAGE
Regardless of your position on the Local Option Tax,
it is imperative that you cast your ballot.
Failure to cast a ballot will only makes it easier for the other side to prevail.