Dear Council Members,
I cannot attend in person to speak at the council meeting regarding the Utility Users Tax being discussed, but I want to add my comments.
I was a Budget Advisory Committee Member as well as a supporter of the utility users tax. I hope you will consider the following reasons to implement the UUT.
First, it was clear that employee retirement benefit costs will continue to increase and use larger and larger amounts of the general fund in future years. Second, the council has decided in past years to dip into the reserve funds to cover deficits which cannot continue if Menlo Park is to maintain high bond ratings and have a safety net in case of a major disaster. Third, low infrastructure spending will not be sustainable in the future when repairs become more costly due to negligent maintenence of roads and storm drains. It was also clear from the budget surveys that residents favor retaining most current city services rather than eliminating them and that they were in general supportive of helping to pay for retaining services by using a utility tax.

I do, however, agree that a closer look at the exact amount needing to be taxed should be considered in light of the "one time surplus" this year in order to be responsive to immediate community needs. However, I wasn't looking for the exact projected 2.9 million deficit, anyway, because that number was derived from averages and projections so on any given year it will be different from the projection. It would have been more surprsing if it came in at that number!
We DO have the opportunity to even out revenues with this tax and help over the long term and remove the consistent threats of budget cuts that we've experienced for so many years.

I am in favor of starting this tax *this* year because it could help repay the reserve fund and secure infrastructure improvements for a few years. I realize it wouldn't be the most popular thing to do at this moment but I believe it would be the most responsible long term decision for our city. In two years you will have to reconsider this tax again and at that time you might be in a better position to judge whether it is still necessary.

Best Regards,
Katie Ferrick
Bay Road
Menlo Park
Received on Wed Jan 31 00:10:20 2007