Dublin Considers Many Options for New Local Tax
The City of Dublin, CA, has been working diligently to prepare residents for a new City tax on the next ballot measure. The proceeds from the new tax will be used to fill the projected annual budget gaps resulting from Dublin’s sustained period of declining property and sales tax revenues and increasing police and fire expenses. For 2010 alone, Dublin is expected to pay an additional $1.74M for police and fire services, while general fund revenues are projected to plummet a hearty 13.9% for the same period.
Cities like Dublin have the power to impose a variety of taxes. These taxes can be either general or special, depending on how the money will be used. General taxes only require a simple majority of voters for approval, while special taxes require two-thirds of voters. Special taxes must be used for the specific purpose for which they are imposed.
Dublin has two likely options to consider in an effort to bridge the projected budget shortfall. The projected budget shortfall can be filled with either an increase in sales tax rate or an additional parcel tax.
Increased Sales Tax Rate – California’s current sales tax rate is set at 7.25%. Alameda County tacks on an additional 1.5%, while the City of Dublin tops off the final 1% of our combined 9.75% sales tax rate. Dublin could impose an additional sales tax of 0.25% with a simple majority of Dublin voters, if the incremental 0.25% tax is used for general fund purposes. Two-thirds of Dublin’s City Council would need to vote in favor of placing this measure on the ballot.
Additional Parcel Tax – Property-related fees are charges on a parcel or a person as an incident of property ownership. Parcel taxes appear on homeowner property tax statements. Measure C and Measure L are both examples of parcel taxes. In order for the parcel tax measure to pass, the City of Dublin will need approval from two-thirds of the voters. The City could get the needed support by providing a special exemption to groups of likely voters such as senior citizens or individuals with disabilities.
Other tax options could include a levy against resident income, company gross payrolls, or business revenues. While these options are not probable, they are still possible. Should the proposed tax measure fail to get the required support from voters, the City of Dublin can simply impose a fee for police, fire, and other emergency services. A recent example of this strategy can be found in Tracy, CA, where a 911 emergency calling fee was levied against residents.
The Around Dublin Team would like to thank the Institute for Local Self Government for the background information on the various municipal taxes.
3:09 AM on March 19th, 2010
Once this tax is passed, it’ll never be repealed. I think it would be laughable to have 10% sales tax in Dublin. What a joke! I realize the city has hit very hard times, but there has to be another way. Frankly, I would support per-use emergency fees over a general tax. We live in one of the highest-taxed counties in the country. This is nuts.
11:21 AM on March 19th, 2010
We need to increase tax or any revenue generating effort to augment budget shortfall in our city. Sales tax is not one of them. We will lose more consumers to the internet. Unless, fair playing field is implemented to the Amazons, Ebay and others. Not only internet but also neighboring low sales tax cities will magnetized Dublin consumers to their areas. Our retail shops cannot withstand this kind of hardship or we will lose them on the way side. Alameda Transit Authority is proposing an extra $10 tax on vehicle registration. This is the right way but the wrong method. I support taxing commuters who use our roads and freeway and reward the one’s who does not. I believe in tax as you use. High mileage commuters should be taxed more and provide incentives who use less of our freeways and roads. It helps our environment. Mr Joe Smith who uses public transportation and use his car to drive to Bart or Park and Ride areas should not be punished. Mr Joe Blow who commutes daily to Silicon Valley by himself because he has lots of parking and get there more on time should pay for using the freeway. If we tax this heavy car users exorbitantly that their cost of commuting is far greater than using public transportation, they will stop clogging our freeways. I support toll roads in California if this is the way just like Florida and other states. Pay as you use is the name of the game. Good for the environment.
11:37 AM on March 19th, 2010
What you said does not make sense. Didn’t we have the highest gasoline taxes in CA? The more mileage you drive, the more tax you pay. We already have that! Besides, you are just discouraging high income families who are working in SV from moving here if you do that. You should know Dublin has a lot of families like that, right?
1:34 PM on March 19th, 2010
Reply to my comment when you are driving to SV on 100 mph hurricane or your car overheats on a 130 degree sizzling hot weather. We may not even see Dublin at all as it may be covered by the Pacific Ocean.
2:02 PM on March 19th, 2010
How about those people driving hybrid cars or electric cars? Are you proposing they will be taxed as well? I think you are brainwashed too much by Al Gore’s Global Warming scam.
2:59 PM on March 25th, 2010
@Jing,
So, by the same reasoning, park use should be pay-per-use as well then. Everyone is paying through taxes to keep the parks nice and clean, but not everyone uses it.
2:14 PM on March 20th, 2010
Owning property is not all cracked up to what one thinks. All we are is a bank for corrupt city and governments.
I hear paper pushers at the city make 80k a yr. hmm, Mr Sbranti when will you be hiring again?
8:55 AM on March 19th, 2010
Our police and fire departments are in constant danger. Gunshots ring out nightly in Dublin and raging fires burn through the night much like they do in the war torn country of somalia. We have to pay this brave men and women just as much as we pay our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, but then add an extra $100,000 per officer, because we know how much more dangerous Dublin is than Iraq… And when they retire, we need to make sure that they live in the lap of luxury, retiring in their 50′s while still collecting $150k + per year in pensions, while they work ANOTHER job, bringing their total income above $200k… I will go broke paying taxes to help a bankrupt government, just to make sure my local policeman/woman is well taken care of..
10:33 AM on March 19th, 2010
Were you here when people started freaking out about the TV thefts in community clubhouses and the mail thefts around town? Look at the comments people left. You’d think Dublin turned into Richmond overnight!
11:23 AM on March 19th, 2010
Haha,,,,,,,This is a really good one! I enjoy your humor and sarcasm,,,,,,
11:15 AM on March 19th, 2010
I would be very curious to know the justification for the $1.74M 2010 budget increase for police and fire expenses? New cars? New trucks? Pay increases? This doesnt make any sense when the city growth stalled and that there are resource and budget cuts everywhere.
Schools budget and teachers are cut everywhere, affecting the future of our next generation. But we can’t touch our beloved fire and police services.
The city is heading toward the same fate as GM who could not afford its employee`s pension plans. The argument of “we have to pay them like our peers do and give them the same benefits or they will go elsewhere” is the same one used by the Wall Street banks.
I will make sure to vote against these measures. Asking sacrifice from the hard hit population to fund fatly paid people because of temporary revenue shortage is ridiculous.
11:30 AM on March 19th, 2010
Well said!!!
11:17 PM on March 19th, 2010
Instead of faulting police department and fire department employees for taking pensions, fault the city officials that approved them in the first place. We can’t take away promised pension money, since that would be a default on an existing contract and could cost the city more in lawsuits that it would in paying the pensions. Instead vote for and appoint better people to those positions that make the spending decisions in the first place. Fire those who made unwise spending decisions. Make sure new hires know that the money will no longer be there for THEM when THEY retire. And, if job candidates think they should be given larger pension, move to better-run, more affluent communities to find work.
11:59 AM on March 19th, 2010
If we dare cut police pensions you do realize our city streets will be filled with drugged up zombie criminals, resembling a holocaust hollywood movie.. Don’t let the zombie criminals take over, please send 50% of your check directly to Dublin PD and we can just trust them with our money to keep us safe. Beware the smoke monster fellow Dubliners!
4:30 PM on March 19th, 2010
Does anyone know if I can just have my company use Direct Deposit of half my paycheck directly to Police and Fire services?
4:52 PM on March 19th, 2010
Wow…it’s amazing how many are jealous of police officers and their sweet pensions. If it bothers you so much then go become a cop!! You’re a bunch of haters!!
6:31 PM on March 19th, 2010
Doesn’t it take a two thirds vote to raise taxes?
7:16 PM on March 19th, 2010
Police sit around and eat donuts and prey on the hard working citizens with car pool violations and other such nonsense…police suck and are way way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy overpaid…their retirement is felonous!!!
10:16 PM on March 19th, 2010
I would rather have overpaid ( not true), donut eating, and honest cops than what they have back in my country . Dublin sheriffs keep our ciity sAfe from people like yyyoooouuu.
8:26 AM on March 20th, 2010
It’s ridiculous that this has become a platform for attacking police and firefighters. A lot of you feel they are overpaid and have a nice pension, but I bet that you would never dare to go into these professions because 1. You are cowards. 2. You wouldn’t make it through the rigorous process of getting in. 3. You wouldn’t be able to pass the academy and additional training.
The truth is that you are jealous and wish you had the guts to do this kind of job. Maybe you tried getting in and failed and are frustrated that others have these jobs.
Just remember that if a home invasion robbery takes place at your house or if your house is up in flames to NOT BOTHER calling 911 because it’s the police and firefighters that will respond to rescue your ungrateful *ss.
6:40 PM on March 20th, 2010
Dear retard,
Many of us don’t want to be cops or fire department professionals because we don’t want to take a pay cut.. Just because we make more money than them, or less money than them, doesn’t mean that their publicly-funded salaries and pensions are way overdone…..
It’s funny how many times cops come on here and talk about how dangerous their job is.. You’ve been beaten down many times before with this simple link:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-most-dangerous-jobs-in-america-2010-3
don’t forget that there are MANY VOLUNTEER fire departments in places like Boulder Creek, wow, so dangerous that guys are willing to do it FOR FREE!–
Suck on that for awhile-
7:20 PM on March 20th, 2010
Nothing to do with hating police and firemen, they have an important job to do. Reread the above article: 1.7M$ increase in cost just for next year resulting in EVERYONE being asked to pitch in more money to the city. Have they considered salary freeze? layoff? keeping the old equipment a bit longer? worst case taking some loan until the economy turn around? Seems like not, much easier to ask voters to agree on their tax increasing…If you thing that anger at tax going up in a hard hit economy = jealousy of police force, you are misguided.
With unemployment going up, salaries getting cut, and yes, retirement plan at airlines, factories, etc, being removed through fake bankruptcies, its not hard to understand the anger.
11:05 PM on March 20th, 2010
I could not have said better. Thank you.
1:47 PM on March 20th, 2010
The Alameda County Fire Department is ripping off the citizens for Dublin. There is no local control. They negotiate with the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Did you know that they don’t even have to negotiate for wages. They get the going rate every year no matter what. While other agencies are taking 0% raises and giving back, ALCO FD does not.
Somehow members of the ALCO FD have avoided the salary survey. Every employee in every city in the bay area is reported but you will not find one ALCO FD employee in there. Go figure!
http://www.insidebayarea.com/public-employee-salaries
5:59 PM on March 20th, 2010
dublin cops are no different from the cosa nostra. they band together, will never rat on one another, they take money from the good citizens of dublin and will become millionaires just with salary, benefits and a ridiculous pension alone. retire at 50, collect 90 percent of a salary overflowing with manipulated overtime and sick-vacation days abuse…why not just give them 100% of their salary yearly from 50 years of age and be done with it!…dublin cops are mafiosa…just my opinion and not verified by facts.
6:42 PM on March 20th, 2010
Dear retard,
Many of us don’t want to be cops or fire department professionals because we don’t want to take a pay cut.. Just because we make more money than them, or less money than them, doesn’t mean that their publicly-funded salaries and pensions are not way overdone…..
It’s funny how many times cops come on here and talk about how dangerous their job is.. You’ve been beaten down many times before with this simple link:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-most-dangerous-jobs-in-america-2010-3
don’t forget that there are MANY VOLUNTEER fire departments in places like Boulder Creek, wow, so dangerous that guys are willing to do it FOR FREE!–
Suck on that for awhile-
7:58 AM on March 22nd, 2010
When is John Z. going to step in here and put a stop to this personal attacking and name-calling? There’s no place for it here, especially when both sides seem to be arguing over different things, without even realizing it.
Perhaps it’s time to turn the comments feature off for some posts. I know, freedom of speech, blah blah blah, but this blog is also trying to reach the biggest possible audience. The more people who see this senseless bickering, the more they get turned off and won’t come back here.
6:46 PM on March 22nd, 2010
so now you want to sensor our freedom of speech and have our posts removed so this blog becomes a one sided promotion for dublin cops and their ramrod tactics taking the taxes from the good citizens of dublin. these dublin cops have a cowboy attitude and i have been harrassed by them and i have seen many others harrassed by these cops. the only good reason i can come up with for their inflated salaries and pensions is so they don’t take the drugs and drug money in their narc busts…if they get caught they lose their pension…even 100 grand in a drug bust would not tempt them cause they can make 100 grand in one year of retirement sitting in the donut shop. just my opinion not verified by facts.
7:40 AM on March 23rd, 2010
No one is trying to “sensor” your comments (oh please start Tassajara Prep so Dublin residents can learn how to spell). But what you fail to realize is that many cops pay into their own pensions, and thus are not as publicly funded as you’d like to believe. You also fail to realize that cops in less dangerous cities don’t make anywhere near as much money as cops in dangerous cities like SF and Oakland.
Of course, the whole argument is ridiculous. If you’re upset about cops getting overpaid, then blame the people who agreed to the terms with the unions. Don’t blame the cops. If you want the same benefits they do, then get your own union (the Useless-Human-Beings-Who-Do-Nothing-But-Whine-About-Entitlements-at-the-Same-Time-They-Vote-For-Socialist-Democrats Union of America) to fight for you.
You’re the kind of person who would get mad at the co-worker who makes more than you do. What you should do is get mad at yourself for not getting the kind of money you think you deserve, or at the manager who agreed to give your co-worker more money. Don’t blame people for having favorable terms; blame the people who agreed to them.
4:26 PM on March 23rd, 2010
If I spend more money than I can afford, I don’t get to go to my employer and demand more money.
Cut spending. Figure it out. Do what us responsible citizens have to do. Just keep out of my pocket.
Period.
The End.
8:55 AM on March 25th, 2010
… good to know about the sales tax proposal early so I can follow it. I avoid spending my dollars locally already because of the sickening amount of sales tax and this will just help make my decision easier where not to spend my money.