Measure V: Continuation of Essential City Service

About the Measure

"To preserve the health, safety and welfare of Greenfield, and maintain/protect general City services, including emergency response; building protection; neighborhood police patrols; gang/sex offender enforcement; animal control; street maintenance/pothole repair; park maintenance; and other essential services, shall the City of Greenfield continue a voter approved 1 cent transaction and use tax, subject to annual audits and public review."

Measure V is based on the following findings and declaration:
  • The City is experiencing an existing and immediate funding crisis, which is the result of factors largely outside of its control, including national economic trends, rapid increases in the cost of employee retirement and health insurance benefits, decreases in revenue from existing taxes and fees, increases in charges by the County of Monterey, the loss of the Greenfield Redevelopment Agency and unpredictable State takeaways of local revenue.
  • Measure X has provided the City with a guaranteed source of local funding for local City services that cannot be taken by the state and has helped maintain the financial viability of the City.
  • Since voters enacted Measure X, the City has maintained a full-service Police Department and successfully recruited and employed a professional Police Chief, with the ability to prevent and investigate property, domestic violence and other types of crime.
  • External costs beyond the City's control have increased faster than the City's revenue sources, including Measure Q to sustain existing service levels without the extension of this special tax,
  • The City has taken significant steps to reduce its operational costs by eliminating costly management and administrative positions including Assistant City Manager, Public Works Director, Economic Development Director, Community Development Director, Building Inspector, Office Assistant and Police Service Technician,
  • The City has used its available General Fund balance to bridge the structural budget deficit, meaning it has used all available financial resources and will have none available to maintain services.
  • Changes in State law, particularly the approval of Propositions 62 and 218, the City has very few means available for increasing General Fund revenue.
  • Absent an extension and enhancement of the funds provided by Measure X, the City Council would have no choice other than to implement severe reductions in City services and potential elimination of the Police Department and the loss of local law enforcement control.
  • Without further action, revenue measure X will expire in 2016, resulting in the loss of over $1.4 of funding for essential City services.
  • Unless Measure X funds are enhanced and extended, public facilities and property will not be properly maintained, public safety standards will degrade, crime and violence will increase, the community will not have adequate and safe recreational opportunities, businesses and families will be discouraged from moving to or remaining in Greenfield, and the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of Greenfield will be endangered.
  • Because of that threat to the public health, safety, and welfare, an emergency exists in the City, as the term "emergency" is used in Article XIIIC, section 2 (b) of the California Constitution. The City must immediately address that emergency by ensuring that the City has the resources necessary to preserve the public health, safety, and welfare.
The identified emergency necessitates that the City Council submit a tax measure to the voters of Greenfield at the June 5, 2012 election, even though such an election would not be consolidated with a general election for a member of the Council.

Arguments in Favor

Arguments in favor of the Greenfield Continuation of essential city services funding measure, an extension of the transactions and use tax of 1 %:
  • The continuation of the existing tax will provide the City with minimum funding for law enforcement by supplying a sustainable source of significant revenue. If the existing tax is allowed to expire in 2017, the City Council will be forced to lay off eleven Police Officers, who are currently funded by this tax, or by COPS grants that supply temporary funding:
    • 9 Police Officer positions in the amount of $1,021,400.
    • 2 Police School Resource Officer positions in the amount of $263,175
Passing this continuation of the current one-cent sales tax will continue to generate approximately $1,200,000 per year, all of which is currently dedicated to public safety. While the Police Department remains understaffed, it persists in making strides towards improving safety for the community. Revenues from this tax will stay in Greenfield and will be subject to the review of a resident Oversight Committee For additional information about these measures, or to request a speaker from the City to discuss city services, please contact the City Manager.