Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble – the Chico City Council is at it again. I’m pretty sure, the public has let them know, they will not vote themselves a sales tax increase. So, Mark Sorensen, “fiscal conservative,” has pulled a bond out of his ass – a special use bond! For street repairs! A measure that can be passed with 51 percent of the vote!
Sorensen has balls of brass these days – you can actually hear them click together when he walks – because he has announced he has no plans to run for re-election. Good plan Mark!
Somebody should remind Sorensen that his tenure as councilor has coincided with the most incredible downward spiral any town has ever seen. But we’ve got work to do folks, no time for finger pointing.
Unless it’s your middle finger – go ahead and point that in the general direction of city hall every morning when you get up. Better yet – do what I did – write a letter to the Enterprise Record. That’s letters@chicoer.com Cut a few words and send it to the News and Review if you like – that’s chicoletters@newsreview.com
The city of Chico is running a tax increase campaign in the form of quick-fix, highly publicized road repairs. First, city officials want to stop the November repeal of SB 1, the “gas tax”. Furthermore, they want to put their own revenue measure on an upcoming ballot.
Contractors are scraping 4 inches of old asphalt, chewing it up, mixing it with tar, and spreading it back over major thoroughfares like Esplanade and Cohasset Road. That’s nothing but a patch job – those roads need to be scraped to the base and completely resurfaced, as were East and Palmetto Avenues, back in the 1990’s. Those are still among the best roads in Chico. Meanwhile, the “resurfacing” job the city did on Vallombrosa last year is already crumbling to pieces, with major road hazards.
The city of Chico has deferred maintenance on roads in favor of paying pensions. On June 19, council voted unanimously to put $1 million (from where?) into a fund that can’t be used for anything else but paying the pension deficit. City Finance Director Scott Dowell set it up so that “We can’t use the (funds) for operations. There’s value there. If we had dollars available there’s a temptation to use it for needed things.”
At the same meeting, council referred the concept of a “street maintenance bond” to the finance committee.
Here you see their real priority – fund the pensions. The road work they are doing now is nothing but posturing – it will be over as of November 7.
Repeal the gas tax.
Juanita Sumner, Chico
What we need to watch for Folks, is any indication they are spending taxpayer money to push this initiative. In the meantime, write those letters!
Chico Taxpayers Association 
Hey tax surfs, remember when you passed that CUSD bond measure a year and a half ago? After interests and fees it’s gonna cost you a quarter billion dollars.
Well, apparently it wasn’t enough…
“CHICO — Chico Unified School District is facing a deficit for the next three years. According to district projections, CUSD expenditures will exceed its revenue from 2018 through 2021, largely because of the decision to prioritize compensation increases, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Kevin Bultema said at a district board of trustees meeting Wednesday evening. ”
Got to get more money for those raises and even more for those pensions.
So get your wallets out because one way or another it’s going to cost you.
https://www.chicoer.com/2018/06/21/school-district-looking-at-three-year-deficit/
Oh Bob, don’t you hate it when we’re right?
After interest and fees what did CUSD get? My recollection is it was over 170 million. So of course now they’re going to be millions in the hole over the next three years.
It just shows no matter how much they get it will never be enough.
But hey, it’s for the pensions…er…sorry…I mean for the children.
And as long as Ory is a Council Critter he will never stop trying to raise your taxes.
“While the Chico City Council decided Tuesday not to discuss a tax increase proposal, the councilman who brought the issue forward said he’ll try again.”
And the Chico Chamber of Cronies will never stop trying to raise your taxes, either.
“Chico chamber misses revenue discussion, but pleased with focus on streets ”
https://www.chicoer.com/2018/06/21/chico-chamber-misses-revenue-discussion-but-pleased-with-focus-on-streets/
And here’s how the Enterprise Wretched puts it.
“As a public voice that has pointed to the dismal condition of Chico streets, we think getting the council to talk about that specific issue is certainly a win for the chamber and for the community.”
“Editorial: Talking about Chico streets is a positive step”
https://www.chicoer.com/2018/06/21/editorial-talking-about-chico-streets-is-a-positive-step/
Well, what they’re not talking about is how the pensions and raises are what caused the problems, including the roads.
None of them mention that.
And mark my words, all of these crooks, those in the press, those in the bureaucracy, the Chamber of Cronies and the politicians WILL do all they can to raise your taxes. It may not happen this year but it’s coming.
AND when they do raise your taxes, a year or two later they’ll be back with their poor mouth and demand more money.
That is just what CUSD is doing now after the passage of that massive bond a year and a half ago.
No matter how much they take it will never be enough.
John Fogarty said it best – ” and when you ask them, how much should we give? they only answer more more more more…”
How much should we give? More like how much will they demand.
On Tuesday’s council meeting, Ory said, “It’s very preliminary discussion. We can talk about all our needs.”
I suggest you email Ory and let him know about your needs. After all, he wants to “…talk about all our needs.” I am sure your needs do not include a tax increase. Especially after we just had our garbage and sewer taxes increases and the state increased the tax on gas, diesel and car registration. And lets not forget the two tax increases on our homes thanks to those huge CUSD and Butte College bonds from a year and a half ago.
The last thing any of us need are more tax increases, especially now as the prices of everything are going up, yet these politicians live in a fantasy world and have no idea how us little people struggle.
Here’s the council critter’s email address:
karl.ory@chicoca.gov
THANKS BOB!