If you ask the city clerk (debbie.presson@chicoca.gov) she will add you to the mailing list for the city council and other agendas, also available here:
http://www.chico.ca.us/government/minutes_agendas.asp
This week council will be hearing a report from their tax consultant EMC of Oakland, who says there is support in the community for a 1 cent sales tax increase.
Here’s an item on same agenda that explains why they want a 1 cent sales tax increase:
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7.2.
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CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR – Pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54957.6
Negotiator: Mark Orme, City Manager Employee Organizations: Management |
See that? City Manager Mark Orme negotiates his own contract, and then writes a recommendation for council to approve it. Yep, that’s right. He’s like Sheriff/Justice of the Peace Andy Taylor there in Mayberry RFD!
This is the problem with our city, $taff is in control, and that’s what you call “Fox in Charge of the Henhouse.”
Here’s what the sales tax increase is really all about – current projections from CalPERS estimate that our (city of Chico’s) annual unfunded actuarial liability payments will increase from approximately $7,600,000 in 2018-19 to $11,400,000 in 2023-24.
Here’s the link to the city’s finance reports:
http://www.chico.ca.us/finance/CAFRMainPage.asp
The city clerk recommends we sign up for Chico Engaged if we want to have input with council. This program allows you to comment on the agenda in the days preceeding the meeting. Look at the discussion I found in progress:
https://chico-ca.granicusideas.com/discussions/ice-skating-rink
Is an “Ice Skating Rink” in our City’s future? We would like your input!
Staff has received a preliminary proposal for a seasonal ice skating rink in the City Plaza between November and February. The estimated rink size or skating area would be about 5,300 square feet which equates to a maximum of 177 skaters on the rink at any given time.
What are your thoughts?
This is exactly what an early consultant suggested to the city staff – make rainbow promises to get people to go along with the tax measure. He specifically used “skating rink”. The city has been telling us they are too broke to fix our streets, but they are promising a skating rink? What the hell?
I’m just waiting for somebody to stuff a dormouse in a teapot.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
We are experiencing PG&E blackouts since management neglected maintenance on power lines to fund their retirement and bonuses. Same deal with the city. The corruption runs deep here.
Yeah, I just found out it’s the public works director who suggested the skate rink – he’s said at many meetings that he doesn’t have the money to maintain the streets, but now he suggests an ice rink?
The corruption extends to the local media who just ignore the real truth.
We get another tax increase and Orme gets another raise. I’m sure they think that is more than fair. After all, they are selfless dedicated public servants.
Yes, the corruption does run deep but no one ever does anything about it!
You would think the people would run down to city hall with pitch forks and torches and tar and feather these scoundrels, but how much you want to bet the people of this corrupt little city will buy the BS and vote for these criminals to take even more of their money through yet another tax increase?
Remember how the garbage tax increase…sorry, “franchise fee” was supposed to fix the roads? Remember the millions in new money the city has been getting from the fuel tax increases? Again, money supposed to fix the roads. Well, how are your roads doing?
And now they’re coming for even more of our money. They are nothing but thieves!
Well, I’ve been seeing angry responses to the power outages, maybe people are finally getting mad enough to act.
They have over $134,000,000 in unfunded pension and OPEB liability yet the City Council is handing out raises to bureaucrats like Orme who are multi-millionaires in pensions alone. And the City Council is talking about paying for a skating rink while the roads fall apart and they want to increase our taxes.
WHY THE HELL AREN’T PEOPLE OUTRAGED???
CHICO FIRST PEOPLE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?
Here is the word for the month – obfuscate
“Render obscure, unclear or unintelligible”
“Obscuring the intended meaning of a message difficult to understand with confusing and ambiguous language.”
Staff does this very purposely to confuse and intimidate.
Excellent article Juanita. Someone needs to call out Orme for his large salary and small results.
On Fri, Oct 11, 2019 at 5:36 AM Chico Taxpayers Association wrote:
> Juanita Sumner posted: “If you ask the city clerk ( > debbie.presson@chicoca.gov) she will add you to the mailing list for the > city council and other agendas, also available here: > http://www.chico.ca.us/government/minutes_agendas.asp This week council > will be hearing a report” >
Thanks Scott you gave me a good idea.
No tax increase should EVER be approved until we are OUT of CalPers and the city employees have social security and 401k’s like the rest of us.
Thanks for coming by, Mr. Scott. I so agree, we should get out of CalPERS, but did you know that Orme and Constantin already get a form of 401K specially for public employees? The city agreed to pay about $9000/year into it, plus a percentage of salary.
I voted for you because you were the only one talking about the pensions. Any plans to run in 2020?
I agree. Good to see Mr. Scott here.
He was the ONLY candidate to take on the unfunded liability problems. This is THE major issue the City faces and by not addressing it all the other candidates were irresponsible.
I hope he stays engaged on this issue and I hope he fights the sales tax increase and property tax increase.
me too! I’d be interested to hear what he thinks of the proposal to use the sales tax proceeds to back bonds.
That is unfreaking believable!
We are going to get a sales tax increase and they are going to use the tax increase money to put us into even more debt! This at a time they are drowning in unfunded liabilities.
OUTRAGEOUS! CRIMINAL!
If the people of this community had any sense they’d storm City Hall with pitchforks and torches and tar and feather the City Council members!
Hmmm, sounds expensive, and messy. Let’s just all turn our power off at 4am on November 8, leave it off all day, turn it back on about 9pm. That should send a message that would make it all the way to city hall. You know, the city takes money – ratepayer money – from PG&E all the time. For example, PG&E is paying – again, ratepayer money – to install a charging station for the new electric cars the city is going to buy, with ratepayer/taxpayer money.
The city of Chico and PG&E are as chummy bedbugs in a rug. They’re like twins – screw one and the other gets a pain in their rear.