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Town Council heeds call, puts sales tax on June ballot |
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Thursday, 28 February 2008 |
Two-thirds vote needed to fund recreation, parks and trails
By Lara Kirkner
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 The sales tax initiative, deemed Measure R, was approved unanimously by Town Council to be put on the June ballot. The sales tax increase will need a two-thirds vote to pass, and, if passed, will be used exclusively for parks, trails and recreation.SUBMITTED PHOTO
At first the initiative was to state that the tax dollars would be used for the implementation of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and the Trails Master Plan, but the wording was changed in order to make sure CEQA guidelines are followed correctly.
The Council gave the people what they were asking for last Wednesday night by approving a Special Sales Tax that will require a two-thirds vote from the community in order to pass. The Special Tax also requires Measure R to be written very specifically so that the people know exactly where the money is going. As many people pointed out, the two-thirds requirement also takes the politics out of this tax initiative. By stating explicitly what the money will be used for, the community is not left to wonder whether or not Council is trying to raise taxes simply to cover the budget shortfall that they have come into recently.
In the town of Mammoth, history shows that the only organization that has been successful in passing a measure with a two-thirds vote is the Mammoth Unified School District. However, with the momentum that local nonprofit group Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access (MLTPA) has generated in the past year regarding trails, many community members think that now is the time to ride that wave to get this measure passed.
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” said longtime local Gordon Alper, quoting President Franklin Roosevelt in his comment that the Council should put the measure on the ballot and let the community decide.
Some people suggested that the arts should be included in the tax initiative, and while no one was against the arts, it seemed that most of the audience agreed that the reason people move to Mammoth, or visit, is for outdoor recreation. The arts are an additional amenity once they get here, but are not what drive people to town. Therefore, the money should be used solely to get the town's recreational amenities, such as trails, in order.
“The trails are free, they are a good amenity for the poor,” said local Hans Ludwig, who joined many others in pointing out that they would have no problem paying an increase in sales tax for improvements to a huge amenity that is otherwise free to the public — visitor and local alike.
There were also those who opposed putting the tax on the ballot at this time. Rick Wood restated his position that “a tax increase is looked at in context of the situation in the local economy.” Since Mammoth's economy is slow at this time, Wood said the community would not be supportive of pulling extra money out of their wallets for increased sales tax.
Others, such as David Kubicka, thought the tax initiative was being pushed through too fast and that MLTPA was dominating the field for receiving the money. “We need more development in the arts area,” he said, adding the initiative “needs to represent the whole community.”
The voices against it were small in number and the force of those in favor of the tax, the two-thirds vote, and the use of the money for parks, trails and recreation, swayed the Council to a 5-0 vote to allow the voters to decide for themselves whether or not to invest in parks and trails in the community.
MLTPA Executive Director John Wentworth was thrilled by the “really intelligent decision” that Council made and thought that it should reinvigorate the town’s confidence in their government as Council apparently proved it can respond to what the people want.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 March 2008 )
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