By Bret Daniels–
As a longtime resident of Citrus Heights and having been on the City Council from 1999-2005 and 2016 to the present, I remember when the city was one of only two other cities in California who could say three things: (1) Our city has a balanced budget every year; (2) we have significant reserves; and (3) we have zero debt.
Unfortunately, the days of a $35,000,000 reserve account and zero debt are gone and now the city is struggling to balance their budget with lower tax revenues from a sputtering economy.
What’s ironic about this situation is what did the city do with the money when cash was rolling in from tax revenues? In 2019, the economy was hitting on all cylinders and unemployment among the minority and low-income communities was the lowest ever recorded. In February of this year, just 8 months ago, the stock market was at an all time high and tax revenue was coming into municipalities by the bucket loads.
So were we spending enough on fixing our roads, improving security and safety in our schools, providing extra training for policy officers, expanding homeless programs, and supporting local businesses when the money was rolling in?
Unfortunately the answer to my questions is …no…but in March of this year, city employees got another healthy pay raise when more than 100 city employees are compensated in excess of $100,000 a year while the average earnings of Citrus Heights residents is only $37,357 (before the pandemic!).
And, the reason I ask about roads, school safety, etc., is because these are all the same promises the city is now making with the $12 million dollars Measure M will annually extract from the wallets of Citrus Heights residents and shoppers. The problem is that all the money will go into the general fund with no guarantee it will be spent as promised!
What is also puzzling to me is how “out of touch” several of our city council members are with the people who voted for them and are counting on them to represent their best interests.
Guest Opinion: Measure M would only cost me $7.23/mo
Jeannie Bruins is the longest sitting council member and former Mayor and she claims this is a “penny” tax that will only cost her about $6 to $7 per month. That might be the case for her since she’s single with no children who need clothes, school supplies, and a whole lot of other stuff. She is a senior citizen who doesn’t have the needs of a growing family and is also ignoring our senior citizens on a fixed income.
The problem with the math here is the city claims to raise $12 million dollars from the estimated 33,749 households in Citrus Heights. If paid entirely by residents, that’s $355 dollars for an average household per year. That’s a far cry from the $6 to $7 dollars a month Bruins says she will pay. Now, she may say that we are not counting all of the non-residents that buy things in Citrus Heights – but with the Sunrise Mall as it is, not that many people are coming here to shop!
Then there’s Councilmember Steve Miller who opposed the Sacramento County Measure A half percent sales tax increase that would have distributed funds to Citrus Heights but for some reason he feels Citrus Heights residents can afford a full 1% sales tax increase which is twice as big a Measure A… Are you kidding me?
When the city is willing to ignore opposition from the business community and low income households where they make so much less than the average city employee, it’s time for the citizens to send a loud message to city leaders that Enough is Enough!
I hope you will vote No on M and send the city AND your elected representatives a message they will remember.
Bret Daniels currently serves on the Citrus Heights City Council and is a candidate for the District 1 council seat this year.
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