Dear Piedmont Neighbors:
As past and present Mayors of Piedmont and as current taxpayers, we urge you to vote Yes on Measure F in the upcoming March 5th election.
Measure F is a continuation of Piedmont’s City Services Tax, which funds core city services. This measure has been approved by Piedmont voters continuously since 1981. All funds raised stay in Piedmont, to support our public safety, parks, greenspaces, stormwater infrastructure, streets, and public facilities.
Piedmont looks and works as well as it does because of community support of this essential revenue source.
The City of Piedmont takes a conservative and transparent approach to annual budgeting, constantly reviewing, monitoring, prioritizing and projecting ahead for the next 10 years. The City Council, the Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee, and the Audit Committee all pay careful attention to where and how our local tax dollars are expended on our behalf.
In response to community safety concerns, the City Council, with input from Police Chief Jeremy Bowers as well as the Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee, has recommended an average increase of less than 15 dollars a month for 98% of Piedmont property owners.
Without Measure F, Piedmont will have to make significant cuts that will negatively impact all city services, including public safety. A Yes vote on Measure F will allow Piedmont to maintain core services, strengthen our police and fire emergency response, and invest in updated technology to monitor and respond to crime.
Let’s vote Yes for the Future of Piedmont. Please vote Yes on Measure F.
Thankfully we have Garrett Keating in this town to set the record straight.
The scare tactics and threats of service cuts whenever there’s a ballot measure are really getting old. Is this the only way to sell a new tax measure?
I’m yet to meet a former mayor who has ever hesitated to sign on and spread the fear. You can all do better.
Make it an even dozen (though I wasn’t mayor) – count me in on increasing the parcel tax with renewal every 4 years. Just don’t scare voters with threats of service cuts. The current tax runs through June 2025, and one of the new dispatcher positions is already funded through next year. The other may be Tuesday night. Over 40 years the parcel tax failed once on a March ballot (a proposed increase) and was renewed without the increase the following November. Council has two election cycles to place another measure before voters should F fail, both before the current tax and enhanced public safety expenditures expire. Any service cuts during that period should not be as a result of F failing in March.
Another recommendation of the BAFPC was to not levy the municipal services tax when annual transfer tax revenue exceeds the budgeted $3.4M. Council did that once over the 40 years when transfer tax revenue was $3.2M. Projections for this year are $4.2M. That’s a lever Council could pull to help out tax payers who are being asked to contribute more to PUSD.