Is the public in the mood to pass a new tax? If the City of Bishop and the County of Inyo decide to get involved in a ballot measure for a Transaction and Use Tax, countywide voters would have a say. The City of Bishop has also discussed doing its own thing on the TUT. Tuesday the Inyo County Administrator has asked the Supervisors to discuss Bishop’s invitation to join in a TUT ballot.
There is very little information available. More was expected at the Supervisors’ meeting, although the item was not scheduled at any particular time. Currently, there is what’s called a Transaction and Use Tax countywide. The Bishop Administrator suggested that one idea would to be to raise the TUT from 1/2% to 1%. Both the City and the County would get a portion.
At 11am today, the Water Department planned to ask the Board to approve documents for the proposed resolution of the Blackrock 94 dispute. The proposed resolution was already approved by the Standing Committee.
At 1:30pm, was a continued workshop for additional discussion on the Senior Meals Program. At the last meeting, Health and Human Services Director Jean Turner offered options of cutting the program by numbers of meals or numbers of days. The Senior Citizens Advisory Council wanted as little change as possible to what they see as an important service for seniors countywide.
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There needs to be a thorough discussion about the percentage of the current TUT that goes to the City of Bishop. The argument is that the whole county uses the Bishop City Park, ergo the City should have 1/3 of the TUT tax. The argument is also that Bishop generates a lot of the TUT tax, so they deserve 1/3 of it.
Well then what about the Transient Occupancy Tax? If that last argument holds true, then why isn’t the southeastern portion of the County getting the majority of the TOT income? That is where the majority of that TOT is generated, and it provides a big chunk of income to the General Fund of Inyo County. And, by the way, my bet is the folks in Tecopa and Shoshone don’t use the Bishop City Park.
Who supports the Bishop Dump — City of County? What about the Bishop Library — City or County?
Open up the discussion about just how much of the current TUT should be going to the City before the County starts cutting services right and left–Senior Programs and Dump Closures, Museum and Library cuts. It is time to be honest.
Considering that they will also be doing the CAO’s evaluation and negotiations for salary, it’s certainly timely that they will also talk about getting more revenues at the same meeting.
Absolutely correct about the lack of information .
Is this for an eventual proposal for a 1/2 % increase in 8% sales tax we pay in Inyo County. LA County currently pays 9%, Santa Monica pays 9.5%, so 8.5% is not off the chart. Landfill fees in LA County are off the chart. Inyo County has made some serious “Service Redesigns” at the landfills that are not popular . However, if Inyo county and the City of Bishop needs this 1/2% to help the bottom line , save the Library, the Eastern Calif Museum, Senior Services, a balanced Inyo budget and my small contribution helps the line then, I’ll be voting for this fiscal necessity . I hope that the Supes will get out front with truth and information and what this all actually means is vital to our democratic process. TUT TUT “Service Redesign” indeed .
Senior services need enhancements, not cutbacks, not “Service Redesign” and seniors need the nutrition program unchanged. There are not a lot of dollars here to be saved unless there are extreme adverse social and financial burden impacts that will affect our community of seniors that could result from some of the options proposed. The dollar savings do not reflect an equitable benefit from the disruption and the existing insecurity that the “Service Redesign” process has imposed on our friends, family and elderly neighbors let alone the actual changes that would be imposed on these folks do not justify any changes,any cutbacks, any “Service Redesign”.
This is a timely article. I woke up this morning in the mood for something new, but could not quite put my finger on what it might be.
Vote YES on TUT.