Thursday, March 8, 2012

Drive city decisions by "real data" - tax and sheriff considerations


Pacifica Tribune, Letters-to-the-editor, 3/6/12, "Real data needed" by Michael Varney 

"I would like to commend the Pacifica City Council for having the courage to not recommend putting the 1/2 cent sales tax on the June ballot. Although the city clearly has serious financial issues to resolve, it is the responsibility of the council to investigate and understand the risks and benefits of all reasonable solutions prior to choosing a plan of attack.
Making sure we get what's inside the box.

With regards to law enforcement services, the council has not yet done its diligence by investigating the potential cost savings and the true advantages and disadvantages of having the County Sheriff provide these services in place of the Pacifica Police.

I realize this a politically sensitive topic for many Pacificans, but if we are to ensure we are charting the best course for our city long-term, we need to make sure we know what our options are and evaluate them in an objective fashion. Scare tactics regarding gangs and lawlessness seem unfounded based on the last six-and-a-half years that I have lived here. 

We should use real data to drive our decision making. What have other cities experienced after having made the switch? Did they really save money? Did their crime rates go up? Was the quality of the service diminished? Right now we don't know the answers to any of these questions, and until we do, we would be at serious risk of making a bad decision. With regards to the 1/2 sales tax, what if the voters don't approve it? Pacificans are unlikely to approve a tax increase without a compelling rationale. How can the council build such a rationale if they have not first investigated all their options? Such as outsourcing the police?"

Posted by Kathy Meeh

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ha! Pacifica has had all the real data needed to make a decision for more than 3 weeks. Very reliable source says Rhodes was told to sit on the info by a couple of his bosses. Why? Numbers not big enough? Popularity worries? Clay feet?
Remember, Rhodes works for Council and he does what they tell him. He wasn't responsible for the delay in getting the sheriff's numbers, just as he's not at fault for stalling now. Meanwhile, the county thinks this town is run by morons. I guess they could decide we're too stupid and clumsy to deal with and turn us down. That'll be loads of laffs!