Candidate Questionnaire: Revenue generated from property taxes account for about 40% of our budget. What is your plan to expand our tax base?

The Pacifica Chamber of Commerce submitted 12 questions to each of the candidates for Pacifica City Council. Every week we will be posting two questions, and the answers from each of the candidates.

Question 7 : Revenue generated from property taxes account for about 40% of our budget. What is your plan to expand our tax base?

Karen Ervin - 4 Year Seat

In order to increase our property tax base we need to increase the value of our real estate.  In order to increase the value of our homes we need to offer a high quality of living to our citizens; well-maintained streets, parks and beaches, great public schools, public safety, social activities for citizens of all ages, an effective transportation system, and economic stability.  In order to provide these things we need a healthy revenue source, and this can be achieved with the development of vibrant, mixed use city centers, and by reducing the number of vacancies in currently existing shopping areas.

Mary Ann Nihart - 4 year Seat

I will continue to support infill development and home remodels as our economy improves.  I am very proud of the recent improvements made in the planning department. The streamlining and other continued advancements, including the eventual online accessibility of the permitting process, in the planning office will help property owners and builders not only complete new homes on empty lots, but provide easier answers to home remodels.  Supporting both sustainable building and remodeling will improve our property base.

Susan Vellone - 4 Year Seat

I plan to continue to be proactive in working with the Chamber to solicit business opportunities for the City and follow through with the Beatification task Force to provide more curb appeal for future businesses. A thriving community will attract investors.

Rich Campbell - 2 Year Seat

Streamline remodel requirements. This will increase property values. There is also room for some high density housing in key locations, e.g., SamTrans Park and Ride location in Linda Mar. 

Victor Spano - 2 Year Seat

Expand Retail:  During early 1980s, there were 3 car dealers in town.  Our shopping centers were at capacity.  Sales Tax Dollars were flowing back to Pacifica and not anywhere else, available for reinvestment in our community.  We need to bring Retail back to Pacifica.  I see "Specialty Retail", whereas each retail location is a regional attraction, as a way to go.  I want to focus on stores that have high per sales ticket transactions, which in turn provide the most Sales Tax:  Bicycles, Computers, Baby, Wedding, are just a few examples.  A gentleman on Johnson Street suggested that Pacifica needs a Crafts Store, now that is a great idea.  We can incent new business to locate in our vacant shops with limited Business License, Building Permit and other temporary fee reductions.

Business Retention.  The Linda Mar Card Shop, Round Table, Straw Hat, and others have all closed in recent months.  We need to find troubled businesses and help them with technical assistance.  The Round Table could have downsized.  Or moved to less expensive space.  An Economic Development Staff person could work to identify such situations well before a shop is in danger of closing and point them to resources which might prevent losses of jobs for Pacificans.

Remove Obstacles in Building Permit and Planning Processes.  Economic Development Committee has worked with Building and Planning Departments to modernize and bring in technology.  However there is much to do which would streamline even further.  It has been mentioned more than once around town that we could benefit by improved Plan Checking, for example.  Each month delay for commercial and other projects means a delay in our city collecting property and/or sales taxes. 

Gary Mondfrans - 2 Year Seat

Revenue from present housing stock may actually increase over the next 4-5 years due to factors relating to the housing market itself including a reversal of the downward spiral in housing prices as more and more people relocate t o Pacifica due to favorable housing prices--more houses will be sold resulting in higher assessed valuations overall.

What must be done in the interim is to encourage more businesses to fill retail commercial businesses with viable enterprises to bring in more retail-commercial revenue. Many of the larger vacant parcels may actually take years to develop into commercial revenue producers and a major increase in residential housing may actually cause an increase in school populations which both the elementary and high school districts may have problems absorbing. Neighborhood school sites have already been sold to meet short term economic goals and building new schools in this economy is fraught with problems.

Mike O'Neill - 2 Year Seat

The biggest source of revenue for Pacifica is property taxes.  Obviously the decline in property values is hitting the bottom line of Pacifica.  We must look at all sources of revenue and stabilize the City finances to move forward.  We must expand the business tax base and increase our hotel tax and sales tax revenue.  The short term will be very difficult to achieve as we are all suffering from the drop in income.  Our tax base will increase if we can show ourselves to be a well managed and sustainable City that can provide for its citizens.