Election 2016: Arcadia voters shoot down Measure A
By Courtney Tompkins, The Pasadena Star-News
POSTED: 04/12/16,
9:05 PM PDT | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO
ARCADIA >>
Voters on Tuesday rejected Measure A, an initiative that aimed to repeal the
city’s Utility Users Tax, according to unofficial election results.
With all seven
precincts reporting, 4,910 votes were cast against the measure, with 2,735 in
favor of it.
The measure needed
more than 50 percent of voters to say ‘yes’ for it to pass, but since it
didn’t, the UUT rates will remain the same in Arcadia.
Residents and
business owners pay a 7 percent tax on their electric, gas and water bills, and
5 percent on telephone bills each month. The UUT is expected to generate $7
million in revenue this year.
The tax is Arcadia’s
third-largest source of revenue, behind property and sales taxes. It comprises
approximately 12.5 percent of the city’s $54.9 million general fund budget.
A group of residents,
backed by the California Tax Limitation Committee, drafted the initiative in
attempt to dial back a government they say is “fiscally out of control.” It is
part of a broader effort by the TeaPAC organization to repeal utility user
taxes statewide. Larry Papp, a longtime resident and proponent of the initiative
criticized the continued rise in incomes for government employees while pay for
employees in the private sector remains stagnant.
First adopted as a
city ordinance in 1970, the tax fluctuated between 5 and 7 percent for nearly
four decades. In 2009, a utility users tax initiative was ratified by voters as
a requirement under Proposition 218, which requires tax measures to be taken to
the public.
In an October
presentation on the initiative, city staffers painted a pretty bleak picture of
what would happen if the initiative were repealed.
City Manager Dominic
Lazzaretto said there could be cuts to city police and fire services along with
programs for children and seniors.
Deputy Chief City
Clerk Lisa Mussenden said tonight’s results will remain unofficial until a
second count on April 21.
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