Politics & Government

Council Won't Hire Firm to Gauge Support for Extending Utility Tax

There will be no professional pollsters making calls about the possible utility users tax extension for the November ballot.

Essentially, Pinole City Council members on Tuesday said, "We don't need no stinkin' consultant."

The council unanimously rejected a proposal to hire one of three polling companies that had submitted bids to conduct a telephone poll to test voters' opinions about a possible ballot measure to extend an existing utility users tax.

Instead, the council will rely on less scientific methods to test voters' attitudes toward a measure. That could involve organizing a community advisory group or committee to gather information.

Find out what's happening in Pinole-Herculeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We all have to come together to make this pass," Councilwoman Debbie Long said. "We need to have some real involvement here."

At stake is an 8 percent levy on electricity, phone and cable bills that currently accounts for about 20 percent of the city's general fund budget. It is due to expire at the end of the year unless voters extend or replace it with an alternative.

Find out what's happening in Pinole-Herculeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Prior to the vote, City Manager Belinda Espinosa said a telephone poll could measure the level of voter support for the rate and lifetime of the tax.

"We're trying to get an idea of what the threshold is that the taxpayers are willing to pay," Espinosa told the council. "We think that's  very important to survey so that we don't go out and just automatically assume that our taxpayers are willing again to renew 8 percent at eight years."

City staff had recommended hiring a firm at a cost up to $23,000 to conduct 350 to 400 phone surveys up to 20 minutes long.

Councilman Roy Swearingen said the questions to ask voters are basic and it's pointless to ask if the tax is necessary.

"I know everybody is worried about the quality of the survey and making sure we get the right results," Swearingen said. "We have to put it on the ballot. We don't have a lot of choices here. That's a big portion of the funds for the city. We cannot run the city without that money."

Each council member also opposed the cost of the proposed survey.

"I have a really hard time with the money, spending the money on this," Councilman Tim Banuelos said.

Mayor Pete Murray said the money that would have been spent on the survey could be used instead for the costs involved in holding the election. He said that he would start working to organize a "citizens' group" to start work on the issue. That group presumably would consider the details of a potential ballot measure.

Swearingen requested that the council include on its next agenda an item about "how to approach gettting information from the community" about the fate of the tax.

In 2010 to extend the tax. That measure also would have added the tax onto water bills.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here