Long Beach : Special Tax Proposed to Pay for Recreational Programs

Long Beach landowners would pay another $8 million a year in property taxes under a proposal to finance expanded recreation programs in the city.

The City Council’s Quality of Life Committee this week sent the proposal to the full council, which must approve the measure before it can be put on the ballot for a public vote next year. Such a special tax levy would require a two-thirds approval by voters.

Residential property owners would pay 80% of the new tax, on the theory that they would enjoy most of the benefits of the recreational programs. City officials estimate that annual property tax increases on residential units would range from about $38 to $71 per unit.

The money would be used to fund programs for youths and the elderly, added park patrols and park maintenance. Although the city’s finances improved this year, the city budget is still too tight to support such expanded activities without additional income, say the proposal’s proponents.

Councilman Tom Clark, while supporting the new tax, warned that it will take a concerted community effort to garner the necessary voter support. Many voters, Clark said, will consider it a reversal of Proposition 13, the landmark voter referendum that greatly limited local property tax increases around the state.