ANAHEIM : Coalition to Fight City Utility Tax
A coalition of community and civic groups have announced its opposition to a recently approved citywide utility tax and is demanding that the City Council rescind the tax or place the issue before the voters.
Made up of members of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, local businessmen and neighborhood organizations, the Anaheim Coalition Against Tax announced its formation Tuesday in a written statement saying the group would take its demands to the City Council next Tuesday.
The new 5% levy, approved last month by the City Council, affects residents’ electricity, water, gas and telephone bills. The council approved the tax in an attempt to close the gap on an estimated $10-million budget shortfall.
“We maintain that a majority of the council levied this tariff upon the citizens and business community of Anaheim without proper public input and in defiance of recommendations of the Chamber of Commerce, the Utility Commission and others,” the group stated in a letter to City Clerk Leonora Sohl.
Former Anaheim Mayor William Thom, a coalition member, said the group formed Monday night in a meeting of city groups at the St. Anthony Claret Parish Hall.
“No one at the meeting believed that the city budget situation was an accurate representation of the city’s financial standing,” Thom said.
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