ELECTIONS / PORT HUENEME BALLOT MEASURE : City to Let Voters Rule on Fate of Police Force

The Port Hueneme City Council on Wednesday agreed to place a $500,000 special property tax measure on the June ballot, allowing voters to decide on a tax increase that would enable the city to retain its Police Department.

Unless two-thirds of those voting approve the measure, officials say the financially beleaguered city would probably have to contract for police services with the county sheriff’s or Oxnard police departments.

The council approved the measure by a 4-0 vote. City Councilman Dorill Wright was absent.

The proposed tax, which would be added to property tax bills, would nearly equal the cost savings to Port Hueneme of contracting with the other agencies, and would restore two police positions lost to budget cuts.

“There’s simply not enough money to pay for the police,” Mayor Orvene Carpenter said.

Under the proposed tax measure, Port Hueneme homeowners would pay an extra $56 a year in property taxes, apartment owners $47 per unit and commercial property owners 2.5 cents per square foot of property.

That would amount to an average tax increase of 5.5% for single-family homes, 11.5% for apartments, 13% for commercial properties and 50% for vacant properties. The amount of tax for each property category was determined by estimating the cost of providing police protection, Community Development Director Tom Figg said.

For example, the property tax bill for Casa Via Mar Motel, which is on a 125,453-square-foot parcel, would rise by $3,141 a year, a 12.5% increase over its current tax bill of $25,134, a city report said. A small store such as the Anacapa Market, which is on a 7,750-square-foot parcel, would pay $194 more each year, a tax hike of 30.5%.

If the special tax receives less than the amount needed for approval, but more than 50% of the vote, City Manager John R. (Dick) Velthoen said the council would consider a utility tax as a last chance to retain the Police Department.

Residents who support the special tax told the council Wednesday that they are willing to pay the extra tax to retain a local Police Department they describe as more responsive than larger departments.

“I am for saving our Police Department,” said Port Hueneme resident Victoria Carter, one of several residents who attended the meeting wearing T-shirts that said “Save Our Police.”

Supporters of the measure said Port Hueneme officers routinely respond to all medical emergencies and other calls that larger departments often overlook. And if the city contracted with the sheriff’s or Oxnard departments, they noted, the police station at City Hall would be closed during nighttime hours.

In an interview, Velthoen blamed the city’s financial bind on the state Legislature’s raid on local taxes--which he estimated has led to a permanent loss of $600,000 a year--and the weak local economy. Over the past two years, the council has pared nearly $900,000, or 12%, from the city’s budget, laid off a dozen employees and closed the city’s cultural center.

To bolster the city’s bottom line, the council created three special assessment districts that last year raised $594,000 to help maintain the city’s beach, parks and street medians. The beach and park maintenance districts have since been merged into a single district.

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Meanwhile, a city proposal to build an RV resort on the beach to raise an estimated $400,000 annually has encountered stiff opposition from nearby residents.

With further claims by the state on local taxes anticipated again this year, Velthoen said the city would face a general fund deficit of $285,315 by 1997.

The resulting squeeze on the city’s finances prompted the city to explore contracting for police services with other agencies.

“If an additional revenue source is not available relatively soon, it is staff’s opinion that the city should not continue to provide local police service,” Velthoen said.