Activists Plan to Study Wages, Cut in Sales Tax

Reducing the county’s sales tax and comparing the wages of government employees with those of private sector workers have emerged as the top priorities for the Committees of Correspondence, a countywide citizens watchdog group.

About 80 to 90 members of the organization discussed both issues at their monthly meeting Wednesday at Orange City Hall.

Group leaders sought volunteers to help research ways to lower the sales tax from 7.75% to 5%. The group wants to decrease the sales tax rate by 0.25% each year beginning in 1997 until it reaches 5%.

The Committees of Correspondence, a loose association of community groups from around the county, took a leading role in the fight against Measure R, the proposed half-cent sales tax increase on the June ballot. Voters overwhelmingly defeated the measure, which was designed to help the county dig out of its bankruptcy.

Also on Wednesday, group members discussed plans to conduct a comprehensive study comparing the salaries and benefits of county and city workers to those of employees in private industry. Committees of Correspondence officials are now collecting the union contracts of government agencies.

In the months after the December bankruptcy filing, Committees of Correspondence meetings drew 150 to 200 people. In discussing the attendance drop Wednesday, group leader Bill Mello said he expects more people to attend the September meeting, when interim County Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier is scheduled to speak.

“We’ll have a lot of good questions for her,” Mello said.