Officials Plan to Be Ready if Initiative Fails

Hoping for the best, city officials agreed they must plan for the worst if a citywide public safety services ballot initiative fails.

The June 3 ballot measure is intended to replace the city’s 5% utility tax, a decade-old protective services tax and two lighting district assessment fees, which bring the city $2.2 million in annual revenue.

City Councilman David John Shawver estimates the public safety services fee would raise about $2.9 million in annual revenue, needed to cover the growing cost of county-provided police and fire services.

But if the ballot initiative fails and the city’s utility tax is invalidated, council members say they must have a contingency plan.

Stanton and other cities throughout the state could lose utility taxes and other fees under Proposition 218, approved by California voters last November. It requires voter approval for most taxes and fees, but debate continues on how the law should be interpreted.

“It’s time that we come up with some kind of a game plan, or at least a timetable for a game plan,” Shawver said at this week’s council meeting. The defeat of the city’s ballot initiative “is something that I hope never happens . . . but it’s a concern that we have to address.”

Council members agreed to begin discussions at their next meeting on March 11.

City officials are concerned that some residents may vote against the ballot initiative because they erroneously believe it would eliminate some lighting in the city.

City Atty. Thomas W. Allen said the confusion comes from the fact that the initiative would eliminate two lighting assessment districts. But Allen said the ballot measure would only shift funding of the lighting districts to the proposed public safety services fee.