Sales Tax Agreement

* As a Ventura resident, I am concerned with the City Council’s action to abrogate the sales tax agreement made with the county in 1956. Although the city may have the legal right to retain its entire share of the tax, I believe it is not the appropriate action.

The city has the moral obligation to abide by its previous agreements, irrespective of its “legal” rights and who is currently on the council or serving as city manager. Being able to act does not make it right.

Ventura has benefited from a cooperative relationship with the county. For instance, few other counties have adopted anything like the Guidelines for Orderly Development, which force most development into cities and give the cities a very strong say in what goes on in the unincorporated areas.

The city’s action will create an adversarial relationship with the county, which can only result in governmental inefficiencies, uncoordinated land-use decisions and increased costs to the taxpayers.

Although it may seem unfair that Ojai took an action to retain all of its sales tax, that isn’t justification for other cities to do the same. Unlike other areas of the county, most of the Ojai Valley is still unincorporated and a major portion of the sales tax in that area accrues directly to the county, not to Ojai.

Due to the state’s property tax shift, counties are in much worse financial shape than the cities and, given Ventura County’s current budget situation, the city’s action could not have come at a worse time. This is a fact that the city cannot, in all fairness, ignore. Imagine if the situation were reversed.

County supervisors apparently feel their back is to the wall and will probably strike back (e.g., in repeal of the local sales tax and in decisions on services, location of facilities and land use.)

Now is the time to return to negotiation and cooperation. Communication, not confrontation, is the key to mutual success.

KELLEY CUSENBARY

Ventura