Our Council Appearance

IN THE NEWS (See our response --->)
Do activists want better streets, or not?
July 25, 2003
Press Democrat Editorial

If they want Petaluma streets to continue to deteriorate, self-described pothole activists have chosen the correct strategy. Already, the group's threat to oppose a street-repair tax has damaged prospects for the ballot measure. The group wants to hold future street repairs hostage to a promise from the City Council to spend more city general fund revenue on streets.

But the group lacks the courage to say how much money should be diverted -- and what programs and which employees should be eliminated.

Councilman Mike Healy provided a helpful example: If city spending for items other than street repair was reduced by 10 percent, the city would be obliged to dismiss 10 police officers and nine firefighters. Is that what the Petaluma Pothole Patrol has in mind?

What this stunt fails to acknowledge is that a city that used to spend $300,000 a year on street repairs will spend $1.8 million on repairs this year, plus $7 million more for street reconstruction.

The group also chooses to ignore the fact that a small sales tax base leaves Petaluma with less revenue than many cities of comparable size.

Meanwhile, state government is reducing aid to cities and counties. Maybe the Pothole Patrol didn't get the news. This is not a profligate City Council. It's a City Council trying to do the best it can in difficult circumstances. It does not help when some groups are determined to be obstructionist no matter what the impact on the city.

The CITIZENS FOR SAFE STREETS group is proposing a ballot initiative. Click the links below for more information.

Petition
Summary
Fact Sheet
This Initiative Will Contribute to the Overall Welfare and Safety of the City. This initiative furthers the City's economic development goals. Streets in disrepair slow traffic, endanger public safety, cause damage to vehicles and generally impede commerce. Providing better streets for our City will work to relieve traffic congestion and make traversing our City via automobile, motorcycle and bicycle safer and more efficient.

Report a Pothole
Did you know that the city has a form for you to report street problems in the area?
Click here to submit a form

OUR RESPONSE:
CLOSE TO HOME (Press Democrat Petaluma Editorial Section)
August 1, 2003
Making sure streets are city's top priority
By Pierre Miremont
Our group, Petaluma Pothole Patrol, has consistently fought for the improvement of our streets over the past year. We have exposed the mismanagement of past city councils and have helped awaken the justifiable anger of Petalumans who must drive our dilapidated roads. We have heard councilmembers classify the streets as their newly found Number 1 Priority.

Failure to properly maintain our streets is bankrupting our city by destroying our major asset. Each day we refuse to stabilize the deterioration, the cost of repairs increases. How do we ever get out of this hole if we do not start immediately?

We would like to see the council commit permanent funds to bringing the streets up to a basic standard of drivability and create an ordinance that would guarantee we never again experience the horrendous monetary loss we presently face due to the irresponsible neglect of past councils.

We believe this is simply good common sense to do. And, it would be a proper utilization of taxes and fees we have already paid---and continue to pay for the maintenance of our roads.

Petaluma receives approximately $1.1 million in gas tax and $3 million in vehicle license fees annually. That is more than $4 million in income that is directly related to the automobile. Why isn't all of this money spent on street maintenance and permanently committed to street improvements?

Some council members are claiming we will have to significantly reduce our police and firemen if we spend money on the streets. That is political hogwash and scare tactics. Our government has three main priorities---Safety (police and fire), streets, and sewer. Presently, police and fire account for less than half of our general fund budget. Sewer is funded through rate-payer fees. There is no need to reduce funding these departments.

In the recent past, street maintenance has been approximately 1% ($300,000) of the general fund budget. Now the city is spending close to $1.8 million, which is helpful, but should be increased and funded consistently.

It is the council's job to decide where and how our money is spent. If street maintenance is truly a top priority, they will fund it and eliminate funds from other, lower-priority programs. Perhaps a Citizens' Budget Committee would be helpful here.

Our group believes that repairing the streets has been a neglected child for too many years and should now be the city's top priority. We believe the vast majority of Petalumans agree with this choice.

We are not necessarily against a utility tax to help the streets. However, we dislike spending $70,000 on a special election in the middle of a recession with a state that is $38 billion in debt---and is about to raise other taxes and fees to cover that debt.

We have read the news and we have talked to people who have not had a raise in over a year and are worried about their jobs. And we ask, "How do you get 67% of the voters to pass a tax on anything under these conditions?" Wouldn't it be better to put this tax on the ballot at a later time when it has a chance of passing, rather than waste $70,000 now?

The Petaluma Pothole Patrol will continue to remind the council of the citizens' desire to have adequate roads. It is not our wish to offend anyone, but we will keep this issue alive until we have streets Petalumans are not embarrassed about.

Pierre Miremont is a Petaluma resident and a member of the Petaluma Pothole Patrol