DATE: October 7, 2015
TO: Council Budget and Finance Committee
FROM: Director of Finance; Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT
Title
Discussion of Renewal Options for the City's Utility Users Tax
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RECOMMENDATION
...Recommendation
That the Committee reviews and comments on this report and recommends that the full Council approves agreements with Godbe Research and Clifford Moss to conduct a voter assessment of the City's progress to date on managing and expending UUT revenue
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BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
On May 19, 2009, the Hayward voters approved Measure A, a measure implementing a 5.5% Utility Users Tax (UUT) on gas, electric, cable, and telecommunications services, which became effective in June 2009. The intent of Measure A was to preserve City services, including maintaining firefighters, paramedics, fire stations, and neighborhood police patrols, protecting emergency response times, preserving youth/anti-gang programs, disaster preparedness, and economic development services. Measure A was established for a period of ten years and is scheduled to end on June 30, 2019 - after which the tax would no longer be collected unless renewed by the voters.
The UUT now generates approximately $16 million annually and is the third largest revenue source for the General Fund behind property and sales taxes. Given the importance of this revenue source to the City's General Fund and to the City's ability to maintain current levels of public safety and other vital services, staff believes it is imperative to gather information from the community as to their perception of the City's management and expenditure of these revenues consistent with what was promised ot the voters in 2009. This will also help inform staff and Council about renewal options for this tax prior to expiration in 2019.
Other Possible Revenue Measures
Councilmembers have expressed the desire to also explore a wide variety of...
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