Minutes 1993 0503 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Minutes - San Leandro City Council Meeting - May 3, 1993 Page - 14 - PUBLIC HEARINGS (continued) Rick Richards, 335 Peralta Avenue, Chair of the Services Subcommittee, said the Task Force was visionary. He said the Transfer Tax is needed. He said the current fee is below the average of $7. 11 of the seven charter cities, and the $6.00 rate would still be below average. He said this Tax can be financed under terms of sales contracts for $.50 to $1 .00 per month, and it will not make or break the sale of a home. He said he is looking to buy another home in San leandro and would not mind paying the Transfer Tax. He noted sales tax revenue may be taken away from cities by the State. He said with this Tax people know up front what they will be paying in property taxes when they buy a home. He said this Tax will not cause a loss of first-time home buyers. He said people move to Tracy and other areas because the cost of homes is lower, not because of this Tax. He said he hoped the City Council would approve the increase. Syd Sadeghi , said he has lived in San Leandro for 35 years. He said he was against the sports surcharge, but he is proud of San Leandro. He said it takes money to keep the City up. He said the Transfer Tax won't hurt people because when they sell a house they make money. He asked the City Council to approve the increase. Bob Glaze, 15211 Hardin Street, Former Vice Mayor, said he saw this before when the City had enacted the $2.00 fee. He said he supports the Real Property Transfer Tax increase. He said a number of other cities are increasing theirs as well . He said San Leandro has always . had the lowest tax base and that has hurt the City. He said $6.00 is a low amount compared to the rest of Alameda County. He commended the City Council in making sure there was no undue hardship to any one group. He noted that, although realtors oppose the tax, it does not keep people from moving to San Leandro, and it does not cause them to leave. He said ten years ago the City had an excellent quality of life. He said it may start to deteriorate if people are not willing to give extra to maintain it, and that is what the City Council is trying to do. Bill Swann, 2600 Fairmont Drive, said he was present as a Member of the Vision Task Force Revenue Subcommittee. He said he supported the Transfer Tax and, as an administrator in the Probation Department of • Alameda County, could point out the problems that are occurring in other agencies. He asked what service worth $1 .5 million people would be willing to give up if the Transfer Tax is not adopted. He said there was a lot of discussion on the Revenue Subcommittee, and this was determined to be the least painful way to continue to maintain the quality of life. Mayor Karp enumerated the services that would have to be cut, including recreation, library, and other services. Mr. Swann asked the City to vote in favor of the tax. He said cuts to services would be detrimental .