Laserfiche WebLink
Minutes - San Leandro City Council Meeting - May 3, 1993 Page - 15 - <br /> PUBLIC HEARINGS (continued) <br /> Mayor Karp thanked Mr. Swann and his wife for their efforts in serving <br /> the community. <br /> Council Member Kerr said San Leandro's fee is not the lowest of any in <br /> Alameda County. He said there are fourteen cities and seven have no <br /> tax at all . He said the average of the fourteen cities would be $3.56. <br /> John Jermanis, Finance Director, said all cities in Alameda County in <br /> the State of California have some form of real property transfer tax. <br /> He said charter cities are the only ones allowed to have a different <br /> tax than that provided by State law. He said in other cities the tax <br /> is split 50-50 between the State and the city. He said general law <br /> cities cannot change their tax. He reiterated, however, that San <br /> Leandro's proposal would still be lower than the average for the <br /> charter cities. <br /> Craig Bettencourt, 1750 Scenic View Court, said this Tax will allow the <br /> City to maintain its quality of life and also to control its destiny. <br /> He said there are not many avenues left for the City Council to take, <br /> and the State will steal all it can. He said it doesn't matter whether <br /> the Tax is the lowest or not. He said the Task Force Revenue <br /> Subcommittee had a lot of debate on this matter. He said, on a <br /> $200,000 home, the fee would be $1,200 or 6/10ths of 1%, half of which <br /> would be paid by the seller and half by the buyer. He said a realtor's <br /> fee on a $200,000 home is 6% or $12,000; and he noted both his father <br /> and his brother are realtors. He said the City will keep selling <br /> houses by keeping the quality of life up. He said the budget cannot be <br /> determined based upon the 1950's, 60's, or 70's, and the City ought to <br /> keep what they have. He said everything we lose will never be <br /> regained. He said he did not want to see any money wasted, but he <br /> didn't want to lose anything that we now have. He urged the City to <br /> vote to control the City's destiny, follow the dictates of the Task <br /> Force, and also look at the Utility Tax. <br /> Mayor Karp thanked Mr. Bettencourt and said he has been active for a <br /> long time in the community, including President of San Leandro High <br /> School in 1972 and Chair of the Finance Committee. <br /> Art Silva, President of the San Leandro City Employees' Association, <br /> said he was in favor of the tax. He said he was born and raised in San <br /> Leandro and has worked for the City for 22 years. He said he realizes <br /> Police and Fire services are needed, but management and maintenance <br /> personnel are also needed. He said he doesn't think the public <br /> realizes what the general employees do. He said there are general <br /> employees in Police/Fire, clerical and Public Works maintenance <br /> positions. He said they maintain the ball fields and City buildings, <br /> conduct traffic control , and clean up major spills. He said he feels <br /> good coming to work every day because this is a great job and a great <br /> community. In order to keep standards high, the City needs its fund so <br /> it does not have to make cuts. He said $6.00 is not a lot of money <br /> compared to what can be lost. <br />