Group works to pass Campbell levy

By Jeanne Starmack

starmack@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

A group that’s supporting a new levy on the November ballot says the added revenue would boost the city into an easier climb out of fiscal emergency.

The Committee to Support Campbell began meeting at the end of last month, said Sherman Miles, the city’s finance director and the group’s treasurer. Council members, administrators, firefighters, police officers and residents make up the group, he said.

The group has ordered yard signs and is passing out fliers that pitch a need for the proposed 5-year, 3.5-mill property tax for general-fund expenses.

The city, in fiscal emergency and under state oversight since 2004, faced the threat of a shutdown in November until state auditors on its oversight committee intervened. In August, they helped administrators and council reallocate budget appropriations.

Under a state-mandated 5-year plan to get it out of fiscal emergency, the city cannot hire more employees, including police and firefighters.

There are 12 full-time police officers, with four posts remaining unfilled in the city’s complement of 16.

The fire department has five full-time firefighters, down from nine when the fiscal crisis began. Lack of manpower in the department has contributed to higher homeowners’ insurance rates for residents.

The city’s financial crisis, Miles has said, is caused mainly by a decline in tax revenue.

The city has an income-tax amnesty program open until Nov. 15 for people who have filed their taxes but haven’t paid them, and a subpoena program for nonfilers raised $20,000.

But the bulk of the problem, Miles has said, is not delinquent taxes — it’s the fact that because of the country’s poor economy, there’s not as much income to tax.

“From 2006 to 2010, yearly tax revenue has declined by $245,000,” Miles told city council at its meeting last week.

“The good thing is that if the levy passes, it would plug that gap,” he said.

The levy would raise $277,000 per year, which would allow the city to have a budget surplus through 2014. To get out of fiscal emergency, the city must project surpluses through 2015. “This will help us get on the way,” Miles said.

The money would be used to avert “drastic reductions” in the general fund operations, which primarily consist of police and fire services, the group’s flier explains.

It will not be used to hire additional full-time personnel and will not be used for raises, but will allow the city to maintain existing services.

Volunteer firefighters, who are paid per fire call, will be hired, the flier explains, and that will help to decrease homeowners’ insurance rates.

“If the levy passes, we could potentially get out of fiscal emergency,” said council member Mike Tsikouris at Wednesday’s meeting.

City resident Bob Yankle said he supports the levy. “You have to pay for your services,” he said. Yankle said his insurance rates went up 200 percent.

The levy’s cost for residents whose homes are worth $50,000 would be $53.59 a year. Residents with homes worth $100,000 would pay $107.19 per year in additional tax.