The Walnut Creek City Council on Tuesday may officially endorse Measure O, a November ballot measure seeking a 10-year, half-cent sales tax increase to fund “current and future quality of life needs.”
The council unanimously approved putting Measure O on the Nov. 8 ballot on July 19.
A staff report for Tuesday’s meeting says conversations about the future needs of Walnut Creek “have ramped up over the past two years, with the city engaging in discussions with residents regarding their priorities and interests, and evaluating growing needs related to the vital programs and services provided by the city.”
The report says many of the facilities necessary for those programs “are several decades old and nearing the end of their useful lifespans after constant use by tens of thousands of individuals and families.”
Since March 2022, the city has engaged in a community listening initiative consisting of stakeholder meetings, a mailed survey to more than 30,000 Walnut Creek residents, and an online survey to better understand the community’s needs and priorities for the future.
Measure O priorities would include “maintaining neighborhood and downtown police patrols, crime prevention programs, 911 emergency response, emergency/disaster preparedness, increasing pedestrian safety, and ensuring consistent crossing guards on school routes.”
It would also address homelessness, maintain senior services and programs, art programs, and after-school programs for children and teens, including additional library hours and access to books/technology.
It would support “small businesses and economic recovery, downtown improvements and attracting new businesses, jobs, and economic activity; investing in sustainability initiatives and parks and open space, including creeks and watersheds.”
The ballot measure would also replace the city’s aging Clarke Swim Center and Community Center at Heather Farm Park and improve other aging city facilities.
The Walnut Creek City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the council chamber in city hall, 1666 North Main Street, in Walnut Creek. The meeting can also be seen at www.zoom.us (webinar ID: 862 6390 8304 / passcode: 752322).
Sorry! I pay the government enough money. I will vote NO on this.
During a Recession? Gas prices through the roof? Just so some people can swim in a pool? Love how City Manager justifies the increase so that we can be like surrounding cities with higher sales taxes. That’s justification? So we can be like other cities?
It’s never enough, and they just keep asking for more and more and more and more….
We already pay far too much. Where does it all go?
Another attempt to try and get taxpayers to fund new Heather Farms swimming pools… pools whose use are completely dominated by private swim clubs. All the other priorities are window dressing on this un-needed sales tax increase.
When was the last time any proposed local sales tax increase was voted down? They always seem to win by a large margin.
That’s because all the free stuff people vote for it 3 times and nobody cares.It’s shows how many there is and how the vote counters are all part of the (fraud) program
What’s the ratio of democrats VS Republican employees in the polling places?
Would love to see the extremely lopsided number that they don’t dare reveal.
No new taxes.
Chip away…come soon enough the public will have had enough of over taxation and the civil war will begin..it’s coming and not a damn thing anybody can do at this point to stop it.
So the staff, who stand to benefit from increased revenue, indicate an increase is needed? Shouldn’t this been sent to an outside auditor?
all government is theft and we are the saps
WC does not care about first responders. This is a ploy to get funding for the feral population who won’t help themselves.
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!!!
WC = WOKE
NO! Absolutely not…..They will always just ask for more and nothing will change, nothing will improve…..it is a never ending cycle.
Yet even when we all say no it’ll still somehow pass anyway. I leave it to you to determine why that is the case because I can’t figure that out unless there is something amiss.
You’d be a fool to vote for this tax increase. It will not be for 10 years, it will be in perpetuity…
This increase will only bring WC up to the same sales tax as charged in other Contra Costa towns, and it will help maintain the high quality of life in WC, so I totally support it. The more money the city spends on arts, sports and leisure, the better
We all know the quality of life in Walnut Creek has gone due south since the George Soros elected Becton DA decided not to prosecute crime regardless of the laws in place. They’ll spend the money on pet projects which are none of your business and will contribute zero to arts, sports, and leisure. Accountability? Zero.
WC has no interest in improving the quailty of life,they just want to pack in more people and pet projects ,IE ‘affordable housing’ that they have to build because they accepted federal funding in a promise to do it,and here comes the real crime wave when that happens.
Face reality and see that nothing is ever going to improve.
Tearing down businesses to build housing.example,the 76 station at Civic and YV road torn down to expand apartments.,is a good way to destroy a city.
WC only cares about the cities coffer.
A none existent DA makes WC prime location for high $$ crime.
This is your new yuppie utopia.
Wake up.
Excellent sarcastic point!
I remember(and lived) the small town WC of mid to late 60s and early 70s. Now WC is a Gavin, Weaner, Nancy and Joe follower and clone.
No thank you. This is on top of the county’s 1.5% sales tax.
Just because other cities are doing it does not mean Walnut Creek should. Lafayette survives without an additional tax.
We already pay state and federal income taxes so we are expected to pay sales tax on money that has already been taxed.
California State 7.250%
Contra Costa County 1.500%
Concord 1.000%
Careful Doh…. you’re starting to sound like a Republican.
bia,bla,bla, bla, homeless services, bla,bla,bla
That’s what I read.
Not only no…….but HELL NO!
But then, having escaped, I’m just a casual observer.
Vote No!
STOP!
no way…. tax will never go down… it’s mainly to fund pet projects – like a gold plated swimming pool center at Heather Farms.. in the neighborhood of $60M !! ….yet they won’t pave YVR where it’s crumbling, potholes, etc. from all the commute through traffic… sometimes they say it’s funded, then funding reallocated to their pet projects and then it’s unfunded… please vote a big NO!
Taxation is theft.
Of course! Everyone needs to pay for the WOKE utopia policies.
There is no such thing as a temporary tax. Concord residence can confirm that.
Who received and returned one of those 30,000 mailers? Did they really get sent? And if they did, did they go to only City Council supporters?
Government twists everything to their own advantage, including voting.
This measure will pass no matter how the people vote.
My new answer to those asking for donations of any kind is : I already give through my taxes. Or will that make the entities in control of the taxation actually have to say they don’t have enough of our tax money, the taxes that are already in place aren’t being used correctly, or simply, they lied to get the tax passed on the ballot. ?
It’s really quite sad as there are a handful of causes we have regularly and substantively given to over the years. I now tell these causes directly, the economy has unnecessarily turned to heck. So for now, every penny goes to my family as responsible people put on their own parachute first. Should we quit electing morons to run our federal and state governments, I will be glad to once again turn philanthropist. But until then, you get what you vote for,. or think you voted for, which is zero,
Anybody that votes for a sales tax increase is an idiot. And there’s no such thing as a temporary sales tax increase. And we’re already paying a high enough price is high enough gas prices kind of food prices we don’t need to pay more taxes. How ludicrous
Blah blah blah temporary 10 year tax quality of life community listening initiatives….
Bull$hit.
oh right. another theft of taxpayer money while they cause and allow no quality of life. they have billions for homelessness, and everything else that is not being used for that already. how much are you going to believe from this demon agenda!