Ha, raise taxes! What a concept. Good luck with that one. Gotta keep the unions happy.

This is a Council that won't even consider outsourcing police services, which could save $7 million every year, or do anything else to reduce costs.

Need more more - just raise taxes.


Insane.

Andy Cohen drives me nuts on some issues, but this issue he is dead right. I have been watching this council night in, and night out, and there is never a hardcore discussion on costs related to employees, other than the hotly debated pension issue. I have heard that our city has far too many employee related costs versus other cities it's size, so why don't we talk about the scaling back?? That's what most companies do when their numbers are not aligned, we won't even have the discussion! Thanks once again Rich Cline for wanting to increase taxes versus having the discussion. I think it was you again that didn't want to even discuss outsourcing our police force. We need to discuss these type costs!!!

Note: Richard Cline -- who spoke so enthusiastically about raising this tax -- is running for re-election. He does NOT want to upset the employee unions. Thus, he will NEVER talk about lowering employee costs through outsourching, lower pensions, etc. This would get him in trouble with the unions, who he will need to get re-elected as he has NOTHING else going for him. What's his record? El Camino all "fixed"? What about those new play fields he and his "running mate" Heyward Robinson promised us four years ago. Aren't they the ones who have drawn down our budget reserves by more than $10 M since they got into office? Aren't they the ones who instituted the never-ending downtown "visioning" process that, surprise!, will not be ready until AFTER the elections. Whew, they missed having to make THAT decision, didn't they?

I've had enough. We need some REAL leadership in this town.

Brilliant idea as usual. RAISE TAXES during a recession when travel is way down anyway. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner here in the Menlo Park City Council Pork Trough contest.

Never reduce costs, just soak the traveler a bit more. HA!

Raising hotel tax seems just plain mean. It's the wrong time to hamper hotel business. GIve our motels and hotels the fighting edge against the surrounding towns. Why bite the hand that feeds us. Raise the Utility tax for residents and businesses. The more communication gadgets one has, the more one can afford them and an increased tax.

Can this council make even one decision? Why have an election? Let's just have the city manager put all the big issues on the ballot. Do we need to go through another campaign season with all the phony promises and brochures with photos of happy families riding bicycles. The staff, if it doesn't have the council to please, can easily come up with ideas and have the city manager make decisions. The rest can go on the ballot.

Last night's decision to put an increase of the hotel tax on the ballot may be the nail in the coffin for these 2 incumbents. Who else can throw their hat into this year's race?

Shocked, learn the law- it HAS to go on the ballot because it's a tax increase. Thank Prop 13 and all that fun.

Shocked states:"it HAS to go on the ballot because it's a tax increase"

Wrong, if the Council had the good sense to not seek a tax increase then there would be nothing to put on the ballot.

The Council's 4:1 bipartisan vote did the responsible thing here to look out for our City: Consider:
(1) Neighboring Cities generally have already moved to a 12% hotel occupancy tax to help deal with budget constraints, so we are actually behind the times in doing this.
(2) The Council already unanimously voted to impose on the unions, in ways that also save money for the City in both the shorter term and going for a two-tier 2 at 60 for longer term savings too, and they have clamped down on non-police pay.
(3) Some on this list are so quick to off handedly say "just switch to the County Sheriff to save money. That would need to be really carefully vetted -- I have heard bad things in terms of response times from people in unincorporated Menlo Park whose public safety needs are through an already overburdened Sheriff's department. Even the Pension Measure anti-union crazies own initiative carved out the police from their efforts. C'mon -- good police services are a major element in our high property values.
(4) This approach provides for continued community based police services, but doesn't raise taxes on Menlo Park residents (They DIDN'T raise the UUT!)
Rather, this approach focuses on out of towners for whom the difference between a 10% and a 12% hotel tax is, realistically, likely to be lost at the bottom of their bill and there is absolutely no evidence that this element of the bill would determine where hardly any of them will stay.)
All of you all who rail about fiscal responsibility -- here you see one aspect of the Council doing just that. That combined with passing Gateway, and imposing on the unions.

"This approach provides for continued community based police services, but doesn't raise taxes on Menlo Park residents (They DIDN'T raise the UUT!)"

I'd rather pay more than ask visitors to our city to pick up the bill for our libraries, parks, shuttle busses and pool.

Is Menlo Park such a hot destination for travelers that we shouldn't offer a lower occupancy tax? I say help out the local motels and hotels. One hand washes the other.

Let's be Grown Ups -

You should know that raising taxes are always a good idea... unless they impact you.