So Atherton's city manager says failure of the parcel tax will slow down maintenance. Another case of a bellowing politician inadequte in ability to work around the bonus city income. He refuses to acknowledge the millions of dollars that have come in above budget from home sales during the last generation.

Instead, much like the Washington cesspool, Atherton politicos want the gravy train from nonthinking billionaires to continue forever. This time around more Athertonians woke up to the masquerade and voted it down. The parcel tax merely is a device to circumvent Prop. 13.

The voters expect the Town to continue to fund its current operations first and foremost and then to apply the remaining available funds to the Town Center.

Useful history:

Measure L - 2012 To build a Town Center with gifts (other people’s money) - 73%
Measure X - 2013 Parcel tax - 73%%
Measure A - 2017 To Build a Town Center with gifts plus tax revenues - 61%
Measure A - 2017 To Authorize a new parcel tax - 50%

How about Atherton joins many local towns to allow Airbnb and collect the rich stream of tax revenue it provides the town? Basically free money for no work while providing a valuable service to the community and visitors to our community.

I've got a better idea. Instead of perpetually taxing the long-time residents of this town, let's tax the town's real business activity: real estate development.

Problem is, the council member, Elizabeth Lewis, who is leading the town center efforts, and the tax efforts, is beholden to both of Atherton's special interest groups: the police union, and the residential real estate developers.

So is her colleague Cary Wiest.

This has led to a double whammy against Atherton's taxpayers. High spending due to out-of-control police salaries and benefits, coupled with a hands-off attitude on regulating and taxing real estate development.

And so no one has any doubt, I'm talking about taxing the developers who build homes for resale. Not residents selling their home, which was an idea floated to try to protect the developers (and the police) a few years ago.

While we're at it, let's look at outsourcing the police just like Woodside and Portola Valley so our taxes go down. Then we wouldn't need to worry about how to get money to fix our roads and drainage. The property values there are doing just fine, and the residents are not becoming victims of crime and plunder.

The reason Atherton has kept its police department in house despite every logical reason in the world not to is directly tied to political favoritism between the union and council members such as Elizabeth Lewis, Cary Wiest, and their boss, Didi Fisher (the true "boss" behind the $55M town center). It has nothing to do with the actual facts of the situation.

The Atherton Audit and Finance Committee meets today at 2 PM in the Council Chambers and will receive the following report:

5. Review presentation of Atherton Property Taxes for Fiscal Year 2017/18 by Paula Cone of HDL Companies.

As always the public may comment on any agenda item.

Interestingly the Committee's agenda does not include any discussion of the impact of the failed parcel tax and the Committee's next meeting is jan. 9, 2018. Evidently the fiscal impact of the failed parcel tax is not a high priority issue for this Committee.

There's a majority that want the town center rebuilt with town funds (Measure A) and also are willing to keep the parcel tax for additional capital projects and police employees (Measure F). However, both lack supermajority support.

What should the council do? Find a compromise that is more weighted to what the majority wants. There are a number of ways to accomplish this.

1) Delay spending on some capital projects
2) Borrow through Certificates of Participation or bonds
3) Some combination of the above

Any borrowing will be paid back via future tax revenues.