Buena Park Ca Taxes

Despite opposition from Buena Park hotel owners, the City Council has increased the hotel bed tax from 10% to 12% to help offset a city budget deficit. Hotel managers told the council Tuesday that the tax hike will cause businesses to move to neighboring cities where the tax rate is lower, and that it will take away their competitive edge in the lodging industry. "I'm devastated to say the least, because I think we will lose a considerable amount of business," said Javed A.

Buena Park officials were at a loss Wednesday for how to cope with an outmoded police station after voters rejected a special tax to build a new one. "I have no idea" how to proceed, Councilwoman Patsy Marshall said. She said she hoped City Manager Greg Beaubien had a backup plan for getting it built. But Beaubien said he doesn't have one. "We didn't have any alternatives," he said. "That's why we had to go to the voters."

The fate of the city's new police station will wind up in the hands of voters if the City Council calls for a special election. The council, at a hearing Sept. 26, will decide whether a special election is necessary. The election would give Buena Park residents the chance to decide whether they want to pay for construction of the proposed facility, which would be adjacent to the existing police station.

When Buena Park built its one-story police station in the early 1960s, officials were more worried about the Soviet Union than earthquakes. That's why it has a huge basement--meant for an emergency bomb shelter--but isn't prepared to handle an earthquake like the one in Seattle this week. Tuesday, residents will decide whether to vote themselves a special tax to pay for a new, $15-million police station. Police Chief Richard M.

City officials have devised a two-pronged approach to drafting their next budget. They intend to approve one budget based on last year's $38-million spending plan as if the financial life of the city were normal. At the same time, they will also introduce $2 million worth of cuts in city services to fill what they know is a gaping hole in revenue sources.

City officials hope that by March, residents will have felt the pinch of municipal cutbacks enough to pass a ballot measure increasing their utility taxes to new highs. Angry residents who attended a public hearing on the issue Tuesday night advised them not to hold their breath. "If you put that proposal on the ballot, you know what will happen," said Bob Ropeter, a longtime resident. "We'll put that tax someplace where you don't want it to go."

When two new City Council members take their seats in December, they will have exactly one meeting to try to kill a March ballot measure that would increase utility taxes. Council members had decided in July to begin the process to set an election on the issue. They overrode the protests of anti-tax residents at the public hearing, citing a looming budget deficit that could go as high as $3 million in the next fiscal year.

A ballot measure to increase property taxes for more police officers will be discussed by the City Council this spring. "It is a safe to say it is an option we are considering," said Mayor Donald L. Bone. The City Council has yet to have a formal discussion on the concept, said City Manager Kevin O'Rourke. "But it's on the stack for upcoming discussion with the council," he said.

As the newly appointed mayor of Buena Park, Arthur Brown says the city must find ways of generating new revenue instead of raising taxes. "Your current City Council is committed to raising taxes only as a last resort," Brown said. "We must make government work better, and we must attract new businesses while keeping our current businesses in the city." Brown, 55, was selected mayor Monday night by his fellow council members.

Marilyn Kietzman, a 10-year city resident, believes that the last place Buena Park should cut costs is in the Police and Fire departments. With the city facing as much as a $2-million deficit in its 1993-94 fiscal year budget, public safety personnel are feeling the pinch. The City Council last month imposed labor contracts for the Police and Fire departments that included cuts in benefits and offered no pay raises.

The City Council last week approved a special election for a proposed 30-year tax to fund a 50,000-square-foot police facility. City officials say the current building is too small and needs updating. The annual tax for a single-family residence would be $30.

The fate of the city's new police station will wind up in the hands of voters if the City Council calls for a special election. The council, at a hearing Sept. 26, will decide whether a special election is necessary. The election would give Buena Park residents the chance to decide whether they want to pay for construction of the proposed facility, which would be adjacent to the existing police station.

City officials have devised a two-pronged approach to drafting their next budget. They intend to approve one budget based on last year's $38-million spending plan as if the financial life of the city were normal. At the same time, they will also introduce $2 million worth of cuts in city services to fill what they know is a gaping hole in revenue sources.

When two new City Council members take their seats in December, they will have exactly one meeting to try to kill a March ballot measure that would increase utility taxes. Council members had decided in July to begin the process to set an election on the issue. They overrode the protests of anti-tax residents at the public hearing, citing a looming budget deficit that could go as high as $3 million in the next fiscal year.

City officials hope that by March, residents will have felt the pinch of municipal cutbacks enough to pass a ballot measure increasing their utility taxes to new highs. Angry residents who attended a public hearing on the issue Tuesday night advised them not to hold their breath. "If you put that proposal on the ballot, you know what will happen," said Bob Ropeter, a longtime resident. "We'll put that tax someplace where you don't want it to go."

A ballot measure to increase property taxes for more police officers will be discussed by the City Council this spring. "It is a safe to say it is an option we are considering," said Mayor Donald L. Bone. The City Council has yet to have a formal discussion on the concept, said City Manager Kevin O'Rourke. "But it's on the stack for upcoming discussion with the council," he said.

The City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday for a property tax ballot measure slated for the March 8 election. If passed, the measure will raise a single family's property taxes by $30 for the next 30 years and will support construction of a $15-million police facility. Council members are in favor of the new property tax because they say the city needs the facility but cannot afford one without the additional income.

Despite opposition from Buena Park hotel owners, the City Council has increased the hotel bed tax from 10% to 12% to help offset a city budget deficit. Hotel managers told the council Tuesday that the tax hike will cause businesses to move to neighboring cities where the tax rate is lower, and that it will take away their competitive edge in the lodging industry. "I'm devastated to say the least, because I think we will lose a considerable amount of business," said Javed A.