Stop the Annexation of Pacheco

Tax losses from an annexation of Pacheco are as follows:

We lose fully 45 percent of all sales tax and property tax we would normally collect in North Pacheco, and we cannot make our city budget balance with getting full taxes now.

On sales tax, our City normally gets $1 for every $100 of taxable sales. In Pacheco it will decline to just $0.55 for every $100.  On property tax, the City gets $150 for every $100,000 of assessed valuation on a house. In Pacheco the rate will be just about $76. (The County keeps the difference.)

The consultant’s two reports underscore the loss.  The first report predicted a $33,000 yearly deficit.

The second report published a year later called for a slim $16,000 profit (pg. 2).  Neither report included costs for necessary police services or for administration.  Those are major omissions, especially when the consultant calls out the “…large number of calls for police service.” (pg. 1—first report). This is not the only area in which the consultant’s figures are questionable.

The $16,000 becomes a loss of about $25,000 when a modest figure of ¼ of a policeperson and about 100 hours of staff time is included.

This is a bad financial deal for Martinez taxpayers.

Martinez is running a budget deficit. Staff is very lean, too. Even our Planning Manager is on half-time now.  Yet we face major unfinished projects that have been awaiting solution for many years. Sensible development of our marina and our downtown is critical. Measure H needs to be completed. A major rebuild of our water treatment system is starting.

This is not the time to load on the significant additional burden of trying to service and develop a difficult area like Pacheco. We are stretched too thin, both with money and personnel. And we have too much unfinished business to complete.

It is also a bad deal for the people of Pacheco. Can they expect good service levels when we are taking a loss on the area and have so much else to do?

We must act now to stop this. LAFCO is due to approve the annexation on January 11.

Go to our website and sign up to help or get further information:  www.pachecoannex.com.

If you live in the Mountain View or Vine Hill areas, or by Viano Vineyards, or in the Midhill Road area, you are next. This annexation will make all of these areas islands surrounded by Martinez. Annexation will follow.  

Together we can keep this mistake from going any further.