Thursday, July 26, 2018 5
Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
Struggling locals to bear burden of sales tax hike
Perhaps the city should have considered scaling back the size and expense of the new Sanitary District offices instead of asking for a sales tax increase from 7.75 percent to 9 percent to cover their $1.5 million shortfall? With the pending increase of water costs to cover the $21 million to Carp Valley Water District plus another $1 million in yearly costs, just how much do they think local people just getting by can handle? Why not consider raising bed taxes alone if they want to target visitors? Also, a cost benefit analysis should be done before re-contracting with the county Sheriff’s Dept.
Peggy Griffiths Carpinteria
Sales tax increase, a needed investment
There’s an important proposition on the ballot this November. It proposes a 1.25 percent sales tax increase to the City of Carpinteria, taking us from 7.75 percent to 9 percent. I encourage you to study the pros and cons. As a staunch Independent, I strive to put myself calmly into the shoes of each side of an argument or proposal before taking a position. Our family is voting in favor of Proposition X. It’s an investment in our city. What I know for sure is that Carpinteria is among the most incredible small towns in America. What I also know for sure is that it’s hard work keeping a charming small town small. I also know that the staff of the City of Carpinteria is comprised of highly responsible, dedicated, hardworking people passionate about Carpinteria and that our City Council is among the best of the best, working diligently to keep Carpinteria the amazing city it is. When city staff and our City Council calmly and respectfully recommend a sales tax increase to fund operations, fund
CVN
Letters
“As a CPA, I know that the word “tax”
is a four-letter word to many. But I also know that without this revenue, deferred maintenance on our streets doesn’t get needed attention, emergency services are compromised, children don’t get full library benefits and much more. ”
––David Powdrell
emergency services, fund our library and more, I give strong consideration to their opinion. While there may be other ways to raise the needed dollars, in my opinion they seem less fair, sometimes more discriminatory, and sometimes harmful to the future of Carpinteria. It’s my understanding that approximately 50 percent of this tax will be borne by visitors coming to visit, shop and stay in our tiny town, so the direct impact to my family is manageable. This is an affordable tradeoff to keeping Carpinteria Carpinteria. Statewide, sales tax rates vary between 7.25 percent and 10.25 percent. Nine percent isn’t out of line. As a CPA, I know that the word “tax” is a four-letter word to many. But I also know that without this revenue, deferred maintenance on our streets doesn’t get needed attention, emergency services are compromised, children don’t get full library benefits and much more. My wife and I are choosing to call this an investment as opposed to a tax.
David Powdrell Carpinteria
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ARB should reject Concha Loma upzoning
Last winter when flood warnings had just been issued for the State Park, I fell into conversation with one of the hosts there. He was clear that Carpinteria is an amazing place and spent the next 10 minutes bolstering his argument with research he had done up and down the coast and inland. I had been struggling that day with a frustrating home furnace problem but his words gave me a new perspective. Carpinteria—and more specifically the Concha Loma sub-division—shows the results of residents who care about their community and have seen or perhaps experienced the effects of up-zoning, density and lax enforcement of regulations and don’t want that same fate for Concha Loma. I am personally familiar with both Carpinteria and Seattle, Washington where the onslaught of growth has created a city that becomes ever harder to recognize. I am hopeful that the Carpinteria Architectural Review Board (ARB) members will take extra caution by rejecting proposed housing permits in Concha Loma that obviously stray from both the character of the neighborhood and their related Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions. The ARB will review a contested Concha Loma project and hear public comment on Thursday, July 26, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
David A. Herrick Carpinteria
No to mansionization of Concha Loma
We often read about concerns regarding overbuilding commercial projects like hotels in Carpinteria, but often ignored are the proposals for residential projects. We live in a small community with modest and unimposing homes, unlike some beach communities that have demolished single-story homes to build box-like mansions squeezed on small residential lots. In my Concha Loma neighborhood, there are several vacant lots, one of which has plans for a two-story home adjacent to the railroad tracks that will block the view of neighbors across the street and, if approved, would undoubtedly inspire more mansionization. If we value our small-town atmosphere, these plans should be subject to careful scrutiny and neighborhood approval before we are overrun with large projects that do not fit into our community.
Greg Wilkening Carpinteria
The magic of Carpinteria
Few can resist the allure of small beach towns. The essence they share permeates our souls and evokes memories lasting long after the town has grown up and lost that essence through the noise of city life. These towns share a common element—that of understatement. The sound of waves, the faint scent of salt air, the grit of sand beneath our feet and the fresh ocean breeze—all subtly working together as an orchestra we take in when we experience these towns. But it is a delicate balance that is easily lost. The Concha Loma neighborhood is at risk of losing its essence: the charming houses along the rural roads; friendly neighbors tending their yards or reading on a porch who wave to the passerby; the experience of walking to the beach. Now, an architect has designed a house that is a cookie-cutter, massive transplant from anywhere USA, and it is starkly out of balance with the Concha Loma neighborhood. Its walls will loom above the surroundings, obliterating views and the neighbors themselves. If this house is built as proposed, it will be the forerunner of noisy city life.
Susan Mailheau Carpinteria
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