Lindsay future on the line Tuesday
On Tuesday, the City of Lindsay will learn its long-term fate when the ballots for the city’s 1 percent sales tax proposal — Measure O — are counted.
Probably a majority of those who will vote in this special election have already done so via a bymail ballot. There is only one polling place open on Tuesday. The majority of the voters are by-mail and ballots must be postmarked no later than Tuesday or dropped out at the polling place or at the county election’s office in Visalia.
At stake is the future of the city.
Lindsay has been in a financial bind ever since former city manager Scott Townsend departed. He and his overspending ways put the city in a deep financial hole that current leaders are still struggling to find their way out of. The sales tax, which equates to a penny per every $1 spent, is projected to generate over $900,000 a year in new revenue. Now, that may not seem like a lot, but for Lindsay it would be a gold rush.
Lindsay is not just struggling to keep up, it is struggling to survive. It does not have a strong tax bases and while there are not a lot of taxable sales generated in the city, the special tax would mean the city would now get money from vehicle sales outside of the city. By law, the purchaser of a vehicle has to pay the sales tax of their city of residence. Since Lindsay has no special tax now, that means the buyer pays just the state sales tax rate of 7.25 percent. Should Measure O pass, then that tax will be 8.25 percent, but a full 1 percent will go to the city. Sales tax is one of the major sources of revenue for any city. It is sales tax which pays for police, fire, parks and much more — departments which are struggling in Lindsay.
Lindsay City Manager Bill Zigler says if the tax does not pass, then the city council will have to make some very difficult choices. The city does not have enough revenue to increase its police force or even purchase new vehicles. Many of the city’s public safety vehicles, including fire trucks, are getting way past their usefulness and that greatly impacts public safety.
The current council has worked hard to both attract new businesses and to make the city as efficient as possible, or better put, stretch every dollar possible, but there are a few residents in town who are making that difficult. Economic development is a must and the community should get behind those efforts and stop those from blocking progress.
If you have not sent in your ballot, be sure to do so and mark it with a yes for Measure O. The very future of your city is in your hands and the community needs to respond.