By HEATHER C. COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
City of San Benito officials spoke candidly Wednesday in attempts to justify a proposed property tax increase levied for the purposes of funding street repairs.
On Tuesday, September 4, the San Benito City Commission met and addressed Ordinance No. 2489, an ordinance levying a tax rate, which if passed could mean a 4 percent increase in annual property taxes. Revenues generated from the tax are said to mean funding for needed street repair.
According to Mayor Joe H. Hernandez, “It will cost the city at least $35 million to repair every street” in the community. San Benito doesn’t have an extra $35 million in petty cash, though many commercial and residential streets around town remain in disrepair.
Want the whole story? Pick up a copy of the September 9 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
8 comments
Skip to comment form
Ray, you are very correct sir.
People are always complaining about how our streets need fixing and now that they are actually doing something about it people still find ways to complain. Some people are never happy! Make up your mind people enough is enough!
The City should hold off on any repairs until they can give us a clear area they wwant to fix first. It seems before they “dig us “into a hole . They should stop to plan it better.Throwing a little here and little there never fixes the problem . Look at the poor job they did on the “walking trail” !
I don’t understand why they want to increase the taxes for the streets and are not using the money already collected for them. Check your water/garbage bill. There is a $2 charge listed as “garbage” but when I called the city to ask if this was a tax of some sort, I was told it is for street repairs. So every month, each household pays an additional $2 for street repairs and nothing has been done?
SB Citizens need to question these charges and speak up (vote them out) to get some honest people on board.
We all know this money, if voters approve the tax hike, will be used for things other than getting the streets repaired. It always happens. The streets will always be terrible except for the ones in front of VIP city officials.
I agree only the VIP city officials street will be taken care of. The newspaper reported the mayor wants Turner road fixed. Turner Road intersects with Oscar Williams road and guess who lives near Turner and Williams Rd?
Correction, the voters do not approve the tax hike. It is the city commission.
Our mayor is the town barber and one of the city commissions has been investigated by multiple government agencies for numerous violations in two school districts. Go figure.
Citizens are ultimately to blame. Either for not voting, or voting for lame ducks.
What is it that we do not understand about “Drainage” they keep meationing “street repairs”. Fix the dranage problems first. Get a engineer to consult fixing street drainage stop playing in the in the sand box “potholes”and get some construction going to fix the drainage problems in the city. Increase taxes but show the results