Once there was a time that responsible Culver City government ran a budget surplus. They were able to accumulate millions of dollars to build up an emergency fund.
In the past few years, our City Council has been raiding this emergency fund to balance the budget. In the 2012-2013 budget, the beginning balance of our emergency fund was $39,583,000.
The Council forecasts a $5.7 million deficit for 2012-2013 that will deplete the emergency fund to $33.88 millions. The city will continue to overspend what it takes in.
It has projected a five-year forecast of approximately $40 million in deficit spending. This will liquidate the city's emergency fund, essentially making Culver City bankrupt!
The city would like to cover this budget shortfall by hoodwinking the voters to add a .5 percent sales tax. I am strongly opposed to this regressive sales tax when there is so much waste and mismanagement of our tax dollars.
For example, when I was running for City Council two years ago, I pointed out that the city was overpaying a company called Turbo Tax to collect $2.3 million in parking fines. How much do you think it should cost to issue a computer-generated bill on a $58 parking ticket? One dollar? Two at most.
Our fine city government is paying 50 percent or $28 of the ticket for a collection fee to Turbo Tax. The city has wasted millions in this one department alone.
Here is another example of waste. Anyone who gets caught by one of those infernal red light cameras has to pay a $486 fine. Guess how much the city collects? ‘Way less than $100 after it pays Redflex, the company that operates the red light cameras for the city.
The city also is paying millions in excessive lawyer fees.
I say no to an increase in the regressive sales tax and yes to better management of the public taxpayer money.
Mr. Zirgulis may be contacted at zirgulisr@yahoo.com
