Oppose Measure Q

By Teresa Barrett

One Cent "Forever" Tax threatens Petaluma's competitiveness, saddles residents with the highest sales tax rate in Sonoma County.

A forever tax is just that: one that goes on forever and ever. Measure Q is called the BETTER ROADS SAFER PETALUMA MEASURE, but if it were going only to street repair and traffic congestion relief, it should be a SPECIAL tax which would guarantee that all the tax would go to just road repair and traffic congestion relief.

In a poll recently conducted of likely Petaluma voters, over 84% of those asked agreed to support a tax for street repairs and traffic congestion relief. I supported a SPECIAL tax of limited duration to repair streets and relieve traffic congestion. However, what we have before us in Measure Q is a permanent GENERAL tax, that will place all revenues in the general fund to spent for any purpose, rather than on what Petaluma residents clearly want.

A one-cent forever sales tax makes Petaluma the city with the highest and longest-lasting sales tax in Sonoma County. This tax is anti-business and anti-Petaluma residents. It provides no enforceable guarantees that any future City Council will use the money for the projects proposed in the ballot statement, a statement carefully crafted so as not to bind the city to actually fulfilling promises of BETTER ROADS and a SAFER PETALUMA.

Vote NO on Measure Q, demand accountability and commitment from all of your elected officials.