Final Push For Votes

Dear Editor,

Let me start by saying that it was an honor to serve the City of Oakdale for 26 years. My years of service were spent as a police officer and more than half of that time was working in administration. My greatest concern as a lieutenant and later as chief was staffing, how to keep enough officers on the street to protect our citizens.

In 2009 we had to begin laying off officers due to reduced tax revenues. It became quite a challenge to keep marked patrol units on the streets to handle calls and maintain the peace. Nearly all other policing activities “took a back seat” or were eliminated altogether. Our citizens were used to a higher level of service and it was difficult trying to explain why the follow-up on their case was taking so long or why we could not provide other services that they had become accustomed to.

When Measure “Y” passed additional revenues began to replenish meager City coffers. This allowed us to rehire those officers that were laid off and eventually to replace some of the equipment that had been “patched together” to get us through. Our patrol units were not being replaced until they had more than 130,000 miles on the odometer, a number which does not take into account the thousands of hours they sat running in park to power the emergency equipment.

As taxes go it has been my experience that local taxes such as Measure “Y” are the best deal for citizens. Unlike the other taxes we pay, practically every cent of this measure was returned to our community.

The Measure “Y” Residents Oversight Committee has informed me that we need to extend this tax to avoid cuts to city services similar to what we saw in 2009. If you value our public safety services (police and fire) and other local services, I recommend you vote yes on Measure “H” to extend the half cent sales tax for 11 years. Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

Sincerely,

Lester Jenkins

A Necessary Tax

Dear Editor,

I cringe every time I think about the taxes I pay, from property taxes, to gas taxes, to state and federal income taxes. However, Measure H, an extension of the existing Measure Y, is an important backstop for our Police and Fire services, as well as for the Senior Center, community pool, and our street lighting. It has directly helped Oakdale rank in the top 26 percent of the safest cities in California.

This tax adds a minuscule five cents to every ten dollar purchase you make in our town. The funds generated from this extension stay in Oakdale. Every traveler who stops in Oakdale to buy something directly helps our town’s infrastructure by paying this tiny tax.

I’ve called this the invisible tax before. It’s painless, and it directly helps our own community. An open, public, oversight committee oversees the spending of the funds. Please join me and vote “Yes” on Measure H on November 5th.

Christopher Smith

Resident, Parent, Council Member