| | Published July 6th, 2011
| Letters to the Editor
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Editor:
In 1995, Lafayette residents passed a bond measure to fix a number of the City's more heavily traveled roads. The proceeds from this $13 million bond measure, which generated $2 million in matching funds, has now been spent. This bond measure was highly successful in fixing a number of our roads, but the City does not have enough funds to fix all the remaining failed roads, which total 25% of the City's public roads.
Now, we need to finish the job started in 1995. The City Council has stated they will place a ten-year flat annual parcel tax of $89 per equivalent residential unit on the November ballot, if the residents of the City can obtain signatures from 10% of the registered voters. A group of residents has undertaken this task to obtain 1,600 signatures by early July. This parcel tax would raise about $10 million over ten years, and be spent on a pay-as-you-go basis to fix the failed roads.
If the measure passes, the Council will contribute $3 million up front from their reserve funds to fix the failed roads. They will contribute another $1.7 million annually for repair and maintenance, of which $600,000 is subject to annual review by the Council and availability of funds. This past year the Council reduced their annual budget expenses by over $500,000 to allow them to maintain a balanced budget and contribute to fixing and maintaining the City's roads in good condition on an ongoing basis.
In order to finish the job, we need your help to obtain these signatures in the next few weeks. A website at www.fixourroads.net has been set up to inform residents about the parcel tax, to provide the necessary petition forms and instructions, and whom to contact.
Our neighbors need our help. Let's finish the job we started in 1995. Please go to the website, download the petition and begin getting your friends and neighbors to sign, whether you live on a failed road, or not. Instructions for submitting the signed petition are available on the website.
Thank you,
Guy Atwood
Lafayette
Correction, issue date 6/22: We inadvertently published letter writer Robert Blits' place of residence as Moraga; we are informed Mr. Blits is a resident of Lafayette.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA