Anti-Tax Measure May Be Headed For Ballot In Cheney

Cheney city officials don’t think they can stop an anti-tax drive sweeping this community.

The city administrator is moving to head off a petition drive to cut taxes.

The City Council last month approved a measure to increase taxes on water, sewer and garbage to make up for part of a state-mandated reduction in the electrical tax.

Opponents have been canvassing for signatures on a referendum to repeal what city officials prefer to call a tax shift.

At stake is about $150,000 in revenue for 1998.

Referendum proponent K.C. Bergland said the drive has collected more than 480 signatures, easily enough to force the measure onto the ballot.

The petitioners are expected to submit their signatures to the City Council at its next meeting on Dec. 23.

Because of the strong support for the referendum, City Administrator Jim Reinbold has proposed repealing the tax shift and cutting the city budget a full $300,000 next year.

The repeal would give the petitioners what they want - a reduction in utility taxes - and eliminate the need to put the referendum on the ballot early next year, Reinbold said.

On Tuesday, the City Council heard details of Reinbold’s plan to continue the existing tax rates on water, sewer and garbage.

A vote is expected at the next meeting, when referendum proponents would appear with their signatures.

Bergland said the council should have approved the tax cut on Tuesday because it is clear that’s what the community wants.

“The longer they wait, the madder the populace is getting,” Bergland said.

The problem started earlier this year when the state auditor told the city it was illegally collecting a 12 percent tax on electrical bills.

The state limits electrical utility taxes to 6 percent.

The loss of half the electrical tax amounts to $300,000.

Initially, the city sought to soften the blow by increasing water, sewer and garbage taxes to make up about half of the difference.

The controversial tax-shift measure was approved by the council in November in a 4-3 vote.

That measure - the subject of the petition drive - calls for increasing water taxes from 11 percent to 17 percent, sewer taxes from 11 percent to 22 percent, and garbage taxes from 6 percent to 13 percent.

In the face of the grassroots opposition, the council is considering the new measure to rescind those increases, and return water, sewer and garbage rates to their 1997 levels.

Reinbold has ordered his department heads to find cuts in travel, maintenance and other non-employee expenses to avoid layoffs.

He said the city probably would terminate its animal control contract with the county, meaning a slower response from county animal control officers for problems with strays and barking dogs.

Police would be asked to respond to calls on dangerous and vicious dogs.

The Fire Department would park its ladder truck and stop using it. That would save money on maintenance and operation of the largest truck in the city’s fire fleet.

But the high-rise dormitories on the Eastern Washington University campus would be left without the additional protection the ladder truck provides, Reinbold said.

However, the layouts of the dormitories make it difficult to get a ladder truck close enough to the buildings to be useful.

“We have a great deal of trouble getting the ladder truck in there anyway,” he said.

Residents likely would see brown instead of green in city parks next summer. Park maintenance would be severely reduced, he said.

, DataTimes