Charter Backers Say Ads Misleading

Fri., Nov. 3, 1995

The ad: Billboards on Sprague and Trent avenues in the Valley, and on North Division, read “$20 million-plus in new taxes. Vote no on charter.”

The background: Freeholders who wrote the charter asked a consultant what it would cost to spread city-style services into the suburbs, where many people complain about inadequate roads and too few police. His estimate was $20 million a year. The money could be raised, he said, by extending the utility tax - now paid only in the city - to the areas of the Valley and the North Side that would benefit from the services.

Opponents’ reaction: Charter supporters say that using the figure without explaining what it buys is a blatant attempt to scare voters. The charter doesn’t mandate that any extra money be spent, except on parks, said We The People cochairman Ed Sharman. “The price is going to depend on the services the people demand,” he said.

Campaign response: The Community Action Committee, which sponsored the ads, did not return messages left at the phone number listed on the billboards. The group states in its literature that “the freeholders’ own consultant found that it would cost a minimum of $20 million per year more to run the consolidated government” but makes no mention of improved services.

Analysis: Using the $20 million figure without reporting that it’s for better services is misleading. No one knows for sure how much consolidation would cost or how much it could save in comparison to the existing two governments. And no one can guarantee Valley residents wouldn’t pay a utility tax (the charter requires a public vote for other new taxes). Most experts say it costs more up front but saves money in the long-run. The cost of improving services would be about the same whether it’s done by the county, a city or a consolidated government.

, DataTimes

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