Council to skip Pacific View auction, float sales tax increase

Union-Trib:

The city of Encinitas won’t participate in the Encinitas Union School District’s effort to auction off the former Pacific View school in March, City Council members decided Wednesday night, but if the auction falls through, the city might pitch a sales-tax increase in order to buy the land.

The council declined to submit a bid for the proposed auction, saying the district’s $9.5 million bid requirement was far too pricey. But, in a 3-2 vote, with Councilwoman Kristin Gaspar and Councilman Mark Muir opposed, the council agreed to explore raising the city’s sales tax rate to fund new civic projects, including transforming the old school property into a city arts center.

We'd be slightly more inclined to consider a sales tax increase if the council had made any effort over the past year to rein in the city's out-of-control payroll and pension costs, rather than voting to put us deeper into debt and to raid the city's reserve funds. Council Member Mark Muir agrees:

Muir said the council should do a better job of cost-cutting, instead of exploring new taxing methods. The former city fire chief said he thought the estimated $2.9 million price tag for the Moonlight Beach lifeguard tower was one area where the city should cut back.

“There’s a thing called fiscal discipline and that’s what we’re lacking here as we go through this (year’s budget process),” the councilman said during the council’s review of proposed capital projects.

They'd need a 2/3 vote to raise sales taxes on Encinitas families even as city employees are retiring at 55 or 60 on six-figure, set-for-life pensions. Good luck with that. [UPDATE: the council is now considering a general transaction and use tax, as opposed to a specific use sales tax, which means they only need 50.01% of the vote.]

On the brighter side, this issue gives us a differentiating point between Teresa Barth and Kristin Gaspar, in case they face off against each other in the race for mayor. Until now, they have voted identically on almost all of the major issues (Desert Rose, Prop A, budget, road diet, "excellent" Vina, red light cameras, etc.), with the exceptions being allowing general office use in agricultural zoning (Barth for / Gaspar against) and the bar moratorium (Barth for / Gaspar against). Now we have a third point of differentiation: Barth for raising taxes, Gaspar against.