San Carlos Councilmember Grocott Targets Assistant City Manager

San Carlos Councilmember Matt Grocott has come out swinging against a proposed half-cent sales tax measure proposed by his council colleagues to address a projected $1.3 million deficit projected for the 2009-2010 fiscal year and a $1.45 million deficit the following fiscal year. But Grocott’s opposition to the tax could cost veteran Assistant City Manager his job under Grocott’s proposed cost-cutting measures for the beleaguered city, according to reports in the Daily News.

Grocott, according to reports in the San Mateo County Times and the Daily Journal, has crossed swords with City administrators before and may have no great affecting for Moura.

The backdrop to the tax debate stems from the fact that the City Council is now considering declaring a fiscal emergency to smooth the way for a sales tax. By declaring a fiscal emergency, under California law, the threshold for passing such a measure drops from a two-thirds voter majority requirement to a simple majority. But such a declaration requires a unanimous vote of the five-member council and Grocott, a well-known fiscal conservative who has vocally opposed past tax measures including the County’s Measure A sales for local transportation needs, who has publicly stated that he will not support the declaration – thereby preventing the council from declaring a fiscal emergency.

Grocott is demanding that before asking voters to approve a new tax the council make cuts to balance the budget by eliminating slashing the assistant city manager position, which would save $200,000; not adding two planning positions at costs of $80,000 and $90,000; and not giving a $2,644 pay raise to the contracted city public works director, Parviz Mokhtari, who already earns $210,000 a year plus fees of $90 to $100 an hour for any outside subcontracting work.

San Carlos has had ample experience with local tax measures designed to pay for fire services and for the former SCOOT shuttle program. All such measures have failed in San Carlos in recent years. Although early polling indicates that a sales tax may pass this time around – particularly in a Presidential Election year – should it require a two-thirds majority to pass that could prove to be too high a hurdle.

The tax effort could be further complicated by the fact that the San Carlos School District has moved to place a parcel tax measure on the November 4, 2008 ballot that would compete with a local sales tax measure, according to the San Mateo County Times.