Paradise’s lost revenue

Bill Hartley recalls joining Paradise’s police force in 1981, when the department had 25 officers at its disposal. The town’s population has expanded substantially in the decades since, but staffing levels at the police department have trended in the opposite direction—now, it employs 17 officers.

The retired police officer and co-owner of Joy Lyn’s Candies in Paradise is one of many on the Ridge alarmed by the community’s diminished capacity to deliver public safety services. “The town staffing is now at a dangerously low level, where police officers have no backups,” Hartley said during a recent interview.

Not only are there too few police officers, those on the force are working with outdated equipment. For instance, the average police cruiser in Paradise is nearly 10 years old, but new cruisers, along with all of the necessary equipment, would cost about $54,000 apiece.

Police aren’t alone in operating with minimal resources. Since 2008, about $3.8 million in general fund revenue losses—largely due to decreased property values—have stripped Paradise to the bone, and needs keep piling up: $370,000 for a new fire engine, $40,000 to staff and keep the town’s animal shelter open full time, and millions to repair and maintain about 100 miles of roads. Across town, facilities, including fire stations and public meeting spaces, have fallen into disrepair.

“We’ve cut everything we could cut for the past six or seven years,” said Mayor Scott Lotter. “We’ve done layoffs, reduced services, and we’ve delayed purchases. … We don’t have a spending problem—we have a revenue problem.”

The Paradise Town Council took action to that end on June 25, voting to place a half-cent sales tax on the Nov. 4 ballot. If approved, Measure C would raise the current sales tax from 7.5 percent to 8 percent and generate an estimated $850,000 a year for the town’s general fund. A nine-member oversight committee would ensure that revenue be directed to police, fire, emergency medical services, street maintenance and animal control. The tax would automatically expire after six years, when upward-trending property values are projected to stabilize the town’s revenue stream at pre-recession levels.

As for the financial burden placed on residents, estimates on the town’s website say the average household would pay $30 to $50 a year more through the sales tax.

As a business owner, Hartley says he generally doesn’t approve of taxation “unless it’s clearly needed.” In this instance, he believes it is.

“I wish there were ways to find a money stream without paying a tax,” he said. “I see it as a last-resort measure to help the town. We’ve got to do something to stabilize our budget until such time that we can get back on our feet. I think that’s what Measure C will do.”

Not everyone agrees. A significant portion of the Ridge’s historically conservative population may be resistant to taxation for any reason. Real estate agent and Town Council candidate Michael Zuccolillo, for one, has publicly stated that there’s no guarantee that funding generated by Measure C will be used for the stated purposes. However, no arguments against the measure are listed in the Butte County voter’s booklet.

For his part, Lotter—who is running for his fourth term on the Town Council—argues that Paradise’s history of austerity measures demonstrates financial responsibility, and voters should rest assured that money generated by the sales tax would be spent wisely.

“We haven’t betrayed the public’s trust with how we’re managing our city fiscally,” he said. “We’ve done the right things.”

Measure C requires a simple majority vote for approval.