Measure A supporters, detractors sound off about proposed parcel tax to support CARD facilities Field, and provides recreational programs at six additional locations, including the Dorothy F. Johnson Center, Chico Creek Nature Center and Humboldt Avenue Skate Park. If Measure A is approved, CARD has assembled quite the list of priorities for the additional revenue. This includes park expansions and completions; bathroom, field and playground repairs and upgrades; accessibility improvements, per the Americans with Disabilities Act; and added security, lighting and parking. “To me, the measure is critical to moving Chico in a positive direction,” Lando said. “Without the measure, we have enough to operate CARD, we have our normal programs, but we can’t really build facilities.” According to the ballot language, CARD’s allotment of county property tax has not kept up with inflation rates. This, coupled with the support it receives from user fees, grants and donations, has not generated enough revenue to improve and maintain district facilities and build new projects. Lando argues that, in particular, Chico is “woefully inadequate” when it comes to providing enough swim and gymnasium space. Local schools cannot hold swim meets in Chico because its current pools aren’t up to standards and are in need of substantial work. And recently, the board was approached by local pickleball enthusiasts in search of places to practice and play. “I think we’re way behind on our ability to recreate and relax in this community,” Lando said. For Juanita Sumner—who runs a blog
called Chico Taxpayers Association that focuses on halting “excessive taxation by incompetent government”—a tax isn’t the panacea for CARD’s problems. It’s a way for the board to free up money to pay down its pension obligations, she insists. She understands the importance of recreation: During summers in the early 1990s, Sumner used to bike to Pleasant Valley Pool almost every day with her family, she said. Her sons were avid swimmers, and
they loved that neighborhood pool. But what Sumner has seen since, she said, is CARD facilities degrade or get shut down (e.g., Shapiro Pool, which was closed in 2016 due to significant renovation costs) at the same time that the district approved higher salaries and benefits. That’s one of the reasons she’s against Measure A. Willmann said CARD employees have picked up more pension costs every year since her appointment in 2015, and that is something the district will continue to push for moving forward. Last year, CARD made a roughly $740,000 payment toward its pension debt, put $700,000 into a pension reserve, and adopted a plan increasing its annual payments. “We recognize that that is what we need to do in order to be fiscally responsible,” Willmann said. “With or without this revenue measure, we will continue in that vein and we have a plan to pay our pension liability.” Sumner said that while CARD employees are paying more now, “it’s such a tiny amount,” and “really the lion’s share [of costs are] the pensions and the salaries.” CARD has maintained that the tax will go into a separate fund and be managed by an oversight committee, with annual reports on projects and expenses. According to the measure’s text, the district “intends to use funds collected … to help fund and finance all of the projects listed above, unless the Board determines in any given year that changes in state or federal funding make doing so infeasible or inadvisable.” To Sumner, “that sounds like an out.” Lando, however, was adamant that the funds will be spent as promised. “None of this money, none of this money will go to pay for those pensions. It’s going to go for these facilities,” he said. “I believe CARD’s done a wonderful job and served the community well. We haven’t kept up. The community’s grown. … I just hope the community can appreciate the need. Yes, it is a tax, but it’s well worth it.” —AshiAh schArAgA as h i a h s @new srev i ew. c o m
Sign, seal, deliver All-mailed ballot system put to countywide test
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utte county election officials have been taking hundreds of calls from voters during the run-up to the March 3 primary election. Many requests, clerk-recorder candace grubbs said, have been to check addresses against official records. other voters who received nonpartisan A ballot drop box stands inside chico’s city hall at 411 Main st. ballots have asked for new ones because they pHoto by andre byik want to vote in a party’s election. “We’re always glad to respond,” grubbs told the camp Fire have moved out of the county comthe cn&r. “We do have a lot of seasonal help in the pletely? and so won’t be coming back?” grubbs office, but if they don’t know the answer they will said. “We’ll probably have a better look at that send it up the chain of command.” after the primary.” butte county is one of 15 counties that have early numbers show a decline. the number of opted into an all-mailed ballot system through the registered voters in the county currently stands california Voter’s choice act—legislation passed at 114,000, which is down from 124,000 before the in 2016 that was billed as modernizing the state’s fire, grubbs said. Staffers have continually updated elections. ballots complete with pre-paid postage voter files as new information comes in, and were on their way to all the county’s regisgrubbs said she imagines things will tered voters earlier this month. shake out a bit more come november. gone are precinct-specific polling about 70 percent of the county’s places. Voters are now required to send voters already had been casting their their ballots through the mail, drop ballots by mail before the shift. them in a designated county drop Voters who received their ballots at PostAge-PAid mAil box or submit them at a full-service home also were voting at a higher vote center, where voters can percentage than “polling place votreceive disability and language assistance, ers,” grubbs said. With a 100 percent as well as registration and ballot help. mail-in system, turnout is expected to the preferred method of voting can be higher, she added. vary from household to household, nevertheless, grubbs said she grubbs said, adding some may take Butte county BAllot droP Box advises people to not procrastiinto account the security of their nate. ballots must be postmarked own mailboxes. by election day. Voters also can refer to the decision to shift to an all-mailed voter information booklets and the system came after the camp Fire, county’s elections website for more which displaced thousands of residents, information, including locations and grubbs said, adding that the timing hours for drop boxes and vote made sense. Fire survivors who Any Voter AssistAnce center centers. claim a permanent address in the if all goes according to expecburn scar but are temporarily living tations, a higher percentage of results should elsewhere will still be able to vote on local issues be counted by election night, she said. Voters can pertaining to them. they’ll receive local ballots at check the status of their vote-by-mail ballot at their current, temporary mailing address, regardvoterstatus.sos.ca.gov, which shows when a ballot less of location. Some ballots are being mailed to was mailed and received by their county governsurvivors who have fanned out across the country. ment. it has, however, turned into one of the biggest —Andre Byik hurdles election officials have had to clear. a nd r e b @ newsr ev iew.c o m “How many of the people that were part of
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