Atwater talks tax, water, gangs

The latest town hall-style meeting introduced residents to a potential half-cent sales tax, among other topics this week.

Several dozen people met at the Atwater Community Center on Thursday. Mayor Jim Price found himself in an unfamiliar position — he said he is pushing for a half-cent county sales tax measure for transportation projects.

“I am not a ‘let’s go and tax the people’ kind of guy, but I am living in a reality situation here,” he said.

Atwater’s finances are “deplorable,” he said, so there’s no money in sight to fix roads. Price pointed to portions of Winton Way and Fruitland Avenue as examples of roads needing fixes that go beyond potholes and patchwork.

Merced County would need a two-thirds vote, or about 67 percent, for the tax to pass in November. The tax increment would last for 30 years, amassing about $450 million in that time, and would be untouchable by the state, city leaders said.

Scott McBride, Atwater community development director, estimated the city would need $20 million to fix all roads, crosswalks and sidewalks that need work as of today.

Officials estimate the measure would bring about $616,000 a year to Atwater.

County Supervisor Daron McDaniel, who also said it pains him to ask for a new tax, said the measure is a good solution because it gives each city and the county local control over those tax dollars.

“We can’t just complain our way out of this mess,” he said. “We have to do something.”

Atwater also has about 400 curbs, crosswalks and other transportation-related items that need fixing because they don’t meet Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, officials said. Such violations could put the city on the wrong side of the U.S. Department of Justice, which could levy fines.

Atwater has seen its sales tax revenue drop with the closing of large retailers including Kmart and Mi Pueblo, as well as other smaller shops.

Stacie Dabbs, spokeswoman for the Merced County Association of Governments, said the tax money could also be pooled to use as matching funds to pull down larger federal grants. Such a tax would make Merced a “self-help” county like Fresno, Madera and others in the state, she noted.

A survey late last year showed about 71 percent of likely voters would support the tax that would generate about $15 million a year across the county.

During the same town hall gathering, officials told residents they have a hold on recent gang-related violence in town. Five suspected gang members were arrested Wednesday in Atwater in connection with a string of recent shootings, the Police Department reported.

Frank Pietro, the police chief and city manager, said officers made “extensive, detailed arrests.”

Officials also urged residents to continue to follow water conservation efforts. The city must conserve 36 percent under state mandate.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Atwater talks tax, water, gangs."