The city of Seal Beach is at a “financial crossroads,” City Manager Jill Ingram wrote in a letter posted on the city’s website this month.
As Ingram explained it, the city is suffering from “fiscal instability” due to revenue sources that are “not growing enough to fund the necessary level of essential City services.”
On Nov. 6, Seal Beach residents will decide which fiscal direction to take— new taxes or no new taxes.
On Election Day, Seal Beach voters will consider Measure BB. The ballot measure seeks to raise the city’s sales tax rate by one percent, from 7.75 percent to 8.75 percent.
The hike could raise an estimated $5 million in new annual revenue for the city, which is currently projected to have increasing budget deficits over the next several years.
While Measure BB says it will maintain city services “including community police patrols, paramedic services, fire protection, marine safety/lifeguards, school safety,” it does not designate how the new sales tax revenue must be used.
All Measure BB funds will go into a separately tracked and audited account within the city’s general fund, according to city of Seal Beach Finance Director Victoria Beatley.
If the city had chosen to dedicate Measure BB proceeds to public safety, for instance, it would have required two-thirds of the vote to pass.
As a general tax measure, it only requires more than 50 percent.
“The idea is any dollar coming in to the general fund can pay for any general fund supported services, including public safety,” Beatley said in a recent interview. She brought up an example of hiring three new police officers at a total annual cost of roughly $500,000.
If the funds were designated only for public safety, Beatley said, that would leave millions of dollars out of reach for other needs in the city including restoring services, paying for hazard mitigation and “$164 million in unfunded infrastructure needs.”
Push to Fund Public Safety
Even though Measure BB money could be used on any general fund item, city leaders and supporters are promoting it as a way to boost funding for public safety.
On Monday, the Seal Beach City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution endorsing Measure BB that also supports using money from the sales tax hike specifically for public safety. (See story on Page 1).
At a Seal Beach strategic planning workshop on September 12, city leaders identified three goals related to public safety that would rely on Measure BB funds including hiring sworn officers to staff the Jack Haley Police substation at the Seal Beach Pier. It is currently run by police volunteers.
District One Councilwoman Ellery Deaton is already committing to acting on this and the other goals.
“Should BB pass, I will immediately ask the Council to requisition the officers needed to make the Jack Haley building a true substation, dedicate an officer to Leisure World and provide more neighborhood patrols throughout our entire community,” Deaton, who is termed out of office this year, wrote in an email message to the Sun this week.
Interim Police Chief Joe Miller has been vocal about his desire for more funding to hire additional patrol officers.
The Seal Beach Police Department is budgeted for 35 sworn officers but not all of them are available for patrol. Some are commanding officers or detectives.
In an interview this week, Chief Miller emphasized that passage of Measure BB could “provide additional resources to give a much grander presence to the community from the police department.”
He brought up the example of two officers who were assigned to patrol the beach and pier this summer on electric bikes.
In a recent presentation to city council, he noted these officers made 80 arrests between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
“I think that’s the kind of presence this community wants,” Chief Miller said.
A pro-Measure BB campaign is also advocating funds be spent on more police officers. Old Town Resident Jim Brady helped launch the “Safety First Seal Beach” campaign. Brady credits his wife with coming up with the play on “BB” to create the campaign slogan “Backing our Blue.”
The campaign has already raised an estimated $30,000, according to Brady.
What if the Measure BB money doesn’t go toward public safety?
“If [an audit] shows the city is using [Measure BB funds] to pay for something else, there will be an uproar and I will be the one leading that uproar,” Brady said.
As yet, there is no formal opposition to Measure BB and no argument against its passage was submitted to the Orange County Registrar of Voters to appear in the voter guide.
At the July 23 council meeting, Scott Levitt, the then-President of the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber was opposed to the sales tax hike. (Levitt is now running for the District One City Council seat).
On Nextdoor.com and Facebook, some residents have posted comments adamantly opposing any tax increases. Others voiced concerns about how the city is spending money now and speculating how Measure BB funds will be spent if it passes.
