This commentary was contributed by resident Robert Bernosky. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink user in the top right corner of our home page and agreeing to follow our Terms of Use, you can write counter opinions or share your insights on current issues.
What I love most about our country is the freedoms to speak to you, the elected, and the appointed freely about what we like, and more importantly what we do not like about our government. Laws even provide forums for which the people are allowed to directly address elected bodies when they meet.
I also believe that we get good value for our tax dollar, in general, in San Benito County. We live in a small population county and have adequate services performed by many that have a very positive and customer-service oriented interaction with the public. However, the use of our tax dollar must always be overseen and requests for more must be properly evaluated.
At its last meeting, the Board of Supervisors discussed putting an increase in sales taxes on the November ballot. There are a number of issues with this, most of all, I do not recall the board of supervisors ever stating why they needed the increase. After all, inflation increases the cost of goods, so they are already getting a boost from it. Readers probably also know that Republicans believe in limited government, and the best way to violate that belief is to give the government more of your money. More money can mean more control over your life.
Other reasons to get a sales tax increase off the table was their attitude and the way the supervisors were trying to go about it.
Their attitude was displayed in two parts. From the dais they were complaining that someone (presumably me) posted incorrect information on social media, and that they could not increase sales taxes, they were merely suggesting innocently that it be put on the ballot. But as we have 1st amendment and Brown Act rights to speak about it, I expressed my opinion that by putting it on the ballot, they were in fact, advocating for it. It is the first step in getting what they stated they wanted: a transfer of more money from your pocket to theirs.
At least one of the supervisors also did not care that people who were not subject to the increase would get to vote for it. We all know how that works: “Don’t tax me; don’t tax thee; tax the fellow behind the tree.”
Other supervisors did seem somewhat sympathetic, which I truly appreciate. Maybe the People exercising their 1st Amendment and Brown Act rights played a role! The cloud over this possibility is that recently the board of supervisors took steps to limit public participation in its meetings. Another topic for another article.
I did reach out to my supervisor and indicated that there could be a tradeoff. If those in the unincorporated areas could get more things like law enforcement, especially in the southern parts of the county and have multiple deputies available to patrol for illegal drug growing in remote areas and cessation of drug trafficking, that might move the needle.
As would more road repairs of our rural roads and more support for the ag community as they try to conduct their business profitably. However, even as of this writing, I cannot get the appropriate person to return my phone call on the frequency of certain crimes to help advocate for this and to double check the name of an employee I want to send an appreciative letter about. Sigh.
We do elect leaders to make important decisions on our behalf. However, their business is governed by laws where meetings are structured to take input from the public and many elected I have known welcome meetings with constituents. Something as controversial as increasing taxes (or as assisting a citizen to have an outstanding county employee recognized by their boss) should be treated sensitively as possible for the former and expeditiously for the latter.