Story by Susan Meeker
COLUSA, CA (MPG) – The Colusa Citizens Oversight Committee, tasked with watching over tax revenue from Measure B, could be close to deciding if or how to divide the estimated $1.5 million annual boon to city coffers among the certain general fund departments that want it.
The process has been complicated, however, by what the public wants, members said.
“I’ve talked to about 100 people and 100 people said they want 100% to go to the roads,” said Christian Cowsert, a member of the committee.
The Oversight Committee has been talking to the public, city officials, and department heads for several months but has not yet made any recommendations to the City Council as to how to allocate the funds. While the revenue is currently helping to balance the projected 2023-2024 budget – on paper – none of the $301,001.92 already collected from the 1% sales tax increase has been spent or budgeted for expenditures, officials said.
The Oversight Committee denied a request at their Sept. 6 meeting from city officials to recommend the City Council allocate $384,005 of Measure B toward for the city’s obligation on the street light at Wescott Road, which is part of the new Colusa Town Center (Arco fuel station project), which is to be constructed behind Round Table Pizza, north of the apartment building under construction next to the Assembly of Church on Highway 20.
The Colusa Planning Commission recently renegotiated a new Developer Agreement with property owner and developer, Amarjit Cheema, who agreed to reduce the city’s $2.4 obligation of Traffic Impact Funds toward the traffic signal to only $1.2 million if he can have access to the money now to start construction.
City Engineer David Swartz said the benefit to the taxpayers would be getting a traffic signal at a much lower cost than if the city built it as a public project, and it would help to get the project done sooner so the city would benefit from the generation of sales and property taxes more quickly. But the city currently has only $446,173 in traffic impact funds, largely from developer impact fees being set too low and from historically giving housing and other developers significant breaks on what they owe the citizens of Colusa for their projects’ impacts on roads, traffic, police, fire protection, and public services, among other things, City Manager Jesse Cain said.
“Our impact fees that come to the city on some of this stuff are way too low,” Cain said.
“And, the city has a precedent, which they have done for a long time, of reducing impact fees by 50 percent, as well. And that is causing an impact.”
Oversight Committee Chairman Marilyn Acree, as well as most members of the committee, said they do not believe the public would support spending the $384,004 of Measure B money on a private project.
“People are waiting to see what is happening on our streets,” Acree said. “I get asked all the time, ‘when are you going to start repairing the streets and what is this money going to be used for. They see nothing being done.”
Acree said the City Council will have the ultimate decision to use Measure B money (as well as cannabis funds) to cover the impact fee shortfall, but the committee would not make that recommendation.
The committee is still seeking public input on how to recommend this year’s proceeds from the tax increase and are considering a percentage split of 50% toward park and streets ($733,499); 25-30% to the police department ($366,750); and 25-30% to the fire department ($366,750).
Measure B was approved by Colusa voters in 2022, which increased sales taxes by one cent on the dollar collected on taxable goods and services for a term of four years, and officials understand that to have the increase made permanent, they will have to convince the public in 2026 the money was well spent.
Colusa Mayor Greg Ponciano likened the trial period of Measure B to a rookie being signed to the NFL.
“I don’t know if everybody follows sports, but when you get a rookie contract, that is your ‘prove it’ contract while you’re working your way up to signing the big contract,” Ponciano said. “I feel like that is where we are; we have to prove it to the city to get that next contract.”
The oversight committee discussed hosting public workshops or conducting surveys to gain more input before making their recommendation to the City Council.