By Mayor Steve Young, originally published in the Benicia Herald on October 6, 2024

Over the past four years of serving as your Mayor, I’ve been immensely proud of our Council’s achievements.  We’ve made tough decisions, some of them unpopular.

However, these decisions have significantly streamlined and improved our City’s processes, finances, and safety services.

As we continue to build on the progress we’ve made, it’s crucial to address our City’s ongoing needs to ensure a thriving future for Benicia. We have proposed Measures G and H for your consideration, which are designed to enhance  Benicia’s future financial stability and infrastructure.

Together, these measures will empower Benicia to better manage its resources and address the critical needs of our community. By supporting Measures G and H, we can continue to build a stronger, more resilient Benicia for all residents.

However, I’ve become aware that there’s significant misinformation circulating about these measures. Given that, I would like to dispel some of the misleading, falsehoods and rumors surrounding them.

First, the Sept. 22 op-ed by the Committee against G and H included the following statement:

“Measure G will give City Hall the green light to increase permit fees, license taxes, parking fees, usage fees and special assessments beyond the caps.”

This is misleading:

As a General Law City we already have the power and the authority to raise fees such as parking and building permits without a vote of the people.  Switching to a Charter City would not affect this in any way.   Raising Water rates and fees for Lighting and Landscaping Districts requires a vote by ratepayers through a voting process governed by proposition 218. Our proposed Charter City Measure does nothing to change this.

Other concerns I have heard include:

 “Measure H will rob my kids of their inheritance if I pass my house on to them.”

False: The tax only applies if the property is sold.  There is not tax if the property is transferred to family members through inheritance or divorce.

“Measure H will raise taxes for renters.”

False: If an owner of a rental complex sells a property, it is possible the new owner may raise rents. But a current or future owner can already do so within the limits of California law, and it would not be due to this proposed, minimal increase to one-time closing costs.

“If the measures pass, the money will just go into the black hole of the General Fund where it will be spent on salaries for city workers who are backing the measures.”

False: Earlier this year, this City Council passed a policy stating that any surplus funds (including any from Measure H) would be placed into the capital reserve fund. To spend any funds from the capital reserve now requires a super-majority 4/5 vote.

The larger impact of Measure H is being missed. 

While residential sales only average 250-300 houses per year (and are on track to be less than 200 this year), we need to look into the future.

The Seeno property (Northern Gateway) will likely be developed in the next few years. That proposal calls for the construction of 1,100 homes. If sold at the current average Benicia single family sales price of $880,000, these transfers could generate nearly $4 million for Benicia —if tax Measures G and H were approved.

Importantly, the tax would be paid by either the developer or the home buyers, not Benicians.

There is also the possibility that Valero may, at some point, decide to sell the refinery. At its current value of around $2 billion, a sale would generate $16 million for Benicia…paid either by Valero or another oil company, not Benicians.

Additionally, the number of commercial properties listed for sale in Benicia represents another potential revenue source.

For example, the Economic Development Board reported this month that there are 18 active commercial properties in Benicia that are listed for sale which total over $30 million– taxes on those sales would be taxes paid by the commercial buyer– if tax measures G and H were approved.

At $4/6/8 dollars per $1,000 (depending on purchase price), there’s a significant amount of money that would be left on the table that Measures G and H would provide.

All the above represents real money for our future which would dwarf the amount paid by Benicians on the sale of their homes.

I understand that people don’t like paying taxes. I don’t like paying taxes either. But the City has, over the course of months and years of careful planning under City staff and our leadership, developed a comprehensive plan to address our looming infrastructure challenges. A crucial part of the plan rests on the passage of these tax Measures.

Voting against the passage of these Measures is a vote to do nothing.

It is a vote to kick the can down the road yet again, and not face our future with open eyes.

It is a vote to watch as our roads and other facilities continue to fall further into disrepair.

It is a vote for a future of higher costs and diminished quality of life for Benicia.

Please join me and the rest of City Council, labor and citizens groups and vote for Measures F, G and H.

Let’s stop kicking the can down the road.  Let’s work together to make hard decisions today that will provide for a stronger, vibrant, more fiscally sound Benicia tomorrow.

Steve Young
Mayor, City of Benicia
ReelectYoungForBenicia.com

From the Campaign to Re-Elect Mayor Steve Young, received September 5, 2024

First let me say I am actively running for reelection as the Mayor of Benicia. 

I firmly believe that an effective Mayor’s role is to inform and educate the community, guiding us towards a shared vision of the future.

The three Measures on the November’s ballot are crucial for our progress and future. Because they are so important, I am dedicating my reelection campaign to advocating for their passage.

It’s important to note that the Solano County Association of Realtors, all of Public Safety Unions , (Police, Fire and Dispatch), the Napa-Solano Labor Council and the Solano County Democratic Central Committee have all endorsed passage of each of the three measures.  

The City of Benicia faces complex financial challenges. Our primary revenue sources are property taxes (from which we receive only 26 cents per dollar) and sales tax.

Unfortunately, sales tax revenue has remained flat due to our limited retail base. While property values have surged, property tax revenue hasn’t kept pace because new assessments only occur upon sales.

With minimal new construction and limited home sales (likely because residents enjoy living here), property tax growth has been constrained.

A significant factor in our slow property tax revenue growth is that 42% % of Benicia properties haven’t changed hands since the 1990’s. These homes are taxed based on 1978-1990’s property tax values.

Consequently, these properties pay much lower taxes compared to neighbors who bought more recently.

This situation forces the City to cover 2024 expenses with much of our revenue based on property tax assessments prior to 2000—which is unsustainable.

Measure F

This measure, brought to the ballot by a Citizen’s initiative with 2,000 signatures, proposes a 1/2 cent sales tax increase dedicated SOLELY to road repairs. It is expected to generate $4-4.5 million annually. Combined with gas tax and some General Fund money, this will enable the City to repair all streets over a 15-year period.

Measures G and H

 These measures are interconnected. Measure G would convert Benicia to a “limited” charter city, allowing us to impose real estate transfer taxes. This change is restricted by the language in Measure G to only affect Real Property Transfers—nothing else- and can only be modified by the voters.

Measure H

This measure proposes a Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT) of 0.4% (or $4 per $1,000) for sales under $2 million.

Sales over $2 million would be taxed at 0.6%, and properties over $10 million at 0.8%. This tax applies only to real estate sales, not affecting renters or those passing properties to heirs, even if the heirs rent them out.

Both measures G and H must pass for the RPTT to be implemented.

Let’s look at an example of how this would affect the average home sale in Benicia: the RPTT  on a $850,000 home would be $3,400.

For many long-time Benicia homeowners, this amount would be a very small percentage of the accumulated increase in equity. And that equity increased, in large part, to the improvements the City (and its taxpayers) have made over the decades.

In conclusion, this additional funding from Measure F would solely support fixing our deteriorating roads.  Measure G and H will be used to repair many old and deteriorating City facilities including City Hall, the Police Department, the Clocktower, the SP Depot, the Marina, the Senior Center, the pool, the library, the gym, and the Camel Barns.

We cannot achieve fiscal sustainability through staff cuts alone. Slashing the city payroll would necessitate closing many programs that Benicians have repeatedly expressed they want, expect, and deserve.

I am calling on my fellow Benicians to continue the progress the City has made to get its financial house in order  and agree that we  need to look at new revenue sources that will help Benicia continue towards a solid fiscal future.

Please join me, the Benicia City Council and many community groups and vote yes on Measures F, G and H in November.

Steve Young
Mayor, City of Benicia