Clik here to view.
Where is the Council Headed on Taxes?
Councilmember Brett Lee presenting thoughts on city finances last Saturday While much of the focus has been on the soda tax, the council on a 3-2 vote moved to go forward with consideration of both a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My View: The Whole Tax Set Up Was Odd
In the last several days, we have looked into the impact of the soda tax discussion, but there is one angle we have not yet explored and it was one that became apparent from the start – why was the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monday Morning Thoughts: Binding Council on a General Tax Vote
Although the Davis City Council did not take specific action last week on a tax measure, given the infrastructure and other revenue needs, it still seems likely that the council will take some action...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Commentary: Moving in the Wrong Direction on Financial Issues
I increasingly find myself in a strange position with regard to city finances and the direction in which we should be moving. On the one hand, the Vanguard has been pushing for revenue for roads for a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My View: A Campaign Speech Under the Guise of the Mayor’s Monthly Column
Mayor Wolk delivered the State of the City Address in January of last year Just before Christmas the local paper released the online version of “The Mayor’s Corner,” that will be featured in tomorrow’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Where Did A Parks Tax Proposal Come From?
On December 15, the council voted 3-2 to approve a motion to ask staff to return with information on a TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax), a parcel tax focusing on infrastructure needs that are critical to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Analysis: FBC’s Recommendations On What We Should Do About Taxes
Before February the Davis City Council will have to make a decision as to whether to put a revenue measure on the ballot and if so, in what form. On December 15, the council voted 3-2 to approve a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vanguard Commentary: Potential Revenue Measures Are Now A Mess
At the last city council meeting, city staff presented a report that showed the city is spending about $10 million less on infrastructure on an ongoing basis than it needs to do. These include...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Fiscal Reality of the City Differs From the Mayor’s Column
Mayor Pro Tem Robb Davis By Robb Davis Recently our Mayor, my colleague, wrote: “Our budget is balanced and resilient. Due to improved revenues and cost-cutting efforts, our budget is balanced with a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Are New Hotels Really the Key to New City Revenue? Existing Hotel Owners...
Proposed Hotel Conference center on Richards In early December, the Vanguard ran a story, “Can Hotels Be the Short-Term Revenue Fix That the City Needs?” Citing projections from PKF Consulting, which...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monday Morning Thoughts: Mayor vs Mayor Pro Tem, Renaissance vs Fiscal Peril
Mayor Dan Wolk (left) and Mayor Pro Tem Robb Davis (right) On Tuesday, Mayor Dan Wolk will deliver his version of the State of the City at the Chamber Luncheon, but, based on his column on December 27,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Commentary: The Case That Should Be Made To the Public
This afternoon Mayor Dan Wolk will delivering the State of the City Address to the Davis Chamber of Commerce. We may have already been given a sneak preview of the speech with his December 27 column,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Commentary: Accountability with Revenue Measures
The Vanguard in the last few weeks has noted the solid recommendations from the Finance and Budget Commission, which in November and December urged the council not to approve new tax measures or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Commentary: Does Nishi Pass the Fiscal Test?
This past week the Planning Commission forwarded the Nishi project to the Davis City Council for consideration. The council evaluation begins with a workshop on Tuesday. Despite the 5-2 vote to move it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Finance and Budget Commission Questions Whether Nishi Pencils Out
On Monday night, in a series of votes, the Finance and Budget Commission made recommendations regarding the state of the finances on Nishi, including the two most pointed: “The FBC recommends that the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vanguard Analysis: Council’s Call on Revenue For Nishi
There are two basic levels of fiscal analysis for Nishi that need to be addressed. The first is the corrected EPS projection that the Nishi development would create a net negative of $106,000 in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gaps in Nishi Financial Analysis on Cost Side
Bicycle Connectivity on West Olive Yesterday the Vanguard published an analysis of the Nishi fiscal picture. In response, we received an anonymous note that raises a number of questions. In the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Commentary: Why Aren’t Anti-Tax Crusaders Leading the Way on Economic...
Internal View of Mace Ranch Innovation Center It is that time in the election cycle, and the Davis City Council is very shortly going to be figuring ways to raise revenue. It may well be multiple...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My View: Parks-Only Tax a Bad Idea
When the Davis City Council met in December, by a 3-2 vote they asked staff to return with options for a potential transient occupancy tax (TOT), a potential parcel tax and/or a potential...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cost Containment as an Element of Fiscal Resilience
Editor’s note: Councilmember Robb Davis put this forward during the tax discussion. We are posting it as a point of more discussion. 1. Undertake a full staffing analysis to determine match between...
View Article