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• Chili event spoons up funds for Lodi Library

• Bachelor 'sales' in Lodi raise funds for American Stroke Association

• Area rescue personnel practice trench rescue

• Four Galt City Council hopefuls battle for two openings

• Galt voters mull quarter-percent hike in sales tax

February 9th, 2010

• Middle College High School rated one of the best — and a bargain, to boot

• Lodi decathlon boasts top team in county

• Man who sparked counterfeit case pleads guilty

• Local businessman will visit Haiti to look for family

• Man who claimed to be Yosemite Sam pleads guilty to meth charge

• David Harmer seeks Republican congressional nod

• Lack of evidence in case against suspect in 'drug deal' stabbing

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Regional Roundup

February 2nd, 2010

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Correction

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Jumpers across California

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• President Obama's first year (45)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (44)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (34)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)
• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam (25)

ADVERTISEMENT

Galt voters mull quarter-percent hike in sales tax

Galt residents will decide on Nov. 2 whether to add a quarter percent to its sales tax to augment city coffers. The tax would increase the Sacramento County sales tax from 7.75 percent in Galt to 8 percent.

Although Measure S says the tax revenue would go to the city's general fund, the City Council pledged in July that the money be used to hire two new police officers.

While debating the measure's wording in July, the council opted to not specify the tax revenue's use to allow passage by a simple majority. If a particular use, such as hiring police officers, was specified, a two-thirds majority would be required, City Attorney Tom Gibson told council members in July.

City officials estimate that the sales tax increase would produce $231,000 in annual revenue, which would allow two new officers to be hired. The salary, benefits, patrol car and equipment for one officer costs almost $100,000, according to Police Chief Doug Matthews.

The measure is opposed by Businesses United for Good Government, the political action committee of the Galt District Chamber of Commerce, because the measure does not specify how the revenue would be spent.

"I trust the current City Council," said Terry Parker, president of the chamber PAC. "But in two years, we could have a new City Council."

The terms of Mayor Darryl Clare, Vice Mayor Randy Shelton and Councilman Tom Malson -- all of whom support hiring two officers if Measure S passes -- expire in 2006.

Parker said she would support Measure S if it specified the money's use, even if it took a two-thirds majority to pass.

"I think they need to trust their community," she said.

"I do believe our police department is underpaid and understaffed," said Parker, who said she understands the police department's needs, having been a dispatcher and jailer for Lodi police from 1987 to 1992 before a career change to real estate.

Galt resident Al Baldwin is waging a personal campaign supporting Measure S by distributing posters, lawn signs, fliers and campaign buttons throughout the community. Baldwin said he became an active supporter after Vice Mayor Randy Shelton said at a June council meeting that he didn't see much enthusiasm in the community for a sales tax increase.

"That just set me on fire," Baldwin told the council in September.

Opponents also criticized the measure's lack of a sunset clause. The council was learning toward setting the tax for only two or three years, but council members left the length of time open ended because they didn't want to hire to police officers and lay them off as soon as the sales tax ended.

Council members pledged when they voted to place Measure S on the ballot that it would be rescinded as soon as possible -- either when the state stops removing revenue from state coffers or if Galt attracts more businesses and gains tax revenue needed to keep the two officers.

"We told them we would support it if it had a sunset clause," Parker said.

Baldwin responded that he and others in the community would wage a strong protest if the City Council failed to rescind Measure S when other police funding was available.

The ballot argument was signed by all five members of the City Council -- Mayor Darryl Clare, Shelton and Council members Tim Raboy, Rick Stancil and Tom Malson.

In addition to Parker, the opposing argument was signed by Joe Sullivan, executive director of the Sacramento County Taxpayers League, and Ted Costa, chief executive officer for People's Advocate.

The rebuttal to the opposing argument was signed by Clare, Raboy, Baldwin, Matthews and Sgt. Robert Whittington, president of the Galt Police Officers Association.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.