Economic Recovery and Fiscal Responsibility

Good stewardship and accountable use of our taxpayer dollars are owed to us for the faith we put in our City leaders. When our economic recovery is complete, and City funds are enough for our essential needs and services, then and only then should we consider non-essential spending and new government programs run by more and more well-paid City staff. We all have to live within our means, our City should too.

Our Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program (NCIP) representatives are a unique treasure; other cities don’t have this. As Monterey residents, we benefit from this outstanding representation by having a voice in City government. This unique approach promotes interaction of the residents, giving us all enhanced opportunities to propose improvements for our community. We must preserve and strengthen this vital lifeline between our neighborhoods and City government. The process of appointing NCIP representatives has become secretive and one-sided; we must return it to a transparent and publicly accessible process.

You, the voters of Monterey, voted for the hotel tax increase on the condition that 16% of those funds are for neighborhood and community improvement. Yet, now City leaders have told your NCIP representatives they must consider giving up some of those funds. They talk about good reasons for needing money, like updating our fire department facilities and equipment, but our neighborhood and community improvement funds are not the answer. On top of that, the City has the added 1% sales tax for street repair you approved for them in 2018, yet homeowners are still made to fix the City-owned sidewalk outside their homes. The patterns and bad habits are clear: the City does not live within its means, spends our money on non-essential projects, and burdens us, the residents, with ever higher costs.