Robert G. Vestey: Can’t rely on Modesto to keep its promises
The City Council is proposing a half-cent sales tax for the city of Modesto. The intended purpose is to make up the shortage in our police department. Only catch is, the money will go into the general fund and be available for any purpose. Lofty promises of a Citizen Oversight Committee, intended purpose, etc., is debunked by a recent council action. A few months ago a surplus of approximately half a million dollars was found in the current budget. The Bee reported that this savings were largely from the police department not filling vacancies. The money was to be spent for this, but not to hire additional police.
We cannot rely on the money collectors to spend the new tax money on police when they misuse existing money.
Robert G. Vestey, Modesto
This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Robert G. Vestey: Can’t rely on Modesto to keep its promises."