Alice M. Garcia: Oakdale should look at its relationship with OID
Re “Will MID’s ag-water subsidies be jolted by lawsuit?” (Page 1B, April 17): I was impressed with Dave Thomas of the Stanislaus Taxpayer Association and his class-action lawsuit against Modesto Irrigation District.
When I found out we in Oakdale were still paying the Oakdale Irrigation District tax, I was shocked. Irrigation ended years ago in the city. There were OID statements, assuming that’s the end of OID taxes, because water was cut off. Riverbank opted out years ago. If more homes are built, OID collects this hidden tax.
The county auditor has not given a breakdown on each city parcel, saying it would take a lot of time. The county auditor sends OID a check from our property taxes for no irrigation. Approximately 51 pecent of the OID tax allocation comes from with in city boundaries only. I brought this to the attention of the city council. They had no interest in it, only excuses. The city manager micro-manages the council; whatever he says, it’s a “go” on spending. The city could use this money in their budget instead of going to the voters and asking for more taxes.
Alice M. Garcia, Oakdale
This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Alice M. Garcia: Oakdale should look at its relationship with OID."