AGOURA HILLS UTILITY TAXES : PRO: OUR QUALITY OF LIFE RIDES ON MEASURE A.

Byline: Jeff Reinhardt Special to the Daily News

The future of Agoura Hills as we know it depends on the passage of Measure A.

For the past several years, the state government has balanced its budget by taking money previously ``dedicated'' to cities.

The cumulative impact to Agoura Hills is now in the millions of dollars and climbing. To put it simply, funding sources that came into our city when it was formed in 1982 are simply no longer there.

What then is a city to do? Control costs is one approach. City staffing is modest, less than 20 full-time employees. Council members are paid only $300 per month.

So where does the money go?

Public safety is the largest single portion of the city budget (almost $2 million a year). This includes sheriff's services that make Agoura Hills one of the safest communities in which to live. It also includes disaster preparedness, youth intervention services and SANE drug education in schools - funded by the city of Agoura Hills.

Citizens look to our city government for other functions as well: street maintenance, including traffic signals, speed bumps, signs, sweeping and pothole repair, parks maintenance and programming, and most importantly, multimillion-dollar traffic improvements at the Kanan-Canwood and Reyes Adobe-Ventura Freeway interchanges.

When voters say yes to Measure A, they are saying we want to maintain a high quality of life for our city. They are saying we are willing to pay a small price to maintain property values and ensure our future.

The utility tax program has been in place for some time. We know how little it costs, yet we know how much it can do. For those who have a genuine hardship, a waiver process is already in place.

Measure A merely authorizes the continuation of an existing program. Once confirmed, Measure A freezes in place a rate that is lower than that paid by L.A. County residents and citizens of several other cities in our region. Measure A is not a deterrent to business, as it offers a lower rate than to businesses in county-governed areas and some other cities.

Why should a person vote for Measure A?

There are no unknowns. We already know what it costs. The city needs the money to continue fulfilling the demands for services, such as law enforcement. Community leaders from nearly every political persuasion see the need and endorse Measure A, including Sheriff Sherman Block. City government has been trimmed to a very efficient level; there is no fat to trim.

Citizen study sessions have concluded our government is the right size (smaller than many cities of comparable populations) and that the city has no alternative than to look to Measure A as the means to continue providing valued city services.

And in a worst-case scenario, if our city were not to get Measure A funding and unincorporate, your utility tax as imposed by the county would actually increase, with the funds going to county government and away from local control.

San Fernando Valley residents know all too well the price to be paid when money leaves local control. Deteriorating neighborhoods and falling property values have resulted in that part of Los Angeles seriously examining secession from their city.

In Agoura Hills, we already have local control. Funds from Measure A place us in command of our own destiny. Part of the responsibility of that autonomy is recognizing a genuine need and responding to it. The alternatives can be far more costly than Measure A.

For less than the cost of a pizza a month, we can assure our city of necessary funding that cannot be taken away by Sacramento. The money starts here and stays here.

Your City Council members are directly accountable to you, the voter, as to how the funds are utilized. Vote yes on Measure A and assure the future of Agoura Hills while you protect the investment you have made to your property and the quality of life of your family.

MEMO: Jeff Reinhardt is an Agoura Hills planning commissioner and heads Save Agoura Hills for Everyone.