The end of Half Moon Bay?

San Mateo County Times ^ | Updated: 08/28/2010 03:53:43 AM PDT | By Julia Scott

[granite]

HALF MOON BAY -- Between budget losses and lawsuit payments, Half Moon Bay's financials have become so dire that if a local sales tax measure doesn't pass this November, officials say they may have to disincorporate.

City leaders have been using the "D" word for a few weeks now as they try to persuade voters to pass Measure K, a one-cent sales tax increase that would help the city balance its budget with an extra infusion of $1.4 million per year for the next seven years.

Dissolving Half Moon Bay -- handing the city's budget, operations and services to San Mateo County -- would be an absolute last resort, but the city may not have many other options left, City Councilman John Muller said.

"The council has done everything in its power to keep the city whole," Muller said. "If it doesn't pass, we could seriously not be in business much longer."

[Mariner]

It never crossed their mind to cut spending.

Not once.

[Digger]

Better STFU unless you know what you are talking about. This one was legit. They city messed with a guy who wanted to develop his property until he sued them for a taking. IIRC, they even diverted water across it to wreck its usefulness and then held him up for rare plants.

This points out that winning the House & Senate does not guarantee anything unless you house clean all in the departments.

[hinckley buzzard]

HMB only incorporated in 1959. If they disincorporate they will save a lot of money. Just have a township Board of Trustees, a couple of police, and a volunteer fire department. That's how we do it in the midwest. Works like a charm.

[The Antiyuppie]

“This points out that winning the House & Senate does not guarantee anything unless you house clean all in the departments.”

You said it. it CANNOT be “business as usual”. There are programs and bureaucracies that don’t need “rolling back” or “trimming” in government; they simply need to be disemboweled and/or dismembered.

[GATOR NAVY]

I remember that. There were a lot of posts on FR about it.

[martin_fierro]

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Those illegal land grabs can be expensive.

[Monkey Face]

Half Moon Bay? You mean...you mean....Dean Koontz is going to have to BUY it to save it???

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Works like a charm” — But what about the city-run yoga program. How will they do without that? You are so heartless. /s

[calcowgirl]

The city brought all this on by itself.

Yep!

I followed the same path you did to learn about the Beachwood lawsuit. So much for poor HMB victims. Did you notice the judge that ruled in the 36 million dollar judgment? The same schmuck (Vaughn Walker) that just ruled against Prop 8 (gay marriage).

[calcowgirl]

IIRC, they even diverted water across it to wreck its usefulness and then held him up for rare plants.

If it's wet, that makes it a wetland, right?
(Ducking -- just kidding.)

I was just reading about the lawsuit. Sounds like the city government screwed themselves (and their residents).

[Carry_Okie]

Yup. The quickest way out of this mess would be to hand the guy his permits and beg him to build, but in this market he might well have a case anyway, as a good $10 million of the value he would have realized has evaporated.