West Sacramento's plan to fix potholes not popular with taxpayers

WEST SACRAMENTO — West Sacramento has a pothole problem.

City Manager Aaron Laurel said there were 838 potholes reported last year – a number that has risen more than 300 percent in just the last five years.

"We have a lot of older roads in our city that take a beating," Laurel said.

CBS13 first reported in March about a pothole vigilante who spray-painted white circles around all the potholes on a mile-long stretch of Sacramento Avenue along with protest messages saying "fix potholes" and "I pay taxes."

"We do our best with the current resources," Laurel said. "We have to keep pace with it."

Now, the city council wants to pay for more roadway improvements by placing a full-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot.

"We really need the money," West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said.

It could also pay for bringing back a fire engine that was cut from the budget in 2012 and other public safety and core services. If passed, West Sacramento would have the highest sales tax rate in the region at 9.25 percent.

"That funding would go directly to those essential services of the police and fire budgets, increasing maintenance for roads and parks," Laurel said.

Dani Langford in West Sacramento worries a new tax will go toward wasteful spending.

"I don't see them using it the way they say they're going to use it, and that's my concern," Langford said.

She said rising inflation is already having a big impact on people's paychecks.

"Who knows where the economy's going to go?" Langford said. "And people are really struggling."

City leaders say there's no current deficit, but more revenue is needed to maintain quality-of-life standards without making budget cuts.

"This city council has made it a priority to really increase the level of services that our city offers," Laurel said.

"I want the voters to approve this," Mayor Guerrero said.

The city council unanimously endorsed the tax proposal idea this week, and, if passed in November, it could lead to an additional $20 million a year.