There are two things as taxpayers you do not want to happen to your hard earned three-fourths of a penny Manteca retailers will be collecting from you starting April 1.

That three quarters of a cent, by the way, is in addition to the other 8.25 cents you are currently paying in sales tax on every dollar spent.

►You don’t want it wasted on frivolous things when there are pressing needs.

►You don’t want city leaders to act as if they’re are afraid of their own shadows and end up being so fiscally conservative that inflation eats through Measure Q revenue like hydrochloric acid does a penny minted after 1982.

It is why the appointment of Ben Cantu to the five-member Measure Q citizens tax oversight committee should give you comfort.

Wait, you might say, didn’t Cantu when he was mayor back in 2019 advocate a community wide Mello Roos district on all existing and future property owners to generate $28 million a year for Manteca municipal services and amenities?

That is correct.

As outrageous as that might sound, Cantu was actually right assuming by right you want what Manteca needed to do in order to address a backlog of needs and to address what was needed — or wanted — as expressed by citizens going  forward.

Such a tax, of course, would have fell only on Manteca property owners.

The Measure Q sales tax is being paid for everyone that buys taxable items in Manteca, including Costco shoppers residing in Lathrop, Bass Pro shoppers residing in Modesto, and those from San Jose buying gas and snacks on their way to or from the Sierra.

Measure Q, estimated to generate  between $11 million and $13 million annually in terms of constant 2025 dollars over its 20-year lifespan is not quite half of the $28 million a year Cantu wanted a community-wide CFD to generate.

Keep in mind, the $28 million figure Cantu cobbled together in 2019 was designed to catch the city up and stay on top of all street issues, build needed government facilities such as a police station and city hall, plus tackle amenities such as an aquatics center, more parks, a new library, performing arts center, and such.

It also would have made sure there was sufficient municipal staffing in all city departments to provide acceptable service levels for residents whether it was public safety or parks and street maintenance.

City Manager Toni Lundgren as well as elected officials and various department heads are well aware that Measure Q in itself is not adequate enough to address all needs.

And they never claimed it would.

It is why today’s council gathering to prioritize Measure Q expenditures is critical.

It is also why the city must work hard to augment the sales tax revenue to maximize its effectiveness.

Cantu brings an important voice to the table.

No, it’s not the one that keeps reminding everyone what the city did wrong 10, 20, 30, or 40 years ago.

It’s the one that points out the self-destructiveness of shallow water fiscal conservatives who believe even responsible debt is a bad thing.

Fear of responsible debt has on at least a dozen occasions since 1991 stopped city leaders from moving forward on investing in community facilities while surrounding cities that weren’t growing as robust did so.

Part of that fear was driven by the assumption of elected leaders they would be pulverized at the next election for merely mentioning the words “increase” and “tax” in the same sentence.

Manteca did collect growth fees, during the past 30 years, although Cantu would argue in many cases they were not high enough, and in most instances he’d be right.

But that is only part of the equation.

Growth can only legally pay for its proportionate share of a project such as a police station based on California law and judicial precedent.

The rest needs to be borne by existing residents and/or other sources.

Once new homes are added to the community and the growth fees paid by developers that are collapsed into new home sales prices, going forward those occupying the homes become existing residents.

Add to that the misnomer that the city should pay cash for a new police station, and you basically dilute the buying power of growth fees.

Construction inflation will, and always has, decimated the purchasing value of dollars.

Close to 70 percent of all homes in Manteca are owner occupied.

The odds of anyone of them paying 100 percent cash is stratospherically high.

Mortgages tends to be smart debt.

It is how almost all Americans become homeowners.

Manteca will never be in a position to write a check for the overall cost of a new police station, a new fire station, or any other building that “houses” municipal services whether it is a new city hall or a new library.

Measure Q is far from being a panacea for all of Manteca’s municipal needs and wants.

It is, however, a solid basis to leverage the $13 million a year it will generate with growth fees and such to do more than it can in its own.

That is what the city owes those who will pay the sales tax anytime in the next 20 years starting April 1 whether they voted for it or not.

Cantu — along with the rest of the oversight committee — will sound the alarm if the city starts to deviate from what it has to do to make Measure Q as effective as possible.

Rest assured, Cantu would likely squawk the loudest and be the most relentless in spreading the word if the city goes astray with its Measure Q spending plan.

Councilman Charlie Halford — who doesn’t always see eye to eye with Cantu — appointed the former mayor to represent Area 1 on the citizens tax oversight committee.

Halford has a reputation for being a stickler for fiscal matters.

And if you will pardon the characterization, his decision to go with Cantu, who can be a non-stop pain in the side when he believes the city is getting off track, is a solid move.

Halford, just like Cantu, labored on behalf of Manteca’s citizens and have seen their share of the bad fiscal moves — or failure to move — that have diluted the effectiveness of city government.

.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com