From the "At least make it user friendly" department… Few politicians – among Republicans, anyway – would ever think of taking a tax bill presentation on the road and making a success of it. San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister has done just that over the last few years.
Winning office in 2003 against scandal-ridden incumbent Bart Hartman, rookie officeholder McAllister immediately embarked on an effort to turn on its head the otherwise understated position of treasuer-tax collector, which he calls “the Maytag repair person of local elected politics.” Realizing the last time the property tax bill had been updated was 1951, he decided to go to the public to determine how best to make a necessary evil better for the hard-working folks having to decipher and pay it.
“What in business hasn’t changed in half a century?” he asked, “We need change. How can we create a kinder, nicer, friendlier, easier-to-read tax bill?”
Taking the old bill “on tour,” McAllister sought input from dozens of community groups, service clubs, and every one of 18 city councils in the county, coming away with several good ideas for change (short of lowering taxes, of course, something he is not empowered to do).
Many folks might place this discussion in the category of boring yet slightly important, or something of that sort, but McAllister’s resulting bill changes have received great reviews, while cutting down on both payment errors and the bureaucracy of handling the paperwork. This includes a bill that is easier to read, watermark identification, color coding for easier assistance when calling for help, an actual toll-free phone number on the bill (even for owners of local property that live outside the area), and a separate document, a “Road Map to Understanding Your Property Tax Bill."
Perhaps most importantly, McAllister has made it a mission to promote the on-line payment option, with 12-14 percent of all tax bills now paid by computer and the number increasing.
When McAllister goes on the road now, it is to talk about the changes to the bill, as well as “e-billing and other e-nitiatives” his office is pursuing. Understanding that a tax bill discussion is not exactly the first choice of most listeners, he is quick with a quip, turning what could be an otherwise boring presentation into a part stand-up routine. Dubbing the two-part property tax cycle the “First and second seasons of giving,” he always seems to get a good response from his audience.
As for the mad rush to pay taxes by the deadline and the “tax tent” the county sets up to receive last minute payments by vehicle, he said, “This is our version of drive-bys. We hope people don’t shoot, however, we hope they just drop off their money and leave.”
Madaffer on Mike Aguirre: No bones… A couple of weeks old now, but unless you’re on SD Councilmember Jim Madaffer’s email list (you can sign up here), you may not have seen it. Worth the read:
The Mayor gave his State of the City speech earlier this month and laid out his vision for San Diego. Unlike past speeches, we heard a Mayor who outlined a record of accomplishments and sees a bright future for San Diego.
I was disappointed how the City Attorney conducted himself during the speech, staring into space and then walking off the stage before the meeting was over.
Here is a link to a video that one of the City Attorney’s election opponents shot during the State of the City – watch this video and see the City Attorney in action.
Since he was elected, I have made no bones over how this City Attorney has conducted himself. While some have felt he was doing a good job in the beginning of his term, many more have finally figured out after losing multiple cases the City should have won and the millions of dollars he has cost the taxpayers because of lawsuits against him due to his conduct. These millions of dollars could have gone to police, fire, parks and libraries – but unfortunately are having to go to outside lawyers instead. I have had enough of this.
John Kaheny, a former Assistant City Attorney under former City Attorney John Witt recently posted on an email he sent out a list that included 50 things that City Attorney has done to essentially abandoned his client, the City of San Diego. Click this link to see Kaheny’s list.
Most recently, the City Council has had to vote to retain even more outside Counsel to defend the City. And I might add these recent votes have been unanimous.
Lastly, the City Attorney is under investigation by the California State Bar. I recently spent nearly three hours with an investigator from the State Bar. Alex Roth of the San Diego Union Tribune did an excellent job with this article detailing what’s going on and I would encourage you to read it to learn more by clicking this link.
I tell you all of these things because I have been frustrated over our City Attorney’s lack of performance in serving his client, the City of San Diego. You see, as a Councilmember, I serve on your behalf essentially as a member of the Board of Directors of a $2.5 billion per year Municipal Corporation known as the City of San Diego. Imagine serving on the board of a company – especially a corporation the size of San Diego and not having a lawyer you can count on and trust. Welcome to the world of the Mayor and City Council.
I know that Mike Aguirre probably has nice things to say about Jim as well.
Have a great week!