A ghost may be haunting the Portola Valley’s Town Council chambers, the ghost of Charlie Brown in his game attempts to place-kick the football that Lucy perennially holds and then pulls away at the last moment.
Every time council members think they’ve got a handle on the town’s funding decisions, something comes along to embarrass them.
Facing a tight deadline, the council on March 8 was about to approve a ballot measure for the June 6 election to lower a tax on utility bills. The action seemed right to the council in light of a surprise $915,000 windfall received in November from San Mateo County, plus the promise of new annual infusions of nearly $500,000.
But a day before the council was to decide on the election, the county let the mayor know that the county controller wanted back $242,000 of the $915,000. The explanation: It should have been deducted but someone forgot to do it.
Wary of more changes in the county’s calculations, the council delayed an election — and the potential for a tax cut — until August, or November.
“I was so furious about this that, the mayor will tell you, I was non compos mentis,” said Councilman Ed Davis at the council meeting.
“I’m getting very frustrated about being embarrassed as a legislator,” said Councilman Ted Driscoll.
Among the previous string of surprises:
• In late November, when the town received the $915,000 from the county, the funds were welcome but the timing couldn’t have been worse. The check arrived right after a bruising election to renew the town’s utility tax. Some residents questioned whether the town knew the check was coming and kept it a secret to avoid derailing the tax renewal, which passed by an unusually narrow margin.
• Eager to counter such theories and reaffirm their belief in the town’s small-government tradition, council members planned to lower the utility tax. Alas, the town attorney found that if the council lowered the tax, the county would cut property tax revenues by an equal amount. The only way to cut the tax without a penalty was by an election.
So an election was on, but now it’s delayed. To when? Maybe Lucy knows, but she isn’t talking.
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