Letter: Trim pensions before raising taxes

Recently, I received a flier from the newly formed citizen group “Preserve Scotts Valley.” It appears some folks are concerned about the magnitude of the city budget cuts and suggest an extension of a recent tax increase. As a taxpayer, I would support tax increases only if the Scotts Valley City Council recommended them. In addition, if things are as dire as the citizen group suggests, my first question would be, “Is Scotts Valley going to roll back the police and fire pension benefits?” The recent pension increases during the past decade that reach 90 percent of pay (with overtime spiking) is unsustainable and also, I might add, unreasonable. San Jose is going to implement a two-tier pension system this year with increased contributions by employees and lower pensions. With the coming budget deficits Scotts Valley faces, it’s now time for the leadership of Scotts Valley to move in the same direction. The police and fire departments are the largest part of the budget, and public safety pensions are part of the reason for the current budget woes. Before any tax increases, our fiscal house should be put in order.
Michael Duffy, Scotts Valley