City Officials, Residents Must Solve Problem Together

OK, so no one in Menifee wants more taxes. Check.

No one in Menifee wants more crime. Check.

Now what?

Crime is on the rise, and the number of police officers isn't. It's not that people are scared to walk the streets at night, but some of them are scared to leave their car there overnight. Too many have gone out the next morning to find it missing -- or missing valuables. Thieves are casing houses. Police are catching drug dealers during routine traffic stops.

The situation isn't horrible yet, but who wants to wait until is? We need more cops, and more cops takes more money. So what is Menifee to do?

Here are some options:

1. Stop building more houses to keep the population from even more severely outgrowing the police force.

Not gonna happen, so forget about it. Too much property already committed to too many developers. Nope, we have to deal with it another way.

2. Tell the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to stick it and create your own police force.

Build your own department headquarters? Buy and maintain your own squad cars? Manage the officers' retirement plans? Um, you think the city is threatening more taxes now? Forget about it.

3. Build a wall around the city.

Nope, not gonna happen. No such Trump tactics around here. The creeps are creepy, but they're allowed in until they're caught in the act. It's Menifee's job to keep things safe.

4. Move some of that money many folks are saying is being "wasted" in other parts of the city's budget to the section of the budget that pays for Sheriff's Department coverage.

Sounds easier than it is. You still have to fund all other essential services in the city. The Sheriff's Department, with which the city contracts for police service, already gets 38 percent of the general fund. How much, if any, can you take away from other categories of the budget?

City officials' answer would be "none." The man on the street's answer might likely be "let's find out." There seems to be a disagreement there. Or is it just a lack of communication?

That brings us to option No. 5 -- the one we believe should be the first option pursued in this process of figuring out how to pay for more police services.

5. Improve transparency by finding a better way for city officials and residents to understand each other, exchange opinions and share ideas.

Menifee residents will never be given the power to have a major influence on city policy decisions. That doesn't happen anywhere. However, residents can make more informed decisions during city elections if they better understand how tax dollars are spent and whether they can trust elected officials and city staff. If the proposed 1 percent sales tax to help fund public safety is put on the November ballot with any chance of passing, the residents must have confidence that tax dollars are being well spent.

Judging from comments received on our Facebook page on several city issues, many residents do not trust Menifee city officials. In their defense, city officials have City Council meetings twice a month where residents can witness important decisions being made -- and very few residents accept the invitation. And regarding the budget? Well, a 206-page detailed budget report is available for study on the city's website.

Here's the problem as residents try to form an opinion on how additional police coverage should be funded:

Yes, City Council meetings provide residents three minutes each to state their opinions during public comments, but asking questions is pointless. Council members legally cannot answer, so there is zero chance of discussion across the dais. And the problem with that 206-page budget report? It's 206 pages. Who can figure that out without an accountant?

Actually, the best discourse between residents and city officials has come on Menifee 24/7 Facebook threads. Residents have left so many critical comments regarding city issues reported here, at least two city staff members and one city council member have begun responding with comments of their own.

So here's the idea: Why not have a public forum sponsored by Menifee 24/7 in which city staff members address residents' concerns without any three-minute time limit or Brown Act? Give the city manager or appointed representative the opportunity to explain budget items in a manner the Average Joe will understand. At the same time, let the residents respond and ask questions to which they can actually get answers. It shouldn't be sponsored by the City, nor should it be sponsored by any citizens' group. We'll do it.

Maybe then, residents will feel better prepared to decide in November whether to vote in favor of a 1 percent sales tax increase to help fund additional police officers -- assuming the council approves such a ballot measure at its meeting Wednesday night.

In a poll being conducted by Menifee 24/7, 61 percent of the more than 400 people responding have indicated they are not in favor of a 1 percent sales tax increase to help fund public safety. That is in stark contrast to the first results of a survey of residents conducted by a private consulting group hired by the City, which indicated 55 percent of about 400 people responding would be in favor of the tax increase (updated results are due at Wednesday's council meeting).

Why the disparity? The City would argue that Menifee 24/7's poll "is not a scientific voter poll." True. We don't have $25,000 to spend on a reader poll, as the City budgeted for its phone survey. We also didn't fill our survey with several other questions asking residents about their opinions of Menifee -- including whether they feel safe here and even a question regarding the length of the mayor's elected term (relevant in this context?) We wanted the answer to one key question, plain and simple.

In short, we still don't know how the majority of residents feel about a tax increase in this case. So let the City Council put the question on the November ballot for the voters to decide. But use language in the ballot measure that states revenue from that sales tax increase can be used only to pay for police services -- not to be added to a road project or anything else. And between now and the election, let's set up a format for face-to-face communication among those who really want to find a proper solution.