The majority of those responding to this week’s Argus-Courier online poll about the sales tax increase that the Petaluma City Council is  currently considering, about 64 percent, said that they did not favor a sales tax increase of any kind.
The next highest percent favored a half-cent sales tax hike, while less than 3 percent favored an even higher tax.
If the city does propose a tax, 43 percent said that it should expire in less than five years, and 31 percent percent said it should expire in five years.
Only 5.2 percent thought it should last more than 10 years.
About 35 percent of those polled thought that the tax should be a special purpose tax, meaning that it would have to be spent on specific items. 18.9 percent thought it should be a general purpose tax, and 40 percent thought it should be neither.
Here were some of the comments of those responding to the poll.
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“I can’t afford to be taxed anymore and I’m sure there are many people who agree with me.”
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“A special purpose tax to fix our streets and streetlights would get my vote.”
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“Read our lips. No more new taxes. Barely making it as is.”
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“A specific tax to support police and fire. Not for pensions and benefits but to replace employees and reverse the existing reduction in service  — and subsequently, the reduction in our community’s safety.”
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“Most people have had to make adjustments to their budgets. More money often results in more waste and less accountability.”
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“I’m in support of a short term sales tax increase for road surface improvements. I’d also like to see a plan for how the money is to be spent and a final report on how it was actually spent.”
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“If a tax did pass I would prefer it went to fixing existing infrastructure such as roads. My fear though is if the tax passed, the council would figure out ways to make cuts to the existing road fund in order to fix other shortages, defeating the tax.”
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“No sales tax — I will attempt to vote out anyone who votes for this. Mike Harris for mayor?”
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“I think adding a sales tax as opposed to a property tax is the fair way to go.
Too often homeowners bear the burden and renters are exempt.”
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“Money limited to public safety, street paving and lighting, support for key non-profits such as the Committee on the Shelterless and the Petaluma People Services Center.”
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“Our city government has not proven that it can handle the funds it already has so I do not want to give them anymore of my hard earned money for them to waste.”
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“Tax should be directed at improving the conditions of our roads and adding additional police officers so that an officer can be assigned to the high schools to help control gang activity which is on the rise.”
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“The city council has done nothing to increase city revenues.
A tax is just plain wrong when there has been no attempt to improve the financial health of the city. Tax and spend must stop.”
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“The city council has done nothing to increase city revenues. A tax is just plain wrong when there has been no attempt to improve the financial health of the city. Tax and spend must stop.”
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“Wages aren’t going up. No tax increases.”
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“Fix roads, fix lights.”
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