To the Editor:
I am writing this letter in regards to last week’s letter.
I am sure I ruffled a few feathers but I felt that if I did not stand up for something so dear to my heart that it would mean that I did not care. Many of us in the community have passions that we want our kids to have the opportunity to experience. It could be music/ the arts (my personal favorite), athletics, farming, science, what ever it is we would like these to be part of our individual famlies lives. I have been told that the J.V athletics has already received notification that they may be next on the chopping block. Wow, you know if athletics really is up for cuts then things are bad.
I think that instead of just complaining, I think that we the city of Fillmore should do some thing about it. First let your voice be heard for your individual cause, and then be ready and willing to help. How can we do this? Volunteer often and not just the same people who do it all the time. Every one. If we all work together we can get thru this hard time. I would ask the district to help all who want to help by making it easer to do so. How? May be make it easer to voleenteer, find a way to help with the cost of finger printing so families can help teachers in the classrooms and on campus. Be open to new, unusual and difficult ideas that could help our schools. Many people in our community have been on one side or the other of the job cutting table and may be their ideas of what worked or didn’t work could help us (you). May be having a suggestion box for such ideas and feed back. In the past I worked retail and as hard as it is, feed back is necessary if you want support. I think getting feed back from not only adults but the students them selves. They are the one being directly affected on such matters. One suggestion that was suggested to me was how about the district takes half day Fridays off. Now I believe that this would cause a bit of hardship on the sites that remained open, but what if…all the school sites took half day off as well as the district. Many schools have late start or early release one day of the week; we could have them on the same day. This could possibly help parents who need day care by having older siblings take care of younger siblings. It would also mean….extra hours in the weekend. I think it is a possible win, win for every one. Citizens we need to help all these efforts, support the cause of your heart by buying just one of what ever they are selling, donated goods, support by volunteering. To those of you who already do this, Thank You!! If we lose valuable activities it will affect our town. People will move their kids to other schools, they may move the entire family, business will lose business, and houses will sit empty.
Working together and being willing to sacrifice together will make us stronger.
Sincerely
Kathy Pace

To the Editor:
It is a shame the Gazette editor failed to appear at the 3-6 council meeting. He would have received the hand-out which counters some of his comments in his 3-7 editorial.
For instance, he states, “That contract remains valid and enforceable, and was determined to be so when the city’s demur was upheld in court.” According to City Attorney, Ted Schneider, the City won on its demur, but Livermore & Industry appealed and the appellate court overturned the ruling and has sent the matter back to the trial court. Mr. did indicated he felt the complaint was moot on various issues; it is not a done deal by no means.
The editor is correct that “An agreement has been reached between the Board of Equalization staff and attorneys have agreed that from 2009 forward, sales tax generated by O&M belongs to Fillmore,” this matter has been appealed and is to be presented to the Board of the BOE who will make the final decision. It is not anticipated to be heard until sometime in 2013.
The Board denied Fillmore’s allocation of Burbank’s sales tax and the City was able to enter into an agreement with the BOE to repay the $645,000 we received in equal payments over a two-year period.
The City is not receiving sales tax dollars from the BOE. The BOE determined they “overpaid” us sometime back. They let our finance department know how much sales tax is earned every quarter from those businesses that are not in dispute - Rite Aid, Vons, etc. and we deduct that amount from the overpayment. Currently, that is about $680,000 a year or $170,000 quarter. I do not know the balance in that account. If it gets to zero, it is possible the City won’t receive any sales tax from the BOE until these 7 cases are completed.
At the meeting it was announced the City’s legal fees are approximately $550,000. Yes, if the City prevails in the Owens & Minor issue there could be an annual increase of the sales tax revenue of $700,000. This would continue until the agreements expire, are terminated, or Owens & Minor determine they no longer desire a sales office in Fillmore.
Time will only tell, and financially, Fillmore has very little of that.
Patti Walker