Local News Comments

Did these "county leaders" consider asking the people who live here first?
Shouldn't there be a vote on this? It's OUR money...
Also, with us a million and a half in the hole (AGAIN), shouldn't we really be tightening our wallet?

I want Railtown to stay open..but not at the expense of cutting some of the safety net for senior citizens...kids, crime prevention, etc.

I guess the board is planning on Pedro creative accounting to come up with the money, or did they not read we are broke. Enough is enough no more county money to fund a state project. Better yet we can move the new justice center to railtown since we don't have the funds to complete that either.

The majority of people that wrote or spoke about their opposition to Measure C seemed to be against the type of tax (TOT) rather than the closure of Railtown. Was consideration given to an increase in sales tax (both in the Sonora City Limits and the County)that would be earmarked for Railtown and the Fairgrounds? This would require two separate ballot measures. I understand this was done recently in Modesto as a way to keep their libraries open. A sales tax would be spread throughout the population-residents and visitors-which should be less objectionable than targeting a certain group of people. It must be kept in mind that the tourism $$ (Millions) brought in by Railtown & Fairgrounds fuels the economy in Tuol. Cty. as a whole. Without them, TC could well become a ghost town....

Measure C had a few issues...

1: The money generated went to the general fund. It was not guaranteed to go to Railtown or the Fairgrounds. It could have been used for anything.

2: There was no cap on the tax. So if somebody rented a house boat for a week, you end up being charged nearly $1000 in taxes. It needed to be X-Percent, not to exceed X-Dollars.

3: Most of the public was not very well informed as to how it would exfect them. Most people see tax and say "NO WAY" without even caring how much it would effect them.

Correction to my previous post - Sonora and surrounding towns/communities could well become ghost towns.....

I can't believe they would ever consider it. The sheriff is saying that they can not even guarantee the safety of the people to tuolumne county. The schools cannot keep there doors open and the county is thinking about spending that kind of money on some old train! really!!! I understand that the county makes money from tourism. well start charging people how want to see it for the up keep. $20 a person to get in. If that does not work then maybe they should close it.

Don't worry! The state is unleashing the BOE, they will go door to door in every city and town to make sure people in business are collecting sales tax, have resale permitts and licenses to conduct business. If not a huge fine. Beware the tax man cometh! The Brown shirts are coming.

Stuka's #1 reason is why i would never vote for it....if they put a can out there for donations, i would drop a 20 into it when i pass by, that way i know the park is getting the money.

As long as it can survive on the free market, and using donations from people who think it's important, more power to them. Just stay out of my pockets when I pay taxes and when I camp.

Nancy, TC and surrounding counties have too many people. They'll never be in danger of being ghost towns, unfortunately.
Second, the opposition to TOT tax is part of a general tax revolt. They (we) certainly won't support using our local tax money to keep Rail town open. You know, in a bad economy, no more unnecessary welfare.

I cannot believe that mymotherlode would write about Railtown and leave out the fact that the Board of Supervisors is about to cut Public Safety even more. Are you a victim? Good luck getting any assistance or warning if the person who victimized you is released from prison/jail. If you live in Groveland or Pinecrest good luck getting a Deputy to respond to you if you're in trouble.

Shame on you mymotherlode for writing about a stupid train and not informing the citizens of Tuolumne how unprotected they are about to be!

If it can't be financially solvent on it's own or with the help of private donors, then shut 'er down.
It is not the duty of government to provide us with entertainment paid for with tax dollars taken from us to begin with.

The people of this county voted down a tax that taxed someone else and yet our county leaders are considering subsidizing this.

Typical.

@Nancy, Unfortunately, The people you are wanting to tax for your projects are the same that have seen their taxes squandered by the same democratically controlled bureaucracy that has abandoned Railtown and the Fairgrounds.

To ask that the people of Tuolumne County or even those visiting TC to now pickup the tab for the failures of the State to properly administer these State run facilities is inconceivable to many of us. Get over it and stop with the fear mongering. Sonora and Jamestown may well become ghost towns but it won't be for a lack of tourist attractions, it'll be because Sacramento has bled us dry.

If a private solution can't make these places work, how in heck would an inefficient quasi government solution work ?

I suspect that the State running Railtown is 90% of the problem. If the park was owned and managed locally, I think you would see a big improvement in the way it is marketed, for a start. When was the last time a movie was shot there - 2003? It's a very undeveloped asset, in my humble opinion.

I'm not fear mongering. I too am outraged at the waste and abuse by our state/federal legislators of our hard earned money. How do we correct that? We the People must be proactive in finding and electing people to office who understand they SERVE We the People. We must than be proactive and follow the actions/words of our elected officials, communicate with them actively on the issues and hold them accountable by either reelecting them for a job well done or voting them out. Of course, it would help greatly if We the People also look beyond ourselves, regain our love of country and once again commit to the USA being the best and brightest country in the world. Oh, BTW, the people in California voted to create the state park system over 100 years ago & fund the parks with our tax money.

To me this whole debate seems pretty silly. We are supposed to have a free market system, not a free entertainment system. Simply take the operating budget of the park, divide it by the average number of visitors over the last few years and charge this amount as an entrance fee. Private donations could be used to make up any year-to-year shortfalls and "heaven forbid" if the enterprise should make a profit, save it for a rainy day. If the people who want to use it will not pay for it, then it should be closed down.

...continuing. The situation is what it is. We must find solutions or 'work arounds' to the situation that will allow the millions of people who visit our state parks to continue to do so. I believe the solutions must be a blend of state/local legislation and private concerns. If you buy a membership to Railtown, the money stays at Railtown. The same goes for donations. Many of you who have written comments don't have an interest in Railtown. I don't hold that against you. In return, I'd appreciate your not holding it against those of us to do appreciate and value Railtown's history and contribution to the economy of Tuol. Cty.
Thank you.

TripleT

Nancy works for the govt. Want to bet? This probably falls under her purview, and not to be mean to nancy...I think nancy is GREAT!
BUT govt and politicians are elected...or work in an area...and they PANDER to that area, instead of the general good or the general good of the nation first.
It's just how it is I guess (sigh).
I love Railtown, but having the govt REPEATEDLY try to sneak around the will of the people.....
Measure C was voted down...so they try it another way....
it's like a state proposition where no is yes and yes is no...
because they think we are idiots...and need to be milked.

Triple T:

Well said!

Nancy...next thing you know...moonbeam will be appointing local officials!...
oh! he is.
Even the fair officials.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR:(

ambiensleep

what exactly are they doing?

kevinb 06/20/2012 08:25:25
The people of this county voted down a tax that taxed someone else and yet our county leaders are considering subsidizing this.

Typical.

They aren't leaders, but leaches. Every time something like this comes up, my trust in the belief of honest officials, goes down the toilet.

TripleT

Run for supervisor. Very cogently said...and you seem to know who some of the people in the background are, and what they are doing.