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Richard Fitzmaurice, Ark of Alameda County, said his organization serves approximately 400 area residents. All have intellectual and developmental disabilities and are transit dependent, which is why the Ark has joined the BeTogether Coalition in support of Measure B. Measure B improves transit connections for the people they serve, providing access to jobs, school and the community at large. The Plan goes a long way in removing this barrier to inclusion and he requested the Council's support in adding it to the ballot. Leslie Jones said the Plan represents yet another tax on consumers and businesses. She, like many other small business owners, is being taxed and regulated to death as is evidenced by the number of residents and businesses choosing to leave California. She stressed that if businesses and people continue to leave, the tax base shrinks and economic development is thwarted. She asked what plans are in place should the measure not make the ballot or receive the necessary votes. She asked if and Mayor Thorne confirmed that, the watchdog committee meetings are open to the public. She referred to Mr. Dau's earlier comment that the initial 20 year program was completed in 10 and asked what happens to the balance of funds that are still being collected. Judy Gallett, Citizens Alliance for Property Rights, cited several issues with the tax including its effective period. She said she was most concerned that decisions about how much funding Pleasanton will receive and for which projects is lest to unelected bureaucrats. She said that neither the Council, city staff, nor residents know exactly how much Pleasanton can expect to receive or when. She asked why the Council would support placing this on the ballot when the people of Pleasanton already voted "no" 18 months ago, failing to achieve even a simple majority. Fred Volking said the new Plan is yet another top-down measure in a time where bottom-up local control is what is needed. He said that all Pleasanton taxes should be collected by, stay in, and be managed by Pleasanton. If passed, the measure would saddle Alameda County shoppers with a tax rate 1% higher than Contra Costa County. He estimated that many would elect to shop outside the county in an effort to avoid these costs. David Miller said the Council is essentially being asked whether to raise taxes for Pleasanton citizens. An approval tonight says the Council approves of doubling the existing transportation tax to 1%, regardless of what voters feel. He said he found the agenda report lacked the kind of detailed financial information he would expect in any business transaction. He said he was particularly concerned with what portion of Measure B taxes paid by Pleasanton actually comes back to the city and estimated it to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10%. He noted that page 3 of the Plan indicates that 48% of tax revenues will be allocated to Bart and buses, but said that citizens are already paying a half cent sales tax for Bart. An additional 4% of collected revenues is allocated for community development based transit oriented development around Bart, only one of which is in Pleasanton. He asked why the public should support an increase in taxes to pay for the high density development that developers should pay for themselves. He said the Plan appears to primarily be a Bart, bus and developer bailout. He urged the Council to vote "no" and request that the ACTC return with a reasonable allocation plan that provides more local control. Celeste Paradise sang a parody of "America the Beautiful" which rebelled against the tyranny and burden that taxes place upon residents and consumers. Suzanne Tringali stated that the Plan allocates nearly $300 million to community development investments with a particular focus on transit oriented development. She questioned why a plan that should be focused on transportation is so skewed towards development. She provided a photo of one such development, noting what she called a cookie cutter design that fails to account for each community's unique character and distinct needs. She concurred that high density housing should be paid for by developers, not tax payers. She said she would like to know more about the criteria used by the CTC in considering any project put forth by the city. She encouraged the Council to vote "no" on the plan and its placement on the November ballot. City Council Minutes Page 14 of 17 May 20, 2014