THOUSAND OAKS : Schillo Asks County to Increase Services

Complaining that Thousand Oaks taxpayers often end up subsidizing less affluent cities, Councilman Frank Schillo is urging the Board of Supervisors to spend money from a countywide half-cent sales tax on services that benefit Thousand Oaks, at least indirectly.

Voters approved a permanent extension of the sales tax last fall. The money, which was earmarked for public safety, will help fund additional staff or equipment for the Sheriff’s Department, and the public defender and district attorney’s offices.

Because Thousand Oaks maintains a separate contract with the Sheriff’s Department to provide police services in city limits, the city will not benefit directly if the county uses the money to hire more deputies or buy more patrol cars for other areas, Schillo said.

In a speech before the City Council late Tuesday, he said Thousand Oaks officials should lobby for the money to be spent on programs that would help the city indirectly--such as lowering the crime rate in nearby unincorporated areas. “We should try for the whole county to be classified as No. 1 in safety,” Schillo said.

Schillo, who is expected to announce today that he is running for the Board of Supervisors, said he figures that Thousand Oaks will contribute fully 25% of the county’s receipts from the half-cent sales tax.

“You’ve got to realize that in addition to paying for all our own police services,” Councilman Alex Fiore said, “we have the privilege of paying for protection in other cities. It seems only fair that of the money earmarked for public safety, something should be in the pot to benefit the city of Thousand Oaks.”