(October 17, 2008) -- LB Mayor Bob Foster has acknowledged that the proceeds of City Hall's proposed parcel property tax (Measure I), although legally restricted to infrastructure, could be used to backfill/reimburse the General Fund for infrastructure items...and a Council majority could then spend the net General Fund results spent for infrastructure or non-infrastructure items.

Asked by an audience member at last night's (Oct. 16) Cal Hts. Neighborhood Ass'n meeting at the Petroleum Club about a possible Gen'l Fund backfill/reimbursement first reported by LBReport.com, the Mayor said he'd veto any Council attempt to do this "as long as I'm Mayor," contended the sum at issue is $2.1 million and called LBReport.com's report "misleading."

[LBReport.com's story didn't cite a $2.1 million sum or any sum; we believe the amount is disputed and we haven't yet confirmed a sum to our satisfaction.]

LBReport.com has transcribed the Mayor's response below. We pressed the "record" button on our recorder a few words after the audience member began asking his question.

[begin transcript]

Audience member: [refers to LBReport.com report]...the amount that it's going to affect the General Fund...

Mayor Foster: [...interrupts question to respond] It's $2.1 million. Let me respond to that because I think it was misleading in LBReport[com] and I want to address that. Here's the deal. OK?

Everybody says, well is this thing dedicated? Yes, it is dedicated. It cannot be used for anything else but infrastructure, and go talk, I'll get you a letter from the City Attorney and I'll be happy to do that.

But what Mr. Pearl was talking about is there's $2.1 million in the General Fund and in fact if this passes that this Council or a future Council could use that money for something else, rather than infrastructure, the money going today for infrastructure used for something else.

That's true. That's representative government. That's true.

If the Council decided to take the $2.1 million for sidewalks and use it for something else, they could do that.

That will not happen as long as I'm Mayor, and I don't believe this Council will do that. But that is the only risk. and that is the only thing in the criticisms I've heard that actually is valid.

But you've got to believe that this Council, after you vote for this, is going somehow to thumb their noses at the public and take $2 million and use it for something else.

It will not happen on my watch. I will veto any attempt to do that and I have a strong veto at this point; it would take six Councilmembers to override that.

But I don't think that is a serious risk and I will tell you and I don't think that that's realistic. That is the only risk you're facing...

Developing.