• A parcel tax to fund the library, to contribute $1.1 million annually.

• Increases of 0.25 percent for the city’s sales and business license taxes, which he said would raise about $1.9 million a year.

• A local 1% increase in the transient occupancy tax imposed on hotel rooms, which he said would raise $450,000 each year.

• By increasing the number of short-term rental licenses the city allows from 25 to 50, which Barak said would generate about $350,000 in revenue for the city TOT.

With these adjustments, Barak is also proposing a reduction in real estate transfer taxes that the St. Helena City Council put on the Nov. 5 ballot for approval, which is expected to raise about $4.8 million annually. The cuts, he wrote on his campaign website, would reduce the impact on middle-class families in St. Helena. The proposed adjustments, which he said would cut revenue by about half, would include:

• Reduce the proposed 1.5% tax on real estate sales between $1 million and $5 million to a 0.5% tax on sales between $2 million and $5 million.

• Reduce the proposed 3% tax on sales over $5 million to a 1% tax.

• Sales under $2 million would be exempt from the tax, instead of sales under $1 million.

Regarding the city’s water problems, Barak said he would like the city to join a countywide water agency, an idea being explored by the Napa County Local Agency Formation Commission to help reduce costs. Currently, he said, the high cost of water is pushing the middle class out of St. Helena, impacting the community and school district.

Mayoral race

The St. Helena mayoral race pits the city’s current mayor, who is seeking re-election at the end of his first two-year term, and a current council member who is still in his first four-year term .

Mayor Paul Dohring, 63, served on the city council for eight years before being elected mayor in 2022, when he won with 54.16% of the vote against his colleague Eric Hall, a margin of 132 votes.

His challenger this year, Billy Summers, won his first term on the city council in this 2022 race. He received the second most votes among three candidates with 25.55%, well below 1,269 votes – about 55% of the vote – won by then-incumbent Anna Chouteau, but 130 votes above candidate Amy Beaudine.

Dohring, a land use and real estate attorney for 36 years and a Napa Valley resident for about 34 years, describes himself as an “old school” politician, with public service as one of his fundamental values.

“It’s much larger than St. Helena,” Dorhing said. “The feeling of giving back to your community, helping people live their lives, improving people’s lives, especially people from more humble circumstances.”

Dohring added that he believes the city has a “pretty cohesive” city council that is committed to working toward eight stated goals, including strengthening the city’s fiscal resilience, improving infrastructure, water safety and much more. Two years, he said, is not enough time to see the work done to achieve these goals bear fruit.

He said St Helena is a unique city, given the breadth of services it offers to its population of around 5,000. That includes an independent library, a police department and a fire department, Dohring said.

But maintaining economic viability while continuing to provide the service the community demands is difficult, he explained, and that has led to the budgetary problems the city currently faces.

“I don’t think people want to give up what they have,” Dohring said. “And so it’s up to government leaders to try to find a way to make that happen.” »

Under this pressure, Dohring said he believes the City Council has likely served the community poorly in the past by underinvesting in areas like water infrastructure, which have emerged as major problems in recent years.

Infrastructure problems tend to be hidden, Dohring said, and St. Helena is certainly not alone in discovering such problems and then needing funds to make repairs or improvements.

But there is a need to rebuild trust in the community, he said, not overpromise.

“I think I can help bridge that gap in our community,” Dohring said. “I’m sure there are people who look at me and say ‘hey, that’s not my cup of tea.’ That’s good, but they know what they’re going to get with me. I’m not an empty suit and I don’t make empty promises.

Summers, 50, is a music producer, cinematographer and former professional snowboarder and has resided in St. Helena for about 15 years. He said his campaign focused largely on the need for more transparency, an issue he said is linked to the city’s various other issues.

“We are facing financial and budgetary issues that simply go beyond what has been withheld, captured and monitored,” Summers said.

Summers — who also served on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission — said he’s still new to politics, but he’s a quick learner and public service has become his passion.

To help improve transparency — and counterbalance what he sees as the council’s overreliance on city staff — he advocated for the creation of a citizen-led financial oversight committee and a water and wastewater.

“We need to be transparent and honest about what’s going on so we can solve the problem as a community,” Summers said. “We cannot hide behind the old closed doors of governance. »

You can reach staff writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or [email protected].