Though the names of incumbent Councilmembers Mark Hughes and Alan Schwartzman are on today’s ballot, they’re running unopposed.

But Benicians have two other city matters to settle when they go to the polls.

Measure B asks residents to decide whether they want the city treasurer, currently an elected post, to become an appointed official.

Measure C is a 1-cent sales tax increase that its supporters say would pay for certain city services that might become unaffordable without the additional revenue.

This year isn’t the first time citizens have been asked to vote on the question of the treasurer, historically an elected office.

In 1998, Benicia voters affirmed their desire to keep the treasurer an elected office. Since 2010, however, several treasurers have been appointed to fill vacancies that opened when an elected treasurer died in office.

The topic nearly overshadowed the treasurer election of 2011, when the eventual victor, Robert Langston, and his opponent, H.R. Autz, spent more time speaking in favor of keeping the office in place in Benicia’s government than they did on their own campaigns. The two often reminded the Council of the results of the 1998 election.

Current Treasurer Kenneth Paulk was appointed July 1 to succeed Autz, who died in office after being appointed Oct. 15, 2012, to succeed Langston, who died in office Aug. 25, 2012.

Prior to that, Benicia Administrative Assistant Teri Davena was appointed to complete the term of Margaret “Teddie” Bidou, who died in office Sept. 17, 2010.

After Autz’s death, the Council again began considering changing the position to an appointed one, ultimately deciding to let voters decide the matter today.

Measure B states, “The City Treasurer shall no longer be an elective official of the city of Benicia. From and after the expiration of the current City Treasurer’s term or upon earlier vacancy of the office of City Treasurer, the City Treasurer shall be appointed by the City Council.

“The City Treasurer so appointed shall hold office at the pleasure of the City Council and, notwithstanding Government Code Section 36502 to the contrary, is not required to be a resident or elector of the City.”

Voters will be asked after those statements, “Shall the office of City Treasurer be appointive?”

Paulk has seldom spoken on Measure B, except to say he would have preferred that voters be given the choice to check “appointed” or “elected,” rather than to decide yes or no on changing the position to an appointed one.

“Sort of leading in my book,” he said.

He called the treasurer position one of checks and balances, and he has spoken in favor of election, though the night the Council appointed him he acknowledged the job could go away.

(Read Ken Paulk’s oped on the issue by CLICKING HERE).

The Council has also sought the passage of Measure C, a 1-cent city sales tax increase, explaining that Benicia runs its own police department, fire department public library and water service, unlike most San Francisco Bay Area cities its size.

The Council has said via resolution and in an oped in this newspaper that without additional revenue, the city will be forced to consider cutting back on locally controlled services and contracting with Solano County or outside agencies to provide some services, including public safety services, low 9-1-1 response times, neighborhood police patrols and other crime-prevention measures, pothole repairs and programs for youth.

More money in city coffers could be used to improve public safety and the condition of city sidewalks and its 94 miles of streets and roads that have holes, buckled areas and other hazards; maintain its 31 municipal parks in safe conditions; keep city trees trimmed; and underwrite programs that assist the historic downtown and other community events as well as attract new businesses that could create jobs, according to the Council’s resolution.

Measure C is described in the approved resolution as both the Benicia Sales Tax Measure and the City of Benicia Quality of Life Measure. The tax itself is identified as a general purpose transactions and use sales tax.

Supporters point out the revenue raised by the tax increase would remain in Benicia to pay for those projects, accompanied by the authority to incur bonded indebtedness to accelerate infrastructure projects and require independent annual audits.

Because the tax increase isn’t for a single, specific project, Measure C could pass by a simple majority vote. In addition, general taxes are protected from state appropriation.

The new sales tax would become effective immediately should the measure pass. The tax can be repealed by a four-fifths vote of the Council or by voters in a subsequent election.

Benicia employees have joined the Council in urging passage of the measure, citing a decline in available state revenue, particularly for road repair, and deterioration in the condition of the city’s streets and roads, some of which — particularly in the Benicia Industrial Park — are so degraded they will need to be dug out and replaced.

Another safety project would be replacing the promenade railing on First Street.

The proposal to put the measure on the ballot drew few protests, and the Council has come out with a supportive statement in addition to its unanimous vote on the resolution.

But the measure has its opponents, too. During a candidates forum, both pro and con sides were described to the audience.

Some detractors have reminded voters that a penny increase in sales tax is a 13-percent tax hike, and have suggested city officials should have been saving for anticipated future needs and that they have expanded the number of employees and their salaries while the city, itself, has not grown.

Voters at the polls Tuesday also will choose three members of the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees. Three incumbents hoping to be returned to the panel are Steve Messina, Peter Morgan and Rosie Switzer.

Challenger Diane Ferrucci is seeking her first term on the board.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Voters can look up their precincts, determine their voting registration status, see a sample ballot and obtain information about candidates at the Solano County Registrar of Voters website, www.solanocounty.com/elections. Election results will be available online at http://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp.

State office election results will be available online at the California Secretary of State’s website, http://vote.sos.ca.gov.