The Sacramento city council is considering a measure for the November ballot that would increase the local sales tax. This comes as a new poll shows that Sacramento city residents would support the tax if it went to fund core city services and public safety.
The poll, which was commissioned by city manager John Shirey showed that roughly 70 percent of voters would be in favor of the new sales tax. However, the Mayor has already announced his resistance to the move, potentially creating an inter-council or inter-city showdown.
Sacramento has already gone through several consecutive years of significant cuts due to budget constraints. Most recently, the public was told that as many as 60 police officers and three dozen firefighters would lose their jobs should the city need to make additional cuts. While this measure would not be approved until several months into the next fiscal year, it could save some of those currently on the chopping block.
The proposed increase of .5 percent would bring the city’s tax rate to 8.25 percent.
From the Sacramento Bee:
Citing a new poll that shows a strong majority ofSacramento residents support a local sales tax hike to fund core city services, the City Council on Tuesday directed staff to move forward with exploring a tax measure for the November ballot.
While council members are not expected to make a final decision on placing a tax measure on the ballot until July, their expressions of support for such a measure Tuesday sets up a potential showdown with Mayor Kevin Johnson, who said earlier in the day he was not inclined to support a tax measure.
Read the full article here.