On August 2, the Ontario City Council voted unanimously to place the City of Ontario Local Services Measure on the November 8, 2022, ballot so Ontario voters can decide whether to approve additional local funding to maintain as well as enhance City services.
If passed by a majority of Ontario voters, the City of Ontario Local Services Measure is estimated to generate an average of $95 million per year to ensure the delivery of essential services to its residents and businesses by taking the City’s sales tax from the current rate of 7.75% to 8.75%.
Neighboring cities – including Corona, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino, Montclair, Claremont, and Pomona – have an 8.75% sales tax rate or higher to fund services such as public safety, infrastructure maintenance and community programs.
All funds generated from the City of Ontario Local Services Measure would be used to benefit Ontario residents and businesses. The City has identified approximately $1.2 billion in unfunded infrastructure and neighborhood improvement projects that, over time, will become more expensive to address. New funding could be used for:
- Public Safety & 911 Emergency Response
- Local Drinking Water
- Storm Drains & Flood Control
- Parks, Recreation, & Community Beautification
- Homelessness & Mental Health
- City-Wide Fiber Internet Services
The measure will apply to visitors and shoppers from outside the City that purchase goods in Ontario. Exempt from the sales tax would be purchases such as groceries, medicine, medical and dental services, real estate, rent, utilities, personal service, and labor. In addition, the measure includes accountability provisions, such as public disclosure of all spending and annual financial audits.
The City will continue to engage all community members about the City of Ontario Local Services Measure and the impacts on City services if voters approve the measure. Please visit OntarioCA.gov/LocalServicesMeasure for more information about this measure and the November 8, 2022, election.