WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday placed the updated half-cent public safety sales tax on the March 3 ballot.
The vote was as contentious as the hour-and-a-half discussion. The decision passed 4-3, with Mayor pro-tem Rebecca Garcia and councilmembers Trina Coffman-Gomez and Ari Parker dissenting.
Those three council members were concerned with the short amount of time—a little more than three months—the city has to drum up support for the measure’s renewal, which would require two-thirds voter approval. They also saw the predicted high turnout for November’s presidential election as a positive and were wary of running alongside at least two other tax measures: Cabrillo College’s $274 million measure and the state’s $15 billion measure for schools.
Mayor Francisco Estrada and council members Felipe Hernandez, Aurelio Gonzalez and Lowell Hurst, however, sided with the recommendation of Godbe Research, the City’s hired consulting agency, which said the volatility and high emotions of the November election could spell out defeat despite higher voter turnout.
March’s special election will cost the City $40,000, according to staff.
Passed by voters in 2014 as Measure G, the public safety sales tax has raised roughly $4 million per year for the City’s fire and police departments, allowing both agencies to hire more employees, purchase more equipment and stabilize youth prevention programs.
The new measure—still unnamed—will give 8 percent of the sales tax to the Parks & Community Services Department after voters voiced support for the expansion of safe spaces for young people, according to city staff.
Police will receive 54 percent of sales tax, and fire will receive the remaining 38 percent.
The new ordinance also gives the City the ability to use the funds for possible future expansion of fire and police department operations as the community continues to grow. An independent third-party study will be conducted every decade—the first will be done by July of next year—to determine if expansion or changes in service are needed.
If approved, the measure would remain in place until repealed by voters.
