City of Eureka Sales Tax Extension, Measure Q (November 2014)
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A City of Eureka Sales Tax Extension, Measure Q ballot question was on the November 4, 2014 election ballot for voters in the city of Eureka in Humboldt County, California. It was approved.
Measure Q authorized the city to continue a 0.5 percent general sales tax for five years beginning on July 1, 2016. The tax was a general tax, which means revenue from it was designed to go into the city's general fund to be used for any governmental purpose. This tax continued the sales tax rate in the city - 8.25 percent. Of this total, 7.5 percent was the total state-mandated sales tax rate, 0.25 percent was imposed by the city according to a separate city sales tax and 0.5 percent was set go to the city according to Measure Q. Without the approval of Measure Q, the total sales tax in the city would have dropped to 7.75 percent.[1][2]
This half-cent sales tax generated $4.1 million in revenue in the 2012-13 fiscal year.[1]
County voters also decided Measure Z in November, which also sought a half-cent sales tax. Since Measure Z and Measure Q were approved, the total sales tax rate for city residents was set to be 8.75 percent.[1]
Voters first approved this 1/2 cent sales tax in 2010 under the name Measure O.
Election results
| Eureka City Measure Q | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| 4,751 | 66.61% | |||
| No | 2,382 | 33.39% | ||
Election results via: Humboldt County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The question on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall the Eureka Municipal Code be amended to extend a one-half of one percent (0.50%) supplemental transaction and use tax to fund essential services such as police, fire medical response, street maintenance, environmental programs, zoo, parks and recreation with the following restrictions? The supplemental transaction and use tax will expire after five years, unless reauthorized by the voters. A citizen's oversight committee shall be established to conduct annual audits of all expenditures generated by the tax to ensure fiscal accountability and public participation.[3] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis was prepared for Measure Q:[1]
| “ |
This ballot measure, if adopted by the voters, would continue the one-half of one percent (1/2%) increase to the sales tax rate in the City of Eureka that was approved by the voters in 2010 through Measure O. This tax is a general purpose tax, and all revenue generated from the continuation of the proposed sales tax would be deposited into the City’s General Fund and, accordingly, all monies collected would be used by the City to pay for essential general City operations and services including police protection, fire suppression, emergency medical response, street maintenance, environmental programs, parks and recreation, and zoo operations. As such, this ballot measure proposes a “general purpose tax,” rather than a “special purpose tax,” and requires a simple majority vote for adoption. The proposed 1/2% sales tax would be levied in addition to the current sales tax and would be collected at the same time and in the same manner as the Measure O increase. Due to the passage of Measure O, the sales tax in Eureka is currently 8.25%. A yes vote would continue this sales tax rate in the City of Eureka. The current tax generated approximately $4.1 million this past fiscal year. Measure Q contains fiscal accountability provisions, which include the continuation of the citizen’s oversight committee, created by the City Council with the passage of Measure O, to annually review the City’s expenditure of the revenues generated by the tax. The composition of the oversight committee and its specific duties are established by the City Council. If approved by a majority of the voters at the November 4, 2014 election, the 1/2% sales tax would become operative on July 1, 2016 and would terminate after five (5) years. A “yes” vote is a vote to continue the increase in the sales tax rate in the City of Eureka by one-half of one per cent (1/2%) at 8.25%. A “no” vote is a vote to allow the sunset of Measure O reverting the sales tax rate in the City of Eureka to 7.75%.[3] |
” |
| —Cyndy Day-Wilson, Eureka City Attorney[1] | ||
Related measures
Humboldt County Sales Tax, Measure Z (November 2014)
City of Eureka Sales Tax Increase, Measure O (November 2010)
See also
- Sales tax in California
- Local sales tax on the ballot
- Humboldt County, California ballot measures
- November 4, 2014 ballot measures in California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Humboldt County Elections Office website, "Eureka City sample ballot for the November 4, 2014, election," accessed October 10, 2014
- ↑ Sale-tax.com, "Eureka, California, sales tax," accessed October 10, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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