Alturas, California, Measure L, Sales Tax (November 2018)
| Measure L: Alturas Sales Tax |
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|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 6, 2018 |
| Status: |
 Defeated
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| Topic: |
| Local sales tax |
| Related articles |
| Local sales tax on the ballot November 6, 2018 ballot measures in California Modoc County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Alturas, California |
A sales tax was on the ballot for Alturas voters in Modoc County, California, on November 6, 2018. It was defeated.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the city to enact a 0.5 percent sales tax to provide additional funding for fire protection, law enforcement, and nuisance abatement purposes. |
| A no vote was a vote against authorizing the city to enact a 0.5 percent sales tax to provide additional funding for fire protection, law enforcement, and nuisance abatement purposes. |
Election results
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Alturas, California, Measure L, Sales Tax (November 2018) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 398 | 46.82% | ||
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452 | 53.18% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[1]
| “ |
City of Alturas Public Safety Stabilization Fund Measure. In order to provide funding supplemental to city general funds for fire protection, law enforcement, and nuisance abatement purposes, shall the City of Alturas enact a one-half percent sales tax?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Alturas City Attorney:
| “ |
The City Council of the City of Alturas has placed Measure L on the November 6, 2018 ballot to ask the voters to approve an ordinance that would enact a temporary one-half percent (0.50%) sales tax within the City. If approved, the tax would add one-half cent to the price of an item that costs one dollar. Sales taxes are levied on the sale or use of “tangible personal property" sold at retail. Retailers collect the tax at the time of sale and remit the funds to the State Board of Equalization, which administers the tax. The tax on retail sales in Alturas is now 7.25% of the purchase price. Currently 6% of sales tax goes the State of California, .25% goes to the Modoc County transportation funds, and 1% goes to the City of Alturas. This Measure, if approved by the voters, would authorize an additional one-half percent sales tax (.5%) (officially referred to as a "transactions and use" tax) which would increase the total sales tax rate on retail sales in Alturas from 7.25% to 7.75%. California law (Government Code $8 50075.1) requires that 1. special tax proceeds be applied only to the specific purposes identified, 2. an account be created into which the proceeds shall be deposited and 3. that an annual report be provided pursuant to Section 50075.3 that contains the amount of funds collected and expended and the status of any project required or authorized to be funded as identified in subdivision (a) of Section 50075.1. Therefore, the revenue generated would be held in a new public safety fund and used only for police, fire, and nuisance abatement services and not used or borrowed against for other purposes. A citizen's oversight committee in an advisory capacity will review and verify that the funds are used for only the stated public safety purposes and report to the Alturas City Counsel who will make all final decisions. City financial statements will be made available through public meetings to disclose collection and expenditure of funds. The City of Alturas under current law and city policy will have an independent auditor to audit the fund with other City funds and prepare an annual publicly available report reviewed at a public meeting on the collection, management, and spending of revenue from the tax, which may be reviewed by the oversight committee. Funding from the sales tax would be limited to 50% additional funding to the Fire Department for purchase of equipment, 10% for Nuisance Abatement, and 40% for the Police Department to primarily fund a School Resource Officer and the position of a Police Department Investigator if there is sufficient revenue. A “Yes” vote is a vote to approve the enactment of the one half percent tax. A “No” vote is a vote against the tax. This Measure would be approved if two-thirds of those voters who vote approve the measure by voting “yes.” [2] |
” |
| —Alturas City Attorney[3] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Alturas, California.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ County of Modoc, "Resolution No. #2018-20," accessed October 18, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ County of Modoc, "Impartial Analysis Language of Measure L," accessed October 18, 2018
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