City of Ceres Hotel Tax Increase, Measure E (November 2015)
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| Measure info Amount: Increase to 10% |
A measure to increase the hotel tax was on the ballot for Ceres voters in Stanislaus County, California, on November 3, 2015. It was approved.
The measure raised the Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel tax) from five percent to ten percent, with the increase becoming operative on July 1, 2016. Measure E was designed to put tax revenue into the city's general fund to be used for any government purpose.[1]
The city's hotel tax was first imposed in 1964 and had been last updated in 1971. In previous years, the tax brought in about $70,000 annually. City Manager Toby Wells estimated the approval of Measure E would approximately double this revenue.[2]
City residents had last voted on the Ceres hotel tax in 2002, when they rejected the proposed increase to 8 percent, with 55 percent of electors voting against the measure.[2]
Election results
| Ceres, Measure E | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 1,571 | 57.82% | ||
| No | 1,146 | 42.18% | ||
- Election results from Stanislaus County Elections Department
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall an ordinance be adopted amending the City’s Municipal Codeto increase the City’s existing Transient Occupancy Tax, which is charged to occupants of hotels and motels, from five percent (5%) to ten percent (10%) at the rent charged by the hotel or motel? [3] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of Measure E was prepared by the office of the Ceres city attorney:
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The City of Ceres City Council has placed Measure E on the ballot to ask the voters of Ceres if they should raise the current Transient Occupancy Tax (“TOT”) from five percent (5%) to ten percent (10%). If approved by a majority of the voters, the increase would become operative on or about July 1, 2016. Currently, the City of Ceres imposes a five percent (5%) TOT. The TOT applies to guests who stay at commercial lodging establishments (hotels, motels, inns or vacation homes) for less than thirty (30) days. Each patron pays five percent of the base amount being charged for the accommodation. The TOT would not be paid by a Ceres resident unless they stayed at a commercial lodging establishment for less than thirty (30) days. The current TOT was adopted in 1964, and thus hasn’t been increased for over 50 years. Measure E proposes to raise the rate to 10%, an amount consistent with the other local cities in the area. The money would continue to be placed in the City’s General Fund and used for providing city services. [3] |
” |
| —Tom Hallinan, city attorney of the city of Ceres[1] | ||
Path to the ballot
Measure E was put on the ballot by a vote of the Ceres City Council.[2]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ceres Hotel Tax Increase Measure E. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Local hotel tax on the ballot
- Stanislaus County, California ballot measures
- November 3, 2015 ballot measures in California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Stanislaus County Elections, "Ceres sample ballot for election on November 3, 2015," accessed October 5, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ceres Courier, "Explaining Ceres' Two Measures," October 21, 2015
- ↑ 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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