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City of Cotati Sales Tax Increase, Measure A (April 2010)
A City of Cotati Sales Tax Increase, Measure A ballot question was on the April 13, 2010 ballot for voters in the City of Cotati in Sonoma County, where it was approved.[1][2]
Measure A asked voters to hike their city sales tax by half-a-cent. The tax was set to end in 2015, unless voters approved an extension.[3] The tax applied to all transactions within city limits except groceries and prescriptions.[2]
The higher sales tax generated by Measure A was expected to bring in between $600,000 and $900,000 in annual revenue for the city.[1] It was placed on the ballot as the Cotati City Council declared in a 5-0 vote that Cotati was in a financial emergency. A unanimous declaration of a fiscal emergency was required to call a special election to increase city taxes. The city's report said that the fiscal situation it faced was such that "All basic quality-of-life services, including recreation, neighborhood services, community events, and similar public services commonly associated with municipal government will be eliminated" unless voters approve the tax.
Election results
| Measure A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 992 | 59.8% | ||
| No | 666 | 40.2% | ||
- These final, certified, election results are from the Sonoma County elections office.
Cotati's finances
- At the time of the election, the city said it faced "a combined operating and structural budget deficit of more than $750,000."
- The city also maintained that it had cut spending on salaries and programs by 33% since 2006.
Opponents
Opponents included:
- The Sonoma County Taxpayers' Association.[3]
- George Barich. When Barich was on the city council, he voted against declaring a fiscal emergency. He continued to oppose the tax hike. Since a unanimous vote of the city council was required to declare a fiscal emergency, if Barich had still been on the city council, this tax hike measure would not have gone on a special election ballot. Barich predicted that the sales tax hike measure would lose.
Cost of election
The cost of administering the special election was about $20,000.[1]
Footnotes
