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Watsonville, California, Measure O, Hotel Tax Increase (November 2018)
| Measure O: Watsonville Hotel Tax Increase |
|---|
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 6, 2018 |
| Status: |
 Approved
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| Topic: |
| Local hotel tax Expires in: No expiration |
| Related articles |
| Local hotel tax on the ballot November 6, 2018 ballot measures in California Santa Cruz County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Watsonville, California |
A measure to increase the hotel tax was on the ballot for Watsonville voters in Santa Cruz County, California, on November 6, 2018. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the hotel tax (also known as the Transient Occupancy Tax) in Watsonville from 11 percent to 12 percent to fund general city purposes. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the hotel tax in Watsonville from 11 percent to 12 percent to fund general city purposes. |
Election results
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Watsonville Measure O |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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8,044 | 75.49% | ||
| No | 2,612 | 24.51% | ||
-
- Results are officially certified.
- Source
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[1]
| “ |
To protect the quality of life in Watsonville by supporting police, fire, emergency services, parks and recreation, economic development, job creation, and essential city services; shall the City of Watsonville be authorized to levy an additional one percent of Transient Occupancy Tax on people staying at lodging facilities in the City? [2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Watsonville City Attorney:[3]
| “ |
Article 3 of Chapter 6 of Title 3 of the Watsonville Municipal Code levies a 11% transient occupancy tax on each hotel or motel guest in the City. This ballot measure, if approved by City voters, would increase Watsonville’s transient occupancy tax from 11% to 12% of the room rent charged by the hotel or motel operator. The City Council voted to approve the proposed tax but it can only go into effect if approved by a majority of voters (1 more than 50%) at the November 6, 2018, election. This Transient Occupancy Tax is a general tax meaning that all tax revenue is deposited in the City's General Fund and is available to pay for the costs of all City operations and programs including police and fire protection, parks and recreation programs, economic and employment development, and essential City services. This ballot measure therefore proposes a "general tax" rather than a "special tax" and requires a simple majority (1 more than 50% of those voting) to pass. Many hotel/motel guests are tourists or City visitors. Therefore, much of the increased tax revenue from this measure, if adopted by the voters, would come from non-City residents. Revenue will pay for municipal services to these visitors while here and to City residents. A “Yes” vote will increase the tax from 11% to 12%. A “No” vote will leave the tax unchanged at 11%. The above statement is an impartial analysis of the proposed Transient Occupancy Tax Increase Ordinance.[2] |
” |
| —Watsonville City Attorney | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a unanimous (7-0) vote of the Watsonville City Council on July 10, 2018.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 County of Santa Cruz, "Local Measures on the November 6, 2018 Ballot," accessed August 14, 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 Santa Cruz, "Measure O," accessed August 22, 2018
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