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The San Ramon City Council is set to review a draft sales tax measure that could be placed on the ballot in this November’s election following a presentation on the possibility last month and subsequent discussion.
City staff prepared the draft ballot language on the agenda for the upcoming meeting at the direction of the council at its June 25 meeting, following a presentation on the likelihood of such a measure passing and a substantial discussion in both the public comment portion of the meeting and the council’s deliberation.
Councilmembers voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare a draft ballot measure calling for a 1% sales tax increase for 10 years, and including language to facilitate citizen oversight of the funds generated should the measure pass.
The language prepared for the proposed ballot measure says that the purpose of the measure would be to provide funding for the city’s existing services and programs that are valued by residents, including public safety, road improvements, park maintenance and community gathering spaces and events.
The measure would bring in an estimated $16 million in funding for the city annually during its 10-year duration, and would be “subject to public review, annual audits, and all funds benefitting San Ramon,” according to the draft measure.
The need for additional revenue in the city has become increasingly apparent in recent months, following a number of council meetings and community events aimed at providing information on the $17.6 million shortfall overall facing the city during the budgeting process for the current fiscal year, with the final budget approved June 25 including $8.1 million in cuts across the city’s services and departments.
In addition to the draft ballot measure, city staff have prepared an FAQ on the proposed sales tax increase including background on the city’s financial outlook.
“In particular, the City’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget required implementing a number of strategies to balance a $17 million shortfall,” city staff wrote in the FAQ prepared for the upcoming meeting. “Those strategies included cuts to library hours, staffing cuts across the City to include Police Services, and deferring maintenance projects to the City’s facilities, streets, and roads.”
“The City explored revenue enhancement options that included a comprehensive fee schedule analysis that resulted in increasing cost recovery of city services of $1.5 million annually,” they continued. “The City prides itself on fully funding its obligations that include critical infrastructure maintenance funding, roadway improvements, and quality parks and sports field annual maintenance.”
According to data reviewed in the June 25 presentation and a majority of speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting, San Ramon voters are projected to be in favor of a sales tax measure.
“Surveying the community was an important first phase in determining community sentiment, overall satisfaction of quality of life and the viability of a revenue measure,” Deputy City Manager Scott Koll wrote in a staff report prepared for the upcoming meeting. “Based on the survey results, the City Council chose to continue pursuing a revenue measure and continue with public engagement and outreach.”
Although the measure could go a long way towards addressing the city’s financial challenges if passed, placing it on the ballot would mean increased spending estimated between $125,000 and $200,000 in addition to the $110,000 already budgeted for this year’s municipal election.
The San Ramon City Council is set to meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (July 9). The agenda is available here.
In other business
*The council is set to issue a proclamation recognizing the contributions of retired public works director Maria Fierner following the appointment of Brian Bornstein as her successor last month.
*The council is set to continue labor negotiations with employees of the San Ramon Police Department in closed session following the public meeting.
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Just what we need… more taxes. As if escalating inflation impacting everyday life isn’t bad enough… Perhaps government should tighten their belts and spend OUR money on us rather than some of their agendas. Just my opinion.