CLEARLAKE — The City Council made it official Thursday: a sales tax measure for road improvements and code enforcement will go before the city”s voters in November.
With a two-thirds majority vote needed from the council, the measure got the necessary four votes to put the proposed 1-percent sales tax increase on the ballot, with Mayor Jeri Spittler casting the no vote.
The council voted the same way two weeks ago when the ordinance was introduced, and Spittler needed a second councilmember to join her this time to keep the measure off the ballot.
The rest of the council argued that the city was in dire need of funding to salvage its deteriorating system of roads, and that the general election in November was the best option to get the measure passed.
“We need to take back our city and roads,” Councilmember Joyce Overton said. “We need to be self-sufficient.”
“Our streets are getting to the point where we can”t delay any longer,” Councilmember Joey Luiz said, referring to suggestions that the city hold off until a possible special election in January, when it would share ballot costs if the effort to recall Frank Rivero qualifies with enough signatures.
The city expects to pay $28,000 to put the measure on the November ballot.
The measure, nearly identical to Measure G that narrowly failed last November, will once again require a two-thirds majority of votes to pass, but proponents believe the additional time and a more concerted effort to educate the public will help get it passed.
If passed, the measure will raise approximately $1.4 million a year, according to proponents, with two-thirds going to road maintenance and one-third to code enforcement.
Spittler argued the $28,000 cost isn”t worth the gamble and that the city staff report on the measure doesn”t get into enough details. She also said that putting the measure back on the ballot in a non-presidential election a year after the voters rejected it “doesn”t feel comfortable for me.”
Rich Mellott is staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. He can be reached at 263-5636, ext. 14 or rmellott@record-bee.com.
