Martinez Sales Tax Measure On City Council Agenda

MARTINEZ, CA — Placing a half-cent sales tax to help pay for basic local government on the Nov. 6 election ballot will be considered Monday night by the Martinez City Council. The council has scheduled a public hearing on the sales tax proposal at its special meeting Monday, which begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 525 Henrietta St.

A council agenda report says the city faces "significant financial difficulty" in paying to maintain effective 911 emergency response times, to retain and recruit experienced police officers, to protect and maintain open
space and parks, and to provide essential youth, senior and other community services.

Contributing factors to these money troubles include helping make up shortfalls in the statewide California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) pension plan, in common with many California cities; and a more Martinez-specific situation, repaying as much as $4 million in back Social Security taxes not paid by almost 100 city employees since 1983, the result of those workers being paid as part of a nonfunctioning joint facilities agency.

As a "general" tax that could be applied to almost any city governmental expense, approval of this sales tax would require only a majority (50-percent-plus-one) vote.

If this tax is placed on the ballot and approved by local voters, Martinez's sales tax would go from 8.75 percent to 9.25 percent, and would raise an estimated $3.2 million annually.

By Bay City News Service

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