Sales Tax - Support it if you love Sebastopol

My ask of all who love Sebastopol: Support the Measure U campaign. Donate, endorse, host a yard sign, join the volunteers walking door to door between now and November 5th. It really does "take a village." This is your village (OUR village). Our sweet town needs our help. Please check out the Yes on U for Sebastopol's Future website and sign up to help in any way that works for you. It all counts..every small and big effort (but you all know that already!).

Full Article:

On November 21, 2023, Sebastopol declared a fiscal crisis. After extended discussions and consideration of many other options, the City Council voted unanimously on July 17, 2024, to place a half cent sales tax measure on the November 5, 2024, ballot. See the City's Overview of the ballot measure here.

Sebastopol is in a fiscal crisis. Our town doesn't have the money it needs to serve our community. Expenses are going up and revenue is lagging behind. This year the gap between expenses and revenue is projected to be $700,000. It increases to over $2 Million annually after that. In the short term, those annual gaps can be covered by reserves that were carefully set aside in the past, but those reserves will be gone within about three years. See the City Sales Tax FAQ here.

Let's focus on this fact for a moment: In about three years, the City's reserve funds will be gone. That year, when we have two million less than we need to serve the town, there will be no money to cover that gap.

We're already seeing the effects of limited City resources. Examples include deferred maintenance, reduced staff time for cleaning our streets and sidewalks and plaza, and reduction in available funds for the City to support nonprofits. These are necessary steps our City has taken as it struggles to "tighten its belt" and "live within its means," but we're definitely seeing the impact on our town.

What will happen when we have no reserves left to cover even this slimmed down budget? What would we do in an emergency, like a leaking sewer line in one of our neighborhoods? If our town is to survive, services will need to be reduced even further. In a budget that has already been scrutinized and reduced by a very dedicated staff and Council, that does not bode well for our quality of life.

The City Council voted unanimously to support this tax. Given that these five councilmembers regularly disagree on a variety of topics, this united front in support of the sales tax is a clear message to all of you who love this town: This $1.5M sales tax is essential to our fiscal stability and quality of life.

As pointed out in the City Sales Tax FAQ:

This tax has an end date: It ends automatically in 12 years.
It is paid by residents, visitors, and tourists - anyone who shops in the City.
It will be included in the City's annual audits.
A half cent adds 50 cents to a $100 purchase (...5 cents to a $10 purchase).
It does not apply to groceries or prescription medicines.
The funds CANNOT be claimed by the County or the State - this revenue stays in the City.

See the Sebastopol Times article regarding the Council's July 17 decision here.