San Mateo County Voters May Consider Sales Tax Extension in November

San Mateo County residents may soon vote on extending a half-cent sales tax for another 20 years, county officials say.

"The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Tuesday took a significant step toward asking voters in November to extend Measure A, the half-cent sales tax funding critical County services and infrastructure, for 20 years," county officials said on Tuesday.

Later this month, on July 26, board members will consider what's described as "an amended" Measure A ordinance. Should they decide to put the measure forward, it would only need a simple majority to pass.

"Voters passed Measure A by 65.4 percent in November 2012 as a way to fund local needs with local dollars," officials say. "The tax took effect on April 1, 2013 and currently expires in 2023."

Here's more from the City Manager's Office on the proposal:

As a general sales tax proposal, the Measure A extension cannot be imposed for any specific funding purposes. To date, the $80 million-plus generated annually has allowed the County to preserve and enhance existing programs and services as well as launch innovative initiatives like the Big Lift, a $15 million County investment in childhood literacy. Measure A currently funds a variety of needs from a new public safety dispatch center to farmworker housing, mobile showers to park renovations. Measure A has also enabled the County to fund summer reading programs, paratransit trips, library renovations and the spectacular Devils Slide Trails.

At the Board’s July 12 meeting, community members and housing advocates urged the Board to consider using funds from a Measure A extension to address the local housing crisis.

By law, the sales tax revenues from the Measure A extension cannot be taken away by the state. Additionally, the extension will continue to require an independent citizens committee and annual audits to ensure oversight and accountability.

A poll commissioned by the County to gauge revenue enhancement options showed that while county voters were likely to approve a sales tax extension, support for a housing bond like those on the ballot in neighboring Santa Clara and Alameda counties was unlikely to satisfy the required two-thirds majority vote.

What do YOU think? Should the Measure be extended? Tell us in the comments below.

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