Voters to decide on sales tax increase

Revenue would be used for police, fire departments, city roads

Residents will vote on a proposition that could raise the city of Yuma’s sales tax by 0.3 percent, up from its current 1.7 percent. The increased revenue, estimated at $6 million annually, would be used for the police and fire departments, and city roadways.

The city’s sales tax is Council’s most-discussed more formally known as items this summer. Council the transaction approved the ordinance privilege tax. that called

The decision to for the special election put the sales tax Aug. 3 by a measure, known unanimous vote. as Proposition 407, That was after on the November ballot the measure was amended was among the Yuma City July 20 to include a longer moratorium on the property tax — council’s intention not to raise the property tax through fiscal year 2020 if the ballot measure passes.

With contention, the property tax was raised in May by a 4-3 vote.

Mayor Doug Nicholls and council member Edward Thomas were among those who stated in July that their constituents expressed support for a sales tax increase instead of property tax increases in the future.

The thought behind the issue is that by raising the sales tax, visitors to Yuma who use city services and infrastructure will help offset costs placed mostly on those who pay city property taxes.

But while council has pledged to put a freeze on property taxes through fiscal year 2020, nothing’s set in stone that says they have to with the passage of Prop 407.

City Administrator Greg Wilkinson told the Sun that “they could do like the legislature’s done” and go back on the agreement. Though it’s “possible,” he said it’s also “highly remote.”

“Council does not like raising property taxes at all,” Wilkinson said. “It’s very much a last resort.”

He added that if Prop 407 passes, there “wouldn’t be a reason” to have to raise property taxes.

If the proposition does pass, the money collected from the 0.3 percent increase would go into an enterprise fund that is separate from the general fund.

The current city sales tax of 1.7 percent is split: 1 percent goes into the general fund and 0.7 percent goes into an enterprise fund for public safety and roads (0.5 percent for public safety and 0.2 percent for roads).

The additional 0.3 percent, like the current 0.7 percent in the enterprise fund for public safety and roads, is put into that fund and becomes part of the city’s normal budget process. It is to be used solely on the police and fire departments, and city roadways.

How to use the funds is up to the discretion of the council.

Old police and fire equipment, and neighborhood streets are at the top of the city’s agenda if Prop 407 passes.

A pamphlet put together by the city says some of the needs that could be helped by passing the measure include: replacing 87 aged police department vehicles, 331 portable and mobile radios that are more than 13 years old for the police department and 121 radios for the fire department, and replacing asphalt in residential subdivisions.

“We’ve made a little bit of headway, but we have such a backlog that we really can’t get over it without some additional funding from someplace,” Wilkinson said.

“With the state continually sweeping HURF (Highway User Revenue Fund) funds from us, this would help us start to be able to replace asphalt.”

Wilkinson said there is “little to no funding” to replace the residential area roads, which he realizes are often in disrepair.

“A lot of the roads in our residential areas are so bad,” he said, “We can’t keep up with patching them and stuff like that. … You can’t repair that. It has to be dug out and new asphalt has to be put down.”

The city’s special election will be held in conjunction with the Nov. 8 general election. Early voting begins Oct. 12.