As a “general tax” all revenue generated from the Measure T 1-cent sales tax will be deposited into the city’s General Fund and available for use by the city to pay for general city operations and services, including police and fire services, street repair, and youth programs.
According to the measure’s impartial analysis, “The City, however, would not be legally bound in any way to use the tax monies for any special purpose or for any particular facilities or programs. Since this ballot measure proposes a ‘general tax’ rather than a ‘special purpose tax,’ it requires approval by a simple majority of the City’s voters.”
The city had learned its lesson when Measure F, another 1-cent sales tax measure that was presented to voters as a special purpose tax, did not meet the voter approval benchmark of 67 percent. As a general-purpose tax only a simple majority was required for passage.
The tax ordinance notes the analysis, “requires a five-member citizen commission comprised of members appointed by the City Council to annually review and audit expenditures of revenues derived from the sales tax. The report issued by the citizen commission is a public record and must be considered by the City Council at a public meeting.”
The council has been discussing the mechanics of the commission and is expected to finalize guidelines as well as make appointments to the panel soon.