◼ County cites public safety needs, taxpayer's league questions timing - Will Houston/Times-Standard
Humboldt County officials are calling Measure Z — a proposed countywide half-percent general sales tax on the November ballot — crucial to improving public safety services....
If passed, Measure Z, also known as the Humboldt County Public Safety/Essential Services Measure, is estimated to generate $6 million annually until it sunsets in 2020. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in July to place the measure on the ballot after an outcry from the public concerning the lack of law enforcement presence and an increase in crime in the county's outlying areas.
The tax is proposed to raise funds for a broad spectrum of public safety services such as fire departments, the county sheriff's office, probation department and district attorney's office. Spending is proposed to be overseen by a citizen's advisory committee, which would also include annual independent audits.
But with four similar municipal measures on the ballot, some question whether taxpayers should bear the costs for both the county and city where they live....
With four other local cities — Fortuna, Eureka, Rio Dell and Blue Lake — also having tax measures on the ballot in addition to some school bonds, Humboldt Taxpayer's League Executive Director Cliff Chapman said the combination has created a "perfect storm of taxes" due to a lack of communication between the county and the municipalities.
"There needs to be some coordination," he said. "I don't doubt there is a need for additional taxes, but this is not the approach to take in my mind and the taxpayers' mind either."
Chapman said the latest tax measure is "cherry picking off the backs of the cities" by pulling in about $4 million from Eureka and $700,000 from Fortuna each year.
"It's our opinion that the redundant tax rakes over $6 million out of the local economy, mostly from the incorporated cities with very little return to those cities, which also have their own concerns," he said. "The cities get some services from the DA's office and the jail and a few other county services, but they certainly don't get a proportionate share."
The Yes on Measure Z campaign states that sales tax revenue would also be generated from tourism. As the money would go to county services, Lovelace said the benefits would be felt countywide.
