Mayor Shon Harris told the public that he and the city staff do their best with taxpayer funds, being as transparent as possible with audits and other procedures.  

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - There is officially $17.5 million on the line. 

You could feel it at the July 16 town council meeting that held a public hearing on a proposed tax measure.

After creating an Ad Hoc committee, holding numerous public presentations, and posting pages of information online, officials adopted a resolution placing a general tax measure on the Nov. 5 general municipal election ballot to enact a one-cent general transaction and use tax (sales tax).

Yuba City officials used June to detail exactly where the revenue will go. They poured over the ballot language to assure transparency for the measure.

On July 16, City Manager Diana Langley compared Yuba’s sales tax rate to that of Yuba County, Marysville, and Chico, 8.25%, and Colusa’s 8.75%.

“Yuba City’s current sales tax rate is 7.25%, which is the state minimum,” Langely said. “Yuba City receives 1%, which goes toward the general fund, and it equates to approximately $18 million annually.”

However, that number upset Liz Cervantes. Before the resident spoke, she held up a sign titled “Sutter County Circus: Three Stooges” with images of the current elected officials in black and white.

“You know why people love shopping in Yuba City, because we have a 7.25% tax rate, right?” Cervantes said. “Why can’t we be different; this is what I try to tell these bozos, they don’t listen, and I don’t think you are listening either.”

Though officials noted exactly where funds would go, Cervantes countered their claims.

“Forget about saving up for that college tuition or treating yourself to something nice because your contribution to the sales tax increase means you are already living the dream of supporting government projects that they can’t even pinpoint,” Cervantes said, adding that the council should delay the measure until 2025.

Councilmember Dave Shaw pointed out that time is irrelevant, noting that “whether we are sitting up here on the dais or we are out there,” making the decision is hard.

“There is never going to be a perfect time,” Shaw said of the fall ballot measure.

Like all other presentations, the city manager broke down Yuba’s tax measure efforts that began in December 2022 with an ad hoc committee that included Mayor Shon Harris and Councilmember Marc Boomgaarden.

“The purpose of that ad hoc was to evaluate city priorities and also the potential for a revenue measure,” Langley said, adding that the citizens advisory helped detail the need for $150 million in road improvements and enhanced fire and police operations.

Marysville resident Ed Dimmick told the mayor and council a former citizens advisory group he was a part of argued against a ballot measure.

“We were outspent $650 thousand to one thousand, and we won easily with our simple ballot argument,” Dimmick said, adding his situation worked out in the end. “I like the way you are going with a citizens advisory committee, assuming that it deals properly with all the various aspects of the city.”

Though he liked the committee idea, Dimmick does not like the timing.

“A lot of people are having difficulty making ends meet, so I am not sure you can write the perfect argument and ballot measure and have it succeed in this environment,” Dimmick said.

Langely said if approved, the tax measure would help maintain critical staffing levels and response time to emergencies. The city manager said it would also fund replacing Fire Station No. 1 with two engines.

“Police operations would add dedicated homelessness response personnel, create a city-wide Clean Team, and also take over law enforcement services for Happy Park, Walton area located south of Franklin and west of Highway 99,” Langley said of the current shared services agreement.

Langely said other priorities include supporting county services that affect resident safety, such as the district attorney’s office, sheriff’s department, and homeless response efforts.

“The ad hoc worked with county-designated ad hoc to work out tentative terms for a tax sharing agreement in which the city would receive 67% if the measure were approved and the county would receive 33%,” Langley said, adding Yuba City residents are Sutter County residents too.

To show no conflict of interest, Langley did not read the ballot question posted for the public to view. What she stated was that two council seats, the city clerk and the treasurer, are also on the ballot.

“If the ballot measure were to pass, it would go into effect in April 2025, with the city receiving the benefit of it in June of 2025,” Langley said.

Though a longtime citizen, Lawerence Mertz said he was speaking on behalf of the Sutter County Taxpayers Association. Before speaking, he thanked Langley for the “very informative” presentation she gave his group the night before.

“I requested two people, and I got half the city there,” Mertz said.

Calling the presentation “well-structured and well-articulated,” Mertz said he “received a lot of positive comments and a lot of negative,” adding that it is obvious there is a structural need for the proposed measure to maintain city services.

“The controversial cost-sharing agreement between Sutter County and Yuba City was also a plus and was well understood and well received,” Mertz said. “Thank you again for your efforts to bring the need before the voters.”

Councilmember Mike Pasquale turned his point personal when recalling how, nearly a decade ago, the response time to his home when he was in a life-threatening situation was three and a half minutes.

“That is starting to erode,” Pasquale said. “If it goes to 12, you are dead.”

Councilmember Mike Pasquale said funds to increase emergency response time is a matter of saving lives, even using his personal experience to prove his point.

Councilmember Dave Shaw said this is “where the rubber meets the road for all of us.”

Calling the citizens advisory “the watchdog,” Mayor Shon Harris said they will “go in independently and verify what we are doing.”

“Anyone can get a copy of our budget and enjoy,” Mayor Harris said, adding that negative conclusions about the city’s motives are unfair. “We will never do anything illegal or wrong on purpose; that is why we always welcome audits.”

At this point, all city officials can do is put the matter into the hands of the voters, according to the mayor.

“Hopefully, the answer is yes, but if it is no, it will be quite challenging, but we will get through that too,” Mayor Harris said.