Citing a looming budget shortfall, officials in Mount Shasta said voters might be asked to decide whether there will be a sales tax measure on the ballot — again.
But several questions remain.
The city has not decided whether a tax measure will be put before voters at all, Mount Shasta City Manager Todd Juhasz said.
The city has also not determined whether it would ask voters to approve a 1% or a 1.5% sales tax, he said.
And it’s still being decided whether all the money raised from a tax would be dedicated only to public safety-related spending, which would require a two-thirds yes vote to pass.
In November 2024, Mount Shasta voters turned down a 1% sales tax dedicated solely to public safety spending.
This time around, the city might decide to ask voters to approve a general sales tax, which requires a lower 50% vote threshold to pass. A general sales tax would direct money raised to the city’s general fund, where it could be spent in areas other than public safety, at city official’s discretion.
Even so, said Juhasz, public safety efforts would be “what the money is spent on.”
Since a tax measure was last proposed in late 2024, he said, the community has experienced several wildfires, including the Spring Fire in May that prompted evacuation warnings and threatened structures in the town.
Mount Shasta’s budget picture
The city’s budget shortfall amounts to about $600,000 out of a total budget of $6 million, Juhasz said, and has led to some public safety positions not being filled.
So far, the city has put a hold on filling two police offer vacancies on the 10-member force.
Also, he said, one vacant firefighter position on that 6-member paid fire force will also not be filled due to budget concerns.
In an email sent on July 8, Juhasz informed residents about the city’s budget shortfall and said there would be upcoming “community roundtables” on the topic. Dates for those events have not yet been set, he said.
“Our City staff and elected officials are currently researching the possibility of placing a local revenue measure on the ballot to help stabilize our city’s finances and protect core services,” said Juhasz in the email. “Before any decisions are made, however, we are committed to listening closely to our community— and that starts with leaders like you.”
In the meantime, to assess public sentiment for a tax, said Juhasz, the city has hired polling and research firm WBC Campaigns to determine the likelihood that a measure would be approved.
“We’re trying to figure out what kind of critical mass we have of people that have responded to see if they’re interested,” with WBC Campaigns conducting a survey to gauge voter sentiment, said Juhasz.
The city is waiting for the group’s findings “to see where we are, how the measure’s going to fare and if there’s any difference (in support) between a proposed 1% sales tax and 1.5% sales tax,” he said.
Now, said Juhasz said of the city’s goal: “Ultimately, it’s to do a better job this time of ensuring more people know about our financial situation and the potential future outcomes if we don’t right size. We’re hoping if we do a better job at outreach….we may have more luck.”
Michele Chandler covers public safety, dining and whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Will Mount Shasta put second public safety tax proposal before voters?
Reporting by Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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