Priming the Pump Part I - Will the City of Elk Grove, Cosumnes Community Services District seek a sales tax increase?




The Elk Grove City Council has toyed with placing a local sales tax measure on the ballot for several years. The last time the city council earnestly discussed it was in 2018. 


After a city-paid survey found support marginal, the city council decided against the idea. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea temporarily fell off the radar.


In this compilation of videos, the city council has discussed the tax increase for at least the last six years. But now, there are signals the idea could resurface this year.


The first indication was a political survey where the question appeared. Then, in a text message-based survey, respondents were asked about a possible sales tax increase (see image above). 


The second indication came yesterday in information distributed by the City of Elk Grove and the Cosumnes Community Service District. On a jointly operated website called ElkGroveLife.com, the city and CCSD try selling a possible sales tax increase.


The website's front page says, "Maintaining Local & Essential Quality of Life Services A Community Conversation." 


The site highlights the amenities Elk Grove residents pay through property taxes, Mello Roos fees, special assessments, and sales taxes. In between the self-promotion, the agencies slip in not-so-subtle messaging.   


After noting the city's increasing crime problems, the site states, "The City needs to hire 27 public safety positions over the next five years to keep our level of service commensurate with community expectations as our City continues to grow." As it relates to the Cosumnes Fire Department, the site says, "National standards recommend an emergency medical response time of five minutes, but in the past year, response times are up to 7 ½ minutes locally."


One highlight is a survey where respondents rank six public safety issues. Those issues are listed in the image below. 


Clearly, Elk Grove and the CCSD are laying the groundwork for a possible joint sales tax increase. At this point, the only question is how much of an increase will they seek and when?  




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1 comment

D.J. Blutarsky said...

Why should we approve higher taxes? The City Council spend our money on land and feasibility studies like drunken sailors on shore leave. Then they approve a sales tax giveway for 20 years to the developer of the Costco site because he told us Costco would not come if we didn't essentially bribe them. Rrright...

CSD has a structural deficit, charges rock bottom impact fees to developers, and then comes crying that they don't have enough money to maintain their parks. Learn to manage your organization on the revenue you receive just like the private sector and every household must do.

Is that Tarzan I hear in the distance? Yep, gotta pay for that zoo too!

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