What did the City do to assess the need for a revenue measure?
In early 2023, the Yuba City Council created a Revenue Ad Hoc Committee, comprised of Mayor Shon Harris and Councilmember Marc Boomgaarden, to explore a potential November 2024 revenue measure and define priorities.
A Citizen Committee, comprised of 17 Yuba City community stakeholders, was also brought together through a number of meetings to provide input to the Revenue Ad Hoc Committee.
What are the City’s priorities with the funds if it were to pass?
The City’s identified priorities for potential revenue measure funding including:
- Roads - tackling the $150 million in deferred maintenance on our local roads
- Fire - maintaining existing fire department staffing levels after short-term grants expire and replacing Fire Station 1 to accommodate two engine companies
- Homelessness - increasing homelessness response efforts by police and creating a city-wide “Clean Team” to quickly and efficiently address impacts of unlawful trespass and litter; remove debris and graffiti; and support small businesses
- Police - transitioning the Walton/Happy Park service area from the Sutter County Sheriff’s Department to Yuba City Police
- Support County services that directly affect Yuba City resident’s safety, such as:
- Sheriff’s Department – Dedicated Homeless Liaison Officer, jail staffing and infrastructure, and an additional Court Bailiff
- District Attorney’s Office – additional prosecutors, competitive pay
- Public Defender
- Roads – repair of County roads that most directly affect Yuba City residents
Tell me more about a “Clean Team” and what they could do for Yuba City businesses and residents.
To expand Yuba City’s homelessness response efforts, a Clean Team would be available to respond seven days a week to quickly remove litter, debris and abandoned camps; clean-up of bio-hazards and human waste; power wash and remove graffiti; and support police efforts and coordinate with regional homeless services as needed.
The proposed Clean Team would be comprised of four staff, with two pickup trucks, a dump trailer, and various cleaning equipment. In addition to on-call support for businesses and residents, the Clean Team would service regular beats such as Downtown Yuba City, the mall, and other major shopping centers.
Our Clean Team was modeled after several existing programs including Long Beach, Woodland, Orlando, and Spokane.
How much would a 1% sales tax increase raise?
Increasing from the minimum 7.25% sales tax to 8.25% would yield approximately $17.5 million per year
How many cities in California of Yuba City’s size are at the minimum sales tax rate?
Out of the 180+ cities in California with a population over 50,000, Yuba City is one of only eight cities that are still at the minimum 7.25% rate including Camarillo, Hanford, Lincoln, Redding, Rockling, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and Yuba City. Of those, several have significant additional revenue sources outside of their sales tax, and several of those cities are also pursuing a revenue measure for this November.
Click to view current California City & County Sales & Use Tax Rates.
Why is the City considering sharing revenue with the County?
Sutter County provides services that directly affect Yuba City resident’s safety, such as the:
• Sheriff’s Department, Coroner, Jail, Probation
• District Attorney’s Office, Victim Witness Services, Public Defender
• All roads that feed into Yuba City
State funding has been falling further and further behind meeting the need for these services and law enforcement personnel.
What would a potential revenue sharing agreement with the County be?
The City of Yuba City is currently drafting a Master Tax Exchange Agreement for both the Yuba City Council and the Sutter County Board of Supervisors to approve. This agreement would become valid should a potential revenue measure pass in November. The agreement would outline the financial split, parameters for use of the funds, renegotiation triggers and termination triggers.
Where does the 7.25% sales tax we currently pay go?
Of Yuba City’s current 7.25% sales tax, the City receives 1%, 6% goes to the State and 0.25% goes to Sutter County.
Where does the gas tax we currently pay go?
Maintaining 510+ Lane Miles of Roadway
- Road, sidewalk, and drainage repairs
- Crews and equipment to maintain and clean City streets
- Traffic Signal and Street Light operations
- Striping and sign repairs across the City
What is a general tax vs. a special tax?
With a general tax, revenue can be used for any legitimate government purpose and must pass by a vote of 50% plus one. With a special tax, revenues are restricted and can only be used for certain purposes, and must pass by a two-thirds supermajority of voters.
When would the sales tax go into effect?
The sales tax would go into effect on April 1, 2025, and the City would begin to receive the additional revenue in July 2025.
Where does my sales tax go when I buy online versus at a local business?
It depends on where the goods are warehoused when you place your order. When they are out-of-state, 1% of the base 7.25% comes back to your county in a Countywide Use Tax Pool. In Sutter County, Yuba City receives around 70% of the revenues that land in this pool. If the goods were in California at the time of purchase, then the sales tax goes to the city or county of the fulfillment center or warehouse where they were stored—probably not Yuba City. There are many factors that determine where your online sales tax dollars go, but it is clear that an additional 1% transaction and use tax will come directly to Yuba City if your online purchases are delivered to your Yuba City address. To learn more, visit https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/localanddistricttaxes.htm#Online-Retailers