New sales tax proposal for Merced County on November ballot

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Merced County Board of Supervisors agreed unanimously Tuesday to enactment the Public Safety Stabilization Act Special Sales Tax connected the November ballot.

Voters volition beryllium asked to o.k. a 1/2 cent per dollar summation connected income taxation for 30 years.

"I deliberation this is much than thing other we've brought guardant to this public," Merced County District 3 Supervisor Daron McDaniel said.

The taxation would heighten backing for the sheriff's office, occurrence department, territory attorneys bureau and metropolis nationalist information departments wrong the county.

"I cognize cipher likes taxes, but I deliberation it's important," said Merced County District 2 Supervisor Josh Pedrozo.

The income taxation connection comes aft Sheriff Vern Warnke says there's been a significant alteration successful staffing levels astatine his office implicit the past respective years.

"We're 25% down successful operational unit and that's our patrol deputies, the guys investigating the crimes and truthful on. The extremity is to capable that spread truthful erstwhile idiosyncratic does telephone 911, we person idiosyncratic to send," Sheriff Warnke said.

The county's occurrence section is facing akin issues with staffing and funding.

Two of its CAL FIRE stations are acceptable to adjacent successful October, and others volition beryllium consolidated.

Proponents for the fractional cent taxation accidental it would code those challenges - arsenic it is expected to make astir $25 cardinal annually.

"This is going to beryllium a agelong word fix. This is going to assistance america supply the services that the region has been utilized to," Merced County Fire/ CAL FIRE Assistant Fire Chief Mark Pimentel said.

According to a TGG Greensburgh survey sent to residents wrong the county, much than 62% said they would enactment the half-cent taxation to assistance code firefighter and sheriff lawman shortages.

But others, similar Larmont Williams, accidental it would lone adhd to the fiscal burdens galore families are facing.

"I ever accidental I'm against it due to the fact that I don't privation much taxes, but I americium pro-sheriff, pro-cop," Williams explained. "It's ever incorrect to taxation much due to the fact that I mean you're squeezing everybody present you know, it's ostentation and they're not showing america they're consenting to bash thing to prevention the mean guy."

The sheriff, however, believes it's a indispensable investment.

"I get it," Sheriff Warnke said. "I don't privation much taxes, but that to me, the airy astatine the extremity of the passageway is going to travel connected November 5th to find retired whether oregon not we tin really spot that light. If not, we'll spot a airy alright but it's the 1 'don't locomotion to the light.'"

If passed successful November, the taxation would spell into effect April 1, 2025.

The departments would get their archetypal outgo that June.

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