The Morgan Hill City Council will take action Wednesday evening on a November ballot measure that will impose a 2 percent utility tax to finance seven more police officers and two multi-service officers.
During its July 2 meeting, council members directed staff to bring back to them a ballot measure that would ask voters to support a 2 percent general utility tax. Morgan Hill residents will have an opportunity to express their opinions on the proposed measure before council members discuss it.
Council members have considered, during a public safety workshop and town hall meetings, the benefits of asking voters to approve a general tax instead of a specific tax because the latter would allow passage by a simple majority of 50.1 percent.
City officials have expressed their commitment to using the funds raised from the tax to fund the extra police and multi-service officers.
Money raised by a general tax goes into the city's general fund, while revenue from a specific tax is used for a predetermined purpose. Under Proposition 218, a specific tax requires a two-thirds majority approval, while a general tax can be approved by a simple majority, one vote more, or 50.1 percent.
Council members have said in public meetings that they would use the funds raised from the utility tax to pay for the additional officers, but they believe a specific tax would be more difficult to pass. Future councils could use the revenue from the tax for other general fund expenditures, but current council members say since that would mean a cutback in services and personnel, that they would hope future councils would continue to focus the money on officers.
Marilyn Dubil Marilyn Dubil is a freelance writer for The Times.
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