Tax measure poll reveals doubts about city spending

Less than half of poll respondents said Vacaville manages taxpayer money responsibly as the city gears up to ask citizens to pass a one-cent sales tax increase at the ballot box this fall. Results of the polls show 43.5% of respondents said the city manages taxpayer money appropriately, 40.8% disagreed and 15.8% remain unsure.

However, the Vacaville City Council unanimously directed staff on Tuesday to move forward with pursuing the initiative. The ordinance will be discussed at the next city council meeting.

Adam Probolsky of Probolsky Research told the council that the poll surveyed 400 participants, was conducted in both English and Spanish, and had a margin of error of +/- 5%.

Despite public outreach and education efforts regarding the tax measure during the last six months, 4.3% more voters disagreed that the city is responsible with taxpayer funds than a similar poll in 2025, according to the presentation. The "agree" category rose by 1.2 percent over the same timeframe.

Only 200 of the 400 respondents were asked if they would vote yes or no on a sales tax measure and 47% said they would vote yes, 41.5% said they would vote no, and 11.5% remained undecided. Fifty-one percent of all 400 voters surveyed agreed that "they already pay enough in taxes and don't receive much out of it. The city should spend the money it already gets more responsibly."

Most, 98.8 percent of respondents, rated the city's current quality of life as good or fair.

"This is not normal," Probolsky said. "People are very, very appreciative of the life they get to live in town."

The poll showed 88 percent are satisfied with the Parks and Recreation Department, 81 percent are satisfied with the Fire Department, 79 percent are satisfied with the Public Works Department and 76 percent are satisfied with the Vacaville Police Department. Top issues cited by respondents included overpopulation, inflation, housing affordability, transportation, and public safety.

Less than half of respondents (46%) indicated that the city is transparent in how it operates and spends taxpayer money, but that figure rose 12.5% from last year's polling. In 2025, 41.5% of respondents disagreed that the city is transparent, but that figure shrank to 36.5% in the 2026 poll.

When asked about the city budget, 45.8% of respondents correctly said the city faces a budget deficit, 33.5% responded incorrectly, and 20.8% were unsure. Despite a significant increase in the number who correctly answered the deficit question since since 2025, the same percentage (33.5 percent) also answered incorrectly in 2025, according to the presentation.

Assistant City Manager Georgeanne Meggers-Smith presented on the issue. She said the city council began this process by directing staff to pursue a one-cent sales tax measure in February after reviewing initial polling.

"We didn't jump right to considering a sales tax measure," Meggers-Smith said. "We've been working to address the budget with program and department reductions."

The city has developed a website called ChoosingAPath.net to inform voters about the possible tax increase. The city also hosted 12 community meetings with two in each city council district to gather feedback, and released letters from the City Manager, Fire Chief and Police Chief supporting the measure. She said the city did not reach as many people as they hoped to with the outreach process.

"It is really hard to reach people these days," she said. "Everybody gets their information in a variety of places."

Councilmember Ted Fremouw said the average household increase in tax burden would be $500 per year, and implied that failing to pass the tax measure could lead to loss of life in the community.

"I guess I would ask the people that don't want to spend the extra $500, what would it take for you to spend that $500?" he asked. "Would it be the loss of a loved one? Would it be the loss of a child? Or would it be a stroke that maybe it took a little bit longer to get our first responders there? Or would it be a really bad neighbor that you can't handle without the help of the city?"

Councilmember Roy Stockton said he wanted to avoid using "scare tactics" to discuss the issue, and said the city's residents have "huge expectations."

"What I think that we really need to do is give people realistic expectations, and I think that's what we have kind of started to do tonight by addressing the status of where we are at," he said.

Councilmember Sarah Chapman said she supports the measure but understands that times are hard and residents are already strapped for cash.

"It's going to be close," she said of an election outcome. "If it passes at all, it's going to be very, very close."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.