Clovis City Council wants voters to decide if taxes should be increased for public safety
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The Clovis City Council on Monday voted in favor of placing a proposed tax increase to help fund public safety on the November ballot.
The proposal is to increase Clovis’ transient occupancy tax (hotel bed tax paid by guests) from 10% to 12%, which would provide the city with approximately $500,000 more annually.
The item passed with four votes in favor. The one no vote, from Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck, was due to language within the 75-word proposed ballot measure, titled “City of Clovis Public Safety Improvement Measure.”
While the language is focused on public safety – “to maintain and improve public safety services including emergency response times, police protection, neighborhood services, anti-gang and anti-drug programs” – it’s also open-ended with the addition of “and provide other City services.” Officials acknowledged that these extra dollars could be spent anywhere within the city’s general fund, but that the intent is to increase funding for public safety.
City Council leaders agreed that more needs to be done to bolster public safety, but that this proposed tax increase is something that can help.
Ashbeck, in describing her no vote, said the ballot measure was not “honest language” and promises more than it would deliver. She wanted the wording to be redrafted. Clovis residents are “not going to see a lot” happen with an extra $500,000 annually, Ashbeck added.
The ballot measure would require 50% plus one vote in favor of it for it to pass in the Nov. 8 general election.
Monday’s decision followed a May 9 meeting, where a hotel tax was described as “low-hanging fruit” that many thought voters will support. This came after a consultation company last year found that Clovis Police Department needs more officers. A Citizens Advisory Committee was then appointed in January, which also found that police staffing and funding should increase.
One member of that Citizens Advisory Committee, Greg Newman, also spoke during Monday’s meeting as vice chair of the Clovis Tourism Advisory Committee. He said the tourism committee is in agreement that “being the safest city in the Valley” outweighs any negatives from the proposed 2% tax increase.
If approved by voters, the tax increase would continue indefinitely, unless ended by voters, and would be “subject to publicly available annual audits,” the proposed language reads.
In addition to approving the proposed ballot measure language, the City Council voted in favor of requesting Clovis’ municipal election be consolidated with the statewide general election on the same date; requesting the Fresno County Board of Supervisors authorize the Fresno County Clerk’s Office to provide certain services to Clovis related to the general municipal election; and authorized the city attorney to prepare impartial analysis.
Next steps: There’s a proposal to amend the city’s municipal code regarding its transient occupancy tax “by ordinance conditioned upon approval of the voters” that’s scheduled to be introduced at the June 13 City Council meeting. That ordinance could then be adopted at the June 20 meeting.
