UTILITY TAX MEASURE (UUT)
Election Results can be found here.
CITY OF PINOLE MEASURE C : Extension of Locally Controlled Funding Measure - Utility Users Tax (UUT)
"Without raising current tax rates, and to maintain City services including Police and Fire protection, 9-1-1 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, youth and senior recreation services, other community services, and for unrestricted general revenue purposes, shall an ordinance be adopted to continue the existing Utility Users Tax at the current rate of 8%, until voters otherwise decide, providing approximately $2,000,000 annually that cannot be taken by the State?"
The PROPOSED measure will be submitted to voters of the City of Pinole to decide whether or not to extend the City's existing eight percent (8%) UUT until voters otherwise decide (the "Measure"). Codified as Chapter 3.26 of the Municipal Code, the UUT raises a significant amount of revenue for the City's General Fund, as described above. This revenue funds, among other things, Police and Fire protection, 9-1-1 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, youth and senior recreation services, and other community services. Importantly, this locally generated revenue is also locally controlled, and cannot be taken by the State to balance the State budget.
BACKGROUND:
The UUT was approved by Pinole voters in 1998, and went into effect on December 1st of that year. Municipal Code Chapter 3.26 contains the City's existing UUT tax of eight percent (8%). The UUT is paid by recipients of telephone, electric and gas utility services, and is collected by the utilities as part of regular billing. The utilities then remit the tax revenue to the City. Pinole voters have approved extensions of the UUT in 2004 and 2012. Under current law, the UUT will be automatically repealed on December 31, 2020 unless extended by the voters.
The UUT currently raises approximately two million dollars ($2,000,000) annually for the City of Pinole's General Fund, which is equivalent to roughly fourteen percent (%14) of the City's General Fund Budget. The UUT tax revenue is used to support a wide range of City services including police and fire protection, 9-1-1 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, youth and senior recreation services, and other community services.
Since the Great Recession a decade ago, the City of Pinole has cut costs and reduced the City's workforce in order to balance the City's budget. The City is a prudent manager of tax revenue, and strives to provide public services in the most fiscally responsible and efficient manner possible. Extension of the UUT is critical to ensure the City's continued financial health.
If the Measure does not pass, the existing UUT will remain in effect until December 31, 2020. However, after that date, the UUT will expire, which would result in a significant decrease in General Fund revenue for the City. Ultimately, that loss of revenue would result in the reduction of critical services to Pinole citizens, including public safety and recreation services.
Utility Users Tax (UUT) Frequently Asked Questions
Measure C - Renewal of Pinole's Utility Users Tax
Measure C : Submitted to the voters for the General Election of November 6, 2018
City Council Staff Report authorizing the submission to the Voters in the City of Pinole
City Council Resolution and Measure