Westminster voters will again be asked to increase city taxes to save vital public services that most benefit poorer residents.
After last minute appeals and – at times – an inability to cast a vote, Westminster City Council members unanimously voted at a Dec. 8 special meeting to ask voters in the March primary whether they should pay even more sales tax, a ½% increase, to combat a fiscal crisis and save essential public services.
It comes just a year after voters approved a separate sales tax initiative known as Measure Y, which continued an earlier sales tax measure, for the same reason.
[Read: Westminster Sales Tax Proposal Heads to November Ballot After Several Tries]
That vote, in 2022, came after a similar saga of dramatic, 11th hour meetings between a divided City Council, which had dragged on the issue despite repeated warnings by staff that they were looking at calamitous reductions in things like law enforcement, parks and community services.
But city staff now say that even Measure Y won’t be enough to save City Hall from running out of money.
“Measure Y has extended the use of reserves and bought additional time for those reserves to be depleted, but without significant changes to revenue collection, the fund balance … will be completely depleted by fiscal year 2027-28,” said city Finance Director Erin Backs during the Dec. 8 meeting.
The issue was supposed to be sorted out at an earlier meeting scheduled for Dec. 6, except two city council members, Amy Phan West and Namquan Nguyen, didn’t show up.
The meeting was rescheduled for Dec. 8, with Councilmember Nguyen again absent.
The discussion closely mirrored the prior debate around Measure Y, with opposing council members Phan West and Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen voicing doubt that there was a need for two different tax increase measures in the span of a couple years.
Council members Carlos Manzo and Kimberly Ho, meanwhile, echoed the same argument they made around the last ballot measure:
A decision to send it to voters did not solidify the tax increase’s approval.
It just meant giving people a choice.
“If we vote yes, we are only giving them the right to decide for themselves if they want to increase or not,” Ho said during the discussion.
“We understand that and you have repeated that many times already,” responded Mayor Nguyen, who proposed an alternate measure that would sunset the new tax measure, after nine years. “We just want to make sure we are responsible.”
But Nguyen’s proposal failed to get support, leaving only the question of whether to ask voters to approve a ½% tax increase with no expiration date, but with a city survey set to be triggered in the eighth year, asking residents of its persisting necessity.
Measure Y, by comparison, is set to span 20 years from the approval date and expire on March 31, 2043.
Then came time for the final vote.
Manzo and Ho had immediately voted “Yes,” while Mayor Nguyen voted “No.” Phan West asked to vote last.
When her name was called, she stated:
“I believe the people should have a voice and it’s crucial — the tax is a huge issue, I just feel like we don’t have a lot of time, it was sprung on us … I just feel like this was given to us so late in the year.”
Aside from the Measure Y debate of 2022, staff have made repeated public warnings about the need for more sales tax revenue since last decade.
“I do feel like it’s too rushed,” said Phan West. “I just feel like it’s too early for another tax increase.”
But she continued:
“I do truly trust the people to have a voice and I want the people to speak for themselves, so I vote yes.”
Still, with Mayor Nguyen voting “No,” there were not enough votes to put the question before voters in the March primary next year.
Councilmember Manzo then made a last-ditch appeal.
“Whatever happens to this community, to our city, to our folks financially — I have a job, myself and my family will be okay. But the residents will not if our city fails,” he said. “Every single man or woman who works for our city will not be okay. I took an oath to protect our city … I want to make sure every single person is taken care of in our community.”
There was a pause of uncertainty on the dais, waiting for Mayor Nguyen’s final decision.
Then he spoke:
“I know it’s a very very difficult decision to make.”
“It’s not something I want to do. I know if I resist, council member Manzo will make a motion to reconsider,” he added, speaking between long silences. “But for the sake of the city I will change my vote to yes.”
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