Atwater’s special tax that helps police is about to go away. Will residents support a new tax?

While adopting a number of goals for Atwater’s future through 2025, the City Council also began the process to potentially add a new sales tax that would go to the city’s first responders.

The council voted unanimously on Monday for a survey of Atwater voters to see if they’d support the new tax. If passed by a two-thirds majority, the new tax would cancel and replace Measure H, a half-cent sales tax that sunsets in 2023.

Measure H has brought in nearly $2 million in each of the past three years, according to the city’s budget. It pays the salaries of five police officers, a sergeant and a slew of other first responder-related costs, including an agreement with Calfire.

“Police and fire wouldn’t exist without Measure H,” Mayor Paul Creighton said at Monday’s meeting.

The proposed new tax would be aimed at the same costs but give the council greater control over how much of it goes to specific fire department and police department needs, according to Kendall Flint, a consultant working for Atwater.

The survey is expected to cost as much as $23,000 and would take six to eight weeks, according to city staffers. The city is racing against the clock to get the survey done before the fall deadline to get a measure on the March 2020 ballot.

Revenue and spending is an ongoing issue in Atwater where officials have been trying for years to reach solvency. The City Council adopted a number of new goals through 2025 to better regulate its future spending.

“For the last 10 (or) 12 years we’ve been flying by the seat of our pants and this is what it’s gotten us,” Councilmember Brian Raymond said. “So we have to plan so we can be a proactive community.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 3:51 PM.