Sun-Star’s opinion editor offers his recommendation on Merced’s Measure C | Opinion

One of the basic requirements of any city is to provide its citizens with safety.

So it is not an overstatement to say the ability to provide adequate public safety is on the March ballot in Merced with Measure C.

That half-cent sales tax would be used to continue funding police and fire operations in the city. A portion of the money raised would fund road repairs, also a key municipal responsibility.

This would not be a new tax. Rather, approving Measure C would continue a tax that voters first approved in 2006.

The reason it is up for a vote now is that the original measure had a 20-year life. Proponents would like to get new voter approval before the tax ends in 2026.

What is at stake are 30 positions in Merced’s police and fire departments, according to Mayor Matthew Serratto. Without Measure C, City Hall will face a $7 million shortfall in its budget every year, he told Sun-Star reporter Shawn Jansen.

“It would be a real death blow if Measure C is not renewed,” Serratto said. “It’s not just going to affect police, fire and public safety. It would trickle down to parks and housing. There would be massive layoffs.

“There would be freezing of public safety programs, longer response times from police and fire, less detectives, less gang enforcement and eventually we’d have to pull money from other areas.”

The measure has generated $105 million since it passed in 2006, according to city officials. The tax is equal to 1 penny for every $2 purchase.

Included in Measure C is an oversight committee to make sure the money is spent as promised.

If approved, Measure C will generate about $8 million annually, and run until March 31, 2044.

Measure C adventure

Getting the measure on the ballot was itself a challenge.

An attempt was made in 2022, but the majority of Merced City Council members did not back putting the measure into the November election that year.

Some residents told the council that not enough outreach had been done to explain why Measure C needed to be renewed. Other residents did not think public safety carried a higher priority than developing housing or maintaining parks.

A citizens-led petition drive was then conducted and 5,000 signatures were gathered to qualify the measure for the ballot next month.

Unlike the first measure, which was a general tax, the new measure is a special tax. Ninety-five percent of the proceeds will support public safety; the remaining 5% will go to road maintenance.

The ballot argument in favor is authored by former Mayor Mike Murphy, leaders of police and fire unions, a Merced school board member and a business owner. There is no opposing argument.

Vote yes on C

Police officers and firefighters have to get paid. If normal sales and other taxes are not enough, cities have to find other avenues. To maintain sufficient staffing, the likely result will be cuts in other city services, as the mayor indicated.

Remember, providing public safety is a basic job of any city.

Measure C gives Merced city leaders the funding they need to provide public safety. Vote yes on Measure C on the March ballot.