Rohnert Park has a proposed half-cent sales tax on the November ballot that the City Council hopes will address a deficit and bolster public safety.
Measure K, if passed by a majority of voters, is estimated to generate $5.5 million annually. The City Council voted to place it on the ballot to raise funds for public safety and maintain and improve infrastructure.
If approved, the city’s sales tax would be 10.25% beginning in April 2027.
A staff report presented to the council in July said the city is facing a $10 million deficit combined with minimal revenue growth. It also said the city has over $230 million in deferred maintenance needs. City departments have been operating with frozen positions and workforce reductions, too.
Rohnert Park is only one of two cities in the greater Bay Area that has a Department of Public Safety that combines both police and fire, and Measure K would dedicate money to beefing up the department and preventing staffing cuts. The council said that public safety is among the highest concerns of residents.
According to the city, Rohnert Park typically has fewer than five public safety officers on duty at a time, which is roughly one officer per 9,000 residents. The money would improve 911 response times and allow the city to retain firefighters and officers.
Other revenue from the measure would go to keeping parks, streets, drinking water and neighborhoods clean, and help pay for maintenance such as filling potholes or other infrastructure repairs, the city said.
