A trio of tax measures in Monterey County appear to have the support of voters in the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea and residents in the unincorporated areas of the county.
Voters who live in unincorporated areas seem ready to approve a 2% increase in the Measure E hotel tax, with unofficial preliminary results on election night showing about 70% of voters in favor.
The measure needs a simple majority to pass and would generate an estimated $7.6 million annually for general services.
The hotel tax was last raised in Monterey County in 1995.
Voters in the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea were considering a similar hotel tax through Measure M, which was also garnering about 70% of the vote in early returns.
An increase in the sales tax in Carmel was also drawing voter support, with about 65% of votes recorded so far in favor. That measure, Measure N, would bring in about $1.8 million a year.
Each measure requires a simple majority to pass.
Five other Monterey County cities — Monterey, Salinas, Pacific Grove, King City and Greenfield — also appear poised to pass their own sales tax increases.