Will Elk Grove voters approve a 1% sales tax increase? Here are early results on Measure E
Elk Grove voters appear ready to pay higher taxes on the promise of boosting public safety as city Measure E, the Elk Grove Safety and Quality of Life measure, led in early returns.
With the first votes counted Tuesday, the 1% tax increase proposed by city leaders was leading 55% to 45%, with about 15,000 votes counted at 8:15 p.m.
Measure E was backed by city leaders, fire, police and business groups who said the $21 million the tax hike would raise annually would in the campaign’s words “keep Elk Grove clean and safe.” Elk Grove laid the groundwork by surveying some 1,500 residents in December 2021 and again in July, finding that 60% of residents said they would support a 1% sales tax hike.
The new revenue, proponents said, will pay for putting more police on city streets, addressing homelessness, quickening emergency response times; and repairing and maintaining Elk Grove roads, streets and its more than 100 neighborhood parks.
But Elk Grove voters were also focused on their pocketbooks, with historic inflation hiking prices at the gas pump and the supermarket — and with a possible recession looming.
If the measure passes, Elk Grove’s sales tax will rise to 8.75%, tying it with Rancho Cordova and Sacramento for the highest rate in the four-county Sacramento region, just as inflation continues to squeeze household budgets.
“It affects those least able to bear it most,” Elk Grove resident Paul Lindsay told council members in July when they voted to put Measure E on the ballot. “With fluctuating inflation continuing to rise and with the nation on the brink of recession, it would be less than compassionate to even propose this action. This is not the time, not the place.”
The measure’s proponents tried to assuage voters’ concerns, assuring that tax dollars would stay in Elk Grove and that basic necessities such as groceries and prescriptions would not be taxed.
“In a tough economy, how can we protect our Elk Grove way of life?” a recent Measure E campaign mailer read.
The bill is slated to come due in April, when Elk Grove will begin to collect the new tax.
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