At the end of election night Tuesday showed over 62% of Westminster voters in favor of a sales tax increase measure, while about 37% voted against it out of the 9,531 votes counted so far.
The ½% increase would put Westminster’s sales tax to one the highest in the county – the money brought in would help fund emergency services, maintain public places like parks and prevent future cuts to the police and fire department, city officials say.
The ballot measure – Measure E – was anticipated to generate $8 million in revenue.
Meanwhile, the city faces a $9 million deficit for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
This comes two years after Westminster passed a similar ballot measure, called Measure Y, which raised sales tax by 1% until the end of May 2043.
Last year, the city reported over 125,000 emergency 911 calls were made with many requiring medical assistance.
Entire police divisions were to be funded by the measure, including the Narcotics, Domestic Violence, and Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking units.
Measure E also allotted funding to continue annual independent audits of the city, also continuing to have an independent citizen’s oversight committee.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC intern. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss