Measure E, a bid to increase the sales tax in the city of Westminster, won over 61% of voters.
Measure E’s passage means that Westminster’s sales tax will increase by 0.05%. That tax will provide an estimated $8 million dollars annually, the authors of the measure say, and help close a budget gap that the city is facing.
How we got here
This isn’t Westminster's first rodeo when it comes to trying to increase its sales tax. In 2016, voters passed Measure SS, which raised the local sales tax by 1%. In 2022, 70% of voters approved a measure that would keep that 1% tax increase active until March 31, 2043, to fund city services. If the 2022 measure hadn’t passed, cuts to the city budget could have closed parks, caused layoffs and eliminated youth and senior centers.
The city is currently facing a nearly $9 million deficit for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Over the years, other city revenue ideas such as electronic billboards, a new gas station and establishing vendor kiosks at the Civic Center have failed to gain council support.
Why is Westminster so financially unstable? Prop. 13 may be to blame, because it locked the city into lower property tax returns decades ago. Another cause could be a historic over-reliance on state redevelopment funds, according to the Los Angeles Times. Critics also blame the city council for not doing a better job of managing the fiscal crisis.
