Paso Robles voters will decide in November whether the city’s existing half-cent local sales tax will remain in place. The tax initially passed in 2012 to repair deteriorating roads.
Measure I-24 is a continuation of previous measure E-12, which is set to expire on March 31, 2025. E-12 has spent $78 million to improve city roads since then 2012, using a tax that adds 10 cents to each taxable purchase of $20. If passed, I-24 is estimated to generate $6.5 million per year and has no expiration date.
Residents have expressed concerns about the measure not having oversight or an expiration date. Others have argued that if the measure doesn’t pass, road repair costs will take funding away from public safety.
Charles Brown, public information officer for the city’s Professional Firefighters Association and Police Officer Association, said that if the half-cent tax ends, road maintenance will have to continue and the money to pay for it has to come from somewhere. That somewhere could be Measure J-20, another active sales tax that provides revenue for city essential services, including fire and police. The 1-cent tax on every dollar helps support 15 firefighters and 27 police officers, Brown said.
Currently both public safety and road repair taxes are allocated to the city’s general fund. Brown said that if I-24 is not passed, funding for road repairs would still come from the general fund despite the loss of revenue.
“Police and fire are now in danger, right? The funding for the personnel is now in danger because we’re already committed to road repair and maintenance projects, and so we are going to continue doing it,” Brown said. “But where does the funding come from? It’s going to come from a general fund, which is being funded in part by J-20. And so we’re now, from the public safety perspective, looking at it like we will lose positions.”
Currently the Fire Department is looking to hire an additional team of five people due to rising call volumes. But Brown said if any revenue is lost, that won’t happen.
“If I-24 doesn’t pass, most likely we will not be able to afford to implement a squad to reduce our response times. So we anticipate response times are going to increase,” he said. “And think about you having an emergency and all three of our fire engines are busy, and we don’t have that fourth unit to respond. It’s going to take longer for one of those agents to get there.”
At a Paso Robles City Council candidate forum hosted by the Templeton and Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 26, candidates discussed whether they support I-24.
Linda George, running to represent the 1st District, was not in favor of the measure and suggested instead prioritizing roads over other projects.
“I was opposed to not having a sunset clause,” George said. “So my question is, can we lay back some projects and try to prioritize our worst roads?”
Third District candidate Jeff Carr shared concerns about the revenue going into the general fund and worried it may not be used how the measure claims it will.
“You know the city needs the revenue, but here they put up something with no plan really. They tell people ‘it’s for roads,’ and that’s what we need it to be for. We need the money for roads, but they don’t have any plan for it,” he said.
Carr’s opponent, incumbent City Councilmember Steve Gregory, said that all $78 million generated from E-12 has been used for roads thanks to the city’s oversight committee for E-12, which will continue if I-24 is passed, according to the city’s website.
Public Information Officer Brown said this is a common misconception of those opposed to I-24.
“The money raised by E-12 has been responsibly used, and the oversight committee ensured that,” Brown said. “So, when people are opposing I-24, they’re not recognizing the two things—the fact that there is oversight, and secondly, if it doesn’t pass, the impact on public safety is going to be great.”
To learn more about I-24, visit prcity.com/1221/Measure-I-24. Δ
This article appears in Pet Issue 2024.
