Santa Rosa voters to decide on public safety tax in November, but council pay proposal is pushed to 2024

Santa Rosa voters will decide in November whether to renew a quarter-cent public safety tax for 20 years but will have to wait until 2024 to weigh in on whether elected officials should receive higher compensation.

The Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday approved sending a renewal of the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Funding Measure, known as Measure O, to the ballot, along with two other measures.

The tax, which expires in March 2025, provides a dedicated funding stream for police, fire and prevention programs in Santa Rosa.

The other ballot measures would amend the city’s charter to affirm the city’s district-based election method and modernize the charter language and procedures, such as allowing the city manager to craft a two-year budget.

The council opted to hold off on placing a proposal to provide significant raises to elected officials to give the city time to plan for any budget impacts from higher wages and educate voters on the issue.

“It makes more sense to me to put it on the 2024 ballot and have an honest discussion about where we’re at economically at that time closer to the approval,” Mayor Chris Rogers told his colleagues on Tuesday.

Measure O generates about $10 million annually and pays for more than 25 police and fire positions, equipment and youth programs and family services.

Under the proposed renewal, funds also could be used for mental health support and to prioritize resources in new geographic areas, such as Roseland.

The City Council supported extending the tax through 2045 and leaving the allocations to police, fire and violence prevention programs unchanged, despite calls from some community members to reconsider how much goes to each bucket. Police and fire services each receive 40% of the funding and the remaining 20% is allocated to prevention.

Residents called on the council to increase how much is allocated for prevention and said the community’s needs have changed since the tax was first approved in 2004. Some called for money to be allocated to homelessness services.

The renewal requires a two-thirds approval by voters. The city likely will try again in 2024 if the measure fails.

The approved ballot language will be sent to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters. Measures need to be submitted to the county by Aug. 12 to qualify for the November ballot.

City staff will come back to the council at a later meeting with a resolution calling for a special election in 2024 to decide on council pay.

Under the proposal, the mayor would receive 100% of the median income for a three-person household, $101,500, and council members would receive two-thirds of that, or $66,990. Council members currently receive $9,600 annually and the mayor receives $14,400, plus health insurance and other benefits valued up to $33,700 per year.

Council members largely believe higher pay could attract more diverse and qualified candidates for public office but have been divided on how best to achieve meaningful raises during previous discussions.

Ultimately, the council on June 12 agreed to support a committee’s recommendation to tie pay to the area median income, a figure set by federal housing officials and updated each year. Increases would go into effect Jan. 1, 2025, after all sitting council members have gone through reelection.

Rogers on Tuesday recommended holding off on submitting the measure to the November ballot if raises wouldn’t be implemented until 2025, citing uncertainty amid high inflation and a potential economic downtown. The council could vote in the future to pull the item from the ballot.

Council members unanimously supported the idea.

City Attorney Sue Gallagher said nothing appeared to prohibit the council from sending the measure to the 2024 ballot rather than allowing residents to vote on it this year.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct City Attorney Sue Gallagher’s title.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.