Lincoln asks voters to raise city sales tax for public safety. Some are skeptical

The Abridged version:

• Lincoln residents will vote on Measure F, which will raise the city’s sales tax from 7.25% to 8.25% and generate an estimated $6 million annually.
• Officials have said the city will direct new funds to public safety services, which police and firefighters say will increase desperately-needed staffing and improve emergency medical responses.
• Opponents of Measure F have criticized the proposed tax, revenue from which will go into the general fund and not straight to public safety. Some have accused the city of taxing residents more to balance its budget.

---

Lincoln shoppers may see a higher sales tax, if a new ballot measure passes this November.

Measure F would introduce an additional 1 cent sales tax in the city of Lincoln, raising the existing sales tax from 7.25% — most of which goes to the state of California — to 8.25%. The sales tax would generate an estimated $6 million annually, which would go directly into Lincoln’s general fund.

Local first responders told Abridged by PBS KVIE that their departments plan to use the money to hire paramedics and improve police staffing, both of which are currently lacking. On the ballot, the city says Measure F’s purpose is to prevent cuts to public safety services, obtain new equipment to respond to medical emergencies and keep public spaces safe and clean, among other “general government uses.”

Such general uses have become a point of contention for opponents of Measure F, who have criticized it for not guaranteeing that new money will go toward public safety. Unlike special taxes, which are levied by local government agencies for specific purposes outlined on ballots, general tax revenue is distributed at the city’s discretion.

“We made a commitment to our citizens that it’s going to be public safety first and foremost for any calls on the money,” Lincoln mayor Richard Pearl said.

Lincoln currently faces a $3.6 million structural operations deficit. City projections have indicated that without new money, the budget may be in jeopardy. Pearl said that while Lincoln currently has healthy reserves, those savings could run dry by 2030, which would force city government to make “hard decisions” in the future.

Lincoln’s budget for fiscal year 2026-27 shows that 71% of general fund expenditures go toward the police and fire departments.

Does Lincoln need more tax revenue?

Evan Faddis, the Placer County director for the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, said that the new revenue is desperately needed to ensure residents receive prompt emergency medical responses. The fire department plans to use the money to hire paramedics, as it currently relies on EMT staff.

During medical emergencies, first responders have to stay on the ground with injured people for upwards of 20 minutes before a hospital transfer can happen, Faddis estimated.

“With some of the issues with the ambulances and ERs being inundated, we feel like this is the next huge step for us to go,” Faddis said. “We see the need for a higher level of care.”

Lincoln police have also come out in support of Measure F, expressing a need for more responding officers and detectives. About three Lincoln police staff — two officers and one supervisor — are on duty at any given time, city officials have estimated. Lincoln Peace Officers Association president Antonio Virga said that with money raised from the new tax, the department hopes to have at least four officers on each shift with a supervisor.

Virga said that police also want to use the money to prop up more specialty units. He’s one of two detectives that handle investigations in the city, giving him and his partner 25 to 30 cases each. It’s a heavy load to carry, Virga said, and residents would benefit from more staffers doing specialized work.

“Our police department is not maintaining the amount of growth that our city is seeing,” Virga said.

Debate over Measure F has bled into Lincoln’s two City Council races this election cycle. Holly Andreatta of District 2 and Ben Brown of District 4 both support the measure, while their challengers, Christine Colvin Treshchuk and Spencer Short, have voiced their opposition to it.

Short and Treshchuk wrote in Abridged by PBS KVIE’s voter guide that residents should not need to pay for the city’s operations deficit.

“I support fully funding police and fire and maintaining appropriate emergency response levels but the City’s budget deficit needs to be addressed at its source,” Colvin Treshchuk wrote.

Why a general tax?

Officials say that putting a special tax instead of a general tax on the ballot would make approval less reachable. While general tax measures require a simple majority to pass, state law dictates that special taxes must be approved by over two-thirds of voters. Pearl said that earlier resident polling indicated that support fell just under that percentage.

“We didn’t feel there was enough bandwidth there to take a chance that it would not pass,” Pearl said. “It was a strategic decision because we need the money, and we know it’s all going to public safety.”

Money generated from the new sales tax would go into its own separate account within the general fund, which would be subject to a yearly audit. Measure F also establishes a five-member citizen oversight committee to review expenditures. Virga said that the city has offered to reserve spots on this committee for representatives of the police and fire unions.

If the revenue is ultimately not directed toward public safety, union leaders said they will hold the city accountable. But they don’t expect things to go that way.

“If the City Council would change its mind and divert those funds to another location, I’m going to every City Council meeting and making myself very known,” Virga said. “I don’t expect that to occur — I talked to several City Council members and they’re all on the same page that it’s going to be heavily geared toward public safety.”

To learn more about Measure F and the Lincoln City Council candidates’ stances on key issues, check out Abridged by PBS KVIE’s voter guide.