[0:02] Good evening everyone and welcome. We
really appreciate you logging on to be a
[0:06] part of tonight's discussion. My name is
Mario Rantelia and I am the public
[0:11] information officer for the city of Los
Centro. We organized this virtual
[0:16] gathering to have a conversation and
share information about Measure T. Civic
[0:21] engagement is vital to our city. So we
are eager to hear your thoughts and
[0:26] answer your questions later in the
program. Please don't hesitate to speak
[0:30] up during the Q&A. Thank you again for
being here and for your continued
[0:35] dedication to the city of El Central.
[0:40] Just a few quick housekeeping items
before we begin. Tonight's webinar is
[0:45] being recorded for people who couldn't
make it live. As attendees, your cameras
[0:51] and microphones are turned off, but we
still value your participation.
[0:57] Please drop your questions into the Zoom
Q&A box at the bottom of your screen at
[1:01] any time.
We will end right at 700 p.m. If time
[1:06] runs out before we get to your question,
we encourage you to email us at public
[1:10] info@ cityof central.org
so we can respond directly. Keep in mind
[1:15] that we might group similar questions
together to cover as much ground as
[1:20] possible. The full video will be
available on the city's website and
[1:24] YouTube channel. As for our agenda,
we'll start by discussing what is
[1:29] measure T, how it will appear on the
ballot, the application of Measure T if
[1:34] it passes, and frequently asked
questions surrounding measure T.
[1:41] Measure T, the El Centro public safety
city services measure, proposes a local
[1:46] halfcent transactions and use tax
increase to help maintain general
[1:50] services.
If approved by voters, measure T would
[1:54] adjust El Centro's total sales tax rate
from 8.25%
[1:59] to 8.75%.
This halfsent adjustment is estimated to
[2:04] generate approximately 8.4 million
annually in local controlled revenue for
[2:09] the general fund.
The city council voted unanimous
[2:13] unanimously on June 16th to place
measure T on the November 3rd ballot.
[2:19] Unlike state or county taxes, 100% of
measure T funds are legally guaranteed
[2:25] to stay in El Central. The state and
county cannot take or redirect a single
[2:30] penny. The measure includes mandatory
strict fiscal oversight requiring annual
[2:36] annual independent financial audits and
public spending disclosures.
[2:41] As a general tax, if measure T passes,
revenue would support day-to-day
[2:46] operations and core municipal services.
It could help maintain rapid 911
[2:51] response times, support neighborhood
crime prevention, and help retain and
[2:56] attract well-trained firefighters,
paramedics, and police officers.
[3:02] It could provide funding to repair local
streets and potholes, keep parks and
[3:06] public areas clean and safe, improve
driver pedestrian safety, and address
[3:11] homelessness.
It could help maintain youth recreation,
[3:15] aquatics, senior programs, library
services, and local business retention
[3:20] initiatives.
El Central serves a daytime population
[3:25] of roughly 75,000 residents, workers,
and visitors, creating continuous demand
[3:30] on our police, fire response, and street
infrastructure.
[3:35] Sales tax is our primary operational
revenue source.
[3:40] Following a 4.61% 61% growth in fiscal
year 2425.
[3:45] Sales tax performance is flattening with
a projected 0.99%
[3:49] dip in fiscal year 2526.
While the city holds approximately 38.7
[3:57] million in reserve funds, these savings
are set aside for natural disasters,
[4:01] major emergencies, or economic
downturns. They are not to be used to
[4:06] fund daily ongoing operational costs.
Now, let's review the exact language as
[4:12] it will officially appear on your ballot
on November 3rd.
[4:18] Shall the measure maintaining 911
response, helping prevent crime,
[4:22] retaining attracting well-trained
firefighters, paramedics, police,
[4:27] repairing streets, potholes, keeping
public areas, parks safe clean,
[4:33] increasing driver pedestrian safety,
addressing homelessness, retaining
[4:38] attracting local businesses, maintaining
youth recreation, senior library
[4:44] programs, other general city services,
establishing a half cents sales tax
[4:49] providing approximately 8.4 annual
million annually until ended by voters
[4:54] requiring audits public spending
disclosure funds locally controlled be
[5:00] adopted.
Note that the language explicitly
[5:03] highlights accountability mechanisms
independent audits spending disclosures
[5:08] and 100% local control.
[5:14] We will now explore the sales tax
application if measure T passes.
[5:19] What is not taxed? Essential items like
groceries, prescription medications, and
[5:24] rent are completely exempt from sales
tax. What is taxed? The tax applies to
[5:30] general retail goods, consumer
purchases, dining out, and audio auto
[5:35] sales.
Because El Centro is the commercial hub
[5:39] of the region, visitors and out of town
shoppers who shop and dine here will
[5:43] contribute to maintaining the local
services and roads they use.
[5:49] Now, let's put this into practice. This
sideby-side comparison shows how measure
[5:54] T would affect an everyday shopping
receipt if approved by voters. Groceries
[6:00] like grapes and apple juice remain
taxfree on both receipts. While taxable
[6:04] items totaling $100 see a half cent
local tax adjustment
[6:10] on this $100 purchase of taxable goods,
measure T would add 50.
[6:17] In other words, on a $20 restaurant
bill, if Measure T passes, it adds 10
[6:23] cents. Residents can also visit the
city's website to use the interactive
[6:28] measure t budget calculator to estimate
how the half have sent adjustment could
[6:33] affect individual purchases or monthly
spending if it is passed by voters.
[6:40] Now let's examine how every sales tax
dollar spent in El Central is currently
[6:44] split versus how it would look if
measure T passes.
[6:50] This is the current breakdown. For every
dollar you spend, you are taxed 8.25
[6:55] cents. The state receives 6 cents. The
county receives 75 cents. And this
[7:03] includes regional transportation
district taxes. The city of O Central
[7:09] receives 1.5 cents and this includes the
base rate and measure P capital tax.
[7:16] To the right of the slide is the
proposed breakdown if measure T is
[7:19] approved by voters where you would be
taxed 8.75 cents for every dollar spent.
[7:26] The state share remains 6 cents. The
county share remains 75 cents. The city
[7:33] of O central share increases to 2 cents.
The entire additional half cent goes
[7:39] directly to the El Centro's general
fund.
[7:44] Central residents will have the
opportunity to vote on measure T on the
[7:48] November ballot. Residents are
encouraged to review complete background
[7:53] information and materials on the
official city of O Central measure T
[7:58] information page.
That concludes our presentation and we
[8:03] will now be moving into our Q&A session.
To ask a question, click the Q&A icon on
[8:10] your control bar. Type your question
into the text field and click send. Now,
[8:15] Valerie Nades is here to join me to help
me moderate the Q&A session.
[8:22] » Hi, Mario. Thank you. All right, as
Mario mentioned, please drop your
[8:27] questions into that Q&A box.
[8:32] And while we have uh people dropping
questions in, why don't we move over
[8:37] into some frequently asked questions um
that we have seen. So let's go into the
[8:43] first one. If measure T were to pass,
how much will it cost?
[8:50] » A half cent per dollar increase would
equate to 10 cents on a $20 meal.
[8:56] Essential items like groceries,
prescriptions, and rent are exempt.
[9:02] Thank you. I have another question,
Mario. If approved, what would the funds
[9:06] be used for?
>> The funds would be used for essential
[9:10] general services like repairing roads,
maintaining 911, police, and fire
[9:16] response, keeping parks clean, and
supporting youth senior library
[9:21] programs.
[9:25] Right.
>> And then, how is proper spending ensured
[9:28] if measure T were to pass?
That would be done with the mandatory
[9:33] annual independent financial audits,
public spending reports, and legal
[9:38] requirements that 100% of funds stay
local.
[9:46] » Thank you. All right.
Please drop any questions you may have
[9:50] in the Q&A box. I'm going to move over
uh to another question, Mario, here that
[9:55] I have seen frequently asked is why is
the city proposing this measure?
[10:01] The cost of providing basic municipal
services continues to increase.
[10:06] Simultaneously, the city's primary
ongoing funding source, sales tax, is
[10:11] projected to level out and projected to
dip slightly. While the city holds
[10:16] emergency reserve funds, these savings
are not intended to pay for daily
[10:21] operational costs such as keeping fire
stations fully staffed or maintaining uh
[10:26] routine police patrols.
Thank you. Thank you.
[10:36] Any questions that anyone wants to ask,
please drop it into the Q&A box. We'll
[10:41] give it about another minute um to allow
for questions to come in.
[10:49] And Mario, I know you already went over
this, but we did have some uh a couple
[10:53] people join during this time. So, can
you just briefly explain again what is
[10:57] measure T?
>> Of course, Valerie. Measure T is a
[11:01] proposed halfcentent sales tax increase
placed on the November 3rd, 2026 general
[11:07] election ballot by a unanimous vote of
the city council. If approved by the
[11:13] voters, it is projected to generate
approximately 8.4 million annually,
[11:18] which could help fund essential city
services.
[11:24] Fantastic. Thank you.
All righty. Well, I'm not seeing any
[11:30] questions into this Q&A box
here. So, I think that will
[11:41] uh any questions you may have, please
drop it into the Q&A box
[11:47] at the bottom. So, we won't be doing the
raise hand motion, but we will be taking
[11:52] questions in the Q&A box.
[12:17] If you need help finding your Q&A box,
it is going to be at the bottom of your
[12:22] screen with the chat and Q&A
next to it, next to the option of leave
[12:29] there.
[12:45] Okay, Mario, I am not seeing any
questions coming in through the Q&A box
[12:50] here. So, um I think we can wrap this
up.
[12:54] » Thank you, Valerie. And thank you,
ladies and gentlemen, for taking the
[12:58] time to join us for this presentation.
Before we conclude, I'd like to remind
[13:03] everyone that this presentation will be
available on the city of O Centro's
[13:06] YouTube page and official website, www.c
cityofo central.org.
[13:13] Additional information on our budget can
also be found on our website. If you
[13:18] have any further questions, comments or
concerns, please feel free to contact us
[13:22] at public info at cityof central.org.
We also encourage you to follow the city
[13:28] of Central on social media for future
updates and information. Thank you again
[13:33] for watching and we hope you have a
great rest of your day.