Hemet to Try Another Tax

One month after Hemet voters narrowly rejected a special sales tax that would have paid for extra police and fire protection, the city council has approved a similar proposal for the November ballot.

The council voted 4-1 Tuesday to place a general tax before voters on Nov. 8, Hemet Fire Chief Scott Brown said.

If approved, the measure would raise the city’s sales tax one percent, generating an estimated $10 million a year for more police officers and firefighters.

Because the latest tax is a general tax – meaning the revenues it generates legally could be spent on anything – a simple majority is enough to get it passed. Council members have assured the public the extra money will be spent exclusively on beefing up public safety, however.

Measure E, the tax Hemet voters rejected last month was a special tax, earmarked for extra police and firefighters. It required a two-thirds majority vote to be enacted, which it failed to get.

Backers of the November tax measure will spend much of the time between now and election day explaining why Hemet’s police and fire departments need more revenue to hire more people, along with the difference between the two proposals, Brown said.

“We need more help, we need more resources if we’re going to maintain a good quality of life,” said Brown, who campaigned for Measure E. “Both departments are at critical mass. We can’t let this go on any longer.”