Following mounting pressure from residents to address Westminster’s impending bankruptcy, city councilors finally voted Aug. 12 to put a proposal to extend the city’s 1 percent sales tax—which has been deeply disputed on the dais over the last two years—on the November ballot.
The 4–1 approval vote for Measure SS—with Councilman Tai Do abstaining—came last minute since the day was also the deadline for new measures to appear on the ballot.
If voters approve renewing the sales tax, which and originally set to expire at the end of this year, it will be extended for another 20 years.
According to official estimates, the sales tax has brought in $81.5 million since 2016. The city is expected to declare bankruptcy by 2024 without the tax revenue….