Mount Shasta officials propose 1.5% sales tax to shore up fire, police staffing

Mount Shasta city staff and public safety leaders outlined a proposal on Oct. 25 to place a 1.5% general sales tax measure on the June 2026 gubernatorial ballot to avert further cuts to the fire and police departments.

City manager Todd Juhaas told residents the city is “at a critical juncture” and described declining sales and bed tax revenue, accounting corrections that reduced an earlier reserve estimate, and a change in how online sales taxes are allocated as key drivers of the shortfall. Juhaas said the proposed 1.5% increase would raise about $2,600,000 a year.

The proposal would appear as a general sales tax increase requiring a simple majority (50% plus one) to pass. Juhaas said the city’s consultant recommended the 1.5% amount and advised staff to pursue the June 2026 election timeline rather than a special or November ballot. City staff stated they intend to follow that recommendation; the meeting did not record a formal city council vote to place the measure on the ballot.

Why it matters: Fire and police officials reported staff losses and service impacts that they said could worsen without new revenue. “For the last few years, we have been operating understaffed and with an annual call volume that is only increasing,” said Corey Burns, fire chief for the Mount Shasta Fire Department, summarizing the department’s staffing and response concerns. Burns and other speakers stressed risks to…