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Monterey council declares fiscal emergency and places 0.375% sales tax on June ballot

Monterey City Council · February 17, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Facing a multi‑million‑dollar structural deficit, the council unanimously declared a fiscal emergency and voted to put a 0.375% general sales tax — nine‑year measure — on the June 2, 2026 ballot to preserve city services. Supporters cited timing constraints; opponents urged spending cuts instead.

The Monterey City Council unanimously declared a fiscal emergency on Feb. 17 so it could place a temporary 0.375% local transactions and use tax before the county’s special‑election deadlines.

Finance Director Raphaela presented five‑year forecasts and staff’s recommendation to ask voters for a nine‑year supplemental sales tax that staff estimates would raise roughly $4.5 million per year for general fund services if approved. Council members discussed the legal standard for declaring a fiscal…

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