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Greenfield council puts 3/4% transactions-and-use tax extension on Nov. ballot, agrees to citizen oversight language
Summary
The City Council voted May 26 to place a 3/4% transactions-and-use tax extension on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot to fund public safety, recreation and code enforcement, and directed staff to include language creating or restoring a citizen oversight committee at the council's request.
The Greenfield City Council voted May 26 to place an ordinance extending the city's 3/4% transactions-and-use tax on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot and approved a resolution calling the election.
City staff told the council the 3/4% measure generates "more than $1.4 million per year" and currently funds 17 city positions, including 14.5 in the police department and 2.5 in recreation. Staff recommended asking the Monterey County Registrar to consolidate the measure with the Nov. 3 general election.
During public comment, longtime resident John Wera Jr. voiced support for the extension and urged accountability. Wera and other speakers urged that the measure include citizen oversight. A caller who joined by phone also asked the council to restore a citizens' oversight committee similar to one that existed for prior measures.
Several council members said adding oversight language would reassure voters. "I think that would give people peace of mind to know that we're using it properly," one council member said during deliberations.
Council members approved a motion to add oversight language to the ballot materials and moved and seconded the ordinance introduction and resolution calling the election. The council introduced the ordinance by title and passed the resolution asking the county to place the measure before voters; the ordinance will return for a second reading after the election if voters approve it.
If approved by voters, the six-year extension proposed by staff would continue the city's Measure T funding through March 2033; staff said prior city measures together produce more than $2.6 million annually for public safety, parks and recreation. Because the proposal is a general tax, it requires a majority vote (more than 50%).
Council members and staff emphasized limitations on campaigning by the city: once the council places the measure on the ballot, city staff and city resources may not be used to promote it, although individual council members and private groups may campaign on their own.
Next steps: the council has introduced the ordinance and adopted the calling resolution; the measure will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, with language including the citizen oversight component to be finalized by staff and the city attorney.
